This week saw a whole lot of major developments in Attack on Titan, for Historia Reiss and — by extension — for the whole kingdom within the walls.
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Warning! Spoilers for Attack on Titan lie ahead!
Weeks of exposition and revelations of twisting, intertwined secrets paid off in Attack on Titan episode 45, “Outside the Walls of Orvud District.” This installment picked up with Rod Reiss touching the tip of his tongue to a puddle of the fluid he said would turn Historia into a Titan. At the same time, most of the Levi squad finally reach Historia and Eren, only to be trapped with them in the chamber as Rod ballooned to an enormous size.
The rightful king did not simply transform into a regular Titan, he became some kind of abnormal. The scouts estimated that he was even larger than the Collosal Titan, but he had no control.He burst through the ceiling of the Reiss family’s underground chapel and began crawling on all fours toward the walls of the city, giving off heat all the while.
As they raced against the strange titan towards the walls, the scouts made several decisions all at once. For one thing, Eren’s friends would not allow him to purposefully get eaten by the Titan, even if it meant restoring the Founding Titan’s power in the Reiss line. For another, they determined that the only other option was to kill the Titan that Rod Reiss had become.
This, of course, means that Historia will become the rightful monarch within the walls.
This massive revelation was practically implicit in the scout regimen’s discussion. Just for good measure, however, Levi approached Historia later on, while they were all preparing to take on the Titan.
“Historia, forgot to tell you,” he began casually. “We need you to do something. Erwin’s orders. When this battle is over, since you’re the true successor to the throne… become the Queen.”
As Levi explained, Commander Erwin’s coup was successful, however, the people would not follow military leaders forever. Eventually, a true monarch would need to be named, and the best person for the job would be a member of the true royal line, since the people had all been told that their king was a fraud.
The conversation was interestingly framed, almost as if the role is just another assignment for Historia. Levi did not show reverence for Historia, and it is almost as if the coronation will simply be a part of her role within the Scouts.
Attack on Titan airs every Monday on TokyoTV, with simulcasts on Hulu and Crunchyroll in North America. New episodes are typically available every Monday at 2 p.m. ET.
