Chapter Summaries

After the food crisis eased, Eren and Armin decided to join the Training Corps, and Arthur and Mikasa chose to go with them. Eren eventually got Carla’s permission, and the four planned to register for the 104th Training Corps the next day.

• After the failed Wall Maria operation, Armin learned that his grandfather Arnold had not returned, while the survivors faced a land reclamation policy.
• Years later, Arthur and Mikasa worked in the fields together, where Mikasa shared bread with Arthur and blushed when he checked her forehead.
• Eren announced that he and Armin had decided to join the Training Corps.
• Arthur decided to join them, and Mikasa followed, saying she would keep them from getting killed.
• Arthur left Eren to tell Carla about their plans, and Armin fled when Eren sought his help.
• Eren secured Carla’s permission despite getting his backside swollen and his ears pinched, and the four planned to register for the 104th Training Corps the next day.

Arthur and his companions went to register for the 104th Training Corps, where Arthur rescued Historia Reiss from two thugs and met her. He and Mikasa completed their registration, and Historia planned to see Arthur again when training began.

• Arthur, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa arrived early at the registration office and waited for the crowd to thin before joining separate lines.
• Arthur saw two thugs harassing Historia Reiss and stepped in to protect her.
• Arthur defeated the thugs, and the registration officer had them taken away after hearing what happened.
• Historia introduced herself to Arthur and Mikasa, and they learned that she was joining the 104th Training Corps too.
• Arthur said goodbye to Historia, then registered with Mikasa and became a member of the 104th Training Corps.

Arthur attended the 104th Training Corps induction ceremony, where Keith intimidated the recruits and questioned them about their ambitions. Keith recognized Arthur as someone who had cared for Carla, treated him gently, and dismissed the ceremony; training was due to begin the next day.

• Keith insulted the recruits and singled out Armin, Thomas, Mina, Jean, Marco, and Connie, mocking their answers and correcting Connie's backward salute.
• Sasha ate a stolen sweet potato during the ceremony and confused Keith with her explanations, so he ordered her to run and skip dinner.
• After noticing Arthur had laughed, Keith approached him, recognized him, and asked why he had joined the Training Corps.
• Arthur said he had joined to protect the people he cherished, prompting Mikasa, Eren, and Armin to react warmly.
• Keith ended the ceremony and announced that training would begin the next day, and Arthur told Eren he had met the instructor before.

At dinner, Arthur met Christa and Ymir, then stopped a quarrel between Eren and Jean. Later, he discovered Christa had saved bread for Sasha, while Ymir joined them and helped carry Sasha back; Arthur then met Reiner and Bertolt before falling asleep ahead of training.

• Christa and Ymir joined Arthur, Mikasa, and Armin for dinner, and Ymir thanked Arthur for helping Christa while urging Christa to eat her bread.
• Arthur broke up a fight between Eren and Jean by warning them that Instructor Keith might confine them, and the two boys apologized.
• Jean fell for Mikasa at first sight, then watched her leave with Arthur after Arthur affectionately patted her head and suggested she shorten her hair.
• Arthur found Christa bringing her saved bread and water to Sasha, caught Christa when Sasha lunged for the food, and heard Sasha call Christa an angel.
• Ymir emerged from hiding and criticized Christa for helping Sasha, but then helped Christa carry the sleeping Sasha back to the dormitory.
• Arthur met Reiner Braun and Bertolt, exchanged introductions with them, and went to sleep before formal training began.

The cadets took the balance adaptability test, where Arthur discovered that Keith had sabotaged Eren's belt. Eren passed with Arthur's belt, and Keith later explained that he had tried to discourage Eren from joining the Survey Corps to protect Grisha's bloodline.

• Keith had the cadets begin the balance test, where Mikasa and Arthur stayed steady but Eren hung upside down.
• Arthur swapped belts with Eren and stayed balanced, then realized Eren's belt had been tampered with.
• Arthur encouraged Eren to try again with his belt, and Eren passed the test after staying steady for five minutes.
• Keith admitted that Eren's belt was damaged, while Arthur demonstrated that he could keep his balance even with it.
• Arthur confronted Keith that evening, learned he had tried to discourage Eren from joining the Survey Corps, and let the matter rest after Keith promised not to stand in Eren's way.

