Take a good look, Zeke.
That's Liberio, the place where we live.
Compared to the world, it's as small as a birdcage.
And since the nation of Marley won't let us leave,
we're going to have to live there 'til we die.
Hey, Zeke. Wouldn't you like to be free of that place if it were possible?
Yeah. That'd be nice.
Oh, do we have visitors already?
Folks hardly ever come up here this early.
I'll come back when you're finished.
It's okay. We were actually just on our way out.
Ah. So you're Eldians.
Hey, what was that for?
We're allowed to be outside of the walls right now, we received permission!
I'm here to clean this tower and rid it of filth.
That means removing trash and vermin.
You demons have tainted my workplace!
Understand? Your kind used to massacre everyone they could!
You should be wiped out, so why are you breeding?
- Piss off, you devils! - Stay in your cage, you filth-bloods!
You even smell filthy!
Never forget how this feels, Zeke.
This is the outside world.
If you can't stand it as it is,
then you're gonna have to change it.
Zeke. We need you to save everyone.
Sync and corrections by masaca
You want one of these kids to become my successor?
Yes, we'll choose eventually.
One's lagging behind the pack.
Who is it?
It's Jaeger again.
All the other kids are competing fiercely for the honor
of becoming Warriors and Honorary Marleyans.
Jaeger doesn't look to be anywhere near as driven as the rest.
Honestly, I have no idea why he still bothers to show up here at all.
So how's training going so far?
To be honest, it's tough.
Well, just keep trying.
If you work hard, then I'm sure they'll make you a Warrior.
After all, you have a very special power
in your blood, Zeke.
And more importantly, we know you'll stand out because you're our son.
Father, Mother. Thanks for watching Zeke.
Mm-hmm.
I knew you were coming, so I baked your favorite pie again.
Really?
Your "social dance club" again?
Look. We're happy to watch Zeke, but he misses his parents.
It's more than a dance club, we're helping Liberio stay healthy.
He may be confused right now,
but someday Zeke will understand everything we're doing.
This is the Tragedy of Lago.
It occurred 1,200 years ago.
After destroying Lago in the course of a single day,
the Titans continued their advance,
going on to commit the Devastation of Monte, and the Ravaging of Valle.
These atrocities led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Marleyans.
There were a few civilians who managed to escape
from Lago and flee into the surrounding countryside.
However, the Eldian Empire had planted Titans
along the Marleyan's escape routes, so as day broke,
the Titans awoke and the Marleyans were...
Yeah, I know. A lot of people ended up dying, right?
Tell us, Zeke, is your father teaching you the true history of Eldia?
Yeah, he says that Eldians did lots of horrible things to Marleyans.
And that we all have to atone for the sins of our ancestors.
Do you really want to become a Warrior, and fight for Marley?
Yeah. I want to be a Warrior.
Well. You should get to bed now.
Tell you what. Next time, we can read the rest of the book about the cat's house!
Sounds good to me!
Begin!
Aww!
You're awful at this, Dad!
Kick it harder. 'Kay?
Dad!
Yes, what is it?
Hey! I finished training early today!
- Do you think we could... - Oh, good.
That means the two of us can study more.
In summary, the Tragedy of Lago never happened.
Nor did the Devastation of Monte or the Ravaging of Valle.
They're all just stories made up by Marley.
Marley wants you to believe that the Eldian Empire
had cruel customs and a brutal culture.
But that can't be.
Because our great Founder Ymir would have never
wished for that, right? It's unthinkable.
Huh. Yes, that's exactly right.
You're starting to catch on, Zeke!
Yeah!
If you don't have the drive, then leave.
This country only has use for Warriors
who are prepared to devote everything to their motherland.
Marley would never trust someone like you
with one of the Titans that our soldiers have to depend on.
Hey! You, over there!
Mind taking a second to toss that back?
H-Hey! You've actually got a pretty good arm, for a kid.
Uh...
Here!
Nice! You caught it.
I'm sick of throwing off the wall.
Can I interest you in sticking around for a game of catch?
Your armband is red.
Does that mean you're a...
One of those Marleyan Warriors that you aim to become.
But my Beast isn't much use in a war, so I don't exactly live up to the title.
For the most part, I hang around here playing catch.
The name's Tom Ksaver,
and I work as a researcher, studying Titans.
Throw it! And while you're at it, tell me your name!
Nice to meet you. I'm Zeke Jaeger!
Your throw has some serious heat behind it, Zeke.
You're a natural, really.
Hey! I'm home! Guess what, Dad?
That's not what you told me!
Are you serious, Grice?
If Zeke isn't chosen to be a Warrior,
then the entire plan will fall apart!
