Tear Jerker / Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan is an ode to the struggle for survival against insurmountable odds. With the high body count of characters we have come to know and like, it's little wonder the series is full of feels.

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Warning: Spoilers Off applies to these pages. Please proceed at your own risk.

The Fall of Shiganshina

This entry concerns the first attack of the Colossal and Armored Titans on Wall Maria at the District of Shinganshina, allowing Titans into the outer region of the Three Walls, and the aftermath of the attack.

"To You, in 2000 Years: The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 1"

• When the Survey Corps came back, and the mother of Moses is given her son's remains. One gnawed arm. The commanding officer remains solemn but calm when the mother asks for her son. But then it quickly shatters when she breaks down and begs him to tell her that her son's death at least helped their cause. His gut reaction is to say yes to comfort her, but he immediately confesses that the excursion was a complete failure, blaming his own incompetence for the lives lost, and saying all of their missions in the past hundred years have been a failure, losing men with no results. It really sets the tone of the series.
• After Carla spends her last few minutes alive urging Eren and Mikasa to leave her behind before all three of them get eaten by the oncoming Titan, she first seems relieved that at least her children will be safe as Hannes carries them away. Suddenly though, she has a flashback to how happy they were as a family. Her last tearful words before the Smiling Titan picks her up are "...Don't leave me." She covers her mouth so that the children can't hear.
  • Before Eren and Mikasa find the house, Eren tries to convince himself that their house is fine and it's still in one piece. Imagine his horror when he sees it destroyed, with his mother trapped under the rubble.
  • Mikasa's own reaction to Carla when she's helping Eren lift the roof is also wrenching; she's watching another parental figure about to die in front of her, and she's not about to let that happen again.
• Eren screaming to Hannes that the woman who bore him is still in peril as he manhandles him away from his attempt to save Carla. Mikasa cannot bear to watch her adoptive mother get devoured but Eren sees every last second. At first screaming to the heavens for the Titan to stop then devolving into a Thousand-Yard Stare as she's broken in its grip like a toy and chomped in half.
  Eren: STOP IT! NOOOOOOO!
• Armin's narration at both the beginning and the end of the episode, really encapsulates the horror and despair of this tragic event. The fact that humans are not safe, inside or outside the Walls.
  Narrator: And just like that, everything changed. At that terrible moment, in our hearts, we knew. Home was a pen. Humanity, cattle.

"That Day: The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 2"

• Hannes' anguished admission that he lacked the courage to face the Smiling Titan, reducing himself and Eren to a shared bout of Inelegant Blubbering.
• Eren grieving in agony over his penultimate interaction with his mother. Where they argued over his desire to join the Survey Corps and in his foolish anger at her concern, he lashed out and called her someone who only wanted to live as livestock. Her death ruined Eren's last chance to reconcile with her.
• Eren's constant rage is explicitly shown to be his way of coping with the horrible tragedy he's just experienced. He lashes out at everyone, including his best friends Armin and Mikasa, because he hates himself for not being able to save his mother. At one point, in a near suicidal daze he tries to talk his gang into going back to Shiganshina to kill all the Titans, which he and they know is impossible and screams at Armin for being so cowardly.
• Armin crying over his grandfather's death, who was the only one looking after him as well as Eren and Mikasa. In order to solve a food shortage crisis, the central government drafted 250,000 refugees, including Armin's grandfather, to reclaim Wall Maria from the Titans. Only a hundred people survived. The last thing that he gave to Armin before he departed was his straw hat, and we see Armin crying into it after receiving news that he did not survive the campaign.
• Even worse, is that the true purpose of the campaign was to ease the food shortage. All those people were effectively sacrificed for the rest of humanity, to prevent the entire population from starving.

Battle of Trost

This entry concerns the Colossal Titan's attempt to breach Wall Rose at the District of Trost, and the battle that ensued henceforth.

"First Battle: The Struggle for Trost, Part 1"

• Eren's group being brutally massacred by the Titans one after the other. Made all the worse by how they're starting to get excited and turn it into a competition before an Abnormal swallows Thomas whole, and then the others just keep being caught by Titans. Eren loses his leg and Armin stands and watches in horror as he wonders why he can't move.

"The World The Girl Saw: The Struggle for Trost, Part 2"

• Hannah and Franz, whom Eren said seemed like a couple. In the Battle of Trost, Hannah is shown giving CPR to Franz. Armin finds her, pauses with a solemn look on his face, and tells her to stop. The panel pans out and we see Franz cut in half. And Hannah just keeps on trying to resuscitate him...
  • The scene is much more powerful in the anime — you can hear Hannah's panic and see her slowly crumbling mental state, as well as an already distraught Armin trying to get Hannah to see what had happened.
• In the flashback to Mikasa's past, she was living happily with her parents before they were killed right in front her and she was kidnapped. After she was saved, she brokenly whispers how, "I need to go home, where should I go? Now I have nowhere, nowhere left to go."

"Small Blade: The Struggle For Trost, Part 3"

• One of the soldiers trapped in a building surrounded by Titans decides it is better to die than be eaten, and kills himself. While this is upsetting by itself (especially for the people with him), it's made even worse by the fact that just a little while afterwards, the other trainees make it to the building to help them, and Mikasa, Connie, and Armin bring Titan Eren with them to take out all the Titans — meaning that if he had waited a bit longer, he would have been saved.
• Even worse, the guy seemed to have a small smile on his face before he stuffs the gun into his mouth.
• Mikasa's struggle, which doubles as an Awesome Moment. Believing Eren's dead, she feels she has nothing left to live for, and resigns herself to be eaten by the Titans. However, her body moves on its own, and she realizes she wants to keep on living just to treasure Eren's memory. The beautiful music from "Counter Attack Mankind", the teary VO performance and great visuals seal the deal for one of the most memorable moments in the anime.
• Armin and Mikasa have the exact same reaction to Eren being devoured. They lose control of their bodies; the difference is that Armin is too horrified by the grim reality of what he knows is happening to move; Mikasa is so detached she can't suppress her survival instinct and razor-sharp reflexes enough to let herself be eaten. It serves both as an elegant illustration of their character types, and as a heartbreaking show of closeness.

"I Can Hear His Heartbeat: The Struggle for Trost, Part 4"

• Mikasa and Armin's reactions to finding Eren alive. Especially when Mikasa hears Eren's heart beating and reminds us all how young she really is.

"Whereabouts of His Left Arm: The Struggle for Trost, Part 5"

• While Eren is in the Titan's stomach, he agonises over the losses in his life and why they have to have everything taken from them. Cue flashback of Eren as a child, teasing his mother as she does the laundry and making her laugh unrestrainedly in joy, and you can hear his voice trembling with despair and fury as he whispers "mama..." Remembering Carla's eyes filled with such tender love for him. And the injustice of her death WILL. NOT. STAND. As Eren breaks down and weeps while "Vogel im Käfig" reaches its heartstring-pulling crescendo.
  Eren Jaeger: I REFUSE — TO DIE LIKE THIS!! I'LL DRIVE THEM OUT! EVERY LAST ONE! WITH... MY OWN TWO HANDS! (cue rebirth as a Titan)

"Wound: The Struggle For Trost, Part 8"

• After Eren can't control his Titan form and it appears that the mission has failed Mitabi says that they should fall back, but Ian refuses to, still wanting to attempt to carry out the operation despite all evidence that it will fail. Why? Because the situation Humanity is in is so bad that throwing thousands of lives away at opportunities that have a slim chance of working at the very best is a practical option. It says a lot about the conflict with the Titans.

"Primal Desire: The Struggle For Trost, Part 9"

• The entire scene where Eren carries the boulder to plug the breach in Trost. Mitabi, who didn't trust Eren's powers in the least before, dies when he successfully distracts the Titans with his squad so that Eren could go past them, fully aware that it would likely kill him. Numerous Garrison soldiers die horribly while protecting Eren as well. Ian leaps inside a Titan's mouth to rescue a comrade, he succeeds but is devoured in the process, yet he still screams encouragements at Mikasa as the Titan's teeth decapitate him. Then Eren finally plugs the breach, and Rico, who has shown herself as quite cold and stoic before, tearfully says that her comrades didn't die in vain. All while "Call Your Name" is playing in the background.
• When Jean discovers the body of his best friend, Marco during the clean-up operation in Trost. His vacant stare and the quiet way he pleads for someone to tell him what happened are heartbreaking enough, but the medical officer is correct when she tells him there's no time to mourn and she is relieved that at least this body can be identified.
• Marco's death in general. He was one of the few to barely make it by the skin of his teeth, and when they finally cleared the supply room he collapsed from the stress, thankful it was all over. He was so close to survival and it was all for nought because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• Related to the above: Annie's whispered apologies to the mangled corpse of an unnamed soldier, during the same clean-up operation. She repeats it in shock, until Reiner speaks to her and reminds her that apologising won't accomplish anything. All they can do is mourn and then move on. That they were the ones responsible doesn't make it any less heartbreaking, as it's clear just how horrified they are over the reality of their actions.

The 57th Expedition

This entry concerns the 104th recruits' conscription into the Survey Corps and their first expedition outside Wall Rose into Titan country, detailing their first encounter with the Female Titan.

"Special Operations Squad: Eve of The Counter-attack, Part 2"

• Just as Jean is deciding which regiment he's joining at the Meaningful Funeral, he imagines seeing Marco, echoing his opinion that he'd make an excellent leader. As if that isn't heartbreaking enough, as soon as Jean hypes himself up enough to declare his change of heart to join the Survey Corps, he bursts into Tears of Fear. Major tearjerker there.
• The English dub makes both scenes just as heartbreaking as the Japanese version. Mike McFarland really nails Jean's agonised declaration to join the Survey Corps and his breakdown right afterwards.

"What Needs to be Done Now: Eve of The Counter-attack, Part 3"

• Erwin Smith has just stated the depressing state of affairs and made his brutally honest speech. After hearing this the cadets mutter amongst themselves briefly and then... they walk away. The members of the 104th Cadet Corps, Jean, Sasha and Connie, specifically, can only watch wordlessly as their comrades walk past them, like a rushing river, and it's all they can do not to get pulled along with the current. And their inner dialogue is absolutely Heartbreaking:
  Jean: Damn it. Come on, I've already decided. Stop making me feel like such a fool!
  Sasha: If I don't leave now... I'll have to go through it all again.
  Connie: I left my village. The Military Police were the whole point. I wanted Mom to be proud. I wanted to be treated right. Everyone respects them, period.
  Jean: But there's no going back. Not after you've seen it.
  Sasha: Seen them up close and...
  Connie: Seen how they eat people...
• This cuts to a horrifying image of Jean and the rest of of the 104th getting Eaten Alive by Titans, which then cuts to Jean himself delivering a scream of sheer anguish to the sky. Then after a brief Time Lapse, we cut back to the Amphitheatre and it's practically empty. Only the top ten members of the 104th along with Armin, Ymir, and a few others are still there. Mixes with Heartwarming, because they all stuck together in the end.
• When Eren finally learns Marco died, with nobody there to witness and tend to him as he was dying in pain. And on top of that, he sees Marco's spirit, too, wearing the Wings of Freedom cloak as they do, as if saying he'll always be by his friends' side.

"Erwin Smith: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, Part 4"

• The beginning of Eren's return home after his first mission with the Survey Corps in the anime. At first the scene seems so light-hearted and triumphant, as he learns about how several of the members of the elite Levi Squadron actually pissed themselves on their first mission. Gunther gets everyone to finally calm down, but not without adding that he in fact did not piss himself. And then the infiltrator shows up and kills him...

"Crushing Blow: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, Part 5"

• And then in the next episode the rest of the squad engages the Female Titan. At first they seem to be on the winning hand, but then Eren remembers Levi's words, emphasized by Vogel im Käfig playing in the background. Before he can aid them, all of them are killed.
• From Eld dying before being able to realize what is going on, to Petra's incomprehension of the situation in her final moments and Oluo's horrified expression as he witnesses her die. He tries to react, but he gets violently slaughtered. The worst part of it all? Eren watches it all unfold in front of his very eyes, the very people who accepted him among their ranks and asked for his trust, gone, and he can only scream in horror. As the music grows louder, he completely loses it and finally transforms into his Titan form once more.
  Eren: I'm gonna... I'm gonna... KILL YOU!
  • According to Isayama's notes on drawing this part, when hearing Titan!Eren approaching, Annie was thinking "Finally. Eren is coming. I can finally go home!"
• And then we have Levi dashing through the trees, silently passing by the bodies/remains of his comrades. What makes the scene extra powerful is that his expression is deliberately obscured until he's found every one of them to be dead. The dead look on his face is absolutely heart-breaking. The whole scene is made even worse by the fact that beforehand Levi had explained to Eren that sacrificing a potentially large number of lives in the progress of combating Titans had become a normality for the Survey Corps, advising him to not let it affect him too much.
• Eren gets eaten... again... just as Mikasa arrives to see it.
  Mikasa: No... W-Wait, I... Eren... Please, you can't leave me... Give him back! Do you hear me?! GIVE HIM BACK! GIVE HIM BACK!

"Defeated: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, Part 6"

This entry deals with the covert operation to smoke out the Female Titan in the interior of Wall Sina at the District of Stohess.

• Despite everything the Female Titan did, it's still hard not to feel the tiniest bit sad when she cries. The fact that the human pilot crying causes the Titan to cry as well overall has a tragic feel to it. Plus, one interpretation of the tears is Annie feeling she murdered all those people for nothing, and overall failed to return to her father.
• The montage of the loved ones hearing the soldiers are returning, eager to see Eld, Oluo, and Gunther come home safely when none of them survived. The audience gets a slap to the face along the lines of "In-Universe they weren't just soldiers, they were people with hopes and dreams". Thank goodness everyone was spared the scene where some poor bastard had to actually break it to them that their beloved fiancée/sibling/(grand)child didn't make it back.
• Jean and Armin discussing their eventual deaths, while loading bodies onto carts. Connie and Sasha discussing dying, and whether it's right to celebrate being alive when others died.
• Levi looking over the wrapped bodies of his squad.
• When they're tossing the bodies of the cart, it focuses on Levi's reaction alone when he sees Petra's body flung out, Slow Motion style and with a heartbreaking score in the background. That, coupled with his initial reaction to finding her dead, and later having cut off a piece of her coat to keep as a memory, only serves to imply that her feelings for him were returned. It just makes it even worse.
• Dieter and his failed mission to reclaim the body of his fallen friend. This forces the abandoning of all the retrieved bodies in order to escape a horde of Titans. Levi having to declare his squad's bodies are "nothing special", and then watching Petra's body be tossed away. Later, he comforts Dieter by giving him a patch from a uniform, telling him it belonged to his friend. It was actually one he took from the uniform of one of his squad's members.
• Watching the Survey Corps return is in general, a pretty depressing scene. Having to return from a failed mission and the middle of seeing so much death and destruction only to meet further heckling from the rest of the town upon their return, it is obvious how little the townspeople care for or can even begin to understand the horror the Survey Corps have seen. All the thousand-yard stares, Eren's sobbing, Petra's father not knowing she is dead, Erwin's steely demeanour making it obvious that he's used to this behaviour, all of it is just heartbreaking.
• Petra's father approaching Levi to thank him for taking care of his daughter, adding that Petra would occasionally send him letters and had written to him about having been picked for Levi's squad, boasting about how she'd give it her all to live up to his expectations. Her father then says Petra is too young for marriage. In response, Levi's face completely freezes over. Quite a huge deal for someone who could be the living embodiment of bluntness and/or indifference normally.
• When Eren wakes up, you can hear the despair in his voice. You can see he feels like a failure for letting the Female Titan get away, being unable to save anyone and having Mikasa rescue him again.
• Eren seeing two children admiring the Survey Corps like he did when he was younger. In fact, they're the very same kids who were admiring them as they were about to leave. The ones that Eren showed his first real, genuine, heartfelt smile at. He breaks down crying, but covers his mouth so that no one hears him. And all Mikasa can do is squeeze his hand in a helpless attempt to comfort him.

"Smile: Assault on Stohess, Part 1"

• Annie sadly telling Marlow that an ordinary person is all she wants to be, right after they talk about how Marlow is an ordinary person who wants to do something better, but is being swept away in the sheer volume of people who aren't willing to change.
• Eren's great distress and denial over Annie being the Female Titan. He acts completely desperate for her to prove her innocence and Mikasa has to physically hold him back from running to her when the hidden Survey Corps members ambushes her. Coming from someone who hate Titans and 'bad people' as much as he does, it really goes to show how deeply he respected her and considered her a friend.
  Eren Jaeger: Annie, please! You've taken this joke far enough! Just tell us this is some kind of horrible prank! It's not too late! Come on, we'll understand. Come down, let's talk! You can prove to us that we're mistaken by walking down these stairs! Prove we're wrong to accuse you!
  Annie Leonhart: (deathly calm) We both know I can't. Like I told you, I don't have the constitution for it.
  Eren: (wavering) Annie, stop! We're talking about a matter of life and death!
  Armin Arlelt: Work with us, Annie! We can reason this out like human beings!
• Annie is described by Word of God as a "normal girl forced to do horrible things", and her laughing in the anime when revealed the result of all her "fear, shyness, loneliness and guilt" having a "relieved" outlet, cementing her Tragic Villain status.

"Wall: Assault on Stohess, Part 3"

• The brief shot of a little girl walking through the ruined streets of Stohess, covered in blood with tears pouring down her face.
• Annie's memories of her father resulting in Broken Tears when she's about to be captured. In the anime, there's the addition of Titan!Eren snapping out of his rage when he sees her crying, and he's left staring at her in shock (and possibly pity).

