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Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 3 is finally upon us after months of anticipation and has already managed to break the internet with the first rollercoaster of an episode.
The absolute terror of The Rumbling served as the opening of the season and the fandom cannot wait to see how the manga panels unfold on the screen in the upcoming episodes.
One of the key moments in episode 1 of Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 3 was the sacrifice of Hange Zoe, and her decision to make Armin Arlert the next Commander of the Survey Corps, in a goosebump-inducing frame.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Attack on Titan.
Why did Hange choose Armin to be the next Survey Corps Commander in Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 3?
The opening episode of Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 3 heralded a sad day for all The Hange fans. We witnessed Hange Zoe showcasing her true mettle as she sacrificed herself by staying back to fight the incoming Rumbling, in order to buy her comrades some more time to efficiently launch an attack on Eren.
Before she did so, Hange made a decision that came as a surprise to both the viewers and her friends. Before leaving off to fight the titans, she appointed Armin as her successor of the title of the Survey Corps Commander and to lead the group into the fray.
Everyone thought that Levi would be the one to take on the responsibility given his reputation as an exceptional fighter with impeccable combat skills and an overall celebrated history of slaying titans. But Hange was convinced that Armin would be the right person to shoulder this burden.
Initially, the decision might seem ludicrous as Armin is not half as good a fighter as Levi or Mikasa, but upon careful consideration, we realize that Hange’s head was in the right place when she took the decision.
Since the very beginning of the series, we have seen Armin being this ever-curious kid who has the zeal to learn and gain knowledge on a variety of subjects. Later into the narrative, as the titan threats became worse, that zeal was channeled to learn about titans and their history, something he did firsthand after eating Bertolt.
Hange being the nerd she is, quite possibly recognized a similar attribute in Armin as well. Everyone agrees that Armin is arguably the smartest in their group.
Hange understood that to be a successful leader of the Corps, solely being a good fighter won't cut it. One must have a great vision and outlook of the world, and a never-ending thirst for a “broader understanding”, all the qualities that Armin possesses that sets him apart from the rest.
The fight that they are about to engage in Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 3, is no ordinary fight against the titans that they were used to. The only way to stop The Rumbling from annihilating the world was to convince Eren to stop it, as he was the Founding Titan and the only entity in the world to control the titans and put an end to the chaos.
Hange knew that Armin, coupled with all his knowledge, was also a close friend to Eren and could be the one to make Eren stop this madness.
Armin was understandably taken aback by this decision, something that ironically mirrors the time when Hange was put in the same situation by the former Survey Corps Commander Erwin Smith. But just like Hange, Armin will have to come to terms with his destiny.
In a bittersweet scene that follows, Levi sends Hange off with a final “shinsou sasageyo” salute and she steps into her doom, not forgetting to bask in the magnificence of titans, a sentiment that she had always carried with her, that followed her to her very last breath.
Fans are hoping that Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 3 will draw the curtain on the epic, and the one-hour special episode was definitely one hell of a beginning of the end.
Stay tuned for more updates on Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 3, and other popular shows like Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, Blue Lock, One Piece, and more.
