Review: Attack on Titan, Episode 406: “The War Hammer Titan”

Attack on Titan’s final season picks up with “The War Hammer Titan,” with Eren and the Survey Corps launching their attack on Marley.

Recap

Last week’s installment of Attack on Titan concluded with Eren finally making his move against Marley, transforming into a Titan and attacking all of the nations gathered in Libero for Willy Tybur’s speech. This week, the fighting escalates, with the Scout Regiment arriving to back Eren up, though it seems they may not have been working as closely with our one-time-protagonist as you might think.

“The War Hammer Titan” opens with Willy Tybur’s sister transforming into…the War Hammer Titan, the only one of the Nine Titans we haven’t seen until this point, and going head to head with Eren. The War Hammer Titan is a strong opponent and nearly defeats the Attack Titan. Fortunately, Eren’s backup arrives just in time.

Mikasa is the first to show up to the fight, rocking new uniform and equipment the Scouts picked up during the four-year jump. She blows the nape off of Tybur’s Titan, temporarily disabling it while Eren recovers. During their brief interaction, she not only asks Eren to “come home” — suggesting he’s been acting on his own — but tells him he’s done things that can’t be undone. Not only has he started a war with all the other nations, but he’s killed innocent people and children.

Before Eren gets a chance to respond — not that one gets the feeling he cares all that much about the people caught in the crossfire — the War Hammer Titan puts itself back together and attacks once again.

Although Eren doesn’t dwell on the lives lost, “The War Hammer Titan” gives viewers a front-row seat to some of the destruction he’s caused. Although Falco and Reiner are MIA for the time being, Gabi and the other Warrior candidates are present and listening to Willy Tybur’s speech when Eren attacks. Zofia is instantly crushed by rubble and Udo is trampled to death, leaving Gabi both angry and traumatized.

As she and Falco’s brother Colt make their way through the war zone, the rest of the Survey Corps arrives, and we get our first look this season at Jean, Connie and Sasha. They also seem to have leveled up since we last saw them, and they’ve lost any hesitation when it comes to killing humans instead of Titans, a striking change of pace from four years ago.

The episode ends with Eren realizing that the War Hammer Titan isn’t keeping its human body in its nape, and that it seems to be protecting its feet. Reaching underground, Eren grab the casing holding Tybur’s sister and is about to consume her — and the powers of the War Hammer — before Galliard arrives in Titan form to stop him.

Unfortunately for him, Captain Levi and the entire Scout Regiment reaches the scene to back up Eren and Mikasa before he can follow through. “The War Hammer Titan” ends there, but the preview suggests Eren and his friends may face a few more obstacles before he can steal a new Titan power.

Review

This week’s episode brings equal parts action and emotion, striking a good balance between leaving fans excited to see our beloved characters and horrified at what they’ve done. It was a smart decision to weave Gabi’s experiences and reactions into the unfolding battle, as watching Zofia and Udo become casualties in Eren’s war underscores Mikasa’s later statement to Eren.

It also adds an interesting layer of unease to our reunion with our favorite characters, who have clearly become hardened by the events of the past four or five years. Watching this war between Eldia and Marley unfold may be more difficult than anticipated because the anime’s fourth season is going to great lengths to ensure fans empathize with the other side.

Eren’s showdown with the War Hammer Titan is exactly the kind of action viewers have been waiting for this season, and it’s refreshing to see that things have finally begun to pick up. If I’m being totally honest, Mikasa’s arrival was the highlight of this fight, but the whole thing sets the stage for an epic battle in the coming episodes.

The episode deliberately draws a parallel between the Survey Corps’ attack on Liberio and the Titan attack on Shiganshina that started this series, begging the question of who we should really be rooting for.

Attack on Titan‘s final season may have gotten off to a slower start, but this week’s episode proves the wait was worth it. Hopefully, this is just a glimpse of what’s to come.

Episode Grade: A

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