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Attack on Titan is easily one of the greatest anime ever made. Watching it for the first time feels like a rollercoaster ride; the action keeps you on the edge of your seat but you’re also confused and wildly unsure of what just hit you. But rewatching it is a whole different experience. There is so much detail and foreshadowing that the show is bound to put you in detective mode, yelling, “How did I miss this the first time?!” as you catch details that once felt unimportant.
Scenes that once felt insignificant suddenly click into place, revealing layers of hidden meaning and foreshadowing that will make you question everything you thought you knew about Eren and the world he lives in. As someone who recently jumped back into the chaos of Attack on TitanI was shocked by how much I completely overlooked the first time around. So here are 11 moments that hit me in a whole new way while rewatching.
1) Miche’s Nose Knew More Than We Realized
In Season 1, Episode 14, when Hange and Miche come to escort Eren from his cell to the courtroom, we get our first proper introduction to Miche Zacharius. He pauses, sniffs Eren, and gives him a weird smirk. We later learn that as weird as it seems, Miche could actually smell Titans from a distance.
Despite this ability, he didn’t get much screen time. But on rewatch, his abilities feel way more important, especially when you think about Marley’s wine trap in Season 4, where soldiers unknowingly drank Zeke’s spinal fluid. Had Miche survived, his sense of smell might’ve helped uncover that plan way earlier, and the whole story could’ve taken a completely different turn.
2) Iceburst Stone Was Left in Paradis on Purpose
Iceburst stone is a mysterious resource that enables the ODM gear to function and gives humans their only real shot against Titans. At first, it seems like a lucky break that these glowing crystals that provide power without electricity or gas just happen to exist on Paradis. But later, it’s revealed that this wasn’t random at all; these stones may have been placed there on purpose.
In Chapter 107 of the manga, Zeke explains that iceburst stones were created using the power of the Titans and deposited into gigantic holes by the King of the Titans. By Chapter 109, we see that the people of Hizuru used these stones as fuel to build a flying boat, showing how powerful and versatile they really are. The fact that they only exist on Paradis and are perfectly suited to fight Titans makes it feel less like a coincidence and more like part of a survival tool left behind on purpose.
3) Eren’s Healing Power Was Shown From the Start
During his training in the 104th Cadet Corps, Eren struggles to master the ODM gear. While trying to maintain his balance, he takes a hard fall and injures his head. What most of us probably missed the first time is the small detail of steam rising from his body as he starts to heal.
At first glance, it just seems like dramatic animation or maybe just normal body heat from exertion. But knowing that Titan shifters produce steam when they heal makes this tiny moment so much more significant in hindsight. The series was literally showing us that Eren had Titan powers right from the start, long before his first official transformation.
4) Ymir Reading That Food Can Hinted at Life Outside the Walls
In Season 2, Episode 4, there’s a quiet little moment that’s easy to overlook. While searching for food in the ruins of Utgard Castle, Ymir finds a can of herring, casually reads the label, and hands it to Reiner. He’s surprised to see canned food in a place like that, but pauses after realizing that he cannot read the writing on the can.
You can almost see him connect the dots before they’re suddenly interrupted by an attack on the castle. Looking back, this is a huge moment of foreshadowing. Not only does it confirm the existence of people outside the walls, but it also subtly shows that Reiner seems to know more than he’s letting on.
5) Attack on Titan Showed the Ackerman Power Long Before Explaining It
On first watch, you just assume Levi and Mikasa are incredibly skilled fighters who happen to be way better than everyone else. You might think they’re just naturally talented or trained harder than others. But once you learn about the Ackerman bloodline and their superhuman abilities, it all makes sense.
Ackermans have an “awakened power,” which lets them exhibit physical abilities much higher than the average human, but it has to be triggered through a survival instinct. Mikasa awakened hers at age nine after her parents were murdered and Eren told her to fight. This unlocked the dormant power that let her kill one of the attackers with a single stab. Levi had a similar awakening as a child after five merchants attempted to sell him into trafficking after nearly beating him to death.
