List of ''Attack on Titan'' episodes

For over a century, humans have been living in settlements surrounded by three gigantic walls, which prevent the Titans, giant humanoid creatures who eat humans, from entering. Eren Jaeger, of the town called the Shiganshina District, wishes to see the outside world by joining the Scout Regiment, as he likens living in the cities to livestock. Despite this, his adopted sister Mikasa Ackermann and their mother Carla Jaeger are against him joining the Scouts. Even after seeing the Scouts return home with large casualties, Eren expresses his interest to join, which impresses his father Grisha Jaeger. After Eren and Mikasa rescue their friend Armin Arlelt from a group of delinquents due to his views that the walls will not protect them forever, the Colossal Titan suddenly appears and knocks down the gate to the Shiganshina District, which lies in the outer edge of Wall Maria, allowing smaller Titans to enter. As the town erupts into mass panic, Eren and Mikasa rush back to Carla, only to see her pinned under their collapsed house. Carla begs them to flee, but they refuse until city guard Hannes arrives and takes them away. Eren watches in horror as a Smiling Titan eats Carla.

Hannes apologizes to Eren for not saving his mother, admitting he was afraid of the Smiling Titan and that both Eren and Mikasa are still weak children. Some of townsfolk of the Shiganshina District escape to the inner Wall Maria, while the soldiers try to hold off the Titans. The soldiers try to close the gate, but the Armored Titan rams the gate, breaching the inner Wall Maria, and causing those inside to retreat even further inside Wall Rose. Some time later, Eren has a strange dream in which his grieving father forcefully gives him an injection and his key before being woken up by Mikasa. Eren grows disgusted with the people of Wall Rose as the latter do not like sharing their food or homes with the refugees. During the next year, as a food shortage becomes apparent, the government orders the refugees to either work on the farms or fight to reclaim Wall Maria. About 250,000 people, 20% of the populace, choose to fight, only to be wiped out by the Titans. Eren vows revenge and joins the army along with Mikasa and Armin.

The drill instructor Keith Sadies inspects the new recruits of the 104th Cadet Corps and provides a barrage of verbal insults. When he comes across Sasha Braus, who is eating a potato, he punishes her by having her run around the camp until sunset and not giving her any food or drink. Eren develops a rivalry with Jean Kirschtein, who desires a safe and easy position in the Military Police Regiment within the inner city walls. The recruits train on an omni-directional mobility gear^[1] apparatus, where they have to balance themselves while suspended on cables. After Eren has trouble balancing, he asks Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover for help and discover they too are among the few who have personally encountered Titans. The next day, Eren balances on the apparatus but falls, but Keith discovers that Eren's apparatus was defective and passes him after a retry with different equipment.

Five years since Wall Maria fell, Keith evaluates the recruits for their strengths and weaknesses. After training in hand-to-hand combat with Reiner and Annie Leonhart, Eren learns later that night that Jean and several other recruits hope to join the Military Police Regiment to avoid having to fight Titans. On graduation day, Eren and Mikasa rank among the top ten of their class. They are eligible to join the Military Police Regiment, but Eren declines and announces that he is joining the Scout Regiment on the front lines, leading Armin and Mikasa to join him. They are assigned to the Trost District, one of the cities which is at the outer edge of Wall Rose, where they discover other classmates have joined. The Colossal Titan appears and breaches the gate. Once Eren regains his composure, he takes command and orders a counterattack.

The Colossal Titan destroys the wall's cannons, but it vanishes into a burst of steam before Eren prepares to attack its weak point. The Military Police Regiment scrambles to evacuate the people of the Trost District and set up defenses before the Titans enter the city. Assigned by Commander Kitts Woerman of the Garrison Regiment to different squads, Mikasa helps with the evacuation, while Eren and Armin provide backup at the front lines. With the Titans now in the city, Eren recalls his lessons that in order to kill a Titan, they must strike the nape of its neck. As Eren and Armin's squad attack, their comrades are killed or eaten by the Titans one by one, with Eren himself losing his left leg. Armin, paralyzed with fear upon seeing his comrades' fates, is picked up by a Bearded Titan and almost swallowed. Eren, recalling when he and Armin wished to see the world outside the walls, manages to drag and toss Armin out of the Bearded Titan's mouth at the last moment. He reaches for Armin with his left arm out of the Bearded Titan's mouth, but the Bearded Titan closes its jaws, severing Eren's arm and swallowing him.

Armin awakens to find himself surrounded by Conny Springer, Christa Lenz and Ymir. As Armin heads back to the rearguard, he blames himself not being strong enough to save Eren. Meanwhile, an Abnormal Titan approaches the city's exit gate, which is crowded by refugees. Once Mikasa kills the Abnormal Titan, she threatens a greedy merchant holding cargo to let the refugees pass first. After she is thanked by a mother and daughter, Mikasa has a flashback. In the year 844, a year before the fall of Wall Maria, Mikasa was targeted by three slave traders, who murdered her parents in a struggle. After Grisha and Eren discovered the corpses while making a visit, Eren secretly tracked down the slave traders to a nearby hut and killed two of them in an attempt to save Mikasa. However, the third slave trader appeared and began strangling Eren. Encouraged by Eren, Mikasa overcame her fear and gained resolve to kill the third slave trader. After the children are found by the Military Police Regiment, Mikasa was invited to live with Eren and Grisha. Back in the present, Mikasa slays more Titans and goes to help the other squads evacuate.

The surviving squads, unable to reach the inner walls due to their omni-directional mobility gear being low on gas, lose their fighting spirit as the nearby supply depot is overrun by Titans. Mikasa seems unfazed after learning from Armin that his entire squad perished, including Eren. She rallies the others to reclaim the supply depot, inspiring them to join her in the attack, but Mikasa ends up running out of gas midair and falls into an alleyway. Jean assumes command, but he loses his nerve when he sees some of his comrades being eaten by Titans. As a blonde Titan approaches Mikasa, she prepares to attack with her remaining broken blade, but a mysterious Titan appears behind her and brutally kills the blonde Titan, much to her confusion. Armin and Conny show up, shocked to witness the mysterious Titan not only fighting other Titans, but also showing knowledge of their weak point and using hand-to-hand combat techniques, while completely ignoring the humans. Armin gives Mikasa his gas tanks and blades so that she can support the others at the supply depot. Mikasa, however, refuses to leave him behind and ponders on the mysterious Titan's strange behavior.

