Attack on Titan – Assault is another action-packed episode that shows the horrors of war. It’s no longer a one-sided fight. Pieck and Gilliard have entered the fray and do serious damage to the Scouts, who were obliterating the Marleyian army last episode. The animation in this episode is on a completely different level. It’s not the best episode of the Final Season, but it’s probably right behind Declaration of War as the second-best, and it is one of the best episodes of the series. God-tier music is back. The combination of Sawano and Yamamoto are masterful, and their pieces compliment each other perfectly. Attack on Titan – Assault is an interesting episode to review, but suffice to say, it’s one of the best episodes in the series and perhaps anime itself.
The episode opens with the Scouts descending on the Jaw Titan, about to take it out. Then, suddenly, a number of Scouts are taken out in gory fashion. Attack on Titan is not shying away from the violence this season, which is a relief to see. Pieck and the Cart Titan, equipped with her gear, are deadly and her machine guns are a perfect weapon against the 3D maneuvering gear of the Scouts. It kills a number of them with ease. Pieck is eventually defeated herself though when Sasha, with an almost perfect shot, takes out one of her gunners. That gives Jean the opportunity to destroy her gear, killing her men, and if not for Falco getting in the way, he would have obliterated Pieck as well.
Zeke Yeager also makes a dramatic entrance, throwing his signature rocks in to stop the Scouts in their tracks. He states that Eren is no match for him, but he’s eventually stealthfully taken out by Levi, who made a promise to Levi to kill the Beast Titan. It’s unknown if he’s alive or dead at this point. Though many Scouts are killed, Marley’s army is decimated and their Titans are left incapacitated. Armin makes his grand entrance, finally, taking out Marley’s entire navy with his transformation. He notes, “this is the view you must have seen, isn’t it Bertholdt?” after viewing a dead child due to his transformation.
The Scouts didn’t come to Marley without a plan. The lights they put up were to guide an airship, which they will escape with. Armin boards the airship with Hange, and it’s revealed that this invasion was in fact his plan, with Hange noting that Armin channeled his “inner Erwin.” Eren realizes his teeth aren’t strong enough to pierce the crystal of the War Hammer Titan, which he expected. The Jaw Titan, again, comes for Eren in order to retake the Founding Titan. Mikasa quickly cuts off his legs so he is unable to move. Eren, in a shocking move, takes the crystal of the War Hammer Titan and crushes it with the Jaw Titan’s mouth. He swallows the blood of the War Hammer Titan’s host and now holds three Titans: the Attack Titan, the Founding Titan, and the War Hammer Titan. He is now, by far, the most powerful Titan shifter there is.
Meanwhile, Reiner isn’t healing. He’s lost the will to live, as shown in previous episodes. Gabi and Falco, who he saved, call out to him for help. Gabi is desperate to kill Eren Yeager, and reminds me of a young Eren who vows to eradicate all the Titans for destroying his hometown and killing his mother. Reiner laments, wondering why everyone can’t let him die in peace. The episode ends with Reiner’s transformation and his eventual confrontation with Eren, the Attack Titan.
This is one of the best episodes in the series. It is action-packed and has the emotional resonance that makes Attack on Titan so great. It shows the horrors of war, and really makes you think, who are the good guys? Is Eren a Devil or a God? Eren Kruger said that anyone can be a god or a devil, all you need is for people to believe. We’ll see in subsequent episodes, most likely, what the people of Paradis believe with regards to Eren. It was nice to finally see Armin, and even better in his Colossal Titan form. The music in this episode was perfect, and those “toxic” fans who complained about the music in the past will not be disappointed with Sawano’s themes from previous seasons being very prevalent. We’ll have to see what happens in the next episode, titled “Assassin’s Bullet”, which implies something tragic may happen, but nonetheless, this was an incredible addition to the Attack on Titan Final Season and things are only going to get better from here.