While time skips are very common in manga and anime, many series have failed to retain the charm that the first half contained, but Attack On Titan not only did that but became magnitudes better and more interesting. Furthermore, it would not be a stretch or overstatement to say the masterpiece by Hajime Isayama stands as one of the greatest time skips in manga and anime history.

Beginning in chapter #91, the Marley Arc is set 4 years after the events of the Return to Shiganshina arc, and it initially focuses on Gabi Braun and the war against the Mid-East forces. I found this to be a brilliant way to start the time skip by focusing on completely new characters and showing how the world of Marley, an element of the series that was mysterious for a long time, functioned. While I love the Naruto, Haikyuu!! and Tokyo Ghoul's time skips, there is no doubt in my mind that Attack On Titan's time skip is unparalleled.

Attack On Titan Expanded Massively On Its World

The Marley Empire's Depiction Made The World More Intriguing

While Attack on Titan's worldbuilding up to that point focused on Paradis, the time skip's focus on Marley was fascinating. The manga expanded on how this militaristic colonial superpower functioned and how it was being challenged in an age of technology where the power of Titans was gradually weakening. The Warrior Selection Program, the role of Titans in the country's army and history, military structure, its international relations, how its economy functions, the influential families, and more: Attack On Titan brilliantly explored how the Marley Empire functions in painstaking detail.

Furthermore, the Eldian oppression proved to be a key part of the series' worldbuilding, and using Gabi and her friends to explore that was a good tool. The propaganda machine that was employed to keep the oppressed minority docile was brutally realistic and grim, and it made sense of Reiner's actions and why he attacked Paradis and his "friends". While Attack On Titan had always focused on the propaganda and information manipulation aspect of war, it took this theme up a notch and made it a key focus that later led to amazing plot lines and characterizations.

Eren Solidified Himself As One Of The Best Main Characters

Eren Became An Even More Brilliant Character

While Eren had always been a fascinating character and his gradual development from a hateful teenager to a more complex character who questions his beliefs, the time skip made him an absolutely character worthy of the protagonist role in such a grand story. The risky choice by Attack on Titan to make him the villain and not immediately reveal why and how he became this way made the story more mysterious and intriguing and made the later reveal much more shocking.

He became a morally complex and ambiguous character that still has the fandom and me divided, which proves that Isayama's choice to make Eren a conflicting character paid off. His dynamics with Zeke, Grisha, Mikasa, Floch, and other characters were executed brilliantly and made him an even more wonderful character, and it is in the time skip that has his best moments. From his iconic "Freedom" moment, his tears for Ramzi, the reveal of his manipulation of Grisha, his acceptance of Ymir, and his love for Mikasa, Eren shot up my list of all-time protagonists.

The Political Themes Were Dialed Up To The Max

Attack on Titan has always been a very political manga that dissects and tackles real-world issues, but the massive shift in tone after the time skip made Attack On Titan something more akin to a political thriller. It examined the damage of hate and propaganda, genocide, nationalism, oppression, slavery, generational trauma, and many more complex topics that Attack on Titan handled and executed well. I found the anti-fascist messaging of the time skip and the criticisms of imperialism a highlight as well and how it portrayed it subtly to be great.

The Time Skip Arcs Set A New Bar

The Next Two Arcs Are Some Of The Best in Manga

Oftentimes, many manga and anime time skips fail because the arcs do not sur or come close to those of the pre-time skip, but Attack On Titan shattered the standards that it set for itself and achieved a climax that is to behold. While it is common among the fandom that Return To Shiganshina was the best arc, I found the Marley and War on Paradis arcs to be much better written.

The ensemble of the new characters, such as Gabi, Willy, and Yelena, were instantly compelling. Furthermore, the time skip featured the peaks of character arcs that would prove pivotal to understanding the series' cast. I wouldn't have liked Eren, Levi, Zeke, Grisha, Reiner, and many more if it hadn't been for those two next arcs.

While the action was much less exciting than in the past three seasons, I appreciated the change in pace to focus more on the thematic cohesion of the series and the messages. The series became amazingly complex and a joy to analyze and pick apart, and the payoff to many of the plot points and foreshadowing was cathartic, to say the least. The pacing was great as always, and the plot twists were even better than ever.

While Attack On Titan's time skip had some flaws, the things it did right far outweighed the cons and made it very meager in comparison. The character writing, worldbuilding, messaging, climaxes, plot twists, and many more elevated Attack On Titan not just as one of my favorite manga but one of my greatest fictional experiences. It truly did wonders for the series and cemented it as the high fantasy masterpiece it is known and loved today. The Marley and War for Paradis arcs were incredible sequences of storytelling that won't be topped for some time.