Attack on Titan preparing for the final, desperate fight between humanity’s last hope of the remaining Scout regiment and Marleyan forces versus a final, multi-Titan-wielding Eren Yeager. Considering how long it’s taken the series to come out (four seasons still ongoing after ten years) it’s understandable some fans may be hazy about how the scrappy, vengeful protagonist became a towering genocide machine, so here’s a brief rundown of how Eren got here.
Now stomping across the ocean to destroy the remaining world beyond Paradis in the form of a massive, terrifying Titan that looms above even the tallest Colossal. It’s important to remember that so far only Titan shifters holding one Titan have been seen, but Eren is currently holding three different Titan powers.
The Attack Titan
- Eren is the son of Grisha Yeager, who was secretly an Eldian exiled from Marley.
- Grisha was saved from death at the last second and given the Attack Titan power.
- Eventually, Grisha found his way to Shiganshina, starting a family and leading to the main story’s events.
When Grisha attempted rebellion as an Eldian in Marley, he was exiled to Paradis to live as a normal Titan. Though he was saved at the last second and given the Attack Titan power, he was cursed with the future sight ability it granted and foresaw his death at his son’s hands. Grisha would eventually take Eren into the forest, away from the walls, and pass his ability along by turning Eren into a Titan, allowing him to eat Grisha and gain his Attack Titan power.
With that in mind, and the full timeline revealed, everyone now knows that with the Attack Titan’s ability to share memories, comes Eren’s ability to see events in the past. Eren essentially becomes omnipresent, existing at every point in time and manipulating events in some way, with the earliest clue being his first time on screen, waking up from a dream about Mikasa crying, noting her hair was shorter.
The Founding Titan
- Wasn’t revealed until later that Grisha first injected Eren with the Founding Titan, which he had stolen from the royal family.
- Eren didn’t know about these abilities until five years later when coming into contact with the Titan version of Dina Fritz, a royal descendant (and the Titan that ate Eren’s mom).
- Allows Eren to control, create, and manipulate Titans as well as manipulate events throughout time, enhanced with the Attack Titan’s powers.
Eren was unknowingly bestowed with the Founding Titan’s powers before even receiving the Attack Titan, with the serum being injected into him to cause his initial Titan transformation. The issue with the Founding Titan, however, is that it won’t activate unless it comes into contact with the blood of the Royal family, which Eren does without knowing, causing the powers to awaken as he desperately tries to save Mikasa and causing the Titans nearby to turn and protect them instead.
As Eren trains his newfound abilities, the power to affect past events becomes available, only to reveal Eren influencing everything that happened to get to this single point. The Founding Titan’s control over time made Eren become irrational, claiming he tried to change the past and find peace but the Rumbling was the only solution.
The War Hammer Titan
- Achieved during Eren’s attack on the Tybur family during their war declaration. Eren in Attack Titan form juices Linda Tybur, former holder of the War Hammer.
- Used by Eren for massive defensive and offensive boosts in his Titan form.
Eren’s taking of the War Hammer Titan was the all-out declaration of war between Paradis and Marley, although Marley was already announcing their declaration at the same time. Eren in Attack Titan form bursts through the building and stage where the Royal family sat only to eat the wrong one initially. The fierce clash that ensued was only won thanks to smart thinking and teamwork on the part of Eren, Mikasa, and an unwilling Galliard.
Seriously, Eren grabbed Galliard and used his powers of the Jaw Titan to crack the crystal encasing Linda Tybur, acting as a massive nutcracker and juicing the poor body inside. Subsequently, Eren was able to… drink the juices that flowed. out. As disgusting as it was, it worked and Eren was able to take on her Titan shifting ability.
All of these combined result in the current monstrosity.
The Doomsday Titan
- Eren’s current Titan form is the final culmination of his abilities.
- While the form doesn’t allow ‘fighting’ like the Attack Titan, Eren does have defenses he can construct using the War Hammer abilities.
- Also contains the Beast Titan, with Zeke still inside, helpless to do anything as Eren manipulates him.
Eren becomes the Doomsday Titan after reattaching his severed head in the most grotesque way possible. As he forms, he also brings down the walls around them, allowing the Colossal Titans held within to start their rampage, The Rumbling. This form is a monster that towers over the Colossals, with a main body above and spine jutting from the front with a detached rib cage showing and Eren’s Attack Titan form head at the very front. A terrifying sight for all of Marley as they’re graphically trampled underfoot.
So why did Eren do this? The same child that swore vengeance on the Titans that killed his mother and vowed to cross the ocean with his friends, now using Titans to trample innocent lives under his feet, walking through the sea in his genocidal rage.
Eren’s mental scars run deep, from being forced to relive his father’s memories and his own traumatic past while Titan’s abilities slowly consume his sanity. Not to mention he had to murder someone to save Mikasa at nine years old, inevitably leading to major PTSD and further psychological stress. As viewers have come to find out, he’s also been seeing visions of his future as the Doomsday Titan ever since inheriting the Attack Titan and has been on a spiraling descent into madness the entire time.
Now, after Eren’s message to his friends that they have to kill him to stop the Rumbling, they’ve launched their final attack using the plane repaired in Marey. While the battle is still raging at the end of the Part 3 special for Attack on Titan’s fourth season, help appeared in the final minutes with the reveal of Falco’s Jaw Titan swooping in with backup, revealing his ability as a flying Titan. The Final Part of Attack on Titan’s long-running fight for survival is due to drop in the Fall of 2023 on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
