The Entire Attack on Titan Timeline EXPLAINED!

The story of Attack on Titan begins with a young girl named Ymir. One day, Ymir would watch helplessly as her village was raided and pillaged by the tribe known as Eldia. Head of this tribe was King Fritz, a man whose ambition was equal only to his cruelty. Without hesitation, King Fritz laid claim to the village and all of its contents, including Ymir, who, once free, became nothing more than a helpless slave.

During her servitude, Ymir would stumble upon a pig pen. Looking inside the pen, she realized that, like her, the animal was trapped-destined to live its life and eventually die in service to its masters. Wishing a better life for it than she had herself, she released the pig from captivity. When King Fritz learned that Ymir was responsible for its escape, he made an example of her by releasing her into the woods where his men were ordered to hunt her down.

As Ymir ran from her inevitable death, she would quickly stumble upon an ancient, towering tree. Seeking sanctity and drawn by her curiosity, she walked into the tree’s massive opening. As she entered, the uneven terrain caused her to fall uncontrollably until she landed in a body of water. Sinking to the depths, she conceded to what she thought were her last moments. That is, until she came into contact with an anomalous entity-elusive in origin and name-that would grant her it's incredible power. In doing so, she became the first ever Titan and the Foundation for all that would follow her.

Despite her tremendous power, Ymir would remain a slave of King Fritz, vowing to use her abilities in any way he saw fit. Twisted as it may be, this was the result of her undying love for him-one that she likely hoped he might share if only she fulfilled his every desire. So began the age of the Eldian Empire, which, like King Fritz himself, would be defined by its limitless ambition and unending cruelty.

After years of service to Eldia, King Fritz would “reward” Ymir for her acts by allowing her to bear his children. With time, she gave birth to a total of three daughters named Maria, Rose, and Sina, all the while continuing to assist Eldia expand its influence and conquer its rivals. While everything seemed to be going well, King Fritz, in his push to expand his empire, had neglected to watch his back. While attending a ceremony in celebration of Eldia’s victory against their rival civilization of Marley, King Fritz would watch as a man from the crowd launched a spear at his chest. Without hesitation, Ymir jumped in the path of the spear. Having given everything for King Fritz, including her own life at this point, Ymir decided to give herself peace in death. Having only been 13 years since she was given her Titan abilities, this death would curse all that would eventually inherit her abilities to die after only 13 years.

Upon Ymir’s death, her consciousness ascended to another plane of existence. A realm where, as was her will, the memories and consciousness of all her descendants would converge in hopes that one day she might find true connection with another person. This domain, known as the Paths, existed beyond the physical world, where space and time were both infinite and instantaneous. Bound to this ethereal plane, Ymir, driven by her desire for connection and unwavering love for King Fritz, remained trapped-forever a slave to the will of any Founding Titan bearing the royal blood of the Fritz lineage.

After Ymir had died, King Fritz, in a desperate attempt to retain her power, forced their three daughters Maria, Rose, and Sina to eat the remains of their mother. In doing so, her Titan power was fragmented amongst her children. Years later, Maria, Rose, and Sina, likely at the command of King Fritz, bore children of their own-giving rise to a new branch of humanity-all of which were connected to each other, through Ymir in Paths. Thus, they were dubbed the Subjects of Ymir-supreme beings in the eyes of Eldians, devils to all else. Though the specifics are unclear, it's likely that nearly 13 years after usurping their mothers power, Maria, Rose, and Sina were observed growing frail due to the Curse of Ymir. Assuming the worst, the ritual of succession was repeated, once more fragmenting Ymir’s power into a total of Nine Titans.

The Colossal Titan, while far from precise, offered its users unprecedented raw physical power. The primary source of which stemmed from its large size as well as its ability to release stored heat either over a long period of time or instantaneously. The Female Titan, known for its feminine physique, excelled in adaptability, allowing its user to replicate attributes of the other Nine Titans with relative ease. The Beast Titan allowed its users to take on the physical attributes of almost any animal, giving it varying capabilities depending on the inheritor. The Armored Titan, with its highly durable hardened armor, was well suited as the primary bulwark of the Nine-providing cover and defensive capabilities. Opposed to the Armored, the Jaw Titan was purely offensive in nature, with unrivaled speed as well as claws and jaws sharp enough to cut through practically anything. Similar, yet distinct to the Jaw, was the Cart Titan. Its primary ability stemmed from its heightened endurance which allowed the user to stay in Titan form for months at a time as well as shift into a Titan in quick succession hundreds of times over. The War Hammer Titan was able to materialize constructs-likely limited only by the imagination and endurance of its user. The Attack Titan served as the catalyst of chaos amidst order-destined to buck the authority of those who sought to control it. To accomplish this goal, the Attack gave its user the unique ability to see the memories of those yet to inherit it. This gave the Attack an extremely influential advantage rivaled only by the incredible power of the last of the Nine Titans. The Founding Titan, if used to its fullest ability, was by far the most powerful of the Nine-having the ability to wield the power of the Founder Ymir herself to command, modify, and manipulate every last Subject of Ymir. Due to this, and the fact that those without royal blood couldn’t use these abilities directly, the Founding Titan remained within the control of the Fritz family while the others were given to the eight subservient Eldian families.

Over the next several centuries, the Eldian Empire maintained its supremacy, using the overwhelming power of the Titans to crush any opposition. During this time, countless civilizations and cultures were eradicated-their histories erased and replaced by Eldia's narrative of dominance. Marley in particular struggled immensely during this period, barely holding on in the face of Eldia’s might. With their monopoly over the power of the Nine and unmatched military strength, the Eldian Empire reshaped the world in its image, leaving a legacy of bloodshed and fear that ensured its reign remained uncontested.

Amid this relentless expansion, the Eldian Empire sought to perfect its hold on power by bridging the gap between Titans and humanity. The ultimate result was the Ackerman clan, a bloodline of humans deliberately engineered to possess abnormal strength, speed, and reflexes, activated by their survival instincts. These extraordinary abilities made the Ackermans uniquely suited for both combat and protection. As such, they were designated the "sword and shield" of the Royal Family. Tasked with guarding the King and enforcing his decrees, the Ackermanns became a vital yet tightly reigned force within Eldian society.

After nearly two millennia of dominance, the Eldian Empire had grown so vast and powerful that they found themselves without enemies. Left unchallenged, though ambitious as ever, its ruling families found that the only ones left to conquer were one another. Thus, they began to look inward, vying for supremacy amongst themselves. Around the year 740, the 145th King of Eldia, Karl Fritz, deeply ashamed of his nation’s pathetic state as well as their long history of conquest and atrocities, devised a plan to bring his nation to its knees. To achieve this, he secretly allied with the influential Tyber family, the owners of the War Hammer Titan who shared in Fritz’ shame. Together, they fabricated a legend of a Marleyan hero named "Helos," who had exacerbated the Eldian in-fighting, opening an opportunity for the rest of the world to cripple the empire for good.

As the legend of Helos spread and his empire began to collapse, Karl Fritz, knowing he could never atone for the sins of his ancestors, fled Eldia with the remnants of the Fritz Royal Family, along with some of those belonging to the Ackermann and Azumabito clans, to an isolated piece of Eldian territory known as Paradis Island. This retreat left the empire’s eight other noble houses to fend for themselves. In the ensuing power vacuum, civil war erupted across the empire, resulting in widespread devastation and weakening Eldia's control over its territories. With the tale of Helos widespread, Marley, inspired by their great hero, allied with the Tyber family to launch a large-scale revolution to overthrow their former oppressors. This marked the climactic turning-point in what would become known as the Great Titan War.

During the Great Titan War, Marley would systematically gain control of seven of the Nine Titans, including the Colossal, Armored, Beast, Female, Jaw, Cart, and Attack Titans. With each new Titan, they solidified their growing supremacy, allowing them to finally put an end to Eldia’s two thousand year reign. By this point, Marley had miraculously transformed itself from an oppressed nation into the dominant global superpower. Yet, much like Eldia, once Marley got a taste of power they began implementing the very tactics Eldia imposed on them to keep themselves dominant. To justify this conquest, Marley propagated the tale that Ymir Fritz, the first Titan, had attained her powers by making a pact with the so-called "Devil of All Earth." According to their narrative, Helos had vanquished the devil during the Great Titan War, framing Marley as the saviors of humanity who had not just won a war-they had slain the devil itself.

Meanwhile, on Paradis Island, Karl Fritz used the power of the Founding Titan to summon tens of millions of Colossal Titans, encasing them in three concentric walls named Maria, Rose, and Sina, in honor of Ymir Fritz's three daughters. To protect his people from the horrors of the outside world and to shield them from Eldia’s past sins, Karl used the Founder's power to erase the memories of all the Subjects of Ymir within the walls. This created a society ignorant of their true history, living under the illusion that Titans had mysteriously appeared and destroyed most of humanity. Much like the story of Helos for the Marleyans, this fabricated history became the bedrock of their culture, passed down as undisputed truth over the coming generations. However, not all were affected by the memory erasure. The Ackerman and Azumabito clans, resistant and/or immune to the Founder's power, retained their memories which made them targets of relentless persecution for nearly a century.

Following Marley’s victory over Eldia, Karl Fritz, fearing immediate retaliation, issued a grim warning to the world: if Paradis Island were provoked in any way, the millions of Titans within the walls would be unleashed, flattening the Earth and everyone on it. In reality, Fritz had no intention of releasing the Wall Titans or engaging in warfare of any form. He simply wanted to give those within the walls a time of short-lived peace. To ensure that this ideology was upheld, Fritz used the Founder's power to bind his successors with a vow renouncing war. This vow ensured that as long as the Founding Titan remained with a Eldian of royal blood, it could not be used to wage war or retaliate in any way. Karl confided this secret to the Tyber family, entrusting them to share the truth if the time ever came to reconcile with the outside world. The threat of this so-called “Rumbling” proved effective, and the Great Titan War came to a definitive end, leaving Marley in control of the larger continent and Eldia confined to Paradis.

Though the war was over, Marley’s thirst for vengeance remained unsatisfied. Having endured nearly 2,000 years of Eldian domination, they could not simply forgive their former oppressors. However, they also could not eliminate the Subjects of Ymir entirely, as their existence was essential for maintaining the power of the Titans. Faced with this dilemma, Marley enslaved the remaining Eldians, branding them as descendants of the devil itself and burdening them with collective guilt for Eldia’s past atrocities. Within a single generation, Marley successfully reshaped Eldians into second-class citizens, forced to live in designated internment zones and serve the Marleyan state however it saw fit. Destined to live out their existence in servitude and shame, ensuring they would never again rise to challenge Marley’s supremacy.

Nearly 13 years after inheriting the power of the Founder, Karl Fritz, in an effort to conceal the identity of the true royal bloodline, adopted the surname Reiss and installed a puppet royal family to rule Paradis publicly. This veil allowed the Reiss family to operate from the shadows, ensuring the Founder's power remained with them in the event of a civil uprising. Afterwards, Karl Fritz, likely just before succumbing to the Curse of Ymir, used the Founder's abilities to construct a hidden underground chamber, designed specifically for the Titan succession ritual. This ritual ensured that the Founding Titan, along with Karl’s vow renouncing war, would be passed down through the generations, preserving his perfect vision of peace.

Around the year 780, nearly three decades after the Great Titan War, a young peasant girl was selected by a group of cultists to serve as the representative of their deity, the Founder Ymir. As such, they renamed this young girl Ymir. For years, she lived under this false divinity, until they were caught by the authorities. When confronted, Ymir, having fully embraced the lie she had been told, proclaimed that the blood of Ymir Fritz flowed through her veins. As punishment for their heresy, she and the cultists were exiled to Paradis, where they were forced to live out their lives as Pure Titans. Stripped of her identity and humanity, Ymir was destined to wander the island as a mindless Titan for the next six decades.

In 817, a young Eldian boy named Grisha Jaeger took his sister, Faye, beyond the Liberio internment zone to watch an airship take-off. In doing so, they were caught by a Public Security Officer named Krueger, who offered the two of them their choice of punishment: hard labor or a quick beating. To shield Faye from being reprimanded for what had ultimately been his actions, Grisha accepted both he and his sister’s punishments. While Grisha endured his beating, Krueger’s partner, Gross, claimed he would escort Faye home. Instead, he took her to a remote riverbank where she was fed to a pack of dogs. Gross viewed this act with twisted curiosity because to him, Eldians were little more than vermin, who, if given the chance, would do the exact same to him, if not, worse. The next morning, Faye’s mutilated body was discovered along the riverbank. Public Security launched an investigation into the matter, however this was nothing more than a token gesture given her Eldian heritage. Afterwards, Gross himself delivered the inconclusive results to the Jaegers, claiming she must have gotten lost on her way home. Though Grisha couldn’t prove it, he knew in his heart that this was yet another lie fed to them by Marley.

Throughout the next seven years, Grisha, following in his fathers footsteps, would practice medicine. Once he became a practicing doctor, Grisha would be sought out by Grice, a member of the Eldian Restorationists. As soon as they met, Grice confirmed Grisha’s long-held suspicion: Faye’s death had been no accident but a calculated act of cruelty by Gross. Fueled by anger and newfound purpose, Grisha joined the Restorationists, vowing to liberate his people as a true Patriot of Eldia.

Over the coming months, the Eldian Restorationists unearthed documents they believed vindicated Eldia’s past as a prosperous nation opposed to a tyrannical empire. That same night, the group's anonymous informant, “the Owl,” introduced them to Dina Fritz, the last remaining descendant of Eldian royalty within Marley. Wasting no time, Dina informed them of a few vital truths, including the location of the Founding Titan and Karl Fritz’s vow renouncing war. Using this knowledge, the Restorationists hatched a plan to reclaim the Founding Titan and restore Eldia to power. Amid their shared struggle and cooperation, Grisha and Dina fell in love. A year later, they welcomed their son, Zeke, who they saw as the embodiment of Eldia’s future.