Clash of The Titans

This entry concerns the sudden apparition of Titans in the interior of Wall Rose, and the ensuing battle between the Survey Corps and the Colossal and Armored Titans.

"Beast Titan"

• Mike's death, and of course, it's not the heroic send off Humanity's second strongest soldier deserves. Right after getting his gear stolen by the Beast Titan, he tries to make a valiant stand, only to completely lose his nerve when the Beast Titan casually orders four Titans to eat him. The last we see of Mike, a man who was shown to keep ice cool in the face of death much like Erwin, is instead shattered into a pathetic, wailing child as he tries to flee helplessly, even begging the Titans for his life when he's caught, before shrieking hideous death throes as he's ripped apart and Eaten Alive.
• The anime adds another layer of tragedy as, until he attempted to show some dignity, the Beast Titan seemed content to leave him alone, making his death pointless in addition to cruel.

"Home / Southwestward"

• Connie discovering what remains of his village and the slow, horrible realization that something is very wrong. The way in which everyone desperately attempts to present him with false hope is heartbreaking enough, without the bonus implications that all the Titans they've encountered so far are/were his family and friends.

"Soldier"

• Reiner attempting to pitch himself out of a window to take a Titan with him, even if he doesn't actually take the plunge. If he'd actually done it, he'd have been forced to either reveal himself as the Armoured Titan, or actually die in the fall. He's Becoming the Mask; given Ymir and Christa's conversation about choosing to die an unnecessary but heroic death so that you'll be remembered well, it's even more heartbreaking in retrospect. Despite being a Titan Shifter, some part of Reiner really does want to be true to the friends he's made among humans.
• Gelgar not getting his last drink. It's just such a small request next to miraculous rescue from death by crushing or dismemberment, but the World doesn't give two shits as he's denied even that.
  • Also Gelgar's concussion means he doesn't even think of getting away from the breach in the tower, rendering Nanaba's sacrifice pointless.
• The anime added some extra tragic layers for Nanaba's death: where she's in such pain from her severed leg that she goes into shock, screaming and pleading to her non-present father that she won't do it again. Which means that she was likely abused by him horrifically if that was the trauma her final moments brought to the forefront before the Titan chomps her head off.

"Warrior"

• Eren's sob of grief as he's seized upon by the traitors. His betrayers are his brothers-in-arms, Reiner and Bertholdt. This additionally, makes the past happy scenes with the two of them much harsher in hindsight...
  • The anime takes it up to eleven with the sad, hopeless music that plays during their transformations, not to mention the mix of betrayal and heartbreak in Eren's inner voice as he transforms to fight the ones he called his friends. Broken Pedestal at its most gut-wrenching form...

"Close Combat"

• Mikasa had badly wounded Reiner and Bertholdt, but wonders why she didn't go all the way by cutting their heads off. She then realizes she might have briefly regretted hurting her former friends when seeing their panicked faces as she bore down on them, which slowed her blades a fraction enough to grievously injure but not decapitate.
• Armin is also stricken when Hange orders Reiner and Bertholdt killed on sight and to forego any pacification. He's known them too well, for too long to even process such an order in his mind.
• Eren's dazed, uncomprehending misery when Reiner floors him. Yuki really sells Eren's utter despair of a betrayal at the hands of a man he idolised.
  Eren Jaeger: You shit... You giant piece of shit... And here you wouldn't shut up about a soldier's duty. During close combat training, were you always holding back on me? You're so strong it's ridiculous... I can't even move an inch of my body. I always thought you were a stand-up guy. Someone who remained calm, regardless of the situation. A guy who put your comrades ahead of yourself. And I... To think at one time I wished... To be as strong as you someday.
• The English Dub has Eren say this line, just to twist the knife even further as he lies in the dust at Reiner's mercy:
  Eren Jaeger: Damn you, Reiner... I'd have given anything in the world to be half as strong as you. You were my hero...
• Not even all of Eren's righteous fury can endow him with enough strength to stop Reiner in his tracks. Even when he dehumanizes his enemy to the level of vermin. For all our admiration of Eren's determination, it's quite clear that all the moral rightness in the world doesn't exclude you from the enemy's own, (perhaps equally valid) motivations. Conviction will do nothing without being backed by a solid plan and this is a fault we all must learn to overcome.

"The Hunters"

• Mikasa wakes up after the Colossal Titan fell on Eren only to find out everyone was knocked out by the attack and Reiner and Bertholdt were able to kidnap Eren and Ymir, five hours ago. Mikasa crumbles in loss and sorrow, almost weeping into her scarf about how she never gets what she wants, to simply be with Eren.
• Mikasa looking so vulnerable drives home just how human she really is. No matter how strong, or stoic she is during life threatening circumstances, deep down she's still a traumatised girl scared of losing what little family she has left. She hasn't been this despondent since the death of her parents. We even see how the scarf Eren gave her, which she has treasured for years, seems to help her separation anxiety.
• Hannes getting all misty-eyed over the good-old-days before Wall Maria fell and even joining the Corps' effort to rescue Eren. He's just that determined to bring the Shiganshina Trio back together again. He also makes Armin and Mikasa realise why they love Eren so much; he will never give up on them and will fight for his companions even if they don't want him to.

"Opening"

• Reiner's crushing guilt over his actions causing him to fall into dissociative episodes and suppress his memories, fleeing into the false identity of a Wallian soldier to escape. He briefly lapses back into this persona, and is genuinely confused at Eren's hostile response to him. For bonus tears, we also learn that this whole time Bertholdt has been helplessly watching his best friend go insane, and as a result they were unable to share any kind of emotional connection.
• This Sanity Slippage is implied to originate from when Reiner, aided by Bert and Annie, abandoned Marco to his death during the battle of Trost by taking his gear. Reiner even starts suffering a panic-attack from the remembrance. To see such an old reliable friend be exposed for a conniving murderer because of the mandates of his mission is tragedy at its bitterest.
• Eren breaking all ties with the men he cherished as big brothers; vowing that he will slaughter them in the most excruciating way possible with a demented gleam in his eye. It is killing his soul to say this and he knows it. Reiner can only gnash his teeth at a situation so far out of his control while Bert seems to be silently resigned to just such an eventuality.

"Children"

• Ymir demanding to see Christa while on the verge of tears, because she's certain that it will be her last chance. And talking about how much it meant to her that Christa could smile for her, even knowing what kind of horrible person she considers herself to be.
• Ymir's entire backstory. She was a homeless child in a middle-eastern ghetto, abandoned so early by her parents that she didn't even know her own name. She was taken in by a con-man and passed off as a religious figure of great significance, called Ymir, which allowed him to extract money from people who worshipped her. She had no idea who "Ymir" even was, but went along with it because she was fed and cared for and she made people happy. When military forces raided the cult, the con artist desperately blamed her for the whole deception, and she accidentally condemns herself and her followers with her own mouth while saying what she thinks would save them. She was dragged through the streets and stoned from head to toe, before ultimately being turned into a Mindless Titan. Throughout the scene the look of bewildered horror and utter lost shattered innocence on her face is heartbreaking.

"Charge"

• Ymir almost weeping over her manipulation to convince Historia to come with her and the traitors succeeding. She can't believe she deserves to have the loyalty and love of one whom she considers a much better person than her.
• Jean, Sasha and Connie all gently touching Reiner's Armoured Titan hands as they try to talk Bertholdt and Reiner down by reminding them of how they're all True Companions and promised to grow old together and meet up for drinks one peaceful afternoon. We can't see if Reiner even hears them in his shell, but Bertholdt diminishes under every verbal blow, the weight of his treachery and the murders he's committed chipping away at his composure to reveal the human wreckage underneath.
• And on top of that, the boys mention that they knew Bertholdt's sleeping patterns so well they joked about predicting the weather by them. There's no better proof that the Shifters' plan put both sides of their conflict in close, vulnerable proximity to each other.
• Bertholdt's Trapped in Villainy confession and plea, revealing that their unseen superiors have leverage over them. Likely in the form of family that will be punished in their place for any failures to achieve their objectives. And that they had always gone too far across the Moral Event Horizon to ever try for redemption.
  Bertholdt Hoover: Tell me! Who the hell would want to kill people, by their own choice?! Who the hell would like doing this sort of thing?! Do you think I wanted to do this?! Our friends hate and despise us. We've done such terrible things, we deserve to die. Things we'll never be able to take back... But we... just couldn't... come to terms with our sins. The only time we had some respite... was when we pretended to be soldiers. That's not a lie! Conny! Jean! It's true we may have deceived everyone, but it's not all a lie. We really considered you comrades! Neither of us have any right to even apologise. But... Someone... Please... Someone, please... Someone find us!
• "It's no use. I can't. One of you has to do it. One of you has to stain your hands with my blood."

"Scream"

• The flashback of Carla reprimanding Eren for always getting into fights with the local bullies. She tells Eren to be the protector and not the protected regarding Mikasa; positively reinforcing the spark of temperance in her unruly son. And it's obvious that this struck a great chord with Eren in more ways than one. His mother had discerned his ultimate motive so easily; even if Grisha told her the details of Mikasa's orphaning, it's likely he held back on his son's botched rescue to spare his wife's heart. And we can see that even if she did know, Carla is well aware of her son's insecurities and doing her damnedest to steer him onto a constructive path. Of course, it's likely that Eren only realised the extent of his mother's wisdom when he was recovering from the fight against Annie at the start of the season. This baggage comes back to haunt him though in the most traumatic of ways.
• Hannes doing his damnedest to avenge Carla for Eren and Mikasa by fighting the Smiling Titan alone. Only to be cruelly pulled in half by its teeth in a mirror shot of Carla's death.
• To which Eren collapses to his knees and dissolves into near-insanity, howling a laugh of utter despair at history repeating itself before he ebbs into whimpering and hiccuping entreaties to the root of all his pain and sorrow. The mother that was stolen from him. We see that Eren loathes himself for being unable to rescue her; snuffling out how he couldn't and still can't do anything to protect his loved ones; imploring her to forgive him from beyond the grave for his shortcomings and inability to know it was time to grow into a man she could be proud of. There Are No Therapists Indeed.
• Erwin has lost an arm, Armin is ineffectually holding a Titan at bay for the moment with a senseless Jean in his arms, Historia, Connie, Sasha and Ymir take on all comers while the Corps die like flies. And it is in that moment, when it seems that all is lost, Mikasa, unable to fight from her injuries, gladly bestows on Eren the solace he craves. For then, amid all the horror and ended lives, as Titans close in around them — she smiles tenderly at him.
• Mikasa's tearful admission that Eren has stood by her, saved her and showed her love she cannot live without. She's crying Tears of Joy, Eren's cheeks are streaming, astounded at the faith she has in him and though it looks like he's about to reciprocate her romantic proximity... first he has a job to do; taking his feet to stand in front of her and protect her to his last breath. Even with no gear, no Titan Power, he WILL do it with his bare hands as he lets out a heartbreaking scream of pure defiance against insurmountable odds.
• Ymir choosing to leave Historia behind, after everything she'd done for her. After Historia's declaration that they would live for themselves from here on, and swearing that she won't fear anything as long as they're together. After everything, Ymir gently caresses Historia's hair in Titan form and warbles an apology to her, before running off to help Reiner and Bertholdt. Historia's heartbroken expression as they ride off just makes it even worse.
• Having failed in their mission, Reiner and Bertholdt are too exhausted to stop Ymir from fleeing so they urge her to do so. She refuses, expressing that she's grateful to them for saving her from her "eternal nightmare" and stating that she's the only one that can understand their circumstances. They're all people that weren't able to do anything with their own power, and she decides "playing goddess" (the selfless actions she used to criticize Historia for) isn't so bad. Reiner just looks plain exhausted, while Bertholdt alternately apologizes to her and thanks her while crying.
• A small one. But Levi seemingly struggling in his own taciturn way to process the thought that perhaps every Titan he ever killed was an innocent human victim.
  • That, coupled with Hange’s efforts to present this finding as gently as possible (in direct contrast to exuberant way Hange usually presents new theories about the titans), knowing how upsetting it would be (“well, we don’t know that for certain...”)
• One of the last scenes of the episode is what's left of the Survey Corps, the Wall Garrison and the Military Police retreating into the sunset from the Shifters and Mindless Titans showing the current sorry state of various characters. They may have completed their objective and retrieved Eren but this was a Pyrrhic victory in the truest sense of the word. Everyone has lost something, whether it be a friend, a lover, or even a body part, and nothing will ever be the same. It truly cements that this arc has been one nonstop Wham Episode.

The Uprising

This entry deals with the Survey Corps' clashes with the Interior Military Police, causing them to rebel against the Royal Government.

"Smoke Signal"

• The devastating symbolism behind Season 3's first opening, Red Swan. With Eren looking to the future of every battle he must still face and losing all his innocence in the process as he ignores the manifestation of his childhood self to look across the ocean. Then we have Levi's child footpad upbringing and all the unresolved issues that torment Erwin and Historia. And we even get that shot of Eren's palm from Chapter 99! Is peace a dream that can never be achieved?!
• While the members of the 104th being made into a new elite squad for Levi is pretty cool, when you stop and think about it for a second, you realise exactly how many Survey Corps veterans have been slaughtered by Annie in the 57th expedition and in the Titan crush to rescue Eren from Reiner and Bertholdt. That the best of Humanity are hanging on by a thread if they must resort to using teenagers who have been with them for less than a year as their elite unit.
• The deaths of two of Hange's squad at the hands of the Human Suppression Taskforce. Keep in mind that they are using modified ODM gear. The fact that this weapon, used by the Survey Corps to kill Titans so humanity can go beyond the Walls, is being used to kill fellow humans in order to keep the truth in the dark is pretty disheartening.
• Even worse, these people joined the Corps thinking that their death would come at the hands of a Titan, yet they are killed by the species they're fighting for and trying to protect, and with the aid of the gear they use no less. Dramatic irony at it's most tragic.
• Levi's expression when his squad-mates are killed with guns. This is a man who is not used to being helpless and a powerful shotgun blast invalidates nearly all his skill and strength; whether to protect his subordinates or himself.
• What's worse, who was leading the attack? Blowing Nifa's head off as Levi stood right next to her and trying to do the same to Levi without a care? Levi's Parental Substitute, Kenny. The complete antipathy in their relationship proves to be pretty depressing all on its own...
  • A great extra scene in the manga's 51st Chapter between Historia, Eren, Armin, Jean, and Rico atop Wall Rose is just brimming with pathos.
  Armin Arlelt: Christa, it's —
  Historia Reiss: No. My name is Historia. Eren. Let's hurry... to the other side of the Wall.
  Eren Jaeger: You shouldn't stand up yet -
  Historia: (frantic) Don't worry about me!! We have to get Ymir back! If we don't soon, she's going to go far away!! You're strong, aren't you, Eren?!
  Eren: W - wait -
  Historia: Use your Titan powers to do something!! (collapses)
  Rico Brzenska: Easy, recruit. You're completely exhausted.
  Eren: ... Even after we were taken by Reiner and Bertholdt... Ymir was worried about you. It seemed like all she could think about was you, and how you'd survive this... But, there's one thing I don't get... In the end... She went with them of her own free will, right?
  Connie Springer: Yeah, I couldn't believe she'd run off to save those two...
  Jean Kirstein: She was a mystery to us until the very end...
  Historia: (distraught) I can't stand it... Why...? She... chose them over me... Sh - she said we'd live for our own sake... together... But now she's left me behind... Traitor... I'll never forgive her.
  Jean: Christa? What's wrong? This isn't like you.
  Historia: (laughing hysterically) Christa?! I'm done being Christa. She's gone now! She was a role they gave me in order to keep me alive. Yeah... A girl from a book I read as a child — I... think?
  • Connie is... not happy about the fact that the Titan on his house is patently his mother and in both anime and manga he confides to Eren his desire to avenge his parents and siblings, by killing the Beast Titan. Though at the same time, we can see Connie is morosely grounded enough to recognise that he hasn't the power or drive to realise his revenge and Eren can only stay silent in sympathy for his friend.
  • The revival of the Levi squad has Eren sombrely remember the original team of Oluo, Petra, Eld and Gunther, mirrored in his friends.

