WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Attack on Titan Season 4, Episode 26, "Traitor," now streaming on Funimation, Hulu and Crunchyroll.
Annie Leonhart's Female Titan is one of the earliest true antagonists in Attack on Titan, while the "Female Titan" story arc remains one of the series' strongest to this day. Season 4, Episode 26 sees Annie's Titan form officially back in action for the first time since Season 1. This also marks the first time fans have been able to see her done by Studio MAPPA in all her glory. Previously, she'd only been shown in the flashback that demonstrated why each Warrior was the perfect fit for their Titan.
The last time the Female Titan saw any action, she left a ton of devastation in her wake. Annie killed innumerable members of the Scouts -- including the former Squad Levi -- as she infiltrated their mission in an attempt to capture Eren Yeager. The Female Titan had never been seen prior to this mission, so her sudden appearance came as a complete shock to the Scouts. Armin was eventually able to figure out her identity and the Scouts came up with a plan to capture her.
When that plan failed, more devastation ensued. Civilians were unfortunately caught up in the battle between the Female Titan, Eren and the Scouts. Many innocent people died and the Scouts didn't even get any of the answers they were hoping for after capturing Annie. She used her Titan's hardening ability to seal herself inside a crystal, where she stayed silent and unmoving for four whole years. However, the crystal finally broke down in Episode 22 of Season 4 when Eren undid all hardening, including the Armored Titan's armor, as he started the Rumbling to destroy the world.
Annie has been back for a few Attack on Titan episodes now but is only just joining the action. The Female Titan made her epic return in Episode 26, fighting alongside Reiner as the Armored Titan for the first time. She wasted no time in killing several Yeagerists, even incorporating her signature kick as the entire fight sequence was reminiscent of her rampage in Season 1. Annie's ruthlessness in battle came as no surprise. After all, she's made it clear that the only life she really cares about is her father's. She confessed to Hitch that she didn't even care about her own life.
Annie was abandoned as a baby and adopted by the man she now knows as her father. The man brutally drilled martial arts into her so she could become a Warrior and make his life better, but it wasn't until the day she was to leave for the mission on Paradis Island that he apologized for his mistreatment. He tearfully admitted that everything he taught her was wrong and told her to forget about being a Marleyan and a Warrior. All he wished for at this point was for his adopted daughter to return to him.
It's not difficult to see why Annie is such a detached person in Attack on Titan. Knowing her background allows fans to view her behavior and actions in Season 1 through a whole new lens. Her ruthlessness as she killed so many people as the Female Titan, to the point where she seemed to enjoy it, is much more understandable now. The Female Titan's comeback has only just begun as the battle against the Yeagerists isn't over, and there's still the potential fight against Eren to think about.
