For such a thorough analysis (and really, kudos for that), I’m surprised you didn’t point out that Armin never referred to Eren by his name, in front of Annie when he confronts her with Reiner and Jean. He just calls him “that suicidal maniac” (or whatever similar expression your choice of subs happen to go with). It’s Eren’s nickname that only their 104th class of Cadets would know. *And the Female Titan freezes.* At this instant, Armin already knows with near certainty that Annie is the Female Titan.
This. This is why the Season 1-3 is my favourite session of the story. It really felt like two sides trying their best to outsmart each other. You even get to see the slip-ups Annie, Reiner and Bert made sort of vanish by the time Zeke and Pieck show up to better coordinate them.
Yup, there was still denial though just like you wouldn’t want to accept a brother to sister or parent is dead & gone from some tragedy if you hear it for the first time. Armin also was curious of and kind of liked Annie even all the way back to then. It was painful to accept she was the monster.
Also, Historia's arrival, WITH Jean's horse immediately after the Female Titan--who has blonde hair and blue eyes like Historia--disappeared is probably some sort of red herring meant to throw the readers off. it could also be there to dispel any idea of it being her since she's clearly with the group and also the Female Titan is still running around.
That's exactly what I was thinking. When I first watched Aot, I kinda forgot about Annie and when the female titan appeared, I immediately thought there is only one girl with blonde hair and blue eyes - Krista. Especially because she was painted as the nice and selfless girl from the beginning, the reveal would have been crazy. And then I was so confused when she arrived with the horse.
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Not only that, in the second opening and ending she was in the same side as the Marleyans and Ymir, in the past I thought that this was because she was sus like the others
I really loved how in aot, it's not just fighting the titans that were problems during the fights, but running out of gas and only having 1 horse as well. It makes it feel like a real battle where soldiers dont worry about just the enemies, but their supplies and transportation as well since that could mess up an entire operation and shift the balance of a fight
@Weyland Punani wym stopped caring about it? the world outside was more advanced? why use horses and shit equipment? that's the whole point of the mini rumbling to allow tech to catch up?
@Weyland Punani I dont agree with the entirety of your argument; but the premise makes sense, especially the thunder spears stuff; I always chalked that upto more advancements in terms of productions and so on.
@@deafspcexWeylandPunanithe Jaegerists not destroying the boat imo was to show how disorganized and inexperienced they were. Thunder Spears were always a plot convenience imo.
An incredibly interesting and easily missed detail is that Armin nearly tells Jean and Reiner that Annie is the female titan in this episode but gets interrupted, which would have gotten both him and Jean immediately killed by Reiner.
I was just about to comment how Historia saved the show there. Especially because Armin was pretty determined that he should be the one they leave. So they leave him.there and he gets stranded and eaten while Reiner kills Jean alone. But yes Reiner would have been easily skilled and strong enough to take on both of them. I swear thus is making me wish there were some what if timelines from AoT. A timeline where Christa doesnt see the flare 🤣
Another thing you missed. Before Krista's arrival, when Jean was thinking about who to leave behind, armin volunteers to stay behind, but asks Reiner to deliver a message, especially to Erwin(most likely the identity of female titan due to her freezing when she heard the word "suicidal maniac" which only the 104th cadets know about. Armin reveals it later after the end of expedition). But before revealing the message Jean interrupts to tell that help has arrived. Just imagine if Krista had not arrived... She really is a goddess saviour
I'm lucky in that I was never spoiled about Annie, Reiner, and Bertolt being the titans, and I had absolutely NO suspicion's of them, so when they were revealed it was an absolutely magical moment I'll never forget
No ur not most of us didn’t figure it out there’s just a ton of people who want to be praised for supposedly figuring it out as if that means anything Lmfao
I didn't piece anything together on my first watch, though I feel kinda dumb in hindsight lol My friend who I've been showing recently guessed it when she lifted Armin's hood because of how similar she looked. Of course I didn't say anything, but to some people it's VERY obvious.
I was like "omg that's annie" then in the next episode before it was actually revealed I was like "nah I'm stupid it can't be annie she's an mp" so I'm very dumb
Annie's female titan introduction is absolutely horrifying. Seeing armin react to something, then the cut to his squad after taking down the titan, then the soundtrack cutting out and the pan over to something in the verrrryyy distance. It's all horrifying and tense. And the scene in the forest where she catches up with levi squad is one of the best tension building sequences in the entire series. Attack on Titan was just so good from the beginning.
It's so neat how Annie sparing Armin basically enabled her redemption arc. Her "failing to become a warrior", retaining some humanity and empathy against all odds, ruined her plan and dream but in the end allowed her to eventually get better
Its a lame way to end her story. She ruthlessly killed dozens of scouts including all of team Levi. And somehow thats just conveniently forgotten because Isayama has a crush on blonde whyte women. Meanwhile Eren is in jail 10 different times for even looking like he might harm somebody.
@@JesusChrist2000BCArmin also kills dozens of civilians during the raid in Liberio, does he not deserve to live a happy life? It’s all ab perspective, that’s the shows whole message
@@JesusChrist2000BC yeah eren is in jail because hes actually being earnest and cooperative and just making honest mistakes, while annie and the other spies are doing everything in secret, meticulously planned 🥴🥴🥴 so even if they fail hopefully no one will know theyre the perps. also annie is imprisoned underground for 5 years while eren is exonerated over and over again.
I love how everyone theorized about Annie being the female titan bc of her looks and connection to Armin while I just guessed it from seeing the opening...
I was active in the anime community when s1 of aot was still airing and I wanted to give it try once all the episodes came out. Unfortunately, I was already spoiled about Annie before I even gave it a watch. Same with Reiner and Birthcontrol.
*Spoiler for later seasons* Lucky for the Scouts that Marcel died before the operation began. Had he lived, I think the they would have taken a much more covert approach (they could have scaled the walls on the back of the Jaw Titan) and tried to to obtain the Founding Titan first (the main objective of the mission). Instead, Reiner chooses the flashiest most violent and direct approach, focusing on killing the island demons and raising the alarm in the minds of anyone paying attention. This chapter with the Female Titan is another example of Reiner's failure to plan and having to give himself away to course correct.
@@asianpersuasion4901 Correct but he smart thing to do would be to grab the founding titan first when security is "lax" then go and smash the walls one after the other faster than Paradise can recover
@@thezipp4812 yeah, I completely agree that there were smarter moves to make. just wanted to clarify that marcel being around wouldn't change the fact that they were instructed to break the wall.
Well they say in later season his job was to bust the wall to get the founder and gauge their response since they had a suspicion the king wouldn't use the rumbling
It’s honestly just amazing how well written AOT is. We all thought it would be just a survival of the titans but little did we know season 4 was planned from the beginning. It’s insane how genius Isayama is…
Actually funny that you point out their attempt to trap the armored and colossal titan because if they tried their trap on either of them it most likely wouldn’t have worked since the armor would not have been pierced and the colossal could have just used his steam (which actually might have caught the whole forest on fire)
@@Darksightkellar I taught high school Biology for 15 yeas but now work as an aquatics scientist, and even though I didn’t teach English I can sense amazing literature when I see it. Instead of having kids write essays about books they don’t care about, kids could literally write essays about the same topics on AOT because there is just so much to use. Meaning, a person could write essays from AOT about symbolism, foreshadowing, character development….these kids would be so into writing an article like that.
I also like that they fuck up due to them being teens.. Like Ewin and Armin are smart, but Reiner and Annie are warriors not a strategists.. But it doesn't seem out of character for Reiner to rush in head first, it would of been weird to see Bert doing it.