With the supply depot swarming with Titans, Armin has the idea of using the mysterious Titan to defeat them. Mikasa and Conny agree with his plan and defeat the Titans attacking it, before rushing to the supply depot. Meanwhile, Jean and the others reach the supply depot despite suffering more casualties on the way, with Armin, Mikasa and Conny arriving soon after. Armin's plan works, but while the mysterious Titan is able to attract the enemies outside, seven smaller Titans remain in the fuel storage area. With their equipment out of fuel, Armin devises another plan. The survivors draw the Titans' attention to an elevator and shoot them in the eyes to blind them, while seven of them jump from the ceiling to finish them off. Sasha and Conny fail to kill their targets but are saved by Mikasa and Annie. Having successfully replenished their fuel, the soldiers prepare to retreat. As they see the mysterious Titan defeating all of the other Titans before collapsing, they are shocked to watch Eren emerge from its body. Mikasa reaches Eren and cries upon confirming that he is alive, while Armin notices that Eren's severed leg and arm have somehow regenerated as well.

Captain Levi of the Scout Regiment and his squad successfully retake a town from the Titans until they are called to an emergency at the Trost District as the Titans have invaded the city. When Eren was eaten and swallowed by the Bearded Titan, he found himself in its stomach along with the bodies of its victims. His rage at the Titans caused him to burst out of the Bearded Titan's stomach by transforming himself into the mysterious Titan and going on a rampage against them. Although Eren's comrades saw him emerge from the mysterious Titan, they all agreed to keep it a secret and bring him back inside Wall Rose. However, Kitts also witnessed this and has his men aim their weapons at Eren. Armin and Mikasa try to defend Eren, but to no avail. As Kitts fearfully orders the cannons to fire on the three of them, Eren recalls hazy memories of his father giving him an injection, telling him to reclaim Wall Maria and go to their home's basement with his key. In order to protect Mikasa and Armin from the cannons, Eren partially transforms himself into a Titan, sheltering them inside his ribs.

Eren climbs out of the partially transformed Titan, telling Mikasa and Armin about the basement in his former house. He believes that it holds the secret to mankind's preservation and the key to destroying the Titans. Kitts once again orders the cannon to be loaded out of fear. Eren comes up with two plans of escape. The first is for Eren to retreat as a Titan and criminalize himself in the eyes of humanity, and the second is to have Armin convince Kitts that Eren is an asset rather than a danger. Armin comes to the conclusion that he can still defend his friends despite his cowardice, deciding to try and talk their way out of being executed. Armin tentatively convinces Kitts, only to have him be overcome by fear and give the order to fire once more. The order is halted when Commander Dot Pyxis and his men intervene, sparing their lives. In return, Pyxis asks Eren if he will transform himself to block the gap in Wall Rose to prevent more Titans from getting in. Eren agrees, regardless of whether or not he will be able to control himself as a Titan.

As Armin helps Pyxis's subordinates coordinate a plan, morale among the troops begin to drop, as some want to desert and be with their families. Pyxis silences everyone by reminding them that if they abandon this chance to finally win against the Titans, they will be subjecting their families to their terror, which convinces the troops to stay. Claiming that Eren is the result of a secret project to turn humans into Titans, Pyxis plans to have most of the troops gather at a far corner of the Trost District to lure most of the Titans away while Eren as a Titan carries the giant boulder to seal the hole. Along with Mikasa, Eren will be guarded during the mission by three of the best elites of the Garrison, them being Ian Dietrich, Rico Brzenska and Mitabi Jarnach. As they approach the giant boulder, Rico, who is doubtful of the mission's success and does not completely trust Eren, reminds him that many lives are at stake. Finally reaching the boulder, Eren transforms himself into a Titan, only to suddenly attack Mikasa.

Mikasa tries to reason with Eren in as he is a Titan, but to no avail. Eren continues his attack and accidentally incapacitates himself, slumping to the ground. The squad protecting Eren sends up a red flare to signal that the plan has failed, much to the dismay of the troops observing from the wall. As Armin heads toward Eren to investigate, the elite squadron argues and eventually agrees to protect Eren instead of abandoning him, still recognizing him as a valuable military asset. During the operation, Jean is separated from Connie and Annie after his omni-directional mobility gear malfunctions, forcing him to hide from two Titans in a building. Armin reaches the unconscious Eren, but Mikasa calls to him, warning that he is in a dangerous state. Armin plunges his sword into the side of Eren's neck, which briefly awakens him. As Armin speaks to him of the outside world and reminds him of his promise to kill all the Titans, Eren leaves his dreamlike state and regains control.

Jean manages to acquire another set of omni-directional mobility gear from a dead soldier and escapes, thanks to Annie, Connie and Marco Bott distracting the Titans. With Eren as a Titan carrying the boulder towards the gate, Ian orders everyone to protect Eren from the Titans at all costs. Eren finally blocks the open gate with the boulder, and Rico fires a yellow flare to signal that the operation was a success. As Armin tries to pull Eren from his Titan body, they are cornered by two Titans, but Levi saves them in the nick of time. All Titans remaining in the Trost Districts are eliminated except two, which are captured for research. Jean, Sasha and Annie all mourn the deaths of their fellow comrades among several casualties. Meanwhile, Eren is chained in a cell guarded by the Military Police Regiment, where he is visited by Levi and Commander Erwin Smith of the Scout Regiment. After listening to his story and reasons for wanting the Titans dead, Levi allows Eren to join his squad under his command, though Eren is warned that Levi would personally kill him if he ever betrays the squad or loses control again.

