Can't Look into His Eyes Yet: Eve of the Counterattack, Part 1

Can't Look Into His Eyes is the fourteenth episode of the Attack on Titan anime. It was produced by Wit Studio and Production I.G. It describes the events of Eren's trial as the Military decides whether he will join the Survey Corps and live or be killed by the Military Police.

Summary
While Eren is still imprisoned, the news of a Titan siding with humans is spreading. People inside Wall Sina, however, do not want to believe such rumors as they think that an operation to retake the Walls will fail and they will have to cope with refugees and food shortages. Some of them even go as far as to claim that the Titan may side with the refugees. On the other hand, the inhabitants of Wall Rose consider Eren to be their savior and believe that with him, they may even be able to retake Wall Maria.

At the place of the incoming trial, the chief of Military Police, Nile Dok, states that they will eliminate Eren as they cannot allow the "weirdos" from the Survey Corps to have him. He and the rest of the soldiers then salute the head of all three Military branches, Darius Zackly, who arrives to the location of the trial.

On top of the wall, Erwin Smith and Dot Pixis discuss the situation. Erwin questions whether it is okay for someone from Survey Corps to be chatting with the Commander of the Stationary Guard, but Pixis states that he simply happened to run into him on his morning walk. Pixis then asks Erwin whether is he aware of the fact that the Military Police now want Eren as well, to which Erwin replies that he received a message about the trial that will decide Eren's fate. Pixis then mentions that it will be Zackly who will have a final say in the matter, explaining that he considers things based on whether they are good or bad for humanity. Erwin then says that he doesn't think they can win the trial, but he is ready to make a proposal, which will depend on how the inquiry goes.

Elsewhere, Mikasa and Armin learn of Eren's trial. Armin correctly deduces that it will decide whether Eren will live or die, much to Mikasa's shock. Both of them are then summoned to the trial as witnesses.

Inside of his cell, Eren asks the guards to be allowed to go to restroom and for some water. They refuse however, with one of them telling him to learn his place, even calling him a "monster". Eren accepts such a name but wonders whether they are so afraid of him that they have to keep him chained up in an underground cell. He then remembers that Mikasa and Armin were not scared of him and ponders about their whereabouts, as same for the rest of his friends from the 104th Trainees Squad. At that moment, Hange Zoë and Mike Zacharius appear to get him out of the cell and lead him to the place of his trial. On the way there, Eren gets to witness Mike's habit of sniffing people and then smirking. Hange then wishes him good luck, and Eren finds himself inside of a military courtroom.

Zackly informs Eren that he will be the one leading the trial which will decide his fate. He then states that concealing Eren's existence has proven to be impossible and therefore, they have to make a public statement in order to avoid inside conflicts. Nile Dok of the Military Police then presents their proposal, which is Eren's immediate execution. As Nile tells Eren to reveal any information he may have, a person next to him, Pastor Nick, exclaims that there is no need for that as Eren should be executed right now.

Afterwards, Erwin states that they want Eren as an official member of the Survey Corps in order to use his power to reclaim Wall Maria. Erwin explains that due to the entrance to Trost being completely sealed, his plan is to use an eastern route to reach Shiganshina District. At that moment, one of the merchants asks to seal all the gates, as the Colossal Titan won't be able to break through fortified places. However, Levi asks for proof that Titans will wait while they seal the gates and says that the merchants speak only in regards to money. Pastor Nick speaks up one more time, angered to see that they want to touch "the gift from God". Armin says that it's due to people like him that it took so long to mount weaponry on the Walls, with Rico Brzenska stating that these people have a lot of power and support.

As the argument between Pastor Nick and the merchant continues, Zackly quiets them down and asks Eren whether he still wants to continue to serve as a soldier of mankind, with Eren confirming that. However, Zackly notes that according to the report of Trost defense, after turning into a Titan, Eren attempted to attack Mikasa. Armin notices that Eren doesn't seem to remember losing control and Mikasa looks at Rico with an angered expression, however, the latter just says that she won't lie in her reports. Mikasa is then asked to confirm this, which she does after short hesitation. She then, however, states that Eren has saved her two times in his Titan form. Nile then argues against these facts and reveals that at an early age, Mikasa and Eren killed three robbers. Causing a commotion in the courtroom with this statement, Nile then questions whether it is fine to entrust the fate of mankind to such people.

As people in the room become afraid of the situation to the point when they also question whether Mikasa is human, Eren attempts to defend her and accuses them of making up theories that fit them. Even though he is not sure if it the right thing to speak his mind at the moment, Eren continues and states that they didn't even see a Titan with their own eyes. He then tells them that if they are cowards who don't want to fight, they should at least let him be the one to do it.

At that moment, Nile orders the soldier next to him to point his gun at Eren, but before anything happens, Eren finds himself being brutally kicked by Levi. Levi then continues beating him up, even knocking out a tooth, all much to Mikasa's infuriation. Levi then states that pain is the best lesson. Nile tries to stop him in fear that Eren may transform into a Titan. Levi, however, replies that he is the only one capable of stopping Eren and asks them whether they would be able to kill him. Erwin then raises his hand and proposes that they take Eren with them on an upcoming mission, with the result of the mission deciding whether Eren is a friend or a foe of humanity. Zackly accepts this and concludes the trial.

Later, Hange is seen tending to Eren's wounds, asking him whether it hurts. Erwin apologizes, saying that his pain was necessary for their plan as it was the factor that helped in Zackly's decision. He tells Eren that he is looking forward to working with him. Levi then sits down next to Eren and asks him if he hates him, but Eren says that he understands why it was necessary. Hange, however, states that Levi took it a little too far as Eren lost his tooth. She is then mystified, however, as she claims that the tooth regenerated.

Trivia

 * In this episode, the first opening "Feuerroter Pfeil und Bogen" was replaced by the second opening, "Die Flügel der Freiheit".

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