To You, in 2000 Years: The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 1

"On that day, humanity received a grim reminder of the fact that they lived in fear of the Titans and the humiliation of being trapped in a cage"

- Narrator on the Titan attack

Ni-sen Nen-go no Kimi e -Shiganshina Kanraku (1)- (二千年後の君へ ―シガンシナ陥落①―) is the 1st episode of the 1st season and the 1st episode overall of the Attack on Titan anime, produced by Wit Studio and Production I.G.

Overview
100 years after the appearance of Titans, humanity receives a grim reminder of the threat that Titans pose. Under the belief that they were safe behind the Walls, a Colossus Titan peers over the walls and breaks the Wall with its foot. In that instant the lives of mankind are changed forever. Humanity had grown complacent, unprepared for the Titans that rushed in devouring everyone they saw. All they could do was run, and hope the Garrison could stop them. A young boy and his foster sister do what they can to save their mother, trapped bellow the debris of their fallen house. They're forced to flee when a disturbing Titan appears. One of the soldiers, Hannes, tries to kill the Titan, but he ends up scared. Unwilling to leave his mother behind, the boy watches as, before his eyes, the Titan picks her up and eats her.

Summary
The giant hand of a Titan above Wall Maria ominously looms over the Walls, as the onlookers below gape in awe. The narrator explains how on that day, humanity received a grim reminder, and how they lived in fear of the Titans and were disgraced to live in the cages they called Walls.

The Survey Corps are travelling through a forest and encountering a Titan, and attempt to assault it in an effort to establish humanity's first base outside their own Walls. Closing in, they break into five groups and start using their Vertical Maneuvering Equipment and launch an attack.

A child called Eren Yeager awakes from a dream crying. His adoptive sister Mikasa Ackerman asks him the reason but he is unable to remember what he was dreaming. While walking through the Shiganshina District city, Eren and Mikasa encounter a group of soldiers guarding the gates, including Hannes and Hugo, who are laughing and drinking on the job. Eren, voicing his concerns that the soldiers won't be ready in the event of an emergency, is reassured that the Walls are 50 meters high, taller than any known Titan, and there hasn't been an incident in the past 100 years. After speaking his mind on the situation, Eren and Mikasa continue on their way, with Eren expressing his desire to join the Survey Corps in the future. Just as Mikasa starts to discourage him from that suicidal goal, bells begin to ring, signaling the latter's return from a mission.

Their parade through town leaves Eren commenting on how so few have returned; one of them looks at a smiling Eren and turns away in sadness. Soon after, a mother starts to look for her son, Moses among the survivors only to find that his arm was all that was recovered. Trying to rationalize the sacrifice, she asks if his death contributed to humanity, even if in a small way. Sadly, the commanding officer says that their expedition accomplished nothing. As bystanders start to give their opinions about the deaths and the waste of tax money, Eren retaliates by jabbing one of his firewood sticks at one of the complaining citizens. Mikasa quickly drags him away from the crowd and throws him against a wall, causing the firewood he had bundled on his back to scatter across the floor. Continuing the conversation she started earlier, she asks Eren if he still intends to join the Survey Corps after what they witnessed today. After a brief pause, Eren asks Mikasa to help him pick up the wood.

At the Yeagers' home, Eren and Mikasa join the dinner with Eren's father Dr. Yeager and his wife Carla. Not long after their return, Dr. Yeager announces that he has to leave for a couple of days to see a few patients. Against Eren's wishes, Mikasa tells the family about his plans to join the Survey Corps, leading to an enraged objection from his mother. With his father asking why he wants to go into the outside world, Eren tells them he wants to know what's going on and to pick up where others left off so their sacrifice wouldn't 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 that "human curiosity is not something [one] can restrain with a lecture." He then tells Eren that, upon his return, he will finally show him the room in the basement which he has kept secret. With his father gone, Eren's mother insists that he must not join the Survey Corps and that only a fool would do so. Eren replies that to buy one's safety at the cost of living like cattle is even more foolish. With this, he runs off and Carla asks Mikasa to watch out for him.

As Eren runs, he sees his friend Armin Arlert is being bullied by a group of boys, who get angrier the more Armin uses reason. Finally, Eren shows up which seems to draw their attention off of Armin until they catch sight of Mikasa, whose trailing behind Eren, which causes a full retreat. As the three sit by the river, Armin explains the source of his assailant's anger: Believing, as Eren does, that humans eventually need to explore beyond the wall, effectively renders him a heretic in the eyes of the public as the government has declared any interest in the outside world a taboo. The conversation then circles back to Eren asking Mikasa why she told his parents about his intentions to join the Survey Corps. Armin concurs with Eren, wondering if humanity is truly safe with the walls. As soon as the words leave his mouth, the ground starts to shake, leaving the three worried about what happened. Running out into the open streets, Armin is the first to see it. The hand of a 60 Meter Tall Titan appears above the city's wall.

People are watching shocked and curious, and just at that moment, the Titan begins to lift its leg, plunging it through the Wall. The onlookers are thrown back, and the remnants of the crushed Wall plummet into the city, crushing houses and squashing people. As an entire horde of Titans forcibly enter the breach, the city turns into a panic-stricken area. Eren and Mikasa hurry through an already severely damaged residential area, hoping that their home is still intact.



Turning the corner, he sees that a boulder has landed on his house with his mother still inside. Finding her pinned under the rubble, he and Mikasa try to pull her out. A roar from a nearby Titan adds more stress to the situation. Eren looks beyond the houses, seeing gigantic Titans prancing through the city, and attempts to pull the rubble over Carla. She insists that he take Mikasa and run. Eren, still struggling with debris, objects and continues his efforts. His mother then tells him that her legs were crushed by the rubble, so even if he manages to get her free, she won't be able to walk. Eren yells that he'll carry her, then. In tears, Carla asks why he never listens to her. The argument is cut short when a Titan is seen moving closer to their position. After more pleading from his mother and the Titan still approaching, Hannes arrives. Carla begs him to take the children and run. At first Hannes refuses, vowing to repay the debt he owes the family for all they have done for him. As he charges the Titan towering above the family homestead, he suddenly stops, horrified at the frightening appearance of this Titan. He withdraws his blade and runs, grabbing the two children. With Carla grateful and Eren protesting, Hannes makes a run for it. Carla covers her mouth, crying, silently begging for her children's return. Eren, looking behind on Hannes' shoulder, gasps as he sees the Titan move debris of the house away, eyeing Carla. The Titan grabs her and Eren screams for it to stop. It breaks her back with its hands and devours her, blood spewing from its mouth. Eren can only look back in despair as the Titan swallows down his mother, blood splattered over itself and the ground as well.

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