God Eater (Anime)/Episode 8: Sakuya Tachibana

Synopsis
The episode opens with Hibari Takeda on the events of the previous episodes and the aftermath. After Lenka and Alisa were rescued, they were brought back to the Far East Branch. Lenka’s God Arc was sent in for repairs, while Alisa was transferred to a psych ward, with no word on when either of them would return to the 1st Unit.

Later, Tsubaki is seen speaking to Johannes in his office, who remarks on the loss that Lenka and Alisa’s being out of commission has caused. Sakaki remarks on the Dyaus Pita, bringing up a file on it from the Russia Branch and mentioning a prior event that occurred there.

Tsubaki then speaks to Lindow in an elevator on the Dyaus Pita, wondering how it got to the Far East Branch. She mentions that Alisa has some connection to it, bringing up a file on Alisa’s past.

Alisa is then seen lying on a bed, trembling amidst flashbacks of her parents’ deaths. She awakens suddenly and grabs her pill case, throwing it down on the table and breaking a glass, scattering pills in the process.

Meanwhile, Lindow finishes examining Alisa’s file, stating his determination to take down the Dyaus Pita. Tsubaki, however, is hesitant, remembering the mountainous Ouroboros from the rendezvous operation. Back in Johannes’ office, Sakaki remarks on the Ouroboros, calling it an Ouroboros “variant” and mentioning the tendency of powerful Aragami being drawn to the Far East Branch. In the elevator, Lindow remarks on the same thing, as Tsubaki gives him a second file to open.

In Johannes’ office once again, Johannes inquires to Sakaki about the readiness of a certain device. Sakaki wonders if they should wait until Alisa and Lenka have recovered before using it; however, Johannes states that a psychiatric problem is beyond his control. Sakaki departs to check in with Licca on the status of Lenka’s God Arc.

Meanwhile, Lenka enters Licca’s workshop to check on how the repairs are going, only to find Sakaki there. Licca introduces Sakaki to Lenka, as the older man mentions that there is still a chance for Lenka’s God Arc to be restored. However, the problem in its snapping in half makes this difficult, as God Arcs are man-made Aragami. He expounds upon the mechanics of God Arcs, after which Lenka undergoes a medical and physiological examination. Miraculously, Lenka’s internal wounds from the battle against the Pita have completely healed. Sakaki approaches the monitor and is startled by something he sees.

Later on, Sakuya is seen in the shower as she reminisces on the battle against the Pita, how it slaughtered countless civilians while she was paralyzed. Exiting the shower, she finds Lindow in her room, who offers her a beer. As Sakuya dresses herself, Lindow asks her if she’s worried about Lenka and Alisa, advising her not to worry.

Later, as day breaks, Lenka enters the God Arc storage room and finds Sakuya there, as she and the rest of the 1st Unit prepare to depart on a joint mission with the 2nd Unit. Lenka wishes her good luck, as Sakuya mentions Lindow’s trust in him.

Lenka subsequently enters the command center, asking if he can watch the mission footage along with Tsubaki. Meanwhile, on the mission, Sakuya reports on the status of her team, as “six or seven” Kongou converge on their location. In the remains of a sports arena, the combined team fights off the Kongou, when, all of a sudden, the ground collapses, depositing the members of the team underground as more Kongou converge from above.

Lindow can be seen looking on Aegis Island from a distance, as he contemplates whether it is truly mankind’s hope for salvation or a den of evil, before leaping down and heading out. Meanwhile, the members of the joint force are still fighting the Kongou, with Tsubaki and Hibari unable to provide support due to a map of the underground facility being unavailable. Even more Kongou can be heard converging on their location as Tsubaki orders a retreat; however, Lenka defies her order and tells the joint force to press on underground. Tsubaki orders him back, but Lenka explains that retreating aboveground will only result in further collapses and that the joint force should find an underground exit. Tsubaki grabs Lenka by the collar, but Lenka insists, stating that if they move 100 meters from their current position, they should reach a wall. Sakuya backs Lenka up as Tsubaki finally relents and orders the joint force to follow Lenka’s plan. Almost immediately afterwards, the team reaches the wall, and Lenka is given a communications headset.

