Attack on Titan, “Assassin’s Bullet”, is a review that I’ve been dreading. Not because I doubted the quality of the episode, but because I knew what was coming. And I knew it would break my heart, yet I wasn’t expecting it to hit me as hard as it has. Attack on Titan: The Final Season has been fantastic thus far, and this episode stands out as one of the best. In fact, once again, MAPPA Studio has churned out one of the best episodes of Attack on Titan of all-time. What they’ve managed to accomplish, especially considering they are juggling multiple anime at the same time, is nothing short of astounding. This episode was lacking in terms of action, but we just had two straight episodes of non-stop fighting. This was a character-driven episode, and it really gave certain characters the opportunity to shine. Even Gabi, who I hate, is a well-written character. Jean, Sasha, and Connie all had their moments. This was an incredible episode woven together so perfectly, I would dare say it’s the best episode of Attack on Titan of all-time.
The cold open of the episodes starts out with Reiner ready to take on Eren. You thought this was actually going to be a fight, eh? Eren knocks Reiner out with one punch but hesitates to kill him. His parting words are “See you later, Reiner”, which is apt considering their newfound bond. Eren and Mikasa then head up to the airship, where, in familiar fashion, Levi kicks Eren in the face. Eren is then bound, like a prisoner, at gunpoint. He doesn’t resist and seems despondent.
The rest of the crew return to the airship. There’s a great moment where Connie embraces Sasha and Jean, saying he was thankful they survived, as they were “special to him”, as they were all graduates of the 104th and had been through so much together. That was a clear death flag for someone right there and makes it all the more tragic. A surprise reveal is that Zeke was actually in on this plan, and is alive. He’s helping Paradis Island survive, and this was partially his plan, if not all. There were some “miscalculations” though, and one of those was the Jaw and Cart Titan escaping the bottomless trap that was set for them. Hange also walks in, telling Eren that while he trusted them to help, they lost their trust in him. This was not something the Survey Corps. did willingly. They had no choice because they needed Eren back.
Falco and Gabi have a conversation where Falco tells Gabi that the people of Paradis Island were trampled too. Gabi dismisses this, as they were “Island Devils” and had it coming. Falco doesn’t appear to subscribe to this belief though. Gabi quickly chases after the airship and kills one of the Commanders in the Survey Corps. She then uses their maneuver gear to sneak aboard the airship. Falco chases after her and grabs onto her as she ascends. He cares for her, but at this point, Gabi appears to be a lost cause, and it only gets worse from here. In a shocking and defining moment in the series, Gabi sneaks on the airship and shoots Sasha in the stomach. It’s a gut-wrenching moment that they’ve carefully built up this season, especially with Sasha being such a badass now, but it’s still shocking. We’ve had significant deaths before, but never one of our original protagonists. Sasha had been through so much throughout the series, surviving countless battles, yet she wasn’t even killed in battle; she’s murdered by a severely brainwashed and misguided young girl.
Jean rejects Floch’s suggestion they throw Gabi and Falco off the airship, saying “when will the killing ever end?” They quickly try to tend to Sasha, but it’s too late. In a heartbreaking moment, as she succumbs to her wounds, she utters her last word: meat. It’s fitting considering the character, and while on paper it may sound ridiculous and funny, it’s executed to perfection. The saddest part of the episode, which was set up earlier, was when Connie broke the news to Hange, Levi, Eren, and co. that Sasha was dead. Eren asks what Sasha’s last words were, and Connie tells him, “meat.” Eren laughs at first, flashing back to the moment before the Battle of Trost where Sasha stole meat from the officer’s storehouse, but he quickly changes gears, and his face is heartbroken. This is one of the rare moments this season we’ve seen any emotion from Eren, so, it’s very significant. He knew the costs of his actions, yet he carried on anyway. And he will continue to carry on, for all those who have been lost, even in death, even after death. That is how he will pay the price for his sins.
Attack on Titan, “Assassin’s Bullet”, is a difficult episode to review. Despite this though, it’s one of, if not the best episode of the series. MAPPA continues to churn out excellent episode after excellent episode. One of the more subtleties of this episode is the music. It’s emotional, full of themes from seasons one through three, and fills you with a sense of nostalgia. The animation is also top-notch, once again. If MAPPA continues to maintain this level of quality, we’re witnessing anime history, as Attack on Titan will go down as the greatest series, and one of the greatest pieces of storytelling, of all-time.