Attack On Titan – Season 4 Episode 6 Recap & Review

The War Hammer Titan

Brace yourselves; the best episode of Attack On Titan Season 4 is here and that comes in the form of episode 6 which is a true anime masterpiece.

We begin with Tybur, hours before his big speech that changes everything. After bidding farewell to the kids, he apologizes to his sister and tells her to take care of the little ones.

Tybur is well aware that his speech will spark the war to come and he makes escape plans just in case things go to hell. He knows his enemies are crossing the sea and intends to use this speech as bait to draw them out of hiding.

Tybur intends to use himself and most of those in attendance as martyrs, something he justifies with Commander Magath by reminding him that those who die will mostly be Eldians.

As he shakes hands with Magath, this small act feels like shaking hands with the devil; sealing the fate for millions of innocent lives who will be drawn into this war.

Back in the present, Eren transforms and eats Tybur. Zofia is trapped under rubble and as numerous dead bodies line the streets, it’s revealed that the War Hammer Titan is actually Tybur’s sister. As she begins transforming, Eren pummels her repeatedly.

From afar, Commander Magath fires a warning shot – a solitary bullet that begins Marley’s counter-attack. While the two Titans fight, Falco and Palco are saved by the returning squad who show up and free them from the hole.

Back on the surface, Magath rallies the troops with their anti-Titan guns. They don’t want to kill Eren though, instead the Marleyians intend to incapacitate him long enough for the War Hammer Titan to eat him and consume Eren’s power… And just like that, Eren’s human form shows up at the back of the Attack Titan.

As all hope looks lost, Mikasa and the others show up and begin attacking the War Hammer Titan, going straight for the back of the neck.

The soldiers are ambushed as Mikasa stands with Eren and pleads with him to head home. Mikasa shows him the devastation caused, how he’s killed civilians and children in his plight. Eren however ignores this and stares at the War Hammer Titan, telling her this isn’t over yet.

Eren decides to have Mikasa distract the War Hammer Titan long enough to eat it and become all-powerful himself.

While this is going on, Falco, Gabi and the others show up at the makeshift hospital and see the casualties first-hand. It’s a pretty sobering sight, as many people have bandages on and are caked in blood. Gabi is angry and decides to hit back, overcome with grief that Zofia and Udo have both met an untimely demise.

As Gabi heads out, her vengeance hits another level when he witnesses two soldiers being killed by Sasha high above on the rooftop. Alongside Connie, they begin placing lights atop towers. As they fly off, Gabi grinds her teeth in anger and prepares to hit back.

Eren meanwhile, figures out that the War Hammer Titan’s nape is actually deep underground. He rips off the makeshift umbilical cord and prepares to eat the War Hammer Titan. Only, the Jaw Titan suddenly arrives and bites Eren on the soldier.

Things look grim until Levi shows up on the battlefield too. Now the fight is getting interesting.

The Episode Review

Wow, what an episode! Attack On Titan has been fantastic this year and part of that has been the changed dynamic and ideas that have challenged everything we’ve known up until this point.

The decision to change the focus across to Marley and see their struggles and issues makes this final fight that much more significant. It also makes things pretty conflicted over who to root for. In a way, this feels quite reminisce of the earlier seasons of Game Of Thrones where good and bad prevailed on both sides.

The new appearances for our familiar characters is an incredibly smart idea and aesthetically shows a harmony that matches the themes this season. Mikasa with short hair and Connie with a thin patch of grey hair are both good examples. That’s before mentioning Sasha being the one to shoot the soldiers in front of Gabi’s face.

These are all great additions to the anime that feed back into those themes I mentioned earlier. At the end of the day, these people in Marley are just ordinary citizens and not the evil enemies they’ve been painted as for 3 seasons.

While Eren and the War Hammer Titan’s battle is likely to be the big talking point for many people, it’s what’s happening on the ground that’s that much more interesting.

Ordinary people and soldiers alike are killed in the wake of Eren Jaegar’s rampage – including kids and women – and this is exactly what Tybur wanted all along.

The conversation at the start of the episode confirms as much, showing a man who’s accepted his fate and well aware that his time is up. Tybur is now a martyr for the people and given reinforcements are en-route, it’s clear that the fight is about to get a whole lot more intense. But who do you root for in all this?

This blurring of black and white is something I’ve mentioned a lot this year but here it really plays out in the way the action is showcased. Eren eating Tybur is an almost symbolic act, going all the way back to that opening episode where Eren witnessed his Mum being eaten by the Titan and decided to gain revenge. That’s no different than these soldiers doing the same thing against him. Again, it’s another wonderful bit of writing that ties everything together neatly.

And if that wasn’t enough, the soundtrack for this episode is absolutely on point. The orchestral score perfectly exemplifies the action and brings everything together in the most beautiful way possible.

Without throwing around too much hyperbole, this episode is an absolute masterpiece and looks set to cement Attack On Titan as one of the best anime of the year and a very strong contender for the best TV show of the year too.