Was War Really the Only Way Out?

Eren’s journey of chasing freedom is the essence of Attack on Titan. The means of attaining freedom changed drastically throughout the anime. It started simply as defending his homeland from the titans, but circumstances pushed him toward the dark side. He ended up becoming the antagonist responsible for initiating a bigger war, and the cause of endless deaths. But was this path the only way out for him?

Eren had a heroic beginning. He simply wanted to protect his loved ones and see a free world for his loved ones. But as time went on, he learned about the true nature of the world. This made him turn his back on what existed beyond the sea. Attack on Titan follows a path of destruction with no return, but was it possible to stop it?

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What Led Eren to a Path of World Destruction?

Yearning For Freedom

Eren was confined inside the walls for as long as he could remember. This led him to value freedom more than anything. He believed freedom existed beyond the walls and wanted to reach it desperately. But when the titans first attacked, it changed the course of his life. He started training to fight the titans and soon became one. He used his powers and ultimately reached the sea beyond the walls. But by that moment he had already realized that the world beyond the sea did not hold freedom. It held hatred and chaos that cost him his freedom.

Attack or Get Attacked

The world beyond the walls feared Eldians. They were not seen as humans but as monsters who posed a great threat to the rest of humanity. But during the festival in Episode 64, Willy Tybur revealed the real history of Eldia and Karl Fritz’s desire for peace.

That being said, he also disclosed the threat of the rumbling which was in Eren’s hands. He declared Eren an enemy and announced an attack on Eldia to retrieve the Founding Titan. This made Eren’s decision to secretly invade and attack Marley a must. Had he not done that:

• Eldia would have been the target of destruction as always.
• The Founding Titan would be at risk because Marley would attack using the power of the War Hammer Titan.
• He would’ve been unable to create a temporary partnership with Zeke that led to his plan’s success.

Path With No Return

Once Eren attacked Marley, there was no turning back. The attack declared Eldia as a global enemy. Previously, nations feared Eldia’s potential threat and power. But Eren’s attack conveyed that Eldia is indeed a threat to other nations and capable of causing unimaginable destruction. For Eren, this meant destroying everything that was on its way to fight back Eldia.

Was It Really the Only Way Out?

A Political Demand

Attack on Titan‘s plot lies deeply in a political conflict between Eldia and Marley. Marley continued to target Eldia for years because they held the power of the Founding Titan. If Eldia didn’t take action, Marley would continue their attacks and cause greater losses. If Eldia were to submit to the Founding Titan, they would no longer be a threat, but it would also make them powerless and bound to be wiped out. This truly made acting first their best option.

Destiny of the Founding Titan

Eren’s actions were Eldia’s best chance at survival. But though Eren’s actions were highly political, his actions were mainly a result of his titan powers. Holding the power of the Founding Titan allowed him to see through the past and future. Coming in contact with Historia allowed Eren to see the upcoming Rumbling. Despite what his feelings would have been, Eren could not change what was about to come.

He accepted his fate and acted accordingly to make the Rumbling come true. Near the end of the series, through Armin’s memories, Eren revealed that things always happened precisely how he saw them. Even if he tried, he could not change the future. Proving that Eren, who was chasing freedom, became a slave to his own fate.

Did the Rumbling Finally Free Eldia?

The Rumbling led to countless deaths. Eren wiped out 80% of humanity and placed himself as a global threat. His allies from Eldia finally killed him and placed themselves as heroes of the new world, just as Eren planned. The final episode of the anime shows his allies doing their best to bring peace and equality to the new world.

The post-credits scene revealed that they succeeded and doing so and Eldia flourished for a while, but as time went on, the cycle of war returned. The modern world once again fell victim to war and chaos.

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Attack on Titan is available to watch on Crunchyroll.