The populace is divided over whether Eren is their savior or their end. Eren is brought to a military tribunal to be judged by Commander-in-Chief Dhalis Zachary, who will decide whether Eren should be given to the Military Police Regiment or the Scout Regiment, both of whom have their own reasons for wanting him. The Military Police Regiment wants Eren killed as he is seen by them as a menace, while the Scout Regiment wants to use him to retake Wall Maria. Becoming furious upon hearing from a merchant that Mikasa is accused of being a Titan as well, Eren calls out the Military Police Regiment and their supporters for their cowardice. Levi brutally beats down Eren in retaliation, but Eren does not transform into a Titan. Levi uses this to show to the court that the Scout Regiment can control Eren, and proposes that Eren is to be made part of his squad. In the end, Zachary gives Eren to the Scout Regiment, where Erwin and Hange Zoë welcome him. As Eren is getting treatment for his wounds, they discover that he grew back a tooth knocked out after being beaten down by Levi.

Levi and his Special Operations Squad, composed of Eld Gin, Oruo Bozad, Petra Rall and Günther Schultz, bring Eren to the old Scout Regiment headquarters, where Eren will learn to control his Titan powers under their watch. As Levi orders the castle to be cleaned, Petra assures Eren that Levi does care about the people under his command despite his rude and harsh demeanor. Meanwhile, Erwin and Miche Zacharius discuss the new recruits joining the Scout Regiment and how they must prove Eren's usefulness to Military Command within a month. Hange asks Eren to help her in her experiments with the two Titans they have captured, which she named Sawney and Beane. She has an obsession with Titans where she treats them like people despite the many times she puts herself in danger. It is revealed that the Titans need sunlight to survive and their bodies are disproportionately light despite their size. The next day, the Scout Regiment discover that Sawney and Beane have been killed. As Hange mourns for them, the Scout Regiment deduce that the culprit is a soldier who escaped using their omni-directional mobility gear, which makes Eren wonder who their true enemy is.

As the recruits are investigated over Sawney and Beane's deaths, Annie, who will be joining the Military Police Regiment later, gives advice to Armin and Conny that it is their choice to decide on which military division they should join. The 104th Cadets are later greeted by Erwin at the Decision Ceremony, where he tells them that the goal of the Scout Regiment's expedition on the following month is to reclaim the Shiganshina District and find the secret hidden in the basement of Eren's home. After telling the recruits of the Scout Regiment's high mortality rate during each expedition, Erwin tells the recruits that they may stay and join them or leave to join the other branches. Most recruits leave, but Jean joins the Scout Regiment in honor of Marco with others joining him as well including Mikasa, Armin, Reiner, Bertholdt, Conny, Sasha, Christa and Ymir, despite their fears. As the Scout Regiment prepare themselves for the expedition, Eren is reunited with his friends and learns what happened to the others. Jean questions whether Eren can truly control his Titan powers as they are risking their lives for him. With everything ready, the Scout Regiment begin their 57th Expedition beyond the walls.

As the 57th Expedition gets underway, the Scout Regiment assemble into their Long-Range Scouting Formation, wherein the Scouts spread out around the main wagon train and report by flare gun if Titans are nearby so the group can alter course to avoid conflict with them if possible. After Armin's squad manages to kill an Abnormal Titan, a Female Titan suddenly appears from the right flank at high speed. Much to Armin's shock, the Female Titan's body withstands their blades and is intelligent enough to kill his seniors easily. The Female Titan captures Armin, but after removing his hood and seeing his face, she leaves him alive and continues running. Armin is picked up by Reiner and Jean, who reveals that their right flank was wiped out by the Titans. Armin then realizes that the Female Titan is possibly another Titan Shifter like Eren. When the three of them give conflicting locations for where Eren is in the formation, they realize the Female Titan's target is Eren and that they must stop her. Avoiding their failed attempts to attack, she leaves them and heads towards the center group.

Armin, Reiner and Jean are left stranded after their encounter with the Female Titan. They are left with only one horse, but they are soon saved by Christa who arrives with extra horses. They wait for the order to withdraw, but to their surprise, they discover that the operation is continuing albeit heading in a different direction. Meanwhile, news reaches the center group about the annihilation of their right flank by the Female Titan as she continues to wreak havoc within the formation. The whole formation soon reaches the Forest of Giant Trees with only the center row entering, while the rest defend the forest from Titans. Eren realizes something is wrong when his squad has no idea what Erwin's orders are and what Levi is doing. As the Female Titan chases at their heels, the squad desperately await Levi's command to attack, but Levi instead tells his squad to cover their ears as he fires his flare gun.

Levi fires a noise round and tells the squad to keep moving forward. With more of the rearguard being killed by the Female Titan, Eren begs his squad to let him fight, but they tell him to trust Levi's decision. Eren recalls when he was unable to transform into a Titan for experimental purposes in front of Hange, Levi and his squad. During a break when he tried to pick up a teaspoon, Eren suddenly partially transformed, leading Hange to deduce that Eren is able to transform into a Titan not by solely injuring himself but also due to his desire to fulfill his goals. The squad apologized to Eren and told him they should trust each other. Remembering this, Eren decides to trust his squad's plan. It is then revealed that Levi's squad is bait to lure the Female Titan into an ambush, where Erwin and his men fire hundreds of grappling hooks to trap the Female Titan. Levi leaves his squad to meet up with Erwin to determine the identity of the Female Titan.

With the Female Titan restrained, Erwin and Levi try to ascertain her identity with no success as she is able to crystallize her skin to prevent them from cutting out the human inside. Armin, Jean and the rest of Levi's squad realize it was Erwin's plan to use Eren as bait to draw out the mole within the army who joined them after the Walls fell and only revealed his plan to those who were part of the Scout Regiment before the fall. Meanwhile, the others wonder what is happening inside the forest. Levi taunts the Female Titan, prompting her to give a loud scream that draws all Titans in the vicinity towards her. Despite the Scout Regiment's attempt to stop them, the Titans ignore the humans and eat the Female Titan's body in a frenzy which makes Erwin call off the expedition. However, with no confirmation that the mole has also been eaten by the Titans, Erwin orders Levi to regroup with his squad. Meanwhile, the mole, disguised as a cloaked Scout Regiment member, attacks Levi's squad and kills Günther.

