Attack on Titan: Why Ymir Fritz chose Eren, explained

Attack on Titan is a series that saw a swift change as it progressed, going from a post-apocalyptic action anime focused on humans fighting Titans, to an epic with elements of time travel and historical events playing a role. In that regard, Ymir Fritz could be the cornerstone of the change in the story and her connection with Eren Yeager involving the Founding Titan was something that defined the Rumbling and the series' conclusion.

However, there are points in Attack on Titan, where some plotlines are not fully explained or shown in a very straightforward manner, which is something that can lead to a lot of aspects of the story being deprived of their moment in the spotlight. The connection between Eren and Ymir is one of them.

A lot of people still wonder why Ymir chose Eren to give him the powers of the Founding Titan and even help him to some degree with the Rumbling. While the story did show it with several hints, it was not addressed directly.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Attack on Titan series.

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Explaining the connection between Ymir and Eren in the Attack on Titan series

Eren and Ymir's encounter on the Paths is probably one of the most important moments in Attack on Titan history, because it defines the former's motivation moving forward in the story and shifts the tone to a much more complex one, adding elements of time travel as well.

However, there is still a discussion about why Ymir chose Eren after so many centuries to carry the power of the Founding Titan and the ability to see different futures.

The truth of the matter is that the series never fully has Ymir explaining her reason, but it is probably because she had been used her entire life and Eren treated her like a human being. She had been a slave to King Fritz, had been abused, and used for the creation of Titans for centuries, probably going insane in the process as well, which is why Eren's desire for freedom resonated with Ymir.

On the other hand, the ending also shows her being set free because Mikasa killed Eren, so that gives another dimension to the reason why Ymir chose the latter, which is worth taking into account. It could be argued that Eren's appearance on the Paths gave her purpose once more for her life and that was something that played a pivotal role in Attack on Titan.

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Ymir's role in the story

Ymir Fritz (Image via MAPPA).

Attack on Titan, after the memorable scene of Eren, Mikasa, and Armin on the beach, took a turn to a grander, more epic, and politically-based story, which is something that was heavily influenced by the presencer of Ymir Fritz. Her influence on Eren cannot be understated, especially considering her own backstory and the connection to King Fritz.

Ymir had been a slave her entire life, mostly used and abused by the people around her, which is something that was shown in several points in the story. This is also a major motivation regarding his connection with Eren: the latter's constant desire for freedom is something that seemed to have inspired Ymir to make a difference and be set free, which happened through Mikasa in the series' conclusion.

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Final thoughts

Attack on Titan has a lot of interesting elements but the way Eren and Ymir bonded on the Paths, especially considering they were both slaves in their unique ways, is probably one of author Hajime Isayama's biggest accomplishments. And while it is never properly explained in the series, Ymir chose Eren because she believed in the latter's concept of freedom and also because he treated her like a human being.