@@barnvandiebos9070yeah, 17 is almost an adult. Marely sent them to the island when they were 11/12. They were literal children sent on a strategic military mission.
This episode is my favorite in the entire series. Those scenes with Armin, Reiner, and Jean where there is no background music or anything as they piece things together and they know that something isnt right. That feeling of suspense that they know something isnt going on but they dont have all the pieces yet is perfect. The mystery in this part of the show is peak
I think that scene works so well because it's so tense on both first viewing and in retrospect. On your first viewing, it's them trying to piece together the mystery while on the fly and in immediate danger. In retrospect, if Reiner felt that they were getting too close to the truth, he could have killed them right then and there. It's such a good scene.
I think the sound you are thinking of when talking about Armin and Annie (in titan form) meeting for the first time is simply eeriness just based on the feeling it seemed to evoke in people’s first watch of the series.
Yeah had Levi squad and Eren fought Annie, she would've been brutally ripped from her Titan in seconds. Look at what Levi did to her alone, what the squad did to her and Eren in his inexperience had her pressed for a bit
The decloaking was an odd act back then. But at the time I assumed the female titan was looking for Eren and wanted to capture him. If she didn't confirm the identity and just smushed Armin she could've killed her target. But she doesn't kill after confirmation so I just assumed the female just became disinterested. It really was an act of mercy... like "damn, I know this one, I'll leave him be, he's not a threat".
Case and point. Grisha. Man succeeded in doing what Marley couldn't and all he had was one titan. All they had to do was send down someone with a really useful skill that can rank up high in their society. Grisha was ranked high because he was a doctor and his medical knowledge was atleast 400 years ahead of theirs, I'd say they didn't even need a titan holder for this.
@@elreydelbrocoli yeah that their dumbass created. "Let's just send a bunch of pure titans there so they can't escape even tho they have the founding titan which when awoken can turn those titans back to normal hurr durrr" marleyans are retarded bruh, I'm all for eren getting rid of Marley even the eldian mareleys should just die
@@elreydelbrocoli I mean, that's what the kids literally did lol. They clearly weren't in their Titan forms (which is also how Marcel was able to be eaten by Ymir). Why didn't they send Zeke? He was older than them, had experience, and was trusted well enough. Sure, they sent him later, but I always wondered why they didn't send him on the initial trip.
I think the reason Reiner 'exposed' the warriors could possibly be because he was currently in his "soldier persona", and not his "warrior persona". I know he switches to Warrior soon after when he tells Annie, but a similar thing happened later in the story where he and Bertoldt held Ymir and Eren hostage in the forest of giant trees. He also quickly changes to a soldier persona but reverts back to a warrior, with himself unable to tell which is the "real" him anymore.
The one thing missed is that Reiner was riding with someone before he catches up with armin. When he catches him he is now alone and has a spare horse. I think Reiner killed him.
@BrysonWood-dn5hl it was when they first started the formation. Reiner was riding with someone when they were showing where everyone in the formation was. Reiner was with someone and he had no spare horse. Just like mystery shack said he believes if not for Jean showing up he thinks reiner would have killed Armin. Also he could have killed him when everyone else near his position was distracted by the abnormal and Annie. We'll just have to agree to disagree. Again this is speculation. We don't know.
I’ve always wondered if Levi pulling that acoustic shell at the end of the video was more to let Erwin know that the plan is in motion (someone fell for the trap) while also shocking the levi squad into listening to him. 🤔
These are really insightful, and a lot of fun as well. AoT has an insane amount of rewatch potential, and these are the exact kinds of things I look for when I’m revisiting a story alone or with friends. Thank you for sharing this series!
I've started watching your analysis videos from episode 1. Honestly, even though I've watched multiple AOT breakdown videos in the past, yours are the most enjoyable and insightful breakdowns I've watched. Keep up the great work!
I remember theory-crafting most of this with a friend back when the series just came out. We also had some crazy theories regarding the purple flowers and Eren's dream at the very first scene. Man it was fun
*Reiner's Blunder* may as well be the guy's Character Title. That being said, Marcel died and neither Bert or Annie pushed to just go home after the first little fight they had.
I've rewatched attack on titan so many times, and the amount of times I sat here, watching this video going 'oh my god, I never noticed that' is astonishing.
As someone who just yesterday finished watching (read the ending) snk for the first time ever it's so nice that this series exists, I loooove analysis and I just binged every video from this series, cool stuff
Blue eyes, blond hair? It was the NOSE!!! But tbh it gave me suspision at time because we didn't see Annie much since second half of season. I binged watch it and it was rollecoaster of emotions to see obvious hints back at 2013.
29:58 those episodes stuck with me We spent time with em, they were an elite squad, they had growth... and then bam all gone, and the struggle of eren deciding whether to litsen or stop and fight, choosing to litsening, ending in them dying; and when he does fight, getting beat, not even a fair fight, proving even if he did stop and try to fight, it wouldn't change anything. And the Female Titan crying. I remember it well.
they did not have growth. All characters need to be extremely skilled at SOMETHING. They are just a plot device, you aren't meant to care for them. I'm a screenwriter :P
@Sweetdude yeah, they were set up as being above the rest to then be killed to show how terrifying the titan shifters were. But as growth, I meant the change in their outlook to Eren, while it happened very very quickly, they did go from ready to kill him at any moment to being calm around him. Probably isn't that much in terms of growth from a writing perspective, but that's what I meant 😅 Also just as a dude with no writing experience I didn't expect em to be wiped out just like that.
@@MysticMylesZ Ok I understand what you mean. I do still disagree though, because of the spoon scene. We see that even when everyone is seemingly calm around him, they are still ready to off him at the drop of a hat. I do not think that has changed. But everything else I completely agree with, you nailed it, haha.
I remember being so fucking confused the first time seeing this episode and that silence was so deafening it just made me terrified like oh shit this is it for Armin what’s about to happen? everyone fucked?
No matter how you explain how reiner a traitor, no one expected that in their first watch anyway 🤣🤣🤣, i even thought that reiner is so cool, ge didn't die from that squish 🤣🤣🤣
@Korotos Mystery Shack maybe someone else said this, but there is something even more unique about the female titan that points to annie which i was surprised you didnt mention... THE NOSE, its the only character in the entire series with THAT nose shape, thats what sealed the deal for me, because blonde with blue eyes could have also been historia even if it was a stretch.
Great video, but the Zeducation's theme tune in the beginning part of the video made me think Tyler was about to pop on and start welcoming me to Zeducation.
I think that odd sound effect sounds like a calm ocean lapping at the shore. I think it’s armins calm sound. What he imagines the ocean he hasn’t seen sounds like. It’s a self soothing technique for him. That’s my take on it.
Watching these vidoes is now see that every single thing i didnt get in season one was just insane writing foreshadowing every major plotpoint. This Show is insane in terms of writing (and everything else).
I don’t understand how you were able to guess that Reiner outed himself. He simply told Armin what he was told. Yeah, it’s suspicious that the titan attacked the right flank (which was the flank that Reiner was told Eren was) but that doesn’t outright oust Reiner. Am I missing something?
Yeah it just shows that his plans showed Eren in the right flank. Without knowing how many ppl were given similar plans showing Eren in that location, it only makes him a suspect, it doesn't outright reveal them as spies.
