Review by Frank Plowright

Eren Yeager has been on a long strange journey during the previous three Attack on Titan volumes. He began the opening volume as the teenage son of the local doctor within a community protected from marauding giants via a massive wall that hadn’t been threatened in a century, and ended as a soldier after giants caused death and mayhem. What’s more, he can somehow transform into a giant while retaining his basic good intentions, although at the end of Attack on Titan 3 that didn’t work to plan, and Attack on Titan 4 opens with his friend Armin trying to waken him during a desperate situation.

Hajime Isayama isn’t a storyteller who lingers for the sake of suspense, although occasionally does so when explanations are required. It means the threat closing the previous volume has been dealt with when the opening chapter ends, and Isayama turns his attention to providing more information and personality to characters who’ll come to have larger roles as the series continues. Sasha Blouse has already proved as unconventional as her name, and her defiance of the company commander only adds to her reputation. This is during a long sequence in which Isayama delves back into the past when new recruits were training in the mechanics of dealing with Titans. Key is being able to manoeuvre within elasticated binding, as the only way to permanently kill a Titan is from above by targeting a vulnerable area on their neck. Even within less action oriented sequences, though, Isayama still manages to drop a beautifully understated bombshell.

By the end of Attack on Titan 4 we’re back in the present day, with the military having come to terms with what Eren is and what he’s capable of. With his father still missing, the best option for what’s now valuable information is to retake Eren’s village and see just what’s in the cellar. That, though, is a matter for Attack on Titan 5.

While fans of Titan-battering get short shrift here, it’s necessary to know more about different people to sustain interest going forward, and Attack on Titan 4 lays that groundwork efficiently, setting up guilt and rivalries while establishing individual talents.

This is also available combined with the next two volumes as the second Attack on Titan Omnibus.