"Pain"

• Poor Red Shirt Keiji survives for a couple of more minutes than his manga counterpart. But the guy who rooted for Eren against Reiner is worried for his young charge yet again when he sees he's been pacified with a sleeping dart. So he doesn't even see a Central MP fire a blast that takes off half his head.
• When Kenny confronts Levi in the bar, he relates that they both lived in garbage and how finding out about the true vastness of their world had been a huge blow to both him and Levi. It makes one wonder how they dealt with it...
• It's really hard not to feel bad for Jean; he entered the Survey Corps to help protect humanity and now he was deliberately being told to kill when the Human Suppression Task Force is on the Special Ops' trail. It gets even worse as he has one of the MPs at blade-point, yelling at her not to move or else. His mercy lands him on the wrong end of her gun after she knocks his sword out of his hands.
• It's possibly made sadder that the one yelling his name when he's about to get blown away is Mikasa. For all that she appears to barely notice his existence, we see that she does care about him and reacts frantically when it appears he's about to be killed.
• Poor sweet Armin after he shoots the MP soldier who was about to kill Jean. He's in tears and throwing up outside of the squads' hideout and when Mikasa goes to comfort him, he asks if she felt like he did when she killed one of the human traffickers all those years ago. Then, even though he was drowning in guilt and self-recrimination, Armin immediately tries to apologise to Mikasa, knowing that he hit a sensitive topic with her, disregarding his own anguish and trauma. All while Mikasa assures him it's all right. Another mark of the trio's close bond.
• What's even worse is that the whole reason Armin was able to take out that MP soldier was because despite her shooting Keiji from a distance, she hesitated in doing the same to Jean up-close when she could look him in the eyes and not depersonalise her target. Whatever her reason, it's very clear that she didn't want to kill Jean. Armin lampshades this by remarking that that MP soldier was more moral than he was, as he didn't hesitate to shoot her in the back of the head.
• The MP soldiers' pained expression in the flashback from Jean's perspective made it even more poignant. Until now, we've seen the rest of the anti-human task force as uncompromising murderers. To see a member of that same group hesitate to pull the trigger when the others before didn't reminds the viewer that even if they are enemies, you can't label any of them as wholly "evil".
• Jean's guilt, justified or not, that his hesitancy forced Armin's hand is also rather sad.
• Levi having to hold back Mikasa from going after Eren and getting herself killed. Mikasa is far from happy about this but accedes while screaming Eren's name fruitlessly. Unable to, once again, save the man who saved her yet again. Think about it. Eren and Armin saved them from the artillery, Armin awoke Eren when he was lost in his Titan form, Levi saved Eren from Annie, Armin and Erwin saved him from Reiner and Bertholdt and Eren saved them all from the Titans. Sadly, apart from their first meeting, Mikasa has only physically helped Eren in the heat of battle and her emotional pain must be quite keen when realising that she can only support but never truly protect him from the World as she promised Carla she would.
• Armin's morose assertion that after they've killed and tortured those who simply oppose them on the grounds of perspective and goals instead of pure survival; they cannot say they are good people anymore.
  • In Chapter 55, as Djel's screams echo through the hideout everyone is in, Connie can be seen covering his ears with an expression of anguish. Poor Connie really has been through too much, and he's showing signs of hitting some kind of limit.
• Djel Sannes. Though a monster himself, desperately trying to justify the First Interior Squad's cruelty and suppression as a necessary evil to maintain peace within the Walls. It's clear he only holds onto the delusion to stop himself from going mad. And as he crumbles further his empathy is reawakened, he realises how his countless victims must have felt in the place he finally now occupies. And he implores Levi and Hange to torture him to death as it's all he has done with his miserable blood-stained life.
• The little play Levi and Hange run Ralph through to crush Djel's final vestiges of resistance. His faith in the Military Police's mandate and their supposed Undying Loyalty to the Royal Government. After being duped into believing that his comrade could give in so easily and even scorned his attitudes, the man has nothing left and brokenly spills the beans on the true ruler of the Walls.
• Hange’s brief breakdown after the self-realization of becoming just like their enemies. Driven home by Djel’s speech that there will always be people like him in the world, and that when one actor leaves the stage, another takes his place (“break a leg, Hange”)
• The image of Reeves' son hiding in an ally, having most likely witnessed his father's murder at Kenny's hands, is pitiful.

"Old Story"

• Historia's childhood. Her martyr-complex stems entirely from her mother's criminal neglect and it's implied Alma never wished to be close to her daughter because at any time she knew that the both of them could be erased by the First Interior Squad. But still, even knowing that, the fact that she blames her child for her own mistakes is the cherry on top of this tragedy sundae.
• Historia actually taking comfort in the fact that her mother assaulted her because it's the first time she ever touched her. It showcases the monstrous level of stunted social interaction she was subjected to.
  • A more subtle display of how affection-deprived Historia's childhood was, is how when Historia tries to hug her mother, she doesn't actually hug her, but instead belly flops into her lap, implying that she received so little affection she doesn't exactly grasps how hugs work.
• Alma's last horrifically selfish words to her daughter, seconds before her carotid arteries are opened up by Kenny. "If only I'd never had you."
• Djel gladly giving up the mantle of torturer because he knows Hange has taken it in his stead and that there will always be a need for remorseless cruelty to complete ones' goals. This secretly shakes Hange to her core.
• The confirmation from Eren remembering Ymir and Bertholdt's conversation that Titans do not eat for pleasure, but are instinctively trying to devour a Shifter in order to regain their human form.
  • Hange is also kind enough to remind us that these are most likely all innocent people who would never have done this otherwise, and have been trapped as Titans for who knows how long. As Hange says, their existence is "another tragedy". Which is sobering considering it comes from Hange, who has gone from hating the Titans as much as Eren, to becoming fascinated with them from a scientific standpoint to now feeling well-founded pity for them.
• In hindsight, people mocking Hange for getting attached to Titans, naming them, and finding it emotionally painful to torture them during experiments. It turns out that they were the only person showing sympathy and affection towards people who are trapped in the form of monsters.
• Reeves' body is discovered and the Survey Corps are blamed for his death. Hearing people sneer at and condemn the Survey Corps when they're the ones who are trying to save them is beyond upsetting.
• Erwin's past. He was curious like every child was and decided to tell his friends his father's theory about how the king could alter the memories of their ancestors. And as a result his father was abducted, tortured and murdered by the First Interior Squad, who passed it off as an accident. You can just tell that he blames himself every minute of every day.
  Commander Erwin Smith: There was nothing to justify my father's death. He died because of human greed. And the foolishness of his own son.
  • In Chapter 56, Erwin demonstrates how he has to do the salute with his left arm now that his right one is gone.

"Trust"

• Hitch angrily denouncing the Survey Corps for the destruction of Stohess during Eren's battle against the Female Titan. They recount the great loss of life, once again hitting the viewer with the fact that hundreds of people died in that attack.
• Somewhat worse is Hitch's genuine sorrow for Annie. She has spent all this time believing that Annie was killed during the battle and that her corpse was too mangled to be recognized, and has only her room-mate's possessions to remind her that she even existed. Her face when Levi explained that Annie was the Female Titan is just heartbreaking, and suggests that she really did think of Annie as a friend.
• Erwin's sorry state after being beaten black and blue by the military's representative on the Central Assembly, his one remaining wrist shackled to the dungeon wall and slumped over in exhaustion from the interrogation. When Nile visits him he asks after Nile's family, uncaring of his own suffering.
  • An extra scene in the manga's version of their earlier conversation revealed that Marie, Nile's wife, was a woman they both tried to win the heart of before Erwin's path led him to the Corps.

"Sin"

• Eren remembers the night he gained his powers. And the cost. We see the frightened, tearful Eren forcibly injected with Titan Serum by his father and just before he transforms he is writhing and screaming making it clear how painful it is. It only gets worse after Eren recovers from being a mindless Titan after he's eaten his father. At first there's just a look of confusion which slowly morphs into absolute horror as he wails over Grisha's remains; clutching both his spectacles in one hand and his shoe in the other.
• We see Grisha's death from his own perspective and even see his tear-streaked, terrified face reflected in Eren's Titan eye before he lets himself be consumed. He could use his Titan Power to save himself but he loves his son more than his own life.
• The fact that Eren, who lost his mother to a Titan and vowed to kill them all in revenge, became the very creature he hated and devoured his remaining parent.
• After his memories are restored, Eren is dead silent. The entire time Historia and her father are talking, he doesn't move a muscle. He just sits there, staring at nothing, while everything he remembers now sinks in.
• Frieda erasing Historia's memories of her with the Coordinate in order to protect her from being used for her lineage or becoming involved in their frankly dangerous family.

"Wish"

• Eren remembering the last thing Grisha said to him before he injected him with the Titan Serum. "You'll be the one to avenge your mother!"
• Kenny's brutally honest "Reason You Suck" Speech to Historia, about how her father never loved her and is only using her to get what he wants. Even if it was a lie, Historia had started to take comfort in the new reality Rod was crafting for her, and seeing it being compromised nearly breaks her.
• Eren was not at his rock-bottom at the end of Season Two. That spot is for reaching the Despair Event Horizon here, chained and at Historia's mercy. He realises he was never a chosen individual, one who had inherent qualities necessary for saving the people of the Walls. It was his father's actions that led to the situation they're in now and he must take accountability for the outcomes. Which has been disaster after tragedy after massacre after pointless sacrifice for who he considers to be utterly worthless. Himself.
  Eren: ... Never needed to happen... Me... My father... If he hadn't done what he did here five years ago... Your sister would have been able to take care of everything, right? Because he stole the Power of the Titans from its rightful place... So many people died... Armin's grandpa... Thomas... Mina... Mylius... Nac... Marco... Everyone in Squad Levi... The residents of Stohess District... The soldiers who tried to rescue me... Mister Hannes... And so many more I don't even know... I... I could never atone for all that... It never needed to happen. All of those days we spent training. All those dreams about what could be... past the Walls. I... never needed to happen. ... Do it. At the very least... let it end at your hand. Historia... eat me... And save humanity. It's all... up to you.
• Historia thanking Eren for telling her she was a normal person, before (in the manga) actually sticking the needle into her arm, prepared to grant Eren his wish. Even though Historia ends up not injecting the serum, it shows just how close they came to losing it all.
• "JUST HURRY UP AND EAT ME! I CAN'T GO ON LIVING LIKE THIS!"
• It's hard not to dredge up some pity for Rod when seeing his plans go up in smoke, his maddened, terrified reaction and the injury he accrues at his own daughter's hands, causing him to crawl on the floor like a dog with its hind legs snapped to the remnants of the Titan Serum. He begs his father, brother and daughter to wait for him as he knows he'll soon join them when becoming a mindless monster. It's just a different kind of escape from all his sins.

"Outside The Walls of Orvud"

• Eren breaking down further when he realises the situation is hopeless and he can't see a way out of the nightmare his life has become. His father dead at his own hands, his comrades turned betrayers and mass-murderers, his abilities unable to be utilized and a track-record of failure at every turn. Yuki delivers yet again with a performance that makes Eren sound already dead such is the sorrow and despair in his voice. Levi even apologise to him for asking him to make the choice yet again. Trust in their power, or his own. And to top off the tragedy sundae, Eren's internal dialogue makes us realise in hindsight that Eren has always been pushed forward by ideals and not faith in his own ability.
  Eren Jaeger: I'm sorry... I need you to let me do it... Just once. Let me believe in myself.
• Eren once again remembering Grisha's words to control the passed-down powers in a new light. With his father weeping at his own imminent demise and with the heavy burden he must leave to his son; urging him to save everyone he knows and loves.
  • In the manga, Connie and Sasha being brought to sympathetic tears of their own at Eren's weeping in the cavern.

"Ruler of The Walls"

• The depths of Eren's unresolved neuroses and inferiority complexes is further explored as he lauds Historia's mindset while deprecating himself as a subconsciously vainglorious fool. The reason for more tears? Historia is emulating the best of him.
• The flashback of Eren placing flowers on what must be Hannes' grave in the cemetery of the honoured dead.
• Eren seeing three children down in Orvud district that bear a striking similarity to the trio and praying that they won't suffer like he, Mikasa and Armin did when the Colossal Titan devastated their home. Armin replies that they're probably going to see what they saw, but says that unlike that day, there are soldiers on the Wall that can fight back.
• Eren flashing back to his mother pinned beneath the rubble of their home, with him and Mikasa vainly trying to free her. Before punching himself three times in the face in an effort to as he says: "beat the hell out of a useless, pathetic brat. I hope I finished him off." In that moment Eren determines that MORE is demanded of him than he was ever giving and that he will rise to the challenge. The tragedy of the scene comes from the fact that he always was putting so much of himself into future endeavours but even after all this time. Probably until the day he dies, he will never be able to reconcile the trauma of being powerless to save Carla.
• Historia witnessing Rod's memories as she slices through the nape of his Titan form. Rod as a frightened and frustrated child imprisoned by his own father while pleading with him to kill the Titans, Freida and Uri's bright hopeful smiles and vows to resist the First King's will turning into the dead-eyed stare of the possessed, and finally Rod confiding in Historia's mother, stating that she is the only one who understood him. Seeing an earnest young man who only wanted to better humanity be slowly transformed into a manipulative fanatic and finally into a rampaging monster is heartbreaking.

"Friends"

• As Kenny dies, we're treated to flashbacks of when he adopted Levi and how he came to be in King Uri's service. And the myriad moments when he believed he could become a better man than the "garbage" he thought himself as.
• "Violence was all I ever had, but in that moment it had failed me."
• Uri Reiss. Now there is a man many would call king. Not only for his power as a Physical God but for his humble nature, genuine piety and remorseful sorrow that he could not create a paradise within the Walls along with the suppression of the minority bloodlines. Even kowtowing to Kenny as one of the persecuted Ackermans he feels he must beg forgiveness from. An act that shapes the rest of Kenny's life.
• Kuchel Ackerman, Kenny's little sister. By the time he tracks her to Mitras' underground red light district. She had become bedridden by a venereal disease and has starved to death. Kenny's muttered incomprehension at her withered corpse, even from a hardened killer, is just gut-wrenching.
• Little Levi. Filth-encrusted and as pale and gaunt as a ghost. He must be all of four or five years old and is nearly dead from malnutrition himself, as he hasn't been able to leave his mother's side. Worse. He seems to be clad in one of her shirts in some pitiful attempt at comfort.
• Kenny's self-assessment of his parenting skills. "A cold little brat on death's door. That's all Kuchel left behind. I wasn't so inhuman I was gonna leave him to die. But I sure as hell wasn't enough of a man to be his dad."
• Uri almost making the Will of the First King seem sympathetic as he laments how violence is the unavoidable truth of the World, but still clings to the miracle of how he and Kenny could become friends after such a brush with death for both of them.
• Kenny's non-existent self-worth. He believes that compassion can only be a part of his character if he obtains the Founding Titan's mindset. Not realising he had already had a chance to be a compassionate father-figure to his nephew if he had only tried to surpass his doubts.
• This exchange:
  Levi Ackerman: That day... Why did you leave me?
  Kenny Ackerman: 'Cause... I wasn't meant to be someone's... father.
• Yet his final act is to give Levi the only meagre token he has in the form of the Titan Serum.
• Levi smiling is rather bitter-sweet as he is just being distracted from his conflicted feelings about Kenny by the antics of his Squad.

"Bystander"

• The conversation where Floch's group of new Survey Corps transfers wonder what happened to the Levi Squad to make them get "that look in their eyes". Jean asks if he really wants to know, and Floch has the sense to backtrack and say no.
• Eren for a moment subsuming himself in the certainty that even for a few moments he was a Mindless Titan and that he saw his father's death through his own eyes... Mikasa snaps and tells him to focus on eating; not wishing to hear about a man she respected and admired die so ignominiously.
• Keith Shadis' backstory, including the moment when he belatedly realises that he should have taken Carla's words to heart and the reason why he's never been able to make a difference in his eyes is only due to his own inferiority complex.
  Commandant Keith Shadis: Average men aren't able to accomplish anything. Special people do exist. It's just that I wasn't one of them.
  • In the corresponding chapter, Keith desperately trying to find Carla at the refugee centre in Trost after Wall Maria has fallen and apologise to her for his cruel words almost a decade ago. But of course, he never gets the chance as her son blearily relates to Grisha that she was eaten and Keith falls to his knees a broken man.
• Keith learned the hard way that every last Scout Commandant had the exact same goals and beliefs of surpassing their predecessor that he did before taking command: The old guys didn't know what they were doing, things would be different if I were Commander, we'd get results. Then 4 or 5 years later he returns a failure just like the rest before passing off command to Erwin.
• Grisha's dead silence when he hears of his wife's death speaks volumes. The man has just reached his own Despair Event Horizon and has one more task to fulfil before he shuffles off the mortal coil.
• Keith disabled Eren's belt to honour Carla's wish of her son leading an ordinary life but Eren's desire to eradicate the Titans in her name pushes her son to balance on his broken ODM belt regardless; proving in Keith's eyes that Eren is just as special as his father was.
• "But in the end... I was nothing more... than a bystander after all... I've always been powerless to change anything."

"Night of the Battle to Retake the Wall"

• Eren, Armin, and Mikasa thinking that they see Hannes for a moment before they see the man's face clearly and not only realize that he isn't Hannes, but remember that Hannes is dead and they'll never see him again.
• Eren's reaction when Armin reminds him about their dream to see the ocean is very sad. Before, Eren would always react to the prospect with enthusiasm, but here, he hesitates and gives little more than an "Oh, alright then.", coupled with a lacklustre smile. He isn't being mean about it, but it's clear that he's lost the drive to see the ocean with Armin, something that they promised to do together since they were little. The uneasy/shocked look on Armin's face when he realizes this signifies what is likely the first crack in their relationship. It's... really heartbreaking to see, considering how strong Eren and Armin's care for one another has been throughout the series so far.
• There's an underlying sadness in the whole episode that really cements it as a "Calm before the storm" situation.
• Reiner and Bertholdt looking out at the sunset atop Shiganshina's inner gate; their desolate duty all that is left to them compared to the mass of camaraderie and brotherhood making to do battle with them.

Return to Shiganshina

This entry deals with the Military Junta-backed Survey Corps expedition to recover Wall Maria, and the battle between the Corps and the Colossal, Armoured, Beast and Cart Titans.

---

"Thunder Spears"

• Erwin's self-loathing. The imagery of the Mountain of Bodies not as the act of an unstoppable warrior but of a leader who feels he's damned to hell for all the blood spilt in his name.
• Eren's internal monologue combines this with Awesome as he takes Reiner apart. This was their home and on this ground, on this spot he will not, cannot lose to a man who only has his own life at stake.
• Jean, Sasha and Connie putting down Reiner with tears in their eyes. Their expressions of grief and hesitation in finishing their former comrade says it all. Jean has to urge them into the second volley.
• Reiner begging his former-friends to desist as the canopy of his Titan is breached by multiple explosive charges. Even worse in the dub!
  Reiner Braun: NO! I DON'T WANNA DIE!

