Attack on Titan: Has Eren Been in Control This Whole Time?

The latest Attack on Titan episode saw some of the most shocking revelations throughout the series. If you were confused when you saw Eren Kruger telling Grisha Yeager to protect Mikasa and Armin before they were born, then this episode finally provides some explanation. Of course, we knew back then that Kruger was looking into Eren Yeager's memories from the future.

However, the extent to which a future inheritor could influence the past was unknown. Now, it seems like all the pieces are falling into place. While many things about the story still confuse us with how the story is going, we believe everything will eventually make sense. Just like Eren suddenly becoming a titan made sense, and just like Reiner and Bertholdt's betrayal ultimately made sense, we believe that Eren's actions will eventually make sense as well.

When Grisha Yeager revealed that the Attack Titan allows its user to see the memories of the Titan's future inheritors, Freida Reiss of the royal family seemed to know nothing about this power. So, the real question now is, has Eren ultimately been responsible for several key events throughout the series' history? For now, it seems that Eren Yeager has been using the Attack Titan's unique ability to manipulate almost everything.

How Has Eren Been Playing Everyone All Along? What Has He Been Responsible For In The Past?

Grisha Yeager is the one who "started this story," as Eren says in the latest episode. Fans watching the show have been under the impression that Grisha was a terrible father who forced his son to inherit two Titans without giving him a reason or the means to control it. However, now that we know Eren manipulated his father's actions through means of the Attack Titan's shared memories, we can't be too sure of what else he was behind.

When speaking of the Attack Titan, Eren Kruger once said, "No matter which era this Titan has found itself in, it has pushed ever forward, seeking out freedom. For the sake of freedom, it fights." This sentence makes much more sense now since it seems that the Attack Titan's defiance and search for freedom stem from Eren himself. There are reasons behind this conclusion which we will explain below.

Reasons why Eren could be controlling every Attack Titan in history

1) We all know that even before inheriting the Attack Titan, Eren has always had traits similar to what the specified Titan is said to have. In the latest episode (Season 4, Ep 20), Eren tells Zeke that he has always been the kind of person who believes in taking away somebody else's freedom before they have a chance to take away his own. This is made even more apparent since the scene takes place after Eren kills Mikasa's attackers and saves her as a child.

Even as a young boy, Eren valued freedom and chose the road that would ultimately lead to not bowing down to anyone. In addition, Eren wanted to join the Scout Regiment from a young age. As a boy who knows nothing about the outside world, Eren wants to be free from the confines of the Walls of Paradis. He tells his mother and father he wants to see what lies beyond the walls when asked. Keep in mind that these walls were comforting to those who lived within them. So why did Eren display these characteristics before he inherited the Attack Titan?

2) As we are now aware, Nine Titans passed down through generations that subjects of Ymir can inherit. Every Titan has its unique abilities (e.g., the Cart Titan's ability to be a mule and a scout, or the Armored Titan's full body armor making him almost invincible). However, the Attack Titan is the only one who seems to have a "character trait." As Eren Kruger says, this Titan fights for freedom.

Why is the Attack Titan the only one with a character trait? The Attack Titan can see into the future, which is enough to pass as its unique trait. However, this specific Titan also fights for freedom, JUST LIKE EREN.

3) We also know that inheritors of the Attack Titan can look into the experiences of their future inheritors. However, Eren could CONTROL the future memories that Grisha Yeager could see. Eren controlling what future memories the past inheritors see is evident from the scene where Grisha mentions how Eren has shown him the Fall of Wall Maria but hasn't shown him if his mother and Mikasa survive.

With all of this in mind, it's safe to assume that Eren has been manipulating the actions of every inheritor of the Attack Titan, all so that it would lead to him being where he is right now. It would also make sense for Eren Kruger to know about Mikasa and Armin and his need to protect them since that's probably what Eren Yeager wanted to show him.

Conclusion

It seems that Eren has manipulated history and passed on his character traits to the Attack Titan, thereby passing it on to everyone who has inherited it in the past. In addition, while the other inheritors like Grisha Yeager and Eren Kruger have been shown to receive "memories from the future," Eren Yeager has received no such information.

Not having any memories from the "future inheritor" could mean that Eren is the last Attack Titan and has made himself the ultimate goal for its previous inheritors. Let's also keep in mind that if left to his own devices, Grisha Jaeger would not have slaughtered the Reiss family, Eren would have never gotten his Titan powers, and the war with Marley would have gone very differently.

Our favorite shonen protagonist, Eren Yeager, has turned into the ultimate shonen villain. We still don't know what Eren's endgame is, but he seems to be moving towards a future dark enough to make his father turn against him. It's also clear that through these memories and now "the Paths," Eren has orchestrated the entire series up to this point and killed innocents and children along the way.

Read Next: Attack on Titan Season 4 Episode 20: Recap & Explanation