Erwin tells Hange that it was a mistake to think all Titan Shifters are like Eren, since the Female Titan has unique abilities far beyond that of a novice. Elsewhere, the mole transforms into the Female Titan and chases after Levi's squad. Armin theorizes that the mole is someone who had seen Eren transform during the invasion of the Trost District. Eren wants to transform into a Titan, but the squad tells him to trust in their skills and keep moving forward. Eld, Oruo and Petra manage to blind the Female Titan and attempt to cut off her arms. However, the Female Titan quickly regenerates her right eye and kills the three. Seeing his comrades dead, a grieving Eren transforms into a Titan. Believing his comrades and squad's death could have been avoided if he had transformed in the first place, Eren fights the Female Titan in a long battle. The Female Titan finally defeats Eren by taking off his head and swallowing his human body. Mikasa attempts to stop the Female Titan, but to no avail. She is later joined by Levi, who tells her to keep their distance, as the Female Titan is getting tired.

While Mikasa distracts the Female Titan in order to get Eren back, Levi debilitates the Female Titan at high speeds, but Levi injures his leg when saving Mikasa from leaving herself vulnerable. Mikasa then goes with Levi, who retrieves Eren from inside the mouth of the Female Titan, leaving it badly wounded and slumped against a tree. The Scout Regiment retrieves the corpses of their fallen comrades, with Erwin ordering that the lost corpses be reported missing in action. One their way back into town, the Scouts are chased by two Titans, one of which is killed by Mikasa. They outrun the other Titan after Levi reluctantly orders to dispose some of the corpses in order to lighten the wagon's load. Later, Eren wakes up from a dream of his past and finds himself and the Scout Regiment back at town safely behind Wall Sina. The townspeople not only berate the Scout Regiment's ineptitude, but also become enraged and upset at Erwin over the failure of the mission and the casualties that were sustained. As a result of the failed expedition, Erwin and his subordinates are summoned to the capital, where the final decision of Eren's custody will be made.

Annie has a dream of being trained by her father before waking up. In the Stohess District, the Military Police Regiment are ordered to escort the Scout Regiment convoy once they enter the capital. Annie's colleagues Hitch Dreyse and Marlo Sand joined the Military Police Regiment for opposite reasons, one for its current corruption and the other its possible reformation. After the convoy has entered the Stohess District, Annie is secretly called by Armin in the alleyways. Armin begs for her help, as he is helping Eren escape the capital, and the one riding in the convoy is actually Jean in disguise. Although declining at first, she finally agrees when Armin believes that she is a good person. Armin leads Eren, Mikasa and Annie to an underground tunnel, but Annie refuses to enter. Armin finally reveals his suspicion that Annie is the Female Titan, noting that she used Marco's omni-directional mobility gear to kill Sawney and Beane and that the Female Titan did not kill him during the 57th Expedition. After Eren and Armin beg Annie to prove them wrong by following them, she laughs and soon transforms using the spike in her ring.

A few days before Eren is escorted to the capital, Erwin and Armin told him about a plan to capture Annie, the person shockingly believed to be the Female Titan. Back in the present, Eren, Mikasa and Armin manage to escape a tunnel collapse while being hunted by Annie as the Female Titan. Eren tries to transform but is unable to, and Mikasa suspects that his feelings for Annie are preventing him to do so. When Eren is trapped in another tunnel collapse, Mikasa and Armin distract Annie away from Eren. Meanwhile, Commander Nile Dawk of the Military Police Regiment demands an explanation from Erwin on what is happening as his men hold him at gunpoint. Mikasa and the rest of the Scout Regiment distract and try to capture Annie, while Armin and Jean attempt to free Eren from the rubble. Armin tells Eren that he has to fight Annie as anyone who refuses to sacrifice can never change anything. As Eren thinks about what Armin said, he remembers his hatred for the Smiling Titan who killed his mother. Eren finally transforms into a Titan and charges at Annie in a rage, smashing into a cathedral.

Inside the cathedral, a group of worshipers are crushed to their deaths, leaving the surviving priest awestruck. Eren and Annie fight each other in their Titan forms throughout the Stohess District, causing destruction and civilian deaths. Erwin, who accepts responsibility for the damage his plan has caused, is arrested by Nile, who orders the Military Police Regiment to help evacuate the civilians. After exchanging several blows, Annie is overpowered by Eren and attempts to escape by climbing up Wall Sina, but Mikasa cuts off Annie's fingers and sends her falling. Eren prepares to eat Annie, but he stops when she starts to cry. Her body starts encasing itself in crystal before he recuperates in human form. Erwin attends a government inquiry to clear his name, explaining that he kept his plans secret to prevent leaks, despite the casualties during his plans. His new plan is to find Titan Shifters and use them to launch a counterattack against the Titans. Eren stays with the Scout Regiment, and Annie is put under the custody of the Scout Regiment. In the epilogue, a piece of Wall Sina crumbles, revealing the face of a Titan within the wall.

Hange Zoë and her team discover the Wall Titan sealed inside the wall. Pastor Nick of the Wall Cult arrives and urges the team to cover it from sunlight with sheets. However, Pastor Nick refuses to tell Hange why it is there, even after she threatens to kill him, leading Hange to suspect that there are more Wall Titans hidden within the walls. Meanwhile, Erwin Smith is informed that Wall Rose was breached and Titans are roaming inside. Twelve hours earlier, the rest of the 104th Cadets are stationed at an outpost when Titans are seen advancing from the south. Miche Zacharius orders the soldiers and cadets to spread out and inform the nearby villages and the capital about the Titans while he stays behind to delay them. Miche buys enough time and prepares to escape, but is captured by a Beast Titan, which is apelike in appearance and capable of speaking. Miche hesitates to respond when the Beast Titan inquires about his omni-directional mobility gear, so the Beast Titan strips Miche of his omni-directional mobility gear and leaves him to be eaten by the other Titans.

