Isayama's design for the Female Titan is actually quite wild because even at first sight, the Female Titan looks exactly like Annie. Like, once you see the Female Titan, it could not be anyone else. Without any of the hints of the next episode, you know for a fact that the Female Titan is Annie. Which, then, makes it so obvious that Reiner is the Armored Titan and Bertholt is the Colossal. Which is so weird because I didn't think the Armored looked like Reiner prior to that. But it definitely looks exactly like him in retrospect. I don't know how he freaking did that. It was so obvious from the start.
A thing i like about the manga is that it tried to hide the female titan's nose on every panel covering it with her hair so it wasn't THAT obvious it was annie by her features. The anime gives it away instantly with the blonde hair, blue eyes and nose shape.
I have to say, my absolute favorite moment of the reveal was how my sister and I guess it minutes before the actual reveal. Not because of any of the foreshadowing or the good writing or anything like that, we missed all of that on our first watch through. We guessed it because after the "Ymir's a titan" reveal, we started joking to each other, "Fuck it, everyone's a titan. Reiner's the armored titan because he's buff, and Bertholdt's tall so he can be the colossal titan." We were just joking, and then the reveal happened the way that it did and we fully lost it. Favorite moment of the entire series, just because of that
I wish you had addressed when Reiner says, "Why there'd have to be people like this? Why?" It shows the reason why he was so conflicted. There were no devils on Paradise as Marley had thought him, there were just people. People like everyone else he's ever met.
@@goodbye6676if you were being forced to fight & kill someone, wouldn’t you want them to be an unfeeling, awful “thing” that you’d have no actual moral hesitations about doing so? Instead of just another person who’s just trying to live?
@justadummy8076 part of it was reiner's own choice that's why he's so eaten up he choose to continue and break wall maria because it would save his own skin
The scene of Connie asking what happened to Reiner and Bertolt (in the next episode) when Colossal and Armored showed up was equally heartbreaking. "Someone find them. They might be in danger. They, too, dont have their ODM gear"
I was in 8th grade when I 1st seen the trailer to AOT was hooked instantly every week I’m there…… again I was in 8th grade I was young and impatient once I learned there was bad human titans I looked up who the armor and colossal were
@@millenniumstarfury2482 It was. He didn't WANT to believe his trusted comrades would do such a thing, even though everything pointed towards them. That's what denial is. Eren reacted the same for Annie.
Funny how the 104th Cadet corps has 5 Titans , an Ackermann, a Genius and The Queen. Only Jean and Connie have nothing to hide because they are normal.
I don't think it's quite that special, in the sense that the 104th had quite a few more people, they just died in trost - like the 4 on Eren's squad, and what about Samuel or Daz for that matter?
They're memorable in their own way. Jean is really realistic with his line of thinking and desire for peace. Connie and Sasha also have a little going on for them I guess.
During the Reiner reveal, besides Mikasa hearing the news, Sasha also heard it even though shes further away. Showing how good her hearing is. A nice little detail.
Absolutely. I remember reading the manga for this scene first as only season 1 was out at the time and this episode hadn’t been animated yet, and doing a double take when they threw in the reveal as almost a throwaway line. Had to go back and read it again to make sure I wasn’t going crazy.
@@MrBdog1021I genuinely laughed at the reveal in the dubbed anime. Its SOOO funny how casual he says it, just "im the armored and bert is the colossal" while being a wide shot with not much detail.
@@JMeisterV Yea, Bertholdt was completely thrown off guard. Wondering wtf Reiner was doing. Funnily enough, Reiner snapping there probably saved their lives, as they would've likely captured them if they made it back to the inner walls, since at that point, Bertholdt couldn't risk transforming and destroying the walls that would expose the titans, and Reiner would be exhausted by the time he got through everyone, AND broke the gates, AND ran all the way to outside the outer layer of walls.
I always thought the flag snapping and falling off the wall banging against it, echoing out was meant to represent Reiner’s mental health finally snapping.
I'll never forget Eren's "what?" mirrored by me saying "what" out loud irl and having to rewind the episode. This is one of the moments that cement AOT as a masterpiece
On my first time watching this episode I LOVED how blunt and quick the reveal happened. You didnt have time to process it before everything fell apart. Just like Eren in that moment, we were in shock stare and had to take a second to collect ourselves, accept the new narrative and fully pay attention to it. I didnt even understand why they took Ymir with them. It was just overall chaos and so SO good.
same. Bertold grabbing Ymir really threw me off until i rewatced then realized what happened to the first jaw. that episode with Ymir's backstory is so important. rewatched it a few times just to get why bert and renierr wanted Ymir and why Ymir kept saying she neds to give back what was stolen.
Yup. On my first watch, everything was just jumbled chaos which left me shocked, confused, angry. Upon my second watch, I cried. One of my fave episodes for sure.
I remember laughing in sheer disbelief. Just the sudeness and the way Reiner just nonchalantly dropped that information had me like "There's no way he's serious right now 😂"
I love that the story makes Reiner look like one of the strongest characters in the ahow, but in reality he is actually mentally broken, and had to create a fake persona to cope with his pain. Berthold just closed off all his emotions to deal with his guilt. And Annie had the most most difficultly withit.
Bertholdt was in between the two, Reiner developed a split personality after the Marco incident, and Annie went psycho and schizo and had no emotional connection to anyone, bertholdt, the medium of the two, was torn between guilt and his mission as a warrior, because now he sees these people as his friends, but he’s just so deep in the mission he can’t do anything about it even if he wanted to.
Hope you read this. My idea on bertholdt being a background and largely reactive, quiet character is that's exactly what makes him the perfect choice to be handed the power of being a literal walking nuke that generates a literal colossus. He's a meak, mentally stable, yes man. Who better to trust with that ability? Love to hear your take on this!
Yep. Reiner is not stable at all and has a pretty bad family life. Annie seems like she might decide to rebel one day. Zeke was already decided for the Beast, and the colossal is not good for the leader of the group because it can't speak or move as quickly. Marcel is mentally stable and highly intelligent, but he is not a yes man and could decide one day to not want to destroy humanity. Pieck does not seem to have the physical capabilities as everyone else in general, and seems more suited to a supporting titan. And Lara Tybur cannot have that titan, because the colossal is vital to attacking Paradis and she doesn't leave Marley territory, along with the fact that the warhammer is passed down throughout that family, and nobody gets 2 titan powers for the sake of balance and having the maximum number of people with powers.
@@thelegacyofgaming2928If anything it would've probably been Porco Galliard. I can't imagine Zophia, Marley Glasses Warrior Kid, and Gabby were of the age they could put themselves forward to be Warrior Candidates yet. Reiner, Marcelle, Zeke, Pieck, Bertholdt, Annie, and some other were all probably part of the same "Class" of WC. Zophia, Gabby, Falco, Porco, Warrior Glasses Kid were all probably part of the next Gen "class" of titan shifters. The Shifter knew the consequences of defying Marley if it ever got back just who defied them and they wouldn't put their family at risk like that.
Tbf, I wasn't sure that Bertholt could even create the nuke when he turned into the colossus, it seemed as though the power resonated with Armin and most of the predecessors instead! Perhaps Bertholt wasn't the greatest fit either, like how Ymir's Jaw titan is much less armoured and toothy and more gollum like...
@@jameswilkes451 he did nuke the scouts in season 3. It wasn't as big but I don't know is that was a limit on his ability or him not wanting to risk damaging the wall to the point of waking the wall titans.
Probably because at this point he saw the scouts as comrades and friends, and he knew if they transformed now, they’d 100% have to kill them to complete their mission, and as guilt ridden as he was, he was very hesitant which is why he depended on Reiner to make the call, just like always.
I’ll never forget watching this episode with the homies. The scene they were talking on the wall was slower so we were just kicking back relaxing and when Reiner casually said “I’m the armored Titan and Bertholt is the Colossal,” we all sat straight up and looked at each other like “WTF DID HE JUST SAY??”
I watched this show blind a few months back and this episode holy moly. My jaw [titan] is still on the floor. Maybe I'm dumb but I was totally blindsided. Goosebumps
youre not dumb, simply Isayama does these misteries with absolute class. he leaves u clues but those clues seem so normal to you, you dont even remember them until the 2nd time around. for me it was Coffee. i was like, cool Coffee. and when Armin called it black tea, I was like is he dumb? XDDDD
Another reason as to why (I think) Reiner and Bertoldt outed themselves when they did-on top of the reasons you pointed out. They JUST saw The Beat titan / Zeke, they have a more complete understanding of the implications of his presence-Marley is attacking. Reiner finally snaps out of it. His identity and purpose as a warrior lock back into focus and he realizes, they have allies on the island now and if they can grab Eren and Ymir from this outer most edge of Scout Eldian controlled territory and make a run for it they'll have support to make their escape (though obviously they don't make it that far). Marley's presence on the island gives Reiner and Bertoldt that moment of hope that they may actually be able to go home as "heros".
Zeke: "Bout time you came back. Did you retrieve the Founder?" Reiner: "No, but we did steal back the Attack Titan. I didn't even know it was here. Bertrololo ate him." Zeke: "Well, Berturtle, congratulations." [reaches out for handshake] Bertortilla: [reaching out] "Thank you, War Chie-HHHHHNNNNNRRNRRGGHHHH"
@@calvinwright2214Possibly, because everyone only found out Eren had the Founding Titan because Eren came into contact with a Royal Titan, they would find out by having the Founding Titan come into contact with Zeke
@@SomeTH-camTraveler**Bartholomew and Zeke wake up in the paths** Bernie: “WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING!? WHAT IS THIS PLACE!?” Zeke: “Holy shit…YOU ACTUALLY ATE THE FOUNDING TITAN!?” Barney: “I…I GUESS!?” Zeke: “Well damn! Looks like I can fulfill my promise to Ksaver sooner than I thought! Thanks, Benedict!” Bar Mizfah: “What the hell are you talking about!? WHAT DID YOU JUST TELL THAT CHILD!? _WHY CAN’T I FEEL MY TESTIC-“_ **Ending 0 - Euthanasia**
Another small detail that was not mentioned: the moment the lightning hits reiner and berthold right before thr transformation shows the face of the colossal and armored titan respectively for just a few franes. I just love the amount of details in this show!
For me its the 2nd best reveal. The most breathtaking one for me was Grisha's book in the basement. Imagine after at least hundreds if not thousands of years living in the belief trough generations that the only part of remaining humanity is living inside the walls. Then facing the schocking truth, that humanity outside the walls is not only alive, but far more advanced, far more numerous and far more hateful against Eldians than one could ever imagine. Its like stretching the boundaries of Aot beyond everything we (or even Erwin) suspected before. 🤯
And the fact that it's so incredibly cathartic to actually get real answers for once. I'd thought it would just be a wild goose chase but nah they basically actually explain 70% of the rest of the setting at that point after the viewers having so many questions for so long
@@Shmethan “Hey, if we crossed the sea and killed all of our enemies, after that, would we finally be free.” -Eren When Eren made that statement, he seemed extremely broken.
The part where the flag breaks off and makes a huge noise... It ties in so well with everyone keeping quiet and calm. Dont make too much noise, dont attract attention. They are all walking on egg shells. It's like walking around the apartment at night without trying to make a sound so you dont wake someone else up. But then that flag surprises everyone with a huge noise and it's the finally drop that tips the whole situation upside down.
I’m a manga reader and even when I read it I had to go back and re-read it because it was literally in the corner of the page. Watching this part unfold in the anime still gave me chills and I still cried 😂
The one anime that taught me the importance of avoiding spoilers at all costs. I will never forgive the fact that this reveal was ruined for me knowing that Reiner was the armoured even before starting the show
its still a shock just for how this part is executed, I also spoiled myself this part and its still one of my favorites (also even if you didnt know there where more than enough clues at this point specially with last episode)
Really? This has always been something that showed how unimportant spoilers were. I guessed Reiner’s identity beforehand and a friend even confirmed it so I knew it was coming, and yet this reveal was just as incredible. Spoilers don’t affect well-written twists like this in the slightest, if they did then guessing beforehand or rewatching would feel meaningless, which clearly isn’t the case here.
@@derpymule7977 ok I completly disagree with that, just because this part was still good even with the spoilers and I would say it has more to do with the crazy way that everything is revealed than anything else spoilers do ruin part of the surprise, I mean if you get spoiled that x or y character dies it can be the best writen dead in the history of media but it will never be the same experience compared to if you didnt know whats going to happen, saying that spoilers dont ruin at least part of the experience at least for me means that you probably didnt care that much about the history
I know spoilers do ruin things for some people, and I'm sorry that happened to you, but they rarely do for me. Because I actually love dissecting any mystery and figure out whodunnit before the denouement. In this case I was absolutely certain that Reiner and by extension Bertolt were titan shifters -- the scene with the canned herring cemented it completely, but there were so many hints before that, and I was watching for them like a hawk ever since I realized there had to be other titan shifters. It's a different kind of enjoyment that doesn't rely much on surprise, and I grant that this might not be for everyone, but I'm kinda glad it is this way for me because I often watch shows long after everyone has already discussed them to death around the watercooler or the internet, and it's nigh impossible not to get spoiled. I spoil myself on purpose when it comes to main character death because it can sour me on a show if I am not prepared (George RR Martin has a lot to answer for); that's definitely not a surprise I want sprung on me. I was still on the edge of my seat about how the show's creators were going to reveal it, and man, knowing who it was didn't take anything away from that episode and that scene; I was floored by how unexpectedly laconic it was (so was Bertolt, :snicker:). So, so good, and it's been good every time I've rewatched it, and I notice more small things that show how well this was planned and foreshadowed. Masterful.
The first time I watched this, I had to rewind that scene 3 times because I thought I had missed something in the subtitles to give sense to what Reiner was just casually stating.
My second favourite moment, behind Reiner and Bertholdt's twist is between Ymir and Reiner when they talk about the canned Herring; both blow their cover with Ymir revealing she can read Marleyan to Reiner, the guy from Marley, on top of knowing about canned food when Paradis is an underdeveloped society who hadn't achieved long life food. And Reiner not being confused about what Herring is considering the people of Paradis never knew about the ocean outside of a few books so sea-food is basically a myth. A nice subtle hint that Reiner and Ymir are two of the same without giving us all the pieces to put it together.
To be honest I was so immersed in Annie betrayal, Ymir possible cahoots with Annie, Erwin shennanigans, Beast Titan mystery, and Historia stuff.... I didn't even have the time to realize the hints and suspect Reiner and Bertrolt amidst all that chaos . It was that happening to me. I really went "Really?!" Usually for other animes I can see where plotline goes from a mile away. AOT is amazing.
Man AOT had three of the best things ive ever seen in anime. The greatest reveal, the greatest speech + death charge, the greatest most satisfying ass beating
I remember the first time I saw that.. I was like, "oh yeah.. He's lying to Eren.. I wonder why, maybe to test something? ....wait, why Bertolt is acting like that..?"
This, for me, is the best executed reveal in cinema ever. Every single time i see this scene i just get goosebumps. So unbelievably well executed its almost scary.
I forgot Reiner didn't die! I remember thinking an episode later "where's reiner? oh right the female titan grabbed him in her fist. He's dead. Dang! He was such a bad-ass but that's this show for you." Then when he wasn't dead I went wait... hold up... something isn't right... then i thought more about how the female titan was obviously Annie, and how Reiner's hair and the armor titan's resemble each other... And despite pretty much having it figured out I was still shocked by the reveal itself!
That instantly told me that Reiner was sus. Idk how so many people didn't see it. But as soon as he got away, I knew he had to be a titan, or working with her. It just didn't make any sense, especially because their were veteran scouts getting killed by her with ease. The story established itself as being grounded in realism, so I knew it wasn't anime bs happening.
yeah, at this scene, most people would see it like eren, which is so deep because again eren is like an audience surrogate, you see them as the people who caused this entire story, and erens mom's death, and they are the antagonists unequivocally, and then by the end of the series you cannot help but feel empathy for them as they are children forced into a horrible cause for a nation.
One detail I think you forgot to mention. Another reason why Reiner felt to reveal himself at that moment was his arm. Because he is a Titan shifter, the wound on him arm is going to be healed up. Multiple people saw the scar on him when he got bit and bandaged up. When his arm heals, people are going to wonder why his scar is gone. Which is probably why he took his sling off to reveal himself.
I’ve always loved how casually Reiner tells eren about being titans and that it’s kinda understandable eren is in denial because how jokey it sounds. I love the use of the reflections in the puddles to show emotions. Every piece of music is used perfectly through the whole episode especially in the reveal too. Still to this day seeing reiners breaking point hurts knowing what we do not the pain he’s had to go through just to try and complete the mission before he dies and it finally crushing him to the point where he decides screw it we’re doing this now the monologue he goes through just for mikasa to completely slash him apart. Erens transformation right at the end is amazing too the point where he know longer sees friends but someone who must be killed. Another absolutely amazing analysis korotos thank you I’m excited for the next part. Also sorry for the extremely long comment everyone 😂
im surprised he didn’t talk about how during the transformation when the reiner and bertoldt are flashing electricity and their faces are closeup for a split second u see the titan face of both of them show over their real face
Same, I think that part could be extended to a larger explanation from his faces and reactions to even how well done are the cutscenes, maybe he run out of time.
That's the moment it really set in for me. Like, of course, it was very obvious before that moment that they weren't fucking around, but that was the moment I *had* to accept it.
You've convinced me that this maybe perhaps one of, if not the best villain reveal in all of anime. I used to think it was Aizen from Bleach, but this analysis has got me thinking differently. Mainly because we as the audience trusted Reiner and Bertholdt ALOT more than Bleach allowed us to trust Aizen before the reveal. Bravo my guy... Bravo!
You also forgot how long this season took come out people waiting years to find out who were the two other Titan Shifters and they reveal it like they ordering a pizza... I literally jumped out of the chair when heard Reiner revealed it
@@thatwolfinyourbackyard6011 Different titans have different special powers beyond their normal stuff iirc Perhaps the consciousness transfer is just one of these. That would establish the defensive powerhouse that is his titan. And in fact, perhaps the fact he has a split personality (split consciousness) is a bit of foreshadowing of transfer. Maybe, it could be a bit of a stretch though
Something I didn't notice until now is when Reiner and Burrito transform they boxes break revealing all of the canned herring inside. They had everything they needed in order to figure out what was beyond the wall before it exploded in their faces
Reiner and Bertholt’s reveal is both epic and sad at the same time considering Reiner was going through a mental breakdown while telling Eren their true identities. This moment was and always will be my top favorite of the series. Everytime I rewatch, it gets better and better!
3:10 Hanges and the squad have being trying to mask how on edge they actually are, for me the flag breaking off and the relative overreaction by means of silence and tension reveals how on edge everyone actually is, Reiner reads the room, he realizes the only way is forward, as a warrior, and so one of the greatest monologues in anime history begins
Because I read the manga during the 4 yr gap, I already knew about the reveal. However it didn’t ruin the experience for me. It actually made watching the anime up until that moment ten times funnier. Looking at all the obvious details and slip ups, and Reiner straight up cracking, and then he casually tells Eren, it’s like a Shakespearean play. Once I got to this episode I was SCREAMING bc the anime made this reveal even better than I could imagine and it’s just so entertaining.
I actually got spoiled about their titan identity way before season 2 started but never in my life I expected the reveal to go like this. The reveal was so great because despite my knowledge, I was still utterly surprised
I think this might be my favorite scene of any story I've ever watched. The plot, the tone, the music, all of it. In one plot twist we reveal that the largest enemies of the series is one of the greatest assests the protagonists had, that they don't seem to be the ones in control, and they seem to be just as scared as the protagonists are. Watching the show, you'd think that they are the main antagonists, that every beat of the story was driving towards uncovering the colossus and armor totan, and defeating them. Instead, the show just blindsides us with it, taking what should have been a triumphant moment and just leaving us with more questions than answers. And how does the show handle it? It just zooms in on the personal aspect of it, the tragedy on both sides. There is no flare, no giant scale, no grand monologues. It's just these people, standing there, desperation, tragedy, and crying. The music is emotional and tragic, the dialogue is personal and desperate, and then the entire sequence ends with a fist fight between two main characters and they just try to take eren and run. Every other story plays up these moments, tries to make them more and more epic, play into the spectacle. Attack on Titan takes this moment and zooms in on what the story is really about, the personal conflict of the characters and how cyclical those conflicts are. If there is a single scene that exemplifies that theme, it is this one.
Probably worth mentioning how the lyrics as we see the Colossal and Armoured transform, where the roar would be in the subbed version, are 'mit trauer und entscheidung im herzen', meaning 'with sorrow and determination in our hearts'. Just to add another layer to the music reinforcing the tragedy of the scene, I see it as a sign of Reiner's heavy heart betraying his friends.
I have seen so many reactions to specifically only this episode, because people being completely thrown off by this reveal never gets old. THe best part is that a good chunk of the audience already figured out before the reveal that Reiner is the armored titan, yet pretty much everyone is like "wait, hold on, you did NOT just say that" Somehow it manages to be a complete surprise while fitting perfectly into the mood/atmosphere, so it doesn't seem out of place.
I'm watching the series with my mother right now (she's a first time viewer) and every time I see Reiner in Season 1 I'm dying from the inside trying not to say anything that could spoil this moment for her. It's been hard, man.
@@Dilmahkana Good. It was a hard sell for her because we tried to watch the show back when season 3 was starting to air and she really disliked the gore and the animation style. She only lasted 7 or 8 episodes and at the time I wasn't too crazy on the show either so I let it slide. But last year I binged the whole series for the first time and told her she absolutely had to give it a second try. We're at the beginning of the Female Titan arc, and so far the gory aspect has been more toned down than she remembered, she's starting to make theories about how can Eren transform into a Titan, and I've seen her humming the first OP and ED. The worst part for her was seeing Levi beating the shit out of Eren in the trial, which I find a bit bizarre. If I manage to lead her through the start of Season 2, the goriest part imo, I'm confident she's gonna end up loving it.
@@JavSaav845 Her reaction to Reiner's speech/titan transformation was priceless, she told me to rewind the scene midway because she was sure he couldn't be saying straigh to the face he was the armored. We're at the end of the Battle of Shiganshina now. She has succesfully guessed Armin's ''death'' because the start of the season shows Eren watching the sea seemingly alone (which is a funny red herring). Next episode is Armin's resurrection and i can't wait to see her reaction. The thing she doesn't like about Attack on Titan and every other anime we have watched together (its not a deal-breaker, but an annoyance) is how a huge ammount of characters feel so guilty/insecure and how easily they disregard their own lives, which is a byproduct of been series made in a culture like the japanesse. But that's another hole conversation.
This reveal did something truly special for me. I had re-watched season 1 with 5 different people long before season 2 came out and picked up on all the clues eventually. So, I was already 99% sure Reiner and Bertolt were the titans. But, the way it was revealed still managed to surprise me amazingly! I loved it. P.S. Funny story: The second ending where they showed Annie, Reiner, Bertolt, Ymir, and Historia are on one side of the wall together had me convinced that both Ymir and Historia were also titans. 😂 I was more surprised to find out Historia wasn't a titan.
It's so intresting to think back too. When Reiner, Jean and Armin were stuck outside the walls, Armin offered to be left behind as long as Reiner report "something" to commander Erwin specifically. That "something" was the identity of the Female Titan which Armin had figured out moments prior. If Historia didn't come in with that extra horse, things would have turned out VERY different.
This review is how I can explain to anyne why attack on titan is one of the greatest piece of fiction to ever exist. The way you explained all the emotions I felt when I watched this episode for the first time is unbelievable.
As a dub watcher, I didn’t even notice the slip up. In fact I didn’t realize Reiner calling Annie by her name was a problem until _this_ video, and I’ve seen the reveal at least 3 times. I’m thinking it was on purpose. A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment unless you’re analyzing the scene frame by frame.
The three red flags could also symbolize the three looming mysteries of this episode: - Where the titans came from despite having no breach - Reiner and Berthold - Historia's real identity And that one red flag breaking is the signal that this one mystery is about to be "broken" or "found out". Idk just an idea that popped in me
I remember my brother had already watched Attack on Titan and convinced me to watch it again with him. When we got to the reveal I actually didn’t realize until he told me to rewind the episode. Just increase the shock factor so much
the only Mangaka I have in mind that might come close to matching such a setup and reveal is Tatsuki Fujimoto. I cannot believe how amazing this episode was.
this is such a fantastic analysis, and goes to show how much detail quite literally everything has in attack on titan. not only that, but this moment (as highlighted by the video) touches on the psychological aspect of everything, which is an example of one of the mini themes in AOT that essentially people are the choices they make based on their circumstance, and it doesn’t make them good or bad, just people in extremely harsh circumstances. i mean, each character begins to make decisions that they don’t even fully understand. it’s the unraveling of the truth that started from the beginning, an absolute keystone to the story. not to mention, the foreshadowing of reiner’s psychological break, and i’d argue that bertholdt is definitely psychologically breaking as well, just in a different way. i also love how this moment is an example of the narrative structure in AOT, because from the start, AOT has always placed things right under our noses yet just out of reach, to the point where on rewatch we can go “well duh! they were practically begging for us to figure it out!” it has always been that the truth is revealed to the viewer alongside the characters, placing us inside the story with them, being just as ignorant to the truth as everyone else in the story (that is, until it’s revealed of course). god i love this show 😭😭
Another reason why they decided to reveal themselves at that moment imo is because their boss, zeke, showed up. meaning that there is probably some transportation ready for them to immediatly head towards marley instead of having to subdue eren and ymir for a long time
Ty so much for continuing on with the series, it's rlly interesting watching the whole show thru this lens of overanalyzing ( i am talking about the morse code on 11:55 "KOROTO LORE TIME: THIS WAS ORIGINALLY THE ONLY EPISODE I WAS GOING TO COVER BUT THEN AND WELL HERE WE ARE")
The GREATEST DECONSTRUCTION of the GREATEST REVEAL. This is like the 3rd or 4th time I'm writing this but I am so glad I found this series. Even though I only watched AoT half a year ago, I was lucky enough to never get spoiled this reveal and it definitely was the most memorable moment due to how uniquely it was done. But still rewatching it hence being aware of Reiner's and Bordololo's side makes it feel completely different yet just as jaw-dropping. Great video as always, can't wait for the next ones.
Season 2 is also really good because after every huge, crazy reveal, the episodes end with an insanely unique end credit song with spoilers that are an entire season away.
Attack on titan ost is genuinely one of the best in anime. It’s so fitting and slaps so hard. Even just the mood of the songs is hard to find anywhere else. Definitely nobody else does that mood quite as well, even when I do see something similar.
As a kid who had this spoiled by Attack On Titan: Junior high (That 4 year gap hit hard and I wanted any bit or AOT after). I found this reveal stupid but having recently watched it again I love it. So calm and perfect but not fit for an action hungry kid. In case anyone is wondering in AOT:JH they go to a festival and have masks on the back of their heads, Eren the Attack, Annie the Female Titan and Bertolt and Reiner Colossal and Armoured. They did flat out state if I remember it but seeing 2 of 4 line up perfectly why not the other two. They you remember how close they are and pick up on everything during the rewatch before this episode.
I remember when I first saw this episode I literally had to pause and rewind to make sure I heard that correct... and then I had to paused again and started pacing like WAIT THIS ACTUALLY FITS HOLY SHIT. Ive been rewatching it with a friends who never watched it and seeing these subtly hits towards it in earlier episodes is wild and just wow Attack on titan is honestally one of my favorite animes and the writing and production is just so good. This moment literally will live rent free in my head for as long as I live.
I remember watching this for the first time with friends and I literally paused and rewound the video because we all thought we misunderstood what was said. Took me completely off guard. So glad I was never spoiled with this show.
I think I literally pissed myself when this episode first played. Anyone who's had the series spoiled by the internet will never have the same feeling of seeing this blind. Literally a masterclass in storytelling, staging, context and theme.
God this is still one of my fav episodes in anime history and AOT is my fav anime of all time, this scene still gives me goosebumps and tears to my eyes after all these years.
Another big reason as to why reiner mightve chosen that time to act, was zeke is now on the island too. Its been years since the mission to get the founder started and there has been no contact with back home on how things are going.With zeke showing up the fear of going back empty handed and being replaced as shifters could be here, if he was finally out of time he needed to act now
the morse code at 11:55 translates to " KOROTO LORE TIME: THIS WAS ORIGINALLY THE ONLY EPISODE I WAS GOING TO COVER BUT THEN S4 HAPPENED AND WELL HERE WE ARE "
I was spoiled previously that Reiner was the amoured titan and was waiting on this series to reveal this but i thought they would do it in some big grand encounter similarly to what went down with Annie. To do this gave me the shock i was denied so i loved this reveal even more.
The one thing I'm still unclear on is why he let his mom die. You said he unknowingly sent the titan to his mom by saving Bert, but he obviously knew it was the same titan that ate his mom. He could have just sent it away from the city instead. If he was determined to destroy the world ever since he learned that he wasn't free, then his mom never needed to die for him to eventually gain the power to save Bert. Also, if he was completely unwilling to sacrifice his friends, then surely he would be unwilling to sacrifice his mom. I think these 3 things can't all be true at the same time.
I have rewatched this scene so many times since its first airing. It is so well crafted. And i really appreciate you pointing out why exactly it is so well done.
Three views - early to say the least. Ill be honest, totally looking forwards to this part of the arc. Agree with the assessment of "greatest reveal in anime." Great work as always!
i mean, it's an entire episode completely situated on a single part of the wall with no epic battles no action and nothing to ease the tension which reaches a knife-edge before the twist and only in the next episode does a battle ensue, this is by far The best executed twist in all of manga and anime.
I love how both Reiner and Bertholdt refuse to look Eren in the eyes when they transform, especially compared to Eren in season 4 where he never breaks eye contact with Reiner even during his transformation
24:29 I'd say it's also because it's the first time they saw Eren since they met Zeke. Zeke's presence means "you guys should come back to me, we'll figure things out together" I guess.
what i loved the most about the earlier seasons was that all of the foreshadowing was pretty easy to catch so it didn't seem random when stuff like this happened
![POLYCAT - ข้อความรูปยิ้ม [Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/lBhIgPGCgbI/mqdefault.jpg)
![[Re:all TREASURE] EP.6 in 방콕ㅣ🚩 쩡캠의 방콕 투어 빵 마이 와이 👍](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/uyFw-nItA_s/mqdefault.jpg)
Isayama's design for the Female Titan is actually quite wild because even at first sight, the Female Titan looks exactly like Annie. Like, once you see the Female Titan, it could not be anyone else. Without any of the hints of the next episode, you know for a fact that the Female Titan is Annie. Which, then, makes it so obvious that Reiner is the Armored Titan and Bertholt is the Colossal. Which is so weird because I didn't think the Armored looked like Reiner prior to that. But it definitely looks exactly like him in retrospect. I don't know how he freaking did that. It was so obvious from the start.
I only suspected her because she didn't join the corps, not because it looked like Annie. I'm probably blind to not see the resemblance lol
for me it was like
female titan looks like annie - is annie
Armor titan looks like Reiner - is reiner
Collosal Titan is tall - is berthold
A thing i like about the manga is that it tried to hide the female titan's nose on every panel covering it with her hair so it wasn't THAT obvious it was annie by her features. The anime gives it away instantly with the blonde hair, blue eyes and nose shape.
@@goleon7671 cuz everything happens so quickly in the anime that your brain isn't able to process that it's annie, unless you're really observant
And bertholt looks exactly like the colossal titan except with skin
I have to say, my absolute favorite moment of the reveal was how my sister and I guess it minutes before the actual reveal. Not because of any of the foreshadowing or the good writing or anything like that, we missed all of that on our first watch through.
We guessed it because after the "Ymir's a titan" reveal, we started joking to each other, "Fuck it, everyone's a titan. Reiner's the armored titan because he's buff, and Bertholdt's tall so he can be the colossal titan." We were just joking, and then the reveal happened the way that it did and we fully lost it. Favorite moment of the entire series, just because of that
I remember reading theories in forums back in season 1 that were predicting this exact reveal. Lol. I miss 2013.
@@dakotashomaker8812the good old day
I bet y’all were like 👁️👄👁️
"Bro maybe Sasha is the beast titan cuz she got brown hair lololol"
Sasha while f**king bleeding: *steams*
@@dakotashomaker8812yeah. People noticed the similarities between Reiners hair and the AT
I wish you had addressed when Reiner says, "Why there'd have to be people like this? Why?" It shows the reason why he was so conflicted. There were no devils on Paradise as Marley had thought him, there were just people. People like everyone else he's ever met.
"Son of a bitch why wasn't there any devils inside the wall Why cant I kill them without a second and the guilt eating at my conscience DAMNIT"
i think that this is one of the finest details in his whole monologue
@@goodbye6676if you were being forced to fight & kill someone, wouldn’t you want them to be an unfeeling, awful “thing” that you’d have no actual moral hesitations about doing so? Instead of just another person who’s just trying to live?
@justadummy8076 part of it was reiner's own choice that's why he's so eaten up he choose to continue and break wall maria because it would save his own skin
@@justadummy8076 That's precisly why they teach to soldiers (all over the world) that you're fighting the enemy and not another human being
This episode is shocking on the first watch, and very sad on the second. Reiner's break is just so painful to watch.
attack on titan is peak
I'm so sad I didn't get to watch this episode genuinely as I was spoiled by a youtube comment when I was watching season 1.
The scene of Connie asking what happened to Reiner and Bertolt (in the next episode) when Colossal and Armored showed up was equally heartbreaking.
"Someone find them. They might be in danger. They, too, dont have their ODM gear"
I was in 8th grade when I 1st seen the trailer to AOT was hooked instantly every week I’m there…… again I was in 8th grade I was young and impatient once I learned there was bad human titans I looked up who the armor and colossal were
I easily guessed eren was a titan as soon as he got swallowed and Annie was the only surprise
I like how Eren kept denying Reiner and Bertoldt being Titans, until Eren saw Reiner's arm heal.
So did I when watching for the first time
Well we find out the scout unit already heavily suspected them and planned to trap them, so I don't think his denying was genuine
Part of Eren didn't want to accept that two friends of his actually were the reason his mom died.
@@millenniumstarfury2482 It was. He didn't WANT to believe his trusted comrades would do such a thing, even though everything pointed towards them. That's what denial is. Eren reacted the same for Annie.
@@DivDraws_unfortunately some selfish idiot spoiled it for me in the TH-cam comments section
Funny how the 104th Cadet corps has 5 Titans , an Ackermann, a Genius and The Queen. Only Jean and Connie have nothing to hide because they are normal.
You could call that anime main character syndrome tbh.
Rember when the kids just went super sayain? Memba namek? Memba Star Wars?
❤
Man really forgot about Sasha like that
@@Xaethron oops... no gonna lie after watching too much of season 4 i kinda forgot about her.
I don't think it's quite that special, in the sense that the 104th had quite a few more people, they just died in trost - like the 4 on Eren's squad, and what about Samuel or Daz for that matter?
They're memorable in their own way. Jean is really realistic with his line of thinking and desire for peace. Connie and Sasha also have a little going on for them I guess.
During the Reiner reveal, besides Mikasa hearing the news, Sasha also heard it even though shes further away. Showing how good her hearing is. A nice little detail.
Would have been nice if she could have heard Gabby coming from the other room
@@Some._.Random._.Personshe did
@@cnlmrl8951 more meant “and also was able to move out of the way”
Which makes no since with how much explosives testing she would’ve had to do to help come up with the thunder spears
@@leciii7831 uhhh, what?
The best part is that even if you guessed the twist beforehand there is NO way you expected it to play out like this
Absolutely. I remember reading the manga for this scene first as only season 1 was out at the time and this episode hadn’t been animated yet, and doing a double take when they threw in the reveal as almost a throwaway line. Had to go back and read it again to make sure I wasn’t going crazy.
@@MrBdog1021I genuinely laughed at the reveal in the dubbed anime. Its SOOO funny how casual he says it, just "im the armored and bert is the colossal" while being a wide shot with not much detail.
I like how the red flag broke off. Symbolizing that Bertoldt and Reiner couldn't hold their secret any longer.
you could say they "snapped"
@@Bangaudaalayou said it before I could
It was really just Reiner who was at his limit
@@JMeisterV Yea, Bertholdt was completely thrown off guard. Wondering wtf Reiner was doing. Funnily enough, Reiner snapping there probably saved their lives, as they would've likely captured them if they made it back to the inner walls, since at that point, Bertholdt couldn't risk transforming and destroying the walls that would expose the titans, and Reiner would be exhausted by the time he got through everyone, AND broke the gates, AND ran all the way to outside the outer layer of walls.
I always thought the flag snapping and falling off the wall banging against it, echoing out was meant to represent Reiner’s mental health finally snapping.
Girl: All boys do is lie.
Reiner: I'm the Armored Titan and Bertoldt is the Colossal Titan.
Nice meme xD!!!
😂😂
Lol 😂
like im deadass telling u this 😭🤦🏾♂️💯
Funny to think thar Paradis and Marley gave the same name to the titans
I'll never forget Eren's "what?" mirrored by me saying "what" out loud irl and having to rewind the episode. This is one of the moments that cement AOT as a masterpiece
On my first time watching this episode I LOVED how blunt and quick the reveal happened. You didnt have time to process it before everything fell apart. Just like Eren in that moment, we were in shock stare and had to take a second to collect ourselves, accept the new narrative and fully pay attention to it. I didnt even understand why they took Ymir with them. It was just overall chaos and so SO good.
same. Bertold grabbing Ymir really threw me off until i rewatced then realized what happened to the first jaw. that episode with Ymir's backstory is so important. rewatched it a few times just to get why bert and renierr wanted Ymir and why Ymir kept saying she neds to give back what was stolen.
Yup. On my first watch, everything was just jumbled chaos which left me shocked, confused, angry. Upon my second watch, I cried. One of my fave episodes for sure.
IF only Eren will "break" from the paths and EAT Ymir to gain Jaw titan...
What power He will have in the battle between Him and Reiner!
I remember laughing in sheer disbelief. Just the sudeness and the way Reiner just nonchalantly dropped that information had me like "There's no way he's serious right now 😂"
I just thought he took Ymir because they needed al the shifters
I love that the story makes Reiner look like one of the strongest characters in the ahow, but in reality he is actually mentally broken, and had to create a fake persona to cope with his pain.
Berthold just closed off all his emotions to deal with his guilt.
And Annie had the most most difficultly withit.
Bertholdt was in between the two, Reiner developed a split personality after the Marco incident, and Annie went psycho and schizo and had no emotional connection to anyone, bertholdt, the medium of the two, was torn between guilt and his mission as a warrior, because now he sees these people as his friends, but he’s just so deep in the mission he can’t do anything about it even if he wanted to.
Hope you read this. My idea on bertholdt being a background and largely reactive, quiet character is that's exactly what makes him the perfect choice to be handed the power of being a literal walking nuke that generates a literal colossus. He's a meak, mentally stable, yes man. Who better to trust with that ability? Love to hear your take on this!
Yep. Reiner is not stable at all and has a pretty bad family life. Annie seems like she might decide to rebel one day. Zeke was already decided for the Beast, and the colossal is not good for the leader of the group because it can't speak or move as quickly. Marcel is mentally stable and highly intelligent, but he is not a yes man and could decide one day to not want to destroy humanity. Pieck does not seem to have the physical capabilities as everyone else in general, and seems more suited to a supporting titan. And Lara Tybur cannot have that titan, because the colossal is vital to attacking Paradis and she doesn't leave Marley territory, along with the fact that the warhammer is passed down throughout that family, and nobody gets 2 titan powers for the sake of balance and having the maximum number of people with powers.
I will say that, if Bertholdt wasn't chosen for that power, I believe that Marcel would be the 2nd pick.
@@thelegacyofgaming2928If anything it would've probably been Porco Galliard. I can't imagine Zophia, Marley Glasses Warrior Kid, and Gabby were of the age they could put themselves forward to be Warrior Candidates yet. Reiner, Marcelle, Zeke, Pieck, Bertholdt, Annie, and some other were all probably part of the same "Class" of WC. Zophia, Gabby, Falco, Porco, Warrior Glasses Kid were all probably part of the next Gen "class" of titan shifters.
The Shifter knew the consequences of defying Marley if it ever got back just who defied them and they wouldn't put their family at risk like that.
Tbf, I wasn't sure that Bertholt could even create the nuke when he turned into the colossus, it seemed as though the power resonated with Armin and most of the predecessors instead! Perhaps Bertholt wasn't the greatest fit either, like how Ymir's Jaw titan is much less armoured and toothy and more gollum like...
@@jameswilkes451 he did nuke the scouts in season 3. It wasn't as big but I don't know is that was a limit on his ability or him not wanting to risk damaging the wall to the point of waking the wall titans.
it makes me really sad seeing Berhtolds face when he is transforming. He looks terrified about whats going to happen
“I have become death, destroyer of walls”
-Hooverheimer
Wouldn't you be? Knowing you had to try to kill people you considered friends, and they're also trying to capture or kill you now?
Probably because at this point he saw the scouts as comrades and friends, and he knew if they transformed now, they’d 100% have to kill them to complete their mission, and as guilt ridden as he was, he was very hesitant which is why he depended on Reiner to make the call, just like always.
@@justadummy8076this is one of the greatest comments I’ve seen with my caveman eyeballs
Um I think that was because he’d just had his throat slashed
I’ll never forget watching this episode with the homies. The scene they were talking on the wall was slower so we were just kicking back relaxing and when Reiner casually said “I’m the armored Titan and Bertholt is the Colossal,” we all sat straight up and looked at each other like “WTF DID HE JUST SAY??”
Same
Must be nice to have homies
I watched this show blind a few months back and this episode holy moly. My jaw [titan] is still on the floor. Maybe I'm dumb but I was totally blindsided. Goosebumps
Everyone was blindsided
youre not dumb, simply Isayama does these misteries with absolute class. he leaves u clues but those clues seem so normal to you, you dont even remember them until the 2nd time around. for me it was Coffee. i was like, cool Coffee. and when Armin called it black tea, I was like is he dumb? XDDDD
I couldn’t even believe what they were saying until Reiners arm healed
@@IonKattTMCE Literally.....I was actually like eren thinking it was some kind of joke
We all were
Another reason as to why (I think) Reiner and Bertoldt outed themselves when they did-on top of the reasons you pointed out. They JUST saw The Beat titan / Zeke, they have a more complete understanding of the implications of his presence-Marley is attacking. Reiner finally snaps out of it. His identity and purpose as a warrior lock back into focus and he realizes, they have allies on the island now and if they can grab Eren and Ymir from this outer most edge of Scout Eldian controlled territory and make a run for it they'll have support to make their escape (though obviously they don't make it that far). Marley's presence on the island gives Reiner and Bertoldt that moment of hope that they may actually be able to go home as "heros".
Imagine Reiner and Barnacle Boy retrieving the Founder without knowing and Marley trynna find the Founder for the next hundreds of years. 💀
The person that they chose to get the attack would know I feel.
Zeke: "Bout time you came back. Did you retrieve the Founder?"
Reiner: "No, but we did steal back the Attack Titan. I didn't even know it was here. Bertrololo ate him."
Zeke: "Well, Berturtle, congratulations." [reaches out for handshake]
Bertortilla: [reaching out] "Thank you, War Chie-HHHHHNNNNNRRNRRGGHHHH"
@@calvinwright2214Possibly, because everyone only found out Eren had the Founding Titan because Eren came into contact with a Royal Titan, they would find out by having the Founding Titan come into contact with Zeke
Birthcontrol*
@@SomeTH-camTraveler**Bartholomew and Zeke wake up in the paths**
Bernie: “WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING!? WHAT IS THIS PLACE!?”
Zeke: “Holy shit…YOU ACTUALLY ATE THE FOUNDING TITAN!?”
Barney: “I…I GUESS!?”
Zeke: “Well damn! Looks like I can fulfill my promise to Ksaver sooner than I thought! Thanks, Benedict!”
Bar Mizfah: “What the hell are you talking about!? WHAT DID YOU JUST TELL THAT CHILD!? _WHY CAN’T I FEEL MY TESTIC-“_
**Ending 0 - Euthanasia**
Another small detail that was not mentioned: the moment the lightning hits reiner and berthold right before thr transformation shows the face of the colossal and armored titan respectively for just a few franes. I just love the amount of details in this show!
I noticed Berthold before but never that Reiner's was the armoured face
For me its the 2nd best reveal. The most breathtaking one for me was Grisha's book in the basement. Imagine after at least hundreds if not thousands of years living in the belief trough generations that the only part of remaining humanity is living inside the walls. Then facing the schocking truth, that humanity outside the walls is not only alive, but far more advanced, far more numerous and far more hateful against Eldians than one could ever imagine. Its like stretching the boundaries of Aot beyond everything we (or even Erwin) suspected before. 🤯
And the fact that it's so incredibly cathartic to actually get real answers for once. I'd thought it would just be a wild goose chase but nah they basically actually explain 70% of the rest of the setting at that point after the viewers having so many questions for so long
@@Shmethan “Hey, if we crossed the sea and killed all of our enemies, after that, would we finally be free.” -Eren
When Eren made that statement, he seemed extremely broken.
wasnt it only 100 years?
@@emiledin2183 yeah, 80 years
The only reason Reiner made it this far was because he has the Plot Armor Titan.
Truly more a curse than a blessing from his point of view.
@@yoursonisold8743
- _"Like it says in the book, We are cursed and blessed."_
- _"Which fuckin' book?"_
- _"Everything makes as laugh, makes us cry"_
bro only wanted to die and you know he couldve just gone to the rumbling and boom wish granted
Given that he is just as much of a suicidal maniac as Eren , plot armour did him more harm than good .
I watch this reveal almost religiously , it NEVER gets any less amazing. Its genuinely the best episode of anything ive ever seen .
You can say this for most AoT episodes haha
The part where the flag breaks off and makes a huge noise... It ties in so well with everyone keeping quiet and calm. Dont make too much noise, dont attract attention. They are all walking on egg shells. It's like walking around the apartment at night without trying to make a sound so you dont wake someone else up. But then that flag surprises everyone with a huge noise and it's the finally drop that tips the whole situation upside down.
I’m a manga reader and even when I read it I had to go back and re-read it because it was literally in the corner of the page. Watching this part unfold in the anime still gave me chills and I still cried 😂
Yea, I read it in the manga first and was stuck on that page for a while. Mainly because I didn't believe that Bertholdt was the colossal 😂
"oh and uh by the way Andy's birthday party has been moved... to... todayOK, NEXT ISSUE..."
The one anime that taught me the importance of avoiding spoilers at all costs. I will never forgive the fact that this reveal was ruined for me knowing that Reiner was the armoured even before starting the show
Facebook anime pages, any comment section, anime "friends" in real life, I have to not look at any of these but sometimes I am still careless.
its still a shock just for how this part is executed, I also spoiled myself this part and its still one of my favorites (also even if you didnt know there where more than enough clues at this point specially with last episode)
Really? This has always been something that showed how unimportant spoilers were. I guessed Reiner’s identity beforehand and a friend even confirmed it so I knew it was coming, and yet this reveal was just as incredible. Spoilers don’t affect well-written twists like this in the slightest, if they did then guessing beforehand or rewatching would feel meaningless, which clearly isn’t the case here.
@@derpymule7977 ok I completly disagree with that, just because this part was still good even with the spoilers and I would say it has more to do with the crazy way that everything is revealed than anything else spoilers do ruin part of the surprise, I mean if you get spoiled that x or y character dies it can be the best writen dead in the history of media but it will never be the same experience compared to if you didnt know whats going to happen, saying that spoilers dont ruin at least part of the experience at least for me means that you probably didnt care that much about the history
I know spoilers do ruin things for some people, and I'm sorry that happened to you, but they rarely do for me. Because I actually love dissecting any mystery and figure out whodunnit before the denouement. In this case I was absolutely certain that Reiner and by extension Bertolt were titan shifters -- the scene with the canned herring cemented it completely, but there were so many hints before that, and I was watching for them like a hawk ever since I realized there had to be other titan shifters. It's a different kind of enjoyment that doesn't rely much on surprise, and I grant that this might not be for everyone, but I'm kinda glad it is this way for me because I often watch shows long after everyone has already discussed them to death around the watercooler or the internet, and it's nigh impossible not to get spoiled. I spoil myself on purpose when it comes to main character death because it can sour me on a show if I am not prepared (George RR Martin has a lot to answer for); that's definitely not a surprise I want sprung on me.
I was still on the edge of my seat about how the show's creators were going to reveal it, and man, knowing who it was didn't take anything away from that episode and that scene; I was floored by how unexpectedly laconic it was (so was Bertolt, :snicker:). So, so good, and it's been good every time I've rewatched it, and I notice more small things that show how well this was planned and foreshadowed. Masterful.
The first time I watched this, I had to rewind that scene 3 times because I thought I had missed something in the subtitles to give sense to what Reiner was just casually stating.
Actually thought it was a SUB prank lol no lies.
Being in shock WITH eren was actually wild.
shit i thought my subs were bugged
My second favourite moment, behind Reiner and Bertholdt's twist is between Ymir and Reiner when they talk about the canned Herring; both blow their cover with Ymir revealing she can read Marleyan to Reiner, the guy from Marley, on top of knowing about canned food when Paradis is an underdeveloped society who hadn't achieved long life food.
And Reiner not being confused about what Herring is considering the people of Paradis never knew about the ocean outside of a few books so sea-food is basically a myth. A nice subtle hint that Reiner and Ymir are two of the same without giving us all the pieces to put it together.
To be honest I was so immersed in Annie betrayal, Ymir possible cahoots with Annie, Erwin shennanigans, Beast Titan mystery, and Historia stuff.... I didn't even have the time to realize the hints and suspect Reiner and Bertrolt amidst all that chaos . It was that happening to me. I really went "Really?!" Usually for other animes I can see where plotline goes from a mile away.
AOT is amazing.
The most complex and perfect executed animation/film in the world
11:55 says:
KOROTO LORE TIME: THIS WAS ORIGINALY [sic] THE ONLY EPISODE I WAS GOING TO COVER BUT THEN S4 HAPPENED AND WELL HERE WE ARE
I'd say you saved me some time, except... KOROTO LORE TIME: THIS WAS ORIGINALLY THE ONLY EPISODE I WAS GOING TO COVER BUT THEN S4 WELL HERE WE ARE
Man AOT had three of the best things ive ever seen in anime. The greatest reveal, the greatest speech + death charge, the greatest most satisfying ass beating
Which ass beating you talking about? Because every fight of AoT is hyped af
I remember the first time I saw that..
I was like, "oh yeah.. He's lying to Eren.. I wonder why, maybe to test something?
....wait, why Bertolt is acting like that..?"
This, for me, is the best executed reveal in cinema ever. Every single time i see this scene i just get goosebumps. So unbelievably well executed its almost scary.
completely agree
Back in Season 1, I kind of noticed that Annie as the Female Titan didn't kill Reiner like she killed all these no name Scouts.
I just thought Reiner was buff as heck that not even the female titan could do him in lol
@@angeluriel2725well in a sense he WAS built different
I forgot Reiner didn't die! I remember thinking an episode later "where's reiner? oh right the female titan grabbed him in her fist. He's dead. Dang! He was such a bad-ass but that's this show for you." Then when he wasn't dead I went wait... hold up... something isn't right... then i thought more about how the female titan was obviously Annie, and how Reiner's hair and the armor titan's resemble each other... And despite pretty much having it figured out I was still shocked by the reveal itself!
It was weird but I chocked it up to anime bullshit. Isayama used bad story tropes against us. Best series ever.
That instantly told me that Reiner was sus. Idk how so many people didn't see it. But as soon as he got away, I knew he had to be a titan, or working with her. It just didn't make any sense, especially because their were veteran scouts getting killed by her with ease. The story established itself as being grounded in realism, so I knew it wasn't anime bs happening.
I love Hange in this season, she becomes such a key character
Bro Hange gets less than 10 minutes of screen time this season 💀
@@smickothesmickest and? .. screentime != having key moments for the story to develop
@@somewhereatvinland yes. Screentime tends to mean they're more involved in the plot.
@@smickothesmickest Well I disagree. Have a nice day.
@@somewhereatvinland you too
I think the craziest thing is to compare how people viewed the warriors here vs how they're viewed at the end of the series. Masterful writing
Definitely fun thinking about all the context reveals and character development between then and now
yeah, at this scene, most people would see it like eren, which is so deep because again eren is like an audience surrogate, you see them as the people who caused this entire story, and erens mom's death, and they are the antagonists unequivocally, and then by the end of the series you cannot help but feel empathy for them as they are children forced into a horrible cause for a nation.
Watching this blind and spoiler free, was really something special. The va, music, emotions during the scene 20/10
Finally after discovering and binging this whole yt series in like 3 days. You finally uploaded the next part. I really love these videos.
Me right now lol
same
One detail I think you forgot to mention. Another reason why Reiner felt to reveal himself at that moment was his arm. Because he is a Titan shifter, the wound on him arm is going to be healed up. Multiple people saw the scar on him when he got bit and bandaged up. When his arm heals, people are going to wonder why his scar is gone. Which is probably why he took his sling off to reveal himself.
I’ve always loved how casually Reiner tells eren about being titans and that it’s kinda understandable eren is in denial because how jokey it sounds. I love the use of the reflections in the puddles to show emotions. Every piece of music is used perfectly through the whole episode especially in the reveal too. Still to this day seeing reiners breaking point hurts knowing what we do not the pain he’s had to go through just to try and complete the mission before he dies and it finally crushing him to the point where he decides screw it we’re doing this now the monologue he goes through just for mikasa to completely slash him apart. Erens transformation right at the end is amazing too the point where he know longer sees friends but someone who must be killed. Another absolutely amazing analysis korotos thank you I’m excited for the next part. Also sorry for the extremely long comment everyone 😂
im surprised he didn’t talk about how during the transformation when the reiner and bertoldt are flashing electricity and their faces are closeup for a split second u see the titan face of both of them show over their real face
Same, I think that part could be extended to a larger explanation from his faces and reactions to even how well done are the cutscenes, maybe he run out of time.
That's the moment it really set in for me. Like, of course, it was very obvious before that moment that they weren't fucking around, but that was the moment I *had* to accept it.
You've convinced me that this maybe perhaps one of, if not the best villain reveal in all of anime. I used to think it was Aizen from Bleach, but this analysis has got me thinking differently. Mainly because we as the audience trusted Reiner and Bertholdt ALOT more than Bleach allowed us to trust Aizen before the reveal. Bravo my guy... Bravo!
You also forgot how long this season took come out people waiting years to find out who were the two other Titan Shifters and they reveal it like they ordering a pizza... I literally jumped out of the chair when heard Reiner revealed it
This reveal is absolutely incredible, but I have to say…Aizen exists. I think this is really really close though for sure, maybe even on par.
Fun fact: Reiner is Isayama's favorite character.
To torture
Consciousness transfer was bullshit, dear Isayama, people call it plot armor
*he was
Thought it was Jean
@@thatwolfinyourbackyard6011
Different titans have different special powers beyond their normal stuff iirc
Perhaps the consciousness transfer is just one of these. That would establish the defensive powerhouse that is his titan.
And in fact, perhaps the fact he has a split personality (split consciousness) is a bit of foreshadowing of transfer. Maybe, it could be a bit of a stretch though
I love Bert's crying face when he transforms.
I actually felt bad for him, even before I knew why they were doing what they were doing. As powerful as he was, he was still afraid of death.
Something I didn't notice until now is when Reiner and Burrito transform they boxes break revealing all of the canned herring inside. They had everything they needed in order to figure out what was beyond the wall before it exploded in their faces
wow thats true, nice detail
Reiner and Bertholt’s reveal is both epic and sad at the same time considering Reiner was going through a mental breakdown while telling Eren their true identities. This moment was and always will be my top favorite of the series. Everytime I rewatch, it gets better and better!
3:10 Hanges and the squad have being trying to mask how on edge they actually are, for me the flag breaking off and the relative overreaction by means of silence and tension reveals how on edge everyone actually is, Reiner reads the room, he realizes the only way is forward, as a warrior, and so one of the greatest monologues in anime history begins
Because I read the manga during the 4 yr gap, I already knew about the reveal. However it didn’t ruin the experience for me. It actually made watching the anime up until that moment ten times funnier. Looking at all the obvious details and slip ups, and Reiner straight up cracking, and then he casually tells Eren, it’s like a Shakespearean play. Once I got to this episode I was SCREAMING bc the anime made this reveal even better than I could imagine and it’s just so entertaining.
I actually got spoiled about their titan identity way before season 2 started but never in my life I expected the reveal to go like this. The reveal was so great because despite my knowledge, I was still utterly surprised
The meme from the office of Reiner capturing the founding titan by accident is fantastic.
MY BODY ISN'T READY OMG
I think this might be my favorite scene of any story I've ever watched. The plot, the tone, the music, all of it. In one plot twist we reveal that the largest enemies of the series is one of the greatest assests the protagonists had, that they don't seem to be the ones in control, and they seem to be just as scared as the protagonists are. Watching the show, you'd think that they are the main antagonists, that every beat of the story was driving towards uncovering the colossus and armor totan, and defeating them. Instead, the show just blindsides us with it, taking what should have been a triumphant moment and just leaving us with more questions than answers.
And how does the show handle it? It just zooms in on the personal aspect of it, the tragedy on both sides. There is no flare, no giant scale, no grand monologues. It's just these people, standing there, desperation, tragedy, and crying. The music is emotional and tragic, the dialogue is personal and desperate, and then the entire sequence ends with a fist fight between two main characters and they just try to take eren and run.
Every other story plays up these moments, tries to make them more and more epic, play into the spectacle. Attack on Titan takes this moment and zooms in on what the story is really about, the personal conflict of the characters and how cyclical those conflicts are. If there is a single scene that exemplifies that theme, it is this one.
Probably worth mentioning how the lyrics as we see the Colossal and Armoured transform, where the roar would be in the subbed version, are 'mit trauer und entscheidung im herzen', meaning 'with sorrow and determination in our hearts'. Just to add another layer to the music reinforcing the tragedy of the scene, I see it as a sign of Reiner's heavy heart betraying his friends.
I have seen so many reactions to specifically only this episode, because people being completely thrown off by this reveal never gets old. THe best part is that a good chunk of the audience already figured out before the reveal that Reiner is the armored titan, yet pretty much everyone is like "wait, hold on, you did NOT just say that"
Somehow it manages to be a complete surprise while fitting perfectly into the mood/atmosphere, so it doesn't seem out of place.
I will never forget when this episode aired, including where I was, how I felt, who was with me, etc.
In minute 33:16 you can see the faces of the collosal and armored between the electricity in one frame. (srry for bad English)
I'm watching the series with my mother right now (she's a first time viewer) and every time I see Reiner in Season 1 I'm dying from the inside trying not to say anything that could spoil this moment for her. It's been hard, man.
How's she finding it?
@@Dilmahkana Good. It was a hard sell for her because we tried to watch the show back when season 3 was starting to air and she really disliked the gore and the animation style. She only lasted 7 or 8 episodes and at the time I wasn't too crazy on the show either so I let it slide. But last year I binged the whole series for the first time and told her she absolutely had to give it a second try. We're at the beginning of the Female Titan arc, and so far the gory aspect has been more toned down than she remembered, she's starting to make theories about how can Eren transform into a Titan, and I've seen her humming the first OP and ED. The worst part for her was seeing Levi beating the shit out of Eren in the trial, which I find a bit bizarre. If I manage to lead her through the start of Season 2, the goriest part imo, I'm confident she's gonna end up loving it.
LMAOOO
Update?
@@JavSaav845 Her reaction to Reiner's speech/titan transformation was priceless, she told me to rewind the scene midway because she was sure he couldn't be saying straigh to the face he was the armored. We're at the end of the Battle of Shiganshina now. She has succesfully guessed Armin's ''death'' because the start of the season shows Eren watching the sea seemingly alone (which is a funny red herring). Next episode is Armin's resurrection and i can't wait to see her reaction.
The thing she doesn't like about Attack on Titan and every other anime we have watched together (its not a deal-breaker, but an annoyance) is how a huge ammount of characters feel so guilty/insecure and how easily they disregard their own lives, which is a byproduct of been series made in a culture like the japanesse. But that's another hole conversation.
This reveal did something truly special for me.
I had re-watched season 1 with 5 different people long before season 2 came out and picked up on all the clues eventually.
So, I was already 99% sure Reiner and Bertolt were the titans.
But, the way it was revealed still managed to surprise me amazingly! I loved it.
P.S. Funny story: The second ending where they showed Annie, Reiner, Bertolt, Ymir, and Historia are on one side of the wall together had me convinced that both Ymir and Historia were also titans. 😂 I was more surprised to find out Historia wasn't a titan.
