Attack On Titan's anime has a lot of catching up to do with its manga. While the manga recently released it's 123rd chapter, and is clearly drawing the series towards its conclusion, the anime's most recent season ended this year right at the end of the Battle of Shiganshina District, covering events that were illustrated in the manga nearly two years ago.
While there were definitely moments from this battle that we couldn't wait to see animated on our screens (like Levi's takedown of the Beast Titan or Armin's inheritance of the Colossal Titan's powers), there are dozens of other moments that we can't wait to see Wit Studio and Production I.G get their hands on. We know these studios will add a new dimension to these iconic scenes, especially given the fact that they've never let us down before. Obviously, there will be spoilers.
10 Eren Reuniting With The Yeagerists
After Eren returned from Marley, his renegade actions during the Raid on Liberio not only made him an enemy to the world, but a loose cannon to the Survey Corps back on Paradis Island. After breaking from the Survey Corps' custody, he reunited with the Yeagerists, a group of soldiers willing to do whatever it took to bring Eren and Zeke together. The manga shows Eren throwing on a cloak with a prophetic sunset behind him, as if suggesting that he is the savior that the Yeagerists believe him to be. Although this scene was pretty short in the manga, we know to expect stellar animation and music cues that will not only rev us up for the next episode, but will further complicate our feelings for such a multilayered character.
9 Eren Versus Armin
In Chapter 112 of the Attack On Titan manga, Eren was given the opportunity to sit down with his childhood friends one last time. It was then that he verbally dissed the both of them, telling Armin that Bertholdt's influence had made him soft, while telling Mikasa that he always hated her. Whether or not this was a front, it was enough to instigate Armin into knocking him to the floor. We've seen Eren and Mikasa get physical with other humans, but never before have we seen Armin engage in a fistfight. As expected, Eren beats him to a pulp, and we can't wait to see it. Maybe the anime will even include some extra scenes showing Armin's Titan regeneration kicking in to repair his battered, bloodstained face.
8 Zeke's Memories With Tom Ksaver
In an attempt to humanize Zeke Yeager, the Attack On Titan manga took fans into Zeke's past, showing fans how he developed a bond with the Beast Titan's previous holder, Tom Ksaver, an Eldian with a tragic past.
It was Ksaver who inspired Zeke to one day sterilize all Eldians, and it was also Ksaver who convinced Zeke to rat out the Eldian Restorationists. We look forward to the peaceful "father" and son moments between Zeke and Ksaver that have always been missing from this dark series.
7 Eren And Reiner Reuniting After The Timeskip
Attack On Titan's anime captures intense interpersonal confrontations way better than the manga does, setting a dramatic pace that the manga just can't. Particularly, any conflict involving Reiner is likely to leave an impact due to how complicated of a character he is. Three years after the Battle of Shiganshina District, Eren and Reiner were brought face-to-face once again in a scene that caught fans off guard just as much as it did Reiner.
6 Zeke And Eren At The Coordinate
We've only seen the Coordinate once before in the anime: when Ymir was a Pure Titan, she ate the holder of the Jaw Titan, Marcel Galliard, restoring her back to her human form. Shortly after, she awoke in a plain of sand with a bright blue, star-filled sky and beautiful aquamarine auroras spread out before her. Fans of the Attack On Titan manga know that this was actually a physical representation of the Coordinate. Eventually, Zeke and Eren (along with every other living Eldian in Chapter 123) reach the Coordinate together, and we're hoping that the anime gives us the time to explore this place more in full.
5 Zeke Meeting Ymir Fritz
Out of all the most shocking twists in Attack On Titan, nothing could top the moment Zeke, who was on the verge of death after a Thunder Spear destroyed his vital organs, was stuffed into the stomach of a Titan, where he awoke to Ymir Fritz building him a brand new human body.
We don't even understand how this is possible, and we're hoping that the anime will include some extra context that will let us truly feel the emotion that the manga tried to convey.
4 Levi Versus The Beast Titan And His Pure Titans
One of his most epic scenes in the manga to date was when Zeke turned every other soldier around Levi Ackerman into a Pure Titan, forcing Levi to slay his own comrades before effortlessly taking Zeke down. The first fight between Levi and Zeke definitely wasn't long enough, but it did manage to highlight Levi's incomprehensible speed in ways that the manga couldn't. We can't wait to see just what emotions Levi's voice actors will put into their performances in such a gritty scene, with Zeke going so far as to use chunks of a Titan's head to throw at Levi. Of course, Levi swerved around the projectiles perfectly, giving Wit Studio and Production I.G the chance to bring out some of their best animators once again.
3 The History Of Ymir Fritz
Ymir Fritz was always a complete enigma until Chapter 122 of the manga, where fans learned about her life of suffering. Ymir was only a kind-hearted slave who accidentally merged with a mysterious spine, making her the first Titan. Thirteen years later, she was killed saving her king from a surprise attack, and her daughters were forced to eat her remains so that her Titan powers would be passed on. Sure, we've seen stone-carved stills of these events in the Attack On Titan ending for Season 2, but we can't wait to see ancient Eldia illustrated in full color. The anime will definitely take this opportunity to expand on some of the battles that Ymir and her Titan descendants partook in, and we can't help but feel some sympathy for any army that stood against her.
2 The Raid On Liberio
Not only did this battle feature the most Titans in a fight to date (with the only one missing from the action being Annie's Female Titan), but we also got to see the Survey Corps utilize their vertical maneuvering equipment to take down Marley soldiers while avoiding artillery that they've never come across back on Paradis Island.
Due to the nature of the vertical maneuvering equipment, it becomes difficult to illustrate fights in Attack On Titan that truly demonstrate the skill and aerodynamics involved with using it successfully, but we know that the anime adaptation of these events will surely give us a new appreciation for this coordinated, chaotic attack.
1 Eren Destroying The Walls
With the recent release of Chapter 123, all fans are looking towards the day when this chapter will be made into an episode. Eren bringing down the Walls did feel slightly rushed in the manga, since we didn't see much of the gradual emergence of the Colossal Titans from their stone bondage. We hope the anime portrays the same sense of powerlessness that everyone else felt when Eren made this choice without their approval, as well as the emotion and slight sigh of relief when every Eldian was brought to the Coordinate to learn that Eren simply wanted to protect them. We're also looking forward to seeing Eren's new form in all it's gigantic glory, and we're wondering if his voice will sound as evil as he currently looks.