@@petarbuglov8532 it doesn’t even make them suspects though, given reiner is passing off normal info in general. No one knew reiner and bertholdt were who they were, not even Erwin. Not armin either. Even after reiner was “squished” and even after reiner was somehow alive and annie looked at her palm. It would have not been obvious enough for readers to understand that reiner was evil. I thought of annie as looking at her hand that reiner escaped from and nothing more.
@@josiahperea5062 yea my bad. I meant suspicious as in Erwin will know that the traitors were given plans that showed Eren in the right flank. As for the viewer I agree that Reiner just saying that line, doesn't really reveal his identity. I do agree that these scenes would definitely not have been enough to reveal Reiner's identity to the average viewer, but there probably were people that somewhat figured it out. I personally became suspicious when he took off his hood, but I quickly forgot all about it until it became relevant again in season 2, so I Def did not put two and two together in that episode
@@28aminoacids What if Jean was told the right flank? It could just be a coincidence. This is just an abnormal, same with collosal and armored. They don't know anyone other than Eren can transform.
21:51 Okay, be honest: We all laughed at this on first viewing. We shouldn't have, there was nothing funny about the guy being g-forced to death.... Buuuut we still laughed.
First time I saw it, I already had my suspicions of Reiner and Bertoldt (aside from them looking exactly like the Titans) because those two and Annie were the three musketeers - always together and prepared. The moment Reiner removed his hood to attack Annie was just a firm confirmation.
@@tahj-raereid5754 or I just paid attention. Titans attack and eat humans for some reason; cool that's terrifying. Eren dies?? Oh snap this got real, no one is safe. Eren comes back?? Ohh so humans can become titans. Eren emerges from the nape; oh, titans ARE humans that's why they slice the same area of the neck. Obviously the rest of the show gets a bit wonky for my taste
I can't get over how well written and executed AOT is! Like how so many clues were right in our faces, but they weren't dead giveaways because of context. Like yeah, in hindsight it's obvious Reiner cut a message into Annie's hand. But the context of Annie freezing due to hearing Eren was killed clouds that clue. You could assume she was staring at her hand because she can't believe she killed Eren.
I think a really small detail worth noting is that the Titans that confront the recruits that are standing on the trees are clawing and scratching at them. While you may think, “Obviously, it's because they're humans.” It’s important to note that Pure Titans CAN sense Shifters more potently. The arguments for this are when the Warriors arrived on Paradis and an idle, inactive Ymir emerged from the ground while four Shifters surrounded her. There’s also when Falco tried to eat Reiner, but immediately stopped as soon as he sensed a more attainable Shifter in Porco approaching him, directing his attention to him and snatching him up instantly. On top of the trees, two Shifters are present in Bertholdt and Ymir. While nobody had any idea on how Pure Titans exactly functioned back then, it is interesting to note that the Titans interest in Bertholdt and Ymir coincides with the point of the Warriors being surrounded due to Erwin’s plan. In hindsight, it's pretty cool.
Also, in the new episode there was a scene where Armin stared at a crow’s eye, and we saw Eren staring as if through the bird’s POV. With this in mind, it’s possible that Eren using the paths is reflecting on how far they’ve come by watching Armin via the birds in the distance
One thing that im not 100% sure of but like to believe, is that the first time we saw the scouts, i think in episode 1, they were fighting that titan in some forest with giant ass trees. Its not a stretch to think that this mission is when they set up the trap or atleast the platforms.
my favorite part of this series is as you’re releasing these i’ve been rewatching and i get to see all the 10 year old comments and theories and jokes about the first season
16:47 I think it’s also interesting to add that after picking up Armin, Reiner said that “if the Female Titan is an intelligent one, she won’t bother eating us” or something along those lines. With the camera pointing with Reiner looking back to Annie almost as if he’s communicating with her, giving her the excuse that she can leave them alone now now that him, Armin and Jean are all aware that she’s intelligent. It’s very subtle but I thought it was sus, but also goes to show that at that point, the Marley squad was basically winging out their plan to capture Eren now that they lost the chance for a quick capture mission on the right flank.
I think you missed that Armin and Reiner's plans were the same, Reiner just phrased it differently. Reiner says they were in charge/leading the right flank, while Armin says they were in front of the right flank.
I just found this channel through this video and I absolutely love this so much!!! I love Aot so much but after watching plenty of theory videos and breakdowns and especially this video I realize I'm way too stupid to understand all the finer points that come together to make amazing reveals that blow our minds
Fun fact about the Female Titan's Power since you didnt mention the hardening. The Female Titan's signature power is being able to copy other titan's powers. The hardening is from Reiner's Armored, and the scream is a nerfed version of Zeke's Royal Beast. It's appearance may take from the Colossal's (and by proxy potentially some of it's height. Maybe it's normally a small titan), and if we wanna get even goofier with the hypithesizing, it's unhinged haw could be in reference to the Jaw? Idek what the Cart could be with her tho lol. (Edit: I realize Annie's able to transform within short bursts like Pieck can, as she transformed after the carcass was eaten in the forest. Of course Eren was able to train himself to do this too, but with how Pieck's cart works, it's possible she got that ability like a shortcut.) It's easily the weirdest titan since we know so little about it, even after the series has ended. Like, how would a Female Titan's power work when it copies the Attack or Warhammer's? Hell, even the Founder itself. And then if it hadn't copied the other titans from Marley aside from Reiner & Zeke (which seems like not even the true powers of the Beast), what would the other Titan powers be like with hers? What would, or even *could*, a male inheritor of the Female Titan be like? Lots of fun to speculate with.
@@Koroto As a long time fan of AoT, reader of the manga, and watcher of WAY too many videos on YT about the series, I can confidently say your analysis and deep dives are some of the best! Keep up the great work!
I think you missed the fact that Reiner gives Annie a signal to cover him with the female titan hand. He gives her a wink and then she covers him so he can write her Eren's position.
I really like your videos and you seem to have a really good grasp on the lore of AOT. That said something about the show has really been bothering me that I can’t figure out. It sucks because I really love the show but can’t figure this out.. In your opinion why didn’t Zeke and Eren touch in Marley? Instead of Zeke throwing him the baseball? I’ve seen others mention that they didn’t trust each other yet but that seems like a cop out. They didn’t really trust each other when Eren was decapitated either. It also seems like if anyone Eren should have been the one to decline a handshake for his ulterior motives whereas Zeke definitely would have wanted to immediately. This is really bothering me..
The female Titan was such a menace when she first appeared. She was faster, stronger and smarter then all of these scout teams. Just an unstoppable cerebral warrior.
I like your interpretation that Reiner didnt expect Annie to spare Armin. I saw it differently however; I thought Reiner and Annie's plan included Armin's location, since the only person in the formation who's location we are specifically told is not where its supposed to be is Eren. None of the three guys (Reiner, Armin and Jean) are surprised to see each other there, so we know that each of them was expecting them to be there. I thought their first plan was to have Annie attack to right flank based on the info Reiner's version of the formation suggested, and then if he isn't there she can move in from the right flank to find Armin, killing off the other scouts in the formation near him. That would allow Reiner to run into Armin and probe him for information about where he thinks Eren might be. Then Annie can stay close enough that they'd force Armin and Jean to try to slow her down, which would give Reiner the opportunity to pass on the new info on Eren's location that he got from Armin. They both already knew Armin was a genius and so he would be the one most likely to figure out where Eren might be if not where they were told he was, and once given that info Annie would be able to actually kill him and Jean and any other scouts nearby to cover Reiner's tracks. I dont think Annie would have let Armin live a second time on purpose, but her feelings may have made her hesitate enough that her blow didnt outright kill him. Either that or Jean's attack interrupted her which was then interrupted again by Armin's mind games. Also I think the quick cut when Reiner gets crushed in Annie's hand is interesting. Right as we hear him pop the angle swaps from looking at her hand facing the palm to instead looking at her hand facing the back. So while you still see the squish, you dont see Reiner under her thumb anymore. It might just be to give the viewers plausible deniability for how Reiner didnt die, but still, interesting.
it may be just me monday morning quarterbacking but i feel like as undercover operatives in enemy territory, they should have suspected that there would be efforts to snuff them out, and one of the oldest tricks in the book is to leak different intel to different people in order to figure out the traitor based on which intel the enemy acts on. Point is, reiner should have suspected that he was given false intel. I feel like if annie made her rounds normally, armin would have had a much harder time figuring out their identities.