[RELATED – Attack on Titan’s Rumbling Could Have Been Stopped by This Fallen Hero]
6) Reiner Lied to Connie to Hide the Truth About the Titans
When Connie returns to his home village of Ragako in Season 2, Episode 3, he finds it mysteriously empty. He finds a Titan lying on top of his house that reminds him of his mother. As Connie stares at the Titan, he hears it whisper, “Welcome home.”
At first, Connie thinks he imagined it. Reiner, who was with him at the time, tells him that he didn’t hear anything and convinces him that he must be just hearing things. At first, you don’t think too much about this scene, but on rewatch, it’s clear: Reiner already knows the truth and is just trying to cover it up by gaslighting Connie.
7) Bertholdt Nearly Transformed at Utgard Castle
In Season 2, Episode 4, something crazy happens that changes everything the Scouts thought they knew about Titans. The group at Utgard Castle, consisting of Bertholdt, Reiner, Connie, Ymir, and Christa, suddenly spots a horde of Titans moving under the moonlight, which should have been impossible. Up until this point, everyone believed that Titans could only move during the day, so seeing them attack at night was shocking.
In the middle of all this chaos, Bertholdt nearly gives himself away as a Titan Shifter. Right before Ymir cuts her palm and transforms into the Jaw Titan to save Christa and defeat the oncoming horde, you can actually see Bertholdt preparing to bite his hand, just like Eren does when he transforms. It’s such a subtle detail that’s easy to miss on a first watch, but when you revisit the scene, it’s obvious he was about to turn into the Colossal Titan.
8) Eren Killed His Father’s Comrades Without Even Knowing It
In Season 3, Episode 20, we see the heartbreaking moment when Grisha Yeager and his fellow Restorationists are punished by Marley and turned into Titans. The show doesn’t focus much on the individual Titans, but on rewatch, you realize something shocking: they’re the same Titans that attacked Eren and his friends back in Season 1. When Eren transformed and went on his first Titan-fueled rampage, he unknowingly slaughtered people who had once shared his father’s dream.
Its especially interesting to note that the Bearded Titan that initially “kills” Eren in Season 1 was created on the same day as Grisha. While Dina Fritz was the Smiling Titan who ate her husband’s second wife and Eren’s mother, Carla Yeager. There’s also the Jumping Titan who ate Thomas, the Peering Titan who ate Mina, and the Bigmouth Titan that devoured Nac and Mylius.
9) The Moment Eren Unknowingly Used the Founding Titan Powers
Ever since the fall of Wall Maria, Hannes carried the heavy guilt of failing to save Eren’s mother, Carla, from the Smiling Titan, Dina Fritz. In the final episode of Season 2, he gets a second chance to correct that mistake and jumps in to protect Eren and Mikasa from the very same Titan. But despite his courage, the Smiling Titan brutally eats Hannes, splashing blood on Eren’s face.
Seeing this, Eren tries to transform into the Attack Titan but fails as he is too injured. In a moment of desperation, grief, and rage, he then decides to punch the Titan, an act that somehow causes the nearby Titans to tear the Smiling Titan to pieces. While this scene seemed like plot armor at the time, it’s the first hint of Eren’s hidden ability to command Titans and it changes everything we thought we knew.
10) Eren Let the Smiling Titan Kill His Mom
We all remember Attack on Titan’s first episode – Eren’s mom being devoured by the Smiling Titan is what kicks off the entire story and shapes who he becomes. At first, this just seems like a cruel, random tragedy. But rewatching the series, knowing what we know now, it gets disturbing when you realize that Eren himself made it happen.
In the final episode, during his conversation with Armin, Eren reveals the Founding Titan’s powers had messed with his head and that there’s no real past or future; everything happens all at once. Using those powers, he directed the Dina Fritz Titan away from Bertholdt and straight to his own mother. He did it on purpose, just so his younger self would be motivated to destroy every last Titan.