Around this time, a young boy named Erwin Smith began questioning the history taught in his school. When he shared his doubts with his teacher, who was also his father, he was met with evasive answers. However, when they went home, Erwin’s father revealed the truth-that the government issued history books they were given were full of contradictions and unsolved mysteries. This, in turn, led him to conclude that the history they were taught was being purposefully obscured. He concluded their lecture with a theory, one that he had no way of proving but that all the evidence pointed towards-that the first King of the Walls, Karl Reiss, somehow altered the memories of those inside the Walls. Fascinated, Erwin shared this revelation to his fellow classmates, most of whom dismissed him entirely. Soon enough, the theory attracted the attention of the First Interior Police who quickly learned that Erwin’s father was the source of his information. Later that night, Erwin’s father was found dead-killed by a “freak accident”, or so Erwin was told. Though Erwin couldn’t prove it, he knew that the government killed his father which proved to him more than anything else that he was on the verge of uncovering the truth. To honor his father and satiate his own curiosity, Erwin would dedicate his life to learning the truth and proving his father correct.

A few years later, Kenny Ackermann, a notorious criminal from the Underground, was given a tip that the Reiss family was the true royal family and therefore responsible for the persecution of the Ackermanns. Fueled by rage, Kenny tracked down, and attempted to assassinate Uri Reiss, but his plans fell apart when Uri transformed into the Founding Titan. To Kenny’s astonishment, Uri, compelled by the empathetic will of Karl Fritz, apologized for the suffering inflicted upon the Ackermanns and released Kenny unharmed. Stunned by this act of grace, Kenny pledged loyalty to the Reiss family, earning a place in the elite ranks of the First Interior Squad and, at least in-part, restoring the Ackermann position as the protector of the king. It was likely around this time that Kenny’s sister, Kuchel, began working in a brothel in the Underground. It was through this work that she became pregnant and eventually gave birth to a boy, who was named Levi. Years later, Kenny used his position in the Interior to track down his long-lost sister, only to discover that she had already passed away. Though he had never known Levi, Kenny decided to take the malnourished boy in, teaching him survival skills in the harsh conditions of the Underground. Under Kenny’s tutelage, Levi, despite his stunted growth, became a formidable fighter and eventually learned to rely on himself. Yet, when Kenny realized that Levi no longer needed a mentor but a father, he chose to walk away, believing himself incapable of fulfilling that role.

Around the time Kenny joined the First Interior Squad, Marley, wary of becoming obsolete in the face of technological and military advancements, began preparing for the Paradis Island Operation. This mission aimed to deploy a select few of the Nine Titans to infiltrate Paradis, seize the Founding Titan, and exploit the island’s untapped resources. Success, however, hinged on recruiting the most skilled and capable warriors. To achieve this, Marley established the Warrior Program, a rigorous regimen to train Subjects of Ymir from a young age to inherit the power of the Titans. When the Owl informed Grisha of this development, the Restorationists’ hopes of securing the Founding Titan grew even dimmer, as they had to compete against Marley’s vast resources. Desperate, Grisha and Dina saw only one path forward: they pressured their son, Zeke, to join the Warrior Program. But simply joining wasn’t enough. For Eldia’s future to survive, Zeke had to excel. He had to be faster, stronger, and more capable than any of his peers. It's no surprise that a burden as heavy as the future of an entire nation would crush someone as young and unprepared as Zeke.

During his Warrior training, Zeke, weighed down by the expectations placed upon him by both Marley and his parents, grew increasingly disillusioned with purpose behind his efforts. It wasn’t until he met Tom Ksaver, the inheritor of the Beast Titan, that he found both relief and purpose. Unlike others who sought to manipulate or mold him to serve their agendas, Ksaver took a genuine interest in Zeke himself, seeking to understand the boy behind the Warrior facade. Over the following weeks, Zeke began meeting with Ksaver regularly, bonding over games of catch and deep conversations. Ksaver, who was not built for the battlefield himself, confided in Zeke that his true passion lay in uncovering the mysteries of the Titans-their origins, their powers, and the hidden potential of their abilities. For the first time in his life, Zeke had finally considered a future beyond living solely for others' expectations-that he could find his own path forward.

Following this revelation, Zeke overheard a group of Marleyan officers discussing their progress hunting down the Eldian Restorationists. Terrified for his parents’ safety, Zeke pleaded for his parents to abandon their mission, scared that if they continued, they would all be sent to Paradis. Grisha, enraged, berated Zeke for failing to understand the importance of their cause and the sacrifices required to achieve it. Seeking guidance, Zeke turned to the one person he trusted to look after him, Ksaver. Calmly, Ksaver advised Zeke that if his parents’ arrest was inevitable, he could at least save himself by turning them in. With a heavy heart, Zeke reported his parents and the other Restorationists to Marleyan authorities. They were then subsequently convicted of treason, possession of forbidden Eldian texts, and conspiracy to overthrow the Marleyan government. Like most Subjects of Ymir, their punishment was exile to Paradis, where they were to live out the rest of their lives as mindless Titans.

On Paradis, Grisha discovered his executioners were none other than Krueger and Gross, the same men who had caught him and his sister outside of Liberio 15 years earlier. After forcing the Eldian Restorationists to transform into mindless Titans, they brought Dina forward to suffer the same grim fate, turning her into what became known as the Smiling Titan. As Grisha watched in despair as his wife was practically killed in front of him, Gross turned his sadistic attention toward him, taunting and toying with him before his execution. However, before Gross could act, Krueger intervened, shoving Gross to his death. Finally revealing himself as the Owl, Krueger transformed into the Attack Titan, unleashing its immense power to annihilate the Marleyan soldiers and free Grisha. When he emerged from his Titan form, Krueger revealed his full name was Eren Krueger, and that he had shaped Grisha’s life from a young age for one pivotal purpose: to inherit the Attack Titan and use it to secure the Founding Titan from Paradis. This, Krueger insisted, was the only way to end Paradis’s ignorance and restore Eldia to its former glory. With no choice but to accept the immense responsibility thrust upon him, Grisha allowed Krueger to inject him with Titan serum. As a Pure Titan, Grisha devoured Krueger, usurping the power and responsibility of the Attack Titan.

Though his memories were hazy, Grisha managed to wander to the edge of Wall Maria, near the Shiganshina District. There, he was discovered by a Scout named Keith Shadis, who, unaware of Grisha’s true identity or origin, took him under his wing. Over time, Keith introduced Grisha to life inside the Walls, allowing him to live as an ordinary man while his memories gradually returned. When they did, he followed Kruger’s advice and once more began practicing medicine. As he did so, an epidemic swept across Shiganshina. Using his advanced medical knowledge, Grisha practically single-handedly cured the district. It was during this time that he met Carla, a compassionate and resilient woman who Grisha fell deeply in love with. Following Kruger’s guidance once more, Grisha embraced his new life, leading him to eventually marry Carla and start a family. About a year later, Grisha and Carla brought a son into the world. Seeing this child as the symbol of his new beginning, Grisha named him after the man who gave him this second chance. Though he dedicated himself to being a partner and father, Grisha never stopped searching for the Founding Titan, forging relationships with high-ranking officials to uncover its location.

A year or two after Eren was born, Grisha would find the Reiss Family Chapel. Instead of immediately securing the Founder, however, Grisha decided that he would not repeat the mistakes he made in the past-that he would put his family before his mission and wait until the absolute last moment before he would do what was necessary.

About half a decade later, in 842, Uri Reiss, close to succumbing to the Curse of Ymir, would look to pass the power of the Founder to another in his family. Given that his brother, Rod Reiss, was unwilling to take the power, the Founding Titan was passed to Rod’s daughter, Freida Reiss. By this point, the Warrior Program had narrowed its search to seven primary candidates. These candidates were: Zeke Jaeger, Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, Annie Leonhart, Marcel Galliard, his younger brother Porco, and Pieck Finger. Of these seven candidates, only six would be chosen to inherit a Titan. In doing so, they would be given the status of honorary Marleyan. This fact in particular was of note to a young Reiner, whose Marleyan father was absent in his life. Though irrational, he felt that if he could become an Marleyan in status that his father might finally want to join his family. With that, he held himself to the highest standard, hoping that it would give him the strength necessary to become a true Warrior.

While playing a game of catch, Ksaver confided in Zeke that the Founding Titan possessed the ability to alter the biology of the Subjects of Ymir. Inspired by this revelation, Zeke devised a plan to use the Founder's power to render all Eldians incapable of bearing children, believing this so-called “euthanization” would bring a peaceful end to the cycle of suffering they and their ancestors had inflicted upon the world. Ksaver, weary of the endless bloodshed wrought by their people, saw Zeke’s proposal as a noble solution to an otherwise intractable problem. With renewed purpose, Zeke devoted himself to inheriting Ksaver’s Beast Titan, determined to carry out their shared vision. As Ksaver approached the end of his term as the Beast Titan, he entrusted Zeke with his power, Zeke, in turn, vowed to honor his mentor’s legacy by dedicating his life to ending millennia of needless war.

Around this same time, a young boy named Armin Arlert read a book that detailed the environment of the outside world. Fascinated by its contents, he showed it to his best friend, Eren. Out of everything in the book, one thing stood out to the both of them-something called the sea. From what the book said, it seemed to be a body of salt-water that spanned as far as the eye could see. Upon learning of this, Eren and Armin would make a pact. No matter how dangerous it was or how long it would take, one day they would reach the sea together. From the moment they made that pact, Eren’s world was forever changed. From then on, he would feel the need to escape the confines of Walls-to take back the freedom that he felt had been stolen from them. Soon afterwards, Armin’s parents attempted to leave the bounds of the Walls using a hot air balloon. In the midst of their great escape, they were killed by the First Interior Squad who staged their deaths to look like an accident. With his parents gone, Armin was taken in by his grandfather.

During this same period, a young girl named Historia, the illegitimate child of Rod Reiss, was secluded to a farm alongside her mother, Alma. Hoping to avoid her responsibilities, Alma would distance herself from her daughter, which would have destined Historia to a life of inadequacy and struggle if not for Freida, Historia’s half-sister. Despite her responsibilities as the true Queen, Freida would regularly find time to visit Historia, giving her the life she deserved. Yet, every time she left, Historia’s memories of Freida would be wiped from her mind using the Founder’s abilities. When Freida would inevitably return, the memories of her sister would be restored, allowing her to gradually grow into the caring and intelligent girl Freida knew Historia could become.

With the Paradis Island Operation soon to commence, Marley began their final crucial rounds of Warrior training. Reiner, aware that he was lagging behind, worked even harder than before, all towards the goal of rebuilding his family. Meanwhile, Annie Leonhart, his fellow Warrior candidate, would train at the behest of her adopted father, becoming highly proficient in the martial arts of his homeland. Like many of the Warrior candidate’s parents, he did this not for her own protection but because he saw her as his sole ticket to a better life. After rigorous training, Bartender Hoover, Annie Leonhart, Marcel Galliard, Pieck Finger, and Reiner Braun were selected as Marley’s elite Warriors. Marcel’s quick thinking earned him the Jaw Titan, Pieck’s endurance made her a natural fit for the Cart, Annie’s sharp adaptability secured her the Female, Burger King, tame enough to handle such unwieldy power, was chosen as the Colossal. Reiner’s seemingly unwavering resolve won him the Armor.

The following year, a woman from the Underground named Isabel Magnolia, in an act of compassion, attempted to escape the Underground to free a trapped bird. Pursued by authorities, she eventually stumbled upon Levi and his friend, Furlon Church, who shielded her from capture and welcomed her into their group. Over time, Levi and Furlan taught Isabel to wield one of their stolen sets of ODM Gear, turning her into a skilled and dependable ally. Eventually, they attracted the attention of Counselor Nicholas Lovof, who approached them with an opportunity. In exchange for a life on the surface, he asked for their hand in stealing a document from Erwin Smith that Lovof knew could incriminate him for his corrupt dealings with the Military Police. When the job was complete they were ordered to assassinate Erwin in any way they saw fit. After revealing the proposal, Lovof warned that the Scouts were already closing in on them. Using this as an opportunity, he suggested they demonstrate their skills to the Scouts knowing that Erwin would likely try to recruit them. Not long after, Erwin led a group of Scouts into the Underground, apprehending Levi, Furlan, and Isabel. Recognizing their exceptional ODM skills, Erwin offered them a place in the Scout Regiment. Semi-reluctantly, the trio agreed and began training with the Scouts. While the recruits trained, Erwin finalized his revolutionary Scouting formation, designed to evade Titans rather than confront them directly during expeditions beyond Wall Maria. Putting this to the test, the formation was to be used during the 23rd Recon Mission, which Levi, Furlon, and Isabel would partake in. During the expedition, a storm threw the formation into chaos, leading to the deaths of Furlan and Isabel. When the storm cleared, Levi, devastated by the loss of his friends, confronted Erwin, revealing his original mission to kill him. Erwin, who had suspected this all along, once again offered Levi a choice: fulfill his contract and kill him, or honor the sacrifices of Furlan and Isabel by continuing to fight with the Scouts and eradicate the Titan threat. Struck by Erwin’s nobility and vision, Levi vowed to dedicate his heart to Erwin’s cause.