"Descent"

• The truth behind Marco's death. He accidentally catches Reiner and Bertholdt discussing their plan and they end up pinning him down, force a traumatised Annie to remove his ODM-Gear, and they leave him to be chewed on by an approaching Titan. And all the while, a confused Marco is screaming for them to just explain themselves before he is killed. Annie is visibly reluctant and horrified to leave Marco to die, and when Marco is being eaten, Reiner snaps back into his innocent personality and has no idea what is happening.
• The part with Annie needs some elaboration. Namely, Reiner and Bertholdt capture Marco and pin him down when suddenly, Annie arrives. A panicked Marco pleads for Annie to help him, to which she gets a horrified face and, upon hearing Reiner say they have to kill him, she screams at him for making her do this. The face on Annie as she sees Marco asking her to help him is the heartbreaking part, you can practically see her thinking "No, don't ask me for help! I'm one of them! I'm sorry!" She even calls out Reiner and Bertholdt for putting her in this position in the first place by making a situation where they have a case of He Knows Too Much. She seems on the verge of hysterics, her tone in the anime showing she’s just holding back tears.
  Annie: ... you shitheads. What the hell?
• And what makes her go through with it? Reiner accusing her of essentially being a traitor to her people. She has been forced into an impossible situation and she is damned no matter what she chooses.
  Reiner: Have you started to feel compassion for this evil race?! Prove me wrong right here! If you claim that you... and the father waiting for your return... are different from this defiled race... PROVE IT TO ME RIGHT NOW!
• The next we see of Reiner, he is hanging out of the Armoured Titan's body, with the top half of his head missing. While the Survey Corps celebrate, Reiner's former friends are clearly in mourning. Jean tries to put on a brave face but it quickly cracks when he realises Connie and Sasha are sobbing. He angrily grabs both and tries to justify their actions before breaking down himself. Eren is kneeling there in his Titan form, at a loss for words. When Hange rallies everyone to get ready for the "next one" (aka Bertholdt), Mikasa responds with an exhaustive, submissive sigh, and then goes to comfort Armin who sadly comments that because of their lack of knowledge about Titan Shifters, killing Reiner was their only option.
• Bertholdt is rather stoic and unflinchingly comments on the war and how people must die, which is either awesome (if you think he's right that he himself needed to grow a pair) or alarming (if you find this shift upsetting). But this chapter delves further into Bertholdt feeling that although no one is at fault, people have to die, so he'll do what he can to make sure no more people have to suffer. He ends the chapter with a very deliberate parallel to Mikasa's catchphrase about the world being both beautiful and cruel, except that he never remarks on anything being beautiful. For Bertholdt, the world really has only ever been cruel.
• The final exchange between Armin and Bertholdt all but proves there was never any chance for peace... even before Mikasa attacked him.
  Armin: If you could see that far through us, why did you even agree to talk?
  Bertholdt: I wanted to make sure... that I won't break down and cry again... and beg for forgiveness... as soon as I stood before you guys. But... I seem to be fine. Yeah... You're all my precious comrades. I also intend to kill you.
  Armin: Is that because... you think we're children of the devil?
  Bertholdt: Oh, no... None of you have done anything wrong. And you're not devils either. But you all still have to die. That's just how it is.

"Perfect Game"

• The deaths of almost the entire Survey Corp. Most of the veterans are killed via bombardment. Hange and their squad are blown to ashes by Bertholdt's transformation and only the green boys and girls, Erwin, Levi, his squad and Eren are still alive.
• Floch's terrified and all too real admission that like most soldiers, he had bought in on all the patriotism and appeals to courage and duty the Corps were espousing to drum up recruits. But now, when confronting his own mortality, nihilistic dread crushes all his former resolve and morale plummets to rock-bottom.
• Levi all but outright stating to Erwin that his life is meaningless next to Erwin's and Eren's and that he will go down fighting the Beast Titan even if he has no chance of reaching him just to give them the chance to escape and fight another day.
• Erwin's confession to Levi as he agonises over abandoning his duty to find the secrets in Grisha's cellar study or lead the fresh recruits right into the killing fields and make all the prior sacrifices mean something.

"Hero"

• Marlowe is killed as the Beast Titan hurls rocks at the advancing recruits, with his last thoughts being about how Hitch is probably still asleep in bed and that he may have had unrequited feelings for her after all.
• Levi's Moment of Weakness of hesitating to kill Zeke before he finds someone — who he hopes to be Erwin, not knowing that Erwin was struck down almost immediately — to give the Titan injection to, so they can eat Zeke. After this, when Zeke escapes him and the situation becomes desperate, all Levi can think about is how he promised Erwin he'd kill Zeke, and the opportunity may have slipped from his fingers for good. It's another uncharacteristically vulnerable sequence for Levi, and yet more evidence that Erwin is his Living Emotional Crutch... who seems to have died just like Levi knew he would if he returned to the field.
• Sasha is injured and unconscious by Reiner, many people are already dead, Connie is out of action because he's holding Sasha, Jean has been injured by debris and can't fight, and Mikasa is basically all on her own, about to make what Connie obviously considers a suicide move, until Hange shows up to save the day.
• The self-sacrifice of Armin, who gives up his life and his dream of seeing the outside world and the ocean, so that Eren can defeat the Colossal Titan. Eren remarks that Armin was the bravest of all of them, and he's right. Armin abandons his dream of seeing the ocean for the sake of the Survey Corps victory, which is a nice Call-Back to earlier in the series when he said that those who couldn't throw anything away could never change anything.
  Armin Arlelt: I'm leaving it to you, Eren. My dreams. My life. Everything. This is all I have to give. If it's Eren, then he'll definitely make it to the ocean... He'll see... the ocean... for us...

"Midnight Sun"

• Jean, at first having to be the one to remind Connie and Sasha to attack Reiner, is now horrified at how he's being treated, limbless and defenceless and blind, under Hange's sadistic thumb. Bertholdt's situation is possibly worse: He too is limbless and can't do anything, but everyone around him is arguing over who to feed him to and whose life to save, treating him as food to be eaten. Even on the human side, things aren't good. It's Erwin or Armin, and one life has to be saved at the cost of the other. Levi at first agrees to give Armin the serum, but when shown Erwin's body, almost immediately changes his mind. This act of snatching away Armin's life has Eren horrified, and Mikasa even has her blade raised as though to force Levi out of it.
• The tone of the episode reflects the horrific price of victory for the Recon Corps. Out of the 100+ soldiers that rode off a day earlier, only 10 are still alive, 2 of which are on the verge of death. The Survey Corps is essentially destroyed but The Warriors are defeated and Wall Maria has been reclaimed. Despite this being the greatest success in their history, the victory feels hollow.
• Levi going back on his word at first to save Armin for Erwin seems morally wrong at front face, but in hindsight makes a lot of sense considering his tragic and bloody past; after losing so many people and friends he cared about to the war against the Titans, is it any wonder he took a moment to reconsider his choices and selfishly save one of the few people left he could truly call a friend?
  • Reiner openly weeping in the manga panels, first from the pain of Hange's torture and later when Zeke saves only him and leaves his last remaining friend behind. Their enemies now have Bertholdt and Reiner knows he won't live long. The one person Reiner holds above all the others and has sworn to protect is being left for dead or worse, and there is nothing he can do about it.
• The complete breakdown of order and chain of command during the serum debate is also tragic. At the end of the day these aren't just soldiers, they're people, some of them kids, who have lost friends. And when one or two are able to be saved, of course they start to pick sides and act irrationally to try and help them.
• As Hange pulls Mikasa off of Levi, she breaks down in shrieking sobs, unwilling to accept Armin's death. Eren is also in tears, desperately trying to appeal to Levi, only for Floch to pin him down and tell him to stop.
• The reveal of how Hange survived. Moblit threw Hange into a well, away from the Colossal Titan's blast, saving them, and the last time Hange sees him, it's obvious that they both know that he's about to die. By the time Hange gets out of the well after the blast, Moblit is nowhere to be found because he wasn't just killed, he was completely vaporized.
• The choice is made on who to save with the Titan serum. Erwin, delirious from blood-loss, lost in memory, pulls his arm away from the injection site; whispering fragments of the question he asked his father in class so many years ago. And Levi, consumed by guilt for failing his friend and not wishing to prolong his suffering by the rapidly encroaching dead-end of his dream — takes another path. One that puts the devil they needed to his well-deserved rest and gives the young remnants of the Survey Corps hope again.
• Bertholdt being devoured by the newly Titanized Armin. They leave him limbless and broken, unable to transform, right in front of Armin. He's desperately crying and screaming futilely for somebody to save him, specifically Reiner and Annie, while his former friends from the 104th force themselves to watch; all of them crying (even Eren).
• The moments just before Bertholdt gets eaten by Armin actually become much sadder the more you think about it: he woke up coming face-to-face with a Titan with barely a few seconds to mentally process what is going on, and in that very moment of utter confusion and terror, it's more than likely that he forgot all about his mission along with being the Colossal Titan while screaming and begging his former friends to save him, and seeing their crying faces is what made him remember. In his last moments, he remembered that he was the one responsible for so much suffering and death to the people living in the Walls and that he would never be forgiven by them for what he did. He started screaming for Reiner and Annie only after remembering that, despite the futility of it. Right before Bertholdt gets eaten, before and after he begs to be saved, we see a close-up of his horrified, crying expression as he fully realizes that nobody will save him. And he's about to meet the end he and Reiner gave Marco.
• Eren once mentioned that he would make Bertholdt's death especially excruciating since Bertholdt was indirectly responsible for the death of Eren's mother. However, it's pretty clear that while Eren got his wish, he's far from happy seeing Bertholdt screaming for help as he dies horribly.
• Levi remembers his last conversation with Erwin and the look of sheer happiness and relief on his face after Levi told him to go with the rest of the recruits and die, and that he'd take care of the Beast Titan. Levi being Levi, his emotional process through all this is fairly subtle, but his flat resignation when he tries to have some last words with Erwin and is told that he's already dead, clearly not totally prepared for that reality yet despite his decision, is rough.

"The Basement"

• Armin's fever dream/vision at the beginning. The cries of "it hurts" combined with the skeletal visage of Bertholdt's Titan quietly weeping is truly haunting.
  • When Armin realizes how he survived — at the cost of forfeiting a chance to save Erwin — it's clear that he's suffering Survivor Guilt, not to mention feeling bad that Mikasa and Eren attacked Levi and got in trouble for his sake. Levi and Hange can't offer much comfort, since they had believed Erwin was more valuable to humanity, and the most they can say is to urge him to do what he can to ensure that the choice made was the right one.
• Eren and Mikasa's slow walk towards their home is like a funeral. Revisiting scenes of ghosts and good memories from long ago, recalling the steps they took on the day their lives ended, right up until they round the corner and find the ruins of the Yeager household. Rather than jump straight into the basement, Levi and Hange give them space and time to scavenge and collect surviving items from home.
• The tragedy of the Eldians. An entire race of people living within Walls, sealed by forces beyond their control, suffering for the sins of their bloodline, not even for actions they themselves have taken. Whether it's Eren, trapped by the Titans and the First King, or Grisha, trapped by the Marleyans and the legacy of Ymir Fritz, it's hard not to see how everyone has gotten the short stick here.
  • And yes, the Marleyans do have their sympathetic moments. Their entire kingdom is a ranked hierarchy, with Eldians living in squalid ghettos, afraid of the world outside, but remember that just eighty years ago the Marleyans fought and won a desperate war against the Titan Shifters, ending seventeen hundred years of oppression and genocide... supposedly. The government is likely lying to everyone, and driving up hate against the Eldians, manipulating everyone for their own sick gain.
• More of a tearjerker in hindsight, but the fact that the Survey Corps, the quest to retake territory from the Titans, Eren's desire for revenge... all now have much less meaning. The people who were supposed to be heroes freeing humanity from the Titans know that their purpose has been undermined.

"That Day"

• Faye's senseless and horrific murder, Grisha's apocalyptic Tranquil Fury at the injustice of Marley and his father's grovelling to them to survive. Mrs Jaeger is all but catatonic with grief and on the same day, Mr Jaeger decides to hammer in the party-line's propaganda text-book into his traumatised son's skull. All but ensuring his only surviving child will become prime revolutionist material.
• "I began to feel so much hatred for both this man and my father that I began to feel dizzy. But most of all, I cursed my own foolishness."
• This entire exchange, showing just how trapped and desperate the situation for Eldians is on the continent.
  Mr Jaeger: I told you, our ancestors were reprehensible devils. They believed in eugenics and tried to cleanse -
  Grisha Jaeger: (slamming his fists on the table) FAYE AND I DIDN'T DO ANY OF THAT! ALL WE DID WAS WALK AROUND TOWN!
• Grisha is forced to watch as his comrades from the Eldian Restoration Movement are transformed into mindless Titans by the Marleyans, and lured by the offer of a fleeing Grice, who wasn't transformed into one. This includes Grisha's first wife, Dina, who is turned into the Smiling Titan. It also gives a new meaning to one of the first things Grisha asked from Keith, when they first met: "You're not fighting them, are you?"
• In the same vein: Those mindless Titans? Look close. Those are the same ones that attack the Trost district, including the Bearded Titan that nearly ate Armin and did eat Eren, the Huge-Mouth Titan that bit Eren's leg off, and the infamous Moe Titan.
• In Dina's final moments before she is turned into a Titan, she gives Grisha a Broken Smile and tearfully promises that she will find him again, implying that even as a mindless Titan this was her drive since the beginning of the story. Even Eren, who witnessed this Titan eat his mother and Hannes and probably hated that Titan more than anything else in the world, couldn't help but shed tears when he realizes it was her.

"The Attack Titan"

• Eren and Armin realize that since someone who inherits a Titan's power usually only lives for 13 years, that most likely means Armin has 13 years of life left and Eren only has eight years at most. Mikasa despairingly trying to deny that both of her oldest friends are going to die fairly young is heartbreaking. They've essentially only delayed Armin's death by thirteen years.
• In the process of explaining things to Grisha, Kruger reveals that both sides are manipulating history — Ymir never turned the world into a paradise, but she also never created a hell, indicating that the real truth of what happened to the world may very well have been lost forever.
• The life of Eren Kruger, the secret leader of the Eldian Restorationists and the man who saved Grisha's life, also deserves mention. As a kid, he watched in horror as his entire family was burned alive due to his father fighting in an Eldian uprising some years early. As an adult, he managed to infiltrate the Marleyan military and create another underground Eldian organization with Grisha's help, but to maintain his cover he had to persecute, torture, kill, and transform thousands of fellow Eldians into Titans despite wanting nothing more than to protect them. By the time he saves Grisha and entrusts him with the Attack Titan and his mission, Kruger seems so thoroughly exhausted and haunted by his actions over the years that he is not remotely fazed by the thought of Grisha eating him.

"The Other Side of The Walls"

• Floch unloads his frustrations with the decision to save Armin over Erwin, saying to the former's face that he's the one who should have died instead of Erwin, thus exacerbating Armin's Survivor Guilt.
• After the initial excitement about seeing the ocean fades, Eren realizes that on the other side of the Walls isn't a beautiful and unclaimed world, but one full of countless enemies who want all of the Eldians dead, and the only way to survive is to defeat all of them. It's saying a lot when the days when humanity was locked in a seemingly hopeless war with an almost unlimited horde of Titans outside the Walls almost seem pleasant by comparison.
  Eren: There's a sea... and just across that sea, freedom's waiting. That's what I always believed, at least. But I was wrong. I know what's waiting across the sea now. It's our enemies. Everything we've seen... has been exactly as it was in my father's memories. Hey... if we did cross the sea and we killed our enemies... after that, would we finally be free?
  • The Japanese version of this quote in the anime is heartwrenching. Eren's voice is serious in the beginning and as he talks you can hear his voice breaking, signifying his anguish and despair. He sees the ocean for the first time and can't even enjoy it with his friends because he's focused on what's beyond it, and what he alone will end up having to do all so he can keep his friends safe.

The Truths of Marley

This entry concerns the conclusion and aftermath of the war between the nation of Marley and the Mid-East Alliance, whose aftermath causes Marley to enact plans to carry out an invasion on Paradis Island, and the surprise attack of the Attack Titan and the Survey Corps on the Liberio Ghetto at Marley.

"The Other Side of the Sea"

• Falco rescues an enemy soldier that was injured, and begins tending to his wounds. As Udo translates, the prisoner demands that they stop touching him.....because he doesn't want to be "tainted" by demons like them. To make things worse, an injured Marleyan being treated by Udo laughs rather heavily at what he said.
• The depressed look on Gabi's face while looking at her armband, after briefly being allowed to remove it.

"Midnight Train"

• The Warrior Candidates wondering what will happen to them, now that Titans are rapidly becoming obsolete as weapons of war. While none of them say it out loud, it's clear they realize their people will no longer be useful to Marley.
• While in town with the candidates, Reiner briefly hallucinates them as his childhood friends and calls out to them. He tries to cover it up, but is visibly shaken. Two of his friends are dead, another missing, and the only one left — Galliard — hates him and considers him a failure. The children Reiner's supervising are exactly the same as he and his friends used to be, and intended for the same terrible purpose.
  • Ymir is dead. She was devoured by Galliard so that the Marley military could regain the Jaw Titan's power. In the brief shot that we see her, she just looks resigned, so tired of even living. And she and Historia will never see each other again.
  • Her life was so tragic that even Porco, the guy who devoured her for the Jaw Titan power, whose brother she devoured years earlier felt sorry for her after seeing her memories as a side-effect of acquiring the Jaw Titan.
• Reiner talks a little about his experiences inside the Walls, trying to stick to the propaganda that all the people living there are evil. But he's unable to actually badmouth his former friends, smiling behind his hands before recalling the time he spent together with them. After referring to the people on Paradis as "different people", his family looks horrified, and he quickly tries to backpedal to avoid any further problems. But it's painfully clear that regardless of everything that has happened, he still cares about the 104th. And he can never express these feelings out loud, for fear of being reported by his family.