Lenka directs the joint force along a hallway, as they arrive at a waterway opening. The team moves along this opening, noticing an exit in the distance. Lenka orders the 1st Unit and Tatsumi to proceed on, and for the remaining two—Brendan and Kanon—to stay and hide in preparation for a pincer attack utilizing the entire team. Tsubaki and Hibari are astonished at Lenka’s strategic prowess as the team gets in position. As the Kongou pass their position, the team launches their attack.

Later on, as the team successfully returns to the Branch, the members of the team are seen congratulating Lenka on his leadership. Soma encourages Lenka to “tell Sakaki to hurry up and fix [Lenka’s] God Arc” before leaving. An elevator opens, depositing Tsubaki and Hibari into the God Arc storage room, where Tsubaki asks Lenka how he knew about the collapse. Lenka explains that a similar thing happened to him before he came to the branch, before stating that he is willing to accept any punishment. Tsubaki, however, denies, congratulating Lenka on his actions. Hibari states that Sakaki has called for a strategy meeting at 7 PM, before she, Tsubaki, and Kota leave as Sakuya approaches Lenka. She congratulates Lenka on how much he’s matured, before making a move to leave, only to be stopped by the sound of Lenka dropping his compass. Sakuya asks where he got it, before stating that he reminds her of Lindow from long ago.

Sakaki enters the God Arc storage room and invited Lenka with him. At the meeting, Johannes explains the current situation with the Aragami to all gathered, mentioning the current status of the Aegis Project. The scene then changes to within Aegis Island itself, as Lindow is seen infiltrating the facilities. He notices a hallway that is not on the map, proceeding down it.

Back at the meeting, Johannes states the possibility for controlling the Aragami’s actions. Meanwhile, in the God Arc maintenance room, Sakaki tells Lenka that it was his own overwhelmingly powerful compatibility rate, not the Dyaus Pita’s attack, that caused his God Arc to snap. Johannes, at the meeting, displays an image of an “Aragami guiding device” on the screen behind him, stating its versatility in selectively attracting Aragami.

Meanwhile, in Aegis Island, Lindow opens a door, coming out into a room where what is presumably the Nova hangs before him. Back in the God Arc maintenance room, Sakaki explains to Lenka the state of his compatibility rate, stating that it is far beyond their expectations.

Johannes states his plan to use multiple Aragami guiding devices to separate the Aragami into groups based on species, at which point every God Eater in the Branch will converge and destroy them. Meanwhile, in the medical office, Alisa states her determination to destroy the Dyaus Pita, to Oguruma’s astonishment. She demands a method by which to “take her fear away,” regardless of the price she must pay.

However, back in the God Arc maintenance room, Lenka is greeted with far more haunting news—because of his heightened compatibility rate, he has only a few years to live. At the meeting, Johannes further expounds on his plan, as Lindow is seen fleeing through the halls of Aegis. Johannes subsequently declares the start of “Operation Meteorite,” as Lenka confronts his fate.

The scene then shifts to a flashback to the year 2050, as Johannes, Sakaki, and Aisha remark upon test results of the Managarm Project. Aisha laments the loss of military funding, while Sakaki states that if they reveal their findings, they’d be driven out of Fenrir. Johannes, however, does not care, but at that moment, an earthquake rocks the entire planet. Johannes looks out the window, beholding enormous Oracle Cell spires rising from the ground, destroying all in their vicinity. All over the world, similar events are seen unfolding. The planet is then seen basking in a sinister glow as the Oracle spires are seen everywhere on the planet’s surface. Little by little, the planet is reduced to ruin.

A colony of Oracle Cells is seen gathering, as the first Aragami—an Ogretail—emerges from the ground wreathed in something akin to amniotic fluid, while more Aragami emerge from the ground around it.

Characters shown
Alisa Amiella

Sakuya Tachibana

Lindow Amamiya

Daigo Oguruma

Lenka Utsugi

Tsubaki Amamiya

Hibari Takeda

Johannes von Schicksal

Paylor Sakaki

Kota Fujiki

Soma Schicksal

Kanon Daiba

Tatsumi O'Mori

Brendan Bardell

Insert song
「SUNDAY」 by GHOST ORACLE DRIVE