Attack on Titan Season 3 Episode 9 Recap – Ruler of the Walls

Defense

The massive abnormal Titan continues to move towards Orvud District, crawling mindlessly across the fields.

The Garrison Squad asks Erwin why he‘s not ordering an evacuation, so Hange explains that abnormals are naturally drawn to large concentrations of people. If they evacuate the Orvud townsfolk into Wall Sina, the Titan will follow as well.

They attempted to use Eren’s power against the Titan earlier, but it proved ineffective. As it stands, they have to use the Orvud population as bait to defeat the Titan. The garrison will have to conduct an evacuation drill, which should prepare the people to move once the plan fails.

One thing that gives them an edge is that the Titan is an easy target. They have to throw every artillery and scout at it in hopes of defeating it. The garrison starts their drills, but the citizens are uneasy after the fake king was overthrown. Suddenly, they see smoke in the distance and the garrison starts their barrage of cannon fire.

The Titan stops after the first volley, but only for a little while. The problem is that the northern troops aren‘t as experienced in battle and can hardly penetrate the nape. Levi complains to Erwin that their plan for the scouts falls into another gamble.

Reflection

Hange presents her new invention, which uses barrels of gunpowder mounted on propulsion, just like the ODM gear. Erwin commands Jean, Sasha, and Connie on one side while the rest prepare the nets and gunpowder. Erwin talks to Historia about her presence on the frontlines and how it will affect her coming reign. She stands up to Erwin and tells him what she thinks.

Eren watches his friend and sees how she‘s grown after all she has been through. He then thinks about all his failures and wonders if he‘s up to the task to save humanity. He looks down and sees a couple of kids below, remembering where they were during the first Titan attack.

Armin points out that there‘s something different now. They‘re there on top of the wall to defend the citizens. Mikasa tells him to stop overthinking and start working, so he starts punching himself to drive his self-pity away.

The garrison throws another volley of fire, but it proves ineffective. The Titan retaliates with a steam surge. The Titan grabs the wall and faces everyone, letting its organs burn down the walls. The citizens retreat along with the panicking garrison troops. Levi and the scouts then take over.

New Hope

Erwin thanks Armin for his encouragement and transforms in preparation for the fight. Erwin signals their attack and shoot the Titan‘s hands with the gunpowder to break its hold. He then calls for Eren to move as the Titan‘s head falls into the wall.

Eren runs through, carrying a sack of gunpowder in his back. Erwin predicted that the Titan‘s face would be open after it crawled through the ground, so Eren has an opening to shoot their payload inside.

After the ensuing explosion, the rest of the scouts then destroy the flying debris of organs before they fall to the ground. Historia fights alongside them after arguing with Erwin about her duty. She finds her father‘s nape and cuts it, causing some of Rod‘s memories to spill into her as she drops into a cushioned wagon.

The citizens below witness her deed, and she stands up to declare herself as Historia Reiss — the true ruler of the walls.

Back at the chapel, Kenny returns to a nearby tree to rest from his fatal wounds. Levi arrives to arrest him but finds that it isn‘t necessary. Kenny hands him a kit with the Titan serum.

Our Thoughts

Finally, Eren gets another cool moment. Rating: 3.8/5.