Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Attack on Titan’s seasons 1 through 4.
Over the course of four anime seasons, fans witnessed Attack on Titan become one of the most beloved and controversial animated series ever. From its very first episode, viewers are gripped by the horror of watching human life be taken so easily by man-eating giants and the desperation of those trapped inside the walls of Eldia. Soon enough, though, the audience was confronted with questions upon questions about the world of Attack on Titan, especially regarding the creatures outside the walls.
The series isn’t one to give all its secrets away at once, instead choosing to build anticipation. This decision made for a story full of shocking twists and turns, and today, Attack on Titan is considered one of the best-written manga and anime series of all time. (Well, until it gets to the ending, at least.) Despite there being insane and dramatic developments every few episodes, some just hit harder than others, and for that reason, we have compiled 20 of the biggest plot twists in the series.
Eren is a titan
After declaring war on titans, and swearing to eliminate them all from the face of the Earth, transforming into one was likely not on Eren’s bingo card. Even so, it’s exactly what happens. When the protagonist was apparently eaten by a titan to save Armin, the audience thought that might very well be the end for Eren, especially when he wasn’t immediately brought back in the following episodes. Instead, an abnormal titan dead set on fighting all the others showed up out of the blue, and it later became clear that Eren was very much alive and capable of transforming into his sworn enemy.
Annie is the Female Titan
The sudden appearance of a Female Titan in season 1 was surprising enough, showcasing unparalleled agility and martial arts skills. From the moment this titan showed up on screen, theories ran rampant regarding the creature’s true identity, with her blonde hair and blue eyes giving some a pretty solid clue. Nevertheless, when the Female Titan was eventually revealed to be Annie a few episodes later, the shock was real, especially considering its implications. Annie being a titan confirmed that traitors could be anywhere in the ranks of Eldia’s military, setting the stage for future events.
There are titans inside the walls
In the season 1 finale of Attack on Titan, those who remained seated as the credits rolled were treated to one of the best cliffhangers of the series. During Eren and Annie’s epic titan fight, the latter attempts to flee by climbing one of the walls around Eldia, and damages said wall with her hardened hands. Later, in the post-credit scene, viewers witness a bit of the wall breaking off, only to reveal the face of an abnormal titan inside, similar in appearance to the Colossal Titan. Everything the characters and audience thought they knew about the world of Attack on Titan comes crumbling down, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Ymir is a titan
For a while, Ymir was perceived as nothing more than a background character. However, as season 2 progressed, she got more screen time and was eventually revealed as a titan shifter. When trapped inside a tower with no vertical maneuvering equipment, no weapons, and surrounded by titans, this character shows her true colors in order to save Historia. Ymir jumps from the tower while cutting her hand with a knife, transforming mid-air in front of all her Survey Corps comrades, fighting for her life against a horde of titans. She succeeds in saving everyone, but the revelation puts her at another kind of risk.
Reiner and Bertholdt are the Armored and Colossal Titans
The identities of the Colossal and Armored Titans were among the biggest and most shocking revelations of the series. After making their debut in episode 1 as the destroyers of Wall Maria, these titan shifters infiltrated the Eldian military and fought alongside their enemies for years, building meaningful connections. Thus, when Reiner nonchalantly told Eren about his and Bertholdt’s identities, much like the protagonist, fans didn’t want to believe it. No other betrayal in the series impacted both the plot and the audience as much as this one, which is saying something.
The Reiss family is the true ruler of Eldia
Attack on Titan is now very well known for its political drama, but it wasn’t always like that. When the series’ tone started shifting away from the simple defeat-all-titans premise into political intrigue, the audience learned how corrupt the royal government was, and the secret all those in power held. King Fritz was merely a puppet ruler, and Rod Reiss the true King of Eldia.
As it turns out, the Reiss family had been ruling Eldia in the shadows for generations, keeping themselves safe and passing down the Founding Titan between them every 13 years. As Rod’s child, Historia claims the throne after the coup d’étad and her father’s death, but this is just one of the many political twists in Attack on Titan.
Eren ate his own father
Following the revelation that Eren is a titan-shifter, many questions were raised. Some of the most pressing, however, concerned the protagonist’s backstory. Was he always a titan, or did he become one? If so, how? Well, those questions would later be answered, and with it came the revelation that Dr. Yeager was responsible for transforming Eren into a titan, who then ate his own father and acquired the power of the Attack and Founding Titans.
Since Eren didn’t remember any of this for years, the realization startled him just as much as it did the audience. This was, without a doubt, one of the most disturbing revelations in the series, but not the worst.
There is civilization outside the walls
From the very beginning of Attack on Titan, viewers are led to believe that all of humanity is trapped inside the three walls. This is because all memories of the past have been erased from the Eldian people with the power of the Founding Titan, and at the start of the series, the audience knows as much as its main characters. It’s not until much later that the suspicion of human life outside the walls begins to arise, and eventually, it’s revealed that whole nations inhabit the same universe, living free from the threat of being eaten by a titan at any moment.
All titans were once human
While viewers had time to familiarize themselves with the concept of titan shifters, the truth is that all titans, even the mindless ones, were once humans. The revelation wasn’t one of the most shocking in the series, since theories of that nature already existed, but the how of it all really struck a chord. For generations, the Subjects of Ymir had been injected with a serum capable of transforming them into mindless titans. This was done as a punishment by Marley, and the victims were then released on Paradis Island, doomed to roam aimlessly as man-eating creatures.
Dr. Yeager had another family
For a long time, Dr. Yeager was considered one of the most mysterious characters in the series. It was long predicted that the secret of the Titans was hidden in the doctor’s basement, but when the Survey Corps finally reached it, they did not expect to learn so much about Eren’s father. (Honestly, neither did we.) When he lived in Marley, the character was married to Dina Fritz, a member of Eldia’s royal family, and together, they had a son named Zeke. This revelation gives viewers a whole new perspective of Dr. Yeager, who wasn’t always the caring father Eren thought him to be.
