Descent

The episode opens months in the past during the fight for Trost, where Marco overhears Reiner and Bertholdt discussing the hole they opened and Reiner's Titan. Piecing the truth together, he is pinned to a rooftop by Reiner, who forces a reluctant, exhausted Annie to strip off his mobility gear as proof of her loyalty. The three Warriors leave him to be devoured, and Reiner slips back into his soldier persona as he watches Marco die.

In the present, atop the Wall in Shiganshina, Zeke prods Reiner and Bertholdt to set aside their doubts about Annie's captivity and commit to recovering the Coordinate. As battle nears, Reiner warns Bertholdt that this plan will separate them, so for once Bertholdt must act on his own judgment rather than wait for a signal. Later, the Scouts blow open the Armored Titan's nape with Thunder Spears, leaving Reiner's half-severed body hanging from the wound, yet his Titan lifts its head and roars. The Beast Titan answers by hurling the barrel carrying Bertholdt over the Wall.

Spotting his friend's exposed body, Bertholdt abandons the plan, bursts from the barrel, and finds Reiner alive, his consciousness transferred into his Titan's flesh. He then faces the Scouts alone. Armin attempts negotiation, but Bertholdt sees through the stalling and admits he only talked to test whether facing old comrades would break his resolve; it has not. He acknowledges the Scouts are neither guilty nor devils, and states that they must die regardless. Mikasa's ambush costs him only an ear, and after warning Reiner to brace, Bertholdt rockets skyward on his gear and transforms. The blast flattens central Shiganshina, seemingly wiping out Hange's squad and leaving just six soldiers on Eren's side, while Armin grasps that they must defeat the Colossal Titan immediately or be trapped between fire and the Beast Titan.

A Trost flashback reveals how Marco died: he overheard the Warriors, Reiner pinned him, Annie was forced to remove his gear, and the three abandoned him to a Titan.

Zeke refocuses Reiner and Bertholdt on retrieving the Coordinate, warning Reiner he would forfeit his armor to another Warrior if he challenged Zeke and lost.

Thunder Spears crack the Armored Titan's nape and maim Reiner, but he survives by shifting his consciousness into his Titan body and roars the signal for Bertholdt's deployment.

Bertholdt rejects Armin's bluff about Annie, declares he can kill his former comrades without hesitation, survives Mikasa's ambush, and transforms high above Shiganshina.

The transformation blast levels the district's center; Hange's squad is caught in the explosion, and the six survivors around Eren realize they alone must bring down the Colossal Titan.

Wit Studio and Production I.G produced the episode for the Return to Shiganshina arc, adapting the chapters The World They Saw, Descent, and Perfect Game, with Hiroshi Seko writing and four credited directors. Shoukei to Shikabane no Michi and Name of Love serve as opening and ending themes.

Bertholdt's inner monologue before transforming, concluding that nobody is in the wrong because the world is simply cruel, gives the episode its signature line and marks his shift from timid follower to resolved enemy.

The official subtitles rendered the Japanese term for people with the Power of the Titans as "Titan shifters," adopting what had originally been a fan-coined label. The lore segment describes a fragrant "dark liquid" found at the Warriors' camp, hinting at an outside culture that enjoys luxuries akin to black tea.