Tropes present in this episode:
- Adaptational Expansion: Compared to the manga, the battle is drawn out longer complete with a second armored train (with some possible Lampshade Hanging as Reiner expresses surprise at its presence).
- Badass Adorable: Gabi who, with nothing but her guile and a few grenades, is able to destroy the armored train keeping their forces pinned and allows the Marleyan army to turn the tide of the battle.
- Child Soldiers: Many of them are introduced this episode as part of the Warrior Unit, a group of child soldiers from which the person that will inherit the Armored Titan will be chosen.
- Colony Drop: Once Gabi disposes of the armored train Zeke sends out Eldians that he can transform into Titans from their zeppelin who proceed to drop down on mass at Fort Salva. Reiner himself proceeds to do the same thing after the initial bombardment was a success.
- Determinator: Gabi, as she wants to inherit the Armored Titan from her cousin Reiner.
- Everyone Has Standards: Despite being at war with Marley and having racism towards Eldians as well, some of the Mid-Easterners are hesitant to shoot at Gabi, a little girl.
- Mr. Exposition: Since Falco is suffering from some short term amnesia thanks to his head wound Gabi explains to him that Marley has been at war with the Mid-East Allied Alliance for the past four years after the failure to reclaim the Founding Titan and that they and their friends are competing over who will obtain the Armored Titan.
- Perspective Flip: After spending three seasons following the story of the Eldians at Paradis AoT suddenly shifts gears with this episode and focuses entirely on the Marleyan side of the conflict.
- Secret Test of Character: When Udo, one of the Warrior Children, asks why they are on the front lines despite their value to Marley Gabi tells him that its because the higher-ups are evaluating who among them is worthy enough to inherit the Armored Titan.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Many of them are shown in the trenches.
- Time Skip: It is explained that four years have passed in-universe between the last episode of the third season and this episode.
- The Worf Effect: This episode reveals that anti-Titan weaponry for the outside world has advanced to the point it can easily take down most Titans. Even Reiner's vaulted Armored Titan is no less vulnerable as proven when he loses his arm and later still takes a whole volley to protect Zeke's Beast Titan.
- Ungrateful Bastard: When Falco saves an enemy soldier and tends to his wounds, he just complains about being “infected” by a devil. Likewise none of the Marleyan soldiers show appreciation for the Elysian soldiers they force to fight for them.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Gabi takes off her armband, strips to her underclothes, and walks out into no mans land pretending to be a wounded soldier. In reality her "hobbled leg" actually has grenades tied to it and, once the armored train gets close enough, she throws the grenades into its path causing the train to go off the rails and smash into a machine gun nest.
