Attack on Titan Episode 81: Connie takes away Falco, Annie’s titan shell is undone

Fans had been excited to see the Rumbling play out in Attack on Titan episode 81, but they were pleasantly surprised when the episode went in a different direction. Viewers got to witness the development of Gabi’s character as Eren’s friends struggled with a moral and ethical dilemma. As anticipated, fans were treated to a much-awaited return.

[The article contains spoilers for Attack on Titan episode 81]

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Attack on Titan Episode 81 marks Annie’s return, the Survey Corps face their comrades-turned-titans

Recap of Episode 80

Zeke confronted Eren about his actions in the past and tried to order Ymir to carry out the Euthanasia plan. Ymir’s torturous past was revealed, including her relationship with King Fritz and how she became the first titan. After her death, she became trapped in the World of Paths, slave to all titan-shifters.

Eren requested her power to destroy the world, and Ymir reattached his head to his body. Eren transformed into his enormous Founding Titan form, and undid the hardening on the wall. He marched on with his Wall-Titans, commencing the Rumbling.

Eren brought every Eldian to the World of the Paths and declared his goal to destroy the world in order to save Paradis. Eren’s friends, especially Mikasa and Armin, were left shocked.

The title of Attack on Titan episode 81 is “Thaw.”

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Gabi’s resolve

Attack on Titan episode 81 opens With Annie Leonhart’s father coming out of the World of Paths, confused and frightened. Back in Paradis, Gabi and Reiner search for Falco.

Reiner informs his cousin that after transforming for the first time, Falco would be unconscious and suffering from memory loss. Furthermore, as the Jaws Titan, Falco is incredibly important and must have been taken by Jean and Connie.

Reiner’s armor came undone when Eren unbound the hardening on the Wall, and he is visibly injured. He regrets not being able to stop Eren, and advises Gabi to find Piek and run away.

Gabi retorts that there is nowhere to run, and their family back in Marley is also in danger. Letting an unconscious Reiner rest inside a shed, Gabi leaves to find Falco with her anti-Titan rifle.

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Connie takes away Falco

Attack on Titan episode 81 shifts focus to where Jean and Connie regroup with Armin and Mikasa, with a captured and unconscious Falco in tow. Jean tries to reason that Eren has always thought of them above everyone else, and even now he wants to protect them.

While Armin maintains that what Eren is doing is genocide, Jean reminds him that they cannot stop Eren. As they argue, the pure titans start eating Marleyans and the Survey Corps members alike.

They soon start to debate about what to do with Falco. Jean believes that they should feed him to someone like Commander Pixis, while Armin believes that they should return Falco in order to avoid further bloodshed between the two sides.

Connie, however, wants to feed him to his mother back in Ragako village. He argues with Armin and Jean, and when they are attacked by a pure titan, he takes Falco and runs away, presumably towards his village.

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Gabi saves Kaya

The Braus family is chased by a pure titan as they escape, and it follows Kaya down a tunnel. Kaya has a flashback of when her mother was eaten and Sasha had saved her. A gunshot is heard, and Gabi appears with her anti-Titan rifle and kills the titan. Kaya looks at her and sees Sasha.

Two Survey Corps members appear and suspect that Gabi is one of the Marleyan Warrior candidates. However, Nicolo pretends to have shot the titan himself, and Kaya tells the soldiers that Gabi is a part of their family. The soldiers believe them and take them to the Corps' headquarters.

Gabi and Kaya whisper their gratitude to each other. Gabi regrets her actions, but Nicolo assures her that everyone has felt the impulse to kill and it is only human to do so. Attack on Titan episode 81 builds on the motif of the forest, which symbolizes the imposed propensity towards violence that children must escape.

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The slaughter of the Pure Titans

Jean, Armin, and Mikasa gather the remaining Corps members and start slaughtering the titans. Yelena realizes that Zeke has lost, and she and her troops are saved by Mikasa. The three friends are forced to kill commander Pixis with heavy hearts. Inspector Keith Shadis leads another troop of soldiers.

After the pure titans are slaughtered, Jean tells Onyankopon about Eren’s plans, and is visibly upset when the latter laments the fact that his homeland will also be destroyed by the Rumbling. Floch Foster comes in and puts a gun to Yelena’s head, elated that Eren is going to establish Eldian supremacy.

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Annie’s return

Gabi is brought to Armin and Mikasa, who tells her about Falco’s current status. Gabi is inconsolable and asks them why Eren didn’t turn everyone back to humans if he could undo Reiner’s armor. She further asks why Eren wants to destroy the world when taking out all the military bases of every country should do the trick.

While everyone present is visibly distressed, Armin realizes that Eren’s command undid all titan hardenings, including the one that encased Annie Leonhart. Indeed, Attack on Titan episode 81 shows Annie lying on the floor, out of her titan casing.

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Final thoughts

Gabi’s questions in Attack on Titan episode 81 make viewers wonder what Eren’s true goal is. While Jean tried to rationalize it, his reaction to Onyankopon indicates that they won’t sit still while Eren goes on a genocidal rampage.

Connie’s plight is understandable, but so is Gabi’s. The debate on whether one life is worth saving by sacrificing another is a core aspect of the show, and Attack on Titan episode 81 further complicates the question.

However, Annie’s return enticed viewers more than anything else, just as it did for Armin. It will be interesting to see how she reacts to the things that have transpired in the 4 years she had spent inside her shell.

Attack on Titan episode 82 is titled “Sunset” and will air on Sunday, February 20.