I know that. But the Owl says
that they can only intervene and get Zeke selected
as a Warrior if he has decent scores.
And right now, he doesn't.
Well, then what do we do?
A chance like this only comes once in a century!
Hold on a second.
Zeke still has a chance to come back, doesn't he?
Yeah. Yeah, it's possible at least. If Zeke steps up and...
Um. I'm sorry, Dad.
Zeke! I know you can do this.
You must have what it takes.
After all, you're our son!
Could've sworn I said that Marley had no use for you.
So why the hell did you come back?
T-To show my loyalty to Marley,
and to atone for the sins of Eldia!
Please allow me to take part in open training, sir!
What are you doing, Jaeger?
Run, boy! Get moving!
Dammit! This is bullshit!
Don't talk like that! We need to support him.
He's trying his best. Can't you see that?
His best isn't enough!
He'll never become a Warrior like that!
You were a real mess the other day, huh?
I don't see what's funny about it.
They're just keeping me around to run stupid errands for them now.
Whatever chance I had, it's gone.
Didn't seem like you really wanted to be a Warrior.
Not from what I could see.
I had to become a Marleyan Warrior. I needed to.
Thing is, I just wasn't good enough.
No big deal.
It'd be stupid to become a Warrior.
Not only would you shorten your lifespan,
you'd have to spend your life killing people
in other countries for Marley.
Then why did you become a Warrior?
Because I wanted to find out the secrets of the Titans.
Like I told you, I work as a researcher.
It's a mystery.
They say it all started when the Founder Ymir touched an unknown "something."
I wanted to look back 2,000 years and see what it was.
Enough that I was willing to shorten my life
for the chance to look through Titan memories.
To be honest with you,
that's why I'm useless when it comes to fighting.
It's just, compared to the mysteries of Titans,
hatred and war seem awfully trivial.
So yeah.
I don't think we're weak so much as we're just disinclined
to 'play war' with the rest of them.
We're both decent people, a real rarity in this world.
This is for the best.
Even if I can't leave the Internment Zone,
I'll still be alive, at least.
We've finally pinned 'em down.
They call themselves the "Eldian Restorationists."
It's a pretty large group.
Apparently, it was formed by a traitor called the "Owl."
Our people are looking into several leads as we speak.
It's just a matter of time now.
We'll get the proof we need.
Zeke? Is something wrong?
Why aren't you eating your supper?
M-My stomach hurts.
I'm sorry, but please.
Stop going out and doing dangerous things.
Look. If you get caught, we'll all be sent to the Island of Devils.
First, they'll ship us to Paradise,
and then they'll make us Titans.
Have you somehow managed to learn nothing from me after all this time?
Unless someone takes a stand, our people will be doomed
to live pitiful lives trapped in this tiny cage forever.
Yes, that's right.
We're fighting to create a dignified future
for Eldian people everywhere, including you, Zeke.
But would you still say that if you knew that I could end up like Aunt Fay?
Damn it, Zeke!
You know the only reason Fay isn't alive now
is because the world is such a sick and twisted place.
We need to fight and fix the world so that no one
will ever have to meet her fate again!
That's why we're fighting to restore Eldia's strength!
That's why we're determined to win our rights back!
You're kidding me!
Your parents are Restorationists?
They'll be caught.
You'll all be sent to Paradise!
Yeah.
Mr. Ksaver.
Thanks for playing catch with me. I'm grateful.
Um...
Even when I'm a Titan, I'll cherish those memories.
Well. Goodbye.
Report them.
You have to. It's your only hope.
If you show your loyalty to Marley by turning your parents in to the authorities,
you and your grandparents should be safe.
No. I could never!
Zeke! Your parents have been awful to you, they've used you!
They never spared a thought for how you felt.
They gave up on you.
The truth is, they never loved you!
Zeke, you've done nothing wrong.
You're a smart kid. A good kid.
Take it easy, Zeke, the next one might knock me over!
Too much for an old geezer to handle, huh?
Hey! I'm not that old, you little...
Mr. Ksaver!
Though it's time I faced the fact that my term's almost over.
Yeah.
I'll never actually get to grow old,
but I don't regret my life of research.
Think I can release all my findings in one compilation.
Huh. What'd you figure out?
Most of my findings're about the Founding Titan's power over Subjects of Ymir.
Like us.
Oh. You said that it could rewrite people's memories, right?
Yeah, but that isn't all it can do.
I found out that it's also able to change the anatomy of all of our bodies.
Around 600 years ago, an epidemic swept the world,
causing a drastic decline in its population.
But suddenly, the disease vanished from the Eldian Empire.
Every last citizen was cured.
It was the King's doing.