After six months of conditioning and Omni-Directional Mobility Gear training, Keith began hand-to-hand combat lessons. Arthur trained with Christa, making Mikasa jealous, then cared for Mikasa before the chapter ended with Eren hurting his training partner.

• Keith ended the physical conditioning and Omni-Directional Mobility Gear courses and announced hand-to-hand combat training.
• Arthur was paired with Christa and easily disarmed her during their first practice bout.
• Arthur taught Christa self-defense moves, while Mikasa grew unsettled watching them and Ymir became jealous.
• Arthur gave Christa water, then went to Mikasa, offered her water, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
• Arthur drank from Mikasa's cup, making her blush, before a shout about Eren's rough training drew his attention.

Arthur accepted Annie Leonhart’s challenge after she attacked him, then demonstrated his superior fighting skills in front of the cadets. He left Annie defeated and injured but later admitted to Mikasa that he might have gone too far.

• Eren defeated Reiner in their training match using techniques Arthur had taught him, and both declined to spar with Arthur.
• Annie challenged Arthur and kicked at him as he turned away, prompting Mikasa to step in before Arthur agreed to fight Annie.
• Arthur let Annie attack him for ten moves, avoiding or absorbing her strikes, then overwhelmed her with a relentless assault.
• Arthur dislocated Annie’s arm with a joint lock and kept her pinned until she yielded, then put her arm back in place and walked away with Mikasa.
• Keith ordered Mina and Christa to take Annie to the infirmary while the cadets discussed Arthur’s strength and ruthlessness.
• Arthur told Mikasa he thought he had gone too far and thanked her for standing up for him.

Arthur excelled at horsemanship, shared his knowledge with the cadets, and was appointed their instructor after Keith recognized the value of his methods. He declined Commander Dot Pixis’s offer to join the Garrison, and the chapter ended with the cadets receiving three days off.

• After three months of teaching Annie hand-to-hand combat, Arthur began horsemanship training with the other cadets.
• Eren repeatedly failed to tame his horse while Jean, Connie, and Sasha teased one another; Mikasa told Armin that Arthur had learned to ride as a child.
• Arthur earned full marks on the first day, then taught Christa, Ymir, and the other cadets how to handle their horses.
• Keith had Arthur record his horsemanship knowledge and appointed him an instructor, helping most of the cadets complete the course.
• Commander Dot Pixis praised Arthur and offered him a place in the Garrison, but Arthur refused so he could stay with Mikasa, Eren, and the others.
• Keith announced that horsemanship training had ended and gave all the cadets three days off.

During their three-day holiday, Eren, Arthur, Mikasa, and Armin visited Carla, where Eren’s teasing about Arthur and Christa sparked Mikasa’s jealousy. After they returned to the Training Corps, Arthur persuaded Keith to let Carla work as a cook, improving the food for all the trainees.

• Eren, Arthur, Mikasa, and Armin returned home for their holiday and shared a meal with Carla, who asked about their lives in the Training Corps.
• Eren suggested that Arthur and Christa liked each other, prompting Mikasa to snap her spoon and question Eren until he admitted he had misunderstood.
• After the holiday, the four returned to the Training Corps and missed Carla’s cooking.
• Arthur persuaded Keith to let Carla join the Training Corps as a cook, and Keith eventually agreed.
• Carla became the Training Corps cook, serving generous portions and greatly improving the meals, especially delighting Sasha.

Arthur Ackerman led his group on a loaded march and camped for the night, where he caught a bandit planning to steal the cadets’ Omni-Directional Mobility Gear. After learning that the bandits had guns and were targeting the other groups, Arthur rode with Jean and Ymir to warn Eren’s group.

