THE FINAL CHAPTERS Special 1

"The reality of the world outside the walls was different from the world I dreamed of... ... When I learned humanity was alive outside the walls, I... was disappointed."

- Eren Jaeger tearfully confides in a confused Ramzi

THE FINAL CHAPTERS Special 1 (完結編（前編）) is the hour-long first half of the finale of the Attack on Titan anime, produced by. It also constitutes the 29th episode of the fourth season and the 88th episode overall of the series.

Overview
The march of Eren Jaeger and the Wall Titans reaches the Marleyan city of Liberio, killing most of its people, though some survivors escape. Eren has known since he first arrived in Marley that he would one day flatten this city, and feels trapped by a future he cannot change because to behave differently would not be in his nature. Despite this, he calls his friends into the Paths in order to tell them that there can be no compromise so long as their stances are unwavering. The only thing left is for them to fight.

The combined group of surviving Scouts and Warriors manage to get the flying boat fueled and prepared at Odiha, but not without a costly delay caused by Floch Forster. Hange Zoë fights the approaching Titans alone to buy the group time, handing command over to Armin Arlelt. The group catches up with Eren near Fort Salta, one of the last bastions of humanity in Marley. Following a failed bombing run by the Marleyan military, the Scouts and Warriors jump from the flying boat and on to the back of Eren's Founding Titan.

Summary
In the past, a young Eren Jaeger sits dozing under a tree and hears a short-haired Mikasa Ackermann tell him that she will see him later. Moments later, he wakes as if from a dream and Mikasa tells him they should head home from their task of gathering firewood. He does not remember the dream, but Mikasa points out that he is crying.

Chapter 1: The Rumbling (地鳴らし)
In present day Marley, Ramzi shows Halil his hidden stash of coins where he plans to stash money until the sack is full. That will be enough for everyone in their refugee camp to live somewhere better. However, Halil is more concerned about what will happen if Ramzi is caught. Ramzi has already lost his right hand. He could lose his left as well.

Ramzi is undeterred though. The winters are hard for the refugees, and people die every year, which is why he wants Halil to give this money to everyone if he dies.

When they hear people coming, they hurry to hide the money, but are surprised to see the people are Marleyans who seem to be fleeing the city. Then, the two boys feel a rumbling in the earth as the Wall Titans approach the port city to the east.

Some time ago, when Eren first visits Liberio, he already knows that someday in the future he will kill these people, and that he is predestined to do so. He figures it will be because they cannot find another way for Paradis Island to survive. Everything in Liberio would be gone; the people, their homes, their animals, and their children. He wonders what his mother would think and if it would be better for Eldians to die instead, as the King of the Walls had thought. But even if the death toll would be far smaller if the Eldians die to solve the Titan problem, he finds he cannot accept things ending that way.

Just then he hears a scuffle in an alley and realizes he has seen this group of thugs beating up a boy in his memories of the future. The thugs tell him that this has nothing to do with him and he initially agrees. Despite knowing that his instinct is to save the boy, he finds the thought disagreeable with the knowledge that in the future he will kill him as well. Despite his feelings of hypocrisy, he saves Ramzi and concludes that the future does not change. Though Ramzi is grateful, Eren tearfully apologizes. He says the world outside the Walls is different from what he dreamed of, and he was disappointed, wanting to wipe everything away.

Back in the present, Ramzi's family calls for him and Halil because they have begun to flee the Titans. The refugees plan to head for the mountains, but Wall Titans have surmounted them and are coming from that direction as well. The refugees return to the city to find another avenue of escape. During the chaos, Ramzi's sack flies open, spilling its contents, and Halil turns back to save the money. Ramzi goes back for him, but the two boys are caught in the path of the oncoming Titans. Halil is killed by flying debris and Ramzi is crushed to death.

In a prison, Jaeger and his wife feel the shaking and know something is terribly wrong. No one answers his cries and she believes Judgment Day has come for them.

As Eren guides the Wall Titans in their march, he considers how there has always been a wall of some kind before him. Armin Arlelt used to tell him of fantastic lands beyond the Walls, and Eren would imagine the people who could witness such things would be the freest people in the world. Now he has arrived at that view, and it is littered with the bodies of those crushed by the Titans.

Undeterred, his inner child turns to ask Armin if he agrees with him, and an adult Armin finds himself in the Paths with this child Eren.

Armin snaps out of it and finds himself back on the ship heading to Marley when Annie Leonhart asks him if his wounds are healed. He says they have and she asks him to sit next to her. She thanks him for having talked to her all those years she was inside her crystal. Hearing from him and Hitch Dreyse were her only joys inside her confinement, but she does not understand why Armin chose to spend that time with her.

He looks away and blushes, saying that he just wanted to see her. Annie presses him for a more concrete reason, to Armin's confusion and surprise, but when he looks at her sitting with her face up to her knees he sees that she is blushing as well and breaks off. She is uncertain why she is having these thoughts, when thousands if not millions of people are dying right now.

Annie then concludes that he only talked to her because he is a good person, the same person who even now would prefer to talk things out with Eren despite his friend's attempt to massacre the world. She gets up to leave, but Armin stops her, reminding her that he hates being called a "good person" given that he has killed so many people.

