Updates and *Spoiler Alert* An Attack on Titan Fan Theory

Update on Final Fantasy:

So I decided to really paint myself into a corner and make my FF8 review a video one, part of a series in fact that I’ve been thinking of doing for a while now. I’ve got plenty of good capture so far from my game on the Steam version. I plan to make a video for each section of the game based on the discs of the original PlayStation release. So the Disk 1 review is about half-captured, then I’ll finish the script and you’ll get an earful of me doing my English accent to questionable success (you’ll see why, I’m playing a character after all 😉 )

Which brings me to a bit of fan theorizing that’s been plaguing me….

So have you all seen Attack on Titan yet? Well *spoiler alert* this is one of the greatest action/horror anime ever produced. It had me hooked on its visual aesthetic, heartbreaking story and pure awesome cathartic violence. It also is one of the more disturbing programs I’ve ever watched (and loved every second of). Basically the last surviving bastion of humanity lives behind three concentric walls to protect them from a swarm of giant, androgynous humanoids who apparently consume humans for kicks, you know—that story.

I’ve been boring the ever-loving shit out of my wife with my constant fanboy-ing over this, and being a more sensitive soul than myself she hasn’t felt like watching it yet (Soon, though, soon *evil cackling*). So I decided to share it with the internet.

**Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers**

So my theory comes from both the anime and much further into the as-yet-unanimated sections of the manga. Basically I think Rod Reiss—the true king of humanity—was behind the whole breach of Wall Maria and the events that followed. The evidence you ask?

Well, three things:

1st: Eren finds a vial of serum in Rod’s bag of Titan paraphernalia labeled “Armor – Braun”. As Reiner Braun is also the Armored Titan, this struck me as patently obvious. It would be one thing to find that a man from a family with a long and murky history of Titan engineering would possess a compound enabling a Titan Shifter to harden their skin into armor plating. But labeled Braun…? So, big first step there which leads me to my second point—

2nd: Rod and his brother Uri apparently went to great lengths to get their father— holder of the all-powerful Coordinate, the power to both control (and exterminate) Titans as well as manipulate the memories of most of the remaining humans—to use his power and rid the world of Titans forever. But he never did, because that power also came with the personality and will of its creator the First King (also likely the creator of Titans themselves) who apparently thought humanity belonged in its cage and the world was better off under Titan rule. Rod apparently was thrown in jail for his numerous attempts to push his father to action. Later even his brother Uri couldn’t override the First King’s will after inheriting the Coordinate. When his daughter Frieda inherited it, you get the sense Rod hoped this would be the time that a Reiss could finally overcome the First King and save humanity. But it seemed that nothing short of an apocalyptic game-changer might give Frieda the willpower to overrule her ancestors will. Which brings us to…

3rd: Wall Maria is breached by heretofore unheard of Titans whom are later discovered to be controlled by humans able to use a Titan form without going mad inside it. One of these is plated with armor, hardened just enough for him to barrel through the massive inner gate and breach the walls. The DAY this is happening, Rod and his family go to their chapel to pray. I have a feeling the prayer on everyone’s mind was “Dear God let Frieda finally wake up and do it”. It makes a certain sense. Most of humanity was complacent prior to the breach. Titan’s were seen as something that only got you if you’re one of those stupid-brave Survey Corps members who go outside. If that complacency could affect them, could it not also affect the Reiss family rulers? Rod likely assumed that a serious breach in the First King’s plan might give Frieda enough doubt and fortitude to overrule and effectively annihilate the Titans with her powers. Basically I think Rod—somehow in contact with the mysterious “homeland” or village outside the walls—gave the armor ability to Reiner Braun and likely the Colossal Titan serum to Bertholdt Hoover (and possibly the crystallization ability to Annie Leonhart, the Female Titan) with the purpose of pushing Frieda to action. Its a move both desperate and quite cruel, given that it forced three teenage children to commit an act of genocide comparable to the Armenian and Jewish holocausts, rendering one of them insane from the guilt along the way. But then Grisha Jaeger showed up…

This is not the face of a man interested in hearing that “Humans Suck, Titans Stay, etc, etc….”

So given that we know Grisha was most likely living outside the walls prior to his being found and suffering “amnesia” outside the Walls. Also there’s the fact that his Titan, his son’s Titan and the Beast Titan all share characteristics that no Titans but Ymir’s possess. I believe Grisha was actually working with or for Rod Reiss and the Homeland to force the current holder of the Coordinate into action. His many trips to the Capital seem to indicate he’s got connections there, plus his access to Titan serum and engineering.

Grisha had just lost his wife to a Titan, went to the Reiss chapel and judging from that panel was begging Frieda (probably right after her family just got done begging her as well) to use her power and save humanity. But as we know, Frieda goes into manic depressive berserk mode whenever someone suggests doing anything to free humanity. So then Grisha decided words weren’t going to work….

“Plan B, bitch!” Grisha Jaeger (likely). Or perhaps “My name is Grisha Jaeger. You killed my wife. Prepare to die.”

So…..yeah, Grisha hulked out into probably the brawniest Titan ever and beat the ever-loving shit out of Frieda’s Fem-Titan. Rod would claim she was inexperienced at using her power, likely true though kind of convenient given that Coordinate users also have all the memories of their ancestors, so I’m kind of wondering why they just don’t have instant downloaded fighting abilities like Neo.

And having beaten Frieda down, Grisha then ate her (the only way to pass on the Coordinate is for one to consume the holder while in Titan form so…..bon appetit).

The FDA just announced that a steady diet of Frieda helps promote plot development, god powers and chest hair.

So this is where my digression ends. Grisha noms Frieda, steals her power, murders all but one (well, two) of her family. He later injects his son Eren with the serum and lets himself be consumed by him in order to pass on his newly acquired powers. Why? I’ve been wondering that myself.

The only plausible explanation I can think of is Grisha knew he either couldn’t wield the power himself, was weaker than Eren’s potential Titan would be, or perhaps knew something about Eren (and his ancestry) that might be the key to finally destroying the Titans.

Or maybe this is a Shounen anime and needed a teenage protagonist for all the Fanboys (and girls) to identify with. Yeah, I’m going to go with that.