That same year, while awaiting the arrival of their doctor, Grisha Jaeger, the Ackermann household was invaded by a trio of criminals. Their plan was to abduct the young girl, Mikasa, and her mother due to their Eastern heritage as direct descendants of the Azumabito clan. When Mikasa’s mother fought fiercely to protect her daughter, she was killed in the struggle. Mikasa, left as the only survivor, was then taken to a secluded cabin. Soon after, Grisha and Eren discovered the aftermath of the home invasion. While Grisha rushed to get help, Eren, filled with anger and determination, decided to search for Mikasa on his own. Tracking her to the nearby cabin, he managed to ambush and stab two of the criminals to death before being overpowered by the third. Desperate for help, Eren called out to Mikasa, urging her to fight for her life. In that critical moment, Mikasa’s latent Ackerman instincts awakened, granting her the incredible strength needed to kill the last attacker and save them both. Later that day, Grisha found the two of them outside the cabin. Though grateful for their safety, Grisha scolded Eren for his reckless behavior. Afterwards, Eren, wanting to comfort his new friend, gave Mikasa his scarf, which she silently vowed to keep with her at all times. Grisha, realizing Mikasa had no home to return to, decided to take her in, welcoming her to join their family in the heart of the Shiganshina District.

In 845, shortly before the Paradis Island Operation officially commenced, Annie’s father would confess to her that in their years training together he had grown to see her as a true daughter, apologizing for his cruel actions and asking her to promise she would return. This moment forever changed Annie, giving her a reason to return to Marley after their mission was accomplished. Afterwards, the Marleyan Military celebrated their benchmark success by parading the Warriors through the street. It was during this celebration that Reiner spotted his father. As an honorary Marleyan, he attempted to earn his father’s attention, only to be rejected despite his accomplishments. Soon after, Reiner, Annie, Burrito, and Marcel were shipped off to Paradis. As their ship left port, Reiner, wounds of rejection still fresh, reasoned that if becoming a Warrior wasn’t enough then he would have to go one step further. He would go to Paradis and do what he was chosen to do-cleanse the island of devils.

Just days after arriving on Paradis, and the day before they were to attack Wall Maria, the Warriors began discussing the repercussions for what they were planning to do. Marcel, unclear of what the future held for them, revealed to Reiner that the only reason he was chosen over Porco was because he had recommended Reiner to save his brother. This shattered Reiner’s world-wiping away what little confidence he had left. The next morning, as the Warriors prepared to leave their camp, Ymir, who had been on Paradis for six decades at this point, emerged from the ground and ate Marcel. In doing so, she inherited the power of the Jaw Titan, turning her back to normal.

When the other Warriors reached safety, Annie and Battlepass decided that with their leader, Marcel, gone, the best course of action was to go back to Marley. Reiner, knowing that his Armor would be stripped from him if he returned, reasoned that they couldn’t go back empty handed or they would all be seen as failures–stripping them of their Titans and their families of what little comfort they earned them. Still thinking their best course of action was retreat, Annie attempted to leave. Just then, Reiner grabbed her, stating that if they were abandoning the mission because they didn’t have Marcel then he was going to have to fill his shoes. He would once more push himself further than ever before to become the leader they needed. Assuming his position immediately, his first order was to continue the mission and breach Wall Maria.

Meanwhile, the Scout Regiment conducted yet another Recon Mission. When the mission went sideways, as was unfortunately common, the Scouts were forced to retreat back to Wall Maria. During this same time, Eren and Mikasa were tasked with collecting firewood around Shiganshina. As they did so, Eren would take a nap at the tree he, Mikasa, and Armin would frequent. While in his innocent nap, Eren was implanted with visions of what was to come by his future self. When he awoke, however, the memories instantly slipped away, becoming nothing more than a hazy, forgotten dream.

When the scouts returned from their expedition, Eren, driven to become a Scout himself, rushed to witness their arrival. Despite the overwhelming show of devastation, Eren remained determined to become a Scout in order to free them from the solitude of the Walls. In contrast, this devastating loss was the final straw for Commander Keith Shadis who solemnly elected to step down from his position, allowing Erwin to take his place as the 13th Commander of the Scout Regiment.

When Eren and Mikasa returned home, Mikasa revealed Erens desire to join the Scouts to his mother. Both Grisha and Carla were opposed to this, yet, Grisha, on his way to secure the Founding Titan and aware of what was about to happen thanks to the memories given to him by Future Eren via the Attack Titan’s powers, assured Carla that she need not worry. He then showed Eren the key to the cellar, noting that when he got back he would show him what he was working on. While Grisha left to secure the Founder, Eren and Mikasa rescued Armin from a group of bullies. Meanwhile, on the other side of Wall Maria, Billboard, following through with Reiner’s plan, transformed into the Colossal Titan. After breaching Wall Maria, Butterfly would leave his Titan form only to be confronted by the Smiling Titan. Frozen by fear, Bowling ball accepted his fate. Unbeknownst to him, Future Eren, wielding the power of the Founding Titan, would use his power to command the Smiling Titan, his half-mother, away from Batman and toward his own mother, kickstarting the very events that had shaped him into the monster he was.

Amidst the chaos, Armin would travel to safety while Eren and Mikasa went home where they found Carla trapped in rubble. Willing to sacrifice herself to save her children, she pleaded for her children to leave her behind. Unable to save her, Hannes, a family friend and a soldier of the Garrison, grabbed the kids and ran to safety-leaving Carla to be eaten by the Smiling Titan. While Eren and Mikasa were transported to safety, Reiner would use the power of the Armored Titan to break through the interior of Wall Maria, exposing millions more to the threat of the Titans in an effort to flush out the Founder. In response this, the Central Government declared the outlier districts a lost cause and ordered a full retreat to Wall Rose.

Later that day, Grisha confronted the Royal Family beneath the Reiss Family Chapel. In this confrontation, he begged Freida to use her power to stop the attack on Wall Maria. However, Grisha knew that this was a meaningless attempt at resolution for he had seen glimpses of Eren’s memories of the future. A future that called upon him to end the Reiss Family in order to save Eldia. But as Grisha raised his scalpel to fulfill his ultimate duty, he found he could not bring himself, a reformed man of peace, to murder innocent children in the name of salvation. As Grisha cowered in fear, he suddenly felt the presence of a man who resembled his son. But this was not the innocent child he had raised, he was the avatar of his sins, a monster who called upon him to carry out his will. To kill all but Rod Reiss and secure the power of the Founding Titan. Eren’s will surging through his veins, Grisha plunged the scalpel into his hand, transforming into the Attack Titan. Using this power, he ate Freida Reiss, finally stripping the former Fritz family of the Founding Titan after 150 generations.

When Grisha, devastated by his actions, stumbled his way out of the chapel, he once again felt the presence of his son. But this time it was not Eren. After Eren arrived in Trost, Grisha, driven by Eren’s memories of the future, took his son into the woods where he injected him with Titan serum. As a Pure Titan, Eren ate his own father-unknowingly securing the powers of both the Attack and Founding Titans. In the wake of this, Shadis found Eren’s unconscious body and returned him to Trost. The next day, Eren, completely unaware of recent events, woke up inside a refugee camp in Trost with the cellar key hanging around his neck.

A few days later, most of the refugees from Wall Maria were forced to plow fields in an unsuccessful attempt to grow more food for the starving population. Around this same time, Historia’s mother was killed by the First Interior Squad. After her death, Rod Reiss proposed they change Historia’s name to Krista Lenz and ship her off to the Cadet Corp. The following year, with the famine worse than ever, the Central Government had no choice but to send refugees-of-age to retake Wall Maria-knowing full well that they would all die. 20% of the total survivors (or about 250,000 refugees), including Armin’s grandfather, were sent. By the end of the culling, only about 200 people survived, yet, the Central Government considered the mission a success as it lessened the strain on the scarce food supply.

In the wake of this devastating loss, Eren decided to join the Cadet Corp in an effort to eventually become a Scout. With no other options, Armin and Mikasa decided to join him. Similarly, the Warriors decided that the best way to infiltrate the government and find the Founder was to join the upcoming Cadet Corp training. Meanwhile, Ymir would overhear that Rod Reiss had a bastard child named Krista Lenz who was shipped off to become a Cadet. Seeing herself in Krista, Ymir made it her goal to keep her safe. The following year, in 847, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Reiner, Bertrand, Annie, Jean, Ymir, Krista, Connie, Sasha, Marco, Flock, and many others officially enlisted into the Cadet Corp. Their training began with Shadis breaking the Cadets down so they could be molded into effective soldiers. Afterwards, they began the ODM training with simple balance drills. Shadis, wanting to protect Carla’s only son, purposefully broke Eren’s training belt hoping to save him from himself. Despite the intervention, Eren managed to overcome the faulty gear, proving to Shadis that he was more than capable of handling himself.

In 848, while partaking in the Wasteland Excursion Training, the 104th Cadet Corp were held at gunpoint by a group of criminals. While captive, the Cadets watched as the criminals kidnapped Krista and took their ODM Gear. With no easy way to save Krista or reclaim their gear, the 104th were forced to either go after the criminals themselves or find help and risk the criminals getting away. They soon chose the former, trusting in each other and their own abilities. Their plan eventually worked, resulting in them reclaiming their gear and saving Krista.

During his time living and fighting alongside the devils he had sworn to destroy, Reiner found the only way to endure the weight of his actions was to think of himself as two separate people. While this was similar to the incident with Marcel, it was different in the sense that he couldn’t fully discard his old self. If he did he would have to abandon his mission which meant he would never be able to return to his home. His subconscious solution-bury his old life, compartmentalize his identity into the Warrior of Marley and the Soldier of Paradis. By hiding one part of himself away, he could once more continue to do what needed to be done, unaware that for every action he took from that moment on his mind would grow increasingly unstable-inevitably resulting in its eventual collapse.

While training with the 104th, Daz, Krista, and Ymir became stranded on a mountain. To save Krista from sacrificing herself to help Daz, Ymir pushed Krista to the ground before transforming into the Jaw Titan to deliver Daz to safety. Without Daz weighing her down, Krista was able to make it back to the Cadet’s camp herself where she confronted Ymir about how such a feat was even possible. Unable to reveal her Titan abilities without explaining everything surrounding it, Ymir simply told Krista that when the time came to show her the truth, Krista would return the favor by sharing her true name.

The next year, during the return of the 34th Recon Mission, the Scouts were attacked by a horde of Titans, forcing a young Scout named Ilse Longnar to abandon her gear and retreat into the wilderness. Equipped with nothing but a notebook, Ilse logged her journey back to safety. Days later, while traveling through a meadow, Ilse was cornered by a Titan who mistook her for Ymir. Mustering what little they retained from their previous life, the Titan spoke-muttering words like “Subjects of Ymir” and “Lady Ymir”. More confused than ever, Ilse tried to communicate with the Titan only to be met with frustrating silence. Overwhelmed, the Titan began clawing at their face prompting Ilse to run away in fear. Instincts kicking in, the Titan chased after her and bit her head off before placing her remains into the tree that centered the meadow.

One year after the event, during the 49th Recon Mission, Squad Leader Hange Zoe would stumble upon Ilse’s body while trying to capture a Titan. After reading through her journal, Hange became even more curious about the Titans, requesting to Erwin that the Scouts focus at least some of their resources to capturing a Titan. Erwin accepted this proposal, prompting Hange to develop a new method of capturing Titans which allowed her to study them more than ever before.

While training with the 104th, Reiner, Annie, and Ballerina continued to do all they could to find the identity of the Founding Titan. With each of them growing increasingly exhausted after repeatedly hitting dead-ends, Reiner decided that the best course of action was to repeat what they did five years prior and breach Wall Rose-reasoning that, if successful, they would finally smoke out the Founder, if unsuccessful, they would at least manage to kill more “devils” and drive the island further into desperation.

After three years of training, the Cadets in the 104th Training Class finally graduated. The top 10 trainees by score being: Krista Lenz, Sasha Brause, Connie Springer, Marco Bott, Jean Kirstein, Eren Jaeger, Annie Leonhart, (I forgot Banana Vacuum), Reiner Braun, and, top of the class, Mikasa Ackermann. Following the graduation, while the other Cadets were cleaning the cannons atop Wall Rose, Butterfinger would follow through with their plan to breach the Wall. As dozens of Titans flooded into Trost, Build-a-bear would shroud himself in steam-seemingly vanishing just as quickly as he had appeared.

As the chaos was unfolding, Garrison Commander Pyxis was given news about the situation in Trost. Awaiting Pyxis’ arrival, the Garrison and Cadets were arranged into three teams with the rookies on the front lines while the elite soldiers, including Mikasa, were stationed furthest from the action. Eren, ready to avenge his mother, immediately rushed to kill as many Titans as he could, resulting in his leg being unceremoniously chopped off by a Titan. Armin, frozen at the sight of this, was then easily picked up and placed in the mouth of a Titan. Just before he could be eaten, however, Eren jumped into the Titan’s mouth, sacrificing himself to save

His best friend. Meanwhile, on the other side of Trost, Mikasa saved a group of refugees from a Titan. Included in these refugees was a man named Dimo Reeves, the head of the influential Reeves company, as well as a young girl named Louise who, inspired by Mikasa’s bravery, would go on to become a Scout herself.

Simultaneously, in the stomach of the Titan, Eren instinctively triggered his dormant Titan power. Driven by his vengeance, he began attacking any Titan (say that again) he came across, saving Mikasa in the process. After killing dozens of Titans, Eren, exhausted in battle, emerged from his Titan’s body.

When Eren regained consciousness, he, Mikasa, and Armin were backed into a corner, surrounded by the Garrison. Confused about his abilities, Captain Woerman questioned Eren’s allegiance to humanity. Unconvinced by their pleas, he ordered the Garrison to execute Eren. To save his friends, Eren once again instinctively used his power, proving without a doubt to everyone that he was somehow both human and Titan.