@@josiahperea5062 Yeah I meant after coming back after watching all of whats currently available with the full context of the Warrior's motives and available knowledge for that point in the story.
This interpretation is interesting. But it requires Reiner and squad to have MUCH more forethought than I think they actually had. Apart from the fact that they were kids, it's fairly obvious they were really just winging this mission: They had info that Eren would be in the right wing, so it was there they searched. They had no reason to suspect that the info might be wrong. Your theory could come back into play at this point though -- Annie knew where Armin and Reiner would be, and run in that general direction in hopes that something would come out of it. Luckily, that worked out. Basically I'm disagreeing with the idea that they had prepared such an elaborate plan beforehand, but liking the rest of your thought process.
@@Darksightkellar Everything we get shown of the Warrior training suggests this level of planning is probably above their intelligence, but at the same time we dont get shown much of it. We do get told they were basically trained from the earliest age possible. In the final few minutes of the S4E3P1 we get to see a slideshow of Reiner's childhood as he grew up and eventually earned his yellow armband. From the looks of it the Warrior training program could have easily started as early as 4-5, giving them a solid 5 years of training, up to maybe 7 or 8 at the most since they dont leave for Paradis until they are 11-12 (1-2 years older than Eren and crew). Am I saying its likely or even the way we are intended to think they had it planned considering we arent told any of these parts and usually at some point the hidden details are spelled out eventually? No I dont think so. Buuuut it is written in a way that adds even more layers of detail that can be extrapolated. Thats the fun part! :)
Yeah...well if we're going to be "overanalyzing"...Erwin cheated and read the script. The only enemy intelligent titans they had encountered prior to this mission starting were the Armored and the Colossal. That ambush they set up would not have worked on either of them. (The Colossal is too big; the harpoons wouldn't have penetrated the Armored to stick to him.) The trap Erwin set up should have been something for the Armored given what he knew and when he knew it. Instead he set a trap for someone comparable to the Attack titan and got lucky. And the biggest blunder the Warriors did is in a couple episodes - when the Scouts are beaten and bruised, Eren is unconscious, Levi is wounded, Mikasa is the only one not completely worn out, and the rest of the Scouts have seemed to abandoned the whole long range scouting formation and are just travelling in a simple column back home. Well Reiner and Bertholdt could've transformed right there, grabbed Eren, and annihilated the rest of the group leaving no witnesses. Reiner even says something like "we're not home safe until we're back inside the walls" and doesn't capitalize on the Scout's mistake. It's almost as bad as a blunder as whatever Marleyan general thought up the whole general operation.
Well, Erwin brought cannons designed for pierce through skin and lock the Titan in place. Given the armored Titan does have bits of exposed skin, as well as eyes, hair, hands, etc,especially when speeding up (which Reiner as doing when he broke the wall) it does make sense that there would be some spots exposed to hold down a Titan. Everywhere they attacked Annie was a spot for movement. The glutes, the joints, the knees, the ankles, and such. All of which were things that would be exposed when Reiner would be running in his speed form, the same form he used on Eren and when he broke the wall. So it wasn’t entirely fruitless AND was still comparable.
For such a thorough analysis (and really, kudos for that), I’m surprised you didn’t point out that Armin never referred to Eren by his name, in front of Annie when he confronts her with Reiner and Jean. He just calls him “that suicidal maniac” (or whatever similar expression your choice of subs happen to go with). It’s Eren’s nickname that only their 104th class of Cadets would know. *And the Female Titan freezes.* At this instant, Armin already knows with near certainty that Annie is the Female Titan.
This. This is why the Season 1-3 is my favourite session of the story. It really felt like two sides trying their best to outsmart each other. You even get to see the slip-ups Annie, Reiner and Bert made sort of vanish by the time Zeke and Pieck show up to better coordinate them.
Damn I didn’t even think that
Me and my boys paused right in this moment and realized immediately that Armin was playing 5D chess. One of the best parts in the season for sure.
Yup, there was still denial though just like you wouldn’t want to accept a brother to sister or parent is dead & gone from some tragedy if you hear it for the first time. Armin also was curious of and kind of liked Annie even all the way back to then. It was painful to accept she was the monster.
It's his best friend though, its not hard to guess who hes talking about really
Also, Historia's arrival, WITH Jean's horse immediately after the Female Titan--who has blonde hair and blue eyes like Historia--disappeared is probably some sort of red herring meant to throw the readers off. it could also be there to dispel any idea of it being her since she's clearly with the group and also the Female Titan is still running around.
That's exactly what I was thinking. When I first watched Aot, I kinda forgot about Annie and when the female titan appeared, I immediately thought there is only one girl with blonde hair and blue eyes - Krista. Especially because she was painted as the nice and selfless girl from the beginning, the reveal would have been crazy. And then I was so confused when she arrived with the horse.
Not only that, in the second opening and ending she was in the same side as the Marleyans and Ymir, in the past I thought that this was because she was sus like the others
Exactly.. I immediately knew it was annie and then thought of how it could be krista.
I knew it was Annie I mean … look at that nose bruh
LOL I never linked Historia and The female Titan. Years ago, one of my friends thought it was SASHA. LOL
I really loved how in aot, it's not just fighting the titans that were problems during the fights, but running out of gas and only having 1 horse as well. It makes it feel like a real battle where soldiers dont worry about just the enemies, but their supplies and transportation as well since that could mess up an entire operation and shift the balance of a fight
@Weyland Punani wym stopped caring about it? the world outside was more advanced? why use horses and shit equipment? that's the whole point of the mini rumbling to allow tech to catch up?
@Weyland Punani I see thanks for clarifying I misunderstood
@Weyland Punani the Hange situation?
@Weyland Punani I dont agree with the entirety of your argument; but the premise makes sense, especially the thunder spears stuff; I always chalked that upto more advancements in terms of productions and so on.
@@deafspcexWeylandPunanithe Jaegerists not destroying the boat imo was to show how disorganized and inexperienced they were.
Thunder Spears were always a plot convenience imo.
Don't forget about Reiner removing his hood before "attacking" the Female Titan and him winking before he gets "squished".
I didn't even notice that my first time watching, but on rewatch it is such a red flag for Reiner after Armin told them all to keep the hoods on
I really hope MAPPA keeps the 25 page long pegging scene with Armin and Annie from the manga
It was definitely more than 25 bro
Me too
if that was really in there I finally have a reason to read a manga
?!?!?!?!??!?!
brb gonna buy the manga immediately
An incredibly interesting and easily missed detail is that Armin nearly tells Jean and Reiner that Annie is the female titan in this episode but gets interrupted, which would have gotten both him and Jean immediately killed by Reiner.
When does this happen?
