Episode 25

The General's Chain (元帥の鎖, Gensui no Kusari) is the 25th episode of the D.Gray-Man anime.

Short Summary
Allen is sent to the Netherlands to deliver a replacement golem to General Yeegar. When he arrives, he discovers that the General left for Belgium after Innocence was discovered there.

Some time later, he finds the General fighting a group of Akuma, and helps him destroy them. It is revealed that when Yeegar was a teacher, one of his students was turned into an Akuma after losing a classmate. After the Akuma ended up killing the whole class, Yeegar decided to join the Black Order to prevent anything like that ever happening again.

Long Summary
When Krory tries soba noodles for the first time, the accompanying wasabi does not go down so well, leaving him screaming and clutching his pained throat. Allen is quick to rush in after hearing the commotion and rebukes Kanda for not teaching Krory how to eat it properly. However, a nonchalant Kanda simply leaves since he has to head off to a mission in Denmark, and it is not long before Lavi delivers the news that Komui may be about to give Allen a mission of his own.

The mission is to simply deliver a package to General Kevin Yeegar, who is in the Netherlands. While this kind of mission is outside of an Exorcist’s regular duties, Allen seems more concerned about whether or not General Yeegar is anything like General Cross, and is anxious at the thought of having to meet another general. Komui simply assures him that Yeegar is a stickler for proper etiquette and advises him to brush up on his before meeting him.

While a reluctant Allen boards the train, back at headquarters Bookman questions Komui as to why he sent Allen in particular to carry out the mission. It turns out General Yeegar wishes to meet with the boy who is prophesied to be the “Destroyer of Time”, leaving Bookman to conclude that Yeegar must be concerned about his own future. But Komui is quick to add that the general is also curious about Allen’s left eye, since he is worried that the Earl could use it against them. On top of this, Lavi concedes that while he once thought having an eye like Allen’s would be useful, after having seen the soul of an Akuma himself he does not think it is worth it—the sight turned his stomach so much he could not keep food down for days.

Allen soon arrives at a train station in the Netherlands, where he is greeted by a Finder named Thierry. However, Thierry delivers the news that General Yeegar is now in Belgium, but assures Allen the border is not too far away from where they are. While the two wait for a train, they discuss General Yeegar—to Allen’s shock it turns out, unlike his master, General Yeegar is actually a nice guy, who is kind and wise. After hearing this, Allen is now looking forward to meeting him.

Some time later, they arrive in a desolate town somewhere in Belgium, although they still do not know General Yeegar’s exact location. However, Thierry does know for sure that there is Innocence somewhere in the area. Allen suggests that they try to contact the general using their golems, but the Finder reveals that Yeegar’s golem had stopped working—the package Allen was sent to deliver was his replacement golem. Allen is reluctant to spend time trying to contact headquarters to see if they have heard from Yeegar and insists they keep searching on foot because it is clear that the Innocence had already attracted Akuma to the town. At that moment, he senses the presence of an Akuma.

Meanwhile, Yeegar is in pursuit of a level 2 Akuma who has already taken the Innocence. The level 2 is quick to order a fleet of level 1 Akuma to open fire on the general just as Allen and Thierry arrive on the scene. Allen swiftly enters the fray and takes down not only the level 1 Akuma, but the level 2 Akuma as well. With that the Innocence is retrieved and Yeegar thanks Allen for his help, yet he is quick to point out that while they had successfully gotten the Innocence, it came at the cost of many of the townspeople's lives. After they head back to the nearby town, Yeegar offers his apologies to the townspeople, but they are grateful to him for saving them.

That night, Yeegar explains that he currently has eight pieces of Innocence in his possession, since part of a general’s job is to carry it around in order to find more accommodators—though he is worried that he will not be able to successfully find any more before he dies, and he is concerned that carrying any more with him will put him in danger. When Yeegar serves up a meal for everyone, Allen is taken aback by his kindness. He truly believes the Yeegar to be a genuinely nice person, and that he must have been a great teacher. However, Yeegar disagrees with his assessment, explaining that he was not a good teacher because he failed to protect his students.

During that time, he had formed a strong bond with his class of twenty students, but when one of them passed away, it was a girl named Joanne who took it the hardest, and it was not long before she was approached by the Millennium Earl. When Joanne—now an Akuma—returned to school after a long absence, she massacred the entire class. When a horrified Yeegar ran to get help, he witnessed an Exorcist dispatch of Joanne. The Exorcist explained to him what an Akuma was, and took Yeegar to the Black Order where they found out he was an accommodator and since that day, his life has been dedicated to fighting against evil.

Allen soon shares the story of how he turned Mana into an Akuma and how he got his cursed eye, explaining that while he initially thought he became an Exorcist to atone for what he did to Mana, he now knows that he became one to survive and make sure that those who have died are able to rest easy. Sensing that Allen is becoming upset, Yeegar assures him that he does not need to explain himself and tells him that he understands why someone would want to try to bring back the ones they love. Overwhelmed by Yeegar’s kind words, Allen is brought to tears as he reaffirms to himself that he became an Exorcist for a reason. The next day, Allen bids his farewell to Yeegar and Thierry and takes his leave.

Meanwhile, in Denmark, Kanda takes down a level 2 Akuma, which uses its last breath to deliver a message from the Millennium Earl—the 7,000 year prologue has finally ended the play is about to begin. Back in Belgium, Tyki and Road have set their sights on General Yeegar.

Episode Notes

 * The title of the episode is probably a reference to both Yeegar's Innocence and his burden.