He still thinks about the outside world he and Eren wanted to explore as children. Like Eren he found it a much different place than he thought it would be, but he still hopes there is something that they do not already know about.

After nightfall, their ship arrives in Odiha, which has already been abandoned, even though the Titans have yet to arrive. As the Scouts, Warriors, and Azumabito clan work to prepare the flying boat, Armin suggests they keep the explosives the Jaegerists had previously strapped around it and bring them along.

As the night passes, Falco Grice comes to and realizes that Theo Magath, and likely his family as well, are dead since the Titans have already flattened the majority of Marley. Pieck Finger wants to comfort him, but does not have the words.

Outside, Mikasa suggests that Annie practice with the new omni-directional mobility gear since she is not used to it yet, but Annie does not see the point. She does not plan to continue on with them and has no urge to save humanity. Annie feels sorry for the Azumabitos, working so hard for any possibility of saving their country, but she no longer has the will to fight.

Mikasa notices Annie staring at Armin, and asks when "this" happened. Though Annie is not inclined to share, Mikasa is sympathetic and tells Annie that she is not alone, but Armin will be getting on the flying boat with them to chase after Eren. Annie is well aware, and asks Mikasa if she will kill Eren to save humanity. Mikasa says she will not. He has simply gone far away and she is bringing him back.

Elsewhere, Levi Ackermann has gotten up despite his extensive injuries because he wishes to be there when they question Yelena, who has woken up following the breaking of her arm.

When questioned by the gathered soldiers on the ship, Yelena tells them of a fortress in the mountains of southern Marley involved with airship research. She suspects that will be Eren's next target. He will want to remove any danger the airships pose.

Yelena acknowledges that between the two brothers, Zeke lost, but tries one last time to convince the group that what Eren is doing now is proof that the euthanasia plan was the only solution. Hange Zoë agrees, having failed to show Eren another way for their island to be safe.

As the combined forces prepare to leave, Pieck asks Kiyomi Azumabito to take Falco and Gabi Braun with her when she leaves on their ship. She will lock the two children in their cabin so they cannot leave.

Once the sun is up, Hange has the Scouts check their equipment, but Levi's hand shakes as he looks at his grip, given his missing fingers. Despite this, he says two is all he needs.

Nearby, the Warriors say their farewells to Annie, and Reiner Braun apologizes for dragging both her and Bertholdt Hoover into continuing their mission when they might have gone home instead. Annie tells him that she has had to stop herself from killing him multiple times, but smiles. He asks her to take care of Gabi and Falco, and she agrees. The Scouts wave to her as she boards the ship.

Pieck affirms to Hange that she and Reiner wish to go with them, following Magath's wish for them to work together for a solution. Hange is pleased, but Pieck refuses a request to ride the Cart Titan, causing Levi to note that Hange's affection for Titans is still unrequited. Hange asks Levi if their comrades are watching them, but Levi does not like how Hange is beginning to sound like him.

The Azumabitos begin to fuel the flying boat when Floch Forster staggers into the back of the hangar, having been pulled by their ship since it left Paradis. He shoots at the flying boat and the crew until Mikasa uses her ODM gear to shoot one of its hooks into his neck, but by then he has managed to puncture the boat's fuel tank. The Azumabitos work quickly to patch it, but they need an hour and the earth has begun to rumble beneath them. Floch dies, still believing in his cause.

When asked for a plan against the oncoming Titans, Armin volunteers to stay behind and slow them down. Reiner disagrees, saying that they will need him against Eren. Hange declares that Reiner will not stay either and that they need to save their Titan power. As their leader, Hange will take responsibility for having led them to this point and remain behind. They designate Armin as the next commander of the Scout Regiment and in a moment of levity, remind Armin that Levi is now his subordinate and that he should work him hard.

As Hange leaves, they walk by Levi, explaining that it is now their turn and they want to make as cool an exit as possible. Understanding, Levi lets them go without asking for more than for them to dedicate their heart, a phrase he has never used in front of them before.

Hange fights alone, toppling the foremost Titans to buy the crew enough time to fuel the plane, but they are not able to fill the tank before one of the engineers tells them to start the engine due to the proximity of the Titans. The heat from the Titans is immense, setting Hange's cloak on fire and ultimately consuming them. However, both the flying boat and the ship manage to escape the harbor.

Chapter 2: Sinners (罪人たち)
The flying boat is mostly silent as its passengers deal with their grief, but Armin notices that they only managed to fill the tank halfway before leaving. Responding to Armin's concern, Onyankopon swears that he will get them to Fort Salta. Armin states they are in his hands before going to the body of the flying boat to work out a plan with his companions.

Armin draws a diagram of the body of Eren's Founding Titan, but given the War Hammer Titan's abilities they cannot be certain that Eren will be located in the nape. Not knowing his location will not be a problem if Armin uses the explosive transformation of his Colossal Titan, but he wants to save that for after they have exhausted their attempts to talk.

