Return to Shiganshina arc

Reiner recalls much later when Warchief Zeke, the Beast Titan, explained to his subordinates that Annie was probably fine. Threatening them, he reminds them of their one goal, to regain the Coordinate and stop this "cursed history." After confirming that the Survey Corps are on their way, the three get into position. Reiner reminds Bertolt to think and act for himself, because he will not be there to tell him what to do. During the battle, Bertolt waits impatiently for Reiner's signal unaware that the soldiers believe they have killed Reiner by blowing his head off. However, his Titan lets out a massive roar, signaling Zeke and Bertolt. Zeke then picks up the barrel containing Bertolt from off the quadrupedal Titan and throws it above the town. The soldiers watch in terror as they wait for the Colossus Titan to burst out and lay waste to Shiganshina.

As the Corps' soldiers move to kill Reiner, they are shocked to see that his Titan form has positioned itself so that they cannot reach his human form. It is at this moment that Bertolt transforms into his Colossus Titan form, with the resulting blast engulfing Hange's squad. With all of their comrades seemingly killed, Squad Levi is left to face Bertolt alone.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Wall, Levi surveys the situation. With nothing but smaller Titans left, Squads Dirk, Marlene, and Klaus go to finish them off to give Levi a chance to rest. Not long after, with the help of the quadrupedal Titan, Zeke begins throwing rocks at the Survey Corps. Levi orders those near the horses to retreat, while Erwin informs them of their dire circumstances.

On the other side of the Wall, Jean orders Eren to yell in order to get Bertolt's attention. It works, but he intentionally ignores them. So, with no other option, Mikasa takes Connie's Thunder Spears, and tells the others to distract Bertolt. Jean orders Armin to stay back and observe, while trying to encourage him to have hope. As the others go off on their separate tasks, Eren races towards Bertolt's leg, trying to hold him back. For a moment, it seems like he has got him, until Bertolt pulls his leg back and flings Eren into the Wall. The others stare in shock at an incapacitated Eren.

On the inner part of the Wall, Levi urges Erwin to order the retreat and save the few survivors, but Erwin reveals that he still has a strategy to defeat Zeke, though at the cost of his and the new recruits' lives. He admits that the only thing that stops him is his desire to live long enough to see the basement, but Levi prompts him to forget his dreams and sacrifice himself for the greater good.

Erwin leads the recruits into a direct suicide attack against Zeke to serve as decoys while Levi sneaks through the surrounding horde of Titans, using them as trees to maneuver with his equipment as he approaches Zeke in order to land a surprise attack. Erwin and his troops continue riding towards the enemy, using signal flares to obstruct his aim. As Zeke launches a barrage of rocks towards them, Erwin and all the soldiers are struck by the debris.

Before executing their plan, Armin reminds Eren of their promise to see the ocean. Eren pretends to fall to the ground in defeat while Armin jumps to the Colossus Titan. Mikasa and the recruits continue their attack on Reiner, and Sasha is injured. Armin manages to grapple onto the Colossus Titan's teeth, causing Bertolt to send out great amounts of steam. Seeing Armin's perseverance, Bertolt increases the power of his attack to kill Armin quickly. As Armin is burned alive, he remarks that Eren must see the ocean in his stead.

As the plan to defeat Reiner is on the verge of failure, Hange returns to assist as Mikasa lands the final blow to Reiner, sending him flying out of the Armored Titan's nape. As Bertolt inspects Eren's fallen Titan form, he realizes that it is only a hardened shell. With his vertical maneuvering equipment, Eren strikes at the Colossus Titan's nape, pulling Bertolt out. He lands on the roofs next to Armin's corpse, noting that Armin was the bravest of his comrades.

Hange attempts to interrogate a captive Reiner, but when they are unable to get any meaningful information from him, Hange attempts to behead him but is then stopped when Jean suggests taking his Titan power from him. Unconvinced that the Titan injection should be used yet, Hange tells Mikasa to check on Eren and Armin, and to alert them if Reiner should be killed. However, shortly afterward Zeke and the Quadrupedal Titan appear and rescue Reiner, nearly killing Hange.