Armin Arlelt and Hange each deduce that the Wall Titans sealed within the walls provide its strength. The Scout Regiment depart from the Stohess District to deal with the Titans that appeared inside Wall Rose, and Hange takes Pastor Nick along, intending to gain more information from him. Meanwhile, Sasha Braus rushes to Dauper in order to warn her father and the villagers. She arrives to find the entire village deserted except for a woman being eaten by a Titan, and her daughter nearby in a state of shock. Sasha takes the girl and flees, but they are chased by the Titan. Deciding to stay and fight while urging the girl to run away, Sasha succeeds in blinding the Titan with her arrows just as a group of villagers, including her father and the girl, return to pick her up. Meanwhile, Conny Springer and his group arrive at Ragako, only to find that it had already been attacked by Titans. Upon reaching his house, Conny discovers a Titan on its back trapped inside, and he wonders how it was able to travel so far from the walls since its legs seem too feeble to support its body.

Conny learns from Lynne and Gelgar that his family could still be alive since there are no traces of carnage, but before Conny rejoins his group to find the breach in the wall, he is startled when the Titan in his house faintly speaks and welcomes him back home. Elsewhere, Christa Lenz tells Ymir not to worry about her when the latter asks Nanaba and Henning to allow the two to leave their group. Both groups eventually meet up at nighttime, discovering that no breaches occurred at the walls and deciding to rest up at Castle Utgard. Meanwhile, Eren Jaeger learns from Hange he could learn how to seal the breach in the Shiganshina District, seeing as the crystallized skin from Annie Leonhart as the Female Titan is the same material from the walls. Pastor Nick eventually reveals to Hange that Christa is the key to finding all the answers. Soon after, Sasha arrives and hands Hange a scroll from Erwin, advising Hange and the Scouts to head to Castle Utgard. In the meantime, the Beast Titan leads the other Titans to attack Castle Utgard. This prompts Nanaba, Henning, Lynne and Gelgar to defend the 104th Cadets.

Two hours before the attack by the Titans at Castle Utgard, the 104th Cadets rest as their seniors keep watch. Conny mentions that the Titan he encountered at Ragako resembled his mother, but Ymir plays it off. Reiner Braun becomes suspicious when Ymir is able to read the unknown language on a food can labeled herring. The Titans soon appear, and the senior soldiers hold them off from the outside while the 104th Cadets defend themselves against smaller Titans that have breached the castle. In the process, Reiner has his arm badly injured after it is bitten by a Titan. After clearing the area of Titans, the Beast Titan throws chunks of Wall Rose at the castle, killing the group's horses. A second wave of Titans subsequently attack the castle, and the senior soldiers are soon overwhelmed and killed. As the Titans surround the tower which the unarmed 104th Cadets are on, Ymir jumps off the tower and transforms into a Titan in order to honor a promise that she made with Christa.

In the past, Christa and Ymir became lost in a blizzard during their winter training in the mountains as cadets, while trying to save fellow cadet Daz. Ymir accused Christa of having a death wish rather than saving Daz for selfless reasons. She was also aware that Christa is an unwanted illegitimate daughter of a nobleman's mistress who was forced by the Wall Cult to change her name and join the army. Ymir then made Christa promise that she must live her own life if she ever reveals her true name. Back in the present, Ymir transforms into a small, nimble intelligent Titan and fights off the other Titans. Christa tells Ymir to destroy the tower in order to crush the Titans. As the tower begins to collapse, Ymir orders Christa and the others to grab on to her. Despite this effort, the Titans overwhelm Ymir, but Hange and the other Scouts arrive on time to save the 104th Cadets. With the battle over, Christa attends a gravely injured Ymir as the rest of the 104th Cadets learn that Ymir is a Titan Shifter. Just before Ymir loses consciousness, Christa reveals that her real name is Historia Reiss.

The Scouts prepare to take the comatose Ymir to the Trost District for medical attention. Later, Hannes comes with his vanguard and reports that the walls were never breached. Before leaving for the Trost District, Eren learns that Reiner and Bertholdt are the Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan, respectively. Reiner explains that the mission to destroy all of humanity can be avoided if Eren would simply join them. Twelve hours earlier in the Ehrmich District, Hange explained that the scroll received from Sasha contained a background report on Annie, suggesting a connection with Reiner and Bertholdt, as all three are from the same area but otherwise have little information available. The Scouts eventually realized that they may have helped Annie find Eren's location within the formation during the 57th Expedition. Therefore, Hange ordered the others to keep an eye on Reiner and Bertholdt without raising undue suspicion. Back in the present, Reiner and Bertholdt both shift into their Titan forms, despite a quick intervention by Mikasa Ackermann. The Armored Titan grabs Eren and slides down the wall as the Colossal Titan grabs Ymir. Feeling betrayed, Eren shifts into a Titan and begins to fight the Armored Titan.

As Eren and the Armored Titan engage in battle, the Colossal Titan consumes Ymir and another Scout. Hange and the other Scouts move in for an attack, but the Colossal Titan releases an enormous amount of steam, wounding several Scouts and preventing further attacks. The Armored Titan gains the upper hand in his fight against Eren, and the situation seems desperate even with assistance from Mikasa. However, Eren uses hand-to-hand combat techniques that he learned from Annie during their recruit training, enabling him to give serious damage to the Armored Titan. Eren obliges when Armin implores him to fall back to the wall for his own safety. As the Armored Titan charges Eren once more, Eren utilizes grappling techniques advised by Hange in order to overcome his strength disadvantage and regain the upper hand. Eren is nearly successful at beheading the Armored Titan and extracting Reiner from within, only to be foiled when the Armored Titan roars for assistance. The Colossal Titan begins to deteriorate and plummets towards Eren and the Armored Titan.