@@loon.z when they were stranded without horses shortly before Historia arrived
@@drift2557 Damn, so historia saved the show
I was just about to comment how Historia saved the show there. Especially because Armin was pretty determined that he should be the one they leave. So they leave him.there and he gets stranded and eaten while Reiner kills Jean alone. But yes Reiner would have been easily skilled and strong enough to take on both of them. I swear thus is making me wish there were some what if timelines from AoT. A timeline where Christa doesnt see the flare 🤣
Dude was about to the cook up a horse-bowl two peice @@BenGTheSun
Another thing you missed. Before Krista's arrival, when Jean was thinking about who to leave behind, armin volunteers to stay behind, but asks Reiner to deliver a message, especially to Erwin(most likely the identity of female titan due to her freezing when she heard the word "suicidal maniac" which only the 104th cadets know about. Armin reveals it later after the end of expedition). But before revealing the message Jean interrupts to tell that help has arrived. Just imagine if Krista had not arrived... She really is a goddess saviour
I'm lucky in that I was never spoiled about Annie, Reiner, and Bertolt being the titans, and I had absolutely NO suspicion's of them, so when they were revealed it was an absolutely magical moment I'll never forget
I also think I'm one of the only people who did not know the female titan was Annie and was genuinely surprised 🤣
No ur not most of us didn’t figure it out there’s just a ton of people who want to be praised for supposedly figuring it out as if that means anything Lmfao
I didn't piece anything together on my first watch, though I feel kinda dumb in hindsight lol
My friend who I've been showing recently guessed it when she lifted Armin's hood because of how similar she looked. Of course I didn't say anything, but to some people it's VERY obvious.
i didn't though tbf i didn't pay too much attention when i first watched
I was like "omg that's annie" then in the next episode before it was actually revealed I was like "nah I'm stupid it can't be annie she's an mp" so I'm very dumb
fr my dumbass didnt even piece together that there was people in the titans and thought it was like armins mom that had got turned into a titan
Annie's female titan introduction is absolutely horrifying. Seeing armin react to something, then the cut to his squad after taking down the titan, then the soundtrack cutting out and the pan over to something in the verrrryyy distance. It's all horrifying and tense. And the scene in the forest where she catches up with levi squad is one of the best tension building sequences in the entire series. Attack on Titan was just so good from the beginning.
It's so neat how Annie sparing Armin basically enabled her redemption arc. Her "failing to become a warrior", retaining some humanity and empathy against all odds, ruined her plan and dream but in the end allowed her to eventually get better
Its a lame way to end her story. She ruthlessly killed dozens of scouts including all of team Levi. And somehow thats just conveniently forgotten because Isayama has a crush on blonde whyte women. Meanwhile Eren is in jail 10 different times for even looking like he might harm somebody.
@@JesusChrist2000BCNot everyone gets to atone. Many wrongdoers live out their lives in bliss, and I feel that is realistic.
@@JesusChrist2000BCyou’re mentally ill
@@JesusChrist2000BCArmin also kills dozens of civilians during the raid in Liberio, does he not deserve to live a happy life? It’s all ab perspective, that’s the shows whole message
@@JesusChrist2000BC yeah eren is in jail because hes actually being earnest and cooperative and just making honest mistakes, while annie and the other spies are doing everything in secret, meticulously planned 🥴🥴🥴 so even if they fail hopefully no one will know theyre the perps. also annie is imprisoned underground for 5 years while eren is exonerated over and over again.
I love how everyone theorized about Annie being the female titan bc of her looks and connection to Armin while I just guessed it from seeing the opening...
@Weyland Punani Apparently people did. I knew it from the opening bc it had a strange focus on Annie... So I didn't...
Sup Miep, just wanted to let you know I dont care
@@Sernival Ok... But why are you then commenting again?
I was active in the anime community when s1 of aot was still airing and I wanted to give it try once all the episodes came out. Unfortunately, I was already spoiled about Annie before I even gave it a watch. Same with Reiner and Birthcontrol.
@@nayussysuccer BIRTH CONTROL- 😂😂😂😂
*Spoiler for later seasons*
Lucky for the Scouts that Marcel died before the operation began. Had he lived, I think the they would have taken a much more covert approach (they could have scaled the walls on the back of the Jaw Titan) and tried to to obtain the Founding Titan first (the main objective of the mission). Instead, Reiner chooses the flashiest most violent and direct approach, focusing on killing the island demons and raising the alarm in the minds of anyone paying attention. This chapter with the Female Titan is another example of Reiner's failure to plan and having to give himself away to course correct.
disagree. Reiner and annie can also scale walls. he destroyed the walls because that's what he was told to do by marley.
@@asianpersuasion4901 Correct but he smart thing to do would be to grab the founding titan first when security is "lax" then go and smash the walls one after the other faster than Paradise can recover
@@thezipp4812 yeah, I completely agree that there were smarter moves to make. just wanted to clarify that marcel being around wouldn't change the fact that they were instructed to break the wall.
I believe part of the reason why they broke the Walls is because they were trying to draw out the Founding Titan.
Well they say in later season his job was to bust the wall to get the founder and gauge their response since they had a suspicion the king wouldn't use the rumbling
It’s honestly just amazing how well written AOT is. We all thought it would be just a survival of the titans but little did we know season 4 was planned from the beginning. It’s insane how genius Isayama is…
this didn't age too well
@@Gofaw ?
@@alonewanderer4697 what do you want lil bro
Actually funny that you point out their attempt to trap the armored and colossal titan because if they tried their trap on either of them it most likely wouldn’t have worked since the armor would not have been pierced and the colossal could have just used his steam (which actually might have caught the whole forest on fire)
This is actually the best series on youtube right now props for keeping up with it
Literally. Should be studied in schools right alongside AoT itself.
@@Darksightkellar I taught high school Biology for 15 yeas but now work as an aquatics scientist, and even though I didn’t teach English I can sense amazing literature when I see it. Instead of having kids write essays about books they don’t care about, kids could literally write essays about the same topics on AOT because there is just so much to use. Meaning, a person could write essays from AOT about symbolism, foreshadowing, character development….these kids would be so into writing an article like that.
So glad this dropped. The wait between these videos is totally justified and understandable but that doesn't make it hurt any less lol.
Preach brother.
I also like that they fuck up due to them being teens.. Like Ewin and Armin are smart, but Reiner and Annie are warriors not a strategists.. But it doesn't seem out of character for Reiner to rush in head first, it would of been weird to see Bert doing it.
Napoleon was like 17 when beginning in the army lol age has nothing to do with being smart
@@barnvandiebos9070 most teenagers are idiots. Napoleon is a rare exception.
@@barnvandiebos9070yeah, 17 is almost an adult. Marely sent them to the island when they were 11/12. They were literal children sent on a strategic military mission.
My wife was adamant that the female titan was Armin's mother on her first watch because she spares him and has blonde hair
This episode is my favorite in the entire series. Those scenes with Armin, Reiner, and Jean where there is no background music or anything as they piece things together and they know that something isnt right. That feeling of suspense that they know something isnt going on but they dont have all the pieces yet is perfect. The mystery in this part of the show is peak
I think that scene works so well because it's so tense on both first viewing and in retrospect. On your first viewing, it's them trying to piece together the mystery while on the fly and in immediate danger. In retrospect, if Reiner felt that they were getting too close to the truth, he could have killed them right then and there. It's such a good scene.
I think the sound you are thinking of when talking about Armin and Annie (in titan form) meeting for the first time is simply eeriness just based on the feeling it seemed to evoke in people’s first watch of the series.
