Traitor (Episode)

"You guys wouldn't put the island in danger after we're finally saved, right? ... Thank goodness. I don't know what I would've done if you were traitors."

- Samuel Linke-Jackson to Armin Arlelt and Conny Springer when they come to ask for the flying boat

Traitor (裏切り者) is the 26th episode of the 4th season and the 85th episode overall of the Attack on Titan anime, produced by.

Overview
The combined forces of Hange Zoë's remaining Scouts and Theo Magath's remaining Warriors plan on escaping Paradis Island on the flying boat, which is kept in the Jaegerist occupied port. In order to do this, they need to prevent the flying boat's destruction by the Jaegerists and rescue the Azumabito family who are the only ones capable of servicing the aircraft.

Armin Arlelt and Conny Springer attempt this through a peaceful deception, pretending to need the flying boat in order to chase after the Cart and Armored Titans, but when Floch Forster decides it would be safer to eliminate the Azumabito, the combined group is forced into a battle. The Azumabito are guided to the basement by Mikasa Ackermann and others, where they can be protected while Annie Leonhart and Reiner Braun use their Titans to fight the Jaegerists. At the dock, Conny is forced to kill Daz and Samuel Linke-Jackson in order to save Armin's life and prevent the destruction of the flying boat.

Summary
Hange Zoë and Theo Magath survey the Jaegerist occupied port and find it odd that the Jaegerists have not yet destroyed the flying boat. Possibilities range from no longer thinking Hange's soldiers and the remaining Marleyan forces are a threat to not wanting to avoid losing valuable technology that would be difficult to replace following the destruction of most of the world. However, Hange is certain the Jaegerists will destroy it the instant they learn the combined group is there, and it will be difficult to stop them even with some of the Nine Titans.

Behind them, Annie Leonhart emphasizes to the others that they will need to take out all their enemies simultaneously in order to avoid the destruction of the flying boat, but Mikasa Ackermann advocates caution to avoid endangering the Azumabito family. Pieck Finger and Onyankopon agree. While Onyankopon could pilot the flying boat on his own, the Azumabito engineers are needed to service it and prepare it for flight.

Annie then repositions her argument, suggesting that the Scouts portion of their group wishes for them to hold off the enemy while the Azumabito prepare the flying boat for take off in addition to not killing any of the Jaegerists. Jean Kirschtein admits he would like that if possible, so Annie pushes them, particularly Armin Arlelt to suggest a plan that allows for it. Pieck says that such a plan does not exist, they either wipe out the Jaegerists or they lose the flying boat, which causes Conny Springer to protest that they did not come here to kill their friends.

This causes Annie to conclude with resignation that it is too much to ask of people like them, suggesting that if it had been them sent to Paradis Island instead of the Warriors they never would have broken the Walls. Reiner Braun suggests that Jean, Mikasa, Armin, and Conny wait in hiding with Gabi and Falco Grice so they are not spotted by the Jaegerists and forced into confronting them. This does not sit easily with Jean or Conny, but before more can be made of it, Hange returns with Magath and tells them they will not be spectating. The Wall Titans have crossed the ocean and the world does not have much time. Hange suspects they have already arrived in Marley and the first cities have been destroyed.

Magath pushes his way over to Yelena and begins suffocating her as he demands to know where Eren Jaeger is heading. He breaks her arm before stepping back and Yelena gasps that she has changed her mind. She does not want to die before seeing how things end and will consider talking under the condition that they bring her with them. Hange and Onyankopon remind Magath that their priority right now is the boat, and on spotting Gabi watching them, he backs down and apologizes to the Scouts for his behavior the night before.

Magath explains that he had been trying to justify his own actions to himself, rather than seeing them as part of the vileness of his own country, and he recognizes now that the Scouts are not at fault for anything their ancestors did. Nor, for that matter, are the Warriors. What they need to do is remember this history and turn away from all this killing so it does not happen again, which is why what Eren is doing is unforgivable. He bows to the Scouts, asking them to overlook the current bloodshed until it is over. Armin refuses, saying that he will not stand by with clean hands.

Inside a port building, Floch Forster marvels at the thought of a new beginning for the world to a captive Kiyomi Azumabito. He tells her and her engineers to focus on contributing to the island, at least if she does not want to lose any more of them. Kiyomi, however, warns him that Paradis Island will not necessarily be made safer by the change. The world will be smaller, but people will still kill each other.

Floch thanks her and says that he himself has been arriving at that same conclusion, but points a gun at her temple, warning Kiyomi that she could be gotten rid of if they decide that seafaring and flying boats no longer matter to them. He begins to remind her of her place, when he is interrupted by a shout from Armin, who is outside on horseback with Conny. Armin claims he has been chasing the Cart Titan and that it is currently swimming away along with the Armored Titan. He asks that the Azumabito ready the flying boat so they can chase after them.

Armin and Conny ride up to the flying boat where they are stopped by Daz and Samuel Linke-Jackson. The flying boat's tarp is strapped with explosives. Armin asks for them to be removed, but Samuel brings up the rumors that the two have joined forces with Marley. They deny it, which Samuel finds a relief, and they continue to press for the explosives' removal. Daz disconnects them from the detonator, but notices Armin and Conny's unease as they wait in hope for the Azumabito engineers to come.

Floch is suspicious of their story however, noting that it would have been faster for them to come via locomotive rather than horseback if they were so certain of their enemies' destination and questions what they have been up to since their last communication and why they have been in incommunicado. He concludes that he has no proof either way, but decides that this much suspicion with lack of satisfactory answers is troubling enough and therefore it best to stop trouble before it starts and lifts his gun. Before he can kill the Hizuru engineers, Kiyomi forces him to the floor so his shots go wild. Jaegerists run into the room to suppress her, but Mikasa crashes through a window to stop them. Floch escapes out another window and shouts to the Jaegerists to kill Mikasa, Armin, and Conny as traitors. As the Jaegerists rally, Mikasa hurries Kiyomi and the engineers to the basement, where they cannot be attacked through windows, and they meet up with Magath, Hange, and Jean along the way.

At the dock, Daz moves to reconnect the explosives to the detonator. Armin tries to stop him, but is shot by Samuel, who then trains his gun on Conny. He urges Daz to hurry and blow up the flying boat. Conny tries to speak to Samuel, but Samuel is overcome with feelings of betrayal and laments it coming to this.

Though Kiyomi worries about being trapped in the basement with no escape after following Magath, he assures her this is for the best so that the others can fight without worrying about their safety. Outside, Reiner and Annie transform into the Armored and Female Titans and begin attacking the Jaegerists.

In the middle of the fighting, Conny manages to tackle Samuel and struggles to wrestle his gun away from him. Armin begins to revive and pushes Daz off the detonator, causing the latter to point his gun at him. Samuel protests, asking if they are friends. Conny agrees they are, but seeing Armin about to be killed, he recalls Bertholdt Hoover's words about how sometimes someone has to be the one to stain their hands with blood. He wrestles away Samuel's gun and shoots Daz in the head, killing him. Conny then shoots Samuel several times to kill him as well.

Flying Boat
''Hizuru technology must be used to service the world's first flying boat, which uses Iceburst Stone as fuel. Since it was designed to observe the might of the rumbling, the craft is capable of long-distance, intercontinental flight.''

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