I don't know if someone asked this already, and If they did then sorry for repeating a question lol but how do you think Annie will be introduced back into the story? And what role do you think she'll play?
I think I sort of answered this in another ask after the latest chapter came out but I’ll elaborate on what I said back then with a more in-depth analysis.
At this point, I believe there’s a big possibility that this battle will lead to/end with the activation of the Coordinate. If that does happen, I think that Annie will wake up after Eren gives his first command, even if it’s not particularly addressed to her.
Even though the fandom is convinced the Coordinate can’t control the other shifters at all, if we look at the only time we saw the FT’s powers in action, the other shifters did feel some form of shock resonate through PATHS. At the very least, they felt their connection to Eren (the Coordinate) in that moment.
Side note: I’ve always thought that Reiner and Bertolt were frozen in place here because Eren commanded them to. Eren specifically yells “stay back” and then we see the two of them looking shocked and staying in place. I guess it could simply be due to them being caught off guard, but with Ymir particularly being excluded in this panel, I think this was a hint that this command affected Reiner and Bertolt only (at least on some level). Also, I find it interesting how Eren didn’t specifically instruct the mindless to attack Reiner and Bertolt, or to kill Dina, but they somehow acted on his inner thoughts and desires. I think this is a big hint that Eren doesn’t have to directly state his commands because the mindless simply become an extension of him. If we look at how Dina was attacked, Eren simply punched the air and a Titan lunged forward.
We don’t know if the other shifters who weren’t in the vicinity (i.e. Zeke, Pieck, and Annie) felt this same connection or not, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility that they did. Technically, since PATHS are supposed to transcend physical space and time, distance shouldn’t matter. Also, I have a feeling that Eren wasn’t able to use the full abilities of the Coordinate back then because he only touched Dina for a brief moment. Their distant blood ties might have also had something to do with it.
As for her role, I think Annie will join Eren’s side. Annie’s always made it clear that she just wanted to survive and she did whatever it took to ensure that (her crystallizing was purely an act of self defence). To me, she also always seemed to be the one who hated Marley the most out of RBA. So I don’t think she has any feelings of loyalty towards them like Reiner and Bertolt did. Moreover, siding with Marley at this point would not guarantee her survival, while Eren has always believed that everyone deserves freedom regardless of their background (and Annie expressed her admiration for that).
So at the very least, I definitely think she’ll be the first Warrior to oppose Marley and join the fight on Paradis’ side. I think this will be the catalyst for the other Warriors to start abandoning their loyalty to Marley as well, and that’s why/how Annie’s return will be significant to the plot. If she wasn’t going to contribute to a defining moment like this, I don’t see why Isayama kept her around for so long. He’s clearly been saving her up for something big.
Kind of sidetracking from your question, but one thing I am curious about is whether Annie is actually in control of waking herself up or not. I don’t think she knew she could crystallize herself like this prior to doing so (if she did, she could have protected herself in this way earlier but it looks like it was a last resort that was done subconsciously on her part), so it’s highly likely she simply doesn’t know how to get out. Kind of like the Wall Titans. They won’t wake up unless the Coordinate tells them to do so. I do wonder if she’s fully aware of the conversations around her though.
In the case that Annie is perfectly capable of getting out on her own and is actually conscious of her surroundings, I don’t fully understand why she hasn’t already done so. But either way, I can see how Eren activating the Coordinate would be her trigger to wake up. If she was waiting for a sign of hope, then that would be it. And if it turns out she wasn’t even in control of that decision, it’s not a stretch for the FT to be able to get through to her.