I think it’s your ears ringing from all the adrenaline pumping and thoughts probably running through armins head as he sees this lady Titan.
The mini forest arc is one of my favorite things ever. I absolutely love these episodes and never get bored of them
This is where Eren learned that he should trust himself because his friends were just going to get themselves killed, and only he could save them.
Yeah had Levi squad and Eren fought Annie, she would've been brutally ripped from her Titan in seconds. Look at what Levi did to her alone, what the squad did to her and Eren in his inexperience had her pressed for a bit
Eren, The Savior of Mankind. *sarcasm*
Could you start mentioning the song names when you talk about the impact of the OST’s?
Seconding
Bump
The decloaking was an odd act back then. But at the time I assumed the female titan was looking for Eren and wanted to capture him. If she didn't confirm the identity and just smushed Armin she could've killed her target. But she doesn't kill after confirmation so I just assumed the female just became disinterested. It really was an act of mercy... like "damn, I know this one, I'll leave him be, he's not a threat".
little did she know he ends up being one of the biggest assets to the Paradis Eldians and as such one of the biggest threats to Marley
Imagine if Marley would have sent over mature adult warriors lol They might have been able to get the founding titan
Case and point. Grisha. Man succeeded in doing what Marley couldn't and all he had was one titan. All they had to do was send down someone with a really useful skill that can rank up high in their society. Grisha was ranked high because he was a doctor and his medical knowledge was atleast 400 years ahead of theirs, I'd say they didn't even need a titan holder for this.
@@kingpotato7183 Yeah, just walk all the way across titan county bro. 🙄
@@elreydelbrocoli yeah that their dumbass created. "Let's just send a bunch of pure titans there so they can't escape even tho they have the founding titan which when awoken can turn those titans back to normal hurr durrr" marleyans are retarded bruh, I'm all for eren getting rid of Marley even the eldian mareleys should just die
@@elreydelbrocoli I mean, that's what the kids literally did lol. They clearly weren't in their Titan forms (which is also how Marcel was able to be eaten by Ymir). Why didn't they send Zeke? He was older than them, had experience, and was trusted well enough. Sure, they sent him later, but I always wondered why they didn't send him on the initial trip.
I honestly thought Historia was the titan when I first watched. Completely forgot about Annie
Sameeee. I knew the Female reminded me of someone but i couldn't remember who
15:50 also notice the subtle detail that Reiner removes his hood so Annie can see it's him.
I think the reason Reiner 'exposed' the warriors could possibly be because he was currently in his "soldier persona", and not his "warrior persona". I know he switches to Warrior soon after when he tells Annie, but a similar thing happened later in the story where he and Bertoldt held Ymir and Eren hostage in the forest of giant trees. He also quickly changes to a soldier persona but reverts back to a warrior, with himself unable to tell which is the "real" him anymore.
The one thing missed is that Reiner was riding with someone before he catches up with armin. When he catches him he is now alone and has a spare horse. I think Reiner killed him.
I disagree, I don't think that is something Reiner would risk. Also it very well could have been someone just relaying information
@BrysonWood-dn5hl it was when they first started the formation. Reiner was riding with someone when they were showing where everyone in the formation was. Reiner was with someone and he had no spare horse. Just like mystery shack said he believes if not for Jean showing up he thinks reiner would have killed Armin. Also he could have killed him when everyone else near his position was distracted by the abnormal and Annie. We'll just have to agree to disagree. Again this is speculation. We don't know.
I’ve always wondered if Levi pulling that acoustic shell at the end of the video was more to let Erwin know that the plan is in motion (someone fell for the trap) while also shocking the levi squad into listening to him. 🤔
The female titan running up for the first time will never not give me chills
These are really insightful, and a lot of fun as well. AoT has an insane amount of rewatch potential, and these are the exact kinds of things I look for when I’m revisiting a story alone or with friends. Thank you for sharing this series!
Insane. I literally just finished it 2days ago and considering watching AGAIN!
I've started watching your analysis videos from episode 1. Honestly, even though I've watched multiple AOT breakdown videos in the past, yours are the most enjoyable and insightful breakdowns I've watched. Keep up the great work!
I remember theory-crafting most of this with a friend back when the series just came out. We also had some crazy theories regarding the purple flowers and Eren's dream at the very first scene. Man it was fun
*Reiner's Blunder* may as well be the guy's Character Title. That being said, Marcel died and neither Bert or Annie pushed to just go home after the first little fight they had.
I've rewatched attack on titan so many times, and the amount of times I sat here, watching this video going 'oh my god, I never noticed that' is astonishing.
As someone who just yesterday finished watching (read the ending) snk for the first time ever it's so nice that this series exists, I loooove analysis and I just binged every video from this series, cool stuff
I love this series so much. I dream of the day you complete this whole retrospective series and I can go back and rewatch the whole thing lol
Blue eyes, blond hair? It was the NOSE!!! But tbh it gave me suspision at time because we didn't see Annie much since second half of season. I binged watch it and it was rollecoaster of emotions to see obvious hints back at 2013.
Never forget Jean kissing his right hand before going in to fight the Female Titan, the same hand he held Marco’s ashes with😭
please never stop making these, they are soo good
29:58 those episodes stuck with me
We spent time with em, they were an elite squad, they had growth... and then bam all gone, and the struggle of eren deciding whether to litsen or stop and fight, choosing to litsening, ending in them dying; and when he does fight, getting beat, not even a fair fight, proving even if he did stop and try to fight, it wouldn't change anything.
And the Female Titan crying.
I remember it well.
they did not have growth.
All characters need to be extremely skilled at SOMETHING. They are just a plot device, you aren't meant to care for them.
I'm a screenwriter :P
@Sweetdude yeah, they were set up as being above the rest to then be killed to show how terrifying the titan shifters were.
But as growth, I meant the change in their outlook to Eren, while it happened very very quickly, they did go from ready to kill him at any moment to being calm around him.
Probably isn't that much in terms of growth from a writing perspective, but that's what I meant 😅
Also just as a dude with no writing experience I didn't expect em to be wiped out just like that.
@@MysticMylesZ Ok I understand what you mean. I do still disagree though, because of the spoon scene. We see that even when everyone is seemingly calm around him, they are still ready to off him at the drop of a hat. I do not think that has changed.
But everything else I completely agree with, you nailed it, haha.
You got it all wrong, if Eren had done something back when everyone else was alive it'd have made a difference they literally spell it for you.
22:24 Those bells also rang when I squash a bloody mosquito.
I remember being so fucking confused the first time seeing this episode and that silence was so deafening it just made me terrified like oh shit this is it for Armin what’s about to happen? everyone fucked?
No matter how you explain how reiner a traitor, no one expected that in their first watch anyway 🤣🤣🤣, i even thought that reiner is so cool, ge didn't die from that squish 🤣🤣🤣
These are awesome dude! Great video
@Korotos Mystery Shack maybe someone else said this, but there is something even more unique about the female titan that points to annie which i was surprised you didnt mention... THE NOSE, its the only character in the entire series with THAT nose shape, thats what sealed the deal for me, because blonde with blue eyes could have also been historia even if it was a stretch.
These are amazing, you do a great job with these, please keep making them! I look forward to them constantly lol
I WAS WAITING FOR THIS ONE😩🙏
Another detail in the scene with reiner and annie « fighting » is that reiner takes his hood off before the encounter
Great video, but the Zeducation's theme tune in the beginning part of the video made me think Tyler was about to pop on and start welcoming me to Zeducation.
man this videos are top quality
I think that odd sound effect sounds like a calm ocean lapping at the shore. I think it’s armins calm sound. What he imagines the ocean he hasn’t seen sounds like. It’s a self soothing technique for him. That’s my take on it.
