Summary
A plot point in the final chapters ofAttack on Titanis how Ymir Fritz, The Founder, seemingly chose Mikasa Ackerman as the one to end the Titan Curse. Ymir’s motivations and plans remainedmysterious for a long time. And to this day, a line spoken by Eren has garnered a certain controversy:“Only Ymir knows”. The problem with this plot point is that Ymir never speaks a single line, she never expresses her desires, and it was left to Eren and Mikasa to understand her.
Ymir Fritz was the embodiment of suffering.Her entire life was an unending hell. And even after death, her suffering never ended, until Mikasa ended the Titan power and curse. Mikasa freed all the Eldians and Ymir. But why her? Why did Ymir choose her as the one to free her in the finale ofAttack on Titan?
Ymir Fritz and Stockholm Syndrome
Abusive Ties for a Tortured Soul
King Karl Fritz enslaved Ymir Fritz after he burned down her village and killed her family. After she freed some of the cattle, in an effort to give others the freedom she couldn’t attain, she was blamed by the other slaves. She was chased into the woods, and there, right before she was killed, she fell into a massive tree, and something found her.Ymir became the first Titan. And with this newfound godly power, King Fritz turned her into his greatest weapon. She could have decimated the King and taken her freedom by force, but Fritz had conditioned her into submission. Ymir had been a slave since she was a little kid. She knew nothing more than that. He was in full control of her.
Ymir helped King Fritztopple other kingdoms and expand his empire. She helped him create the powerful Eldian Empire. She was a living weapon. In his twisted way of “rewarding” her, he had her marry him and bear his children. Ymir’s notion of love and care was as twisted as the king’s treatment of her. He had done nothing but use her and abuse her, but he married her and gave her a home and three daughters. And to her immature and abused mind, this was love.
Stockholm Syndrome is a real-life condition where a hostage or abused partner develops deep psychological bonds with their captor or abuser. While it is sometimes contested as a real condition, there are several documented cases of it occurring. King Fritz horribly abused Ymir Fritz, and yet, she loved him. Ymir loved the king and most importantly, she loved her daughters. But even still, she knew how awful he was, she knew she wanted to be free, she just wanted to be at peace with her daughters. But she couldn’t, and as she was conditioned to, she gave her life for the king, taking a spear for him. And when she saw the cold indifference he treated her with, she gave up her life, and while every time she healed from any wound, this time, she died. She couldn’t set herself free of Fritz,as for the next 2000 years, she built Titans for him in Paths. She couldn’t be free.
Mikasa Ackerman and the Ultimate Sacrifice
Calling Out Your Name
Mikasa had loved Eren since she was a child. She always wished to protect him and could with her immense strength. But then Eren seemingly changed, he started a war with Marley, he was killing innocents, and he distanced himself from his friends, including her. Mikasa simply wanted to start a new life with him, a place to be at peace. But things changed. Eren had become a monster, he had set out to eradicate humanity. She couldn’t bear it, she knew she had to stop him, she knew what she needed to do, but to do so, she had to kill her own heart.
Mikasa loved Eren more than anything else in the world, she was devoted to him, and she was a slave to her own love for him. But she knew what was right, and she was the only one who could do it.Mikasa Ackerman killed her beloved to save the world. A world that hated her people, but she couldn’t let him kill them all. Mikasa put the sake of the world and the right thing to do before her own desires, before her love. And she freed herself from her chains.
As the Founder Titan and agent of Paths, Ymir was able to see both the past, present, and future at once. Unlike Eren, she could see past Eren’s time of death. Eren knew Mikasa would kill him, but he didn’t know why it had to be her. He followed Ymir’s directions, but without knowing the outcome. Only Ymir knew that whenMikasa killed Eren, the Titan Curse would die with him. She knew that Mikasa would do what she couldn’t: free herself from her love. Ymir wanted to let King Fritz die and be with her daughters. She knew letting him die was the best thing for the world and her happiness. But she didn’t have the courage to do it, the courage Mikasa had.
If You Think It’s Natural for People To Sacrifice Their Own Lives To Save Others, Surely You Understand That Sometimes A Single Death Can Save Many Lives.
Mikasa had to courage to kill her beloved for the sake of others, despite her feelings. Mikasa did what Ymir couldn’t. She saw herself in Mikasa, in her devotion to a monster, and how that enslaved her. Ymir chose Mikasa because she did what she should have done 2000 years ago.Mikasa freed Ymir from Paths and all the Eldians from the Titan Curse. Thanks to her, Ymir could finally be at peace.
Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan is a post apocalyptic themed anime where the world is plagued by monstrous creatures called titans. People live in walled cities to avoid the danger of the man eating titans. After they destroy his home, main character Eren Yeager swears to exterminate all titans off the face of the earth.