"The Door of Hope"

• Reiner's entire backstory: His overwhelming, Boomerang Bigot mother raised him alone, telling him that his father couldn't be with them because he's a Marleyan. He wasn't the exceptionally talented cadet he later became, and instead struggled through training and repeatedly teared up in frustration at his failings. He was finally accepted for having written an essay about his Undying Loyalty to Marley, which Galliard claimed proved that he was completely useless and resulted in a fight between the two. Afterwards, he tells Bertolt that his motivation for becoming a Warrior is because he believes doing so will allow him to be with both his parents as a real family. He talks about becoming a hero by destroying the demons on the Island, and saving the whole world by doing so. It's clear that he was a horrifically naive Wide-Eyed Idealist that was chosen because he could be easily manipulated by Marley, and all he ever wanted was to make his mother happy and meet his father. Instead, he's become a mass murderer, lost the friends he cherished, can no longer speak honestly to his own family, and is watching Gabi go down the same path as him.
• On the day before he left on the mission to the Walls, Reiner went to meet his father. The man he'd dreamed of meeting his entire life accuses him of being there for revenge, screams that Reiner is putting his family in danger, and calls him a "child of the devil" before slamming the door in his face. The following day, Reiner's mother sees him off while telling him that his father will be praying for his success. He can't even admit that he already knows this is a complete lie.
• Gabi admits to Reiner the real reason that she wants the Armoured Titan. It's never been about glory or honor, as previously indicated. She actually wants to inherit his Titan because she feels that's the only way she won't lose him, and inheriting his memories will allow her to understand all the things he hasn't been able to share. Even though she's only 12, Gabi knows her cousin is suffering and can't talk about it, so she wants to share his burden in the only way she thinks is possible.
• During the journey to Wall Maria, Marcel breaks down and confesses a secret to the others: He was afraid for his brother's safety, so he rigged the selection of the Armoured Titan in Reiner's favour. Porco was meant to receive the Armoured Titan, and Reiner was always the dead-last failure that was going to be left behind. Realizing that he didn't earn his Titan through honest means leaves Reiner in shock, and its while walking in a daze that he's ambushed by Ymir's Titan.
  • What makes this even worse: with the mission having failed and Porco being chosen to inherit Marcel's Titan, it means his decision above was ultimately All for Nothing.
• In the immediate aftermath of Marcel's death, Annie and Reiner end up arguing over whether to abandon their mission. Annie beats him bloody in a rage, and Reiner ends up choking her until she relents. Bertolt stands on the sidelines, crying while his remaining friends brutalize each other.
• Reiner telling Annie that "Reiner is dead", and promising to become Marcel if that's what they need.
• The Warrior trio hugging each other, in the aftermath of Wall Maria, and promising to become "true warriors".
• An old man tells them about having abandoned his family to escape the Titans, then kills himself. No one can remember where he came from. Bertolt ends up recounting the man's tale, when he meets Eren and Armin.
• It's revealed that Eren wasn't always the determined hothead we know and love. He had a brief moment of despair during boot camp where he confessed to Reiner that he's afraid he'll never be strong enough to make a difference. This is long before his breakdowns in seasons 2 and 3, showing that it was really only a matter of time.
• Eren and Falco sitting outside the hospital, looking at the physically and/or mentally broken soldiers while discussing how war destroys people.
• When Falco admits that he probably won't become a Warrior, Eren is relieved to hear that. He tells Falco that he's kind, and hopes he'll live a long life. His mood grows somber when Falco explains that he needs to do it, to protect the other candidate.
• Flashbacks of Reiner interacting with Eren and Bertholdt, corresponding with shots of a rifle being loaded. The next shot is a Splash Panel of Reiner with the rifle in his mouth, preparing to shoot himself. He's only prevented from going through with it because he hears Falco outside. Reiner doesn't want to go on living, but his sense of obligation towards the kids prevents him from committing suicide.

"From One Hand to Another"

• The conversation at the hospital, between doctor and patient. Dr. Yeager doesn't seem to know that the young man he is speaking with is his long-lost grandson. The subject turns to his own family, causing him to break down in grief over the fates of his children. Eren can only helplessly watch his grandfather crying and screaming hysterically, until staff come to escort him away; revealing him to be, in truth, just another inmate of the institute. From their apologies to Eren, it seems that this isn't an unusual occurrence.

"Declaration of War"

• In a flashback, the Warriors discuss the old man from Chapter 96 (episode 62) again. Annie theorized that he told them his story out of a desire to be forgiven, and brings up their own abandonment of Marcel. In contrast, Bertholdt believed the old man wanted someone to pass judgment on him. While the old man is the subject of their discussion, it's clear that Annie and Bertholdt are both actually talking about themselves and how they actually feel about their mission. While Annie would later apologize to the dead in the aftermath of Trost, Bertholdt expressed the belief that their actions could never be forgiven.
• The meeting between Ms. Braun and Mr. Leonhart, which serves as another remainder of the tragedies that have befallen their families. She casually notes that Mr. Hoover had finally died of his illness, and praises the death of Bertholdt, her son's best friend. When she tries to similarly praise Annie's loss, Mr. Leonhart interrupts her and insists that his daughter is still alive... because she promised him she would come home.
• Lord Tybur tells the audience that the Marleyan hero, Helos, never existed. In truth, the Eldian empire collapsed because Karl Fritz hated his own people and went into voluntary exile, condemning the Eldians with his "oath of Peace". Rather than attempt to make the world better, when he inherited the Founding Titan and became ruler of the Eldians... he simply abandoned the world, and went into hiding. He decided to "live in paradise" while he could, condemning his people to suffer until Marley finally decided to exterminate them. As hinted during the confrontation with Rod Reiss, the King's Will was for the extinction of his people. Even so, Lord Tybur still frames the Eldians as being to blame and deserving of their fates.
• Falco's horror at realizing that he'd been used, shouting about how he'd respected and been inspired by Eren's friendship. Reiner looks down at this, while Eren can only offer a weak apology for his actions.
• Reiner asks whether Eren is there to kill him, and is brushed off with words of sympathy and understanding. This does nothing to reassure Reiner, who collapses out of his chair and crawls to the other man's feet, begging to be killed. He rejects the claim that his motivations were good and understandable, stating that he was just selfish and that he's so disgusting that he simply wants to disappear.
• As Willy Tybur makes his declaration of war and stirs the audience into a frenzy, Eren wears an exhausted expression. He takes a moment to steel himself, before explaining that he understands that there's no choice but to keep moving forward. In spite of knowing that they are the same and shouldn't need to fight, the divided Eldian people are being forced to fight each other again.
• The anime added a flashback scene where Willy said goodbye to his family before the Liberio event. He makes his eldest daughter promise to get along with her siblings, who are all oblivious to what's about to go down. He kisses his wife goodbye, who is clearly aware of his plan and visibly fighting back tears. He may have been a bastard but it's a solemn reminder he was still human.
• The entire conversation between Reiner and Eren, ending with Eren turning into a Titan. Eren reveals that he has travelled the same path as Reiner did, coming across to Marley and living among the Eldians there, learning that the people there are as varied as his own... but he still transforms into a Titan at the end of the chapter, killing bystanders. After so many chapters of wanting to kill the Titans or beat the people from Reiner and Annie's village to prevent anyone else from going through the horror he did, Eren has become the kind of monster he set out to fight. This isn't even lost on him, he admits that that in the end of it all, him and Reiner are exactly the same.
• A few chapters earlier, Gabi optimistically stated that the Tybur Family chose to hold the announcement in the Liberio Ghetto to make an attempt to better the relations between Eldians and the rest of the world. In reality, Willy held it there in order to ensure most of the casualties would be Eldians if the Paradis infiltrators decided to strike while giving his announcement.

"The War Hammer Titan"

• During Eren's attack, Zofia is crushed by falling debris and Udo is trampled to death by the panicking crowd, all right in front of a shell-shocked Gabi.
• Though the Survey Corps return to action is glorious, Floch and others start bombing the internment zones, resulting in countless civilian casualties in an attempt to take out any possible remaining soldiers. Jean immediately admonishes this, still trying to hold on to what humanity he has left.
• Mikasa's pained and tearful face as she notes that Eren's killed several civilians, including children, knowing that they've officially crossed the Moral Event Horizon. All Eren does is silently and stoically gaze back, unable to provide any words of comfort before focusing back on the objective.

"Assault"

• Chapter 103 (episode 66) is another exercise in suffering, even referred to in the narration as a cycle of tragedy.
• Falco discovers Reiner unconscious and fused with his Titan, having lost the will to live. He desperately tries to wake Reiner, trying to remind him that there are people out there waiting for him to come back.
• The deaths of the Panzer Unit, which causes the normally level-headed Pieck to charge in recklessly in her grief. This leads her directly into a trap, with her Titan blown apart by the Thunder Spears. Though the unit hadn't been given much focus, it was clear the group were True Companions that cherished Pieck regardless of her Eldian heritage.
  • The anime Does a good job of portraying it. Showing the pure terror on their faces as they are burned alive. Made worse that, in spite of all of this, Pieck still calls to them just as she herself is consumed by the flames. She thankfully survives, but will most certainly be haunted.
• Falco throwing himself over Pieck's nape during the fight, desperately begging the Survey Corps to stop. In spite of everything, he still wants to believe in other people and tries to appeal to their humanity to save his comrade. For his part, Jean looks horrified at a child entering the line of fire.
• Armin looking down on the devastation he's caused, focusing several times of the corpse of a child crushed by falling debris. He muses aloud that this must have been what Bertholdt saw, speaking to his long-dead predecessor.
• Jean, who berated Floch for destroying civilian housings, finds himself forced to fire his thunder spear at the unarmed Falco in order to take out Pieck. He hesitates for a moment, but nevertheless decides to not miss his chance at taking out a key target.
• Trapped on the opposite end of the plaza, Galliard realizes his comrades have both been defeated. He recalls a happier time spent with Zeke and Pieck, and wonders if they're both dead.
• Falco vaguely suggesting that they shouldn't disturb Reiner, but unable to explain to Gabi that it's because her cousin wants to die.

"Assassin's Bullet"

• Chapter 105/episode 67 is pretty much one from beginning to end.
• It is revealed that a deep rift has formed between Eren and those who were his closest friends. When leaving Marley aboard the airship Armin seems distant from him, Levi brutally assaults him, and Hanji openly accuse him of betrayal. It's revealed that the plan to attack Marley was cooked up by Eren and Zeke working together, and Eren had to effectively take himself hostage by going to Marley alone to force Paradis to act. Hange says that while Eren trusts them with his life... they have lost all trust in him. Like Erwin before him, Eren has become the inhuman "devil" that does what needs to be done to save his people, at the cost of their trust and his morality.
• Meanwhile, the strike team celebrates surviving the battle. Connie, Sasha and Jean share a tender moment among the festivities. While saddened that there were casualties on their side during the fray, Connie is relieved that neither of his friends were hurt, because they are so special to him. Not long after, tragedy strikes with Gabi boarding the airship and opening fire on the soldiers. Sasha is shot in the abdomen and slowly dies of massive haemorrhaging. Worse still she dies in a delirium brought on by the loss of blood, thinking she's back at home, about to have supper with her friends. Mikasa and Armin break down crying over their friend's body, Connie is in deep shock, unwilling to accept his best friend has been snuffed out; while Jean coldly blames Eren for Sasha's death. Eren finally visibly snaps when he hears that Sasha's last word was "Meat". He recalls her dream to reclaim Wall Maria so that there would be plenty of food for everyone and the day she raided the officer's pantry for meat to share with all her friends. One of the Cadet Corps last innocent moments before being thrust into the horrors of war. For the first time since the time-skip his mask slips, and we see a vestige of the old Eren's righteous fury along with remorse for his friend's fitting last words and the painful realization that someone he cares about has died for him once again without even knowing what hit them.
  • On the Marley side, Gabi receives a grim reminder that for all her naive idealism and desire to kill her enemies, she's still just one little kid caught in the middle of a conflict she doesn't understand. First Falco is powerless to stop her from going on her suicide mission into the enemy airship, forcing him to tag along in a last desperate effort to save her from a terrible fate. Her last ditch effort to kill the devils amounts to little. After shooting Sasha, she and Falco are immediately captured by the Scouts after the element of surprise wears off. The group immediately takes revenge by beating both of them to a pulp, and Floch is only stopped from throwing them both out of the airship to their deaths by Jean, who is just so tired of all the senseless death. Undeterred, Gabi is practically rabid as she screams and shouts at her captors, calling them "devils" and proclaiming she will avenge War-chief Zeke's death. Jean quickly and ruthlessly breaks her spirit by taking her to the other room... and revealing that Zeke is alive and well, sitting with Eren Jaeger himself and talking about how well their plan went. Gabi immediately goes quiet as the realization sinks in that someone she and Falco admired and respected sold them out long ago, and her "final sacrifice" meant absolutely nothing.
• The state Eren himself is a bit of a point of sadness; as mentioned by Armin, the poor guy is barely recognizable. Gone is the plucky, if vengeful, kid who stands up for his friends and comes down on his enemies like a hurricane of blades and/or gigantic fists, replaced by a stoic, almost emotionless man whose expression seems stuck somewhere between a blank stare and a contemplative glower. As an example of just how much he's changed, when Jean berates him and holds him personally responsible for Sasha's being shot, instead of getting into his face or coming to blows as he used to...he barely reacts, only showing any sort of emotion when her death is confirmed.
• Sasha's final word was simply, "Meat," which causes Eren to recall the meeting they had atop the wall, back when the 104th Cadets just completed training, and its ultimately which causes his stoicism to crack. Eren's comments to Reiner before the battle hint that he is aware of how far he's fallen, but he also knows that he's too far gone to stop now, and can only press forward.
• Even Zeke himself, who had expressed regret that several "miscalculations" in his plan had resulted in the deaths of several Survey Corps members in realizing his quest to save Eldia, looks visibly perturbed as Eren grieves over the announcement of his friend's passing. Indeed, Zeke thought little of Gabi's act of defiance and saw her and Falco as another grave error in his scheme...An error that proved fatal to the comrades of his half-brother.

War For Paradis

This entry deals with the planning and aftermath of the Liberio Attack, the Survey Corps' return to their home, and Eren's rebellion against the Military Junta.

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• Chapter 106:
  • Seeing the friendship between Eren, Mikasa, and Armin become irreparably fractured in the aftermath of Eren's actions in Marley is incredibly hard to watch. After learning the truth about the world, their resulting ideologies on how to proceed eventually became too divergent for any sort of reasonable compromise, especially in Eren's case. Armin goes as far to say that he doesn't even recognize Eren anymore.
    • The chapter also shows how Eren's actions have deeply damaged his friends and his comrades' trust in him. When Eren sent word to the Survey Corps that he was infiltrating Marley without their consent, the Survey Corps (including Armin) at first considered leaving Eren to fend for himself.
  • The many flashbacks of how the Survey Corps made first contact with the anti-Marleyan forces loyal to Zeke overseas becomes this when you see the members of the former 104th, Sasha among them, finally getting their first taste of life beyond the shores of Paradis, with one such memory being of the Survey Corps feasting on foods eaten in Marley previously unknown to those within the Walls. Unsurprisingly, Sasha is seen crying tears of joy as she ravenously devours the meal before any of the others get their share. It's a funny memory that becomes all too bittersweet when the story fast forwards to the present, where Sasha's body is brought home from battle and buried offscreen along with the other soldiers lost in Liberio, her comrades mourning over her cruel and sudden end rather than celebrating their first victory over Marley. What really drives home the weight of their loss is Mikasa leaning against what appears to be Sasha's headstone, solemnly repeating Eren's earlier words "If we win, we will survive".
  • Gabi and Falco contemplating their situation while they await their fate in prison, with Gabi looking particularly agonized that everything she has fought for and believed in has apparently been all for naught. Theirs was hardly a warm welcome on Paradis, with Zeke watching on expressionless as they are led away by the Military Police, with the mourning Survey Corps ferrying the remains of Gabi's victims close behind.

• Chapter 107:
  • Sasha's friends and family continue to mourn her death. Even the normally stoic Mikasa could only sit on a nearby grave, hiding her face, clearly still in grief over her friend's death. Connie on the other hand admits that Sasha was like his twin sister and losing her was like losing a part of himself.
  • Connie's comment hits even harder when you remember that his entire family was titanized and killed, except for his mother. He had a sister and a brother before, so for him to call Sasha his twin is no small gesture. She was probably the last person he could really call family. And now she's gone too.
  • Just the sight of Sasha's family visiting her grave. No parent should visit their child's grave.
  • Niccolo, one of the first Marleyan soldiers who was accepted at Paradis, was attacked by an Eldian soldier who clearly blame his people for Sasha's death. Despite this, he still went the trouble to visit Sasha's grave, clearly having a thing for her since she was the first person to accept him on the island instead of treating him as a hostile.
    • Even sadder is that it's implied that he left the bouquet of white roses on Sasha's grave. How could the reader know it was him? Because white roses are traditionally used in bridal bouquets.
  • After so much time went into preventing it, Historia has ended up as a Baby Factory so that she and her child(ren) can inherit the Beast Titan. The poor girl looks utterly dead inside.