The Smiling Titan was Dr. Yeager’s former wife
The fan-named Smiling Titan was etched into viewers’ memories when it provoked the most dramatic moment in episode 1. The creature ate Eren’s mother, Carla, right before his eyes, as the protagonist and Mikasa were carried away from the scene by Hannes. Later, history repeated itself, as the titan appeared again in front of the protagonist, except this time, Hannes was eaten instead. It wouldn’t be until much later in the story that the Smiling Titan would be revealed as Dina Fritz, who had been transformed into the creature as punishment.
Zeke betrays Marley
Being raised as a spy for the Restorationists and lacking the affection of his parents, Zeke went on to become the best of Marley’s Warriors. When he was introduced as the Beast Titan, the character was presumed to be on Marley’s side but the truth is often more complex than that. After Eren’s declaration of war on Marley, it’s revealed that Zeke had been conspiring with his brother for the sake of his own goal. He does not wish to annihilate Paradis and serve Marley; instead, he intended to make all Eldians unable to reproduce, so that the race would eventually go extinct.
Ymir Fritz and the Paths
Time and again, we saw characters transform into titans and regenerate their body parts. Whenever it happened, we didn’t question how it did and simply assumed it was the titan shifters’ special abilities. Well, it was, partly, but those abilities didn’t just happen out of thin air. After her death, Ymir Fritz’s consciousness remained alive in the Paths, and for 2000 years, she slaved away, building titans out of the sand and reconstructing the shifters’ human bodies when needed.
It may not feel like it to some people, but this plot point is among the most important in the series, as it reshapes the way we look at certain events. Thanks to it, we come to understand that Ymir is responsible for all titan transformations in history and for controlling titans when those with royal blood scream or command her.
Falco becomes the Jaw Titan
From the moment this character is introduced, viewers are made aware of his desire to inherit the Armored Titan, if only to save his friend Gabi from that fate. Much like her, Falco has been training for the moment he gets to inherit a titan, but that time comes much sooner than expected when he accidentally ingests some of Zeke’s spinal fluid. Despite Colt’s pleas for Zeke to not unleash his titan-transforming scream, the latter does so anyway, activating Falco’s transformation into a mindless titan. The only way for him to regain his humanity was to eat another titan shifter, and the victim was Porco, the inheritor of the Jaw Titan.
Eren betrays Zeke
Despite seemingly going along with Zeke’s plan to end the Eldian race, Eren had a different agenda this whole time. After the two finally touch and reunite in the Paths connecting all Subjects of Ymir, the protagonist reveals his true goal: to flatten the Earth with the Rumbling, annihilating everyone outside the Paradis Island, whom he perceives as enemies.
Eren manipulated Dr. Yeager
By far, the most shocking moment in the whole series was when viewers learned how Eren had manipulated major events to his advantage. Using the Attack Titan’s ability to see memories from past and future holders, Eren manipulated his father into killing the royal family in the past and consuming the Founding Titan’s power. This plot twist had a huge impact on the series, changing the audience’s perspective on the whole narrative.
Eren planned for his friends to kill him
If you think that Eren activated the Rumbling simply as an act of revenge against the world outside Paradis Island, think again. Of course, this conclusion isn’t entirely wrong — as Eren confessed, finding out that civilization existed outside the Walls was disappointing, and he wanted to destroy it — however, there’s something more to his plan.
By eliminating 80 percent of the world’s population, the protagonist would be able to turn his friends into heroes. Hence, he allowed them free will during the Rumbling, knowing that they would kill him and be seen as the saviors of humanity.
Falco’s Jaw Titan can fly
We’ve seen a fair amount of different titans in this series, but up until Falco, none of them had the power of flight. On the most basic level, we can admit that a flying titan a cool concept that would’ve been welcomed regardless of its usefulness, however, this twist did come in handy in the Attack on Titan finale.
When the fight against the past generations of the Nine Titans was looking as good as lost, Falco swooped in, just in time to fly his allies to safety. All in all, this wasn’t the most world-altering plot twist in the series, but it served its purpose and gave us a deeper understanding of how the Beast Titan’s powers work.
Eren is responsible for his mother’s death
If we thought that Eren manipulating his father was bad, nothing could’ve prepared us for the realization that he orchestrated his mother’s death, too. That’s right, the single most heartwrenching moment in episode 1, that haunted Eren and made him swear vengeance on all titans, was caused by himself. A future version of himself, but still.
As it turns out, the Smiling Titan almost ate Bertholdt when he broke into Shiganshina, but because Eren needed him alive at the time, he sent the titan toward his mother instead. Can you imagine how different things would have been if Carla had lived? If Dina Fritz had inherited Bertholdt’s Colossal Titan? It’s wild to even consider it. And it certainly wouldn’t have led to the goal Eren had in mind.
Mikasa was the key to freeing Ymir
Attack on Titan never struck us as a story about love, but when all is said and done, it seems that love has been driving the narrative for longer than we realized. In the finale, it’s made clear that the founder Ymir was bound to the Paths out of love for King Fritz, despite how he mistreated and used her. Her inability to renounce her love kept her obeying the royal family’s every command, and what truly set her free in the end wasn’t Eren’s death. It was Eren dying by Mikasa’s hand. In killing him, Mikasa protected the world and displayed the courage that Ymir never had — to accept her feelings but not allow them to control her.
All of these plot twists are truly incredible and helped make Attack on Titan one of the most captivating stories out there. If you ever feel like living through all these adrenaline-inducing moments, you can do so by streaming the full series on Crunchyroll.
Published: Nov 7, 2023 08:32 am