The Colossal Titan hits the ground, releasing a massive amount of steam. The Armored Titan frees itself from being grasped and extracts Eren from his Titan, while Bertholdt carries the still unconscious Ymir and uses stolen omni-directional mobility gear to leave with the Armored Titan. Five hours later in the Trost District, the military divisions are informed about the recent battle that took place. Back at the walls, an unconscious Mikasa has a dream about the past, wherein she tried to protect Eren from the neighborhood delinquents, but she is distraught to find him gone when she awakes. Armin tells Mikasa that Eren and Ymir were captured, but nothing can be done in their current state. Hannes reminds Mikasa and Armin that Eren has a steadfast resolve. As Erwin soon arrives with reinforcements, Hange posits that Reiner and Bertholdt may seek the Forest of Giant Trees nearby to safely rest until nightfall, assuming that their goal is to relocate outside of Wall Maria. Eren and Ymir are shown waking in the forest as their bodies begin to regenerate their limbs, while Reiner and Bertholdt watch over them. The Scouts depart from Wall Rose to mount a rescue operation.

As Erwin leads the expedition away from Wall Rose, Hange requests a horseback ride to Ragako to see the immobilized Titan, but Moblit decides to go in her stead since she is badly injured. Meanwhile, in the Forest of Giant Trees, as Eren and Ymir continue to regenerate their limbs, Ymir points out that not only are they are surrounded by Titans, but also Reiner and Bertholdt stole their omni-directional mobility gear. Reiner and Bertholdt plan to take Eren and Ymir to their hometown, but are waiting until nightfall when the surrounding Titans cannot move. Eren is reminded by Ymir that they are in no position to fight or flee until they regenerate. Reiner begins to ramble about his duty as a soldier and as a warrior, which Ymir deduces that there is confusion between his undercover and real personas. Ymir is highly concerned about the Beast Titan, who caused the recent Titan invasion and may be their real enemy. Reiner then uses Ymir's concern for Christa's safety as leverage to drive a wedge between Eren and Ymir. The discussion is interrupted by the sound of flare guns, signalling the arrival of the Scouts.

Moblit arrives at Ragako and recognizes the disabled Titan as Conny's mother after seeing a portrait of Conny's parents. At the Forest of Giant Trees, after Eren is restrained, Ymir says that Reiner and Bertholdt must take Christa with them. In a flashback, Ymir was worshiped by a cult as a child under supposed royalty. The cult was later apprehended and punished by soldiers, in which Ymir was injected with something and thrown off a wall, resulting in her transforming into a mindless Titan. Ymir spent the next sixty years as a Titan until she ate Marcel, a childhood friend of Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie, which returned her to human form. She realized that her freedom of accepting her true identity was why she developed such empathy with Christa. In the present, Ymir convinces Reiner and Bertholdt to allow her to transform into her Titan form and take Christa with them. When the Scouts enter the forest, Ymir finds and swallows Christa before rejoining Reiner and Bertholdt. Reiner transforms as the Armored Titan, while Bertholdt, Eren and Ymir climb on its shoulders, as they flee at the edge of the forest with the Scouts in hot pursuit.

As the Armored Titan flees, Ymir regurgitates Christa and exits her Titan form in order to explain her seemingly selfish actions to Christa. The Scouts close in on the Armored Titan, but Mikasa is foiled when the Armored Titan blocks her from attacking Bertholdt and saving Eren. The other 104th Cadets arrive to reason with Bertholdt, but he professes that there is no turning back from their mission, despite being their comrade. Erwin uses himself as bait to lure a group of Titans charging towards the Scouts chasing the Armored Titan, and the Scouts are ordered to scatter their formation and charge at the Titans. The Armored Titan is consequently attacked by the Titans, forcing it to defend itself and release Eren and Bertholdt. Armin, Erwin and Mikasa work together to distract Bertholdt, cut Eren free and rescue Eren. Conny and Sasha retrieve Christa and explain that Ymir is lying about her recent actions. The Scouts are hampered from retreating when the Armored Titan throws Titans at them, knocking Eren and Mikasa off their horse. Eren and Mikasa then come face-to-face with the Smiling Titan, the same one that ate Carla Jaeger.

The Scouts are at a loss as more Titans thrown by the Armored Titan surround their position. Hannes sacrifices himself protecting Eren and Mikasa from the Smiling Titan. After Eren breaks down from failing to transform, he rekindles his spirit by vowing to protect Mikasa. As he comes in contact with the Smiling Titan, he activates an unknown power within him that causes the surrounding Titans to devour it. Ymir realizes that Reiner and Bertholdt want Eren because he possesses the Coordinate, the ability to control other Titans. The surviving Scouts escape after Eren causes the Titans to go after the Armored Titan. Ymir decides to leave Christa in order to save the Armored Titan and Bertholdt from the Titans. A week later, Hange and Conny give a report to Erwin, Levi and Dot Pyxis, which reveals that the Titans that appeared within Wall Rose were the citizens of Ragako. Remembering how many died to rescue him, Eren vows to use his new power to help humanity, while Erwin is determined to learn more of the truth behind the Titans. Elsewhere, the Beast Titan looks out from atop Wall Maria, as a mysterious blond man with glasses emerges from its back uttering the words, "not just yet".

Levi's squad, now composed of Eren and his remaining friends, are camped out in a cottage where Hange carries out experiments on Eren to test his Titan and hardening abilities to seal the wall. Hange reports that Pastor Nick has been tortured and murdered in the Trost District barracks but she accuses the Military Police's First Interior Squad of being responsible. Levi suspects that someone in the government has their sights set on destroying the Survey Corps and concealing the secrets of the Titans. After Nifa delivers a message from Erwin, who has been arrested by the Military Police, Levi has the Scouts abandon their hideout only shortly before the Military Police storms it. Levi figures that the government is after Eren and Historia and he decides to head back to the Trost District. Before Hange leaves with Mobilt to go after Erwin, Eren gives her a written copy of the conversation he recalled between Ymir and Bertholdt. The Scouts arrive in Trost, and Jean and Armin disguised as Eren and Historia are soon abducted. Mikasa and the others easily rescue them from their kidnappers. Meanwhile Levi is uneasy, and tells Nifa about Kenny the Ripper, a serial killer he knew in the past, when suddenly Kenny and his minions appear. They kill Nifa and the rest of her team, and then Kenny pursues Levi across the rooftops.