With the Founding Titan's power, he redesigned the bodies
of his subjects and made them immune.
We Eldians are extensions of the Founding Titan's body.
We're all connected to it, no matter where we go.
Scary, isn't it?
Then...
You should be wiped out, so why are you breeding?
Would it be possible for the Founder to make it so that
none of us can have children anymore?
If Subjects of Ymir stopped giving birth,
then Titans would be gone from this world within the next hundred years or so, right?
And if that happened,
then the world would be free from fear and suffering at the hands of Titans.
What's more.
If we Eldians hadn't been born in the first place,
we wouldn't've had to suffer either!
Mr. Ksaver?
I never intended to tell you this,
but many years ago, I had a wife and child.
In my foolish youth, I'd removed my armband and hidden my identity.
I concealed it even from the woman I married.
The mother of my son.
You see, she was a proud Marleyan.
And well,
I knew that she would find me out eventually,
but I never suspected that when that day came,
she would slit our son's throat and then her own.
I decided to become a Warrior because I wanted
to kill myself in the grandest way I could. But...
Over the last 13 years,
I ended up immersing myself in Titan research,
getting to know you, playing games of catch.
We had fun, right?
I looked for my dead son in you, Zeke.
I used my Titan powers to run from my sins.
All the while wishing that I had never been born to this world.
I'll inherit your Titan.
Not for Marley's sake, but for the sake of the world.
I'll take the Founder, and I'll use its power to save everyone.
I'll end our cursed race,
freeing the world from its fear of Titans,
and freeing our people from their suffering!
Listen. This is something
I've kept secret from Marley.
There's a way to break the vow renouncing war.
And well, as luck would have it,
you're the one person who can make use of it.
If a Titan who has royal blood comes into contact
with the holder of the Founding Titan,
then the Founder's full power can be drawn out.
However, that power won't be yours to direct.
What its used for will be up to the Founder's host.
Essentially, you're like the key to a lock.
Which means you need the Founder to be held by someone you trust.
Someone who can understand our "euthanization" plan.
I know you'll find that someone.
And I promise.
I'll always watch over you, Zeke.
Don't worry, I'll find them. Father.
Eren Jaeger?
Yes. Eren is definitely in possession of the Founder.
On top of that, he says there's vital information
in the basement of his old home.
The home he had to abandon when Shiganshina fell.
Tell me. Did Eren tell you guys anything about his family?
Such as who his father was?
He did. He said his dad was missing,
but that he used to be a doctor.
Unbelievable! So that father was alive?
Eren. We're both victims.
Your father has brainwashed you.
But someday,
I'll come back and save you!
You've changed.
Now you do look a bit like our father.
First of all, thanks for agreeing to meet with me.
I'm glad we're getting to talk.
You spoke with Yelena,
which means you know where I stand.
The Eldian euthanization plan.
Do you support it or not?
Four years back, something happened
to open one of our Dad's memories to me.
I relived his memory of the night he slaughtered
the royal family of the walls.
He crushed their little kids.
Smeared them like bugs.
I felt their bodies break.
If those kids had lived, the royal family
would've reclaimed the Founder.
And bound to the vow renouncing war,
humanity inside of the walls would've lost
any chance of surviving.
The deaths of those children are what allowed us to live.
Interesting. So does that mean you agree with him?
Think he did the right thing?
No. Our old man was mistaken.
What's more, I think it'd be fair to say
that I'm just another mistake of his.
If the Eldians in this town had never been born,
then none of them would have to suffer and die
in the plan that you and I are about to carry out.
This world was never our birthright.
It's a hell to be saved from.
I'll do it, Zeke.
When the moment comes.
I'll bring 2,000 years of Titan domination to an end.
Until then, we both keep moving forward.
All right? Brother?
Yeah. Precisely.
It's settled, then.
Okay.
I want nothing more than to shake your hand, Eren.
But, well, it's best if we don't make physical contact yet.
So in lieu of that, I'll give you this.
Eren. We're gonna save everyone.
The only way to save us Eldians...
...is to put us out of our misery.
That was your plan? Mercy killings?
Well, you're about to die inside a Titan's stinking mouth,
listening to the sound of your body
being chewed into tiny pieces.
I'd say that's a pretty merciful way to kill you, right?
When you consider the way that you stole my comrade's lives.
I stole nothing. Actually, I saved them.
Them and the children they would've borne.
Their deaths saved them from this cruel world.
It looks like your legs are starting to grow back.
Mr. Ksaver! I hope you're still watching!
Sync and corrections by masaca
The futures they seek are incompatible,
so all they can do is clash.
They fight for their beliefs in the place where it all began.
Shiganshina.
Next episode: "Above and Below."