Attack on Titan episode 83 settles the emotional feud between Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman - and paves the way for their tragic ending. Not much is certain in Attack on Titan's dystopian world, but at least three truths could be relied upon - Armin's intelligence, Sasha's appetite... and Mikasa's unwavering loyalty toward Eren. Since he rescued her from kidnappers as a child, Mikasa and Eren have been attached at the hip - the awakened Ackerman using her fearsome superhuman biology to defend him from any and all threats. Best friends since the moment they met (though Mikasa would soon begin longing for more), theirs was the strongest bond in Attack on Titan. Even more so than Sasha and her potato.
That all changed after Eren Jaeger went rogue and launched a coup on Paradis Island, stunning even those closest to him. The new leader of the so-called "Jaegerists" met with Mikasa in an abandoned restaurant, but instead of explaining himself, delivered a stinging emotional attack and accused Mikasa of being a pathetic slave to her DNA. Mikasa was left devastated by Eren's abrupt change of heart, and back in Attack on Titan episode 77, finally abandoned the scarf he wrapped around her neck all those years ago. Fast-forward to episode 83 ("Pride"), and Mikasa has had second thoughts, putting she and Eren directly on the road toward their Attack on Titan endings.
Fresh from defending Shiganshina against Zeke's Pure Titans, Mikasa tracks down Louise, the Jaegerist simp. Knowing this young recruit would've swiped the scarf (due to an obsession that started way back in Attack on Titan season 1), Mikasa grabs her property back, then turns and walks away, paying precisely zero attention to Louise's parting words. The red scarf represents Eren and Mikasa's relationship in Attack on Titan, and her reclamation of it in episode 83 speaks to how Mikasa feels about her beloved Eren heading into this final run of episodes. When Eren first gave Mikasa his scarf in Attack on Titan, the scarlet knitwear symbolized his caring embrace - and Mikasa treasured that warmth. After Eren brutally told Mikasa he hated her, this warmth disappeared, and she left the scarf behind, but now the truth is out. The good news? Eren didn't hate her after all! The bad news? His real plan involves killing millions of innocent people.
Now Mikasa knows Eren Jaeger's overarching motivation is to protect her and everyone else on Paradis Island, the scarf is no longer tainted, and the memories associated with it aren't lies. By triggering the Rumbling, in fact, Eren is essentially protecting Mikasa from attackers all over again... only this time on a far bigger scale than beating up criminal lowlifes in a cabin. But while Eren's guardian-esque role in Mikasa's life remains fundamentally unaltered in Attack on Titan's ending, Eren Jaeger himself has changed, and Mikasa's behavior reflects this in Attack on Titan episode 83. Turning her back on Louise's brainwashed jibber-jabber, Mikasa is rejecting the misinterpretation Eren has instilled within his Jaegerists of what it means to protect someone.
When Eren and Zeke were walking through Grisha's memories several episodes back, Eren pointed toward his younger self killing Mikasa's attackers as proof he'd always been a ruthless protector who'd spill blood for the people he cared about. Eren (and, by extension, Louise) believes it was violence that saved Mikasa that fateful day. For Mikasa, it was the inspiration to fight back herself, and then kindness he showed afterwards through the scarf. So while Eren may view the Rumbling as a natural extension of his instinct to protect loved ones, Mikasa believes he's missing the point, and by the end of Attack on Titan episode 83, has resolutely joined the resistance against Eren Jaeger. That's a far cry from the indecision and uncertainty she showed before Eren's true intentions as the Founding Titan were revealed.
As Attack on Titan heads toward its endgame, Mikasa Ackerman has found the strength to stand against Eren Jaeger. She can don the scarf and appreciate what Eren means to her, and will carry those feelings onto the battlefield to fight against Eren's bloody misinterpretation of being a protector.
Attack on Titan streams Sundays on Funimation, Crunchyroll, and Hulu.