Episode 2

Spearhead (スピアヘッド,) is the second episode of the 86 -Eighty Six- anime adaptation, originally broadcasted on April 17, 2021.

Synopsis
A change of Handler was not an unusual event for the Eighty-Six, especially the Spearhead Squadron, who had survived the harshness of battle for so long. But the fact that Lena, an Alba, was willing to communicate with them was quite unusual. In the midst of an environment where a battle with the Legion could occur at any moment, the members of the Squadron spend their time going out to gather food or relaxing in the barracks. In the meantime, the entire Spearhead Squadron receives news of an enemy attack from Theo and the Squad heads to intercept the advancing Legion during which Lena realizes why Undertaker is both feared by Handlers and revered by those who have fought alongside him.

Plot
One week after Lena assumes command of Spearhead, one of the Empire's Legions sends an attack wave towards Spearhead's position, forcing them to mobilize and counterattack. Lena witnesses Shin's battle prowess as he single handedly destroys the Legion's most powerful units. Afterwards, Lena attends a history class for Handler recruits where the teacher explains that since it is believed the Empire was wiped out by their own Legions, and the Legions have a set lifetime, it is predicted that the war will end within two years when the Legions automatically shut down. Lena then takes control of the lecture and reveals to the students that during the war, the Republic revoked all citizenship and human rights of the nation's Colorata population (people who do not have silver hair and eyes) and forced them to pilot their Juggernauts. Since the Eighty-Six are no longer considered "human", their losses are no longer considered as fatalities. Lena stresses to the students that the Eighty-Six are human and should be treated as such. While this angers the government monitors, Lena is confident her uncle can protect her. When speaking with her friend Annette, Lena says she has a positive impression of Shin despite his reputation. That night, Lena continues her daily conversations with Spearhead, and the unit begins warming up to her, especially Shin, who is briefly seen smiling for the first time.

Differences from Light Novel

 * Shin gets interrupted by Lev Aldrecht during his exchange with Raiden and Kaie near the hanger in the evening. In the novel, Shin gets interrupted while he was doing a maintenance report on the Juggernauts lined up for servicing in the hanger during daytime.
 * Moments before the Legion shows up in the streets, an instance where Shin quotes the Bible in Latin: Et dicit ei, "Legio nomen mihi est, quia multi sumus" (reference to Mark 5:9), was omitted from the anime.
 * Lena cuts in the middle of a lecture on the Republic's history in order to offer the students the real history of their nation. In the novel, this information was narrated at an earlier part as a history-record excerpt during the battle involving Pleiades' Squadron.