Attack on Titan episode 80 sees Eren Jaeger make his final transformation into the Founding Titan. Here’s what we know about his frightening new form.
Eren Jaeger has attained his final form in Attack on Titan, but what secrets lie beneath that gargantuan mass of bones and evil intent? Since Attack on Titan season 4 began, Eren has devolved from a classic Shonen-style protagonist into a murderous devil corrupted by the same cycle Marley and Eldia have been repeating for centuries. Believing the only way to protect his friends is by annihilating everyone else, Eren resolves to unlock the Founding Titan’s godlike power. Though seemingly foiled by his older brother, Zeke, Eren wins out in Attack on Titan episode 80, “From You, 2000 Years Ago,” and transforms into the Founding Titan proper.
In a dramatic final sequence, Attack on Titan shows Eren Titanizing one last time, marked by the same bigger-than-usual surge of lightning and energy that announced Ymir’s transformation 2000 years prior. His decapitated head jolts back to life, then promptly begins growing into a massive, sprawling skeleton multiple times larger than even the massive Titans housed within Paradis Island’s three Colossal Titan walls. Attack on Titan refrains from showing Eren’s full body in episode 80, but the full scope of his skeletal Founding Titan is revealed by the end of season 4 part 2. How did Eren transform, what powers does he now command, and why does he look like that?
As Zeke found out while waiting for Eren to awaken in the Paths, the Founding Titan power is nothing more than Ymir responding to requests – a limitless young girl pulling the strings of her bloodline. This meant Zeke could talk Ymir into dropping the vow of renouncement imposed upon the royal family by King Karl Fritz 100 years before Attack on Titan began. Ymir Fritz‘s humanity goes both ways, however, and Eren convinces her to trust him instead, tapping into the anger that comes from years of Fritz/Reiss servitude. As the only non-royal to meet Ymir in the Paths, Eren is the first person to ever evoke Ymir’s inner desire for freedom, and she gladly hands him full control of the Founding Titan.
Eren’s Founding Titan Appearance Explained
Attack on Titan has already shown how different incarnations of the same Titan-shifter can look completely dissimilar – Eren’s Attack Titan vs. his father’s, for instance. Even so, Eren’s Founding Titan looks nothing like Ymir when she was still crushing Marleyan soldiers like wannabe Centurions. Eren’s Founding Titan body looks different for two reasons. Firstly, Ymir’s Founder is a composite of every other Titan – the size of the Colossal, the claws of the Jaw, the shape of the Female, etc. Though Attack on Titan‘s Eren has the power of the Founder, his Titan cocktail isn’t quite the same. More important to the appearance of his final transformation, however, is Eren being beheaded by Gabi. The Founding Titan’s defining trait is an insect-like rib cage emanating from the spine and wrapping itself around the body, which can be seen on Ymir Fritz’s monster form. Eren has the same bony structure, but because his head was severed at the neck, his freaky Titan spine grows uncontrollably before connecting his torso and noggin, coming to form almost Eren’s entire Founding Titan. Had Eren talked Ymir around before Gabi was let loose with a massive rifle, he might’ve morphed into something more like Ymir Fritz’s Founding Titan (but without aspects from the Female, Jaw, etc.)
Eren’s Founding Titan with its coordinate ability will prove rather tricky to kill. Typically, those seeking to bring a Titan down aim for the nape of its neck, but where do you even start with a creature composed of 96% ribs? Not to mention, Eren now possesses almost total control over his fellow Eldians and commands an army of trample-happy giants with big feet. Eren could make Ymir summon other Titans into battle, he could directly affect other Eldians (as shown by his telepathic communication), or he could simply sit back and let the Rumbling wipe out anyone who threatens his friends’ safety. For the longest time in Attack on Titan, Eren’s handsome protagonist exterior hasn’t matched his inner darkness. Now, his physical appearance is every bit as twisted and grotesque as his intentions.
What We Know About Attack on Titan Season 4 Part 3
Taking down Eren’s terrifying Founding Titan will be the main objective of the series’ remaining protagonists in Attack on Titan season 4 part 3. The last nine manga chapters left for MAPPA to animate comprise this battle, some more flashbacks to the core cast’s first time outside of Paradis Island, and further conflict with Floch. Therefore, it’s likely that these elements will all feature in Attack on Titan season 4’s part 3’s story. The series finale should also wrap up some key character relationships, particularly Eren and Mikasa’s, and maybe even resolve some lingering mysteries like Mikasa’s strange headaches. MAPPA has confirmed that Attack on Titan season 4 part 3 will premiere in 2023, and a January/February release date seems likely given the timing of the previous two parts of the “final” season. It’s also likely to be a relatively short season (10-12 episodes), as there aren’t many chapters left to adapt in the Attack on Titan manga source material.
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