While the Garrison reloaded their cannons, Armin convinced Commander Pyxis, who had recently arrived, that Eren could be a valuable asset to the military. Agreeing with Armin, Pyxis proposed Eren use his abilities to seal the hole in Wall Rose using a massive boulder. With the entire Garrison at his back, Eren shifted into a Titan. As was common with the first few transformations, Eren’s subconscious took control of his movements, attacking any and everything in sight. Unsure as to why this was the case, the Garrison quickly subdued Eren. When Armin eventually arrived, he attempted to inspire his best friend to finish what they had started—so that one day they might finally reach the sea. When Eren finally gained control over his own movements, he hoisted the boulder and sealed the hole in Wall Rose.

Witnessing this very act, Reiner and Bunkbed accidentally revealed their identities to Marco. To keep him from getting away, they stole his ODM Gear and left him to be eaten by a Titan. After Wall Rose was sealed, Eren was imprisoned for both his and the public's safety. Meanwhile, the Scouts and Garrison joined forces to kill the remaining Titans in Trost. The only exceptions being two Titans that Hange would later name Sonny and Bean, which she would use to study Titan physiology.

After Trost was cleaned up, Erwin and Levi visited Eren to question his origins and intentions, judging whether or not they would allow him to join their ranks if everything went Erwin’s way. Afterward, Eren was summoned before a tribunal to decide whether or not his abilities were of service to, or detrimental to the people within the Walls. In the end, Levi agreed to take responsibility for Eren’s actions—stating that if he ever fell out of line, he would kill Eren himself. Premier Dhalis Zachary, the head of the military itself, agreed to this proposal, formally assigning Eren to the Scout Regiment.

Days later, Eren joined Levi’s Special Operations Squad at the former Scout Headquarters to study his Titan abilities in seclusion. Meanwhile, Erwin made preparations for the upcoming 57th Recon Mission. While publicly the Mission’s goal was that of a simple test to see if they could reach Grisha’s cellar the following year, Erwin secretly planned to use it to flush out any other so-called “Intelligent Titans”. That same night, while Hange was lecturing Eren, Annie, using Marco’s ODM Gear, killed Sonny and Bean. While the Scouts launched a full investigation into the matter, no clear culprits were found.

Later that day, the top ten cadets of the 104th, excluding Eren, were given the opportunity to choose their preferred military regiments. Annie opted for the Military Police, while the rest, swayed by Eren’s resolve, chose to join the Scouts. While the timing is unclear, it's likely that around this same time, Marley, unaware of the status of their Warriors, deployed the Beast and Carr Titans to Paradis to check on their progress.

In Stohess, Annie, in preparation for the 57th Recon Mission, asked her fellow MP, Hitch, to cover her next day’s patrol, offering to cover one of her missing person cases in return. Hitch ultimately accepted, handing her the case file for a woman named Carly Stratman. Seeking leads, Annie spoke with Carly’s father, learning nothing of immediate value. After tracking down multiple leads, Annie was directed to Carly’s boyfriend’s apartment where she found illegal drugs and his lifeless body. Unable to report the crime without jeopardizing her plans, Annie planned to find Carly before nightfall. Eventually, Annie confronted Carly at her apartment, learning she had manufactured the drugs herself to support her father’s business. Respecting her resourcefulness, and buying her silence, Annie gave Carly a permit to enter Wall Rose where she would start a new life. Afterwards, she confronted Carly’s father about Carly’s boyfriend’s murder, confirming her suspicion that he was responsible for it. However, instead of turning him in, Annie decided to aid him in disposing of the body so as to not leave any loose ends.

The next day, the Scouts began the 57th Recon Mission. As was part of Erwin’s plan, they spread misinformation about Eren’s position within the formation as well as brought weapons to catch an Intelligent Titan. Tailing the formation, Annie eventually shifted into the Female Titan. Armin, Reiner, and Jean were among the first to spot her in the formation’s right flank. While chasing after her, Armin told Reiner that Eren was likely in the center rank, the safest spot of the formation. When they finally caught up to the Female Titan, Reiner purposefully got himself caught by Annie, directing her to Eren’s position.

When Erwin’s suspicions of an Intelligent Titan were confirmed, he guided the formation into a dense forest, providing them cover for their ambush as well as verticality for their ODM Gear. When the Female Titan eventually caught up to Levi’s Squad, where Eren had been positioned, they used a volley of harpoons to subdue her. As Eren and the Levi Squad continued forward, Erwin and Levi himself stayed back to capture the Female Titan. After multiple failed attempts at revealing her identity, Annie, left with no other options, called for the surrounding Pure Titans to converge on her location. When they arrived, they ate through her Titan form, allowing her to escape and equip herself with ODM Gear. Using this, Annie caught up to—and killed the Levi Squad. Eren, left alone and vengeful as ever, shifted into the Attack Titan to stop Annie. Hearing this, Mikasa and Levi made their way toward Eren. When Annie eventually bested Eren, she stowed him in her mouth before making her escape. With both Mikasa and Levi’s combined skills, they managed to cripple the Female Titan and rescue Eren. Given all of this information, Armin, who had found the Female Titan’s actions familiar since she first appeared, concluded that its true identity was likely Annie.

Hours later, the remaining Scouts returned to Wall Rose, where the Central Government revoked the Scout’s custody of Eren. Having to act fast, Erwin devised a plan to confirm Armin’s suspicions about Annie. The plan involved tricking Annie into thinking she was keeping Eren from being executed, but in reality, they planned to lure her underground where, if she was the Female Titan, she couldn’t transform.

Meanwhile, in Ragako Village, Zeke used a gas derived from his spinal fluid to turn the village into Titans. Minutes later, a collection of the Scouts including: Reiner, Boznia, Sasha, Connie, Jean, Ymir, and Krista witnessed as the Titans from Ragako village stormed their outpost. Assuming Wall Rose had been breached, Connie traveled to his home village of Ragako while Sasha went to check on her hometown of Dauper. Soon after, Armin confronted Annie with the possibility that the government might kill Eren, prompting her to help Armin and Mikasa smuggle him to safety. However, they quickly hit a dead end when Annie refused to go underground—confirming their suspicions that she was the Female Titan. With nothing left to hide, Annie unleashed her power.

As Annie rampaged through Stohess, Eren found himself trapped beneath rubble, his mind refusing to accept the reality of the betrayal. As her rampage continued, Eren concluded that he had sworn an oath to himself that he would kill every last Titan—and that, friend or not, Annie was no different. As Eren chased Annie throughout Stohess, Erwin was arrested by the Military Police for his hand in the ensuing chaos. As Annie made her way toward the Wall, she managed to overwhelm Eren before he went berserk. In this state, Eren relentlessly pursued Annie even as she began climbing the Wall. Helping Eren, Mikasa cut off Annie’s fingers, sending her plummeting to the ground. Still enraged, Eren attempted to eat Annie, forcing her to create a crystal shell to keep her from being consumed. As she did so, Eren’s body began to fuse with her Titan body, prompting Levi to pull Eren from his Titan.

When the Attack on Stohess concluded, Erwin made his case to the Central Government for the Scout Regiment to keep custody of Eren. He argued that while the battle devastated the district, the alternate outcome of yet another breach in the Wall would have been beyond devastating. While it was far from unanimous, the Central Government ultimately agreed with Erwin’s proposal, allowing the Scouts to continue to study and use Eren for the betterment of humanity.

By the following morning, Hange, as well as some Scouts and MP’s discovered that, in her escape, Annie had broken a piece of the wall, revealing one of the Wall Titans. Confused about its origin and purpose, Hange attempted to interrogate Pastor Nick, a pastor for the Church of the Walls. Learning nothing, she kept him at her side while she tested some theories of her own by comparing a piece of the Female Titan’s hardening with the Wall itself. Soon enough, she came to understand that this entire time the very thing that shielded them from annihilation at the hands of the Titans, were themselves made of Titans.

When Sasha eventually arrived in Dauper, she found a single survivor—a young girl named Kaya who, paralyzed by fear, had watched as her mother was eaten by a Titan. Sasha grabbed the girl, running as far as she could until she had to face the Titan herself. Using only a bow, she shot both of its eyes, allowing her to slip away undetected. Simultaneously, Connie found Ragako in ruins due to the mass transformation. Holding out hope, he traveled to his home where he found it had been destroyed by an immobile Titan. As he rationalized how such a thing could even happen, he couldn’t shake the thought that the Titan somehow resembled his own mother. Just then, Reiner stole his attention, suggesting they carry on with the rest of their group and search Wall Rose for signs of damage.

After scouring the entirety of the south-west section of Wall Rose, the Scouts concluded that, despite the Titan’s sudden appearance, there was no breach in Wall Rose. Meanwhile, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Levi, and Hange discussed their theories about the Wall Titan in the presence of Pastor Nick. Hange, drawing from her experiments with the Female Titan’s hardening, stated her belief that the Walls were somehow made of Titans that had been encased in a hardened material. Seeing as they would likely uncover the truth anyway, Pastor Nick eventually revealed to them that, while he was sworn to secrecy, Krista indirectly held the answers they were looking for.

Later that same night, Hange’s background report for Annie was finally fulfilled, revealing that she reportedly came from the same town as Reiner and Buried. Using this as a jumping-off point, Eren and Armin began revealing Reiner and Bluey’s other suspicious behavior, such as their actions during the 57th Recon Mission and their interactions with Annie during Cadet training. With that, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Hange traveled to Utgard Castle, which was their best approximation for where the Scouts took refuge.

At the Castle, Ymir stumbled upon cans of herring marked with a foreign language. When she handed one to Reiner, he was shocked to learn that it was not a language those within the Walls could read—meaning, like himself, she was not from Paradis. Before he could probe further, however, Titans began to assault the castle. While the veteran Scouts dealt with the ambush, the others barricaded the interior. After dealing with a Titan that attacked Reiner, the Scouts moved to the roof where, stranded, Ymir decided the only course of action was to transform into the Jaw Titan. In doing so, Reiner realized that she was the one who killed Marcel. After slaughtering a portion of the Titans, Ymir, overwhelmed, began being torn apart herself. Just then, Mikasa and the other Scouts arrived to save them. After Ymir was pulled from her Titan, Krista, fulfilling the promise she made to Ymir on the mountain years ago, revealed that her real name was Historia.

Hours later, as the Scouts stood atop Wall Rose, Reiner’s fractured mind finally began to unravel. The chaos of recent events—the sighting of the Zeke, his near death encounter, and the realization that Ymir had been the one to kill Marcel—eroded the fragile divide between the Warrior and the Soldier. Unable to cope with the mounting pressure within, Reiner made a reckless decision. One that he couldn’t stop himself from making despite knowing it would change everything. In this moment of desperation, he revealed to Eren the truth of his and Baltimore’s Titan identities, as if exposing the secret might somehow make him whole again. Eren, caught between disbelief and denial, couldn’t accept the admission despite the clear evidence. Clinging to the hope that Reiner’s words were simply delusions. But Reiner, committed to his admission, decided it was time to finish their mission once and for all. Mikasa, eavesdropping on their conversation, moved to cut them down before they could act. Faced with the inevitability of a confrontation, Reiner and Beans had no choice but to reveal their true identities. Finally revealed as the Warriors they were, Reiner moved to secure Eren while Bumblebee grabbed Ymir. Witnessing the truth with his own eyes, Eren transformed into the Attack Titan and, utilizing Annie’s martial arts techniques, ripped off Reiner’s arm. Afterwards, he and Reiner continued to fight with Eren eventually pinning him to the ground. Locked in this position, Reiner signaled for Buffalo Wild Wings to fall on top of them, allowing the both of them to escape with Eren and Ymir.

Five hours later, Mikasa, who had fallen unconscious during the battle, finally awoke, instantly ready to save Eren. Armin informed her that for the time being they didn’t have the capability to rescue him. Sometime later, Scout reinforcements, including Erwin and Hannes, arrived with fresh equipment. Pursuit on the table, Hange shared her approximation of where Reiner took Eren before they moved after him.

Hours later, Eren awoke in the forest, finding he and Ymir’s limbs were severed to keep them from escaping. As they began to talk, Reiner’s mind, confused at this point more than ever, once again reverted back to the Soldier he was inside the Walls. To snap him out of it, bbno$ had to remind him that they were Warriors, and that they came here to accomplish a mission. With a clearer mind, Reiner tried to convince Ymir to join their side, hoping it would bring resolution without the need for more conflict. Just then, the Scouts began to close in on their location, forcing Reiner and Balloon boy to use their ODM Gear to escape with Eren and Ymir. While doing so, Ymir threatened to turn into a Titan and take Eren if they didn’t grab Historia. With no other options, they allowed Ymir to turn into a Titan and obtain Historia before making a run to the sea.

When the Scouts caught up to them, they spoke to Baskin Robbins who told them that their time together wasn’t an act—that, despite the lies and betrayal, they were still friends. Just then, Erwin drew the attention of a horde of Titans, using them to flank the Warriors. Swarmed by Titans, Reiner was forced to expose Blues Clues and Eren. In the midst of the chaos, Erwin’s arm was bit off by a Titan. Afterward, Armin, knowing Bowser and Reiner were unaware of Annie’s situation, told Banjo that Annie was being tortured by the military, which caused him to lose focus—presenting an opportunity for Erwin to cut Eren free.

While Mikasa and Eren made their escape, Reiner began throwing Titans at them hoping that he might get lucky and one of them would eat Eren. After the attack, when Eren regained clarity, he was once more confronted by the Smiling Titan. Acting with the courage that was devoid during the fall of Wall Maria, Hannes saved Eren just before he was grabbed by Eren’s mother’s killer. Witnessing the carnage that surrounded him, Eren tried to transform into a Titan; however, due to his emotional distress, he was unable to do so—resulting in Hannes suffering the same fate as his mother. Assuming they were going to die, Mikasa thanked Eren for all that he had done for her. Eren reciprocated these feelings by promising that he would always wrap his scarf around her, symbolizing his willingness to sacrifice his own comfort, and even his own life, for her.

