Trama

After the Titans break through the wall, the citizens of Shiganshina must run for their lives. Those that do make it to safety find a harsh life waiting for them, however.

Hannes apologizes to Eren for not saving his mother; he admits he was afraid of the Titan and that both Eren and Mikasa are still weak children. Some of the Shiganshina townsfolk escape to the inner Wall Maria while the soldiers try to hold off the Titans. The soldiers try to close the gate, but one of the Titans (later named Armored Titan) rams the gate, breaching Wall Maria, and causing those inside to retreat even further to Wall Rose. Some time later, Eren has a strange dream in which his grieving father forcefully gives him an injection and his key before being woken up by Mikasa. Eren grows disgusted with the people of Wall Rosé as the latter do not like sharing their food with the refugees. During the next year, as a food shortage becomes apparent, the government orders the refugees to work at the farms or fight to reclaim Wall Maria.

As crows begin to feed on the dead citizens of Shiganshina District, a religious man is frantically reciting words from his book. Townsfolk are screaming and running as the Titans roam the district, and the man is eventually confronted and eaten by a Titan, his book falling to the ground. A woman flees to a dark alley, covering her mouth, and is plucked from her spot, screaming.

Recovering from his state of shock, Eren attacks Hannes for abandoning his mother. He insists that if given more time, his mother could have been saved. With Eren struggling to punch him again, Hannes explains that Eren did not have the strength to save his mother, further infuriating him. However, he then says that the reason he could not save Eren's mother was because he did not have the courage to face the Titan. As they are led toward Wall Maria, Mikasa's head begins to ache as she recalls a dead man and woman before remarking about the familiarity of this event.

Armin is on a ship preparing to leave Shiganshina, scanning the crowds for Eren and Mikasa. He spots them in a large crowd of refugees, but refrains from calling them when he sees the look on their faces. His grandfather notes their faces as well, understanding that they must have felt some great amount of terror. A Garrison soldier shepherds a group of survivors through the gates, and takes charge in defending the ships used to escape the district. While he and his comrades fruitlessly defend the inner Wall, Hannes and another officer debate about whether they should close the gate and abandon their comrades, or leave them open for the comrades' retreat. This debate is short-lived as an Armored Titan appears, crashing through the inner Wall and killing its defenders. The gravity of the situation dawns on Eren when he realizes he can never go home again. Seeing the weakness of humanity, he vows to kill every last Titan in the world.

Elsewhere on the roads, Eren's father drives his carriage with haste, hoping for the safety of his family.

In Eren's dreams, he sees his father frantically trying to inject him with a mysterious syringe while giving him the key to his basement, before Mikasa wakes him up. As they leave to get food rations, Eren tucks the key to his basement, hung around his neck by a string, into his shirt. Eren and Mikasa join up with Armin to receive their food rations when they overhear soldiers talking about the food shortage due to the refugees from Wall Maria.

Eren becomes angry and attacks one but is saved from a confrontation when Armin steps in on his behalf. He accuses Armin of being weak and not standing up to those who look down on him. However, Mikasa then intervenes and tells Eren that the only thing they can do now is to survive as his mother said because they have no chance of killing a Titan.

The royal government tries to rectify the food shortage by having refugees cultivate land, but it is not enough. In the following year of 846, they use the refugees to launch a military campaign and retake Wall Maria, but it ends in disaster with about a hundred survivors from a total of 250 thousand soldiers. The food shortage has improved, but Armin's grandfather dies in the conflict. In the aftermath of the disastrous mission, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin decide to apply for military training.

The following year, the three are part of the newly formed 104th Cadet Corps. As their commandant, Keith Sadies is giving them a lecture on their first day in training, Eren internally reiterates his vow to kill all Titans.