As Eren frantically tries to keep Armin alive, he begs Levi to save Armin's life with the Titan serum. Levi agrees, but is stopped by the arrival of the surviving Survey Corps recruit who is carrying Erwin's near-lifeless body. Seeing that Erwin is still alive, Levi announces that he has changed his mind, and will instead use the serum to save Erwin. The others object to this and turn on Levi while Zeke watches from atop Wall Maria with Reiner.

When Levi is ready to inject Erwin, Eren reveals Armin's dream to see the ocean. Levi orders everyone to leave. He remembers overhearing Armin's enthusiasm over seeing the ocean, and recalls Kenny Ackerman's final words about people clinging to their dreams. Erwin, in a moment of exhaustion, raises his hand on reflex and away from the needle, to ask his father back in the classroom about investigating the truth. Levi makes his choice.

Bertolt Hoover awakens as Armin's pure Titan form is generated. He cries out in fear begging his former comrades to save him as he is taken and eaten alive while the others watch. Levi explains his choice to his comrades, believing that Erwin deserves his long rest. Hange confirms that Erwin Smith is dead, and the recruits gather around as Armin Arlert emerges from his Titan alive and well, now possessing the power of the Colossus Titan.

Arriving at the wreckage of their home, they clear a path to the basement, but discover that Eren's key is not to the basement door. Levi breaks the door down, and the four find what appears to be a normal doctor's office. At Grisha Yeager's desk, Mikasa discovers a locked drawer. Eren uses the key, and they discover three well-preserved books.

At Trost District, Commander Nile Dok recalls making fun of Erwin's questioning of the history books about the no existence of humans beyond the Walls, and Commander-in-Chief Zackly suggests Nile should apologize for his doubts to Erwin in person. They are then told that the Survey Corps has returned as the nine surviving members arrive at Trost.

In the basement, the four come across an incredibly lifelike image of Grisha with another family. On the back a note is written, identifying the image as a photograph and revealing that humanity lives beyond the Walls in luxury, having never truly gone extinct.

Decades ago, Grisha and his sister Faye wandered outside of their internment zone unauthorized, and they were caught by soldiers of Marley. Grisha was punished, and Faye was guided home. However, she was found dead the next day. The military explained the situation to Grisha's parents, who submissively accepted the tragedy, while Grisha realized the fault of his actions. At the Marleyan military's orders, Grisha's father explained their history to Grisha, telling him of Ymir Fritz, the rise and fall of the nation of Eldia, and the Yeager family's place as Eldians forced to live in ghettos. Grisha realized that the Marleyans were lying about Faye's fate, but his father silenced him.

When Grisha was eighteen, he learned of his sister's fate and joined the Eldian Restorationists, who desired to retrieve the Founding Titan and restore their nation. Grisha met Dina Fritz at this time, and they married the following year and had a son named Zeke.

Several years later, the Marleyan government announced a program to train Titan Warriors from Eldian children with the promise of liberating families who offer their children to the cause. Seeing the opportunity to reclaim the Founding Titan with their child's royal blood, Grisha sent Zeke into the Warriors hoping to make him into a double agent. However, when Zeke turned seven, he handed his parents and the Eldian Restorationists over to the Marleyans, who sent them all to Paradis Island to wander outside the Walls as Pure Titans.

After Zeke exposed the Eldian Restorationists, Grisha and the others were subjected to torture by Marley officers in order to reveal the identity of "The Owl." But when the officers got nothing, the group was sent to the borderline of Paradis Island to be transformed into Pure Titans as sentence for treason. On top of the Wall, Grisha recognized Kruger and reunited with Grice, who blamed Grisha for Zeke's betrayal. Annoyed by Grice's outburst, Sergeant Major Gross threw him to the sand dunes below. Grisha recognized Gross as the official who killed his sister 15 years ago, and several Restorationists were kicked off the wall and transformed into Titans, which then began chasing Grice. Grisha saw Dina being brought next to him to be transformed. He tried to protect her by shouting that she had royal blood and therefore was important to Marley, but he was silenced by Kruger, and Grisha noticed he was covering up that fact. Dina was injected and transformed into a Titan.