• Chapter 108:
  • The utter disappointment in everyone's faces when it is revealed that Hizuru is not only monopolizing their resources, they will not help them in achieving a peaceful understanding with the other nations, preferring them to be hated and feared by the world. It highlights how utterly alone the nation of Paradis is in their struggles.
  • Connie is mourning Sasha and in his grief he has understandably lost all his trust in Eren. Stating that if his old comrade works with Zeke, the man who destroyed his family, he will be prepared to cut him down.
  • Connie's fury at the fact that Eren did not weep or get angry but laughed at Sasha's demise. Mikasa and Armin don't know the context of Eren's mind-set in that moment so they naturally assume the worst and are absolutely horrified.
  • Armin almost advocating for murdering his oldest friend if they are not on the same page by transferring his Powers in advance. Even Connie and Jean, who are the most suspicious of Eren's intentions are momentarily stunned and Mikasa, the poor girl, is turning frantic at the distrust being thrown around.
  • We get another example of how deeply indoctrinated Gabi is. Turning rabid on Falco for taking her armband, crying that she'll turn into a devil without it, before finally confessing some small measure of feeling for her fellow Warrior-candidate, when she says that there was no reason for him to follow her and die too.
  • Back in Marley, we see a bit of the clean-up after the battle, with soldiers retrieving the shattered corpse of a child from under the rubble and his parents weeping in agony at their loss.

• Chapter 109:
  • Gabi continues to prove how deep her brainwashing goes when, after hearing how Kaya's mother was slowly Eaten Alive by a three meter Titan, she screams that the woman deserved it just for being an Eldian.
  • Kaya slowly but surely forcing Gabi and her indoctrination-induced reasoning into a corner, arguing that even if her ancestors had committed veritable war crimes, her mother never had a part in these horrible acts as she was merely born and raised on Paradis with no knowledge of the history of her ancestors and the Marleyans, meaning she died for no real reason or justification.
  • Falco admitting to Kaya that Zeke was on a recon mission, and Kaya's mother was merely caught in the crossfire of an experiment to test their enemy's power. The guilty expression on his face drives home his realization just how despicable his people really are. He doesn't even respond when Gabi berates him for revealing this information and then apologizing to Kaya.

• Chapter 111:
  • Niccolo stops Jean from unknowingly drinking from a bottle of spiked wine. The problem is that he does it by spouting racist shit he clearly doesn’t want to say, leaving Jean infuriated and hurt.
  • Dear God, the restaurant scene. First Gabi's reveal to Niccolo to get her and Falco off Paradis backfires horribly when she brags about killing Sasha, prompting Niccolo, who was in love with Sasha, to grab a nearby bottle and take a swing at Gabi. Falco, who was perceptive enough to note that Gabi's words were only putting Niccolo further on edge, dives to protect her, taking the hit from Niccolo and getting held at knife point. Then he drags Gabi out in front of Sasha's family and reveals to them that the girl they housed and took care of murdered their daughter. Thankfully, Mr. and Mrs. Braus convince Niccolo to let Falco and Gabi go and explain how they know that they are all just trapped in a never ending cycle of violence and revenge and punishing the children for Sasha's death would serve no purpose. It's hard to imagine the unfathomable heartache Sasha's parents must feel and strength of character they both must have to spare their daughter's killer.
  • Kaya, on the other hand, does not have such strength. Overcome with rage and despair, she lunges at Gabi with a knife and screams and shouts in agony about how she hates her and betrayed her and how she killed her adoptive sister. Kaya has been nothing but sweet, patient, and helpful to Gabi and Falco since they met, even when Gabi ranted to her that she and her mother deserved to suffer and die for the crimes against humanity committed by their ancestors that they had no knowledge of. Seeing her lash out in anger and break down in tears with the rest of her foster family makes Gabi finally start to get the big picture and drop the toxic ideology she held against the people of Paradis.
  • The anime makes this scene even worse. Kaya, at best a late teen, is so overcome by rage and despair that it takes both Mr and Mrs Braus to restrain her, all the while she's screaming at "Mia" for being a murderer. All Gabi can do is stare in shock and disbelief.
  • Niccolo revealing the reason he fell in love with Sasha: she made him realize that his cooking could make other people happy and that it was his higher calling. She gave him a purpose in life outside of the endless wars of Marley, possibly saving his life, but that very same war has taken her instead. And the person to kill her is spouting the same hate-filled ideology he knows first hand isn't true. No wonder he's furious with Gabi.

• Chapter 112:
  • Eren verbally stomping Armin and Mikasa into the ground, showing that he's completely broken with their former close friendship and all but completed his Face–Heel Turn. Watching Mikasa break when he explains to her the nature of her Ackerman power and calls her a slave he's always hated is particularly painful. The fact that he readily beats up Armin and threatened them right at the start of their conversation, with a cut on his hand in similar fashion to the way he threatened Reiner, shows just how big the rift between him and his former friends has grown.
  • Mikasa reminds Eren of the time he wrapped the scarf around her, but as she gestures at the scarf, he coldly tells her to put her hands back down on the table.
  • An enraged Armin tries to take a swing at Eren, only for Mikasa to instinctively pin him down. The horrified look on her face seems to imply that she's realized that she wasn't herself when she did that.
  • Levi reflecting on his decision to protect Eren over and over again, sacrificing the lives of his dearest comrades (a panel shows Erwin, squad Levi and Mike among others) in the process, because he believed Eren represented the hope of humanity's survival. His desperate search for meaning in his friends' deaths lead him to believe he will be able to fulfill his vow to Erwin right there and then by killing Zeke, only for the latter to get the better of him.
  • Even the most optimistic interpretations of Eren's actions, that he is deliberately cutting ties so to keep the Scouting Legion uninvolved in whatever he is planning, is still fairly bleak; Eren has watched time and time again as people he cared about died around him, many of them doing so to protect him and often those efforts being in vain. Now, the only way it seems that he can keep his former comrades safe is to make sure they utterly despise him.

• Chapter 113:
  • The exhausted expression on Levi's face right before he comes to the painful decision to slaughter his Titanized comrades makes it painfully clear just how thoroughly done he is with the whole mess.
  • After regaining consciousness inside the card, the first thing Zeke says is to ask where his glasses, the keepsake of his mentor and friend Tom- are. For all the awful things Zeke did over the years, especially in the recent past, he seems utterly pitiful at this moment.

• Chapter 114:
  • The entire chapter is basically one since it finally details Zeke's Dark and Troubled Past.
  • The Parental Neglect that Zeke suffered, as Grisha and Dina were more obsessed with turning him into a weapon to overthrow Marley rather than actually treating him as a son. Small wonder Zeke have issues that he will carry upon growing up and how he genuinely wants to save his half-brother, under the belief that his brother might be abused by their father, just like what he did to him. Which is not true since Grisha finally learned from his mistakes, but still...
  • The sheer terror and paranoia that dogs Zeke throughout his early life, as his fears that dropping out of the Warrior program will mean he will no longer be of any value to his parents, as well as the fear what Marley will do to him if his parents are caught as Eldian restorationists.
  • Zeke, having overheard a conversation suggesting that the authorities are closing in on the Eldia Restorationists, and hearing that his parents won't give up on their cause, realizes it's only a matter of time before they all get sent to Heaven. He then tearfully confesses it to Tom, and says goodbye to him, promising to remember their time together. Tom, after a moment of hesitation, offers Zeke a way to save himself and his grandparents- by turning in his parents. Despite this, Zeke still is reluctant to turn on his parents, showing that he wasn't a sociopathic manipulator, but a scared young boy.
  • Tom's story about how he hid his Eldian heritage from his wife when they married, and how she murdered their son and then committed suicide when she found out.

• Chapter 116: Eren's verbal beatdown has shaken Mikasa so badly that she stopped wearing her scarf. Jean and Connie notice this and try to comfort her, but Mikasa refuses to explain.

• Chapter 118:
  • Connie's Heroic BSoD as he openly refuses the notion of helping Eren after feeling betrayed by his longtime comrade. Having lost everything and having been betrayed by so many close colleagues, Connie has had it and is screaming at both Onyankopon and his comrades that he cannot stand being lied to any longer. His frustration is perfectly understandable even in the midst of the terrible circumstances that are now transpiring, with Connie wondering if anything they've fought for has even mattered ever since they put their trust into Zeke's followers, and even after he calms down he has made clear that he will only help Eren so he can kill the man himself.
  • Mikasa leaving behind her scarf as she prepares for battle against Eren's enemies. Even Louise is visibly troubled by this gesture, as Mikasa now seems convinced that in order to be truly free, she must abandon her inherent connection to Eren; Armin attempts to reason that Eren was likely lying about this, but Mikasa is no longer willing to take that chance, writing Eren off as a lost cause.
  • Gabi's Heel Realization finally reaches its final culmination as she and Colt unite to save Falco from his captors; while in hiding from their enemies, Gabi overhears Sasha's family as they prepare to evacuate Shiganshina. When Sasha's parents express concern for Gabi and Falco, Kaya makes clear that she can never forgive them for killing her adoptive sister, and that she would personally kill them herself if given another chance. On the very of tears, Gabi finally understands what her fanaticism and prejudice has led herself and her closest friends to, and apologizes profusely to Falco for having endangered his life and his humanity in her lust for revenge. Finally seeing that the people she saw as "devils" were ordinary people just like herself, she understands the senselessness of fighting them any further and instead resolves to stop Zeke and Eren from triggering a greater holocaust.
  • Nile regretting that he would never see his family again if he should be turned into a Titan, a fate he and his nearly three hundred other comrades must share in if Zeke's plan is fully realized. Falco too knows he is doomed to a similar fate if Zeke has his way, forging an unlikely camaraderie with Nile who upon being freed sends Falco away to escape back to his people.

• Chapter 119:
  • Despite Colt's pleas to let him take Falco as far away from the battle as possible, Zeke transforms the poisoned Eldians, including Dot Pixis and Nile, into Titans to save Eren. In the process of transforming, Falco burns Colt alive and is immediately sent to kill Reiner.
  • While fighting Eren, Porco in his Jaw Titan form comes in contact with Reiner and receives his memories of when Marcel was still alive, including his confession that he tricked the army into giving Reiner the Armored Titan power so Porco doesn't have to. This in turn inspires Porco to sacrifice himself and get eaten by Falco, saving both Falco and Reiner's lives in the process.
  • Eren makes one last dash towards Zeke to start the rumbling. However, Gabi manages to snipe him and blow his head clear off, in full view of the scouts and especially Zeke, who has to see 1) his plan to save the Eldians effectively ruined and 2) his little brother, whom he feels is the only one out of anyone he can trust, die right before his eyes.

• Chapter 120:
  • He may be a twisted and nihilistic mass murderer, but it's hard not to feel at least a little bad for Zeke upon seeing his utterly broken face once Eren decries his euthanasia plan as a complete joke and admits to manipulating him to unlock the power of the Founder. Zeke has been working towards his plan for almost his whole life and put everything on the line for both it and the sake of his long lost brother, and Eren, in keeping with his recent jerkassery, just throws it right back in his face.
  • Ymir Fritz, the young girl who essentially created the Eldian race, is revealed to have been trapped all alone in the realm of the Paths for thousands of years since her death. Zeke speculates that she has been forced to manually sculpt Titans out of earth and water, for anyone and everyone who has ever used the power of the Titans... for almost TWO THOUSAND YEARS! To make matters worse, she is implied to have been enslaved by the wills of her descendants of the royal bloodline, meaning she has no means to escape her purgatory, no say in the matter of her creating the Titans, and no free will of her own to even speak. This poor girl has been exploited by the very race she created as well as its enemies for up to two millenia. Even Eren can't hide his sorrow for her.

• Chapter 121:
  • Eren finally reveals his hand — that the Attack Titan can see both past and future memories of its users, and that he's been exploiting this point of near-death and the link to Ymir to specifically appear in past memories just so Grisha's Attack Titan memories would see him there. Eren was the one that drove a hesitant Grisha to kill the royal family, children included. Eren was the one that delivered a Death Glare to a terrified Grisha when he promised to let Eren see the basement. And Eren will be the one to commit something so horrible that it drives Grisha to a Despair Event Horizon.
  • Grisha may not even be able to see Zeke, but he knows from Eren's own future memories that his firstborn son was watching, and breaks down, apologising to and begging Zeke to stop Eren from succeeding in his plans. Zeke, who has grown to absolutely loathe his father as nothing more than a heartless monster that weaponized him for his own purposes, is absolutely horrified by realizing the man had genuinely wanted to atone and repent for his actions. It doesn't change Zeke's plans to sterilize the Eldians — but he fully knows now that his half-brother is the bigger threat to the world between the two of them.

• Chapter 122:
  • The reveal that Ymir was neither a devil nor a savior. She was simply a young girl enslaved by the original Eldians. When she became the First Titan, she was turned into a living weapon and tool by them and forced to bear children with the first King Fritz up until her death. Even in death, she cannot find peace as Fritz forces her daughters to eat her body in a desperate attempt to inherit her powers, and her soul finds refuge in the Paths. Eren quickly realizes that Ymir never had any sort of free will in her life, and ultimately leaves the decision of initiating the Rumbling up to her.
  • Ymir's death while protecting her warlord husband. While it was honestly a mercy for the poor woman, it seems as if Ymir just... gave up. She could have regenerated from the grievous wound, yet her despair at being told she's a simple tool by her king was so great that she had no further will to live and succumbed to her blood loss.
    • This also explains the existence of the Curse of Ymir. It isn't anything to do with not surpassing Ymir's power, but rather that by inheriting the Nine Titans, Ymir's own end is 'biologically' imprinted in the act also. So every possessor is doomed to die in 13 years because they reach an echo of that same cessation of existence, her desolation being made manifest by a gradual to complete shut down of the host's body.
• Pay close attention to the conversation Eren has with Connie after Sasha dies. Even Pre-emptively says Sasha wanted "Meat" despite not being in earshot. Now this could be played off as him know Sasha. But in reality this is actually Eren knowing what she would say when she was going to die after kissing Historias hand. And that's why he laughed and cried. Because this showed the Rumbling was going to happen.

Ragnarök

The end approaches... Eren has united with Ymir, The mother of every living Eldian and gained the unfettered power of the Founding Titan. Is he The Destroyer? Or The Creator? And what New Beginning is about to be born?

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• Chapter 123:
  • The reveal that Eren's final goal was to activate the Rumbling was this, as by 'freeing' Ymir, Eren essentially manipulated her into killing innocent people who are not Eldians, and unrelated to the Marleyan-Eldian power struggle. The poor girl can't seem to catch a break.
  • Mikasa's narration on how she last saw Eren in Marley, and when she saw him again during the battle against the Warhammer Titan. She begins to seriously second guess the man whom she had considered family for the better part of her life, and wonder how things might have been different if "she had chosen differently". Perhaps even more painfully, it is implied she feels personally guilty for the loss of Sasha.
  • The entirety of the group's trip to the outside world, seeing Marley for the first time and its surrounding lands, knowing full well what would befall the squad later, especially Sasha who like her friends enjoyed all the previously unknown pleasures of the outside world before being dragged back into the battle that would spell her own end.
  • During that same flash back to their time in Marley, the squad gets full exposure to the hatred exerted upon their race by the Marleyan people, knowing full well that their allies were few and far between in this otherwise beautiful world and that they would never know true peace so long as these feelings of prejudice continued to persist.
    • The first half of the chapter could easily be seen as Eren's desperate attempts to find a reason not to go forward with his plans...but Marleyan prejudice and hatred for Eldians run so deep that he is convinced there's no chance of negotiation or peace.
  • Worse yet, we come to a point in their past where Eren speaks with Mikasa, and asks her rather straightforwardly why she is so devoted to him. Mikasa is so taken aback by this that she blushes and stammers out that he's family to her, and he doesn't press the matter further. It seems Eren had genuinely wanted to find out from Mikasa how she felt towards him, as though trying to convince himself that he would lose her if he followed on through with his plans. Eren later invites his friends into a tent, where they have one final night of drunken revelry in the calm before the storm... the storm that Eren willingly triggers to ensure that there's no going back for him. In present-day, Mikasa even wonders if things might have changed if she had come out with the truth.
  • A Colossal Titan was responsible for the collapse of Wall Maria, triggering Eren's hatred of the Titans, planting within him a need for retribution, and further fomenting his wish for humanity's freedom. Now, Eren is personally responsible for the destruction of all the Walls, and is taking command of hundreds of thousands of Colossal Titans, to start a mass genocide on a scale far exceeding anything that had come in the series before. With his hatred and need for vengeance pretty much shredded, due to all the trauma he's faced, all Eren has left is his sincere desire for freedom, and he's willing to cross the Moral Event Horizon and back to get it. He Who Fights Monsters has never been so damn painful.
  • Possibly the worst part of all of this is that there really never was a chance for peace between Paradis and Marley, or with anyone, really. The bad blood between the two nations and the casual racism against Eldians by the rest of the world runs so deeply and intrinsically that, even with people wanting peace on both sides, there are simply too many people who see the other side as inferior to make a plausible case to stop the fighting, and even Marley's enemies were shown to treat Eldians with disdain, seeing them as useful pawns at best and wretched monsters at worse. The true irony is that Marley was probably the one thing standing between the Eldians and total genocide, and this was only because the Eldians were useful to them as weapons, which makes it even worse when you consider that the other nations had developed anti-Titan artillery, making the Titan-shifting abilities less and less useful to Marley. Even Hizuru, who at first seems perfectly willing to extend an olive branch to Paradis and help them stand against Marley, are revealed to simply be using Paradis for their own ends and have no concern for its people. Eldians are truly unwanted in the world, just for being a part of a race they had no choice in being born into, and when finally backed against the wall, the Rumbling was just an inevitability waiting to happen.
  • During the flashback, while everyone else is meeting to discuss the Association to Protect the Subjects of Ymir that will take place the next day, Eren slips off. Mikasa finds him by the tent of the boy that the group saved earlier, and the readers can see that he's crying. It's hard not to imagine that Eren was broken up by the boy's circumstance, teetering on the edge of whether to go forward with his plan or not, and agonizing over it. If the Association the next day hadn't been such a colossal failure, or if Mikasa had admitted her true feelings and reached out to him, things might have been different.

