Attack on Titan Episode 23 Ending Explained: What is the backstory of Annie Leonhart? and Is Levi Alive?

The Attack on Titan Episode 23, titled “Sunset”, showcased the backstory of Annie Leonhart. In the following Episode, we first go to the Stohess District, where Hitch Dreyse and the military soldiers are picking up the survivors and the dead bodies of those who have lost their lives with the Rumbling. 

We also get to see a brief backstory of Annie Leonhart, like how his father, Mr Leonhart, has trained her to become a soldier. Also, at the end of the episode, we saw Hange and Levi making their much-awaited return. If you have missed out on The Attack on Titan Episode 23, then do not worry. In this article, we will explain in detail on ending explained of episode 23. So without further ado, let’s get started. 

The Attack on Titan Episode 23 Ending Explained: What was the backstory of Annie Leonhart? 

The Attack on Titan Episode 23 starts with Stohess District, where Hitch Dreyse and the military soldiers pick up the survivors and the dead bodies of those who have lost their lives with the Rumbling. 

The people in that district are outraged at Eren because of the Rumbling of the Wall Titans. They have lost their loved ones. But few Eren supporters say that the sacrifice is needed as the Eldian empire will regain its glory days back because of Eren’s Rumbling. 

The public has been split into two groups, and Dreyse and the other soldiers notice this. Then Commander Hitch informs them to go back to the headquarters to bring about more soldiers as they will have to stop the fight. 

As Dreyse goes, she sees a trail of liquid coming from the basement to have a closer look, she goes inside the basement, and Annie Leonhart grabs a knife on Dreyse’s throat from behind. She threats her if she shouts, she will cut her throat. 

But Dreyse easily managed to pin down Annie Leonhart and says she doesn’t have the power to do anything, and after pinning Annie down, Dreyse also saw the blood coming from Annie’s hand. Annie says if she shouts again, she will transform into a Titan now.

Dreyse says she doesn’t have the powers to transform into Titan; then, some soldiers come knocking on the door, and Dreyse makes up her mind that she won’t shout and blow Annie’s cover-up. 

Then we see both of them in the horse stable. They both discuss the four years Annie was stuck inside the crystal. Annie says it was like a dream. Sometimes she used to listen to Armin talking to her, and she also had heard Dreyse’s endless rants on lousy men. 

Annie also reveals that when the crystal broke and she woke up, she listened to Eren addressing all the Subjects of Ymir that he intends to destroy the world. Annie asked Dreyse whether Eren was even serious on that part? 

Then as they march on with the horse, Annie sees for the first time the Wall Titans are marching Dreyse tells her to look below at all the massacre that has happened. 

Annie’s then gradually opens up about her early life. She revealed that she was praised for killing people. And in Marley, outside their land, it was okay to kill civilians and soldiers. 

They believed they were atoning for Eldia’s sins and saving the world. So many people they had killed was justified.  

Then Annie also opens up about her childhood. She says her birth parents abandoned her after she was born. Her mother had an affair with an Eldian, which was why she was born, but right after her birth, she was abandoned, and she was picked up by an internment zone foreigner of Eldian blood. 

From Annie’s childhood, she was trained as a ruthless killing machine as her Mr Leonhart wanted Annie to become a soldier to have a good life. Years have passed, and she did this rigorous training repeatedly until she became a ruthless killer and repaid Mr Leonhart with all the beatings she had caused Annie earlier. 

She beat Mr Leonhart so much that he couldn’t walk straight ever again, but Leonhart was thrilled. He said, “Now you can kill without any weapon”. So that is how she became a ruthless killer as she didn’t have any emotion, and killing people didn’t matter to her. 

Later on, Mr Leonhart returned and apologised to Annie and said the things he had taught her were wrong and told her to come back to him. Seeing his father cry, Annie understood that Mr Leonhart has always considered Annie as her daughter.

And unlike her, there are other people who want to meet their loved ones one last time before Eren’s Rumbling kills them. So she needs to meet Mr Leonhart one last time. 

Attack on Titan Episode 24 Release Date and What to Expect?

Is Mr Leonhart dead? 

No, Mr Leonhart is not dead back in the internment zone of Marley. We see Mr Leonhart and other people of Eldian blood are worried as they saw Eren’s dream where Eren said he would crush the world outside Paradis. 

They all wanted to be saved and tried to warn the military that Eren Yeager with the Wall Titans was coming, and they needed to go now before he came and killed everyone. 

But the military didn’t agree with Mr Leonhart and others, and there was the tussle between them after which we heard a bullet sound. But as we have read the manga, we can indeed assure you that Mr Leonhart is not dead yet. 

What Happens to Commander Keith? 

Elsewhere we see Commander Keith is with the recruits when one of the soldiers comes and informs Keith that Yeagerists are taking the whole castle, and if they find Keith, they don’t know what they will do with him. 

The recruits inform Keith to hide. In reply, Keith said there is no place for him now, and the core of the military is already dead. The Yeagerists will gain powers and will gain their control over the people of Paradis by winning their support. 

Those like Commander Keith will be purged, so Keith informs them do what the Yeagerists say and do not disobey and fall into their ranks and when the day comes to rise to your ranks and fix the operation from within. 

Did Armin try to help Gabi on finding Falco? 

Elsewhere Armin is tensed with all that is going on. He can’t decide whether Eren’s decision to kill the world behind Paradis is correct or not. After much discussion with Mikasa, Connie decides that he will try to help Gabi find Falco, and he will tell Connie to keep his mother as an upside-down Titan only and will save Falco from him. 

Gabi says his goodbyes to Mr Braus and his family, and they immediately leave to find where Falco is located. Maybe in the next episode, we will see the confrontation between Armin and Connie, where Armin will try to save Falco. But we can also see Connie having a change of heart as well. 

Who is the new leader of Yeagerists? 

Floch is the new leader of The Yeagerists. He reveals that he and Eren discussed their plans ten months before, and he planned to gain the power of Founding Titan by using Zeke and then to start the Rumbling. 

As Eren’s plan is finally a success, Floch wants all the Yeagerists to join him to build a new Eldia. Mikasa also reaches the place, and Floch tells Mikasa and Jean that Eren is solving the problems outside the island, and Floch will wipe out the resentment from within. 

He also tells Jean to rest as he has struggled enough for four years fighting. Floch asks Jean whether he wants to join the interior as an MP as he is one of the heroes. 

Mikasa asks Floch what happened to Captain Hange and Levi? To that, Floch replies Zeke killed them. 

What happened to Captain Hange and Levi? Are they really dead? 

As we had anticipated in our previous article, this episode will be the much-awaited return of Hange and Captain Levi. And that is what exactly has happened at the end of Episode 23. We see Pieck and Theo Magath discussing the Rumbling then Hange Zoe arrives. 

First, the Cart Titan goes to eat Hange, but Hange says she is entirely unarmed and just need some help as Levi is barely living, and he will require Pieck and Theo Magath to lend some help to Levi.