‘Attack On Titan Final Season Final Chapters Special 1’ Review

After the electrifying second half of Attack on Titan‘s Final Season, fans were eager to see The Rumbling in action. And Attack on Titan Final Season Final Chapters Special 1 delivered just that, along with some of MAPPA’s most visually stunning and emotional work on the series to date. Sparing no time jumping into the damage and destruction caused by The Rumbling, the special leaves fans to decide if Eren’s actions can still be justified as we see his friends and former allies set out to stop him and save the world from his genocidal march.

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With all the hype surrounding it, seeing The Rumbling strike Marley in the special’s cold open was a chilling experience. Attack on Titan‘s final season has spent so much time building up to the event that to see the terror finally unfold was unnerving. MAPPA spared no expense in detailing the damage caused, and with little censorship, viewers got a clear look at how far Eren is willing to go to bring peace to the island of Paradise. And at the same time, the horrors of The Rumbling are juxtaposed with Eren’s own vision of freedom as he crushes all others in his way.

The animation for the special felt like a significant step up from the second half of the final season, which was already looking great. The CGI of the Titans was very smooth, as was Eren’s new Final Titan form. Compared to some of the rougher looks during the first half of the final season, it was exciting to see how far MAPPA has come with its Titan animation. But the true animation highlight of the special came from the ODM scenes. The second half of the final season featured some exciting ODM scenes, but didn’t compare to the fluidity of WIT’s tenure on the series. This time around, though, the studio showed what they were capable of with some of the most exhilarating ODM gear movement yet.

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The special also delivered some incredibly emotional scenes exploring Eren’s mentality and true motivations, as well as some heartwrenching sacrifices. Until now, Eren’s true motivations for starting The Rumbling have been rather vague beyond his desire to protect his friends in Paradis. But the special explored this a bit more and revealed that he is still searching for his own freedom from the outside world that has confined him and his friends. And yet, despite this desire, he is still torn by the sacrifices this will require and the bloodshed he is unleashing on the world. Eren’s inner turmoil is expressed spectacularly by Yuki Kaji’s voice acting. But the emotional rollercoaster of the special is not limited only to Eren as his allies were also forced to make heartwrenching sacrifices. Yet, despite losing so much in their pursuit of stopping Eren, the alliance is still determined to carry out its mission.

Overall, the Attack on Titan Final Season Final Chapters Special 1 is some of the best the series has to offer. The story has left the viewers to really question where they stand regarding Eren’s genocidal march, as he tries to protect his people by wiping out all other people outside the walls. Attack on Titan has always depicted the people of Paradise as the victims and the morally right side in this global conflict, but now seeing The Rumbling in action, the world appears much grayer. With the stakes so high in this final battle for the fate of the world, the special has set up a truly epic conclusion to this amazing series. – Jacob Campbell

Rating: 10/10

Attack on Titan Final Season Final Chapters Special 1 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu.