Review by Frank Plowright

Until the previous volume Hajime Isayama began every new book with a page or two of portraits naming the main cast. Now the volumes begin by recounting of the myth of the nine Titans and what they’re capable of.

Completely redefining the series after 21 volumes was a brave move, and perhaps even braver is Isayama now sidelining the cast who’ve carried the series to date in favour of introducing new characters. It was revealed in Attack on Titan 21 that what was believed to be the whole human race is in fact an island of exiles, known to their conquerors as Eldians. They’re a persecuted minority, a race capable of becoming Titans, and despised in their homeland, which is controlled by the forces of Marley. The attention now switches to Marley and an army poised to attack an armoured base.

It’s surprising how rapidly Isayama manages to captivate with the new plot with the characters pictured on the front cover. We’re introduced to two very different looking core Titans, previously unseen, and there’s a reminder of how dangerous the standard Titans can be, especially when loosed in quantity. It’s not obvious at first that this entire sequence is a flashback, but it becomes a discussion about warfare and how useful the Titans are in a new age, and it’s eventually revealed that we’ve already seen one of their number. Reiner Braun has made his way back to Marley.

Isayama sets up the Eldians as a repressed minority, yet their abilities have been instrumental in Marley’s victories. It doesn’t stop them being despised, yet they in turn despise the Eldians exiled to Paradis Island. There is a version of history explaining how the Eldians must atone for their ancestors, and accept their status as second class beings confined to a ghetto with few comforts, which makes for uncomfortable reading. That feeling’s elevated when Isayama echoes scenes from early in the series with Eldians striving to join Marley’s army.

The focus on Eldians in Marley’s army continues in Attack on Titan 24, or both form part of the eighth Omnibus.