• Arthur led group one to a campsite and arranged for the cadets to rest while he took the first watch.
• Arthur caught a masked man hiding near the camp and discovered that he was a bandit with accomplices.
• Arthur forced the bandit to reveal that twelve men planned to steal the cadets’ Omni-Directional Mobility Gear and that some carried guns.
• The bandit said his accomplices had already moved against the other groups, so Arthur sent Armin, Marco, and Mina to guard him.
• Arthur, Jean, and Ymir mounted their horses and rode toward Eren’s group to warn them.

Arthur found Eren and the others after bandits stole their Omni-Directional Mobility Gear and captured Christa. He gathered a rescue team and followed the bandits’ wagon tracks, leaving Eren’s group to alert Keith.

• Arthur, Ymir, and Jean reached the clearing and learned that the bandits had taken Christa after disarming Eren’s group.
• Ymir tried to rush after the bandits, but Arthur stopped her and learned that eleven outlaws, including six gunmen, were involved.
• Reiner, Annie, Bertolt, Mikasa, and the others arrived, and Arthur organized a rescue team while Eren’s group rode back to inform Keith.
• Arthur tracked the wagon ruts and planned to ambush the bandits, sending Mikasa, Reiner, and himself through the forest while Annie, Jean, and Ymir acted as bait.

Arthur and the recruits rescued Christa from the bandits by luring them into a trade and launching a coordinated attack. After the bandits were captured, Commander Pixis praised Arthur and offered to train him if he joined the Garrison.

• Annie, Jean, and Ymir followed the wagon tracks into a clearing and were ambushed by the bandits holding Christa.
• Jean negotiated with the bandit leader and asked to see Christa, giving Arthur and the others time to prepare.
• Arthur attacked the leader while Mikasa, Reiner, and Bertolt took down the gunmen, and Annie and Ymir helped subdue the remaining bandits.
• Mikasa freed Christa, and the recruits held the captured bandits until Instructor Keith arrived before dawn.
• Military Police Brigade soldiers took the bandits into custody, and Commander Pixis praised Arthur and offered to train him if he joined the Garrison.

In winter 849, the Training Corps began its dangerous snowy mountain exercise, with cadets divided into groups and ordered to reach a destination using limited supplies. Arthur led his group out, looking after Christa and worrying about the ailing Daz.

• Keith let cadets in poor physical condition withdraw, then assigned the remaining soldiers to groups led by cadets including Eren Yeager, Reiner Braun, and Arthur Ackerman.
• Arthur reassured Mikasa before the groups departed, while Ymir asked him to look after Christa.
• Daz began coughing violently, but refused Arthur's suggestion that he withdraw from the exercise.
• Arthur gave Christa his knitted winter hat after noticing her shivering in the wind.
• Arthur led his group toward the destination with a lantern and told everyone to stay close behind him.

Arthur led the trainees through the blizzard to their first rest stop, where he checked on the struggling Christa and Daz. Daz refused Arthur’s advice to withdraw, and the group set out again with him still unwell.

• Arthur checked that the group could continue and kept an eye on Christa and Daz as they trudged through the storm.
• Arthur led everyone to a wooden cabin, where they warmed up and ate their rations.
• Christa returned Arthur’s wool hat, but he told her to keep wearing it and take care of it for him.
• Daz developed a violent cough, and Arthur advised him to stay behind and withdraw from the training.
• Daz insisted he could continue, so Arthur led the group back into the blizzard after their rest.

Arthur led the exhausted trainees to the second rest stop, but Christa and Daz went missing in the blizzard. He found Christa barely conscious and carried her onward, leaving Daz behind as he hurried to save her.

• Daz collapsed with a high fever, and Christa volunteered to drag him while Arthur led the group onward.
• Arthur reached the second rest stop and discovered Christa and Daz had not arrived.
• Christa became lost while dragging Daz, collapsed in the snow, and began to succumb to the cold.
• Arthur searched for Christa, found her, and carried her while dragging Daz behind him.
• Arthur judged Christa's condition dire and abandoned Daz to move faster through the blizzard.

