5 Years Ago Today, One of Attack on Titan’s Darkest Battles Began & Changed the Anime Forever

Five years ago today, one of Attack on Titan‘s darkest battles kicked off — and although bigger fights came later, this one changed the anime forever. Action is far from the only thing that defines Attack on Titan as a series. The anime benefits from its flawed but deeply fleshed-out characters, rich world-building, and resonant themes. However, it still has many great battle sequences throughout its four-season run. In fact, the action is so non-stop that it tends to blend together after a while.

There are a few conflicts that stand out, though, including one that changes the framing of the story forever. It arrives just as Attack on Titan‘s final season opens, packing a powerful punch as the anime approaches its crescendo. In hindsight, it sets the series on the path towards Season 4’s ending. Attack on Titan‘s conclusion may still divide fans, but this battle makes it so that the anime can’t end any other way. It’s hard to believe it’s already been five years since it upended everything we believed about Eren Yeager’s story.

5 Years Ago Today, Attack on Titan Kicked Off the Raid on Liberio

Attack on Titan Season 4, Episode 5, “Declaration of War,” first aired on January 10, 2021 — and it marked a turning point for the anime. “Declaration of War” is mostly spent on speeches and talking, but the very end of this installment kicks off the Raid on Liberio. After a tense conversation between Eren and Reiner, both of whom are seeing each other for the first time in years, Eren transforms into the Attack Titan, interrupting the speech being given by Willy Tybur. When the following chapter opens, Eren begins a full-scale attack. And eventually, the Scout Regiment joins him, cementing this as one of the grimmest and most shocking battles of them all.

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In terms of action and animation, the Raid on Liberio doesn’t differ all that much from Attack on Titan‘s other battles. However, it stands out as a turning point in the story. It marks the first time we see the anime’s main characters truly going on the offensive. They spend the earlier seasons defending their home or reacting to the Marleyans’ actions in the field. Yet they’re rarely the ones starting the conflicts they find themselves in. That changes after “Declaration of War,” which sees them launching an attack on the enemy’s turf — and even killing innocent bystanders in the pursuit of Eren’s mission.

This is particularly jarring, since Attack on Titan Season 4 opens from the perspective of Marleyans like Reiner, Falco, and Gabi — an intentional choice that forces us to sympathize with them. And once “Declaration of War” kicks off this conflict, it’s hard not to see the anime’s heroes in a different light. If we don’t fully view them as villains, we’re forced to consider that they’re somewhere in the middle of the moral spectrum. Considering the direction the series goes in, this is an important shift. The members of the Survey Corps may change their tune after the Raid on Liberio, but Eren continues down this path. In truth, you can trace his villain arc right back to the final moments of “Declaration of War.”

The Raid on Liberio Fully Kicks Off Eren Yeager’s Villain Arc

By the end of Attack on Titan, there’s no denying that Eren Yeager is a villain — one as bad as, if not worse than, the enemy he sets out to destroy. And while Attack on Titan shows us flashes of Eren’s rage and desire for vengeance throughout its early seasons, the Raid on Liberio is when he truly sets his villain arc in motion. It’s the first major step towards his greater plan to commit genocide. This makes it one of the darkest battles of the anime, even if the final confrontation is more gruesome. It also makes it the most pivotal action sequence of the entire series. Nothing is ever the same after this point, which feels like a clear line in the sand between Attack on Titan Seasons 1-3 and the final outing. Following this turn, looking back on the anime reveals a villain origin story.

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