Summary
- Grisha’s tragic life mirrored Eren’s quest for freedom, but he faced betrayals and losses that haunted him.
- Blinded by hatred for Marley, Grisha led the Restorationists with zeal, but his actions led to more betrayals.
- Grisha ultimately lost his freedom and lived a life of guilt, forced to make tough decisions without seeing Eldia’s freedom.
Attack on Titan tells many tragic stories, but Grisha Yeager’s life is one that is often forgotten. Growing up in Marley, he experienced the hatred towards the Eldian firsthand. Similar to Eren, he felt a great sense of justice and even secretly worked towards attaining it. But numerous betrayals and losses took everything precious away from him.
Eren’s fate was just like his father’s. They were both denied freedom, so they decided to look for it themselves, but while Eren was able to find purpose and strength, Grisha faced losses and betrayal. Eventually, he was able to find purpose and left the future in Eren’s hands. But as Attack on Titan progressed, Grisha’s tragic life was better understood.
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In Attack on Titan, propaganda is just as crucial to the story as the Titans themselves
Grisha Yeager’s Tragic Life
Yearning For Peace Had Its Price
Grisha grew up in Marley and for as long as he could remember, he was looked down on by the people of Marley. They used words like “devil-bloods” to address him and his family. This suffering made him yearn for freedom similar to Eren.
One day, he decided to enter the city with his younger sister so they could simply have a glimpse of an airship. These actions were immediately met with consequences as he was beaten up. But worse of all, he lost his sister, who was hunted down by dogs at the command of a Marleyan Sergeant.
Blinded by Hatred
Even after losing their daughter, Grisha’s parents obeyed the Marleyans, which made him despise them. He went on to live a quiet life till he joined the Restorationists. Joining the radical group ignited his hate for Marley. He started to lead the group with his motivational words, but down the line his passion for Eldia’s freedom blinded him.
He failed to care about the real history of Eldia and instead accepted the one he found convenient. He also forced his ideals on his son, Zeke, without realizing that he was treating his child the same way once he was treated.
A Life of Betrayals
Grisha’s strong ideals were not approved by his own family. When he stood his ground after his sister’s death, he was begged not to bring the same fate to his parents as his dead sister. This made him lose faith in his parents and he felt betrayed. Years later when he raised Zeke, he was blindly chasing his goal and used Zeke as a means to meet his ambitions.
Zeke betrayed his parents in exchange for protecting himself and his grandparents. As a result, the Restorationists were caught and sent to Paradis to face the ultimate punishment.
A Change of Heart Was Not Allowed
After losing Dina and his comrades, Zeke felt hopeless. But he was not allowed to even give up. He was tasked with the mission of retrieving the Founding Titan by Eren Kruger. He was unable to refuse as he was reminded that he had caused his sister’s death and was responsible for avenging her death.
After living a peaceful life with his new family, Grisha learned from his mistakes and raised Eren with love. When he met the Royal Family, he was unable to bring himself to hurt children. But once again, he was forced to make the harsh decision due to Eren’s future memories. He was forced to follow the fate of an unseen future that could not be changed.
Ever since that day you took your sister outside the walls…
We must push forward until the price of our actions is paid.
Even in death and after death.
This is a story that you began, is it not?
– Eren Kruger, Season 3, Episode 21
Grisha Lost His Freedom While Chasing It
In the end, Grisha was merely crushed by fate and became a slave to freedom. A glimpse at freedom trapped him in guilt for causing his sister’s death. The guilt never let the burning hate inside him extinguish. He faced betrayal and saw his dearest ones die right in front of his eyes. He finally grew out of his mistakes and became a good father to Eren and found peace momentarily. But eventually Eren’s memories trapped him once again.
He was forced by Eren to abandon his family and kill innocents for the sake of Eldia. He lived a life for the sake of Eldia’s freedom but never got to see this freedom happen. Even closing death, he begged Eren to show him what lies in the future, but he was denied that wish. He was simply handed the keys to freedom, which he handed down to his son. He died without knowing if this freedom was ever achieved.
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Attack on Titan: Was War Really the Only Way Out?
Attack on Titan’s tragic ending seemed inevitable, but was it really Eren’s only option?
Grisha’s life was similar to Eren’s. They were both forced to fulfill an undeniable fate. The freedom they long yearned for was found through their deaths. Had Grisha seen the future Eren saw, would he still support his son’s decision?
Attack on Titan is available to watch on Crunchyroll.