In Attack on Titan season 4’s “Sneak Attack,” why does Yelena’s face suddenly look like a Disney forest witch who smelled something rotten? She may not be among Attack on Titan‘s big-game players, but Yelena has made a pivotal contribution to the fates of Eldia and Marley nonetheless. Originally a soldier serving the Marleyan army, Yelena came to idolize Zeke Jaeger. Leading a band of similarly-minded Zekealots, Yelena executes the Beast Titan’s will from the shadows, making contact with his younger half-brother, Eren, between Attack on Titan seasons 3 and 4.
In Attack on Titan season 4’s second half, Yelena is helping the Jaegerists bring Eren and Zeke together to complete the so-called “euthanization” plan, but the fulfillment of her dream is interrupted by a surprise invasion from Marley. Extreme circumstances call for a temporary truce between the Jaegerists and the Paradis Island military they recently overthrew, leading Armin to declare, “We don’t have much choice… we’ve gotta help the Jaegerists bring them [Zeke and Eren] together.” As these words are uttered, Yelena creeps up directly behind Armin, looming over his small frame. Yelena’s face can only be described as the stuff of nightmares – a potent blend of rage and insanity. The kind of expression a child might make toward a younger sibling who just caved to their parents’ questioning and revealed who ate the cookies.
Yelena’s face in Attack on Titan season 4 draws directly from the corresponding manga panel by Hajime Isayama – but goes much further. Whereas the original artwork looked a little menacing, Attack on Titan‘s animators whipped out their most sinister pencils for Yelena and Armin’s big moment. On one level, Yelena’s distorted facial gymnastics are an outward display of her twisted psyche. She isn’t a Titan-shifter or an expert warrior, but Yelena’s unyielding, passionate dedication to Zeke makes her a force to be reckoned with anyway. The manic glance that Armin will never be able to unsee perfectly demonstrates why Yelena remains someone to be feared. The actual reason behind Yelena’s messed-up visage, however, can be found in the final episode of Attack on Titan season 4, part 1.
The last time Yelena spoke with Armin before Marley’s invasion, she was explaining Zeke’s morbid plan to render all Eldians incapable of reproducing. As Eren’s friends listened from behind cell bars, most reacted with understandable disgust, but Armin began crying, pretending to be as moved by Zeke’s “noble intentions” as Yelena herself. While Attack on Titan‘s audience know Armin was putting on a performance to gain the Jaegerists’ trust, Yelena seemed delighted at finding a kindred spirit. When Armin joins Yelena on the rooftop and declares “We don’t have much choice… we’ve gotta help the Jaegerists” in Attack on Titan season 4, Yelena realizes Armin was playing her. Her doom stare is a mixture of disgust and rage at Armin’s blasphemous deception. But as Yelena realizes things are getting hairy on Paradis Island and the Colossal Titan might be a useful ally, she abruptly switches to polite, gracious Yelena, happy Eren’s friends are finally on her side… even if they lied initially.
Yelena’s scary face continues a long tradition of scary faces in Attack on Titan. As part of Attack on Titan‘s horror style, Hajime Isayama has drawn numerous panels where character faces – both alive and dead – are grotesquely distorted. Examples include Eren’s mentally ill grandfather earlier in season 4, Armin when taunting Reiner and Betholdt about Annie, the creepy “shh” expression Flock made several episodes ago, and, of course, the Titans themselves. Isayama is a master of showing a character’s inner darkness through horrifying facial freeze-frames, and Yelena’s Attack on Titan season 4 effort may just be the best yet.
Attack on Titan season 4 streams Sundays on Funimation, Crunchyroll, and Hulu.