This is the moment when Reiner became Heisenberg
It's so intresting to think back too.
When Reiner, Jean and Armin were stuck outside the walls, Armin offered to be left behind as long as Reiner report "something" to commander Erwin specifically. That "something" was the identity of the Female Titan which Armin had figured out moments prior.
If Historia didn't come in with that extra horse, things would have turned out VERY different.
This review is how I can explain to anyne why attack on titan is one of the greatest piece of fiction to ever exist. The way you explained all the emotions I felt when I watched this episode for the first time is unbelievable.
AOT is an anime that you never thought you would live long enough to experience. I have never seen an anime with an impeccable storyline.
As a dub watcher, I didn’t even notice the slip up. In fact I didn’t realize Reiner calling Annie by her name was a problem until _this_ video, and I’ve seen the reveal at least 3 times.
I’m thinking it was on purpose. A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment unless you’re analyzing the scene frame by frame.
I like the moment when I spent years of my life watching this masterpiece come to the most satisfying yet heartbreaking end. So good
The three red flags could also symbolize the three looming mysteries of this episode:
- Where the titans came from despite having no breach
- Reiner and Berthold
- Historia's real identity
And that one red flag breaking is the signal that this one mystery is about to be "broken" or "found out". Idk just an idea that popped in me
As german this scene 33:37 hits even more knwoing what the lyircs in the ost means. It's just perfect.
The level of quality on your content is simply unreal, thank you for your efforts my friend !
I remember my brother had already watched Attack on Titan and convinced me to watch it again with him. When we got to the reveal I actually didn’t realize until he told me to rewind the episode. Just increase the shock factor so much
that reveal is probably one of the best things I've ever seen in any media
the only Mangaka I have in mind that might come close to matching such a setup and reveal is Tatsuki Fujimoto. I cannot believe how amazing this episode was.
this is such a fantastic analysis, and goes to show how much detail quite literally everything has in attack on titan. not only that, but this moment (as highlighted by the video) touches on the psychological aspect of everything, which is an example of one of the mini themes in AOT that essentially people are the choices they make based on their circumstance, and it doesn’t make them good or bad, just people in extremely harsh circumstances. i mean, each character begins to make decisions that they don’t even fully understand. it’s the unraveling of the truth that started from the beginning, an absolute keystone to the story. not to mention, the foreshadowing of reiner’s psychological break, and i’d argue that bertholdt is definitely psychologically breaking as well, just in a different way.
i also love how this moment is an example of the narrative structure in AOT, because from the start, AOT has always placed things right under our noses yet just out of reach, to the point where on rewatch we can go “well duh! they were practically begging for us to figure it out!” it has always been that the truth is revealed to the viewer alongside the characters, placing us inside the story with them, being just as ignorant to the truth as everyone else in the story (that is, until it’s revealed of course). god i love this show 😭😭
After 5 years, Reiner has a breakdown.
Another reason why they decided to reveal themselves at that moment imo is because their boss, zeke, showed up. meaning that there is probably some transportation ready for them to immediatly head towards marley instead of having to subdue eren and ymir for a long time
Ty so much for continuing on with the series, it's rlly interesting watching the whole show thru this lens of overanalyzing ( i am talking about the morse code on 11:55 "KOROTO LORE TIME: THIS WAS ORIGINALLY THE ONLY EPISODE I WAS GOING TO COVER BUT THEN AND WELL HERE WE ARE")
"KOROTO LORE TIME: THIS WAS ORIGINALLY THE ONLY EPISODE I WAS GOING TO COVER BUT THEN S4 HAPPENED AND WELL HERE WE ARE"
The GREATEST DECONSTRUCTION of the GREATEST REVEAL. This is like the 3rd or 4th time I'm writing this but I am so glad I found this series. Even though I only watched AoT half a year ago, I was lucky enough to never get spoiled this reveal and it definitely was the most memorable moment due to how uniquely it was done. But still rewatching it hence being aware of Reiner's and Bordololo's side makes it feel completely different yet just as jaw-dropping. Great video as always, can't wait for the next ones.
Season 2 is also really good because after every huge, crazy reveal, the episodes end with an insanely unique end credit song with spoilers that are an entire season away.
Attack on titan ost is genuinely one of the best in anime. It’s so fitting and slaps so hard. Even just the mood of the songs is hard to find anywhere else. Definitely nobody else does that mood quite as well, even when I do see something similar.
As a kid who had this spoiled by Attack On Titan: Junior high (That 4 year gap hit hard and I wanted any bit or AOT after). I found this reveal stupid but having recently watched it again I love it. So calm and perfect but not fit for an action hungry kid.
In case anyone is wondering in AOT:JH they go to a festival and have masks on the back of their heads, Eren the Attack, Annie the Female Titan and Bertolt and Reiner Colossal and Armoured. They did flat out state if I remember it but seeing 2 of 4 line up perfectly why not the other two. They you remember how close they are and pick up on everything during the rewatch before this episode.
Lmao what a weird way to "tease" that haha. Sorry it got spoiled for you
I remember when I first saw this episode I literally had to pause and rewind to make sure I heard that correct...
and then I had to paused again and started pacing like WAIT THIS ACTUALLY FITS HOLY SHIT.
Ive been rewatching it with a friends who never watched it and seeing these subtly hits towards it in earlier episodes is wild and just wow
Attack on titan is honestally one of my favorite animes and the writing and production is just so good.
This moment literally will live rent free in my head for as long as I live.
I like Bertolt's character. Reiner's spur of the moment decisions have major consequences, Bertolt is a good brake for him
To be fair, Reiner's outburst here actually saved him and Bertholdt from capture. But yes, usually Reiner's mental instability messes things up.
I remember watching this for the first time with friends and I literally paused and rewound the video because we all thought we misunderstood what was said. Took me completely off guard. So glad I was never spoiled with this show.
I was literally binging your videos and didn't know about your channel until this morning. Keep up the awesome work.
Enjoy the next few days. You’re in for a real treat
I think I literally pissed myself when this episode first played.
Anyone who's had the series spoiled by the internet will never have the same feeling of seeing this blind.
Literally a masterclass in storytelling, staging, context and theme.
God this is still one of my fav episodes in anime history and AOT is my fav anime of all time, this scene still gives me goosebumps and tears to my eyes after all these years.
Another big reason as to why reiner mightve chosen that time to act, was zeke is now on the island too. Its been years since the mission to get the founder started and there has been no contact with back home on how things are going.With zeke showing up the fear of going back empty handed and being replaced as shifters could be here, if he was finally out of time he needed to act now
the morse code at 11:55 translates to " KOROTO LORE TIME: THIS WAS ORIGINALLY THE ONLY EPISODE I WAS GOING TO COVER BUT THEN S4 HAPPENED AND WELL HERE WE ARE "
The direction of this episode is TOP TIER
Just the framing, music, and ordering of scenes alone, there's already so much nuanced storytelling
I was spoiled previously that Reiner was the amoured titan and was waiting on this series to reveal this but i thought they would do it in some big grand encounter similarly to what went down with Annie. To do this gave me the shock i was denied so i loved this reveal even more.
The one thing I'm still unclear on is why he let his mom die. You said he unknowingly sent the titan to his mom by saving Bert, but he obviously knew it was the same titan that ate his mom. He could have just sent it away from the city instead. If he was determined to destroy the world ever since he learned that he wasn't free, then his mom never needed to die for him to eventually gain the power to save Bert. Also, if he was completely unwilling to sacrifice his friends, then surely he would be unwilling to sacrifice his mom. I think these 3 things can't all be true at the same time.
I wish I wasn’t spoiled on the titans identities before this episode but the way they were revealed is still amazing
I have rewatched this scene so many times since its first airing. It is so well crafted. And i really appreciate you pointing out why exactly it is so well done.
Three views - early to say the least.
Ill be honest, totally looking forwards to this part of the arc. Agree with the assessment of "greatest reveal in anime." Great work as always!
i mean, it's an entire episode completely situated on a single part of the wall with no epic battles no action and nothing to ease the tension which reaches a knife-edge before the twist and only in the next episode does a battle ensue, this is by far The best executed twist in all of manga and anime.
I think the greatest reveal and punch to the gut for the characters is not only where there humans outside the walls but they were also flourishing
I personally think Grisha's story was the most important reveal, but this one was incredibly shocking
I love how both Reiner and Bertholdt refuse to look Eren in the eyes when they transform, especially compared to Eren in season 4 where he never breaks eye contact with Reiner even during his transformation
We have come far with this series.... Can't wait for it to continue!
24:29 I'd say it's also because it's the first time they saw Eren since they met Zeke. Zeke's presence means "you guys should come back to me, we'll figure things out together" I guess.
what i loved the most about the earlier seasons was that all of the foreshadowing was pretty easy to catch so it didn't seem random when stuff like this happened