Beast Titan (Episode)

"Only when a person stops fighting do they lose. As long as we continue to fight, we are not beaten!"

- Miche speaks words of hope to Nanaba

Beast Titan (獣の巨人) is the 1st episode of the 2nd season and the 26th episode overall of the Attack on Titan anime, produced by Wit Studio and Production I.G.

Overview
After Annie encases herself in a crystal, Hange has a few soldiers haul it away and is alerted by the realization of a Titan in the Walls which Pastor Nick begs her to keep out of the sun. After doing this, Hange interrogates him for information but is able to get nothing from him despite her threats. 12 hours before this, the 104th recruits are kept at a southern outpost in Wall Rose under suspicions of a Titan spy among them. However, they are forced to evacuate when Titans are spotted to the south, which Miche Zacharius takes the burden of driving off so that the others can escape and help civilians.

During this time, Eren wakes up from a dream about his mother scolding him for fighting and sees Mikasa asleep at his bed side. She quickly wakes up and the two are informed by Armin that Titans have entered Wall Rose. During his role as a decoy, Miche kills 5 of the 9 Titans and decides to leave, despite expressing worry over a nearby beast-like abnormal Titan. When his horse returns, the Beast Titan grabs it and throws it at Miche, causing him to fall into a Titan's mouth, but he is quickly released when the beast orders it to stop and crushes its head. Paralyzed with fear, Miche listens as the Beast asks about his ODM gear and cowers when it decides to take it. Miche then gathers himself to continue fighting but is quickly devoured and ripped apart when the Beast allows the surrounding Titans to move.

Summary
For just over a hundred years, humanity lived in peaceful ignorance within the Walls safe from the threat of the Titans until the day the Colossal and Armored Titans came to Shiganshina District, breaching Wall Maria and reminding humanity of the hell beyond the Walls. Five years later, humanity discovers that some of their Titan foes are hiding among them as humans, and in Stohess District they capture the first of these Titan spies: Annie Leonhart.

As Annie's crystal is restrained and carted away by the Scout Regiment, several soldiers look up the the ruined section of Wall Sina where the Female Titan attempted to scale the Walls. In an exposed portion of the Wall, a Colossal Titan peers down at the humans below. Section Commander Hange Zoë stares at it in shock until she is met by a fatigued Pastor Nick, who warns her and the others to keep the Titan out of the sunlight at all costs. Elsewhere in Stohess, Commander Erwin Smith is informed of the Scout Regiment's measures to cover the Titan in the Wall. Meanwhile, Marlo and Hitch start cleaning the wreckage from the aftermath of the battle between the Female Titan and Eren's Titan, suspicious and bitter towards the loss of innocent lives.

Atop Wall Sina, Hange and the Scouts finish covering the exposed Titan as Nick observes their work. Hange questions Nick as to his knowledge of the Titan and why his followers said nothing of it in the past. Nick ignores her questions, demanding restitution for the damages to his church, and Hange loses her temper. Holding Nick over the edge of the Wall, she reminds Nick of the many sacrifices the scouts have made for the sake of learning the truth while Nick's church can afford to stay quiet. Nick insists that neither he nor his followers will answer to questioning and encourages her to let him fall, but Hange spares his life while claiming her anger was not serious. Hange's assistant comes to her side as she muses on how long it has been since she has last felt such terror. Suddenly, a bell rings out in Stohess as a scout arrives with urgent news for Commander Erwin.

