WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 24 ofAttack on Titan: The Final Season, “Pride,” now streaming onFunimation,Crunchyroll&Hulu.
As Eren continues to lead the army of Colossal Titans to Marley, those on Paradis Island continue to deal with the fallout. The Jeagerists continue to reform the military and government of Paradis, while Armin and Gabi chase after Connie to save Falco, and Annie reappears from the shadows.
All of these events lead to several unlikely alliances. Much like the alliance Levi tries to form with Peick and Magath to kill Zeke. The risk of not helping each other during humanity’s darkest hour could mean the death of the world. Can enemies put aside their differences to stop Eren, or will past prejudices preventthem from working together?
Related:Attack on Titan: Chaos Strikes Paradis Island
“Pride”
Throughout the events of this episode, characters have put aside their pride to team up with the enemy. It begins when Captain Levi, severely injured, requests the aid of Pieck and Magath to kill Zeke and stop Eren. From there, the scene moves to Connie and Falco, with the former fully prepared to sacrifice Falco for his mother’s life; and finally, Armin and Gabi teaming up to stop Connie. Knowing that he can’t ask Connie to save Falco, Armin willingly throws himself into Connie’s mother’s mouth. Connie saves Armin with seconds remaining, finally realizing that his mother wouldn’twant him to kill someonefor her. Later on, while eating in town, they find Annie. Shocked at first, Annie agrees to join the group.
During this time, Floch, with the other Jeagerists, continues their reform of the Paradis government, starting with killing off the volunteers who refuse to follow their ways. Jean appears to have sided with the Jeagerists holds a gun to Onyankopon’s head. Onyankopon pleads with everyone, explaining that they came to help Paradis for his homeland, and now it’s going to be destroyed. He asks why no one else can see this madness, pleading for Jean to say something. Jean doesn’t; instead, he fires off four gunshots.
All miss Onyankopon, leaving everyone stunned. Suddenly Pieck,in her Titan form, swallows Yelena, Onyankopon, and Jean. Below, with wagons filled with supplies, are Mikasa, Armin, and the others ready to escape at the gunshots. It’s now known that Hange and Levi have gathered everyone to stop Eren. At the end of the episode, the group picks up Reiner.
The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend
Much like the episode’s name, all the characters had to face their pride. Levi swallowed his pride to face Magath and Pieck. This was probably the only reason the two agreed to join Hange and Levi’s mission. Exposing his most vulnerable state, something that fans haven’t seen much of, shows Magath and Pieck how vital this mission is to him. The other crucial point is that by stopping Eren, the group will be saving Marly, the country that wants to destroy Paradis Island. The idea is confusing, but Levi and the others don’t want innocent lives to be lost because of Eren’s desireto keep Paradis safe.
The biggest example of putting aside pride is when Armin, Mikasa, and Connie go to Reiner. The betrayal of Reiner and Berthold was one of the most significant in all four seasons ofAttack on Titan. Reiner was like a big brother and, in Connie’s case, a close friend to the group. Having to return to the man that lied to them for years had to be complicated. Though strategically it makes sense, the more Titans the group has the better chance of stopping Eren, as long as he doesn’t control them withthe Founding Titan’s ability.
Hange and Armin will most likely discuss this problem, them being group’s best strategists. They’ll expect something like this to happen. They’ll also account for Eren controlling them if the time comes to it, but considering Eren’s current state, he might not be aware of the group. Stuck in this trance of flattening the world, completely ignoring the group’s advances.
Until then, the group must keep the peace until it’s time to attack. Because Pieck and Magath only agreed to help if Yelena was brought to them indicates future frictions. Based on thesneak peek of the next episode, “Night of the End,” there will be some conflict to deal with. It is unknown how bad it will turn out, but some bloodshed is expected from a group of soldiers on their last legs. So, will Yelena make it through the night, and how will Connie and the others handle Reiner? Fans will have to wait a week for the next installment ofAttack on Titan’s final season to find out.
To re-watch previous episodes and to catch future episodes, fans can streamAttack on Titanon Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Funimation.