Eren wakes up screaming in a cell. Not remembering where he is, Armin reminds him that he and Mikasa are serving punishment for violating military law. Having connected to his father's memories after reading the books, Eren is disturbed by the notion that the Titan who ate his mother was Dina.

In Grisha's past, Dina's Titan went after Grice like the other Titans. Grisha reproached Gross for this and for his sister's murder, and Gross recognized Grisha as well and decided to transform another Restorationist into a Titan and have fun by making Grisha fight him. As the Restorationist was transformed, Grisha questioned Gross about the reason of his cruelty, and he explained that he considered Eldians alike to rats and wished for them to be eliminated from the world. Grisha complained that the story spread by Marley was false, but Gross did not listen and tried to throw him from the Wall. However, Kruger threw Gross instead, and as Gross was eaten by the Titan, Kruger revealed himself as the Owl. Kruger asked Grisha to pay attention as he injured his own hand, triggering a transformation into Titan and destroying the Marleyans' ship.

In his jail cell, Eren Yeager recounts his memories to Armin, who records them. Along with Kruger's words, Eren speaks of "paths" invisible to the eyes which connect all Subjects of Ymir and create the bodies of Titans. Eren recalls Kruger telling Grisha of the same fact: that all invisible "paths" coordinate at the Founding Titan. At this news, Grisha wondered what the truth of Eldia's history is. Kruger told him that Ymir Fritz gained the power of the Titans after finding the "source of all organic material," and that other legends were falsehoods from either side. Grisha wondered if Dina's royalty was false, but Kruger assured him that it was true.

When Grisha admitted that he did not feel the hatred against Marley that he used to, Kruger assured him that his actions were what gave Eldia the chance to reclaim the Founding Titan in the first place. Kruger gave Grisha his old family photograph before passing on his Titan power, which Kruger revealed is named the "Attack Titan."

During the meeting, Eren remembers his father's memories of when Kruger told Grisha of the true nature of the Founding Titan and how King Fritz ended the war by making a vow with the Founding Titan. Hange connects this vow to the ideology of the King which consumed the Reiss family successors, but reminds the meeting that Eren was able to use the Founding Titan in the past. Eren realizes this was because he was striking the hand of Dina Fritz's Titan, a member of the royal family, but he stays quiet fearing for Historia's safety.

In Eren's memories, he sees Kruger preparing to inject Grisha with a Titan serum, telling him to find love within the Walls and to complete his mission for the sake of Armin and Mikasa. Grisha did not know who these names belonged to, and neither did Kruger.

Later, Hitch meets with the 104th recruits in the Survey Corps and learns of Marlowe's death from Floch. He argues with the others about the decision to save Armin over Erwin, and the situation grows tense. Armin sides with Floch, but Eren insists that no one can know what would have been better and reminds Armin of the freedom they seek beyond Wall Maria. Shortly afterward, Historia hosts a ceremony for the survivors of the battle of Shiganshina District, and Eren sees a memory of his father in the Reiss Chapel when he touches Historia's hand.

That winter, the Executioner from Hell was used to eliminate all the Titans in Wall Maria, confirmed in the last weeks of the season. By springtime, transport beyond Trost District was made possible through elevators along the Wall. Finally, one year after the battle of Trost District, Shiganshina was repopulated and the Survey Corps set out beyond Wall Maria for the first time in six years. Following the trail of a Titan dragging itself on the ground, they reach the borderline of Paradis Island and come to the ocean. As the others play in the water, Eren contemplates the freedom they will achieve when they kill their enemies across the sea.