As the Smiling Titan reached for Eren, he let out a scream as his fist came into contact with it. In this moment of contact, Eren had unknowingly discovered a loophole present in the Founding Titan’s abilities. While it was true that the power of the Founder could only be wielded by those possessing royal blood, there was a way for those without it to access at least a fraction of her power. This could only be done when an inheritor of the Founding Titan came into contact with someone of royal lineage who was either a Pure Titan or wielded one of the Nine. Given that the Smiling Titan was Dina Fritz, Eren had, for a single fleeting moment, accessed a fraction of the Founding Titan’s power dormant within him—subconsciously allowing him to command the surrounding Pure Titans to attack his mother’s killer as well as Reiner and Ben & Jerry’s. In the midst of this chaos, Ymir, finally embracing the truth, decided to save Reiner and Blunderbuss (I'm starting to run out of ideas) from the Titan onslaught so that they could reclaim the power she took from Marcel.

Just under a week after Wall Rose was reported as compromised, the Central Government was faced with the decision to either starve their citizens or trust the Scout Regiment’s observations that Wall Rose was undamaged. To avoid the never-before-seen civil unrest that would result from mass starvation, they concluded that the area within Wall Rose was completely secure. Meanwhile, Hange and Connie, left with unanswered questions, met with Erwin, Pyxis, and Levi to propose a theory. That Titans were, in actuality, people—and that the Titans within Wall Rose were, somehow, the citizens of Ragako.

Following their failed attempt to capture Eren, Reiner and (Dark) Bramble regrouped with Zeke—revealing that the Founding Titan was in possession of a kid named Eren Jaeger. Upon hearing this, it dawned on Zeke that Grisha, his estranged father, had somehow survived his execution and continued his restorationist crusade from within the Walls. From this moment, Zeke, while determined to capture the Founder to accomplish his euthanization plan, also resolved to become for Eren what Ksaver had been for him—a guiding light that would save him from the shadow of their father's influence.

To keep a closer eye on Historia and Eren, Erwin, rightfully paranoid, assigned the noteworthy Scouts of the 104th Training class to the Levi Squad. Under their watch, Eren would continue to push the boundaries of his Titan abilities in hopes that they could use him to seal Wall Maria. During this period, Pastor Nick was murdered by the First Interior Squad in his apartment in Trost. When Hange found out, she was told it was a simple break-in. Seeing through the lie, and sensing deep-rooted corruption, she shared news of his murder with the Levi Squad. Shortly afterwards, their paranoia was vindicated when the Central Government froze all Scout activity, and ordered the surrender of Historia and Eren. When Erwin refused to do so, Rod Reiss himself obtained the assistance of Kenny Ackermann’s Anti Personnel Control Squad to abduct Eren and Historia.

When the Levi Squad learned of their imminent arrest, they decided to move to Trost. In Trost, Kenney’s team ambushed Levi as well as his squad, capturing Historia and Eren in the process. To learn the truth behind why and where Eren and Historia had been abducted, Hange and Levi tortured Sannes—learning that the Reiss Family were the true Royal bloodline—meaning Historia was the rightful heir to the throne. Meanwhile, the First Interior Squad framed the Scouts for the murder of Dimo Reeves, claiming they had hired him to abduct Eren for their own purposes. Unbeknownst to them, Dimo’s son, Flegel Reeves, witnessed the murder and fled for his own safety. In the wake of Dimo’s death, the Central Government issued warrants for the arrest of all Scouts.

During these events, Erwin confided in Pyxis, revealing his past as well as his plan to overthrow the government by installing Historia as the rightful queen. Shortly after, Erwin was arrested by the Military Police. While hiding in the woods, Levi’s squad captured Marlo and Hitch, who ultimately joined their cause upon learning the truth about the events in Stohess. Meanwhile, Hange rescued Flegel Reeves from the Interior Police and, with his assistance, orchestrated a plan that exposed the government’s corruption to the public. During this same time, Levi interrogated one of Kenny’s men, learning that Ackermann was Kenny’s surname.

Following his arrest, Erwin was taken to the capital to face trial, where Aurille, speaking on behalf of the false King Fritz, declared him guilty of violating Clause 6 of the Charter of Humanity: prioritizing one's gain over the safety and longevity of humanity. The sentencing was interrupted when they were given a false report that Wall Rose had fallen to the Colossal and Armored Titans. Pyxis immediately ordered the Garrison to evacuate refugees into Wall Sina, but Aurille opposed the move, insisting the gates remain closed to avoid the inevitable famine and rebellion. At that moment, Premier Zachary entered the room, revealing the report to be a fabrication. Pyxis then declared the monarchy guilty of the same crime they had accused Erwin of committing. With that, the military had motive to finalize their coup d'etat.

After the coup, Premier Zachary was positioned as interim monarch while the Scouts focused on locating Historia. As part of this effort, all charges against the Scouts were dropped. Meanwhile, Eren awoke beneath the chapel, where he encountered Historia and her father. When Rod prompted Historia to touch Eren, she unlocked a fraction of Grisha’s memories within Eren. As this transpired, Kenny’s Anti-Personnel Squad prepared an ambush for the Scouts. Upon their arrival, the Scouts launched their infiltration—using barrels of gunpowder and oil to shroud their movements.

While the Scouts battled Kenny’s squad, Rod explained the Founding Titan succession ritual to Historia and presented her with the Titan serum. Kenny overheard Rod’s explanation and, acting on his own motives, freed Eren to give him a chance to fight for his power. Eren, however, refused to resist—declaring to Historia that if inheriting the Founding Titan would truly bring an end to the Titans and grant freedom to his friends, he would gladly give up his life. This declaration made Historia question why the Royal Family had not liberated humanity before if they had the power to do so. Rod then revealed that the first King’s will forced those with royal blood to adopt his pacifist ideology, perpetuating the Titans' existence. Hearing this, Historia rejected her father’s offer, destroyed the Titan serum, knocked Rod down, and freed Eren.

In desperation, Rod consumed the spilled serum, transforming into a massive Abnormal Titan. As the cavern collapsed, the Scouts seized their chance to rescue Eren. Freed from his chains, Eren drank a blood vial labeled “Armor”, unlocking the ability to harden his skin and create crude hardened constructs. Using this newfound power, he shielded his friends from the collapsing cavern while Rod Reiss’ Titan mindlessly advanced toward Orvud District. By morning, the garrison launched a massive barrage of cannon fire to halt the Titan’s progress. However, when Rod’s Titan reached Wall Rose, Eren hurled an explosive payload into its throat. Once detonated, the massive Titan erupted, scattering chunks of his head into the sky. Among the falling flesh was the fully in-tact nape, which Historia struck down in full view of the citizens.

After the battle, Levi discovered a fatally wounded Kenny among the rubble of the chapel. Eyeing the Titan serum, Kenny revealed his desire to experience the power of a Titan after witnessing it among the Reiss family for so long. However, instead of using it for himself, Kenny entrusted the serum to Levi, revealing in his final moments that he was Levi’s uncle, thereby confirming their shared lineage as Ackermanns.

Following the events in Orvud, Historia, beloved for her actions, was crowned as the true queen, inspiring newfound hope within the Walls. Meanwhile, in Shiganshina, Zeke and Reiner battled to decide their next move. Zeke emerged victorious, prioritizing the ambush of the Scouts over rescuing Annie.

Over the next two months, Historia used her newfound status to uplift and support those in need. First and foremost were the orphans who she provided with boarding and meals regardless of the cost. To this end, she collaborated with Levi to uplift those living in the Underground who she knew had it worse than anyone else. Meanwhile, the Scouts helped Eren master his Titan endurance and hardening abilities until he was skilled enough to plug Wall Maria without breaking a sweat. In doing so, the Scouts developed a new trap for the Titans that Hange dubbed the “Executioner from Hell.” This trap allowed them to passively kill Titans by luring them to the Wall and smashing their nape with a log. In addition to this invention, the Corps of Engineers took inspiration from hidden Interior technology to develop the ’Thunder Spears’, giving the Scouts the edge they needed to effectively battle Reiner. With these advancements, preparations to retake Wall Maria were finally complete. To mark the occasion, the Scouts were treated to a celebratory feast. The following day, just moments before their departure, the citizens of Trost gathered to give them a rousing send-off, the likes of which the Scouts had never received.

Over the cover of night, the Scouts made their exodus to Shiganshina, strategically timing their expedition to align with the new moon. Pieck kept watch during their travels and, when they neared their destination, reported their arrival to the other Warriors. At dawn, when the Scouts were just minutes from Shiganshina, they switched to ODM Gear, using it to immediately travel to the outer gate of Shiganshina, where Eren didn’t hesitate to plug Wall Maria. Thanks to his extensive training over the past two months, this didn’t even phase him, and they moved to plug up the inner wall as well.

Meanwhile, Armin discovered the remnants of the Warriors’ camp. He reported this to Erwin who, trusting Armin’s judgment, gave him temporary command over the Scouts. Soon enough, Armin deduced that Reiner and (try finger) But (hole) were unaware that they knew the walls were not solid. Using this, Armin gambled that they might be hiding in the walls themselves—waiting for Eren to seal the inner gate and block their exit. Armin’s gambit quickly paid off when a Scout uncovered Reiner’s hiding spot. When Reiner emerged from the Wall, Levi plunged his blade into Reiner’s neck, which would have killed him if not for Reiner’s ability to temporarily transfer his consciousness to the rest of his body, giving him just enough time to summon the Armor. Directly afterward, Zeke shifted into the Beast Titan and let out a scream—transforming the dozens of Subjects of Ymir he had hidden underground into Titans. To keep the Scouts from escaping, Zeke threw a boulder at the inner gate, blocking the Scouts from reaching their horses. Faced with danger from both sides, the Scouts awaited Erwin’s command. Erwin, deducing Zeke’s strategy, ordered half of the Scouts to protect the horses while the rest were to take down Reiner. The only one who was singled out was Levi, who Erwin tasked with killing the Beast Titan. To distract Reiner from killing the horses, Eren transformed right in front of him. The plan worked, and Reiner went after Eren. While they fought, the rest of the Levi and Hange squad used Thunder Spears to first stun—then incapacitate Reiner. Just before he was incapacitated, Reiner transferred his consciousness once more to his nervous system before screaming—signaling for Zeke to throw Bamboozle.

In the air, Beast Titan spotted Reiner’s limp body. Knowing if he transformed then it would kill Reiner, he first used his ODM Gear to check on his friend. Armin took this opportunity to confront Benny (from the hit game Fallout New Vegas), learning that, unlike before, he was determined to finish their goal of abducting Eren and killing those within the walls. To this end, he ascended into the sky and unleashed the power of the Colossal. Assuming themselves the lone survivors of the explosion, the Levi Squad planned to end Banshee-44 once and for all.

Meanwhile, within Wall Maria, Levi watched helplessly as the Beast Titan launched devastating volleys of debris at the Scouts. Pinned down by the bombardment, Erwin declared that their only chance of survival was a desperate charge into certain death. A final act of bravery to distract the Beast Titan long enough for Levi to flank and kill him. Leading the charge himself, Erwin was struck down by a piece of debris, yet the distraction worked—Levi executed his part flawlessly, ripping Zeke from his Titan. With his blade to Zeke’s throat, Levi planned to save Erwin by injecting him with the Titan serum and letting him eat Zeke. But before he could act, Pieck intervened, whisking Zeke to safety. Determined to fulfill Erwin’s orders, Levi bolted after the Cart Titan.

On the battlefield, Floch, the lone standing Scout, began his search for survivors—quickly discovering Erwin’s body on the brink of death. Inside Shiganshina, Armin noticed the Colossal Titan growing thinner as it emitted steam. Utilizing this observation, he devised a plan that involved him and Eren taking down the Colossal while the others kept Reiner busy. After Armin informed Eren of his plan, Eren feigned weakness to draw Berzerk’s attention to Armin. Armin then faced Butt, tricking him into releasing as much steam as possible which allowed Eren to rip Bedrock from his Titan. Meanwhile, Mikasa, Jean, Sasha, Connie, and eventually Hange, who was the only survivor of her squad, took down Reiner. When he was incapacitated, they planned to take his power using Levi’s syringe. However, shortly after Mikasa left to get the syringe, Zeke and the Cart Titan swooped in to rescue Reiner. Immediately after, Zeke went to secure Bear (down for midterms), however he decided against doing so after seeing Levi. Before retreating, Zeke, wanting to save Eren from what he assumed was Grisha’s restorationist brainwashing, cryptically told Eren he would save him “from all of this.”

When Levi reached Eren, he quickly demanded his ODM gear so he could pursue Zeke. Just then, Armin let out a faint gasp. Seeing an opportunity to both save Armin and secure the Colossal, Eren pressured Levi to inject Armin with the syringe. However, just as Levi was about to do so, Floch arrived with Erwin’s wounded body. The Scouts were then faced with a single, uncompromising decision. One that had them choose whether or not they would stick with what they were comfortable with—with what they had been—or trust in the future of the Scouts—in what they all knew they could be. Give the shot to Erwin, the greatest Scout Regiment Commander, or Armin, who Erwin himself saw as the embodiment of the best of the Scouts ideals. After several critical heartbreaking minutes, the decision was finally made, not by Eren or Levi, but by Erwin himself who rejected the syringe. In doing so, he rejected the opportunity to fulfill his lifelong dream of learning the truth about humanity. Trusting Erwin’s judgment, Levi injected Armin with the serum. Armin, taking the form of a Pure Titan, ate Bloodborne, inheriting the incredible power of the Colossal Titan.

