Eren Yeager's Titan Powers: Unraveling the Secrets of Control in Attack on Titan

Eren Yeager, the protagonist of Attack on Titan, possesses a complex and evolving relationship with the power of the Titans. His journey from a naive boy driven by revenge to a figure wielding god-like abilities is central to the series’ narrative. Understanding how Eren controlled the Titans requires dissecting his inherited powers, his manipulation of the Founding Titan, and the influence of his royal blood connection.

The Inherited Titan Powers and Initial Control

Eren initially inherited two Titan powers: the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan. The Attack Titan granted him the ability to transform into a 15-meter Titan with immense strength and stamina. This was Eren’s primary weapon for much of the early series.

Eren’s control over the Attack Titan was largely instinctive at first. His transformations were often triggered by intense emotions like anger or desperation. He lacked conscious control over his Titan form, often rampaging until he exhausted his energy. Through rigorous training and experience, Eren gradually learned to control his transformations and movements within the Attack Titan. He mastered hardening techniques to enhance his offensive and defensive capabilities.

The Founding Titan power, originally held by the Reiss family, grants its wielder the ability to control all Pure Titans and alter the memories of Eldians. However, this power can only be fully accessed by someone of royal blood.

Initially, Eren was unaware of possessing the Founding Titan’s power. It resided within him unknowingly after he consumed his father, Grisha Yeager, who had stolen the Founding Titan from Frieda Reiss. Eren’s first accidental activation of the Founding Titan power occurred during the battle against the Smiling Titan, the Titan that devoured his mother. In that moment of intense rage and grief, Eren instinctively commanded nearby Pure Titans to attack the Smiling Titan. This event revealed the dormant power within him.

The Royal Blood Connection and the Coordinate

The crucial limitation to Eren’s control over the Founding Titan was his lack of royal blood. The Founding Titan’s power is inextricably linked to the royal bloodline of the Fritz/Reiss family. This limitation meant that Eren couldn’t fully utilize the Founding Titan’s abilities without coming into contact with someone of royal blood.

Historia Reiss, the rightful heir to the throne and possessing royal blood, became a key figure in Eren’s quest to unlock the Founding Titan’s full potential. Whenever Eren came into physical contact with Historia, he experienced fragmented memories and visions from past holders of the Founding Titan. These visions offered glimpses into the history of the Titans, the Great Titan War, and the manipulations of the Fritz family.

Eren and Historia’s contact unlocked a fraction of the Founding Titan’s power. However, Eren still couldn’t consciously control Pure Titans or alter memories at will. The Fritz family’s ideology, deeply rooted in maintaining peace through isolation within the Walls, acted as a mental block. Past holders of the Founding Titan, influenced by Karl Fritz’s vow renouncing war, prevented Eren from fully accessing and utilizing the power.

The concept of the Coordinate is intrinsically linked to the Founding Titan. The Coordinate is the point where all Paths converge, a dimension that connects all Eldians and Titans. The Founding Titan’s wielder, with royal blood, can access and manipulate this Coordinate to control Titans and alter Eldian memories.

Ymir Fritz and the Power of the Titans

To truly understand Eren’s eventual mastery over the Titans, one must delve into the story of Ymir Fritz, the first Titan. Ymir was a slave who stumbled upon the source of all Titan power and became the first Titan. Upon her death, her soul was split, and her power was passed down through her descendants, the Eldians.

Ymir Fritz remained trapped in the Paths, eternally creating Titans for the royal family. She was essentially a slave to the royal bloodline, bound by their will and unable to act on her own. Eren’s ultimate goal was to free Ymir from this servitude and break the cycle of Titan oppression.

Eren’s Manipulation of the Founding Titan and The Rumbling

The turning point in Eren’s control over the Titans came with his infiltration of Marley and his subsequent actions during the Liberio attack. He intentionally forced Zeke Yeager, who possessed royal blood, to come into contact with him. This was all part of Eren’s carefully orchestrated plan.

Upon contact with Zeke, Eren gained access to the Paths and encountered Ymir Fritz. Zeke, initially believing he could use the Founding Titan’s power to sterilize all Eldians and end the cycle of suffering, attempted to control Eren. However, Eren, driven by his own vision of freedom, outmaneuvered Zeke.

Eren convinced Ymir Fritz to lend him her power. He argued that she had been a slave for far too long and deserved to be free. Eren’s words resonated with Ymir, who had been waiting for someone to defy the will of the royal family. This pivotal moment marked a significant shift in the balance of power.

Having gained control of the Founding Titan and freed Ymir Fritz, Eren unleashed The Rumbling. He used the Founding Titan’s power to awaken the Colossal Titans within the Walls and commanded them to march across the world, destroying everything in their path. This was Eren’s solution to the cycle of hatred and violence that plagued his world.

The Rumbling demonstrated the absolute power Eren wielded over the Titans. He could control them at will, directing them to fulfill his destructive purpose. He effectively became a god-like figure, capable of reshaping the world according to his own vision.

The Price of Control and the Ending

Eren’s control over the Titans came at a great cost. He sacrificed his own humanity and burdened himself with the weight of genocide. His actions were driven by a complex mix of factors, including his desire for freedom, his hatred for the world outside the Walls, and his belief that he was the only one who could end the cycle of suffering.

Ultimately, Eren was stopped by his former comrades, who recognized the horrific consequences of The Rumbling. In the final battle, Eren allowed himself to be defeated, knowing that his death would break the power of the Titans and free the world from their influence.

Eren’s actions, while devastating, ultimately led to the end of the Titan curse. By manipulating events and forcing his friends to confront him, he ensured that they would become heroes in the eyes of the world. His death freed Ymir Fritz, ending the cycle of Titan creation and allowing the world to move forward.

