The battle humanity fought against the Titans in Attack on Titan was bone-chilling. The Survey Corps were powerless even after going through extensive training, and every face-off with the monstrous beings warranted casualties. Despite the grim fate awaiting them, they continued to fight up until the end. Those who made it to the end made many difficult choices in the face of death.
One episode that enlivens the Survey Corps’ strength, wit, and the wrath of the Titans is, unsurprisingly, the second highest-rated episode of the series as well. Even Hajime Isayama would be proud of the masterpiece that shook many fans to their core. It evoked countless emotions within our hearts with a new twist with each passing minute. So, let’s revisit one of the best episodes in the history of anime.
Levi’s Best Moment was Emotionally Scarring for Fans, But Exciting Nonetheless
Attack on Titan Season 3 Episode 17 is one of the highest-rated episodes on IMDb. The episode picks up the story from Erwin’s speech in the previous one. That speech invigorated the members of the Survey Corps and gave them the courage to risk their lives for a better future. Erwin’s conviction moved hearts and brought tears to fans’ eyes. It would be hard for anyone to match up with his leadership skills.
What happened after that was spectacular, thrilling, and scary. Episode 17 starts with the Survey Corps members creating a distraction for Levi to close the distance between him and the Beast Titan or Zeke. We saw the ruthlessness and amusement of Zeke at the sight of human suffering. And, right at the moment when he realized something was off, Levi was already attacking him.
Levi was enraged and he nearly finished one of the strongest Titans with a few attacks. He forced Zeke to turn into his human form, as he destroyed his arm and slashed his eyes. Every attack felt oddly satisfying. He didn’t show mercy even after Zeke had transformed and mutilated his body as much as he could.
It was a powerful scene as it showed how deeply Levi cared about Erwin. He was fuming with anger, and Zeke’s enjoyment rubbed him the wrong way. The intensity was through the skies and the moment Levi stopped to think, the Cart Titan swept Zeke away, and we saw a clueless Levi and that sight broke millions of hearts.
And That’s Not Even Half of the Episode!
Before we could even recover from the shock of Erwin’s all but confirmed death and the sight of Levi questioning himself despite trying his best, the next shock was already on its way to us. Mikasa and the others were up against the Colossal and Armored Titan.
Mikasa took it upon herself to defeat Reiner, and everybody supported her to their best abilities. And, when they nearly fail, Hange swoops in to save the day. We feel the tiniest spark of joy, we see Armin getting charred to death. Losing both Erwin and Armin in the same episode wasn’t a part of anyone’s wildest nightmare.
Eren still managed to lead the plan to fruition, and we were left with a false sense of victory and the overwhelming weight of losing two precious characters. Not to mention, seeing the Survey Corps members reminisce about their lives right before being crushed by Zeke was heartbreaking. If that’s not a rollercoaster of emotions, we don’t know what is.
Hajime Isayama truly made us feel the gravity of the situation and shook us to our core. The anime did a brilliant job at maintaining the momentum so that everything felt as pulse-pounding as it could. What’s worse was that the suffering had just started, and the next episode just came with more difficult choices and truckloads of pain.
Attack on Titan is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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