It’s been 7 years in the making, but Attack on Titan is finally winding down to its fourth and final season. The first episode will debut on December 7th on Funimation and from the sound of it, Crunchyroll as well, and… well, nobody is quite sure when (or if!) it will debut on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime, even though Seasons 1, 2, and 3 are currently available on Hulu and Crunchyroll. So, yes. I have a headache, too. Especially since I love Attack on Titan with my full heart and soul.
And Season 4 is supposed to be crazy. In fact, my friend, Jeremy, who reads the manga said that we’re not ready for what this season of the anime has in store for us, and I believe him. The past three seasons of Attack on Titan have ramped up the carnage, but have also ramped up the backstory, leading to a narrative that is so much more than just giants eating people. Which is why I thought this list was necessary. I just wanted to bring you back up to speed.
Now, just a reminder that I’m a viewer, and that I don’t read the manga. So, if there are any story beats from the manga that I’m incorrect on (because I’m told that new details in the manga actually change details in the episodes we’ve already seen), then please just remember that I only know what I’ve seen so far. Now, on with the recap.
Eren Can Call Titans To Aid Him In Battle… Sometimes
Attack on Titan is like no other anime out there, and I mean that in the best way possible. Season 2, which only consisted of 12 episodes, was kind of slow in the beginning as it centered more on the human and political aspects of the world. But the season ramped up when it hit Episode 31 “Warrior” and barreled on to the climax in Episode 37, “Scream.” It was here that we learned that Eren can actually communicate with Titans.
He actually learned to activate this power out of frustration when he couldn’t turn into his titan form. The creepy smiling titan ate Hannes, and this caused Eren to dig deep and pull some hidden ability out of him that he never used before, screaming and luring other titans to kill the smiling titan. I’m not sure why he can only do it sometimes (I do know how he acquired this ability, though, from the episode “Attack Titan”), but I’m hoping we see more of its effect in Season 4 since we didn’t really see him use it in Season 3, even though I was waiting for it!
Armin Ate Bertholdt
Okay, so this is what I know. If you want to become a titan, you can eat one. I remember this disturbing image at the end of Season 2’s outro where children were eating the flesh off of somebody’s bones, which actually gave me some truly troubling dreams the night I saw it. Miyazaki this is not.
And in the episode “Midnight Sun” (which is also the title of a terrific The Twilight Zone episode), we saw the full implications of this. After a severely burned Armin was given a titan serum to bring him back from the brink of death, he crawled over and ate Bertholdt, who was the colossal titan. I’m assuming this now means that Armin is the colossal titan, and I can only imagine what this holds in store for Season 4.
There Are Still Secrets Possibly Hidden Within The Basement
We got bombshell after bombshell in part 1 of Season 3 with the whole Historia story arc. But part 2 of Season 3 probably dropped the biggest bombshell of them all when Eren and his friends finally went down into his father’s basement, which has been teased since Season 1. Once down there, Eren and the rest of his Survey Corps find pictures, which is crazy since the characters in this world have never even seen a photograph before. Even stranger is the contents within the three books they find, which reveals that there is a world beyond the walls.
I have to tell you, my mouth dropped at this moment, and the show became so much more than it ever was before. While watching the series, I always had the sneaking feeling that something was being hidden from us. But that a whole new society actually exists outside the walls with cameras and airships? That seriously blew my mind. It kind of reminds me of that movie Colossal with Anne Hathaway. When you finally learn just how and why the characters in that movie are turning into giant monsters, it brings the film to a whole new level. And that’s what this moment in the show did for me. I’m sure there will be even more mysteries uncovered in Season 4. There has to be.
We Know How The Mindless Titans Were Created, Including the One That Ate Eren’s Mom
In the episode “That Day” we learned that titan spinal fluid is what creates the mindless titans, and that people were kicked over a wall and transformed as a form of punishment.
In fact, Eren’s father, Grisha, actually watched his first wife, Dina, be given the fluid, and she turned into the smiling titan. And not only that, but the smiling titan is the one that eats Grisha’s second wife, which is also Eren’s mom! This show is so messed up, and I love it!
The Scout Team Is Now Outside the Walls
And now, the biggest moment, which will undoubtedly change everything, came in the final episode of Season 3, “The Other Side of the Wall”. In this episode, Historia decides to tell the people of the Paradis government about the history of the titans, which would melt anybody’s mind. We are then brought six years into the future, and we find that our teenage army is all grown up. This also means that Eren and Armin are closer to death since titans apparently only have a 13 year lifespan.
Outside the walls, the scout crew ends up at the ocean, which Armin has been pining for pretty much his entire life. The other scouts are overjoyed by the sea, finding it beautiful and representing freedom. But Eren can only imagine the threat that exists out there for all of them, and that he’ll be ready.
Goosebumps, up and down my arms. Especially since we see shots of the upcoming war that will take place in Season 4. I seriously cannot wait another second for this season to start, so I really hope that we find out soon what sites like Amazon and Hulu are going to be doing, since those are my only two options. But what about you? Are you pumped for Season 4? Sound off in the comments section below.
