Attack On Titan Season 3 Episode 13 Recap – The Town Where Everything Began

Hometown

Five years ago, humanity lost a third of its territory after the attack on Wall Maria. Now, the scouts are moving at night to return to the place where it all began. They tread cautiously, knowing that there could be enemies in the area. Hange’s idea of moving during the new moon means that there’s no risk of them encountering titans who can move at night by sunlight reflected by a full moon.

Eren feels his handshake as he carries the lamp from the pressure of saving the entirety of humanity. Mikasa and Armin notice his reaction, but he plays it off as nothing until he sees Armin shake as well.

Armin remembers the first time he met a titan. He couldn’t even move, but Eren pulled him out of its mouth. Eren remembers the time when Armin showed him his book. What Armin saw was an awesome dream, something which he didn’t have. It made him realize that he’s living in a small cage and wants to break free.

Mikasa remembers that they’re now at the place where they once collected firewood. The vanguard finally sees a trail and the three are finally back in their hometown.

Plug the Walls

The sun comes up, so Erwin commands his troops to rush forward and use their ODM gear to move up the walls. The inner and outer walls will have to be sealed and the titans inside Shiganshina have to be cleaned up. Erwin assumes the enemy knows they’re coming, so they all wear their hoods to hide Eren’s presence amongst 100 soldiers.

On top, Armin sees the remnants of a camp, so he signals Erwin that Bertholdt and Reiner could be nearby. Eren rushes towards the outer walls and stares at his home while Hange wonders at the lack of titan presence everywhere. Still, it’s too late to hesitate now. Eren transforms by the outer gate and successfully seals it with his titan hardening.

Mikasa retrieves him while Hange commands everyone to keep vigilant. The seal was a success, so it’s time to move back to the inner gate. Eren hesitates at how easy it seems, but Levi reminds him that it still can be broken by their enemies.

Armin reports to Erwin that he found evidence of a camp. The number of cups suggest there are at least three of them. Erwin defers on Armin’s judgment and gives him a squad to figure out where the enemy could be.

The commander decides to continue on with the operation even when enemies could be hiding and watching their moves. Right now, they’re not the only ones with a secret weapon.

The Enemy

As Eren approaches the inner gate, Armin starts thinking of the possibilities if an enemy manages to ambush them in this crucial step. He then remembers the titan inside the walls of Stohess and launches a smoke signal. He tells his squad to find a spot inside the walls where the enemy could hide.

It’s a hunch, but a pretty good one as the enemy has been using unpredictable techniques against them all this time. Erwin shoots a red flare to halt the mission to reinforce Armin’s command and the scouts survey the wall’s interior.

Erwin and his group wait anxiously while they search, tapping the walls to find any hollow spots where the enemy could hide. One of them spots a nearby cavity, and Reiner pops out to kill them. Levi immediately slashes Reiner’s neck but he remains alive and transforms on the ground.

Erwin calls for them to be vigilant, just as the beast titan transforms behind them along with several regular titans. The beast aims a boulder at the entrance to block their horses, this is now a closed off fight.

Our Thoughts

The stage has been set up again, and it looks better than all that came before. Rating: 4/5.