Kenny, now working for the Interior Squad, pursues Levi with members of his group, but Levi manages to escape. Mikasa hears the commotion and leads the other scouts in defense of Historia and Eren, which involves killing other humans, something they have never done before. In the Capital city Mitras, the government receives a message from Lord Reiss that Historia and Eren have been captured. Following their savage battle with Kenny's group, Armin and the rest are traumatized of having to fight and kill other humans, for which Levi consoles them. They interrogate their prisoner and community leader, Dimo Reeves, who helped the Military Police, but he fears for the future of his company and the people in Trost. Levi offers him protection for the people of Trost in exchange for his help. Elsewhere, Hange approaches Erwin to help, suggesting that Eren will be eaten if they do not rescue him. With Reeves' assistance, the scouts capture some Interior Squad soldiers and torture Sannes, the man who killed Pastor Nick, about the whereabouts of Historia and Eren. They discover Historia is the real heir to the throne and conclude she is being held by her father, Rod Reiss. Later, Reeves is killed by Kenny for betraying him, unaware that Reeves' son, Flegel, witnessed it.

In a flashback, Historia tells the Scouts of her upbringing on the Reiss estate in the region of Wall Rose, her estrangement from her parents, the execution of her mother by Kenny and then being hidden as Krista Lenz. In the present, Rod heads back to his family estate with Historia and Eren while Hange explains to the Scouts that Eren will be eaten to acquire his Titan powers and abilities. The Scouts split up and head for the Reiss estate to rescue Eren and Historia. Meanwhile Erwin explains to Commander Pyxis his plans of a bloodless coup to overthrow the corrupt government to retake Wall Maria. Erwin gains Pyxis' support after telling him that Sannes confessed that the current royal family is a fraud, and the Scouts plan to have Historia enthroned as Queen. He also reveals that his father was murdered after telling Erwin that he believed the real reason for the flight to within the walls was to protect the land and property of the wealthy, not humanity. To insulate the other Scouts, Erwin then surrenders to the Military Police who frame him for the murder of Reeves after he appoints Hange as his successor. Outside the city, the Scouts prepare for their rescue mission, but they are being tracked by the Military Police.

Levi's squad captures the two soldiers who tracked them who are no other than Marlo and Hitch, Annie's friends in the Military Police. After learning the truth that Annie was the Female Titan and the Scouts are being framed, Marlo and Hitch agree to help Levi's squad by telling them of an outpost that is least guarded by the Military Police. Levi and the others subdued the soldiers at the outpost while Levi tortures the Interior Police officer in charge for Eren and Historia's location. Meanwhile, Hange rescues Flegel from the Military Police, who are trying to kill him to cover the truth that his father was killed by the Interior Police. With Hange and Moblit's help, Flegel lures the Military Police to the Stohess District and tricks them into confessing the truth about his father's death, the government trying to frame the Scouts and cover up the truth to the residents of Stohess and some reporters before capturing them. With the people no longer fooled by the government's propaganda, Hange begins her next plan. Elsewhere, as Erwin is brought to the King before being executed, he warns his friend Nile he must choose a side before Pyxis begins the coup d'État.

At his trial before the fake king and his council, Erwin unsuccessfully puts his case to reclaim Wall Maria and avoid a potential civil war caused by people competing for limited resources. Just as Erwin is sentenced to death, news arrive that Wall Rose has been breached by Titans. However, rather than allow Wall Rose refugees shelter within Wall Sina, the council orders the gates closed, sacrificing the entire Wall Rose population. A disgusted Nile refuses to obey the order, and Commander-in-chief Dahlis Zachary arrives with his troops, revealing the news of the breach was a ruse. With the council's self-interest and disregard for human life now revealed, Pyxis announces a coup d'état and the Military take over the government and publish the news in the press. Later, Levi's squad receives the news, and Hange tells the others about the mysterious deaths of Rod Reiss' family at their Chapel. Meanwhile, in a crystalline underground chamber, an imprisoned Eren is approached by Historia.

Historia assures Eren that her father has good intentions even though he created problems for the Scouts and killed Pastor Nick. Rod and Historia then trigger subconscious memories in Eren, learning the night he received the key from his father Grisha was also when he first time became a Titan and devoured his father as the result of injected with a serum. The process also unintentionally triggers Historia's memories of meeting a girl named Frieda, with Rod revealing the woman to be her half-sister who erased herself from Historia's memories. Rod explains that Grisha, also able to turn into a Titan, killed Frieda to acquire the power she inherited while slaughtering her mother and four other siblings. Later, Kenny arrives and updates them on the coup d'état before preparing to defend the crystalline chamber beneath the Reiss chapel with his men. Meanwhile in the capital, Pyxis reveals to Erwin that the Reiss family possess the power to alter memories before Erwin leads a force out to rescue Eren. As Kenny Ackerman prepares his defense, he recalls his grandfather saying that the Ackermans were once bodyguards to the Reiss royal family but were exiled as the Reiss memory altering powers had no effect on them. Meanwhile, Levi's small squad finds a hidden trapdoor in the floor of the Reiss chapel and they prepare to descend and rescue Eren.

Levi's squad burst into the underground chamber and defeat the Interior Police, forcing the rest to fall back to their second defensive position. Meanwhile, Rod explains to Historia that the cavern and city walls were built a century ago by their ancestor who used the Founding Titan's power to wipe the memories of all but a select few. Generations later, Frieda inherited the Founding Titan powers and memories of their world before the walls. Rod explains that Frieda metaphysically lives on within the Founding Titan power, with Historia realizing that she must become a Titan and eat Eren to gain the Founding Titan power and see her sister again. When Kenny learns that only those of the Reiss bloodline can fully access the lost knowledge, he angrily betrays Rod by giving Eren a fighting chance to defend himself. Historia was about to inject herself with a Titan serum syringe when she realizes Eren is too guilt-ridden over deaths resulting from his father's actions to resist, pleading her to eliminate all the other Titans in his stead. Historia then realizes that Rod's true intent is restoring his family's power, revealing that the will of the first king to preserve the status quo will consume her like it did with Frieda and those before her. Historia refuses to go through with it, breaking the syringe on the ground while freeing Eren. But a desperate Rod is forced to lick up some of the serum and transform into a Titan himself and personally eat Eren.

