Ruler of the Walls

Rod Reiss, transformed into a Titan of unprecedented size, drags itself toward Orvud District. Erwin Smith refuses to evacuate the city; as Hange Zoë explains, the abnormal creature homes in on dense crowds, and emptying Orvud would simply redirect it toward the capital. The citizens are put through a disguised evacuation drill instead, grumbling about military overreach, while the local Garrison's cannons prove useless from both the Wall and the ground. Hange's fallback takes shape on the ramparts: barrels of gunpowder lashed into a huge net sack, plus two explosive-laden carts rigged with omni-directional mobility triggers that reel toward whatever the hooks strike.

While the preparations continue, Historia Reiss rejects Erwin's demand that the future queen stay off the front line, asking whether anyone would truly kneel to a figurehead. Watching her, Eren Jaeger confronts his own arrogance; he had come to accept other soldiers dying for him as natural, and he beats his own face to knock the self-pity out. Armin Arlelt reframes the coming fight for him: unlike the day the Colossal Titan appeared over Shiganshina, this time soldiers are standing on the Wall waiting for it.

The Titan reaches Wall Sina and hauls itself upright, its face and torso ground away by the crawl, spilling burning entrails across the ramparts. As the Garrison breaks, Levi tells the local captain the Scouts will take it from here. Armin and Sasha fire the rigged carts into the Titan's hands, where the body's own heat detonates them and costs the creature its grip. Eren, in Titan form and drenched in water against the heat, charges along the Wall and hurls the netted gunpowder into its open mouth. The chain explosion shreds the giant's upper body, and Scouts slash apart the falling chunks to be sure of the nape. Historia herself cleaves the piece holding her father, glimpsing his memories as he dies. Landing before the stunned crowd, she announces that she is Historia Reiss, the true ruler of the Walls. At dusk near the ruined chapel, Levi finds a dying Kenny Ackermann slumped against a tree, and Kenny produces something that stops Levi cold: a Titan injection.

Erwin keeps Orvud's population in place as bait, judging that evacuation would steer Rod's Titan toward Mitras.

Artillery from the Wall and the ground fails completely against the gargantuan Titan.

Historia refuses queenly protection and insists on fighting alongside the Scouts.

The rigged gunpowder carts destroy the Titan's hands, and Eren feeds the net sack of explosives into its mouth, blowing it apart.

Historia personally cuts the nape chunk, killing Rod Reiss, and publicly declares herself ruler of the Walls.

Levi discovers the mortally wounded Kenny, sole survivor of the cave-in, holding a Titan serum syringe.

Ruler of the Walls is the ninth episode of season three, 46th overall, produced by Wit Studio and Production I.G. It draws on three chapters: Outside the Walls of Orvud District, Ruler of the Walls, and Friends. Yasuhiro Akamatsu directed and Hiroshi Seko wrote the screenplay.

It aired in Japan on September 17, 2018, and in the United States on October 21, 2018, between the opening "Red Swan" and ending "Requiem der Morgenröte".

The episode's information segment profiles Rod Reiss's Titan: a serum-born form exceeding the Colossal Titan in size, radiating scalding steam, and so heavy it can only crawl.