To You, 2,000 Years From Now

"That day, the human race remembered the terror of being dominated by them and the shame of being held captive in a birdcage."

- The narrator on humanity's predicament

To You, 2000 Years From Now (二千年後の君へ) is the 1st chapter of the 1st volume and the 1st chapter overall 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 Colossus Titan peering over the walls at them as it kicks through the gate.

Summary
In the year 845, humanity has been driven to the brink of extinction by the Titans, a species of giant, humanoid monsters that feeds on humans. The only remaining population of humans lies behind a series of walls, ruled by a military government. The Survey Corps, the military's division for exploring outside the walls, is in a Titan Forest chasing a lone Titan on horseback. As they close in on it, they break into five groups, with one serving as a decoy, as practiced, and switch to Vertical Maneuvering Equipment as they prepare to kill the Titan.

Meanwhile, Eren Yeager is having a dream about an older version of his close friend, Mikasa Ackerman, bidding him goodbye. He is promptly woken up by the real Mikasa, who insists that he's been sleeping for a while. As the two return to their village, Eren begins crying, but when Mikasa asks why, he doesn't give an answer.

During their conversation, the two are greeted by their friend Hannes, a member of the local police known as the Garrison. When Eren discovers that Hannes and his fellow soldiers have been drinking instead of watching the walls for Titans, he becomes angry, but is assured that there is no threat of a Titan attack; there hasn't been a breach for a century. After angrily dismissing humanity's current state as pathetic, Eren continues his walk home with Mikasa. He expresses a desire to join the Survey Corps, to Mikasa's dismay. As she begins to discourage Eren from doing so, the Corps returns from their mission in the Forest.

Eren's excitement and anticipation to see the returning "heroes," is cut short when he sees that very few members of the Corps have returned, the survivors bloody and broken. A panic-stricken woman rushes into the procession, shouting for her son Braun. The other Corps members return his only remains to her: a severed arm. Miserably, the commanding officer laments to the gathered crowd that their expedition has done nothing, as many in the past have, to the bystanders' utter dismay and exasperation. Mikasa quickly drags an angered Eren away from the crowd and roughly throws him against a building, asking if he still wants to join the Corps after seeing them return in failure. After a brief pause, Eren diverts the question by asking Mikasa to help him pick up the scattered wood.

They head back home where Eren's father, Dr. Yeager, and his mother, Carla Yeager, are doing they usual daily tasks. 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. When his father asks why he wants to go outside the Walls, Eren says that he wants to know the outside world, stating that he would hate to live the rest of his life as an "ignorant" person. He also passionately wishes to pick up where others left off so their sacrifice would not be in vain. In response to Eren's answer, Dr. Yeager 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. Once Dr. Yeager leaves, 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.

Some time later, Armin Arlert, Eren and Mikasa's friend, is seen being bullied by a group of boys, who call him a "heretic." Eren shows up and tries to stop them, but is instead targeted by the bullies as well. However, they disperse when Mikasa arrives. Armin explains that the reason behind his assault was his claim that humans would eventually need to leave the city, which leads to a conversation of how humanity in general is living their lives in constant fear of another Titan attack. The conversation is interrupted by an earthquake. The three friends back to the town and see what has caused the tremor: a Colossus Titan, standing taller than the wall itself, has appeared.

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.
 * In Chapter 55, Dot Pixis speaks of the Fritz royal bloodline (later revealed to be a false monarchy) as being "unbroken for over 2000 years", possibly giving some meaning to the title of the first chapter of the manga.