Chapter 29 is pure Titan combat. Enraged by the slaughter of Levi's squad, Eren throws his Titan against the Female Titan in a brawl through the Titan Forest, until a hardened counter takes his head off and she carries his human body away in her jaws as Mikasa watches helplessly.
Summary
Having watched the Female Titan slaughter every member of Levi's squad, Eren transforms and hurls himself at her. He slams her flat and drives a punch at her face, but she jerks her head aside and the impact shatters his arm against the ground. A second swing costs him his hand the same way. Looming over her, he cycles through guilt, wondering whether shifting sooner might have saved his friends, before settling his rage squarely on her. The roar he unleashes carries across the entire Titan Forest, and Levi and Mikasa each recognize the voice instantly, turning toward it from separate directions.
The scream gives his opponent her opening. She kicks free of the pin, launching Eren into a tree, and the two Titans trade blows on nearly even footing. Eren whiffs an uppercut, tumbles off a wild hook, then recovers first and rains punches on her before she can steady herself. When he overcommits on a straight cross, she counters with a hardened fist that rips his jaw clean off. Even that fails to stop him; grinding his teeth along her arm, he lands a body blow that flings her into a distant tree, then follows with a leaping knee she barely evades.
The two lock eyes for an instant, and something Eren notices in that pause distracts him. Her next strike is decisive, snapping his head loose at the skull's base with enough force to split the tree behind him. As the ruined Titan slumps, she tears her own cheeks open to widen her jaws, bites through the nape, and pulls Eren's human body free. Mikasa arrives a moment too late, calling his name as the Female Titan wipes her mouth and simply walks away.
Key Events
Eren fights the Female Titan in Titan form for the second time, driven by reckless fury over the deaths of Petra, Oluo, Eld, and Gunther.
His roar echoes through the forest and pulls both Levi and Mikasa toward the battle.
The Female Titan wins with a hardened counter and a decapitating strike, extracts Eren from the nape, and carries him off in her mouth in front of a despairing Mikasa.
Notes
The chapter's signature quote captures Eren's fraying sanity mid-fight, as he promises to tear his opponent apart and devour her once his hands knit back together. His abrupt hesitation right before the finishing blow goes unexplained here, a thread the story picks up later.
Crushing Blow sits third in volume 7 and 29th in the series, part of the Female Titan arc, first published in Japan in January 2012. The anime covers this material in the identically named episode Crushing Blow: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, Part 5.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What happens in the Attack on Titan chapter Crushing Blow?
Crushing Blow is chapter 29 of Attack on Titan, in which Eren transforms and attacks the Female Titan through the Titan Forest to avenge Levi's slain squad. The Female Titan wins the fight with a hardened counter strike and carries Eren's human body away in her jaws.
Why does Eren attack the Female Titan in Crushing Blow?
In Crushing Blow, Eren transforms and hurls himself at the Female Titan after watching her slaughter every member of Levi's squad, including Petra, Oluo, Eld, and Gunther. His fury drives him into a reckless, nearly uncontrolled fight.
How does the Female Titan defeat Eren in Crushing Blow?
In Crushing Blow, the Female Titan hardens her fist to rip off Eren's jaw and later delivers a decisive counter strike that snaps his head loose at the skull's base. She then tears her own cheeks open, bites through his nape, and pulls his human body free.
What anime episode covers the Crushing Blow chapter?
The events of Crushing Blow are adapted in the identically titled anime episode, Crushing Blow: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, Part 5.
Who witnesses Eren lose the fight in Crushing Blow?
In Crushing Blow, both Levi and Mikasa hear Eren's roar echo through the Titan Forest and head toward the battle. Mikasa arrives just a moment too late, calling Eren's name as the Female Titan walks away with his body.
Sources & Information
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