To You, 2,000 Years From Now

To You, 2000 Years From Now is the 1st chapter of the 1st volume of the Attack on Titan manga, written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama.

Overview
The Survey Corps are shown outside Wall Maria attempting to take down a Titan. They position their attack and attackers go in for the kill. Inside the Shiganshina District, Mikasa Ackerman wakes Eren Yeager from a deep nap before they walk back to town. On their way back from gathering fire wood they run into members of the Garrison including their friend, Hannes. Eren remarks that they smell of alcohol and are unfit to guard the walls before leaving, angry. On the way, Eren and Mikasa watch the Survey Corps returning bloody and horrified much to Eren's shock. A woman looking for her son is given only his arm by the commander Keith Shadis as she asks if her son was helpful, but the commander weeps and tells her they again learned nothing. When Eren and Mikasa arrive home, his parents are waiting and his father, Grisha, leaves after finding out Eren wants to join the Survey Corps. He then tells him he will show him what is in the basement when he returns. Eren's mother scoffs at the idea and he runs off only to find his friend Armin Arlert being beaten by bullies. After Mikasa scares them off, the three debate views on leaving the walls until they hear a loud bang and runs to town, only to see the Colossal Titan peering over the walls at them as it kicks through the gate.

Summary
The story opens with the Survey Corps in a Forest of Giant Trees tracking down a lone Titan on horseback. As they close in to 400 meters from their target, they break into five groups with one serving as decoys, as practiced, and switch to 3D Maneuver Gear. A younger Erwin Smith makes his first appearance as one of the soldiers taking orders from the unnamed commander.

The scene changes and a brief shot of an older-looking Mikasa Ackerman is shown. She says "See you later, Eren," and a momentary darkness follows. A young Eren Yeager is then introduced, woken up from a seemingly long dream by a young Mikasa. Out of the blue, he remarks on how long Mikasa's hair has become. As the two prepare to return home, Eren is shown crying for an unknown reason when Mikasa asks him what was wrong. The year "845" is revealed.

Walking through a busy town in Shiganshina, a district of Wall Maria, Eren and Mikasa encounter Hannes, who overhears their conversation about Eren crying. He is with three other Garrison soldiers, supposedly guarding the gates, but are shown lounging and drinking on the job. Eren, voicing his outraged concern that these drunken soldiers would not be ready in the event of an emergency, is reassured that the walls are 50 meters high (taller than any known Titan at this point in the manga) and that there has not been an incident in the past 100 years. Doctor Yeager is briefly mentioned to be the city's resident savior. After angrily speaking his mind on the hopelessness of humanity's situation, Eren and Mikasa continue on their way back home. Just as Mikasa starts to discourage Eren from joining the Survey Corps in the future, bells begin to ring, signaling the Survey Corps' return from a mission.

Eren's excitement and anticipation to see the returning "heroes," as he calls them, is cut short when they begin parading through town, bloodied and grim, leaving Eren commenting on how so few have returned. Soon after, a panic-stricken mother starts to look for her son, Braun, among the survivors, only to find that his arm was all that was recovered. Desperately trying to rationalize the sacrifice, she asks if his death had contributed to humanity, even if in a small way. Miserably, the commanding officer says that their expedition had again accomplished nothing. As bystanders unsympathetically start to give their opinions about the pointless deaths and the waste of tax money, Eren retaliates by throwing a stone at one of the complaining citizens. Mikasa quickly drags him away from the crowd and roughly throws him against a building. Continuing the conversation she started earlier, she asks Eren if he still wants to join the Survey Corps, after encountering the gruesome, disheartening scene. After a brief pause, Eren diverts the question by asking Mikasa to help him pick up the scattered wood.

At home, Eren's family is introduced; his father Dr. Yeager and his mother Carla. Not long after their return, Dr. Yeager announces that he must go to town for a couple of examinations. Against Eren's wishes, Mikasa tells the family about his plans to join the Survey Corps, resulting in a sharp and terrified objection from his mother. In response to his father asking why he wanted to go outside the walls, Eren says that he wants to know what's going on outside, stating that he would hate to live the rest of his life as an "ignorant." He also passionately wishes to pick up where others left off so their sacrifice would not be in vain. At this, Dr. Yeager says he must go. Eren's mother asks him to talk some sense into him, to which he replies, "When somebody's on a quest, there's no such thing as talking them down". Before turning to leave, he reveals a key hanging from a string on his neck and tells Eren that when he returns, he will finally show him the room in the basement which he has kept secret. With Dr. Yeager gone, Eren's mother again insists that he must not join the Survey Corps and that only a fool would do so. Eren replies that buying one's safety at the cost of living like cattle is even more foolish. Worried, Carla asks Mikasa to watch out for him.

Armin Arlert is then introduced, being bullied by a group of boys, who call him a "heretic." Armin is revealed to be an extremely logical thinker and one who resorts to reason and words rather than force. The boys, unable to refute his reasoning, become angrier and more forceful. Finally, Eren shows up, which momentarily diverts their attention away from Armin. They laugh at Eren's nerve and prepare to beat him up, until they catch sight of Mikasa, whom they are clearly no match for, and fully retreat. As the three sit by a stream, Armin explains that the reason behind his assault was his daring claim that humans would eventually need to leave the city. The three then begin to discuss how society has avoided even the mention of the Titans, as it is believed be a taboo to the 100 years of peace spent living within the walls. This implies that, although peaceful, the lives of the inhabitants of the walls is not free of constant fear. The conversation then circles back to Eren irritably asking Mikasa why she told his parents about his wishes to join the Survey Corps. Armin voices his concerns as well, but also his curiosity and empathy: the walls could not possibly protect them forever, and even though they have not been broken in 100 years, "there's no guarantee that it won't happen today." As soon as the words leave his mouth, the ground starts to shake, leaving the three worried about what has happened. Running out of an alley, Armin is the first to see the cause for the disturbance: a Colossal Titan, higher than the wall itself, has appeared and is preparing to kick the outer gate.

"On that day, humanity remembered the dread that was a life under their rule. The humiliation of being caged like birds."

- The narrator on humanity's predicament

Trivia

 * There was a separate Volume released before the first volume came out and it consisted of just this chapter. It was a free sampler Volume.
 * Immediately before Eren is introduced, an older Mikasa is shown with her scarf and cut hair, but with no uniform or scar beneath her right eye.

Navigation
Chapitre 1