In the Depths of Despair (Episode)

"We took advantage of hate... instilled and fostered it... believing it would bring us salvation. All the problems arising from our faults we dumped into the 'island of devils.' As a result, that monster was born, and now it's marching our hatred right back at us. If, by some miracle, we manage to have a future again, I vow to never repeat the same mistake."

- A Marleyan leader regrets the misdeeds of his nation

In the Depths of Despair (絶望の淵に) is the 31st episode of the 4th season and the 90th episode overall of the Attack on Titan anime, produced by. It is the third of three episodes, available only on Japanese streaming services, that constitute the episodic version (各話版) of THE FINAL CHAPTERS Special 1.

Overview
The remaining Scouts and Warriors ride the flying boat in hopes of catching up to Eren Jaeger at Fort Salta. Armin Arlelt begins to draft a plan of attack with his comrades. He wants to exhaust all possibility of talk before using the explosive power of his Colossal Titan to destroy Eren's Founding Titan. Both the Scouts and the Warriors feel that there may be a part of Eren that regrets his actions or wants them to succeed since he has not taken the Power of the Titans from them. However, when Eren pulls them into the Paths he makes it clear that he will not be dissuaded.

On the ground below, a train of refugees approaches Fort Salta, carrying Eldian refugees from Liberio. Among them are the families of the surviving Warriors. They hope to take one of the airships to safety, but as they approach they see that the airships are taking off. Commander Müller calls for the bombing run to begin when he sees the Founding Titan begin to glow, but the airships are still too high when they drop their payloads. The shape of the Beast Titan emerges out of the spine of the Founding Titan and hurls a barrage of debris that takes out the airships.

Summary
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, Secretary Müller 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.

Fort Salta
''A fortress located in the southwestern part of the continent of Marley. It was built to suit the surrounding terrain, and was created for the purpose of researching and manufacturing air weapons, mainly airships. It is surrounded by a table-shaped plateau similar to a fortress, which was also used as a landing pad and as a training ground for airships.''