Attack on Titan, which began as a manga of the same name and has now grown to become a cultural icon, is among the most watched anime series in the past ten years.
Nonetheless, we do know that a significant portion of the series’ conflict resulted from Eren’s father, Grisha, killing the Reiss family early on in the plot. However, what motivated Grisha to murder the Reiss family in Attack on Titan?
Attack on Titan’s whole plot can become a little unclear, particularly when Eren took control of the Founding Titan’s abilities.
The Attack Titan can, however, transport its consciousness back in time so that all of its possessors can speak to one another through their memories, which is what we do know. And let’s go over this in more depth to make it easier to understand.
What Caused Eren’s Father to Kill the Reiss Family?
Without a doubt, Attack On Titan is near the top of the list of the best anime we have seen in the last ten years, especially considering how consistently it amazes us with new developments. Naturally, the manga is the original source material that the series strictly adheres to. The anime is still reaching some of the best parts of the plot, even if the manga is already finished.
One of the things we discovered as the anime/manga progressed was that Eren’s father came from a bigger, more technologically advanced nation called Marley, which was sending transformed titans to Paradis Island, where Eren and the other “survivors” of the human race resided.
When their king wished to permanently put an end to fights with Marley because of the crimes his people, the Eldians, had committed in the past, they discovered that the human race was flourishing outside of their island and that they were merely humans who had been forced to leave for Paradis.
Eren discovered, however, that his father had actually murdered the Reiss family when he was gone from home during the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan’s raid on Shiganshina District, even before he had read his memoirs.
Rod Reiss, the real leader who was behind the scenes influencing the Paradis Island nobility, taught him this. Reiss informed Eren that Frieda Reiss had given his father the Founding Titan’s abilities.
But as the series went on, we saw that something more profound had occurred. Eren was able to reach the Paths, a dimension outside of time and space where the remains of Ymir, the original Titan power holder, were found, when he established contact with Zeke, who is of royal lineage. Additionally, the Paths are where the Subjects of Ymir are linked to one other.
Because of his royal ancestry, Zeke let Eren understand that he was the one in charge of Ymir when they were in the Paths. In order to persuade his younger brother that he was only the result of his father’s “brainwashing,” Zeke utilized the abilities of the Founding Titan to travel through Grisha’s memories.
Zeke and Eren then went back in time to when Grisha had assaulted the Reiss family and eaten Frieda in order to take the Founding Titan from her. However, Grisha was hesitant to murder the rest of the Reiss family since Zeke was shocked to learn that his father was unwilling to carry out his historical obligations.
But at that moment, Eren’s mind told Grisha that, in light of everything the Marleyans had done to him, he ought to murder the whole Reiss family. He reminded Grisha of how the Marleyans made his first wife, Dina, into a mindless titan and fed his younger sister to dogs.
At that point, Grisha was compelled to kill every Reiss child after being reminded of the negative events in his life. Since this was one of the most crucial elements of the history that made it possible for events to unfold as they should have, Eren wanted this to occur.
The entire situation with Eren, Rod, and Historia would not have occurred at all if Grisha had not murdered the Reiss family.
What Made Grisha Steal the Founding Titan?
We all know, of course, that Grisha broke into the Ross family’s secret bunker in order to take the Founding Titan away from Frieda Reiss, who had recently acquired it from her uncle. However, why did Grisha take the Founding Titan in the first place?
Because Eren Kruger abandoned him on that assignment before giving him the Attack Titan’s powers, Grisha stole the Founding Titan.
He also realized that the royal family was obligated to uphold the promise of non-retaliation Karl Fritz made using the Founding Titan’s abilities, which meant that the residents of Paradis Island had no choice but to live in this manner.
The inheritor of the Founding Titan ensured that the Founder’s abilities would never be used against Marley as long as a member of the royal line held them, which prevented the inhabitants of Paradis from residing outside the walls.
Therefore, Grisha had to ensure that he took the powers from the royal family in order to violate the pledge.
Grisha ensured that the royal family would not be able to bind the people of Paradis to the one-sided pledge made by Karl Fritz a century before, even if he was unable to wield the Founding Titan’s power because only a member of the royal family could do so.
Additionally, Grisha gained a power that would have enabled the Eldian restorationists to retaliate against Marley and rebuild the vanished Eldian Empire.
Was Eren Responsible for His Dad Killing the Royal Family?
Eren instructed Grisha to murder the Paradis Island royal family in one of the most iconic moments in Attack on Titan anime history. And that’s what made Grisha slaughter the whole Reiss family in cold blood, even though the kids were innocent and helpless. However, why did Eren coerce his father into doing this?
Grisha was observed shouting, “Is this what you want, Eren?” after leaving the Reiss family’s secret hiding place. Given that the Attack Titan enables its possessors to view the memories of their future inheritors, it is obvious that he was alluding to the scheme that Eren had disclosed to him through their shared memories.
In this sense, Eren forced his father to murder members of the royal line in order to genuinely change the path of history. Out of spite, Eren did not want the Reiss family slain. Rather, he wanted it to occur because, in accordance with the timeline’s proper flow, that was what was meant to occur.
History would have undoubtedly changed if Grisha had not murdered the Reiss family since Historia would not have been queen. Additionally, the incident where Eren saw everything at once when he held her hand would not have occurred if Historia had not been queen.
How Did Eren and Grisha Interact?
Returning to our discussion of Eren telling his father to murder the Reiss family, the problem is that he wasn’t present. He and Zeke were just using the Founding Titan’s power—which Zeke believed he was commanding at the time—to travel through Grisha’s memories.
It is important to note, though, that Eren’s abilities as an Attack Titan allowed him to speak with Grisha at that precise moment.
The Attack Titan is unique among the Nine Titans in that it can only share the memories of its inheritors, both past and future, in order to guarantee that the person with the Attack Titan’s abilities would always continue to advance.
Eren’s Attack Titan abilities enabled him to show his father his memories, so Grisha could hear him speaking to him at that precise moment. He may have told Grisha part of his whole plan, which is why he asked, “is this what you want?” after killing the Reiss family and seeing Eren’s memories.
He apologized to Zeke, whom he knew was present since he could see him through Eren’s memories, and instructed him to find a means to stop Eren as Grisha had already witnessed his plan, which included the Rumbling.
Do you want to learn more about Attack on Titan’s complex plot points? For in-depth analyses of major story elements, character motivations, and much more, visit Investrecords. For the most recent information and in-depth analysis on your favorite anime series, stay tuned!