Levi is fine with that as a last resort, but brings up the possibility of killing Zeke so Eren can no longer use his royal blood to control the rumbling. However, that will mean finding Zeke somewhere inside Eren's Titan. He says he will kill Zeke, but needs their help in doing so. Jean Kirschtein agrees on behalf of the others, thinking of the lives they have taken and the sacrifices made in order to get here.

The Scouts and the Warriors share a bond, understanding what it has been like to fight for a greater good that has involved betraying those they cared about. Reiner remembers how Eren had expressed a similar sentiment when they met in Liberio. Because of that he wonders if it is possible that Eren wants them to stop him.

Armin notes that despite having the power to revoke their Titan powers, Eren has not done so. For an unknown reason, he is allowing them to act freely. Reiner suspects that Eren could be suffering beneath the weight of the Founder's power and the mass murder of so many people.

Suddenly, the group is pulled into the sandy world of the Paths, but they are alone. Armin calls out to Eren, trying to bargain with him for the rumbling to stop. When there is no reply, he begins shouting an apology to Eren. His friends join in.

Finally, Eren responds as a disembodied voice, saying that he will not stop the rumbling nor leave Paradis Island's future to chance. Levi notices a child version of Eren standing at the base of the tree where all paths meet. His friends run to him, but they make no progress in coming any closer. Eren says he is taking away the freedom of the world to maintain his own freedom, but he will not take their freedom either, so they can choose to protect the world's freedom.

After running long enough, his friends find they have looped around to meet up with Levi, Pieck, and Reiner again without ever having reached Eren. His friends see the child Eren is now standing beside Ymir.

Eren goes on to state that so long as they each hold unbendable convictions, they will continue to clash, so the only thing left is for them to fight. The only reason he called them here was to tell them there was no need for discussion. If they want him to stop, they will have to kill him, and he has given them the freedom to do so.

Cast back into the passenger section of the flying boat, the group comes to grips with Eren's words and Levi asks Armin for a plan.

Out at sea, Annie is on deck with Kiyomi, who fears that her country has already fallen. Kiyomi regrets bringing Zeke and Eren together, but when Annie asks if she would go back and not get involved in Eldian affairs, Kiyomi simply says that time will not turn back even if her sense of regret never ends. She says she did not do everything she could to help the Eldians, since she placed a greater priority on her clan's interests and family's honor. Kiyomi wonders how much they must lose in order to value others without putting themselves first.

As Annie acknowledges Kiyomi's feelings of it being too late, Falco and Gabi come out on deck. Falco explains that he had a dream, or rather a memory, from Zeke, which he thinks is possible because he was turned into a Titan through Zeke's spinal fluid. That is why his Titan manifests bestial traits and in the memory he received, Falco sees himself flying. He thinks he can do this transformation.

In Marley, a train carrying fleeing Eldians from Liberio heads for Fort Salta and the airships they hope will be there. Annie's father has a pistol to the engineer, forcing him to drive. Though the engineer is skeptical they can escape that way, he tells the engineer that he had better hope so for the sake of his family, which is being held hostage by the Eldians.

Further back in the train, other parents of the Warriors and the Warrior candidates deal with their grief and fear for their children. One of the other passengers notices the airships leaving Fort Salta, causing Annie's father to urge the engineer on, as they can escape as long as there is just one airship left. Others notice the smoke cloud of the rumbling approaching in the distance.

The train arrives at the fort to find no airships left. The train engineer then notices that the airships are heading towards the Titans for a bombing run. From his command room, the fort commander announces that this fort is the last bastion for humanity, but rather than rally his soldiers, he also tells them how the adults in society have failed them by nurturing their hate in the belief it would bring them salvation. Because of that, the monster in front of them was born. In the event they survive, he vows to never make that mistake again.

This and the sight of another mother with her child causes Karina Braun to remember how she raised Reiner and how he pleased her by becoming a Warrior. She falls to her knees, finally realizing how she had raised him in revenge rather than caring for him as her son.

As the airships' bombing bays open, Eren looks up and a ball of light shines from the tips of the spines in the center of his Titan's back. Seeing the glow, the commander calls for the bombing to begin, but the airships are too high up and many of the bombs miss. The light coalesces into the shape of Zeke's Beast Titan, which hurls a barrage of debris in a replica of Zeke's signature attack. It wipes out all the airships.

Moments later, the flying boat emerges through the clouds, though its flight is uneven and jerky, since it is on the last of its fuel. Onyankopon tells everyone to get ready to jump, but refuses to go with them since he wants to make sure he gets them over the Founder. He dodges an attack from the Beast Titan and Armin orders everyone target it to stop the rumbling.

They dive out once Onyankopon flies low enough and use their ODM gear to grapple on. Reiner transforms into the Armored Titan and tackles the replica Beast Titan, snapping it free of the tether that connects it to the Founding Titan. Pieck also transforms and lands, with the explosives taken from the flying boat now strapped across her Titan's torso.

Armin realizes he still has one question for Eren once they drag him out of his Titan, and that is in what way is Eren free.

Trivia

 * Ian Dietrich is erroneously depicted with a Scout Regiment logo on his jacket rather than the Garrison Regiment logo.
 * On Amazon Prime Video Japan this special was separated into three untitled episodes numbered 88, 89, and 90.