Eren’s control over the Titans was a complex and multifaceted process. It involved the inheritance of Titan powers, the manipulation of the Founding Titan, and the exploitation of the royal blood connection. His journey highlights the dangers of absolute power and the sacrifices one must make in the pursuit of freedom. His story continues to spark debates among fans, solidifying Attack on Titan‘s place in modern media. Eren’s methods are ethically ambiguous and continue to be debated among fans. However, his success in gaining control over the titans through manipulation and a strong will is undeniable.

What Titan powers did Eren Yeager possess, and how did he acquire them?

Eren Yeager possessed the powers of three Titans: the Attack Titan, the Founding Titan, and the War Hammer Titan. He initially gained the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan when his father, Grisha Yeager, injected him with Titan serum and instructed him to devour him. Grisha, who already possessed both Titans after killing Frieda Reiss, transferred their powers to Eren through this act of inheritance.

Later, Eren acquired the War Hammer Titan during the Raid on Liberio. He consumed Lara Tybur, the holder of the War Hammer Titan, effectively adding its abilities to his repertoire. This gave him a diverse range of powers including hardening, long-range Titan creation, and control over the Founding Titan, albeit initially limited by his royal blood status.

How did Eren initially struggle to control the Founding Titan’s power?

Eren initially struggled to control the Founding Titan because he lacked royal blood. The Founding Titan’s power is intrinsically linked to the Reiss family, descendants of the original King Fritz. Only those with royal blood, such as Historia Reiss, could fully unlock and wield its abilities to their fullest extent. Eren’s inability to directly access the Founding Titan’s power restricted his ability to manipulate Titans or alter Eldian memories.

However, Eren found a loophole. Contact with a Titan of royal blood, specifically Zeke Yeager, allowed him to bypass this limitation. By touching Zeke, Eren gained access to the Coordinate, the realm where the Founding Titan’s true power resided. This connection enabled him to manipulate time and space, influencing past events and solidifying his control over the Rumbling.

What was the Rumbling, and how did Eren utilize the Founding Titan to initiate it?

The Rumbling refers to the unleashing of the Colossal Titans hidden within the Walls of Paradis Island. These Titans, numbering in the millions, were created by King Fritz when he retreated to Paradis centuries ago. They were intended as a deterrent against external aggression, serving as the ultimate weapon should Paradis be threatened.

Eren, after gaining access to the Founding Titan’s power through Zeke, used it to command these Colossal Titans. He dissolved the hardening of the Walls and directed them to march across the ocean, decimating the world outside Paradis. His goal was to eliminate all life beyond the island, ensuring the survival and freedom of the Eldian people within its borders.

How did Eren’s motivations evolve throughout the series concerning his control over the Titans?

Initially, Eren’s motivation stemmed from a desire for revenge against the Titans who destroyed his home and devoured his mother. His goal was to eradicate all Titans, driven by pure rage and a desire to protect humanity. He viewed his Titan powers as a means to achieve this end, undergoing rigorous training to master his abilities and fight for the freedom of Paradis.

As Eren learned more about the history of the world and the true nature of his powers, his motivations shifted dramatically. He became convinced that the only way to ensure the safety of Paradis was to eliminate the threat posed by the outside world, even if it meant committing genocide. His control over the Titans, especially the Founding Titan, became a tool to achieve this drastic and controversial objective, leading him down a path of destruction and moral ambiguity.

What role did Zeke Yeager play in Eren’s control of the Founding Titan?

Zeke Yeager, being of royal blood, held the key to unlocking the full potential of the Founding Titan’s power for Eren. Because Eren lacked royal blood himself, he needed physical contact with someone of royal lineage to access the Coordinate, the realm where the Founding Titan’s true power resided. Zeke’s presence was thus essential for Eren to initiate the Rumbling and carry out his plans.

However, Zeke’s initial intention was to use Eren to euthanize the Eldian race, preventing future generations from suffering. He planned to use the Founding Titan’s power to sterilize all Eldians. Eren, however, manipulated Zeke to gain access to the Coordinate and subsequently betrayed him, usurping control of the Founding Titan and enacting his own vision for the future.

How did Eren’s access to memories influence his actions and control over his Titan powers?

Eren’s ability to access the memories of past Titan shifters profoundly influenced his actions and understanding of his own powers. He witnessed future events, including his own inevitable demise, which shaped his resolve and dictated his choices. Knowing the outcome allowed him to manipulate events and ensure the Rumbling occurred, even if it meant becoming a villain in the eyes of the world.

Furthermore, access to these memories, especially those of Grisha Yeager, revealed the complexities of the world and the historical injustices faced by the Eldian people. This knowledge fueled his determination to protect Paradis at any cost, solidifying his decision to use the Titan powers, particularly the Founding Titan, to execute his plan for global extermination.

Ultimately, why did Eren choose to unleash the Rumbling despite the immense destruction it caused?

Eren believed that the Rumbling was the only way to ensure the survival of Paradis Island and its people. He saw the world outside the walls as a constant threat, driven by hatred and a desire to eliminate the Eldian race. He reasoned that by demonstrating the devastating power of the Founding Titan, he could deter future attacks and secure a lasting peace for Paradis.

Although he acknowledged the horrific consequences of the Rumbling, including the mass slaughter of innocent people, Eren believed that it was a necessary evil. He framed it as a sacrifice to ensure the future freedom of his friends and the continued existence of Eldians on Paradis, ultimately accepting the role of a villain in order to achieve his perceived objective.

Eren Yeager’s Titan Powers: Unraveling the Secrets of Control in Attack on Titan