Kenny the Ripper

"What're you talking about? Defeat is all the Survey Corps has ever known!"

- Hange agrees with Flegel's worries

Kenny the Ripper (切り裂きケニー) is the 3rd chapter of the 14th volume and the 57th chapter overall of the Attack on Titan manga, written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama.

Overview
Erwin and Hange have a conversation about the fate of Eren. Hange theorizes that Titans can become humans with the power of the Titans by eating others with that power, and that is what the Reiss family will try to do to Eren. The conversation is interrupted when Erwin is told about Dimo Reeves's death. Before turning himself in, Erwin appoints Hange to be his successor as Commander of the Survey Corps should something happen to him. The Survey Corps is blamed for the murder, while Hange starts creating a plan to evade the authorities.

In Stohess District, Squad Levi is talking about their fare and Levi's plans while he spies on the Military Police Brigade in search of Eren and Historia. The task is interrupted when Captain Kenny Ackerman and his squad show up, killing several soldiers and engaging Levi in combat.

Summary
Hange bursts into Erwin's office, telling him that Eren had remembered the events that occurred when he was captured by Reiner and Bertolt and gives him Eren's notes, where Ymir spoke with Bertolt about eating someone in their Titan forms. Hange then proceeds to tell him about her theories: that the Reiss family intends to eat Eren, and that Titans eat humans in hopes of consuming someone with the power of the Titans, so they are able to revert to their human form again and have the power of the Titans themselves. Recalling the report from when the Survey Corps tried to rescue Eren from Reiner and the others, Hange mentions how Reiner started throwing Titans at Eren. Hange concludes that he was trying to make the other Titans eat Eren, hoping that another Titan would devour him and acquire the ability to control Titans.

While Hange and Erwin are beginning to discuss the topic of the government's need for Eren, they are interrupted by a soldier who reports that the Military Police has declared Erwin to be a suspect of a murder. Before heading out, he tells Hange that if anything happens to him, she will be the next Commander of the Survey Corps. Erwin leaves a stunned Hange behind and meets with the Military Police members outside who question him about the death of Dimo Reeves. While Erwin is taken away, Hange meets up with Flegel, who tells her everything that happened with Eren, Historia, and his father.

Meanwhile, in Stohess District, the members of Levi's Squad are in hiding, discussing Erwin's plans. Some are beginning to doubt Levi, but Mikasa assures them that he can be trusted. Elsewhere in the district, Levi is up on the rooftops with Nifa, spying on Military Police members with two caskets, which he believes Eren and Historia are inside of. The pair begins to talk about "Kenny the Ripper," a fabled serial killer from the Underground when Levi states that Kenny is actually a real person and that he even lived with him for a while. Without warning, Captain Kenny Ackerman appears, shooting at them and killing Nifa. Keiji and the goggled soldier are also killed by two different members of the Military Police working under Kenny. Kenny taunts Levi before engaging in combat with him.

Trivia
On the paper Armin is reading, a sex joke written in Walls writing can be read. This is a lewd version of the Japanese children's song "Gu Choki Pa" (Rock, Scissors, Paper), which is sung to "Are You Sleeping?." In English, the text translates as follows:

Rock, scissors, paper Rock, scissors, paper What shall we make? What shall we make? Dick in your right hand Pussy in your left hand Sex, Sex

After the joke was found, Hajime Isayama's editor explained on Twitter that an assistant added the gag without the editor or Isayama's knowledge. Isayama himself also apologized on his blog:

"I take full responsibility. The cause was a lack of awareness of my own manga. As a result, I let down the people who were looking forward to this installment, and I think this is inexcusable. I apologize for this, and from here on out, I will be more aware of my own manga so this doesn't happen again and will concentrate on creating better work."

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