After a couple of slower-paced episodes that placed greater emphasis on dialogues, this week “Attack on Titan” returns to action. However, it does so without sacrificing its morality, presenting situations that aim to continue provoking reflection in the viewer. In this new installment, as the title suggests, different types of betrayals are presented, exploring how they impact and are understood by the characters.
The previous episode of “Attack on Titan” concluded with the alliance marching towards the port to seize the aircraft. The objective is to stop Eren and the Rumbling, which seems to have already reached the shores of Marley. However, the Jaegerists have taken the lead, and the alliance must devise a plan in which not everyone is willing to fight. It’s not just about risking their allies, the Azumabito, getting involved in the confrontation, but Connie, Mikasa, Jean, and Armin don’t want to have to shoot any of their former comrades.
Unfortunately, time is running out, and Hange and Magath know it better than anyone. The latter apologizes to Connie, Armin, Mikasa, and Jean for his behavior the previous night and acknowledges that he was wrong. His motivations for this change of heart are not sudden but have been brewing since this part of the season began. Magath does this not because he suddenly started to care about the Eldians, but because he realizes how unjust and terrible it is to impose brutality and hatred among races on Gabi and future generations.
Meanwhile, the Jaegerists, led by Floch, have taken control of the port and hold Mrs. Kiyomi and the engineers from Hizuru hostage, as rumors circulate that Armin and company have betrayed Paradis. Floch tries to persuade Kiyomi to join his cause, as the Rumbling will destroy everything, including her nation. However, Kiyomi disagrees, as Eren’s plan to eliminate the rest of the world won’t be the solution. All that is achieved is making the world smaller, and conflicts among humanity will persist. But it will be the people of the island who end up killing each other, perpetuating the cycle of hatred.
Before Floch can shoot Kiyomi, Armin and Connie intervene. The two boys mention that Reiner and the Cart Titan have fled to the south, so they must prevent them from escaping the island, for which they need the aircraft. The idea of the plan is to try to secure the transport without shedding blood, but, obviously, things don’t turn out to be that simple. Mikasa has to step in to protect Kiyomi and the Hizuru engineers, causing Floch to sound the alarm to inform the rest that Mikasa, Connie, and Armin have betrayed Eldia.
What happens next is pure chaos. Mikasa, aided later by Magath, Hange, and Jean, manages to rescue Kiyomi and the engineers, taking refuge in the basement before Reiner and Annie appear to transform into Titans and battle against the Jaegerists. Meanwhile, Connie and Armin try to prevent Daz and Samuel, former comrades from the 104th Training Corps, from destroying the aircraft. But Connie is ultimately forced to shoot and kill them both in a heart-wrenching scene, highlighting once again the complexity of having to save your island, the world, and everything else, at the cost of killing your comrades.
As much as they want to resolve this conflict without violence, time and again they confront the harsh reality that violence is an unavoidable truth of this world. This doesn’t delegitimize what Armin and company are trying to do (ultimately, stopping those trying to end the entire world is the noblest cause), but it underscores the moral complexity of the decisions the characters must make, making this story so intriguing. They might be right in stopping the Jaegerists in principle, but in practice, what they are doing is killing their former comrades, who didn’t choose Eren’s side out of pure malevolence but simply seek a future in a world that wants them all dead. The irony lies in the fact that the protagonists must commit more acts of violence to stop violence.
In conclusion, “Traitor” is a fantastic episode. It does an excellent job of showing that the Jaegerists are still the people the main characters grew up with. The confrontation of Armin and Connie with Samuel and Daz is why I love “Attack on Titan.” No one is entirely right or wrong; everyone has their reasons, and everyone’s hands are stained with blood. We’re talking about a series that makes 20 minutes feel like 5, and although the plot hasn’t advanced significantly, important things have occurred.
Thus, we embark on the final stretch of the last season of “Attack on Titan.” We do so while acknowledging a harsh and disheartening reality for the characters, especially when the available options from now on are the most hurtful. But despite this, Mikasa, Armin, and company must continue moving forward, driven by the necessity to confront the cycle of violence and find solutions in a world marked by moral complexity.
Attack on Titan, Betrayal, Moral complexity, Jaegerists, Eren’s plan, Conflict, Tensions, Alliance, Reflection, Violence, Consequences, Compromises, Character development, Decision-making, Dilemmas, Transformation, Intensity, Morality, Irony, Animosity, Redemption, Confrontation, Allies, Tragedy, Ethical dilemmas, Action, Empathy, Survival, Desperation, Humanity,
