Chapter 35 introduces the fur-covered giant that upends everything the Survey Corps understood about Titans. As the horde pours toward Wall Rose, Mike Zacharias stays behind to buy the recruits time, cuts down five attackers, then meets an Abnormal that talks, studies him, steals his gear, and hands him to the swarm.
Summary
Distant footfalls unsettle Sasha moments before Nanaba delivers the alarm: a mass of Titans is closing from the south, and the recruits must ride out to evacuate the surrounding villages. On the rooftop, Mike's nose picks out nine of them nearby. Nanaba, dreading that Wall Rose has been breached, mutters that the human race has already lost, but Mike counters that defeat only arrives at the moment people quit fighting. Once everyone is mounted, he divides the group into four squads to spread the warning in different directions, then peels off alone to draw the approaching Titans. Gelgar, left commanding the south team, reassures the trainees that only Captain Levi outranks Mike as a soldier.
Some time later, five of the nine Titans lie dead by Mike's blades. Calling for his horse, he spots something new on the horizon: a seventeen-meter figure covered in fur, which he writes off as an Abnormal. The creature closes the distance, plucks his returning horse off the ground, and hurls the animal at him. Mike evades but tumbles from the rooftop straight into the jaws of a smaller Titan. To his shock, the furred giant crushes his captor's skull to free him, then addresses him in fluent human speech, asking about the equipment on his hips. It reasons aloud that sword-wielding humans must already know the weak point is the neck.
Mike is too stunned to answer. Getting nothing from him, the Beast Titan strips the vertical maneuvering gear from his body and turns to leave, remarking that the other Titans may now do as they please. Remembering his own words to Nanaba that morning, Mike struggles upright to keep fighting, but without his equipment there is no escape. The Titans seize him from every side and devour him as he screams. The Beast Titan, mildly amused that the man could speak after all, inspects the captured gear while Mike dies.
Key Events
Nanaba and Mike scramble the 104th recruits to warn villages of Titans inside Wall Rose territory.
Mike stays behind alone as a diversion and kills five of nine Titans.
The Beast Titan appears for the first time, demonstrating intelligence, human speech, and command over other Titans.
It confiscates Mike's vertical maneuvering equipment, its apparent objective, and lets the horde consume him.
Mike Zacharias, the Survey Corps' second-strongest soldier, dies in terror.
Notes
The Beast Titan opens volume 9 as the 35th chapter overall, written and drawn by Hajime Isayama. Japan saw it on July 9, 2012; the English release followed on November 26, 2013. It falls within the Clash of the Titans arc, after Soldiers Dance and before I'm Home, and the anime adapts it in the episode Beast Titan.
Before the volume printing, the chapter ran under a different title, The Boy's Brightly Shining Eyes (Hikarikagayaku Shōnen no Hitomi).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the beast Titan in Attack on Titan?
The Beast Titan first appears in this chapter as a seventeen meter, fur covered Titan that speaks fluent human language, commands other Titans, and already understands that the weak point on soldiers' equipment is aimed at a Titan's neck.
Was the Beast Titan good or bad?
In this chapter, the Beast Titan acts as a cold antagonist, crushing a smaller Titan's skull only to steal Mike Zacharias's equipment for study, then calmly letting the surrounding Titans devour him.
How does Mike Zacharias die in The Beast Titan?
Mike Zacharias stays behind alone to draw nine Titans away from the fleeing recruits and kills five of them, but the Beast Titan strips away his vertical maneuvering gear, leaving him defenseless as the surrounding Titans devour him.
What warning do Nanaba and Mike give the 104th recruits?
Nanaba alerts the 104th recruits that a mass of Titans is closing in from the south inside Wall Rose territory, and she and Mike split them into four squads to warn the surrounding villages.
What was The Beast Titan chapter originally titled?
Before its volume release, The Beast Titan ran in magazine serialization under a different title, The Boy's Brightly Shining Eyes.
Sources & Information
Looking for more on The Beast Titan? The Attack on Titan Wiki on Fandom has a dedicated page with community notes.
View on FandomThis content is original writing by Daddy Jim Anime based on the Attack on Titan anime series, manga, and official materials. Attack on Titan was created by Hajime Isayama, published by Kodansha, and animated by MAPPA and Wit Studio. All rights to Attack on Titan and its characters belong to their respective owners. Episode and chapter references are cited where applicable.
Rights holders
- Created byHajime Isayama
- Published byKodansha
- Animated byMAPPA
- Animated byWit Studio
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