The first six episodes of Attack on Titan Season 4: Part 2 promise a ground-shaking conclusion

Throughout the stunning plot twists and flashy animation of Season Four, one thing has remained clear: Attack on Titan’s finale will be unique and legendary. 

From the very beginning of Season Four, a complete shift in perspective and setting signaled that this season would be radically different. Part 2 fully embraces the drastic change in nearly every surviving character, especially with its central protagonist, Eren Jaeger. 

A passionate and dedicated soldier with a vendetta against Titans for three seasons, Eren is now determined to unleash them upon the world to allow his home of Paradis to live in peace. The once fiery and impulsive teen from the first few seasons has developed into a cold and calculating man who’s become increasingly detached from the human life he once protected.

Attack On Titan Season 4 Part 2 Cover

Photo: The cover for Attack On Titan Season 4: Part 2.

The cover for Attack On Titan Season 4: Part 2. Photo courtesy of Funimation.

The opening song captures this violent feeling perfectly, setting itself apart from all the other OPs (opening song) with a distinct genre change. Even though the second OP for Season Four faced some criticism for its different style and visuals, as heavy metal is not often used in anime, the chaotic and angry nature of the music fits the mood of the final season. The song in the opening, The Rumbling by Japanese metal band SiM, has become one of the most popular songs in Attack On Titan’s entire soundtrack, even reaching #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hard Rock Chart and attaining millions of views on YouTube.

Another change from previous seasons is the style of animation. Studio Wit animated seasons 1 through 3, but season 4 was animated by a different studio called Mappa. The most distinct change from Wit to Mappa is the use of CGI to animate the Titans, a change that varies in its effectiveness at showing the power and scale of Titans. Sometimes, it makes Titans seem awkward, inorganic and out of place in their movements and appearance, but it also makes them seem more powerful and imposing.

Human characters have what Titans lack in visual appeal. The detailed faces, figures, shadows and lighting on the characters does a great job of showing emotionally-intense moments in the story, of which there are plenty. Even though many aspects of Attack on Titan are fantastical, or at least sci-fi in nature, the human parts of the story are drawn with just as much detail and visual appeal.

Part 2’s story returns to Paradis, where all the different factions established in Part 1 clash in Shiganshina, a city within the walls. It’s difficult at times to follow all the different characters now that they are all in the same place and fighting each other. During the course of the battle, the view constantly shifts between factions established in Part 1. 

The battle illustrates a larger change than just the setting, though. Attack on Titan once was a simple dichotomy of humans fighting Titans (hence the name)-- of good against evil. Now, a much more complex web of motivations and narratives entangles the story. Characters once thought of as evil could even be seen as justified now that their past is explored and explained, and that causes conflict for both other characters and the audience. Assumptions made by the audience about “evil” characters such as Reiner or Zeke, get turned around once their backstory is explored. Conversely, the perception of Eren as the “good” character becomes much more questionable as the story of Part 2 escalates.

At many points throughout Part 2, the viewer is forced to recognize that it is no longer as simple as rooting for the protagonist and his band of friends. Too much has changed for them to go back to simpler times, so all they can do is keep moving forward. As the season continues, many questions remain: will Eren succeed in his goal of wiping out the world? What is the true origin of the Titans? Will the endless violence that has been the norm in this world for so long finally end?

As of the writing of this review, only 7 episodes out of the 12 planned for Part 2 have been released. There is still much more of the story to come, and with it, such questions will hopefully be answered.