Your videos are great to listen to. I’ve gone on walks at my job and it’s perfect while walking around.
Hey, I’m back! ☺️ I watch one of ur videos every night before bed ❤️
Watching these vidoes is now see that every single thing i didnt get in season one was just insane writing foreshadowing every major plotpoint. This Show is insane in terms of writing (and everything else).
I am gay😂
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
you're like my favorite creator thank you for all the work you put into these 💖💖💖
the ringing sound effect? It sounds to me like an old alarm clock two rooms over and you're dreaming but you still hear it fading through a bit.
That transition to the Female Titan theme is the classic Sawano Drop
These videos are goated man. Loving ‘em
Many thanks, glad you're enjoying them!
Plenty more on the way! 👍
I was just watching these videos and I see a new one pop up. Now I’m excited
New sub btw
I don’t understand how you were able to guess that Reiner outed himself. He simply told Armin what he was told. Yeah, it’s suspicious that the titan attacked the right flank (which was the flank that Reiner was told Eren was) but that doesn’t outright oust Reiner. Am I missing something?
But Reiner made himself a suspect by saying it. As the real culprit, you don't make yourself a suspect. That's why he outed himself.
Yeah it just shows that his plans showed Eren in the right flank. Without knowing how many ppl were given similar plans showing Eren in that location, it only makes him a suspect, it doesn't outright reveal them as spies.
@@petarbuglov8532 it doesn’t even make them suspects though, given reiner is passing off normal info in general. No one knew reiner and bertholdt were who they were, not even Erwin. Not armin either. Even after reiner was “squished” and even after reiner was somehow alive and annie looked at her palm. It would have not been obvious enough for readers to understand that reiner was evil. I thought of annie as looking at her hand that reiner escaped from and nothing more.
@@josiahperea5062 yea my bad. I meant suspicious as in Erwin will know that the traitors were given plans that showed Eren in the right flank. As for the viewer I agree that Reiner just saying that line, doesn't really reveal his identity.
I do agree that these scenes would definitely not have been enough to reveal Reiner's identity to the average viewer, but there probably were people that somewhat figured it out. I personally became suspicious when he took off his hood, but I quickly forgot all about it until it became relevant again in season 2, so I Def did not put two and two together in that episode
@@28aminoacids What if Jean was told the right flank? It could just be a coincidence. This is just an abnormal, same with collosal and armored. They don't know anyone other than Eren can transform.
21:51
Okay, be honest: We all laughed at this on first viewing. We shouldn't have, there was nothing funny about the guy being g-forced to death....
Buuuut we still laughed.
... ... ... eh???
Remember then when Armin is spared cuz he's kinda cute LOL
First time I saw it, I already had my suspicions of Reiner and Bertoldt (aside from them looking exactly like the Titans) because those two and Annie were the three musketeers - always together and prepared. The moment Reiner removed his hood to attack Annie was just a firm confirmation.
Oh yeah... Bertoldt looks a lot like the colossal.. He is kind of tall right?
lol hindsight is 20/20 no need to cap.
@@tahj-raereid5754 Dude is trying to look so smart on the internet.
And everybody clapped
@@tahj-raereid5754 or I just paid attention. Titans attack and eat humans for some reason; cool that's terrifying. Eren dies?? Oh snap this got real, no one is safe. Eren comes back?? Ohh so humans can become titans. Eren emerges from the nape; oh, titans ARE humans that's why they slice the same area of the neck. Obviously the rest of the show gets a bit wonky for my taste
The nose and blonde hair did it for me. I'm not too bright but the bread crumbs were there.
I'm so thankful for these videos. I really hope you don't stop after season 1.
I think Reiner would have killed Armin had Jean not showed up.
Season 1 and 2 were on a different level.
I can't get over how well written and executed AOT is!
Like how so many clues were right in our faces, but they weren't dead giveaways because of context.
Like yeah, in hindsight it's obvious Reiner cut a message into Annie's hand.
But the context of Annie freezing due to hearing Eren was killed clouds that clue.
You could assume she was staring at her hand because she can't believe she killed Eren.
I love these so much, you are so smart and the editing is on point.
I think a really small detail worth noting is that the Titans that confront the recruits that are standing on the trees are clawing and scratching at them. While you may think, “Obviously, it's because they're humans.” It’s important to note that Pure Titans CAN sense Shifters more potently. The arguments for this are when the Warriors arrived on Paradis and an idle, inactive Ymir emerged from the ground while four Shifters surrounded her. There’s also when Falco tried to eat Reiner, but immediately stopped as soon as he sensed a more attainable Shifter in Porco approaching him, directing his attention to him and snatching him up instantly.
On top of the trees, two Shifters are present in Bertholdt and Ymir. While nobody had any idea on how Pure Titans exactly functioned back then, it is interesting to note that the Titans interest in Bertholdt and Ymir coincides with the point of the Warriors being surrounded due to Erwin’s plan.
In hindsight, it's pretty cool.
oh wow i was just on an overanalysis binge
Love these videos! Keep it up!
Also, in the new episode there was a scene where Armin stared at a crow’s eye, and we saw Eren staring as if through the bird’s POV.
With this in mind, it’s possible that Eren using the paths is reflecting on how far they’ve come by watching Armin via the birds in the distance
One thing that im not 100% sure of but like to believe, is that the first time we saw the scouts, i think in episode 1, they were fighting that titan in some forest with giant ass trees. Its not a stretch to think that this mission is when they set up the trap or atleast the platforms.
No because the mission we see them is them outside all the walls
my favorite part of this series is as you’re releasing these i’ve been rewatching and i get to see all the 10 year old comments and theories and jokes about the first season
Marcel was the Brain's of the warriors of Marley.
If he survived the scouts would’ve been finished
10:30 I was completly taken by surprise when Annie was revealed as the Female Titan. I didn't see the similarities^^
Just rewatched this episode. Good timing
16:47
I think it’s also interesting to add that after picking up Armin, Reiner said that “if the Female Titan is an intelligent one, she won’t bother eating us” or something along those lines. With the camera pointing with Reiner looking back to Annie almost as if he’s communicating with her, giving her the excuse that she can leave them alone now now that him, Armin and Jean are all aware that she’s intelligent.
It’s very subtle but I thought it was sus, but also goes to show that at that point, the Marley squad was basically winging out their plan to capture Eren now that they lost the chance for a quick capture mission on the right flank.
I think you missed that Armin and Reiner's plans were the same, Reiner just phrased it differently. Reiner says they were in charge/leading the right flank, while Armin says they were in front of the right flank.
I just found this channel through this video and I absolutely love this so much!!! I love Aot so much but after watching plenty of theory videos and breakdowns and especially this video I realize I'm way too stupid to understand all the finer points that come together to make amazing reveals that blow our minds
Really been enjoying these!
Fun fact about the Female Titan's Power since you didnt mention the hardening.
The Female Titan's signature power is being able to copy other titan's powers.
The hardening is from Reiner's Armored, and the scream is a nerfed version of Zeke's Royal Beast. It's appearance may take from the Colossal's (and by proxy potentially some of it's height. Maybe it's normally a small titan), and if we wanna get even goofier with the hypithesizing, it's unhinged haw could be in reference to the Jaw? Idek what the Cart could be with her tho lol. (Edit: I realize Annie's able to transform within short bursts like Pieck can, as she transformed after the carcass was eaten in the forest. Of course Eren was able to train himself to do this too, but with how Pieck's cart works, it's possible she got that ability like a shortcut.)
