Summary
Hajime Isayama’sAttack on Titanthrows humanity into a desperate struggle for survival in a world forever altered by the Eldians' tumultuous history. The series is woven with mysteries that will draw fans in as the creator introduces plot twists within the narrative. At the heart ofAttack on Titanis the Eldian empire that once wielded power and its fall.
However, the story goes beyond the Titans and the Wall, as it further introduces other actors −Marley− a nation that harbored a deep resentment towards the Eldians with a complex political narrative that shaped the series' future.
The Eldian Empire
The Ascension And Descent
In ancient times,Ymir, a young slave girl, found the power of the Titans and gave the Eldian tribe dominance over all other countries. With the ability of the Titans, King Fritz conquered vast territories, subjugating other nations and establishing their dominance. The Edians became a symbol of authority, control, and destruction as they further solidified the empire’s rule with Ymir’s power.
Under the Eldian rule, the inferior countries witnessed a series of atrocities.However, Ymir died in defense of King Fritz. to pass on the power pf the Titan, King Fritz made the children, Maria, Rose, and Sina, consume Ymir’s corpse. In the long run, Ymir’s power is inherited and it spreads over to nine titans who becomethe subject of Ymir.
With the power of the nine Titans, the Eldians expanded their empire and ruled over the world. After more than a millennium, Karl Fritz came into possession of the founding titan and believed the Eldians did not deserve to be the rulers of the world and must atone for their sins. Karl Fritz’s conviction to stop the Titan’s supremacy was a monumental decision that reshaped history. King Fritz worked together with the Tybur family and the oppressed Marleyans, sparking the Great Titan War. In the long run,the Marleyans vanquished the Eldiansand gained seven of the nine titans.
King Fritz fled to Paradis Island, and with the power of the founding titan, he used colossal titans to erect three walls−Sina, Maria, and Rose. With the need to retain peace with other nations, King Fritz erased the memories of all Eldians in the wall. In other words, the people of Paradis know nothing about their Eldian history nor the outside world’s existence. However, the fear ofthe founding titan’s power still frightens Marley, so they continuously assault the people of Paradis with pure titans to regain the other two titans concealed within the wall.
The Key People In Eldians Rise And Fall
The Sins Of The Past
A Reign Of Terror
The Eldians leave a trail of death and ruins during their war campaigns, establishing Eldian dominance and instilling fear in their enemies. During the Eldian rule, generations of Marleyans were forced to live in fear, which caused deep resentment even after the Marleyans conquered the Eldians. King Fritz’s decision to isolate the Eldians within the Paradis walls to shield them from the sins of their past wasn’t solely a strategic move but a necessity driven by guilt and a fear of retaliation.
However, this act of isolation did not absolve them of their crimes but merely gave Marleyans the time to counter them within the wall.The Eldian sinsbirthed a vicious cycle of violence. The Marleyans, yearning for revenge, infiltrated the wall to regain the founding titan. In the process, Marleyans used captured Eldians in their country to breach the walls as an act of retribution fueled by generations of hatred.
For new generations like Eren Jaeger,the weight of the Eldian past hangs heavy on him, and as the protagonist, he grapples with the legacy of his Eldian heritage. He is both a victim of Marleyan aggression and a potential perpetrator of future violence. Also, the captured Eldians in Marley and those that infiltrated the wall− Bertholdt Hoover,Reiner Braun, Annie Leonhart− are haunted by the sins of the past and want to right the wrong of their ancestors.
The Legacy Of The Eldians
A Never-ending Cycle Of Hatred
The Eldians' legacy is inextricably linked to violence, a defining characteristic of the Eldian story. Even after Karl Fritz erased the people’s memories in the wall, the past soon caught up with them, and the soldiers of Paradis had to confront their true history and its consequences. The legacy of violence ultimately led toEren’s Rumbling, a cataclysmic attempt to eradicate Marley and other nations to secure Paradis Island’s future. Eren justifies his act of genocide as a form of self-defense for the Eldians.
The Eldian legacy leaves a lasting impact on the Eldians and the rest of the world. Even though Mikasa and Armin saved the world from being stomped on bythe Colossal Titans, the Jaegerist group in the wall will never forgive their ideology, nor will they regard them as true Eldians. Also, the activation of the Rumbling by Eren and the death of people in the process will never truly stop the outside world’s resentment toward the Eldians. In this vein, the world beyond Paradis Island will always view Eldians with a mix of fear and suspicion. The Rumbling serves as a stark reminder of their destructive potential. While theAttack on Titanseries does not provide a definitive answer on whether Eldians and the outside world can achieve true peace, there is still a possibility of a future coexistence since the true heroes of the world came fromthe Eldian lineage− Mikasaand Armin.
