We’ve opted to continue reading the manga past where the TV programme left off because the anime has been on hiatus for about a year. In this series, we’ll take a look at each chapter one at a time and give our comments on what we’ve read. To get things off, we’re going to be reviewing Chapter 134 of Attack on Titan manga. Only up to Attack on Titan Chapter 134 are there any spoilers in this article. If you’ve just seen Season 4 Part 2 of Attack on Titan, this page contains spoilers. When Eren refused to share his political views with his pals in the last episode, it was terrifying to realise that he had no intention of doing so. As Zeke did with him, he could spend all of his time in the Paths with them, imparting his philosophy and discussing why he has arrived at his conclusion regarding the Rumbling.
His allies have the right to fight and murder him, but they don’t have the right to attempt to talk him out of it. It’s an interesting decision, yet in some respects, it seems paradoxical. When the previous episode concluded, the military in Fort Salta was launching an attack on Eren and the Rumbling with the last remaining airships in the globe. That this is humanity’s final opportunity to survive, they don’t know we’re on our way to aid. No one has taken an airship to Paradis as a means of evacuating some people to safety, which I find fascinating.) If a country anywhere attempted to do so, I’d love to see a plot about it!
The next chapter begins in a surprising location. Historia’s first child. It wasn’t until I read the remainder of the story and compared her to other ladies depicted that I was certain this was Historia. This chapter has a pregnant theme, much like last week’s chapter had an “irredeemable” subject running through it. During the Rumbling, Historia is guarded while she gives birth while sobbing in pain. The manga never returns to her, leaving us with this little window into her daily routine. I’m not sure if she’ll be giving birth sooner than intended, but I have a feeling.
What does this mean? It might mean that the farmer boy narrative was a ruse to conceal the truth that she is carrying Eren’s child. Eren or the Farmer? I’m still undecided on which of the two is the father of the baby. Eren is currently my favourite character.
The Rumblings Have Picked Up Speed
The next set of panels shows just how quickly the Rumbling has spread and how it has affected individuals all around the world. I can’t even describe how painful it is. It’s a devastating experience. Even in its rawest form, Isayama shows us Eren’s decision in all its ghastly glory. Eren supports individual liberation, but only up to a point. To him, the freedom of his closest friends and those who remain in Paradis are more important than anything else. However, his liberty does not even apply to the rest of Eldonia.
Eldians in other regions of the world weren’t given a second chance to flee to Paradis. If he wanted to, he could have gotten in touch with them via the Paths and issued a warning. And he doesn’t value the freedom of the Eldians, or whomever they were before they were transformed into Wall Titans, either. To learn more about that, I’m interested in hearing from the panellists. When a Wall Titan tramples on and murders individuals, I get the impression that it is feeling guilty and remorseful. They have no say in how they’ll be subjected to this abhorrent ordeal.
They’ve already been subjected to King Fritz’s orders to become Wall Titans, and now Eren wants them to do the Rumbling. Do they have any idea what’s going on around them? The miseries of humans being crushed underfoot are depicted in panel after panel. They are shown running, pleading, and begging in the film. It’s a never-ending cycle of nightmares. There is a precipice where people tumble when they run out of room to run from the Titans. When Isayama has the chance, he takes a minute to look at a newborn. As she plummets to her death from the cliff, the baby’s mother says her final goodbyes to the onlookers. Crowds of onlookers strive to keep the infant alive for as long as possible.
When you focus on a single person’s tale, the horrors of war become more palpable. In only a few panels, Isayama manages to convey the anguish of a single baby. Historia giving birth on Paradis with a baby who is safe contrasts sharply with this situation. Meanwhile, the parents of the Warriors have come to the realisation that they will be without an airship. One cannot run away. They’re broken-hearted about the way they raised their children. They’re a mess. After that, there’s a fun set of panels. Assuming that Marleyan is the leader, he makes an announcement to the troops on their way to confront Eren on their airships.
“This terror is shared by all adults in the globe,” he says. They were foolish to believe that feeding their hatred would rescue them, and he accepts that. That the “devils of the Island” were to blame for the creation of the Founder Monster is what he claims. When asked if he’ll make the same mistake again if they make it, he responds no. “I’m not going to repeat those errors. It’s true. Assuming there is a third day. He challenges the combatants to make a promise that if they survive, they will build a new society “where we care about each other.” This is a watershed moment for the nation. Now that they’ve admitted their error, they’re ready to move on and stop treating the Paradisians like demons. People aim to create a new world in which they treat one other with respect and consideration.
All of this is clearly audible to Eren. He’s made his point. In this case, if he backs down and they keep their promise, Paradis is safe. Without shedding a drop of blood, he might achieve his purpose. Eren should pause and reevaluate his choices now that such a possibility exists. The aim of murdering anyone else is utterly meaningless. In fact, he doesn’t at all. “Fight or flight” is the only option for him. He is unable to alter his course and must continue on his current path. How horrifying to realise that Eren’s heart can’t be changed by even this change of heart.
Does Zeke have a new address?
Next, it’s a little difficult to decipher in the manga, and I’m wondering if it will be more clear in the anime.
Eren’s ribs are dangling with a body that resembles Zeke’s (but is missing ahead). This corpse bears a striking resemblance to Zeke’s. As if by magic it suddenly reappeared from nowhere. Zeke appears to be physically attached to Eren’s ribs at first, but I’m beginning to question whether this is a replica of Zeke’s body. Either Eren or Zeke may conceivably construct a Beast Clone with their own powers. As far as I can tell, a panel indicates that this monster was not made by the nape, but rather by Warhammer.
Rocks are picked up by this creature and hurled against the ships, preventing them from continuing their attacks on Eren. The Beast’s head is plainly visible in a subsequent panel. An image of “I’m sorry” appears on a separate panel.
Some people thought it was Zeke, while others said it was just a reimagining of the Beast. Some people noticed that the colour of the fur and hair was altered, indicating that it was a clone. It’s a toss-up for me, honestly. Alternatively, Eren might be manipulating the actual Zeke by hanging him from the ceiling like a marionette and making his move against his wishes.
“It seemed like Zeke was thinking, ‘I’m sorry,'” at first when he appeared in the final panel of the series. The rest of the panels, on the other hand, suggested that this was in fact the military commander, expressing sorrow and apologising for failing to halt the Rumbling. Our team comes on their flying boat with little hope left (much to the dismay of the Warriors’ parents, who had taken some solace in believing their children were safe). In spite of being on the verge of running out of gasoline, Onyankopon manages to get them near enough to the Founder to launch an attack. With a closer glance, we can see that the Beast Titan’s colouring is different from what we’ve seen before. Is it possible that he is a clone?
Reiner takes on his new form, preparing to face Beast for the first time in battle. It’s intriguing to see him land a blow on Beast as he’s transforming since it illustrates how little they are in comparison to Eren’s enormous size.
Pieck also undergoes a transformation, becoming more combat-ready. Armin has a question for Eren as the group prepares to land with their vertical manoeuvring gear. “How, precisely, are you unencumbered?” Exactly what I’ve been trying to figure out for a long time. Is Eren really free? Has he been chained to an idea like the Royal hosts of the Founding Titan? It’s not the first time Eren has suggested that Armin might be able to save the day. That may or may not come to pass in the near future.