I remember when the first season of Attack on Titan came out over six years ago. Its visceral and brutal approach to storytelling made an immediate impression on an international anime community that was gradually growing more connected. It also didn’t hurt that it had an instantly meme-able OP, but…it was mainly the story. The initial shock of its first-half waned during its second, and when it wrapped months later, many feared it might go the way of many other amazing shows that were only given one season before vanishing into obscurity. Four years passed between that and its eventual sequel season, followed by both halves of this recently ended one, and it looks like we’ll be riding this train all the way to the end as the next season will see the conclusion of the story.

But despite mostly laying the groundwork for the climax, this season did much to challenge, push, and resolve much of what made the first season such a massive and instant hit, while also reaching to the core of both its world’s history and the greater themes at play throughout the series. Many characters are faced with existential crises that cut to the center of who they are, forcing them to face themselves to move forward, sometimes at the cost of their own lives. This show has never been shy about killing off important characters, and there are some definite losses to the cast that will be felt going forward. Even though some characters seem protected by their roles as protagonists, it’s not without consequence.

The first half of the season temporarily removes the established straightforward combat against mindless Titans and instead forces humanity to face itself as the corrupt government running things within the walls starts turning on the Scouts to keep bigger truths from coming out. While the fights against actual Titans is kept to a minimum, this allows more time for some characters known more for being on the sidelines to truly come into their own, along with massive shifts in power that highlights the indomitable will of mankind as well as their capability to be even more of a threat than the monsters they swore to fight.

This potential comes full circle in the second half, which pays off story threads long forgotten in the first season and brings the story back to where everything began. We finally find out what was beneath Eren’s father’s basement, see a major victory against the Titan threat, see the harsh reality on display as brave men die and cowards are allowed to live, but also the reverse. Many are sacrificed on both sides of the conflict, and it all culminates in the unloading game-changing knowledge which upends everything both the viewers and characters thought they knew about the world around them.

With all of what this season has brought us, it will be next to impossible to wait patiently for the fourth and final season to come to us next year. Attack on Titan has been one of the only a few instant classics among this decade’s batch of anime, and much like its characters, its persisting spirit has allowed it to reach a global audience that has received it with immeasurable praise. That said, given some notable story conclusions that have taken place this year, we might have to be cautiously optimistic with our hype and anticipation, but I know that I’ll be looking forward to finding out how this all ends once the show comes back one last time in 2020.

Score 9/10