Hours later, Eren, Mikasa, Hange, and Levi proceeded to Eren’s childhood home. In the cellar, they uncovered hidden books in Grisha’s desk. These books revealed a shocking truth: humanity was alive beyond the walls. Yet, they viewed the Eldians of Paradis as not just a threat but a stain to be cleansed from the world. At last, Eren understood the identity of their true enemy. Not the Titans nor the Warriors. Their true enemy was the entire world.

Upon returning to Trost, Eren and Mikasa were imprisoned for insubordination. Days later, they were released and brought to the capital to present Grisha’s revelations to the Monarchy. During the deliberation, Eren finally realized the truth behind the identity of the Smiling Titan. That it was his “half-mother”, Dina Fritz, and that her royal blood must have had something to do with why he was able to control the Titans for a split second a few months prior. Keeping this revelation to himself, Eren sat quietly while Historia declared that, no matter how world-shattering it may be, she had a duty to share the truth to her people.

Following a memorial for their fallen soldiers, the Scouts who had survived were given medals for not only retaking Wall Maria but lifting Paradis out of ignorance. During this ceremony, when Historia touched Eren, his father’s memories of his own future were revealed to him. In these memories of the future, he saw his inescapable march toward freedom that he had no choice but to pursue. From that moment onward, Eren knew that he was to become the very thing he had feared—not a murderer or a warmonger, but a slave to his own destiny.

Following their failure on Paradis, the Warriors returned to Marley, where Ymir’s Jaw Titan was passed to Porco Galliard, Marcel’s younger brother. In the wake of this, Marley’s loss of both the Female and Colossal Titans became public knowledge. Observing this lapse in dominance, the Mid-East Allied Forces, a coalition of rival nations, declared war on Marley. Faced with the looming threat of yet another prolonged war, Marley put the Paradis Island Operation on indefinite hold.

Before being sent to fight in Marley’s new war, Zeke secretly met with Kiyomi Azumabito, a representative of the Azumobito clan from Hizuru. In this meeting, Zeke presented her with his plan to help Paradis restore Eldia to its former glory. According to this plan, Paradis would unleash a fraction of the Wall Titans to devastate the world’s major powers, buying them the time necessary to modernize their military and establish alliances with smaller nations. He proposed that Hizuru aid in their development in exchange for access to Iceburst Stone, an exceptionally rare resource that fueled the Scouts’ ODM gear.

By the winter of 850, nearly every Titan within Wall Maria had been eradicated using Hange’s “Executioner from Hell.” In the spring of 851, roughly a year after the Battle of Trost, the military formally announced that citizens of Paradis could safely return to Wall Maria. For the first time in six long years, the Scouts finally resumed their mission of exploring the world beyond the Walls, finally free from the threat of Titans. After days, or possibly even weeks of travel, the Scouts made it to the sea. But where everyone else saw a vast expanse of water, Eren saw a path toward freedom—a way to liberate his friends from the enemy that lay beyond the sea.

Soon after, Marley sent a survey fleet to assess the situation on Paradis. The Scouts intercepted the fleet, capturing a soldier and chef named Nicolo alongside crates of Marleyan wine that, unknown to them, were infused with Zeke’s spinal fluid. When the second ship arrived, it too was intercepted. However, this time, two soldiers aboard—Yelena and Onyankopon—staged a mutiny under the direct order of Zeke Jaeger. Following this confrontation, the two soldiers met with Scout Commander Hange as well as Levi. In this meeting, they revealed detailed knowledge of Marley’s military capabilities, weaponry, and ongoing war with the Mid-East Allied Forces. The meeting concluded with Yelena finally revealing her allegiance with Zeke and delivering a letter that proposed a plan to resolve the conflict between Paradis and Marley, however, for this plan to work, it required both the Founding Titan and a Titan of royal blood.

As their relationship with the Marleyan refugees strengthened, the Scouts, and subsequently Paradis, began to learn more about the culture, politics, religion, and technology of the greater world. In learning this, their ignorance transformed into hope that one day they might stand side by side with the rest of the world. To do so, they launched a full-scale modernization effort. In accordance with this plan, the people of Paradis rebranded themselves as the nation of Eldia.

The next year, Eldia welcomed its first official visitors from Hizuru, led by Kiyomi Azumabito. Upon her arrival, Kiyomi sought out any remaining direct descendants of the Azumabito clan, quickly identifying Mikasa as the last of their lineage. Afterwards, Kiyomi met with the monarchy to discuss Zeke’s proposal to start a small-scale Rumbling. This drastic measure, she argued, would buy Paradis the time needed to modernize its military and stabilize its position in the global arena. In exchange, Hizuru would gain access to Paradis’s natural resources, especially the highly sought after Iceburst Stone. After Paradis agreed to her proposal, Kiyomi returned to Hizuru to secure their cooperation. However, Hizuru, realizing its monopoly over Paradis’ valuable resources, chose to exploit this advantage rather than assist in fostering international relationships or modernizing Paradis’ infrastructure.

When Hange received word of Hizuru's refusal, she concluded that if the world would not help Eldia reshape their image, they would do it themselves. The following year, Yelena secretly met with Eren to discuss Zeke’s euthanization plan, urging him to take decisive action to pressure the military into compliance. Floch overheard the conversation and was later confronted by Eren, who assured him that while he claimed to agree with Zeke, he had his own vision to save Eldia. When he was to eventually come into contact with his brother, he would enact the full power of the Rumbling, leaving the Eldians of Paradis as the world's last remaining inhabitants.

Later that year, the veteran Scouts ventured into Marley to find ways to foster alliances and reshape the world’s perception of the Eldians of Paradis. Soon after their arrival, they met with Kiyomi, who warned them that their search for allies would likely be far more difficult than they first assumed. Meanwhile, Eren saved a boy named Ramzi from being beaten by a group of Marleyans for pickpocketing. This act of kindness conflicted deeply with the inevitability of his future actions. Why save a child from harm, or do any good deed for that matter, when he knew that in less than a year they were all destined to perish at his hand? Unaware of the internal conflict ailing Eren, Ramzi led Eren to a cliff overlooking his home. When Mikasa eventually found him, he asked her a simple yet profound question: “What am I to you?” She family-zoned his ass so he decided to destroy the planet <3.

Immediately following this, the Scouts were invited by the refugees to join them in a night of celebration. Unknown to the Scouts, this would be the last fleeting moment of joy before their world was thrust into war. The next day, the Scouts attended a public forum where they learned that while global perception of Eldians was improving, this progress stemmed from the world’s shared hatred of the Eldians of Paradis. This revelation cemented Eren’s belief that a peaceful resolution was not just unlikely, it was impossible—made clear to the Scouts as they watched Eren leave the meeting. Unknown to them, this would be the last they saw of Eren for months as directly after this moment he would ally with Zeke who formulated a plan for Eren to infiltrate Marley. By doing so, he would be holding himself hostage in enemy territory to force Eldia to invade Marley.

In 854, the war between Marley and the Mid-East Allied Forces came to a head at Fort Slava. Marley’s objective was to neutralize the Allied fleet stationed in the harbor near the fort. Lacking naval superiority, their strategy hinged on capturing the fort and using its own artillery to obliterate the fleet. The assault was led by 800 Eldian soldiers, along with the last remaining Titans in Marley’s possession, those being the: Jaw, Cart, Armor, and Beast Titans. Last but not least were the next generation of Warrior candidates: Gabi Braun, Falco Grice, Udo, and Zofia, all of which fought diligently to secure their place as the next in line to inherit Reiner’s armor.

As the Battle of Fort Slava raged, the Marleyan military became overwhelmed by the Allied Forces’ advanced weaponry, the crown jewel of which were their armored trains equipped with state-of-the-art anti-Titan artillery. To overcome this obstacle without risking one of the Nine Titans or more Eldian infantry, Gabi disguised herself as a civilian before using a bundle of grenades to derail one of the armored trains, creating an opportunity for Reiner and Zeke to launch a coordinated attack. In the midst of the chaos, Eren infiltrated the Marleyan army, going so far as to sever his own leg and stab his eye to mask his identity. Above the battlefield, Zeke transformed dozens of spinal-fluid infused Eldians into Titans. Dropped from an airship, the Titans rained chaos upon the Allied forces. As Reiner joined the assault, he single handedly dismantled much of the fort’s artillery, sustaining significant injuries in the process. When the fort was clear, Zeke launched a volley of artillery at the Allied Fleet, ensuring Marley’s ultimate victory. After the battle, the Mid-East Allied Forces were forced to surrender, finally ending the war on Marley’s terms.

While this victory may have reminded the world of Marley’s current dominance, Commander Theo Magath warned the Marleyan military’s leadership that their state of superiority was no doubt fleeting. While Marley had relied on Titans to maintain supremacy, their adversaries, forced to innovate in other ways, had quickly advanced technologically. And with the world on the cusp of aerial warfare, Marley’s capabilities were soon to be eclipsed entirely. In response to this, Zeke proposed they resurrect the Paradis Island Operation. By committing all available resources, Marley could reclaim not only the island’s resources and Founding Titan but potentially all Nine Titans, cementing their dominance and avenging their prior failures.

Later that night, Eldian soldiers returning from the war celebrated their victory aboard a train bound for Liberio. Amidst the revelry, Falco sought confidence in Reiner about his fears for Gabi—that her ambition would earn her the Armored Titan, condemning the girl he liked to a life of warfare and an early grave. Taking the advice of Reiner, Falco vowed to train harder than ever before and claim the Armored Titan for himself to save Gabi.

Sometime after arriving in Liberio, Zeke gathered with the other Warriors as well as Colt Grice, his successor and Falco’s older brother. During the meeting, Zeke shared his strategy for convincing Marley to prioritize the Paradis Island Operation. His plan focused on enlisting the prestigious Tybur family who, in the past century, had fostered relationships the world-over. By leveraging this status, Zeke hoped the Operation would not only gain Marley’s full support but also the backing of other nations, setting the stage for a global conflict against Paradis.

Sometime afterward, Zeke met with Eren in secret, making sure they were still on the same page about enacting his euthanization plan. Eren, playing into Zeke’s nihilistic outlook, stated that the world would be better off if he had not been born and that he would gladly go along with his plan. Zeke, who had been looking forward to this moment since he first learned of Eren’s existence, shared how proud he was of Eren, however, internally, he still reserved his full trust until the time was right.

While roaming around Liberio, Falco stumbled upon Kruger, the identity Eren had adopted after defecting to Marley. Following a quick conversation about the effects of war, Eren asked Falco to do him a simple favor. Seeing as all letters from inside the Internment Zone were checked by Security, he asked if Falco would use his Warrior candidate status to deliver his letter from outside the Interment Zone. Falco eagerly accepted the request, running as fast as he could to help someone he barely even knew. Unknown to Falco, this letter was addressed to the Scouts, telling them when and where to strike if they wanted to rescue both him and Zeke.

When the Tyber family eventually arrived at Liberio, they immediately began planning the festivities. Willy Tyber, the current face of the Tyber family, headed these festivities, the goal being to share the truth about the Great Titan War to every major nation. In doing so, he would bestow upon the world a new hero as well as a common enemy. The following day, while the Warriors helped plan the initial stages of the renewed Paradis Island Operation, Willy Tyber pulled a few strings in order to gather nearly every world leader for the festival in Liberio. The next day, Magath met with Willy to discuss the possibility of an attack by Paradis during his speech. Despite the danger, Willy decided that he would lay down his own life if it meant that the world might rally around his cause. Later that day, just a few minutes before Tyber took the stage, Falco would be coerced by Eren to invite Reiner to meet with him in a cellar under the stage.

When the theatrics began, Willy revealed a shocking truth to the world—that Helos was a false savior, and Karl Fritz was the true hero behind the Great Titan War. As he shared this information, Yelena, posing as a Marleyan officer, led Porco and Pieck into a trap. When Willy’s theatrics ended, he invited the world to join together to stop the true enemy, not Eldians nor the people of Paradis, but the true devil at hand named Eren Jaeger.

With Eren revealed, the Scouts began their infiltration, with most of the veteran Scouts using the improved anti-personnel ODM Gear to take out as many Marleyan forces as they could. In the ensuing chaos, Zofia was crushed by a boulder. Udo, in a failed attempt to rescue her, was trampled to death by the crowd of escaping civilians. As Colt and Gabi took Udo’s body to a hospital, Porco and Pieck were rescued by Pieck’s Panzer Unit. Simultaneously, Willy’s sister, Lara Tyber, transformed into the War Hammer to avenge her brother.

When Eren was subdued, Mikasa arrived just in time to save him. As she did so, Eren spotted the location where Lara was controlling her Titan from. Using Mikasa as a distraction, Eren grabbed the crystal that encased Lara’s body. Just then, Porco latched onto Eren’s neck. Acting fast, Levi sliced his jaw muscles, leaving Porco unable to bite down further. As the Warrior unit regrouped to assess the situation, Zeke shifted into the Beast Titan, putting up just enough of a fight to make it look like he was captured against his will. With Marley reinforcements soon to arrive, Armin used the power of the Colossal to decimate the port. Left as Marley’s best hope, Pieck attempted to take out as many Scouts as she could while Porco fought Eren. The Scouts quickly bested Pieck, forcing her to withdraw. In Porco and Eren’s fight, Eren discovered that the true power of the Jaw was

That it was the direct counter to Titan hardening. Using this to his advantage, he ripped off Porco’s limbs, using his jaws to crush Lara’s crystal, usurping the power of yet another Titan. With the Beast, Cart, Jaw, and War Hammer out of commission, Gabi and Falco screamed for Reiner’s help. Reiner, lethargic from the years of war, wanted nothing more than to ignore their screams–to die in peace after suffering so much loss. Yet, he could not forgive himself if his inaction led to their deaths. With that, he decided he would continue to fight, knowing that he would either be victorious or finally die–either way, he would get what he wanted.

