Attack on Titan Episode 78: Two Brothers

Eren's Attack Titan limps towards his brother Zeke's fallen Beast Titan, but the Jaw Titan bites his leg. Eren smashes the Jaw Titan's head and back before an artillery shell blows off his Titan's arm. Before another shot can be fired, a squad attacks the Cart Titan and its artillery crew.

On the ground, the military spreads out to avoid a head-on confrontation with the enemy forces. Armin suggests to his friends that they sneak around behind their enemies.

As Zeke rouses, Eren grapples with the Armored Titan. The Jaw Titan receives a memory from his brother about why the Armored Titan was chosen to become a Warrior.

A commander notices Zeke rise, and Eren reaches out as the Beast Titan inhales for a scream. A young man pleads with Zeke not to scream, explaining that his brother has swallowed some of Zeke's spinal fluid. Zeke listens in horror, admits he knows what it's like to care for a brother, but refuses the request and uses his Titan's scream. The young man's brother screams for him to get away, but the young man holds on, saying he is there for him.

Throughout the district, soldiers transform into Titans and begin attacking the enemy army. Zeke commands the newly transformed brother and sends him at the Armored Titan, knocking him away from Eren. The Armored Titan manages to pin both the transformed brother and the weakened Eren, but realizes he cannot handle them both and does not want to kill the transformed brother. When Eren temporarily breaks free, the Armored Titan grabs him by the ankle to bring him down again, which leaves him open to the transformed brother, who bites at his nape.

Having defeated most of the attacking soldiers, the commander fires another shot at the Beast Titan, blowing a hole into its nape. He then turns his attention to Eren, but an explosive attack from Armin disrupts him. A woman arrives as well and begins attacking the artillery crew.

On the ground, the Beast Titan dissolves to a skeleton. Realizing that Eren can no longer use the Founding Titan without Zeke, the Armored Titan ponders whether it is okay to let himself go and for the transformed brother to eat him.

However, the transformed brother lets go of his nape, to the Armored Titan's surprise, and he sees the Jaw Titan has left his Titan. The Jaw Titan says he no longer has the strength to heal his body, but he will not die for nothing. He now knows that his brother was trying to protect him and that is why the Armored Titan became a Warrior instead. He always suspected that he was better than his brother.

The transformed brother devours the Jaw Titan, leaving the Armored Titan free to focus on Eren, who hardens his Titan while the Armored Titan's fist is trapped in his Titan's mouth. Eren escapes through the nape and runs on foot towards Zeke, who is actually alive and only allowed his Titan to wither in order to pretend to be dead. The Armored Titan breaks free, but is forced back by dual attacks from two other soldiers.

However, before Eren can reach Zeke, a young girl shoots him with an Anti-Titan rifle she has taken from the now deceased young man. The blow decapitates Eren and sends his head flying towards Zeke.

A flashback shows when the two brothers reunited in Marley. Zeke confirmed his stance about euthanasia and asked if Eren agreed. Eren recalled the memories he had received of when his father killed a royal family. If his father had not killed the royal children, they could have reclaimed the Founding Titan, dooming humanity behind the Walls. However, Eren told Zeke he disagreed with his father's actions. If the people had not been born they would not be planning the attack they were now, that would result in mass casualties. There would be no greater salvation than never being born.

Moved by Eren's agreement to work with him, Zeke offered him a baseball in lieu of shaking his hand since it was best for them to not make physical contact yet. He tosses it to Eren who fails to catch it, calling himself rusty.

In the present, Zeke catches Eren's head in his outstretched hand before Eren loses complete consciousness. Memories spill out and the two brothers emerge in the Paths. Eren is standing and turns to find Zeke sitting, chained to the sand beneath him. Zeke explains that those with royal blood come here to use the Founding Titan. He has been waiting in this timeless land for Eren to wake up ever since they made contact, since they managed to do so before Eren passed on. Now they have succeeded in unlocking the power of the Founding Titan.

A young girl approaches them and Zeke says she is the Founder, because that is the only person who would make sense in a place like this. He explains how she rebuilt his body and this must be where she makes Titans. Zeke tells Eren to command her. He is unable to move freely himself because the chains that bind him are a vow to renounce war.

When Eren is silent, Zeke urges him to ask her to make the people unable to bear children, saying that a large-scale attack can wait. However, Eren refuses, saying that he could never go along with such a plan. He just manipulated Zeke to get himself here.

Eren walks up to the young girl and asks her to lend him her power. She walks right past him though, continuing on towards Zeke, who is grappling with Eren's betrayal. She stops in front of Zeke and drops to her knees. Zeke explains that he learned a lot while waiting for Eren to wake, including that she can make anything as long as one of royal blood wills it. He stands, breaking the chains he had created by his own command, and says that he is here without being tainted by the First King's ideals so he has managed to nullify the vow to renounce war. Zeke describes the young girl as being a slave with no will of her own and says she will accept those of royal blood as her master, thus giving him all the powers of the Founder. Eren was simply a key he needed to unlock them.

Zeke is glad to know Eren's true feelings, but does not blame him, saying that it is the fault of their father. Now he intends to save Eren the way that a man named Tom Xaver saved him. Zeke plans to fix Eren by using the Founder's power.