Whereabouts of His Left Arm: The Struggle for Trost, Part 5

"Answer me at once! What are you?! Are you a man? Or a Titan?"

- The Garrison captain interrogates Eren

Hidariude no Yukue -Torosuto-ku Kōbōsen (5)- (左腕の行方 ―トロスト区攻防戦⑤―) is the 9th episode of the 1st season and the 9th episode overall of the Attack on Titan anime, produced by Wit Studio and Production I.G.

Overview
Damage from the Trost District attack is massive due to the Scout Regiment being outside the walls on an expedition at the time. On that trip, Captain Levi and some members of his squad engage in combat with the Titans, killing them with little effort. Levi saves one of his comrades from being devoured, but his injuries cause him to die shortly after. Then, the scouts are ordered to go back to town by Commander Erwin Smith as he fears an incident similar to the breaching of Shiganshina District may have occurred.

After Eren was eaten alive, he had traumatic experiences inside the Titan's stomach, seeing both corpses and dying people around him. This made Eren reaffirm his promise to kill all the Titans. This surge of motivation triggers his first transformation into a Titan.

In the present, Eren awakens as Mikasa and Armin are being threatened by a Garrison captain, who thinks that Eren is a dangerous Titan. Meanwhile, the rest of the cadets are safe and are trying to make up their minds. Captain Hannes stands atop the wall with his comrades, worried about the battle.

On the ground below, the three friends try to calm the captain, but he does not listen to them and orders a cannon to shoot them. Eren, who remembers his father's words, triggers, willingly, his Titan transformation, which allows him so stop the cannonball.

Summary
Before the Colossal Titan breaks through Wall Rose, the Scout Regiment departs on their latest expedition. Among the townspeople, Eren, Mikasa and Armin watch their departure. One of the townspeople spots Captain Levi, and then says that in battle, he is worth as an entire brigade. Levi, hearing this, gets a little irritated. Squad Leader Hange Zoë makes a joke that they would be heartbroken if they knew how much of a clean freak he was.

Before leaving, Hange imagines what kind of Titans they will see. She hopes that they'll meet some abnormal ones and Levi comments that he can already see one which makes Hange search around. Levi then pats her and says to her that the abnormal one is right here, in front of him.

The soldiers entrusted with the mission this time are mankind's best and brightest soldiers. Even so, when troops advance into Titan's territory, the casualties still exceed thirty percent. While out for the mission, one of the soldiers is caught by a Titan. Half inside the giant's mouth, he threatens him, saying that humans will exterminate them, particularly Levi. As he says this, Levi shows up and disposes of the Titan. With reinforcements arriving, he orders a scout to take care of the wounded soldier. He then orders the reinforcements to take the right flank, while he takes the left.

Elsewhere, Hange enjoys the mission. She confronts one of the Titans, and then says that they will not hurt it at all. The Titan ignores Hange's words and tries to grab her, but Hange quickly dodges and cuts its nape. She then lands on the ground, while asking the Titan if their attack did not hurt at all before it falls.

As Levi approaches the two Titans on the left, he thinks to himself that they all possess the same ridiculous faces. He gets blood on his hands when he finishes a Titan off, causing him to take pause and immediately clean it up. Taking a short break, he rejoins Petra and the soldier he saved earlier. The soldier, with his last breath asks Levi if he had been useful. Encouraging him, he takes the soldier's hand and tells him he has done more than enough, which allows him to die in peace. Commander Erwin approaches them on horseback, informing them that they must retreat. When Levi questions him, Erwin informs him that the Titans are moving north - towards the city. Worried that the wall may already be breached, they leave.

As Eren is swallowed whole by a Titan right in front of Armin, the mouth bites down, tearing off Eren's left arm. Now in the Titan's stomach, Eren is surrounded by fellow dead or dying soldiers, one whispering she misses and wants her mother, before sinking into the stomach acid. In disbelief, he remembers all of his training and how he is changed these past five years. He begins to remember his own mother. Questioning why the Titans took everything from him, he again swears he will destroy them all, with his bare hands.

Eren, growing even more desperate and despairing, reaches towards the Titan's throat with his missing arm. Then, suddenly, an enormous arm explodes out of the Titan's mouth, causing it to stumble stupidly, before falling face first. As the Titan lay on the ground, Eren emerges in Titan form from the Titan's back as it rips apart. Desperate for revenge, Eren decapitates the Titan that ate him with a powerful stomp before attacking a small Titan with one punch to it is mouth, damaging its head enough to kill it. He stomps on the deceased Titan's head repeatedly, consumed with bloodlust to kill all of the Titans.

Eren wakes up, having remembered these events in his sleep, muttering his desire to kill. He then notices the frightened and misunderstanding Garrison soldiers, who want to kill Eren, as they believe that he is a Titan who wants to devour them all. As the situation heightens, Eren appears to have no recollection of his time as a Titan.

Inside Wall Rose, Conny explains how they were able to refill their gas and escape from Trost with Christa, her friend and the other soldiers. Christa asks about the rest of the soldiers that are not there, and Conny announces their dooms with mournful expression. Christa's friend questions Mikasa's whereabouts, and Conny replies that he thinks Mikasa has come back late with Jean. She asks Jean if Mikasa was wounded, but Jean refuses to answer it, saying that he has sworn to keep it secret from the others, but believing that soon everyone will know it.

On top of the wall, Captain Hannes talks about the new defense plan the technical crew created, but they still cannot let their guard down. When he reads the distress on his comrade's face, he asks what is wrong with him. His comrade answers that is concerned about his friends that stayed in the vanguard. Hannes encourages him to stay focused on interception, but then his comrade asks about Eren, Mikasa and Armin because he heard they also remained in vanguard. He apologizes for talking too much, but Hannes says that he believes in them due to their individual abilities.

Meanwhile, an ever-confused Eren is given a difficult situation: if he says something the captain considers deceitful or move even an inch, a cannon is ready to shoot him anytime. Then, the captain questions him, asking if he is a human or a Titan. Not understanding, Eren asks what he means. Losing patience, the captain states that there were numerous witnesses that saw him coming out of the Titan, which in effect, makes him the enemy. Not wanting to risk any more soldiers, a soldier suggests that they kill him while he is still in human form.

Mikasa overhears him, and threatens to brutally kill anyone who tries to harm Eren. another soldier informs the captain that Mikasa is one of their best soldiers, and it would be a great loss if she were slain. While Armin suggests fleeing, Eren struggles to remember what has just transpired. He looks at his left arm, and he starts to realize that what he saw was not just a dream. When the captain asks again what he is, Eren knows that his answer affects his friends as well. Eren answers that he is human, but the captain does not buy it, and orders the cannons to fire on his command. Mikasa grabs Eren and Armin, and tells them to flee.

At that exact moment, Eren witnesses his father's key coming out from his shirt. Looking at it, Eren recalls him giving him the key, telling him to keep it on him at all times, and then giving him an injection that damaged his memories of that moment. Then he remembers the basement of his former home, with his father saying that although it would be an insanely dangerous journey, they would have everything they would ever need to destroy the Titans, once and for all. He assures Eren that "their memories" will be able to teach him how to use his new powers. Time seems to slow down as he recalls his father telling him that if he wishes to protect Mikasa and Armin, he must master his new power. With this, Eren instinctively bites down on his hand and appears to catch the cannonball. When the smoke partially clears, it is shown that Eren has partially transformed into a Titan and did in fact save Armin and Mikasa by catching the cannonball with a Titan hand.

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