Shingeki no Kyojin - The Final Season - Episode 68 - 10 Second Anime

Eren and the Scouts return to Paradis Island and recall how they allied with Zeke against Marley.

#68 – “Brave Volunteers”

Hmm.

Shingeki no Kyojin’s long flashback episode explained how Zeke’s loyal forces gave Paradis Island all its modern technology through capturing the reconnaissance vessels. Zeke also explained how he’s the one with royal blood, because his mother, Grisha’s first wife, was Dina Fritz, a direct descendant of King Fritz. That royal blood explains how he’s able to control Pure Titans and make Eldians transform into them. Eren did that too for a short while, but only while he was touching the Dina Fritz Titan.

The big question for Shingeki no Kyojin going forward is how much to trust Zeke’s stated goal of freeing Eldians everywhere. Eren’s reflex self-doubt appears to have sublimated into doubt about the Eldian people and whether they should be free again to dominate the world. Eren’s character changed when he realized that he couldn’t fulfill his vow of killing all Titans everywhere, because Titans were his own people. That vow might not have changed, because as he grew confident in his powers, he began to keep his own counsel. Shingeki no Kyojin showed that when he infiltrated Marley by himself, forcing Zeke and Armin’s first operation revealing Paradis Island as no longer contained ahead of schedule. Zeke is already a liability to Paradis though they have a tenuous alliance. Eren, through his ability to see the future through other Attacking Titans’ memories, might become another wildcard to Paradis before they need to unite themselves against the entire world.

Heh.

Armin speaks to someone holding his beloved conch shell from when he first saw the ocean. It’s Shingeki no Kyojin’s frame for flashbacks showing how Paradis Island allied with Zeke’s forces. Flashback to three years ago, aboard the first ship Paradis captured. I see Yelena in the background, so that shows how much Zeke involved himself with these reconnaissance missions. And there’s Eren, picking up the ship. Hange is hilarious! She tried to make friends! Oh. They captured a spy before that ship arrived. Nicolo looks scared. And blammo! Enemy agents shot up the crew! Yelena and Onyankopon were there from the beginning. They’ll be Hange’s friends from Marley.

Hange’s in heaven. New weapons and tech to figure out. Hange asks the right question. Why hasn’t Marley attacked Paradis in the year since Zeke, Reiner, and Pieck returned? Yelena gives two reasons. First, all the Pure Titans running around would attack regular soldiers. I remember Zeke having trouble controlling them while he was in Beast Titan mode. The other reason is that Marley has its world war going on, which we saw its end in the first episode of the season. The other nations united to attack Marley when they noticed it had lost two of its Titan Powers. Yelena became obsessed with the Beast Titan after her nation fell to Marley. She calls her group the “Anti-Marleyan Volunteers.” Their goal is to free the Eldian people. All of them!

Well, who would trust what the Beast Titan says? The Paradisians think Zeke is only trying to take back the Founding Titan. He can’t do it by force, so he’s trying diplomacy. Zeke’s secret plan “to solve the Eldian issue” involves the Founding Titan and a Titan with royal blood. I don’t like that phrase “Eldian issue,” but Shokugeki no Kyojin effectively connected the Holocaust to what we’ve seen so far. Zeke has conditions to reveal his plan to the Paradisians. Eren recalls how he was able to use the Founding Titan’s power by touching the Dina Fritz Titan. The problem with sticking the Founding Titan back inside a royal is King Fritz’s dominating personality among all the memories, keeping the Eldians near following his vow to renounce war. Eren thinks Zeke found a way around King Fritz. Eren claims the Founding Titan can wake the millions of Titans who make up the walls and unleash their destructive power. Eren never mentioned this because there was a chance Historia would become a Titan to force this scenario into happening.

And so, the Volunteers and Scouts captured ships for three years while assimilating the Marleyan military technology. Levi is hilarious in his own way! “Welcome to the filthy island of filthy devils. You’re gonna love it,” he says. The Paradisians needed to learn about different ethnicities too. Nicolo became Sasha’s favorite because he could cook. Potato Girl is now Lobster Girl. Aw. Nicolo liked Sasha too. Armin claims none of Bertholdt’s memories are helpful. He was only twelve years old when he landed on Paradis. Zeke faces his thirteen-year limit soon in the present time. Eren doesn’t want to correct the world’s misconception that Eldians are monsters who can turn into Titans, because that’s not wrong. Eren wanted to keep the world away from Paradis while they bided their time to find peace. Armin wonders if their attack on Marley to bring back the Warhammer Titan did the opposite.

Sasha’s grave. Nicolo mourns Sasha too. Sharing a meal between a captive Marleyan and Sasha’s Paradisian family appears to be the way to start on the path to peace. The Paradisian military is still cautious about the Volunteers and Pyxis feels the need to apologize. Levi deposits Zeke at his “finest hotel,” a forest of giant trees. Perfect for Big Foot, right? Gabi vows revenge on Eren Jaeger. Oh! Armin talks to Annie, still in her crystal. Armin regrets they needed to fight to survive. Eren tells himself the only way to win is to fight. He is the Attacking Titan.