Wound: The Struggle for Trost, Part 8

Kizu -Torosuto-ku Kōbōsen (8)- (傷 ―トロスト区攻防戦⑧―) is the 12th episode of the 1st season and the 12th episode overall of the Attack on Titan anime, produced by Wit Studio and Production I.G.

Overview
The battle on Trost District continues. When Eren tries to punch Mikasa, she manages to evade it as she tries to calm him down. This is useless and Eren ends up knocking himself out while attempting to attack Mikasa. The soldiers then think about retreating, which begins to make Mikasa very mad, but Ian Dietrich, the leader, states that they need to take care of Eren because he is a valuable weapon for mankind.

After some dubitative moments on the elite team, the soldiers decide to follow Ian's plan. Elsewhere, Jean, Connie, Marco and Armin are discussing the current situation while soldiers continue to lure the Titans to the corner of the Wall. While doing this, Mikasa and later Armin note that Eren is not regenerating his body. Armin, seeing the negative signal flare makes his way to Eren's Titan and then forms a plan: he stabs Eren's human body so that he can make him react and remember his mission. Useless at first, Eren ends up realizing what he has to do. Finally, the Titan starts producing steam and regenerating his wounds.

Summary
The plan to lure Titans to the corner of Trost continues, even though the soldiers try to avoid combat as much as possible, a fifth of the men are lost. Commander Dot Pixis, however, states that the soldiers don't die on their own as his orders are what send them to their death. Saying that this is a critical point in mankind's survival, Pixis declares that as long as humans manage to live on, he doesn't mind being called a murderer.

At the boulder, Mikasa manages to dodge Eren's punches and much to the rest of the team's surprise, she hangs herself at Eren's face in an attempt to talk to him. Meanwhile, Rico shoots a red signal flare as a message that the plan has failed. Seeing Eren getting ready to launch another attack, Ian warns Mikasa to get away from him just as Eren punches his own head as Mikasa manages to evade. The elite team then, much to Mikasa's discontent, discuss leaving Eren there and retreating.

On top the Walls, the soldiers witness the red signal flare. Seeing this, Armin decides to head to their location. A soldier then proposes focusing on defending and calling off the elite team, however, Pixis orders them to continue luring the Titans and puts all his trust into the elite team, saying that they won't give up so easily.

Meanwhile, Mitabi decides to retreat, however, an angered Mikasa heads his way, just to be stopped by Ian. He then orders them to take down the Titans nearing to their place, surprising everyone. He claims that Eren cannot be abandoned as he represents a precious possibility for mankind.

Elsewhere, Jean reaches the wall and questions Eren's state. Marco replies that Armin is headed there alone and hopes that they will be fine. Connie expresses his doubts about the plan and asks whether the soldiers who have died die in vain, but Jean just says that they must preserve their numbers as it will later become an all out war. Connie just replies that they should try not to become casualties themselves. Elsewhere, the elite team argues about retreating, but in the end decides to follow the plan as Rico states that she will show them how dreadful humans can be. Mikasa gives her thanks to Ian, but he replies that there is no need and orders her to defend her 'boyfriend', which makes Mikasa blush and say that he's her family.

Mikasa then notices that Eren's wounds aren't regenerating and begins to wonder if it's because of injuries from the last fight. She questions whether Eren will be able to return to his human form, but stops herself as it's not something she can figure out by thinking. Meanwhile, Armin is seen running on top of the wall, wondering what happened. Inside of the Titan, Eren is seen being barely conscious, not knowing where he is nor what he is doing. He then gets a vision of him being at home, being able to see his parents and Mikasa. At that time, Armin arrives just to see injured Eren in his Titan form.

Elsewhere, Jean, Connie, Annie and other soldiers receive orders to lure the Titans to the corner of the wall and as they see explosions of dust, they head out. Back to the elite team, Mikasa saves Mitabi by killing one of the Titans, but then they see more Titans coming in, much to their surprise. Mikasa then realizes that it's Eren who's luring all the Titans in. She notices Armin who asks about the plan and Eren's state and tells him that Eren is unable to control the Titan. Believing that Eren coming out of Titan's weak point back then is related to the mystery of Titans, Armin stabs the Titan's nape, leading the blade through Eren's left arm inside of the Titan. He tells Mikasa to defend everyone from the Titans and then attempts to talk to Eren. However, Eren, in his vision, sees Armin from outside of the window and doesn't understand Armin's words. At that moment, he remembers about joining the Survey Corps. Meanwhile, the elite team along with Mikasa continue their attempts at defeating all the Titans who attempt to reach Eren.

In the streets below the wall, Jean, Annie and Connie continue their mission. While Annie and Connie manage to reach the wall, Jean's Vertical Maneuvering Equipment breaks, and all he can do is run away on foot. He hides himself inside of a building and through a window, he spies a corpse of a soldier still wearing their Vertical Maneuvering Equipment. Meanwhile, Armin continues talking to Eren, asking him if he remembers that they want to explore the outside world. He questions his motives for doing so and Eren answers that it is because he was born to this world, just as his vision erupts in flames and the Titan with Eren inside wakes up.

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Épisode 12