Attack on Titan Analysis: Theme of Complacency and Sacrifice - Revealing the Role of the Founding Titan and Its Inheritors
Greetings! Welcome back to my Attack on Titan project after a long absence! This is my most significant undertaking yet, possibly surpassing the other nine projects, including the Attack Titan, which might be just as long or even longer.
In this analysis, I explore how the role of the Founding Titan and its inheritors relates to the themes of complacency and sacrifice. These themes are prevalent throughout the story, whether through the inheritors' own choices, the impositions placed upon them, their resistance to change, or their ability to envision something beyond their current predicament.
Each inheritor expresses these concepts in their unique ways, but they are all linked through the Founding Titan/Coordinate power and share a common aspiration for peace. Their approaches range from conquering lands under their masters' influence to advocating for the extinction of their own race or the entire outside world beyond Paradis Island.
Let's begin with Ymir Fritz, who became a slave to the Eldian Empire and eventually gained the power of the Titans, becoming the first Founding Titan. As a slave, she obediently followed King Fritz's commands to eliminate Marley's enemies. Throughout her life, Ymir remained complacent, tirelessly serving the king in hopes of gaining his recognition. However, the king viewed her as nothing more than a mere slave. Despite her overwhelming power, he granted her the last name Fritz as a gift and made her bear his children. Ymir not only sacrificed her body to have his children but also protected him from an enemy spear, sacrificing her own life. The king's treatment of her as a slave extinguished her will to live. Even in the afterlife, Ymir continued to sacrifice and remain complacent for 2000 years, faithfully following the orders of the royal bloodline.
King Fritz, consumed by his obsession with maintaining the strength of his empire, forced his daughters to consume Ymir's body after her death, attempting to preserve the power of the Titans and the growth of his dominion. When Karl Fritz succeeded the crown, he grew despondent due to the Empire's history. During the Great Titan War, he conspired with the Tybur family to create the false hero, Helos, and put an end to the Eldian Empire. Karl Fritz retreated to Paradis Island with some of his subjects, erecting the colossal walls to protect his people. He threatened the world with the rumbling, should anyone disrupt the peace of his island. However, it was all a fabrication, and he declared that if Marley ever grew powerful enough to attack his people, he would accept it. Only those who inherited the Founding Titan from him were aware of this truth due to the vow renouncing war that Karl Fritz instituted, causing members of the royal family to remain inactive.
The history of the world plays a crucial role in the convoluted narrative. People's ignorance of the true history prevents them from questioning certain events and leads to actions that later become regrettable, as I will discuss further in the post.
Karl Fritz's display of sacrifice and complacency stems from his belief that the Eldian Empire's sins are too great to be atoned. He enforces these qualities on the future inheritors of the Founding Titan within the royal bloodline through the vow renouncing war, forcing them to adopt his beliefs. This passive nature, induced by the vow, condemns his subjects to possible extinction and hinders the royal family's ability to act.
Enter Grisha Yeager, who emerges to take the Founding Titan from the royal bloodline in a bid to bring peace to his people. Motivated by the death of his sister and the fall of his comrades, Grisha embarks on this mission, even though he initially considers giving up for the sake of his second son.
Grisha learns about his ancestor Ymir's history, albeit only half of it, which further fuels his determination. His goal is to secure freedom for Eldia, but he cannot escape the sacrifices he has made along the way, including those of his sister, comrades, and wife. He grows complacent in his beliefs and eventually decides to proceed with his plan, driven by the influence of his second son, Eren.
After inheriting the Founding Titan, Eren becomes fixated on his goal, much like the previous inheritors, to the point where he is willing to do anything to achieve it. He aims to protect his friends and ensure their long and prosperous lives by initiating the rumbling. Eren becomes complacent in his unwavering pursuit, disregarding the pleas of his two closest friends, and sacrifices numerous lives, including that of his dear friend Sasha Blouse, whom he wanted to protect.
He continues sacrificing lives, both directly and indirectly, in his quest and ultimately sacrifices his own life. Eren's true objective is to bring about peace, whether by annihilating everyone beyond Paradis Island or by forcing those who despise the Eldian Devils to witness his defeat.
For a more detailed analysis, I invite you to watch the accompanying video. It delves into the subject matter extensively and presents a cohesive exploration. Despite being a lengthy script due to the extensive research involved, it translates better in video format, offering a more thematic experience.