Arthur found an abandoned cabin and tried to save the unconscious Christa by warming her with his body. At the camp, the others learned that Arthur and Christa were missing, but the blizzard prevented a search party from setting out.

• Arthur carried Christa into an abandoned cabin, lit the stove, and pressed his bare chest against her to warm her.
• The fifth group reached camp without Arthur or Christa, and a trainee explained that Arthur had gone into the blizzard to find her.
• Mikasa and Ymir tried to leave to search for Arthur and Christa, but the instructor ordered everyone to stay inside until the storm eased.
• Eren and Armin restrained Mikasa and persuaded her to wait, and she returned inside to worry over Arthur.

Arthur saved Christa from freezing in a cabin, where the two grew closer and began a relationship. After the blizzard ended, Arthur returned with Christa, and the group learned that Daz had died beneath the snow.

• Arthur warmed Christa in the cabin until she woke, and she kissed him while he was asleep.
• Arthur urged Christa to live for herself, and she promised before the two kissed and became intimate.
• After the blizzard subsided, Arthur carried Christa back to the others, who were relieved to see them safe.
• Christa told Ymir what had happened but concealed her intimacy with Arthur, explaining that she could not walk because of a sprained ankle.
• Keith learned that Daz had not survived, and the group was told his body could not be found beneath the snow.

The 104th class graduated, and Keith announced the top ten cadets eligible to join the Military Police Brigade, with Arthur ranked first. At the final celebration, Arthur was caught between Christa and Mikasa as Ymir teased Mikasa about her feelings for him and began plotting to bring them together.

• Keith announced the three regiments and named Historia Reiss, Connie Springer, Marco Bott, Jean Kirstein, Eren Yeager, Annie Leonhart, Bertolt, Reiner Braun, Mikasa Ackerman, and Arthur Ackerman among the top ten, with Arthur as top graduate.
• Arthur and the other cadets celebrated graduation at a communal dinner, where Sasha turned her disappointment into a feast.
• Christa and Mikasa competed to fill Arthur's bowl while Ymir teased him and bickered with him.
• Ymir asked Mikasa whether she and Arthur were more like lovers than siblings, and Mikasa blushed without answering.
• Ymir privately decided to get Arthur and Mikasa together so she could have Christa to herself, while Arthur suspected she was plotting something.

At the graduation dinner, Eren’s argument with Jean over joining the Survey Corps left the trainees doubting humanity’s ability to defeat the Titans. Arthur rallied them with a speech about fighting together and resisting, ending with the trainees chanting for humanity as the instructors listened.

• Jean questioned why Eren planned to join the Survey Corps, and Eren argued that humanity had to fight the Titans rather than live behind the walls.
• Thomas described Wall Maria’s fall and the Survey Corps’ failed expeditions, deepening the trainees’ fear and doubt.
• Arthur climbed onto a table, explained how teamwork and the Titans’ nape weakness could make them vulnerable, and warned that nowhere would be safe if the walls fell.
• Arthur urged the trainees to fight rather than die as cowards, prompting one trainee and then the crowd to shout that they would be heroes.
• Arthur led the trainees in chanting to drive out the Titans and defend humanity, while Keith and the other instructors listened with tears in their eyes.

On the day after graduation, Arthur and Mikasa worked in an office with Christa and Ymir, where Mikasa explained her bond with Arthur. Their conversation was interrupted when the Colossal Titan appeared at Trost and breached the district’s gate, leaving humanity to face another Titan invasion.

• Arthur and Mikasa sorted files while Christa and Ymir visited them during a break from patrol.
• Ymir asked about Mikasa’s scarf, and Mikasa said Arthur had given it to her and explained that they were not biological siblings.
• Mikasa recalled that Arthur had saved her after robbers murdered her parents, leaving Christa and Ymir somber.
• Arthur sensed danger and saw the Colossal Titan appear beside the wall.
• The Colossal Titan swept away the wall’s cannons and kicked a massive hole through Trost District’s gate.