Twelve hours earlier, the recruits of the Scout Regiment are kept under watch in an outpost in the southern region of Wall Rose. Sasha and Conny express their boredom, suggesting they should sneak away to their home villages. Reiner takes their suggestion seriously, offering to help them escape. He notes that their situation is an abnormal one, given their orders to wait on standby in plainclothes without weapons while their superiors keep watch in uniform with ODM gear. Sasha tiredly puts her head on the table, but jolts back up at the sound of thuds in the distance. As Sasha explains herself, Section Commander Miche Zacharius detects the presence of Titans in the distance. He immediately sends out Tomas to alert Commander Erwin in Stohess of the incoming Titans while Nanaba joins the recruits below to alert them of the situation. While the recruits ready their horses, Nanaba joins Miche on the rooftops, expressing her lost hope at the thought of Wall Rose being breached with no clear cause. Miche comforts her, stating that as long as they continue to fight, their battle is not lost.The scouts ride out from the outpost, and Miche orders his squad to split into four teams to spread word of the invasion in all directions. He asks if any soldier or recruit is familiar with the terrain, and Sasha states that she has good knowledge of the northern terrain near her village. She speaks for Conny's knowledge as well, but Conny realizes that the Titans are coming from the direction of his own village. He offers to join the south team but requests to visit his village once the news is spread, and Miche allows it. Reiner chooses to join Conny, and asks Bertholdt to join him. After some reluctance, Bertholdt agrees. Nanaba reminds the recruits of their dire situation and encourages them to give their mission everything they have got. At the edge of the distant forest, the scouts notice the Titans starting to run erratically towards them. Miche breaks away from the group, placing command of the southern team in his subordinate Gelgar. The other scouts worry for Miche, but Gelgar insists that his skill is second only to Captain Levi. The scouts continue on their route as Miche attacks the Titans.

In Stohess, Eren awakens from a memory where his mother scolded him for picking a fight, telling him to show restraint for Mikasa's sake. Eren gets up from his bed, noticing that Mikasa has fallen asleep sitting at his bedside. She stirs awake as her scarf slips from her hand, which Eren picks up for her. He proposes finding her a new one when there is an opportunity. Suddenly, Armin bursts into the room to inform them of the Titan invasion in Wall Rose. While the scouts in Stohess prepare to ride out, Levi visits Erwin. Erwin asks if Levi is fit to join them, and Levi states that he has little choice. A scout comments on the wise decision to have Miche watch the recruits, and Erwin hopes for the best.

Earlier in Wall Rose, Miche kills the fifth of the nine Titans present in the nearby group. Believing he has bought the other scouts enough time, he calls for his horse, though a nearby Abnormal Titan covered in fur catches his attention and he begins to worry. As his horse approaches, the Beast Titan grabs it off the ground and sets its sights on Miche. Before Miche has enough time to process the situation, the Beast throws the horse at Miche with alarming precision, sending Miche falling off the rooftop where a large-eyed Titan catches him, crushing his legs in its bite. Miche screams in pain, but the Beast Titan tells the Titan to wait.

As ordered, the Titan holds Miche steady as the Beast Titan kneels down to see him face to face. The Titan bites down on Miche's legs a second time, and the Beast seems irritated with its disobedience. He crushes the Titan's head, and Miche slips to the ground. Staring up at the talking Titan in horror, he is unable to speak. As the blood evaporates on the Beast Titan's hand, the creature asks Miche what the name of his equipment is, though Miche is too terrified to answer. The Beast muses on his silence, having thought that they spoke the same language. Unwilling to wait for an answer, the Beast reaches down and takes Miche's ODM gear, leaving him where he sits as he takes his leave. Miche panics, but regains some hope as he remembers his words to Nanaba that morning. He lets out a battle cry, but the Beast Titan turns to the three remaining Titans and lets them know they have permission to move again. In horror, Miche desperately tries to escape their grasp, but he is caught as all three Titans begin to eat into his flesh at once. Hearing Miche's cries for help, the Beast remarks that he was right about the scout's ability to speak. The Beast Titan takes his leave of the scene, commenting on the creativity of the gear humanity has created. Meanwhile, Miche continues to scream in pain and terror as the Titans eat him alive until their feasting tears his body to pieces.

Trivia

 * In this episode, the second opening "Die Flügel der Freiheit" was replaced by the third opening, "Opfert eure Herzen!".

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