Despite his lack of energy, Reiner managed to save Porco from being eaten by Eren. Knowing they had secured victory, Eren and Mikasa regrouped with the rest of the Scouts in the airship. As the Scouts made their exit, Gabi shot and killed the former Garrison Commander Lobov. Using his ODM gear, with Falco choosing to follow, they boarded aboard the airship where Gabi put a single bullet in Sasha’s chest.

Upon their return to Paradis, Eren, Gabi, and Falco were imprisoned while Zeke was put under the surveillance of Levi, who took him out into the forest to keep him isolated from Eren. Taking extra precaution, Levi brought with him a group of Scouts who insisted that they brought along a crate of rare Marleyan wine. Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea, the rest of the world’s nations joined forces to put an end to the threat of Paradis once and for all. The first step in this plan was sending Pieck and Porco to infiltrate the Eldian Military.

About a month later, Gabi and Falco escaped their imprisonment, where they were found by Kaya, the girl Sasha had saved five years prior. Despite knowing they were from Marley, Kaya took them to the Brause estate, where they were given food and shelter. By this point, Flock had recruited three other Scout recruits to his and Eren’s crusade. These Scouts were: Holger, Wim, and Louise, the girl Mikasa saved back during the Battle of Trost. Guided by Eren’s extremist ideology, these four would become the first ever Jaegerists, a group that would be defined for their brazen imperialist values.

While collecting intelligence, the group learned that the Military Police were planning to strip Eren of the Founding Titan. Fully aware that the public viewed Eren as a war hero, they leaked his imprisonment to the public. This information drove a wedge within both the public and the military, splitting the island into two distinct factions: those who were loyal to the government and those who were loyal to Eren. Soon after, Flock, Holger, Wim, and Louise were arrested for leaking confidential information. Afterwards, the government began investigating Eren’s actions prior to his trip to Marley. In retaliation, the Jagerists, who at this point were a noticeable minority within the military, assassinated Premier Zachary. Using the ensuing chaos as a smoke screen, the Jeagerists broke Eren out of prison, allowing them to continue toward their ultimate goal of reuniting Eren and Zeke. In the wake of this, Pixis, fully aware that the Jeagerists had infiltrated their ranks, opted to surrender in order to learn the goals of the Jaegersits and negotiate for peace.

The following day, the Brause family was invited to Niccolo’s restaurant in honor of Sasha. During this dinner, Gabi and Falco met with Niccolo, revealing that they were Warrior candidates who had gotten there by sneaking aboard an airship. Niccolo instantly deduced that this meant Gabi shot Sasha, who he had come to love despite her Eldian heritage. In a fit of rage, he attempted to strike Gabi with a bottle of wine. Acting fast, Falco pushed Gabi out of the way, absorbing the strike himself. While unconscious on the ground, Falco ingested a bit of the wine before Niccolo dragged both of them in front of the Brause family, revealing to everyone that they were the ones who killed Sasha. The Scouts, who had recently arrived, overheard this and attempted to de-escalate the situation. Mr. Brause, Sasha’s father, successfully did so by relieving Niccolo of his knife, stating that the adults needed to shoulder the burden of forgiveness to finally stop the cycle of vengeance that had ravaged their children. Witnessing this act of grace, Gabi finally realized that there were never any devils on the island–that they were all just people.

With the situation de-escalated, Armin and Mikasa took Gabi to another room. Meanwhile, Niccolo revealed to Hange that the wine Falco consumed likely contained Zeke’s spinal fluid, and that he had been ordered by Yelena to serve it to as many high-ranking Eldian Officers as he could. Just then, Jaegerists entered the restaurant, taking the Scouts as prisoners while Eren ambushed Armin and Mikasa. In this confrontation, Eren told them that everything he was doing was of his own accord–that he wasn’t being tricked or blackmailed to help Zeke. Additionally, he sowed seeds of doubt in their minds, telling Armin that his love for Annie was because of Blasphemous Blade’s memories and that Mikasa’s proclivity to protect Eren was the result of her Ackermann DNA-both of which were blatant lies. This was a strategic choice made by Eren, a carefully procured selection of lies that were targeted toward their deepest vulnerabilities. But his goal was not to break them as people. No, he only wanted to break their friendship. Destroy their seemingly unbreakable bond so that when the time came, they would be able to do what was necessary to put an end to his terror. But as the meeting went on, Eren knew that words alone weren’t enough. He took action to show them how truly far-gone he had become. When he was done demonstrating his heartlessness, he took them as hostages to Shiganshina where he and Zeke were planning to meet.

When Levi was told about the Jaegerist coup within the Military, he planned to put an end to Eren’s schemes by transferring the Beast Titan to someone else. However, before he could do so, Zeke let out a scream, turning everyone in Levi’s detail who had consumed the wine into Titans. Left with no other choice, Levi killed every last one of his comrades-turned-Titans before going after Zeke. Simultaneously, Flock and the Jaegerists interrupted Shadis’ Cadet training to recruit additional forces, all of which were taken to Shiganshina alongside the rest of the Eldian military. Hours later, to keep Zeke from escaping, Levi impaled him with a Thunder Spear, attaching its pin to Zeke’s neck to restrict his movement. Willing to risk anything to meet up with Eren, Zeke purposefully detonated the Thunder Spear, blowing himself in two and fatally wounding Levi. Enroute to Shiganshina, Flock, Hange, and the others in their group heard the explosion. When they arrived at its source, they found Levi on the brink of death. Just as Flock was about to finish him off, a nearby Titan that Zeke had used to shield himself began releasing steam. Using this as a distraction, Hange grabbed Levi’s body and leaped into the river. Focusing on their primary mission, Flock and the others escorted Zeke to Shiganshina while Hange took Levi to a secluded spot in the wilderness where she tended to his wounds.

In Shiganshina, Yelena met with Armin, Mikasa, Connie, and Jean to explain Zeke’s euthanization plan. Meanwhile, Eren met with Gabi, ordering her to use a radio to contact any possible Marleyan spies within the Walls. Just then, Pieck held Eren at gunpoint, attempting to take him hostage. Eren quickly called her bluff, stating that she had no power over him because she was likely given direct orders to not kill him. Pieck then lied, telling Eren that she would reveal the true enemy to him if he could guarantee freedom for Eldians. On the roof, she fulfilled her promise by showing Eren who the true enemy was. This signaled to Porco to break the floor beneath Eren’s feet in an attempt to consume him. He failed to do so however, giving Eren an opportunity to transform. With the Founder flushed out into the open, Marley began their air assault on Paradis. Eren was told by Yelena to leave his Titan form and find safety; however, when Eren saw Reiner descend upon his old home, he couldn’t resist the confrontation. As Eren battled Reiner, Onyankopon released Armin, Mikasa, Connie, and Jean from imprisonment, where they decided to protect Eren–trusting that he was using Zeke to start a small-scale Rumbling. To help them accomplish this, they gathered both Eldian soldiers and Jaegerist forces, both of which could at least agree that protecting Eren was their best option. Outside, Eren was overwhelmed by the Marleyan assault until Zeke made his grand appearance. However, after destroying the Marleyan airships, Zeke was shot down from atop the wall. Eren, still overwhelmed by the other Titans, attempted to push toward Zeke. Meanwhile, Falco was returned to Colt and Gabi, who planned to try and convince Zeke not to use his scream. When Zeke regained clarity, he prepared to follow through with the mass transformation. Just before he did so, Colt pleaded for Zeke to wait just long enough to get Falco out of range. Zeke, faced with risking his life’s purpose if he were to fail, apologized to Colt before letting out a blood curdling scream.

Following the mass transformation, Zeke commanded Falco’s Pure Titan to attack Reiner. Fighting two Titans at once, Reiner had to decide whether to kill Falco or let Eren go. However, as Falco began biting Reiner’s nape, Reiner was presented with a third option: to let Falco eat himself, saving Falco’s life and ending his own torment. Just then, Porco emerged from his crippled Titan body prompting Falco to eat him instead. Flush with anger, Reiner punched Eren in the face for letting yet another one of his friends die. Using this against him, Eren hardened his body, freezing Reiner in place as he leaped out of his Titan body and made a run for Zeke. As he did so, Gabi grabbed hold of Colt’s Anti-Titan Rifle, aiming directly at Eren’s head. The instant Eren made contact with Zeke, Zeke’s consciousness ascended to the Paths, where he remained for what felt like years before Eren arrived. In this time, he found a way to nullify the vow renouncing war, which gave him full control over the Founding Titan’s abilities. Despite this, he would not use this power to enact his euthanization plan, instead, he wanted to confirm his suspicions about Eren’s true intentions to see if he was truly free from their father’s influence. When Eren finally ascended to the Paths, he found Zeke chained to the ground. Zeke explained that these chains were a representation of Karl Fritz’ vow renouncing war, however, this was a lie he used in order to learn what Eren would do when he thought he had control of the Founder. Playing right into Zeke’s hand, Eren revealed that he would never go along with the euthanization plan. Heartbroken, Zeke broke free of his bondage, revealing what he had done in the time before Eren arrived. He then stated that it was not Eren’s fault that his mind was hell-bent on seeking war–that it was their father’s corruption which had driven him into thinking the way he did. But like Ksaver did to him, he would show Eren the truth. Using the power of the Founder, Zeke guided Eren through the memories of their father. While Zeke’s intention was to prove to Eren that his interpretation of Grisha’s actions was correct, he was instead faced with reality–that his father was simply a man who made more mistakes than he could count. As they roamed through years of Grisha’s memories, Zeke learned that his father didn’t indoctrinate Eren like he had done to him. That he had learned from his mistakes, and though Eren was to eventually inherit the Attack and Founding Titans, Grisha allowed him to remain an innocent child for as long as he could. When Grisha’s memories eventually lead them to that fateful day, Eren, a witness to his own future, knew what he was destined to do. As he saw Grisha get crushed under the weight of destiny, Eren knelt down beside his broken father, reminding him of all the things that led him to this very moment. The terror and violence that shaped him into the avatar of Eldia’s vengeance. That within him lied motive; all he had to do was simply act upon it.

When the deed was done, Zeke was faced with his father, who apologized for turning him into a soldier of Eldia instead of seeing him as his son. He then pleaded to Zeke that stopping Eren was imperative, for if he did not, Eren would end the world. When they returned to the Paths, Zeke realized the weight of what Grisha told him–that Eren had used him to manipulate the past itself to accomplish his goal. To stop him from doing so, Zeke ordered Ymir to take the ability to reproduce from all of her Subjects. Determined to stop his brother, Eren sprinted toward Ymir to convince her that she wasn’t a slave or a god–she was a person who didn’t have to obey anyone, including himself. When Zeke caught up to them, Ymir, acting on her own will, entrusted Eren with her immense power. Without hesitation, Eren’s first act was to undo all Titan hardening. In doing this, the Titans within the Walls of Paradis were free to trample the world.

Immediately following the start of the Rumbling, Annie was released from her crystalline prison where she was quickly confronted by Hitch who assisted her in escaping the Interior. Meanwhile, Connie and Jean, who had witnessed Falco eat Porco, captured him to secure the power of the Jaw Titan. As Eren and the Wall Titans began their march toward civilization, he contacted all Subjects of Ymir, informing them that the Rumbling had begun and that he intended to continue until the people of Paradis were the last that remained of humanity. With Eren’s intentions clear to all, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, and Connie discussed the repercussions of Eren’s choice. Armin, in particular, was adamant that genocide was not the answer to their problems. However, with no clear way to stop Eren, the focus instead shifted to Falco. Connie insisted that they feed him to his mother, while Armin offered to return him to Reiner and finally end the cycle of revenge. Connie, likely aware that Armin could convince him if given enough time, took Falco hostage and made his way to Ragako.

In the midst of the chaos, as the Brause family was fleeing from danger, Kaya was once again face to face with a Titan. Like Sasha had before her, Gabi saved Kaya from the Titan, prompting the both of them to abandon their hatred. Soon after, with the combined efforts of the Scouts, Shiganshina was cleared of Titans. No longer in immediate danger, Armin and Mikasa met with Gabi, who Armin hoped would help them form an alliance between them and the Warriors. To demonstrate his good will, he agreed to help Gabi rescue Falco from Connie. Meanwhile, in Liberio, the Subjects of Ymir pleaded for the Marleyan officers to inform the government of the impending Rumbling. When the officers refused to listen, Annie’s father incited a revolt, allowing them to hijack a train and travel south to escape the Rumbling.

On Paradis, Flock and a group of Jaegerists gathered the Marley volunteers, forcing them to submit to their newly established Eldian Empire or face self-appointed judgment. Jean, though horrified by the actions of Flock, was presented with two options: live a life of ignorance and luxury with the Jaegerists or fight for what he knew was the right thing to do. During this same period, Hange and Levi met with Magath and Pieck to propose an alliance in order to stop Eren. Soon after, Mikasa joined Hange’s group before meeting with Jean later that night. Despite his desire to live a life of peace, Jean made the difficult decision to join Hange and the others, sacrificing his comfort for the betterment of humanity. The next day, Connie and Falco arrived in Ragako. Just as Connie was about to trick Falco into being eaten by his mother, Armin and Gabi arrived to rescue him. Connie immediately grabbed hold of Falco, dragging him up where he could drop him. Just then, Armin, prepared to sacrifice his own life to do what was right, jumped into the Titan’s mouth. Acting fast, Connie grabbed Armin before he was eaten. After making amends with Falco, Connie traveled with the others to Trost where they met with Annie. Sometime after, Armin, Annie, Connie, Falco, Gabi, Mikasa, Jean, Magath, Hange, and Levi agreed to work together to stop Eren after rescuing Yelena and Onyonkopon.