It's easily the weirdest titan since we know so little about it, even after the series has ended. Like, how would a Female Titan's power work when it copies the Attack or Warhammer's? Hell, even the Founder itself. And then if it hadn't copied the other titans from Marley aside from Reiner & Zeke (which seems like not even the true powers of the Beast), what would the other Titan powers be like with hers? What would, or even *could*, a male inheritor of the Female Titan be like? Lots of fun to speculate with.
Ya it’s still so crazy that I didn’t even recognize it was Annie the first watch thru.
Wait... So ur telling me that I just binged all 14 of these in two days and now I have to wait for the next one?? 😭
Soon 👀
@@Koroto As a long time fan of AoT, reader of the manga, and watcher of WAY too many videos on YT about the series, I can confidently say your analysis and deep dives are some of the best! Keep up the great work!
I think you missed the fact that Reiner gives Annie a signal to cover him with the female titan hand. He gives her a wink and then she covers him so he can write her Eren's position.
I really like your videos and you seem to have a really good grasp on the lore of AOT.
That said something about the show has really been bothering me that I can’t figure out. It sucks because I really love the show but can’t figure this out..
In your opinion why didn’t Zeke and Eren touch in Marley? Instead of Zeke throwing him the baseball? I’ve seen others mention that they didn’t trust each other yet but that seems like a cop out. They didn’t really trust each other when Eren was decapitated either. It also seems like if anyone Eren should have been the one to decline a handshake for his ulterior motives whereas Zeke definitely would have wanted to immediately.
This is really bothering me..
no way I watched all the videos in this series the past few days and now we get a new one
salivating for the next video on episode 19
"Whaaaaa???"--anyone on AOT when its suggested that they have a romantic interest
Wow there are so many things I didn’t pick up on 😮
Great work man!
lmao me and my friends did not even discuss season 1 as long as this video discusses a few points.
Time to make up for that! 😂
Damn. Old school Wit Studio AOT is just best in director from the animations, pacing, and soundtrack its just chef's kiss.
3:55 there is immediate danger its RIGHT THERE
The female Titan was such a menace when she first appeared. She was faster, stronger and smarter then all of these scout teams. Just an unstoppable cerebral warrior.
I like your interpretation that Reiner didnt expect Annie to spare Armin. I saw it differently however;
I thought Reiner and Annie's plan included Armin's location, since the only person in the formation who's location we are specifically told is not where its supposed to be is Eren. None of the three guys (Reiner, Armin and Jean) are surprised to see each other there, so we know that each of them was expecting them to be there.
I thought their first plan was to have Annie attack to right flank based on the info Reiner's version of the formation suggested, and then if he isn't there she can move in from the right flank to find Armin, killing off the other scouts in the formation near him. That would allow Reiner to run into Armin and probe him for information about where he thinks Eren might be. Then Annie can stay close enough that they'd force Armin and Jean to try to slow her down, which would give Reiner the opportunity to pass on the new info on Eren's location that he got from Armin.
They both already knew Armin was a genius and so he would be the one most likely to figure out where Eren might be if not where they were told he was, and once given that info Annie would be able to actually kill him and Jean and any other scouts nearby to cover Reiner's tracks.
I dont think Annie would have let Armin live a second time on purpose, but her feelings may have made her hesitate enough that her blow didnt outright kill him. Either that or Jean's attack interrupted her which was then interrupted again by Armin's mind games.
Also I think the quick cut when Reiner gets crushed in Annie's hand is interesting. Right as we hear him pop the angle swaps from looking at her hand facing the palm to instead looking at her hand facing the back. So while you still see the squish, you dont see Reiner under her thumb anymore.
It might just be to give the viewers plausible deniability for how Reiner didnt die, but still, interesting.
it may be just me monday morning quarterbacking but i feel like as undercover operatives in enemy territory, they should have suspected that there would be efforts to snuff them out, and one of the oldest tricks in the book is to leak different intel to different people in order to figure out the traitor based on which intel the enemy acts on. Point is, reiner should have suspected that he was given false intel. I feel like if annie made her rounds normally, armin would have had a much harder time figuring out their identities.
There is no way firsthand into the series you thought of all of this. Unless you mean after all of the information we have now, then it makes sense.
@@josiahperea5062 Yeah I meant after coming back after watching all of whats currently available with the full context of the Warrior's motives and available knowledge for that point in the story.
This interpretation is interesting. But it requires Reiner and squad to have MUCH more forethought than I think they actually had. Apart from the fact that they were kids, it's fairly obvious they were really just winging this mission: They had info that Eren would be in the right wing, so it was there they searched. They had no reason to suspect that the info might be wrong.
Your theory could come back into play at this point though -- Annie knew where Armin and Reiner would be, and run in that general direction in hopes that something would come out of it. Luckily, that worked out.
Basically I'm disagreeing with the idea that they had prepared such an elaborate plan beforehand, but liking the rest of your thought process.
@@Darksightkellar Everything we get shown of the Warrior training suggests this level of planning is probably above their intelligence, but at the same time we dont get shown much of it.
We do get told they were basically trained from the earliest age possible.
In the final few minutes of the S4E3P1 we get to see a slideshow of Reiner's childhood as he grew up and eventually earned his yellow armband.
From the looks of it the Warrior training program could have easily started as early as 4-5, giving them a solid 5 years of training, up to maybe 7 or 8 at the most since they dont leave for Paradis until they are 11-12 (1-2 years older than Eren and crew).
Am I saying its likely or even the way we are intended to think they had it planned considering we arent told any of these parts and usually at some point the hidden details are spelled out eventually?
No I dont think so.
Buuuut it is written in a way that adds even more layers of detail that can be extrapolated.
Thats the fun part! :)
Yeah...well if we're going to be "overanalyzing"...Erwin cheated and read the script. The only enemy intelligent titans they had encountered prior to this mission starting were the Armored and the Colossal. That ambush they set up would not have worked on either of them. (The Colossal is too big; the harpoons wouldn't have penetrated the Armored to stick to him.) The trap Erwin set up should have been something for the Armored given what he knew and when he knew it. Instead he set a trap for someone comparable to the Attack titan and got lucky.
And the biggest blunder the Warriors did is in a couple episodes - when the Scouts are beaten and bruised, Eren is unconscious, Levi is wounded, Mikasa is the only one not completely worn out, and the rest of the Scouts have seemed to abandoned the whole long range scouting formation and are just travelling in a simple column back home. Well Reiner and Bertholdt could've transformed right there, grabbed Eren, and annihilated the rest of the group leaving no witnesses. Reiner even says something like "we're not home safe until we're back inside the walls" and doesn't capitalize on the Scout's mistake.
It's almost as bad as a blunder as whatever Marleyan general thought up the whole general operation.
Well, Erwin brought cannons designed for pierce through skin and lock the Titan in place.
Given the armored Titan does have bits of exposed skin, as well as eyes, hair, hands, etc,especially when speeding up (which Reiner as doing when he broke the wall) it does make sense that there would be some spots exposed to hold down a Titan.
Everywhere they attacked Annie was a spot for movement. The glutes, the joints, the knees, the ankles, and such. All of which were things that would be exposed when Reiner would be running in his speed form, the same form he used on Eren and when he broke the wall.
So it wasn’t entirely fruitless AND was still comparable.
It’s a good day when one of these drops