Historia and the other scouts free Eren before being boxed in by the Abnormal Titan Rod Reiss has become, whose gigantic size causes the underground chamber to collapse. While Kenny and his group take the worst, Eren drinks a hardening serum that allows his Titan form to become support for the ceiling, saving his friends. The Scouts retrieve Eren from his crystallized Titan body and head back towards the Orvud District at Wall Sina. Meanwhile, the Reiss Titan crawls towards Wall Sina with his body too hot from anyone to get close while burning everything in his path. After some discussion over how to handle the situation, everyone agrees that Rod must be killed rather be fed Eren with have the First King’s Will controlling him. Returning to the Orvud District, Levi reminds Historia that since she has royal blood, she must become the queen to compelte the transition from the old government to which she reluctantly agrees on one condition. As the Reiss Titan approaches, Erwin surprisingly decides not to evacuate the citizens of Orvud.

Erwin justifies his decision not to evacuate Orvud District as a ploy to draw the Reiss Titan into a trap, with the first defensive line of cannon fire having little effect. Meanwhile, Eren punishes himself for being too weak, just being influenced by events around him. The Reiss Titan eventually reaches the wall, its face and chest worn off from having crawled across the ground. The Scouts then implement their own plan; Eren assuming Titan form and plunging several barrels of gunpowder into the Titan's gaping mouth to weaken him so the others can attack with Historia landing the deathblow. The Rod dies with the ensuing explosion throwing Historia into the city. When she recovers, she declares that she is Historia Reiss, the true ruler of the walls. Back at the Reiss estate, a dying Kenny recalls his past including his meeting with Levi. He is later found by Levi who notices that Kenny has a syringe of Titan serum by his side.

As he lays dying, Kenny Ackerman recalls his past: his capture many years earlier by Uri Reiss in his Titan form; pledging loyalty to the family after Uri begged his forgiveness for persecuting the Ackerman family; bringing up his dead sister Kuchel's son Levi and teaching him the ways of a killer; becoming leader of the clandestine Anti-Personnel Control Squad; and wondering what it would be like to possess the power of a Titan. Kenny then explains to Levi why he has not injected himself with the Titan serum and Levi presses Kenny to reveal what he knows about Titans and his own family. With his dying words, Kenny reveals that he is Levi’s uncle before handing the package containing the serum to him. In the capital, Historia Reiss is crowned queen and Levi is there to congratulate her and thank the Scouts for their effort in killing the Rod Reiss Titan. Meanwhile, the Beast Titan defeats Bertholt and Reiner and tells them to regain the Coordinate power.

It is two months since Historia's coronation and the military have purged those who were loyal to the old regime. This cost talented manpower, however they gained an abundant supply of hardened Titan crystals from the Reiss estate. Meanwhile, Eren perfects his Titan hardening ability and Hange develops a new weapon called the "Executioner from Hell" that allows defenders to easily kill Titans who attack the walls without loss of human life. Eren recalls that Cadet Corps Commander Keith Sadies was the man in his vision who knew his father and the Scouts visit him. Keith tells them that he meet Eren's father Grisha twenty years ago outside Wall Maria, suffering from amnesia. Grisha learned about life within the walls, offered his abilities as a doctor, and later married Carla who gave birth to their son Eren. During the Fall of Shiganshina, after learning about his wife death, Grisha took Eren into the woods where Keith later found the boy wearing a key around his neck. Keith resigned as Commander of the Scouts due to his lack of confidence and the loss of his men, and instead focussed on training the Cadet Corps. After hearing his story, the scouts make preparations to retake Wall Maria.

In the year 850, whilst Eren and the others are in training, the Recon Corps go on a mission, with Hange deciding to pursue a Titan spotted in the forest in the hopes she can capture it. Curiously, as Hange gets the Titan to chase after her, it suddenly retreats to the forest. Hange follows it to the center of the forest, where she finds it banging its head against a certain tree. The Titan turns hostile when Hange gets close to it, but Levi and the others arrive and kill it, much to Hange's dismay. Upon inspecting the scene, they discover the decapitated body of Ilse Langnar, a soldier from the 34th Recon Corps division, resting inside of the tree, and find a notebook belonging to her lying on the ground. The notebook details Ilse's records, as she escaped on foot after her squad was killed by Titans. She eventually became cornered by a Titan, but instead of killing her right away, it started to speak to her in the human language, calling her "Ymir". Ilse attempted to communicate with the Titan, but it inevitably became hostile again and bit off her head, curiously choosing not to devour her body but instead rest it inside the tree. Having read through all of Ilse's notes, Hange uses the notebook as leverage to convince Erwin to approve of operations to capture Titans alive and study them, before returning Ilse's belongings to her grief-stricken family.

In the year 848, the recruits are split into two groups for a wilderness exercise to learn how to sustain themselves in times of peace. Marco has trouble leading his group due to the arrogance of both Eren and Jean. Meanwhile, Mikasa's group learns of the presence of a gang of thieves, who managed to steal their omni-directional mobility gear. That night, the thieves ambush Eren's group, taking Christa hostage along with their equipment. Putting aside their petty squabbles in order to rescue her, the group discover the thieves' hideout, using each of their talents to come up with a plan to ambush them. After Eren and Jean manage to recover the group's maneuver equipment and put a stop to the thieves' wagons, the thieves hold Christa at knifepoint, but she is rescued by the arrival of Mikasa and Annie after Armin had signalled for help. As the thieves are arrested, with no casualties taken, Armin wonders if the thieves' attack was part of the exercise all along.