• Chapter 124:
  • Gabi saving Kaya from Nile's mindless Titan. For a moment Kaya imagines Sasha standing before her, like she did back when she too saved Kaya from a Titan in similar fashion in her hometown.
  Kaya: Sis?
  • Armin noticing the Titan of Commander Pyxis and thanking him for all he has taught them before putting him out of his misery with a thunderspear to the nape.
    • That look on Pixis's Titan's face as it clings to the wall; it's almost like there's some small fragment of the commander still there, begging his subordinates to end him.

• Chapter 125:
  • Armin, overwhelmed by how desperate the situation is, snaps at Mikasa and tells her to think for herself for once. He calms down, apologizes and says that Erwin probably wouldn't have snapped like he had, before making it clear that he still thinks that Erwin should have been saved instead.

• Chapter 126:
  • Hange is forced to kill their former comrades in order to protect themself and the wounded Levi. They agonizes over the current situation with the Rumbling and admits they wish they could just live peacefully with him away from the all-too familiar horrors they've faced.
  • Aside from being heavily scarred from Zeke's thunder spear, Levi lost two fingers in the blast, and it is surmised that the only reason he came out as cleanly as he did is because of his unique Ackerman lineage.
  • Louise is revealed to have taken a shrapnel wound to the stomach during the battle and that she is unlikely to survive for long, a fact she confides to Mikasa who visits her in the field hospital. She admits to having taken Mikasa's scarf, which Mikasa demands back from her. Even as Louise repeats her love and admiration for Mikasa, Mikasa wordlessly leaves the room, with Louise insisting she doesn't regret her devotion to Mikasa.
  • Connie agonizing over his decision to feed Falco to his mother, recognizing him as a good kid. He asks out loud what Sasha would think and what she would have done.
  • Annie's goodbye letter to Hitch, thanking her for years of chat as she was stuck frozen in the crystal.
  • Armin nearly sacrificing himself to Connie's mother to save her and spare Falco. Connie though reneges and saves his life, and admits he didn't think of the burden his mother would suffer possessing one of the Nine.

• Chapter 127:
  • The entire campfire scene, as Yelena of all people recounts the horrible crimes committed by all sides in the conflict, illustrating the senseless cycle of violence precipitated by the two sides' failure to talk out their differences and the unforgivable cost of it all.
  • Hange recounting the loss of their many comrades, Commander Erwin among them as they know that they would never have stopped at merely protecting Paradis so long as the island remained under threat from the outside world, nor would they have condoned Eren's actions in destroying the world to protect their own.
  • Reiner and Annie finally confess to the full truth of Marco's murder to their former comrades; Jean takes the news about as well as you would expect, and after beating the shit out of Reiner asserts he would never forgive him for it.
  • Gabi rushing in to hug and protect Reiner as Connie and Armin hold Jean back. Gabi then apologizes, stating that they wished for all the Paradisians to disappear, but as time went on only saw their own loved ones disappear in the process of this wish. She then falls to her knees in front of Jean, and while admitting that it's impudent to ask this of them (likely due to the hurt Marley has caused Paradis and Eldians in general) begs them to lend their strength to the new cause.
  • Annie herself asks Jean if she too is beyond his forgiveness, but does not get her answer before the group realizes their path to Eren has been blocked by the Yeagerists.
  • Mikasa shamefully admitting to Annie's assertion that her devotion to Eren has caused her to neglect everything else of importance to her throughout the course of their long conflict against the Warriors.

• Chapter 128:
  • Upon realizing that the Yeagerists have captured the port and are holding the Azumabito mechanics hostage, the Alliance comes to the conclusion that they must kill every last of them. The Levi Squad does not take this news well. After all, Jean points out that they trained with them for years. Connie demands to know why they have to kill more people before they can even begin to save the world. Reiner realizes he understands what Eren said to him back in Liberio: They have no choice.
  • Armin devises a desperate plan to prevent violence. He and Connie approach Floch under the guise of chasing the Cart Titan out to sea, and request access to the flying boat. When they arrive, their old comrades, Daz and Samuel, are guarding the boat with explosives at the ready to blow it up. Samuel questions their allegiance, but Armin and Connie seemingly manage convince them otherwise. Unfortunately...
    • Floch quickly realizes that there is something awkward about the situation and decides to execute the remaining mechanics to be on the safe side. Lady Kiyomi and Mikasa stop him, but Floch escapes out the window and informs his allies of their betrayal. For the first time, Armin's plan has failed.
    • When the battle starts, Daz tries to blow up the boat. Armin attempts to stop him... only for Samuel to shoot him through the mouth and the chest. He then aims at Connie, reminding them of the time when they were all sharing meat and desperately questions how they ended up where they are now.
    • Connie overpowers Samuel, and Armin recovers and tackles Daz, before they can destroy the boat. Daz pulls his gun out, but cannot bring himself to shoot, instead tearfully begging him to stop moving. Samuel again asks Connie why they are no longer on the same side. Connie tries to answer... only to remember Bertolt's words from nearly five years ago: “Someone has to be the one to do it. Someone has to be the one to stain their hands with blood.” Connie proceeds to kill both Daz and Samuel without hesitation, before crying out in grief at what he has done. The dream that they had together has ended in a nightmare.

• Chapter 129:
  • Keith Shadis and Theo Magath's sacrifice. Both fulfilled a similar role on opposing sides, mentoring their students to fight at the frontlines of their respective battles. Both were bystanders in their own way. Shadis seems accepting of his fate, taking pride in the growth of his students. Magath on the other hand holds regrets over having been no more than a cog in Marley's war machine and wishes the Warriors could've led normal lives. In the end both men find in each other a reflection of themselves and after trading names, they take the Marleyan ship down with them, ensuring both of their students can move forward to save the world.
  Magath: I’ve done nothing to be proud of. I just served my country by ignoring my conscience. They were innocent kids, till I got a hold of them and turned them into soldiers. I ordered them to breach those walls. It’s far too late, but… I finally realized how happy I would’ve been, if all those kids could've lived normal lives.
  Shadis: Well, you might not think you deserve it, but I’ve still got plenty of respect for you. And those kids would probably say the same.
  Magath: Thank you. Before I shoot, who are you?
  Shadis: My name is Keith Shadis. What’s yours?
  Magath: Theo Magath.
  Shadis puts his rifle down. From a distance the alliance watch on as the ship is blown up.
  • Considering the alliance wasn't aware of who blew up the Yaegerist reinforcement train, Shadis dies on board of the Marleyan ship he and Magath blow up with only the latter knowing of his heroic deeds. Since Magath dies with him, no one of the alliance will know of Shadis' heroic sacrifice.

