‘Attack on Titan’ Changes One Main Character For Good

Attack on Titan isn’t afraid to put its leads through the ringer, and season three is keen on continuing the trend. Just two episodes in, the new season decided to traumatize one of its heroes, and the poor guy may never be the same.

So, you’ve been warned! There are spoilers for Attack on Titan‘s 39th episode below!

Over the weekend, Attack on Titan went live with its new episode, and “Pain” was an apt title for what the update had in store. The episode kept up with Captain Levi as he fought head-to-head with Kenny, but it was Armin who suffered the most.

After all, he was forced to bloody his hands, but it was not a Titan he had to kill. No, Armin had to end another person’s life, and the lead may never be the same now.

As the episode shows, Armin is forced to kill an actual person as his comrades come under fire. Kenny and his team finally located Levi’s group, giving them the in to kidnap Eren and Historia. The team tried to mount a rescue of the two, but Jean nearly died after he hesitated to kill one of Kenny’s female underlings. However, Armin had no such reservations… until later.

Afterwards, fans are shown Armin throwing up after he realizes he committed murder. He apologies to Mikasa, asking her if this is how she felt after her first kill as a child.

Of course, Armin gets a chance to speak with Jean and the group itself. He realizes he was able to save Jean since the woman he killed hesitated to shoot him. The discovery prompted Armin to breakdown as he questions his own humanity.

“I know what it is. The person that I killed. I bet they were a nice person. Someone that was much more human than I am,” Armin says. “I pulled the trigger so easily, I did.”

While Levi tries to alleviate Armin’s guilt, the damage has already been done. The blonde boy has seen some traumatic things, but he never once thought he’d be forced to kill another person. With the state gunning for their blood, Levi’s squad will have to get their hands dirty to save Eren, but the consequences of their actions will have some upsetting consequences down the line.

For those unfamiliar with Attack on Titan, the series was originally created by Hajime Isayama. Starting its run in Kodansha’s Bessatsu Shonen Magazine in 2009, the series has been collected into 23 volumes as of 2017. It’s set in a world where the last remnants of humanity live within a walled city in order to escape the danger of the Titans, a race of giants monsters that eats humans. Eren Yeager joins the military with his two childhood friends Mikasa and Armin after the Titans break through the wall and attack his hometown.

If you’re curious about the series, Attack on Titan can be found in Japanese with English subtitles alongside the series’ release in Japan on Crunchyroll and Hulu. Funimation has confirmed the new season’s English simuldub will begin in August before it airs on Toonami.

Do you think Armin can recover from this big shock? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!