Many anime series are able to completely consume their audiences and grow into massive pop culture relics, but there’s an unprecedented level of excitement around Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan, especially now that it’s completed its story. Attack on Titan presents the audience with shocking ideas right from its start, but it steadily takes greater risks and isn't afraid to push the series’ characters down dark paths.
Attack on Titan's final season features more twists and turns than ever before, but it’s also kicked off with a four-year timeskip that occurs between seasons. When Attack on Titan resumes, it’s with some very big changes.
10 The Marleyan Warriors Get Introduced
One of the biggest changes that are immediately felt when Attack on Titan returns from its timeskip is that it initially focuses on an entirely different group of characters. Everything in Attack on Titan up to this point has focused on Eren Yaeger and the rest of the Eldian troops.
The timeskip shifts the perspective over to the Marleyan warriors, which features familiar faces like Reiner, but also introduces lots of new and crucial characters like Gabi, Falco, and Pieck. Getting into the heads of the Marleyan side of this war is a fundamental change.
9 Eren Defects, Gets Ripped, & Takes On The Disguise Of Kruger
Arguably the greatest source of conflict during Attack on Titan’s endgame is the turn that Eren takes and whether he’s someone that can be trusted or not. Eren progressively distances himself from his usual support of Mikasa and Armin and instead embraces revolutionaries that revere his violent actions.
Eren spends a good portion of this timeskip undercover as Kruger in Marleyan territory. Trying to figure out where his head is really at frames everything that follows. The series’ biggest hero suddenly becomes the greatest threat and an obstacle that everyone needs to overcome together.
8 Zeke Formulates His Eldian Euthanasia Plan
Attack on Titan's final season comes down to estranged brothers, Eren and Zeke, in many ways. These two rivals form an alliance that throws everyone for a loop and it’s unclear what has brought these two together.
The union between Eren and Zeke will trigger devastating consequences, but a bit of these characters’ thought processes slowly get revealed. Zeke guards his true intentions, but it’s revealed that he plans to slowly sterilize Eldian’s population to slowly have the Titan problem dwindle down. It differs from Eren’s true goals, but the schism between them only grows more complicated.
7 Historia Becomes Pregnant
Attack on Titan plays a massive game of chess with dozens of different characters, some of which can recede into the background for extended periods of time. Historia plays a crucial role during Season 2, but the scope of the series grows bigger and beyond her.
Nevertheless, a major surprise that comes to light is that Historia has become pregnant during the timeskip's period. The circumstances around this pregnancy and the paternity of the father don’t come into play, but it reveals another tier of the temperamental plan that Eren and Zeke are trying to bring together.
6 Yelena Establishes The Anti-Marleyan Resistance
Four years is a long time and so it’s expected that some new players enter during Attack on Titan’s timeskip. One of the most aggressive figures of change during this period is Yelena, a character who erases her past and fully commits herself to a future where Zeke’s plan can be treated like holy doctrine.
Yelena witnesses Zeke in his Beast Titan form and it awakens and inspires her. Yelena establishes the Anti-Marleyan forces and plays a fundamental role in the conflict that ensues between Marley and Eldia.
5 More Of The Nine Central Titans Get Revealed
Titans overrun the land in Attack on Titan and they become a growing problem for what’s left of humanity, but the series’ universe also establishes that there are nine distinct Titan powers that are more important and can be transferred through consumption. Pre-timeskip the audience is familiar with the Colossal Titan, Beast Titan, Armored Titan, and the Attack Titan.
The timeskip’s focus on Marley allows AoT to fill in these gaps and also introduce the Jaw Titan, Warhammer Titan, and Cart Titan, which change the series in huge ways and incorporate new powers into the mix.
4 Hange Becomes The New Captain
Death and loss are present in Attack on Titan from the very first episode. These casualties never stop hurting, but the Survey Corps learn how to roll with the punches and look towards the future in a way that doesn’t diminish the actions of the past. Erwin Smith faithfully leads many warriors as Captain, but meets a brutal death at the hands of the Beast Titan.
The events of the timeskip reveal that Hange Zoe has matured quite a bit and this new hardened version of herself has become the squad’s new Captain. Hange’s confidence post-timeskip is invaluable.
3 The Series Shifts To A Look Inside The Marleyan Walls
Attack on Titan exhibits tremendous restraint with how its earliest seasons restrict their perspective to purely within Eldian walls and convinces the characters, and audience, that the world is a lot smaller and archaic than it actually is. An enlightening moment is when Eren finally gets into the basement and learns about Grisha’s past in a more modern and tech-savvy Marley.
The events of the timeskip fully flesh out Marley and let the audience become familiar with its customs, history, civilians, and why it’s as worthy of a future as Eldia.
2 New Recruits Join The Team
Change is a constant in Attack on Titan, even before the series turns to its extensive timeskip. When the series returns, all of its established players look more mature and prepared for the difficult battle that faces them. However, it’d feel slightly inauthentic if the return to the Survey Corps were to look exactly the same as it did prior to the timeskip's events.
There are new faces present when AoT returns to its Eldian forces and figures like Onyankopon, or the previously neglected Floch, get their dues.
1 Mikasa's Origins Get Expanded Upon Through Lady Azumabito
Attack on Titan is quite subtle when it comes to some of the cultural aspects of its world, especially when it comes to diversity and foreign lands. There’s an established level of ignorance between Eldia and Marley in this regard, so whenever information gets provided, it’s enlightening.
Mikasa’s past has always been an important part of her character, but the timeskip and beyond fill in some blanks. Mikasa is actually the last surviving member of the Azumabito clan’s bloodline, who is immune to the memory-altering nature of the Founding Titan's powers.