20. Memories of the Future

Complete story — includes the ending

Using the Paths, Zeke shows Eren his life from birth through their father Grisha's memories, hoping to convince Eren that Grisha has brainwashed him. However, they discover that Grisha had instead forsaken his Eldian nationalism and allowed Eren to find his own path in life. Eren tells Zeke that he was mistaken to assume that they were the same, as Eren preserved his freedom he was born with while Zeke is unable to move past Grisha's dream. Undaunted, Zeke states that with the power of the Founding Titan, he can still carry out the euthanization plan. In the memory when Grisha offered Eren to show him the secrets of their basement, he's revealed to be talking to Eren's future self. Zeke and Eren then arrive at the moment when Grisha confronts the Reiss family. As Grisha pleads with Frieda Reiss to save Paradis with the Founding Titan, he reveals that the Attack Titan's ability is that the host can see the memories of its future inheritors. When Frieda refuses to help and cites King Fritz's ideology about how the Eldian people shall accept the world's punishment, Grisha decides to kill the Reiss family and take the Founding Titan for himself. However, he hesitates and realizes that he cannot bring himself to kill, especially not children. Eren intervenes by using his memories of the future to communicate with Grisha, goading him into slaughtering the Reiss family and causing the events of the past to play out as they were meant to. After stealing the Founding Titan, Grisha breaks down and sees Zeke, telling him that it will be Eren's plan that will come to pass. Grisha then expresses his regret to Zeke for not being a better father to him, visibly moving Zeke. When Grisha pleads with him to stop Eren, he's suddenly knocked out from Grisha's memories and both are brought back to the Paths.