That’s right - you thought it was over and turns out, it’s not. At all. Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 2 has officially come to an end, and while Part 3 is scheduled to release sometime in 2023 to hopefully officially close out the iconic under-the-radar anime series, I’m still focused on the finale of Part 2.
While this part had some amazing moments that were foreshadowed for years before, I can’t get over the last episode, “The Dawn of Humanity,” for many reasons, and I have so many feelings that I just need to get out as a fan of the series for several years and a critic, overall. So, to honor this part of the Attack on Titan series finale, here are some things I thought while watching this great episode.
Beyond Freaking Sad
If you’re a fan of the manga that Attack on Titan follows, you already knew about the scene between Eren and Mikasa in the refugee camp, where Eren asks Mikasa what she is to him after all this time. It’s been obvious for years that Mikasa loves Eren as more than a friend, but in that moment, she panics and tells him that she sees him as “family,” and every time I’ve seen this scene I just want to bawl from frustration and sadness.
It’s even worse to really look back on this scene and think about all the destruction that Eren has caused thus far in Season 4. It always makes me wonder what Eren would have done if Mikasa had answered differently, but sadly, that’s another reality that we’ll never get to witness. Be right back while I go sob my eyes out.
Hysterically Laughing
I mean, that opening scene was not only perfectly animated from the manga but was so needed after all the angst Attack on Titan fans have been feeling throughout Part 2. Seeing the Scouts all try ice cream for the first time in Marley after departing the ship was adorable, and Mikasa’s little smile as she shares it with Eren - ugh, it’s so cute.
But, what really made me laugh during these opening scenes of the episode were two scenes, both themed around literally one of the most badass non-Titan characters in the show, Levi Ackerman. The first scene features him being incredibly creeped out by a clown that thinks he’s a child (because, ya know, the dude is freaking short), and the second is him trying to help out a thief who's just a kid, and literally running away with the child in his arms from a gathering crowd that wants to hurt the child for stealing pocket change.
What makes it even funnier is that the rest of the Scouts follow him without much of an explanation. I was laughing my ass off. I need more scenes like that in my life, dang it.
Happiness - Just For A Moment
While there were some fantastic moments in Part 1 of Season 4 of Attack on Titan as well as Part 2, this, overall, was my favorite. When the Scouts are invited to the tent where Ramzi (the thief that Levi and the Scouts helped out earlier) and his family stay within the refugee camp, they all drink and party the night away.
Sometimes, I forget that Eren and his friends aren’t that old. The two eldest are Levi and Hange - both leaders within the Scouts, but the others aren’t even twenty yet. They’re still just kids who like to have fun and be with their friends and drink, and honestly, I was so happy seeing them act their age.
It’s hard to imagine them having a life where they aren’t fighting to constantly survive, but watching this scene, it makes me wonder, "What if?" And, for a brief moment, I felt true happiness for the kids that I’ve seen grow up since 2013.
Fear - So Much Fear
That happiness, though, was ripped right the heck out of me. Let’s be honest - Attack on Titan has some pretty banging intro songs, all great in their own right, but there’s just something about Season 4, Part 2’s intro song, aptly called “The Rumbling” that gets me so hyped. That hype, however, died down the moment I saw the ending of this episode.
Fear, so much fear, ran through me as I watched Eren in his Founding Titan form arrive on the shores of Marley with all of his Colossal Titans in tow. The Global Alliance’s attempts to stop him were futile and destroyed within minutes, and soon, the Colossals were stepping over everyone and killing everything in sight. For some reason, the genuine terror of all these Titans never really sank in for me until now, seeing them standing up in the ocean, staring down several canons, barely sustaining a scratch.
The Rumbling has arrived, and it’s terrifyingly scary, and I can’t wait to see how the hell the Scouts deal with this in the show - as much as I don’t want to see certain deaths play out in Attack on Titan just yet. Manga readers, you know what I’m talking about.
Anticipation
Even if I do feel fear for the Rumbling and everything else that’s involved with it, I have to say, I’m also very excited for Part 3 to be adapted. While I could be like some fans and be annoyed that we have to wait until next year for the official conclusion, it means it’ll give MAPPA (the studio that animates Attack on Titan) more time to properly conclude the series and give it the ending that it deserves, and not some Game of Thrones bullcrap ending.
Not only that, but I’m eager to see if they’re going to stick with the manga ending of the series, or maybe do a 180 and completely change it up for the adaptation to television. Who honestly knows at this point? All I know is that I am here for the ride, and I know I am going to cry regardless of what happens. All aboard the pain train!
Season 4, Part 3 of Attack on Titan is far away at this point, but I’ll be counting down the days until it drops and getting more excited. I guess I’ll just have to re-watch the show and live through all my feelings again until Part 3 arrives. Let’s have a ball together!
