As the Survey Corps plans to retake Shiganshina, Erwin insists on accompanying the mission against Levi's advice. Levi has full discretion to use the Titan serum injection when he judges it right. The Scouts celebrate the night prior to the mission with meat, drink, and shenanigans from the 104th. The main character trio contemplate what comes after they succeed, and what lies beyond the Walls. The Scouts are sent off to Wall Maria, new weapons in hand, by an uncharacteristically enthusiastic populace. Bertolt and Reiner await atop Wall Maria for an impending confrontation.
In the indeterminate future, a blood-soaked Levi struggles against a distraught Eren and Mikasa about something unknown, which escalates to physical violence between them...
- And Then What?: Levi presses Erwin for the strategic objective once Wall Maria is retaken. Erwin admits that he has no idea for once, he's solely focused on accessing Eren's father's basement first.
- Berserk Button:
- Marlowe unintentionally presses Sasha's when he casually insinuates that the MP's get a lot more meat than the Scouts ever do.
- Levi presses Mikasa's by striking Eren out of the way, resulting in her freaking out and jumping him, ready to slice his throat with her blade.
- Call-Back:
- Eren and Armin reaffirm their original goal with each other: to explore the lands beyond the Walls and to finally see the mythical ocean.
- Sasha's obsession with meat comes up again, this time with her greedily trying to eat as much of it as possible. Connie and Eren fondly remember her stealing some from the officers' rations right before the Battle of Trost and actually offering to share it.
- Zachley still wants to broadcast the gloriousness of his "art" to the public.
- Chekhov's Gun: The Scouts' new weapons are alluded to briefly, and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it comment from a soldier reveals that they're spears of some kind.
- Emergency Transformation: Invoked. Levi has full discretion to use the Titan transformation serum on somebody, in order to save their life from otherwise mortal wounds.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: The "glitch" during the ED contains dozens of them. A compilation can be viewed here
. - Hope Bringer: For once, the people believe completely in the Scouts and Erwin to free humanity.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Jean might be trying to provoke a fight with Eren, but he's not wrong: Eren would be long dead (or at least maimed) if not for his Titan Power and Mikasa saving him over and over.
- Jump Scare: For those not expecting it, Levi's bloody face and the distorted audio interrupting the ending theme can come across as this.
- Lighter and Softer: This episode is quite possibly one of - if not the - most light-hearted, hopeful, and outright inspiring episodes of the series... right up until the end credits, where the show deems it necessary to remind you it’s Attack on Titan you’re watching.
- Not So Above It All: The normally stoic Erwin gets caught up in the moment and lets out a Hot-Blooded roar as the crowd cheers the Scouts on.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: Eren, Mikasa, and Armin recognize that even if the Titans are wiped out and Wall Maria reclaimed, many things will never be the same for them and the military.
- Painting the Medium: The Stinger is not after the credits and ED, it's spliced in the middle of the ED in what initially seems like the video streaming site glitching out.
- Season Finale: This episode airs as the end of the Part 1 of Season 3, using The Stinger to tease Part 2.
- So Proud of You: Subtle. Mikasa only smiles as she watches Eren and Jean fight it out instead of intervening or showing concern, apparently trusting Eren to fight by himself for once.
- The Stinger: A harrowing one that would double as a cliffhanger if we had any context for it. Whatever the circumstances, Levi, Eren, and Mikasa are desperate enough about something to fight each other over it, and Mikasa may very well kill Levi (those who have read the manga know it's over whether to use the Titan Serum on Armin or Erwin so they can eat Bertolt, as both are on the verge of death)...
- Tough Love: Levi seems ready to break Erwin's legs in order to keep him from dying on the battlefield (though it's ambigious whether he's being serious or not). He eventually relents when he realizes that not even this threat will keep Erwin from trying to reach Wall Maria with his men.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Shown during The Stinger when Levi confronts Eren and Mikasa.Levi: Do you have the faintest damn clue... what you're doing?!
- Wimp Fight: Jean and Eren's brawl eventually degrades into this, with both exhausted and wondering why nobody is interrupting them (until Levi does).
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Pixis is exasperated when Zackley wants to publicly display his... "art".
