Attack On Titan season 3 episode 1 introduced new villain Kenny The Ripper - who more than lives up to his name. Attack On Titan began as a manga in 2009, which is set in a world where mankind has retreated behind walled cities to protect themselves from Titans. These mysterious, giant creatures are tough to kill and love to eat human beings like snack food, but after a long period of peace an outer wall is breached, and the survivors have to take the fight to the Titans.
The popularity of the manga led to the Attack On Titan anime series, which debuted in 2013. This helped make the franchise a worldwide hit, with its blend of memorable characters, shocking twists and exciting battles. Attack On Titan also received a two-part, live-action Japanese movie adaptation in 2015. While the movie’s take on the Titans themselves was quite creepy, both movies received mixed reviews from fans. An English language film is currently in the works, with IT’s Andy Muschietti lined up to helm. The director must have an affinity for giant monsters, as he’s also attached to a movie adaptation of cult video game Shadow Of The Colossus.
There’s no shortage of great characters on the show, and fans were greatly looking forward to the introduction of Kenny The Ripper. The big moment arrives in Attack On Titan season 3 episode 1 “Smoke Signal,” which opens with Squad Levi hiding out from Military Police. The squad heads back to Trost, where the Military Police are waiting. Levi starts to feel paranoid and opens up to squadmate Nifa about Kenny The Ripper, a near-mystical serial killer responsible for the deaths of over 100 people. Levi reveals he was partly raised by Kenny, which is the killer’s cue to launch a sneak attack, which kills Nifa and everyone else but Levi.
Attack On Titan season 3 episode 1’s Kenny The Ripper introduction is suitably dramatic, and he would prove to be one of the show’s most chilling human villains. Kenny derives a lot of pleasure from killing and does so with little in the way of mercy or remorse. While he might be a psychopath, he also has a good deal of control, with one of his signature moves being to sneak up behind victims with a blade. While his ultimate goal of becoming a Titan and gaining power isn’t a big surprise, part of his motivation is to see if it will make him feel something, and while he hides it behind dark humor, he seems to have a fair degree of self-loathing.
It turns out he has some emotions too, as he abandoned Levi as a child because he knew he wasn’t in any way suited to being a father figure, and that Levi was better off without him. Attack On Titan season 3 episode 1 established Kenny The Ripper would be an important figure, and he didn’t disappoint.
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