'Attack on Titan' Season 3 Is Missing Something Huge
Where are all the Titans?!
The basic premise of Attack on Titan is pretty straightforward: There are giant monstrous Titans that terrorize and devour humanity. Everything else (the plot, the characters, the mysteries that slowly unfurl) flows from there. It’s a simple concept that’s served the popular anime (and the manga it’s based on) very well, but Attack on Titan Season 3 isn’t living up to that original hook. Where are all the Titans?
Warning: Spoilers ahead for the first three episodes of Attack on Titan Season 3.
The very first episode of Attack on Titan began with an invasion, as giant human-shaped monsters broke though a hundred-year-old wall keeping humanity safe. That attack motivates the show’s protagonist, Eren Yeager, and his friends to join the Scouts, a military group that ventures beyond the wall to engage with Titans directly.
Seasons 1 and 2 of Attack on Titan explored the dangerous world beyond the walls protecting humanity while also slowly unfurling the larger mystery about the origins of the Titans and the internal politics of what remains of human society. Of course, all that was happening against the backdrop of some of the most epic action you’d ever seen.
But so far, Attack on Titan Season 3 has been heavy on politics but light on actual Titans. We’ve learned some interesting new rules — like that eating a human with Titan powers transfers those powers to the person who ate them — but when it comes to actual action the show has been pretty lackluster so far.
The only Titan we’ve actually seen is the one Eren transforms into, and that was just practice for some sort of plan that hasn’t come to fruition. We have seen some pretty sweet fight scenes between reliably-badass squad captain Levi and his mentor-turned-enemy Kenny. But that’s not really the same as watching Levi take on a 50-foot Titan without breaking a sweat.
However, you shouldn’t give up hope yet. Considering that Attack on Titan is slated to run for 24 episodes this season, we can only hope that the show is building up to something big. I have a feeling that just when humanity’s growing internal conflict reaches a boiling point, the Titans will re-emerge to set everyone’s priorities straight. At least, I hope that’s what happens.
Attack on Titan is available to stream via FunimationNow, Crunchyroll, and Hulu around 2 p.m. Eastern every Sunday.