Erwin tells Hange that it was a mistake to think all intelligent Titans are like Eren, since the Female Titan has unique abilities far beyond that of a novice. Elsewhere, the mole transforms into the Female Titan and chases after Levi's squad. Armin theorizes that the mole is someone who had seen Eren transform during the invasion of the Trost District. Eren wants to transform into a Titan, but the squad tells him to trust in their skills and keep moving forward. Eld, Oruo and Petra manage to blind the Female Titan and attempt to cut off her arms. However, the Female Titan quickly regenerates her right eye and kills the three. Seeing his comrades dead, a grieving Eren transforms into a Titan. Believing his comrades and squad's death could have been avoided if he had transformed in the first place, Eren fights the Female Titan in a long battle. The Female Titan finally defeats Eren by taking off his head and swallowing his human body. Mikasa attempts to stop the Female Titan, but to no avail. She is later joined by Levi, who tells her to keep their distance, as the Female Titan is getting tired.
Tropes:
- Didn't See That Coming: The Female Titan demonstrates several abilities that no other Titan has utilised so far, selectively healing certain parts of her body to recover from wounds faster and the ability to harden her nape with some kind of crystal-like substance. Sadly, for Levi Squad their lack of knowledge on these powers leads directly to their deaths.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: During Levi's Squads assault the Female Titan is shown with steam only coming out of one of its eyes, as opposed to both of them. This shows that the Female Titan is prioritizing only healing one of its eyes in order to speed up the regenerating process and catch Levi Squad unawares.
- From Bad to Worse: At the end of the last episode, the female titan mole managed to escape by calling the other titans to eat her. This episode establishes that whoever is the female titan is capable of retransforming into her immediately after that just happened.
- Killed Off for Real: The members of Levi's squad all bite the dust this episode.
- Oh, Crap!: Titan Eren notices something about the Female Titan that stuns him. Unfortunately, she uses this to finally take him down for capture. Also serves as foreshadowing to who the Female Titan is near the end of the season.
- Power of Trust: Deconstructed, the Levi Squad are a well-oiled machine of a unit, whose trust and friendship with each other has allowed them to take down Titans easily, and they tell Eren to go ahead and put his faith in them and they subdue the Female Titan. At first. Unfortunately, the Female Titan isn't a normal Titan and manages to catch them unawares, killing them despite their teamwork. Eren furiously chastises himself and says that, if he hadn't trusted them and decided to help, they all might still be alive.
- Wham Line: Courtesy of Erwin: "We have to consider that if the enemy was still able-bodied when they escaped, then it's entirely possible they can make the titan reappear as well." It's immediately followed by a ...
- Wham Shot: The familiar yellow lightning shot which means someone has transformed into a titan, demonstrating that the female titan is back and after them again.
