The World They Saw

A flashback returns to the battle for Trost, where Reiner and Bertolt discuss whether Eren can seal the breach in Wall Rose. Reiner dismisses the question as irrelevant now that their objective has been located, but Marco has heard everything. Rattled, Marco tries to laugh the exchange off as a joke and turns to rejoin the fight, privately connecting the Colossus Titan to a human with powers like Eren's, when Reiner slams into him from behind.

Pinning Marco down, Reiner declares he cannot be allowed to leave. Annie arrives, and Marco's plea for help meets her refusal. With a Titan approaching, Reiner orders Annie to strip Marco's vertical maneuvering equipment; when she resists, he invokes the debt of her saving Connie and demands proof of her and her father's loyalty, setting them apart from the cursed race within the Walls. Marco sobs and begs as the gear comes off. The three withdraw to a rooftop and watch him be devoured, Bertolt aghast, Annie weeping, and Reiner slipping into his dissociated state, remarking aloud on what is happening as if a spectator.

Three months later, on the night before the Shiganshina battle, the Warriors camp atop Wall Maria. Zeke reasons that Annie cannot be under torture, since any wound would trigger her Titan power, and suggests she has gone to ground, though Reiner and Bertolt counter that her identity is public. Irritated at Reiner's attitude, Zeke references the beating he once gave him and offers a rematch, warning that another loss will cost Reiner the Armored Titan. Reiner declines, and Zeke redirects them to their shared purpose: seizing the Coordinate to end the cursed history they share. The quadrupedal Titan brings word that the Survey Corps approaches, and the Warriors break camp.

Running along the Wall, Reiner tells Bertolt he must judge and act on his own once they separate, admitting he only recently came to see him as dependable. They part with vows to finish everything, free Annie, and recover Historia for Ymir's sake. Bertolt then waits inside a barrel on the quadrupedal Titan's back, anxious that no signal has come.

In the present, the Survey Corps cheers over Reiner's decapitated body lying exposed in his Titan's nape. Jean mocks the corpse but falters when he sees Connie and Sasha in tears. As Hange directs the soldiers to ready their gear and Armin justifies the killing to Mikasa, she notices the Armored Titan stirring. It unleashes a tremendous roar. Zeke responds by lifting Bertolt's barrel from the quadrupedal Titan and hurling it toward Shiganshina. Armin realizes the roar was a signal moments before spotting the barrel overhead and screams a warning that Bertolt is coming down on them.

A flashback resolves the mystery of Marco's death: he overheard Reiner and Bertolt in Trost, and Reiner forced Annie to remove his gear so a Titan would devour him.

Reiner's dissociative episodes are shown beginning at the moment of Marco's death.

Atop Wall Maria, Zeke threatens to reassign the Armored Titan and restates the Warriors' mission to claim the Coordinate.

Reiner and Bertolt part ways promising to rescue Annie and bring Historia back, honoring their word to Ymir.

Reiner survives his apparent decapitation, and his Titan's roar cues Zeke to launch the barrel hiding Bertolt over Shiganshina.

The World They Saw is the third chapter of volume 19 and the 77th of the series, produced by Hajime Isayama for the Return to Shiganshina arc. Japanese publication came January 9, 2016, one day after the English release. The anime spreads its material across the episodes Opening and Descent. It follows The Thunder Spears and precedes Descent.

The chapter revises the established timing of Marco's demise: earlier volume character pages had placed it during the post-battle mop-up in Trost, after Eren sealed the Wall, whereas this telling sets it before the breach was closed.

The Titan that devours Marco strongly resembles Tetsurō Araki, who directed the Attack on Titan anime.