• Chapter 130:
  • Annie is devastated upon learning that the alliance will not be able to fix the flying boat and make it to Liberio before the Rumbling reaches the city, meaning her father is as good as dead. She tearfully refuses to fight any more as saving her father was the only reason she had to fight with the alliance.
    • Reiner, Pieck, and Gabi hear this and think of the families they have waiting for them in Liberio, and how they will inevitably be killed by the Rumbling. All three of them are so worn down by the bleakness of their situation they don't even have it in them to cry any more.
    • When Hange tries to convince Annie to keep fighting, Annie asks everyone if they are willing to kill Eren in order to save the rest the world. No one answers, but their grim expressions say enough. Annie realizes that she is in the same boat: even she doesn't think she can bring herself to kill Eren, one of the only true friends she ever had. Despite everything he has done and is about to do, the alliance care about Eren so much that the thought of slaying him is almost too much to bear.
  • The entire rest of the chapter is dedicated to exploring Eren's memories and drowning in the sea of hurt that comes with seeing how much suffering Eren went through to get to this point. He has known that he would be forced to use the Rumbling for four years, and while he desperately wanted to find another way, he came to the realization that the path he eventually chose was the only way to save his home. He ruined all of his close relationships; became a mass murderer just like the ones he fought against for half his life; denied himself his one chance to find love and happiness; burdened his loved ones with the horrible knowledge of all the atrocities he would commit for the sake of Paradis; got one of his closest friends killed; all for the sake of following a predetermined destiny that he would have him destroy the vast outside world he longed to see and explore his whole life.
    • The brief look at Historia's miserable face back in Chapter 107 suddenly makes so much sense with context. It was never about the forced pregnancy. Historia was one of the only people who knew that Eren would eventually exterminate humanity and has held on to that secret for almost a year. The guilt she must feel at failing to stop him must be eating her alive. It's made all the worse by the fact that it ties back to the moment she saved Eren's life back in the Uprising Arc, wherein she declared herself the worst girl in the world and said that maybe humanity should be wiped out.
    • Zeke confirms that the slave programming inherent to an Ackerman's abilities was just a story that Eren made up to hurt Mikasa, meaning that the hateful rant that broke Mikasa's heart and forced her to question her entire life and motives up until this point was based on lies. In fact, Zeke was the one to tell Eren that Mikasa was probably in love with him, but Eren spurned her love anyway since he is going to die in a few years and is likely going to take the entire human race down with him, and there was no way he was going to allow Mikasa to follow him down the wretched path he was taking.
    • The brief glimpses of Eren cutting off his leg and stabbing his own eye with a bullet are hard to stomach. Eren is used to hurting himself to activate his powers, but this...
    • A small memory shard showcases Eren watching a group of adults hurting the same boy from the refugee camp Eren and his friends saved in Chapter 123, implying that the boy was later tracked down and hurt or even killed by the same people calling for him to be hanged. Eren probably knew this would happen in advance too if his exchange with Mikasa is anything to go by:
      Mikasa: It's that boy from the market. Did something happen?
      Eren: Nothing yet.
    • The twisted grin on Eren's face when he learned Sasha was killed can't quite mask all the pain and regret he is forcing himself to hide.
    • Several glimpses to happier moments with Eren's friends highlight everything good in his life that he threw away for the sake of protecting them.
    • When Eren finally arrives at Marley with his army of Wall Titans, his final form is absolutely terrifying to look upon, as it prompts the soldiers of the Global Allied Fleet to cower and flee in fear of Eren's rampage. This is juxtaposed with Eren's memory of watching his home get destroyed by the Titans and his mother getting eaten, which started him down his path. Now, he is about to inflict this same tragedy upon the entire rest of the world. You warned us, Nietzsche.
    • Perhaps the most painful, yet ironic thing to consider in all this is that Eren's entire philosophy, that all people have a right to live free, has essentially been torn to pieces. Eren has been trapped in a never-ending cycle of vengeance, hate, and war; pushed to make the same mistakes that his enemies and ancestors made that created this situation; and his ability to see the future, yet inability to change it, proves that Eren has never been truly free, and neither he, nor the rest of the world, will ever taste true freedom.
• An anime-specific moment from the first episode of The Final Chapters: Mr. and Mrs. Yeager's deaths. After being locked up because of Zeke's treason and left behind by everyone else when the Rumbling comes, the only thing they can do is embracing each other and wait for their deaths. After a lifetime of hardships and discrimination for being Eldians and losing their two children tragically, they also die tragic deaths, caused by their youngest grandson, no less.
• Chapter 131:
  • Armin and Annie's conversation on the boat. Annie is confused, here they are having a private conversation about how Armin was the only one who pretty much kept her sanity in check by talking to her while she was stuck in the crystal, and yet his friend is bringing about the apocalypse.
  • Seeing exactly what Eren was thinking the day he was visiting Marley:
    • Him wondering what his mom would think of the genocide he's planning, right as he's passing by a pregnant woman.
    • Him sobbing and desperately apologizing to the refugee boy he just saved from the mob. But "saved" isn't the right word... he just granted him a respite until the Rumbling. And sure enough, that same refugee boy dies in utter terror under the Wall Titans' feet. Right after seeing his friend get crushed by the rubble being kicked around
    Eren: I made a wish. That all of it would be wiped away. I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry!
    • The anime reminds us that Ramzi and Halil were far from the only children to suffer this terrible fate. During the montage of civilians fleeing, one girl is seeing sobbing as the world burns around her, an woman holding her children tight as they cry out in panic and despair.
    • And remember Eren's grandparents? Zeke's adoptive caregivers? In the manga, they were forgotten about after the Liberio arc. Here, it is revealed that they were imprisoned as a result of Zeke's betrayal. And when the Rumbling arrived, the Marleyan authorities simply left them to die, along with the rest of the prisoners. The two simply hold each other tight and wait for the end.
• Chapter 132:
  • Falco is horrified to learn that Eren had already trampled much of Marley, including Liberio. Even Annie is losing the will to keep fighting.
  • Floch's final stand. Grievously wounded and on his last legs he faces the Alliance outnumbered twelve to one, draws his weapons and fires at the the fuel tank of their plane moments before Mikasa takes him down. As he lays dying he can only beg them not to stop Eren, for it will mean the destruction of their island. The look of conflicted grief on Jean's face is haunting.
  • Hange sacrifices their life to delay the Rumbling, buying the alliance precious seconds to fix the plane's fuel tank and escape. They manage to down a few Colossal Titans by nailing their napes with thunder spears, but eventually ends up burnt alive by their scalding steam. As they fall, they seemingly meet Erwin and all the other deceased Survey Corps members in the afterlife. Erwin tells them they've fulfilled their duty and that they are eager to hear their story. In the real world their trampled corpse can be seen in one of the Colossal's footprints. Even knowing fully well they are about to sacrifice their life, they insist that they want to go out like this and before engaging the Titans they are shown to be in awe of their existence once more, true to their nature.
    Hange: Aah... Titans have always been so cool!
  • Levi's short, but heartfelt interaction with Hange before the latter departs to sacrifice themself. Hange notes that they feel their time has come and asks Levi to let them go out like this. Levi just looks on in sadness and resignation, before giving them a reserved Survey Corps salute.
    Levi: [places his fist on Hange's chest] Dedicate your heart.
    Hange: (holding back emotions) Haha! I didn't think I'd ever hear you say that!
  • The fact that Levi is now the last living member of the original Survey Corps leadership established at the start of the series.
  • The Freeze-Frame Bonus in the fallen Survey Corps looking on the plane, you can see Sasha (in her special uniform when they attack Marley) looking out for her comrades and Shadis seeing his students off.
• Chapter 133:
  • Connie and Jean expressing their sympathy for Reiner, now fully aware of the heavy and conflicting emotions that arise from having to kill other people in order to save loved ones or, according to one's perspective, save the world. It reaffirms the fact that all of the alliance members aboard the plane were eventually driven into the same inevitable situation of having to kill those who opposed the world-view they were conditioned to adhere to.
  • As the alliance discusses bargaining with Eren aboard the plane, their consciousnesses are transported to the Paths dimension, where Eren addresses them directly. He is shown at the centre of the paths in his child form, alongside Ymir. Eren curbs any hopes of convincing him to end the Rumbling without violence, but notes that he didn't take away the Titan powers amongst the alliance as they are now free, and thus also free to attempt to take his life. Doing so will be the only way to stop him, as Eren makes it clear he won't stand down and if the alliance doesn't either, a conflict will be inevitable.
  • Levi remains the most taciturn throughout the chapter, yet after Eren's declaration that there will be no compromise or negotiation; we cut to him on his knees looking absolutely pitiful. Likely crushed that he himself knew and proclaimed Eren was a monster that couldn't be contained as soon as he met him; yet never internalised that this monster would one day proclaim: "come take my life, if you can."
• Chapter 134:
  • Historia going into labour is intercut with contingents of Colossal Titans arriving in multiple population centres all around the world simultaneously. Even as she fights for the life within her, Eren is extinguishing hundreds of thousands of mothers and their own newborns. The juxtaposition is unflinchingly staggering.
  • The last remnants of a logistics-deprived population desperately fleeing to the coast, only to be cut off by the Wall Titans and pushed over high cliffs into the rocky straits below; like beasts chased by prehistoric hunters.
  • One mother desperately flinging her baby back into the crowd before she's forced off the edge. Even maddened with fear, there are some humans who can show true humanity as they try to pass the infant to safety, yet there is nowhere left to run as the Colossals loom over them.
    • The anime makes this scene a lot more haunting by having everyone but the mother and baby be shown in monochrome and the only voice the audience can hear is the baby’s cries, even as the mother cries out as she’s yanked off the cliff by her hood and the first man to catch the baby yells at the others to help. The kicker? The baby is shown to be wrapped in a red blanket, making the entire scene to be a reference to Schindler's List.
  • When the airships fly towards the Rumbling in a final attempt to stop Eren, the commander of the Salta base broadcasts a radio message to anyone left alive that this is humanity's last stand. How he regrets that Marley's hatred has now returned to kill them in the shape of the Attack Titan, resolving to be a better person if humanity still exists the following day.
    • This moment is made even more sad when Karina Braun flashes back to Reiner's youth and how she urged him on to become a Warrior. She breaks down in tears, admitting she never did anything for Reiner as a mother, instead using him as a tool of revenge.
• Chapter 135:
  • Ymir unleashes the Titan forms of all the previous Nine Titans as an army of aggressive drones against the alliance. Though horrifying on its own, it becomes heartbreaking as Reiner is forced to first fend off attacks from Galliard's Ymir-controlled Titan. But when Bertholdt appears as a dead-eyed and looming Colossal zombie, all Reiner can do is stare in frozen horror and sorrow as his long-time partner grabs him and attempts to eat him alive. Worsening this scene is Armin's vision of a crying Bertholdt moments before this happens, implying that he is present in some form and can only watch in anguish as he is forced to murder his friend.
• Chapter 136:
  • The alliance finally decides that stopping The Rumbling without killing Eren is impossible. Even then, it's clear that they still don't want to do it. Especially Mikasa, who still loves Eren despite everything he's done, but Jean has to tell her that they don't have any other choice. The look on the poor girl's face is absolutely heart-wrenching.
  • As Levi prepares to join the fray, despite his injuries, he laments having yet to follow up on Erwin's final order. Levi surmises that the Survey Corps' role may have ended after they got the Shanganshina trio to the ocean. He notes that when they devoted themselves, it was never with the intent of committing mass-murder. The Titan-free world he and his fallen Survey Corps comrades envisioned was absurdly idealized and innocent, noting that it otherwise wouldn't have been worth fighting for. Levi finishes his train of thought by addressing Erwin, telling him he still does not regret not picking him to become the Colossal Titan, noting that Armin has the same look in his eyes the Commander once had.
    • Levi's monologue is later contrasted with Armin, apparently separated from his body in the other realm, desperately telling himself to get back up and berating himself for all of his perceived cowardice and failure, including his regretting being the one to survive instead of Erwin.
  • Even when faced with an unstoppable horde of Titans threatening to end all life outside of Paradise, the Eldians and Marleyans are unable to put aside their differences, engaging in a stand off despite Annie's father's urging. The last we see of them, it's implied that one of the Marleyans guns down Mr. Leonhart. This proves that one common enemy in the form of a Wall Titan’s army won’t be able to erase years of hatred and discriminations at the drop of a hat.
• Chapter 137:
  • Armin and Zeke's conversation. Armin convinces Zeke that the meaning of life is more than just a need or desire to multiply and to sustain itself, but that any experience, no matter how small, can still carry a significant meaning, even if they are not a necessary part of life itself. This conclusion is signified by a small object buried in the sand, which takes the shape of a leaf for Armin, referring to one such moment where the Shinganshina trio raced each other to a tree and even though Armin would come in last every time he found joy and purpose in this interaction with his close friends. For Zeke, the object takes the form of a baseball, allowing Zeke to reminisce on the days where he would play catch with Ksaver all day.
  • Annie's response to looking Berthold's Colossal Titan into the eyes and realising her deceased friend is present and helping the alliance. Pieck tears up at noticing the same in the Jaw Titan forms of Porco and Marcel Galliard.
  • Zeke telling Ksaver in the Paths realm that though their dream was never realized, he wouldn't mind being born once more if it meant playing catch with him again, before thanking Grisha for giving birth to him.
  • Following the above, Zeke manifests himself from one of Eren's Titan's spines and calls out to Levi. Offering no further resistance, Zeke simply spends his lasts moments admiring the weather before Levi decapitates him.
    Zeke: What a beautiful day it is. If only I had eyes on things like this sooner... well, considering all the killing I've done, that'd be too much to ask.
  • Look at Levi’s face right after he kills Zeke - it’s utterly blank. Even after fulfilling his personal vow, Levi looks like either he isn’t sure what to do next or he doesn’t feel joyous on finally avenging Erwin’s death.
  • Armin's last words before he blows up the Founding Titan's body with the Colossus Titan's transformation. Saying one last goodbye before killing your own friend out of necessity has got to really hurt.
    Armin: Goodbye, Eren.
    The Colossus Titan activates, creating an explosion by the Founding Titan.
• Chapter 138:
  • Eren finally dies. And Mikasa is the one to decapitate him. Eren gives her one last happy vision, through the paths, before asking her politely to forget him and live a long life after he's gone.
    • Specifically, the vision takes place in a world where Mikasa confessed her love for Eren and they eloped together, leaving Armin, Historia, and all of Paradis at the mercy of Marley. It also finally brings context to Eren's dream way back in chapter 1; it is that world's Mikasa kissing him goodbye after he succumbs to the Curse of Ymir. That scene coincides with Mikasa in reality killing Eren.
    • For as peaceful as the vision is, as Eren himself tells Mikasa, running away to spend the rest of his life in peace would mean leaving their dearest friends behind to die. Even if it was possible, running away together would never have let him have a happily ever after.
    • The contrast between the alternate version of Eren and the one that really exists. The Eren in the vision looks like he did before, a young man, human, simply comforting Mikasa. But in reality, Eren is nothing more than a head attached to a spine, withered and weak. It's a soulcrushing visual of just how far he's fallen.
    • The lead-up to Eren's decapitation. Mikasa, having just come back from the vision he gave her, gives him one last, loving smile. As her blade draws near, Eren looks up at her, just looking...exhausted. He doesn't fight her. He just lets it happen. After it's done, Mikasa cradles Eren's head in her hands and gives it a tender kiss goodbye. And the final script of the chapter:
    To the boy who fought for freedom, goodbye.
    • The anime only makes this even more sad by adding an additional close up of one of Eren's eyes seconds after Mikasa decapitates him, as we see a reflection of Mikasa's tender look in it before it closes for good and his head slumps a little, giving the impression he was relieved to see her one last time and that she had truly put him out of his misery.
  • The Founding Titan's Hallucigenia core titanizes hundreds of people after it's ripped out of the main body. This includes titanizing Annie's father right in front of her.
    • Another twist of the knife is how it was revealed that the standoff between Eldians and Marleyans ended peacefully, with one of the Marleyans (Muller) picking Mr. Leonhart off the ground and promising to "not make any more mistakes." Now they had to watch every Eldian transform into Titans, taking the hope of burying the hatchet away.
    • Not only Mr. Leonhardt, but every Liberio survivor including Reiner, Falco, Gabi, and Pieck's families are titanized only mere minutes after they were all happily reunited. It's even more heartbreaking when the surviving Shifters and Ackermans witness their own comrades and families attacking Reiner on Eren's orders. Having connections to both the Scouts and Warriors and witnessing all of this firsthand, Reiner comes dangerously close to his breaking point.
    Pieck... Annie... What must we do to receive our reward?
    • Pieck’s reaction to the whole thing in the anime also deserves some mention; She had just reunited with her father, the reason she took on the Cart Titan in the first place, only to find out he’s about to be transformed. She’s clearly in denial and doesn’t want to leave him, so Mikasa has to hold onto her while holding onto Falco, with Pieck screaming and reaching out for her father.
  • Realizing their time is up, Jean and Connie have a heart to heart, reflecting that this is the fate of the Survey Corps. Though Connie notes that despite everything they really did fight to save the world. The last time the two of them are seen before they're titanized, the two have their arms around each other, looking off into the distance.
  • Watching his friends and the Liberio survivors being titanized is the last straw for Armin, as he finally accepts Eren is beyond saving and decides to face him head on with the intent to kill him.
    "You really do enjoy making life hell, don't you, Eren?! Fine, we’ll do things your way! I'll see this through to the end!"
• Chapter 139 - The Final Chapter
  • The Reveal that Eren used his powers to engineer an elaborate Thanatos Gambit, where he would not only use the Rumbling to severely cripple the rest of the world, but also force his own friends to rebel against and kill him so that they can be the heroes of the world, which will give them a significant amount of goodwill in settling peace talks. Of course, this requires Eren to die and he willingly embraces his fate.
  • Eren explains to Armin that Bertolt wasn't meant to die on the day that Shiganshina fell and we see the scene from when Dina's titan saw Bertolt but ignored him. Armin realizes that this means, in order to ensure that events led to Eren becoming who he is today, Eren had to send the Smiling Titan to kill his own mother.
  • When Armin confronts Eren over the fact that he will leave Mikasa alone after he dies, Eren suffers a brief Heroic BSoD as he admits that he does in fact love Mikasa and he'd like nothing more than to be together with her. For a brief moment, we see some of the original headstrong, honest, and socially awkward Eren break through, but only at the end of his life.
    • When Armin says that Mikasa might find another man to heal her heart after Eren's gone, Eren just...snaps. Suddenly he screams that he doesn't want Mikasa to move on, that he wants her to only love him, and the idea of her with another man kills him. Then he quickly asks Armin not to tell her that. Eren may be accepting his fate, but he isn't happy about it. The fact that not only will he never be with the girl he loves, but that she may one day move on from him, is too much for him to take.
    • Eren point-blank confirming that he's in love with Mikasa puts the rest of the series in a new light. For the story's run, it seemed ambiguous at best and unlikely at worst that Eren returned Mikasa's feelings. Turns out he very much did, but he had to keep her at arm's length so she'd have the strength to kill him.
  • In the anime version of Armin's final conversation with Eren, rather than spout the memetic "thank you for becoming a mass murderer for our sake", Armin instead realizes that he understands Eren, and he's had a hand in the sequence of events by planting the idea of a free world in Eren's head that led him to be a "slave to freedom". After thanking Eren for showing him the world beyond the walls, Armin accepts Eren's actions, understands that they've both done unforgivable things, and asks Eren to wait for him in the afterlife so they can shoulder their grave sins together. With one heartfelt embrace before they part ways, this moment is incredibly emotional, and becomes one of the factors that greatly improves the ending.
  • Eren had actually talked to all of his friends in the Paths, apologizing for what he has done and explaining the reasoning to them. However, he locked those memories and made it so that they would only be restored after his death. Cue the collective realization from all his friends when they realize Eren's true intentions.
    • This also includes Annie and Reiner. The latter's reaction is especially sad.
    Jean: "I remember now! Eren... Oh, you Bastard!"
  • When Armin insists they can find a way to save Eren, he declines the offer, as he feels he doesn't deserve a second chance after everything he's done and all the innocent people he has killed.
  • Levi catches a glimpse of all his fallen comrades in the steam, and gives them one final salute as he weeps, realizing at last that their deaths weren't in vain.
    • Followed by Connie and Jean seeing Sasha one last time as she gives them the salute.
  • It's finally revealed that the Rumbling killed 80% of the world's population.
    • Along with 80% of the world population being culled, the environment and infrastructure has been completely destroyed.
    • When Armin finds out, it almost drives him to the point of despair. Even though it hasn't happened yet, Eren says that no matter what they try, the outcome will always be the same. He also admits that if they hadn't shown up to stop him, he would have levelled everything.
    • The Yaegerist Faction on Paradis have formed an army, and vow they will fight if they are ever provoked. Meaning the very real possibility of one side completely wiping out the other is still possible.
    • Jean's family and Connie’s mother had to be under the direct protection of Queen Historia due to Jean's actions that helped slay Eren.
  • By the end of the series, the Shinganshina trio seems to be dissolved forever. Eren is dead, Armin is travelling the world as an ambassador, and Mikasa has disappeared from the public eye. The three children who used to just spend their days chasing each other up the hills, now torn apart by the world they lived in.
  • The ending: Mikasa is visiting Eren’s grave under the tree, and remembering their childhood, starts to cry, wishing to see him as her scarf starts to fall off. A bird then comes down, wraps her scarf around her, and flies away. Mikasa is left staring after the bird with a bittersweet smile.
    Thank you...For wrapping this scarf...Around me, Eren...
    • The bird also flies above Armin while he is on route to home, leaving behind a feather that Armin catches. This and the above implies that the bird is Eren himself, finally free from a lifetime of death and destruction.
  • The script on Eren's headstone, made by Mikasa:
    Rest here forever,
    My most beloved,
    My dear
• Chapter 139.5:
  • Mikasa sees the specter of Ymir and she realizes it was she who had been in her head all these years, which explains the frequent headaches she had. She even has a vision of what Ymir wished had happened, that she could have led a happy life if she'd just let King Fritz die instead of jumping in front of the spear's path.
  • Watching Mikasa grow old, have children of her own and die of old age. And through it all, she and her family never stopped visiting Eren's grave.
    • Even then, she never gets over Eren, as when she dies, she is buried next to him wearing the scarf he gave her so many years ago.
    • To emphasize the fact she never stopped loving Eren she marked his grave as "Here forever rest peacefully my most beloved dear". To add to this the flowers she puts on his grave: a single dandelion, a white rose, and a yellow tulip signify "true love", "love at first sight", and "unfulfilled love". The flower she places as an old lady is a single red rose meaning "I still love you", however the anime changes this to 4 white roses meaning "I will love you until I die".
  • The fact that Paradis is destroyed thanks to advancing technology and weaponry. It's true what they say. War. War never changes.
    • Shinganshina is outright abandoned and left in ruins after the multiple wars.
  • And then the nightmare appears to have begun all over again when a boy (who is hinted to be one of Mikasa's descendants given his appearance) hiking in the woods with his dog comes across the same tree Eren's head was buried in, only it has become the same tree Ymir found all those centuries ago.
  • This final chapter presents a singular interpretation that is perhaps the most depressing of all: none of this mattered. For all of Eren's plans to save Paradis and the Eldians, Paradis is unceremoniously destroyed and the Eldians are more than likely still persecuted, potentially more than ever following the Rumbling. Paradis's destruction proves that any success Armin had as an ambassador did not survive into the future. The efforts of the Eldians to protect themselves and their home were ultimately fruitless, and the horrors of the Titans will very likely begin again as the cycle renews itself. Ultimately, there is nothing left but the utter indifference of the passage of time toward all of the uncontrollable, insane, vicious, evil mayhem that has transpired. The anime adjusts the timescale by heavily implying that the bombardment happens 20,000 years after the Rumbling instead of a hundred or so, which may either bring a degree of bittersweetness that nobody in the cast lived to see this or just make the whole point worse. At the very end of the story, a child finds the tree where Eren's head is buried, which has now grown into the same type of tree Ymir Fritz stumbled upon all those millenia ago which implies that the whole thing is going to start over again.

Other Stories

• The death of Levi's former friends and comrades in A Choice With No Regrets, Isabel and Farlan. What makes it a sad irony is that the events leading to their fate is very reminiscent of Eren's choice that inadvertently caused the death of Levi's squad later. In short, they're on an expedition when a terrible storm arrives, and Levi eventually makes the decision that he will go off alone to find Erwin and kill him in the confusion than stay with Isabel and Farlan. Shortly after doing so however, he finds the remnants of a Titan attack and realizes their footprints are headed straight back to where he left his friends. He internally scolds himself for making the wrong choice and arrives just in time to see Isabel getting eaten while she tearfully calls for her "Big Bro" (what she called Levi), followed by Farlan shortly afterwards simply waving his hand sadly at him before being devoured as well.
  • And it only gets worse from there. Levi proceeds to slice the Titan's belly open in a desperate attempt to save Farlan that way, only to pull out what's left of him. After a Roaring Rampage of Revenge towards all the Titans present, Levi comes across the severed head of his "little sister", a pained gaze still trapped in her eyes, causing him to fall to his knees in horror before stroking his hand over her eyes to close them.
  • Levi's reaction in the OVA's adaptation takes the cake. Upon finding Isabel's remains and seeing a Titan finish off Farlan, Levi can be seen staring in shock. A moment later he unleashes his rage on the Titan, screaming the entire time in the most anguished manner. After finishing the Titan Levi is left standing over Isabel's remains, sobbing.
  • The song "So ist es immer", which plays during the trio's happiest moments and is repeated at the end, in the aural equivalent of jumping up and down on the shredded remains of your heart.
• Wall Sina, Goodbye gives some more insight on Annie's guilt. She internally grieves for causing many of her comrades' deaths after the battle of Trost — including Marco's — and, the day before the 57th expedition, goes to bed with tears in her eyes. What perhaps makes it sadder is that the entire day before the expedition, she helped solving a case regarding an abducted person and illegal drug sale, earning her heartfelt gratitude at the end despite her attempt at claiming she only did it for herself, serving to show her capability and will to help people when she's not ordered otherwise. At one point, she even reveals that she doesn't understand the reason for her mission and follows through with it solely because it's what her father ordered, which might make her both more sympathetic and more scary, considering how loyally she sticks to her mission despite not believing in it.
• The death of Kare in the 2018 video game: After defeating Reiner and recovering Annie, the pursuit team is set upon by a horde of Titans attracted by the ruckus. With the cart loaded down with the crystallized Annie, Armin, Connie, Mikasa, Eren, and Kare, and Eren too weak to summon his Titan form, there's little they can do as the Titans get closer and closer. Calmly, the Player Character stands up, leaves their journal with Eren, and jumps off the back of the cart, confronting the horde head-on as the others use the distraction to escape. The recovery team does escape, but Kare is knocked down and injured. All they and the escaping recovery team can do is watch as a Titan reaches for Kare before the screen cuts to black. Back at the base, the rest of the Survey Corps are shocked and in a state of disbelief, some even outright denying that the Player Character is gone. While a scene during the credits implies that Kare may have survived to continue their adventures, the sheer level of grief felt by the Scouting Legion over the loss of someone who literally was given the moniker "Our Friend" is pretty heartbreaking.
  • Of note is a scene with Hange and Erwin, with Hange looking more distraught than they have ever looked before over Kare's death. It should be noted that they were the one who introduced Kare to the Scouting Legion at Trost, and was the one who saw their fighting potential, effectively putting them and Kare in a similar relationship that Eren and Levi had. By the look of things in the scene, they must be trying to convince Erwin to send a search party to find them, only it seems to be in vain, since Erwin doesn't budge.
  • Shortly before the sacrifice scene, Kare sees the Armored Titan down, and sees an opportunity for payback for what Reiner did to their parents. They advance on him, but then Armin restrains them and tells Kare there is no time with the Titan horde approaching. Kare turns away to help the recovery team, but you can literally see their hands shaking in rage and grief. Imagine having the one responsible for the death of your family within reach to exact vengeance, only to have that chance slip away...

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