Later that day, Flock, Jean, and the Jaegerists gathered in Shiganshina to execute the Marleyan volunteers. Jean, following Armin’s plan, fired four shots into the ground, signaling for Pieck to make her move. Using this as a distraction, Armin and the others gathered supplies and made their way out of Trost to regroup with Magath and Reiner. Shadis, witnessing this selfless alliance, decided to follow the group. Predicting their next move, Flock gathered the Jaegerists to take the port before anyone else could. When the Scouts, Warriors, and Volunteers regrouped, they set up camp for a final night of rest before they left the island. As the sun set, the group aired out their grievances, bringing resolution to their contentious pasts before they moved forward as one. The next morning, the group traveled to the port to secure the Azumobito's flying boat, immediately learning that the Jaegerists had taken the port for themselves. Acting fast, Armin devised a plan that involved him and Connie telling Flock that the Marleyans were acting alone in trying to kill Eren and that they needed to get the Azumobito engineers to fix the flying boat as soon as possible so they could stop them. Upon hearing this, Flock, sensing something was off, decided against helping Armin. Just then, Kyomi pinned Flock to the ground, opening an opportunity for Mikasa, Reiner, and Annie to spring into action. As the battle raged, the Scouts and the Jaegerists each suffered devastating losses, including those of the Jaegerist reinforcements, which Shadis took out single-handedly. Alongside this, Falco, trying to tip the scales in their favor, transformed into the Jaw Titan for the first time. While this did give the Scouts the edge they needed, his inexperience with his Titan form forced Magath to cut him free to stop his rampage. As the Scouts neared victory, Flock attempted to sacrifice himself to prevent their escape. While the Scouts assumed he had died, he managed to cling onto the flying boat hoping to stop them at their next destination. When the battle was practically over, the Scouts boarded a tugboat, planning to travel to Odiha, Marley, where they could service the flying boat with the proper equipment. The only exception was Magath, who, alongside Shadis, decided to stay behind to sink a Marleyan cruiser. Inside the cruiser, Magath and Shadis made amends with their past mistakes, finding solace in the fact that they had both somehow molded mere children into the heroes that were going to save the world. As Magath readied his rifle to blow the ship, they shared their names with one another before he fired a single shot, engulfing the ship in an massive explosion.

On the other side of the sea, the nations of the world assembled an impenetrable fleet of warships off the coast of Karifa, Marley, with the goal of stopping the Rumbling before it made landfall. Despite the fleet’s incredibly destructive capability, the show of force didn’t even slow Eren’s march which quickly made landfall in Marley. As it did so, the millions of Wall Titans began indiscriminately trampling countless men, women, and children—leaving behind a barren world populated only by evidence of Eren’s wraith. As his Titans trampled the world, Eren, with unfettered access to Ymir’s power, found himself caught in the chaotic web of time, existing in the past, present, and future simultaneously. Though overwhelmed and shrouded in confusion, one thing remained clear. That all of this–the death, the destruction, the pain–was his fault. No matter how much he tried to shift the blame or deceive himself, he couldn’t escape the glaring reality that his shortsightedness had set this catastrophic chain of events into motion. Had someone else inherited this power, perhaps the world wouldn’t have needed to end for his friends to find peace. This very flaw, his inability to imagine another path forward, was the shackle that bound him to his role. It wasn’t destiny that kept him trapped in this loop–it was himself, his limits, and his desire to trample his enemies. Faced with this unbreakable cycle, Eren had no other option than to finish what he had started. Using Ymir’s power, Eren set his story in motion by guiding the Smiling Titan to devour his own mother during the Fall of Wall Maria. Alongside this act, he used the Paths to reach out to his friends, sifting through their memories and offering them a moment of closure. In quiet, heart-wrenching conversations, he gave them the words they needed to hear not to redeem himself but to help them better understand his actions. Yet, once these moments were over, he erased them from their memories, only to be unveiled upon his death, when his horrific actions could be seen in their full context. For Mikasa, however, Eren’s love )and her Ackermann DNA) demanded something different. (Because he couldn’t alter her memories directly), Eren created an alternate path in time in which she confessed her love for him on that cliffside in Marley. In this world, they spent the remainder of his short life together before he succumbed to the Curse of Ymir. It was during this fragile, fleeting dream, that they could finally live lives of peace and solitude that both of them would forever cherish. While he did hide these memories from Mikasa, Eren intended to share them with her not upon his death but when the time was right, offering her the bittersweet truth of what might have been to push her to fulfill her own destiny.

When the Scouts arrived in Odiha, they found it had already been evacuated due to the Rumbling. For the next few hours, the Azumobito engineers serviced the flying boat. During this period, Annie told Mikasa that while their goal was noble, she was going to stay behind with Gabi, Falco, and the Azumobito. Meanwhile, Yelena informed the other Scouts that Eren was likely headed toward Fort Salta, an airfield in the southern mountains of Marley. Afterwards, Flock revealed his position before using the last of his strength to empty his gun’s clip. Three of the bullets went wide, striking the aircraft’s fuel tank, which delayed their departure until they could patch it. Escalating tensions further, the Rumbling had arrived faster than expected. Despite all he had done, Hange and Jean remained with Flock before his death, understanding that beneath his facade of arrogance was a man who simply wanted what was best for his people. As the Wall Titans approached the hangar, Hange volunteered to do what she could to delay the Rumbling, allowing the others to escape. Fully aware this was a suicide mission, she assigned Armin as the 15th Commander of the Scout Regiment. Before she left, she and Levi shared a final moment where Levi, for the first time ever, gave Hange the Scout salute, prompting her to “dedicate her heart.” Hange, inspired by her friends, used every last bit of her strength and willpower to do whatever she could to slow the Rumbling. In the end, she died exactly how she wanted to—in a spectacular blaze of glory.

As they traveled to Fort Salta, Armin and the others questioned why Eren was allowing them to act in opposition to him. After all, with the power of the Founding Titan he had complete control of all Subjects of Ymir, meaning he could stop them any time he wanted. As they speculated further, Eren pulled them into the Paths to inform them that he would not take away their freedom but that if they wanted to stop him, they would have to strip him of his freedom by ending his life. Meanwhile, aboard the Azumobito ship, Falco began to manifest dreams related to the Beast Titan, the direct result of his consumption of Zeke’s spinal fluid which had turned him into a Titan in the first place. In the most vivid of these dreams, Falco found himself flying high above the clouds. When he eventually shared this with Gabi and Annie, they reasoned that this was no coincidence and likely had to do with his unique Titan abilities. Kiyomi, still ashamed of her selfishness when it came to helping the people of Paradis, decided to put herself and the other Azumobito at risk, by allowing Falco to transform into a Titan to help their friends save the world.

When the Liberio refugees arrived at Fort Salta, they found the Marleyan army using the last of their airships to fight against the Rumbling instead of running away. As the airships approached their target, Eren used the power of the War Hammer to summon a husk of Zeke’s Beast Titan. Using this, he destroyed the airships as they rained their explosive payloads atop his massive body. When the last of the airships were gone, the soldiers and civilians within Fort Salta accepted that the end was inevitable. Just then, an aircraft unlike any they had ever seen descended upon the Attack Titan’s body. Leaping from it were the Warriors of Marley and Scouts of Paradis, working side by side to put an end to the Rumbling. Following their initial assault, Armin, faced with the dire reality of the situation, decided that he would use the Colossal to destroy Eren’s body in one minute. Before that time came, Ymir used the free will instilled into her by Eren to summon hundreds of Nine Titans from various points in time. One of these, resembling an okapi, took Armin captive to keep him from using his power. Upon losing consciousness, Armin was transported to the Paths. Meanwhile, the others, faced with hundreds of Titan husks, found themselves on the brink of failure. Pieck, in an attempt to blow up Eren’s nape, was impaled by a War Hammer Titan. Most of the others found themselves suspended under Eren’s body. In this position, Jean and Reiner made their final amends as Mikasa and Levi tried to protect them. Just then, Falco, Gabi, and Annie arrived to save them atop Falco’s flying Titan.

As the Warriors and Scouts continued their fight, Armin conversed with Zeke in the Paths. In their conversation, they exchanged their worldviews, with Zeke sharing his nihilistic outlook that had defined his actions since he was just a child. Armin, on the other hand, told Zeke that life wasn’t as meaningless as he made it out to be, that there wasn’t a grand purpose to everything–that life was what you made of it, whether that be big or small; it was about the things you cherished that gave it meaning. For Armin, those things were as seemingly mundane as racing Eren and Mikasa to the tree on the hill in Shiganshina. Suddenly, Zeke realized that he too cherished mundane things like playing catch with Ksaver, but he had never allowed himself to stay in that moment; he always had to look forward toward a grand purpose, never basking in the joy of the simpler things. As Zeke reached this revelation, both he and Armin were confronted by the souls of Bungie, Porco, Grisha, Ksaver, Kruger, (forgot Ymir), and Marcel. Armin and Zeke, two people who were always unlikely to even share the same space, bound together under the greatest unifying force in the world: their humanity. Be it the relationships with the ones they carried closest to their hearts or the passions and dreams that guided their lives, they found common ground within the shared human experience. Though it’s unknown how, this instilled within Bruh, Porco, Grisha, Ksaver, Kruger, and Marcel a new sense of agency, allowing them to join the others in their battle against Eren—opening an opportunity for Mikasa to cut Armin free. Meanwhile, Zeke revealed himself to Levi. While staring out at the vast landscape, Zeke took the opportunity to bask in that singular moment, noting how truly beautiful the world was when he stopped to look at it. Seeing his opening, Levi fulfilled his promise to Erwin by once and for all by ending Zeke’s life.

With Eren’s connection to Zeke severed, the Rumbling was immediately halted. Taking this as his cue, Jean grabbed the detonator hanging around Eren’s neck and blew his head off, releasing the Anomaly, which sought to reconnect with Eren. As Reiner held the Anomaly in place, Armin, accepting that his best friend needed to be killed, used the power of the Colossal to destroy Eren. With the battle seemingly won, the Warriors were reunited with their families at Fort Salta. Just then, Eren transformed into a Titan. Colossal in size, Eren made his way toward Armin. Meanwhile, the other Warriors and Scouts decided to finish the job and fight back against Eren. As they began to do so, the Anomaly began to release a gas similar to the one Zeke used in Ragako, which forced Falco, Levi, Mikasa, and Pieck, all of whom were unaffected by the gas, to leave their friends and family behind at Fort Salta. As the inevitability of their deaths was cemented, Connie and Jean decided to do what they had always done and trust in their friends to finish the mission.

As Armin and Eren’s colossal Titan’s clashed, Mikasa saw an opportunity to end everything by killing Eren. However, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. It's in that moment that Eren revealed a piece of their alternate life of peace to Mikasa, giving her enough motivation to do what was necessary. As she tied Eren’s scarf around her neck, she called upon her friends to help her reach Eren. When she did so, she didn’t hesitate to slice Eren’s head off, severing him from his cycle torment. In that instant, all of the memories that had been hidden from his friends were revealed, instilling them with a sense of closure just as the battle reached its climactic end. In addition to this, the act of Mikasa killing Eren showed Ymir that even though she loved King Fritz, she didn’t have to obey him. With that, she had finally found the connection she was looking for since her initial death. The very reason she willed the Paths into existence to begin with. Inspired by Mikasa’s love, Ymir gave up her quest to service King Fritz and subsiquently the power of the Titans. With the power of the Titan’s cleansed from the world, every Titan, including: Jean, Connie, Connie's mother, and even the Wall Titans themselves were transformed back into humans.

In the wake of this, Mikasa informed Armin that she was going to take Eren’s head back to Shiganshina to give him a proper burial, something the Marleyans wouldn’t allow her to do. Agreeing with her assessment, he provided the Marleyans with a compelling cover story, stating that he was the one who killed Eren, and that without the power of the Titans, they were just as human as Marleyans. At this same time, Mikasa was confronted by the spirit of Ymir who, unbound by the will of King Fritz, made it clear to Mikasa that while she had condemned their world to two thousand years of war, she had also given them the opportunity to fight back against injustice. Ymir, finding solace in this fact, finally relieved herself from the world. Just as Eren had planned, his death had successfully positioned the defected Scouts as the saviors of humanity who had turned against their fellow Eldians to save the world. Similar to the Tyber family, this provided them with worldwide prestige, allowing them to garner peace between the remaining nations of the world.

While her friends began to fulfil their role as peacekeepers, Mikasa returned to Paradis where she buried Eren at the base of the tree in Shiganshina. Three years later, the world had just begun to heal the wounds the Rumbling had inflicted upon it. With around 80% of the world’s former population gone, about half of those remaining were left as refugees–their homes destroyed and families torn apart. Meanwhile, the New Eldian Empire, who at this point were under undisputed Jaegerist rule, began building a robust military before the world could retaliate against them. Tensions rising, Armin and the others found themselves returning to their old home, not out of nostalgia but to fulfil their roles as ambassadors of peace on behalf of the Allied Forces, the coalition of nations that survived the Rumbling. Welcoming them with open arms was Queen Historia who feared that her nation could not be redeemed–that the only hope they had left was to put down their weapons and put an end to the cycle of war.

Over the next few decades, Mikasa would create a life independent of Eren. With time, she eventually got married, had children, and, after a long life, joined Eren in death. As time pressed onward, the world continued its relentless cycle of growth and decay. Shiganshina, flourishing in peace and withering in war. Yet through it all, the tree remained, a living witness to the absolutes of existence. The peril that anchored people to conflict and the unyielding persistence that inspired them to reach for peace. This eternal push and pull—the destruction that forged renewal, the suffering that spurred progress—mirrored the essence of evolution itself. Like evolution, humanity's journey was without end, a cyclical path that would repeat as long as humans endured. More than just a witness, the tree was a symbol of this evolution, of what survived beyond the transient. Carried within its towering mass remained a lesson. That even amidst chaos and change, some things are destined to endure.