Attack on Titan: Before the Fall (Manga)

Attack on Titan: Before the Fall (進撃の巨人 Before the fall) is an ongoing manga by Satoshi Shiki, based on the light novels by Ryou Suzukaze. This manga serves as an official prequel to main story by Hajime Isayama. There are currently twenty chapters and a prologue published.

Kodansha USA has licensed this manga and has distributed it starting March, 2014.

Plot
The story begins just inside Wall Maria 70 years before the fall of Wall Maria, a human head is thrown from outside the wall, Elena Munsell recognizes it as the head of her husband, Heath Munsell, a survey corps member. Some time later Elena stands at the front of a Titan worshiping cult demanding that the gate be opened. After decapitating a royal government official, the cult opens the gate, letting a Titan in. The Titan kills many including Elena and most of the cultists and it is revealed that humans are unable to kill Titans at the time. After the Titan had been lured back outside the wall two soldiers, Sorum Humé and Carlo Pikale, of the survey corps discover the corpse of Elena with her child still alive inside her.

13 years later a nobleman illegally purchases Kuklo from the black market, believing him to be an actual Titan. He takes him to the cellar and chains him to the wall, to starve and wallow in his own filth. After a while, the nobleman takes his son, Xavi, down to abuse Kuklo.

This continues until the nobleman's daughter, Sharle, goes down to the cellar, scared out of her wits and meaning to kill Kuklo, but instead sees him as a human and makes an alliance with him. She spends weeks educating Kuklo, first in how to speak English and then later on about the state of the world and the Titans. One day they get the news Sharle is going to be married off. After careful planning the two decide to escape during a 3 day storm.

While waiting for Sharle on the night of their escape, a hooded figure enters the cell. Upon kneeling and releasing Kuklo from his bindings, the figure reveals himself to be a member of the Titan worshiping cult and that his comrades are administering 'Heaven's punishment' to the people who locked Kuklo up. Kuklo breaks his shackles and defeats the cultist, sprinting upstairs to save Sharle.

Kuklo defeats the remaining cultists that Xavi hadn't killed, and is then slashed in the eye by the sadistic brother. Kuklo attacks Xavi, rendering him unconscious and escapes with Sharle. As they leave the mansion they resolve to go to the Shiganshina district to escape.

The story then continues on top of Wall Maria where Carlo Pikale is revealed to be reviving the survey corps after 15 years of disbandment. It is also revealed that Carlo is slated to continue in his fathers foot steps and become the captain of the newly revived Survey Corps to lead them on a new expedition beyond the walls.

Shortly after outside of the Shiganshina district where Kuklo and Sharle is being smuggled into the city by cart to avoid detection.

After what can be assume is a few weeks Sharle and Kuklo have now begun to live in the Shiganshina district and Kuklo has received surgery for his injured eye. It is then revealed that Sharle has agreed to work in a restaurant in exchange for shelter and food. While dining in this restaurant Kuklo and Sharle overheard the news of the up coming Survey Corps expedition. This emboldens Kuklo and he becomes determined to prove he is not a Titan. Kuklo then resolves to join in the expedition outside the wall. Due to this resolve Sharle reluctantly agrees to let him leave and give him the knife that she had intended to kill him with when they had first met.

Kuklo then cuts his hair and sneaks into a Survey Corps wagon the night before the expedition. The Survey Corps then leaves the next day with Kuklo in tow, and after riding for some time Kuklo decides to look for a weapon in the cart. He then grasps a flare gun and accidentally fires it alerting the Survey Corps members to his presence. Determined to meet a Titan he jumps out of the wagon and asks to meet the captain, when met by silence he then proceeds to force his way towards Carlo when he is captured.

After all of the excitement dies down Carlo asks Kuklo who he is but Kuklo refuses to answer.This continues for a while until Kuklo interrupts the conversation by claiming to hear foot steps. Then off in the distance a Titan is seen to be running towards the group cutting off their escape. A battle then ensues with Kuklo caught in the middle. Kuklo is then grabbed by the Titan and nearly eaten when he produces the knife Sharle gave to him and slashes the Titans eye causing the creature to let him go but at the cost of a member of the Survey Corps.This prompts the other members to fight but they are unable to kill the Titan, instead they attempt to slow down the Titan by shooting out its eyes and attempting to cut the Titans achilles tendon in order to allow themselves to escape. This leads to the death of many Survey Corps members and after the ensuing carnage Captain Carlo and Kuklo now together, draw the Titan away allowing the survey members to escape back to Shiganshina. This leaves them cut off from the group.

Kuklo and Captain Carlo then begin to battle the Titan drawing it towards a cart filled with explosives. When the Titan is lured close enough the cart is ignited and the Titan is seemingly killed. But then from the flames the Titan appears and begins to chase Kuklo and Carlo towards the city. The Titan almost succeeds in catching Kuklo and Carlo but is slowed down by cannon fire from the Garrison. Carlo and Kuklo then arrive back in Shiganshina.

As they ride through the wall gates on horseback, Sharle in the crowd spots Carlo and Kuklo. Once again, Kuklo is asked for his name, but before he could answer, Gloria Bernhard from the military police confronts Kuklo, saying he is a criminal, using the name "the Titan's Child" and speaking with a sly smile. Carlo realizes who Kuklo was- recognizing him as the son of Squad Leader Heath and his wife Elena. Gloria continues by requesting Kuklo to be handed over, threatening the end of the Survey Corps. Although Kuklo saw the devastated and defeated face of Sharle who heard every word, he willingly gives himself up to the MP, and hands the knife that was given to him by Sharle to Carlo.

Soon afterward, Captain Carlo sits at his desk with transfer requests from Survey Corps soldiers. When asked if the pile of papers were all the transfers there were, a soldier inside his office then says that he knows of another man who wants to transfer- himself. Carlo replies that he plans to accept all transfers no matter what. Carlo is then told he had a visitor- Sharle, who demanded to know what was being done to Kuklo.