The Titan's Laugh

The Titan's Laugh is the fourth short story of the Attack on Titan Anthology. It is written, illustrated, and lettered by Faith Erin Hicks and colored by Cris Peter.

Overview
In Shiganshina District in the year 845, Den and Elin run into an alleyway to escape members of the Garrison. As the two eat some bread they fall into a cellar and find a joke book. As the two laugh at the jokes in the book, a Colossus Titan breaks the gate of Wall Maria and Titans start to invade the town.

Five years later, Titans invade Trost District. Den is captured by a Titan and right before it eats him he tells it a joke. The Titan releases him and laughs itself to death. Den shares his jokebook with the rest of the soldiers and the Titan invasion is stopped through the use of jokes.

Summary
In Shiganshina District in the year 845, Den and Elin run into an alleyway to escape members of the Garrison after stealing some food. The two lose the Garrison members and overhear one of them saying that he would throw them to the Titans if he caught them. The two sit on top of a cellar door and Elin questions why the soldiers would say something so cruel. Den claims that not all soldiers are bad but Elin disagrees saying that it is all one army.

As the two are eating their bread the cellar door suddenly collapses and they fall into the cellar. Elin suggests that they leave before the owner can come back but Den tells her that he wants to look around. Den opens a chest, finds a joke book and asks what a joke is. Elin tells him to read the book to find out. Den reads a joke to Elin and the two laugh at it.

As Den continues to read jokes he is interrupted by a loud sound coming from outside. The two leave the cellar and climb onto the rooftop. From the rooftop, they see a Colossus Titan peering over Wall Maria. The two of them run away to a ship as Titans invade the town. Den tells Elin that if they survive, Den will join the Survey Corps and find a way to kill all the Titans.

The two join the Training Corps and five years after the fall of Wall Maria they stand in Trost District and look upon the town. Elin thanks Den for staying with her over the years and Den comments that the joke book helped them get through dark times. Suddenly a Titan kicks down the gate to Trost District and the two soldiers look behind them to see a Titan staring back at them.

Twenty minutes later, Elin attempts to attack a Titan but the Titan grabs the line of Elin's vertical maneuvering equipment and throws her through the window of a building. The Titan reaches into the building to grab Elin's leg. Den attempts to kill the Titan to save her but the Titan grabs him with its hand. As the Titan is about to eat him Den tells the Titan one last joke. To his surprise, the Titan drops him and laughs itself to death. Den looks back at the dead Titan and declares that his joke book has become humanity's greatest weapon.

Thirty-one minutes later, Mikasa reads a Titan a joke from the book and the Titan laughs itself to death. Mikasa hands the book to Levi but he tosses the book to another soldier, uninterested in reading jokes. At the end of the day, Trost is saved by the use of the joke book.