If you are interested in watching the most popular anime in the world, then you have probably come across Attack on Titan in your searches.
Boasting itself as one of the most popular anime and manga series in history, Attack on Titan takes place in an alternative universe where the world has become dominated by humanoid giants known as Titans that feed on humans.
Attack on Titan was released in volumes between 2009 and 2021 and was written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama with over 100 million copies being sold worldwide making it one of the best-selling mangas in history.
The plot follows Eren Yaegar, a character set on eliminating Titans from the face of the earth but problems ensue when it turns out that he can turn into a Titan himself and eventually uses his powers for the greater good.
There is a lot that goes on in Attack on Titan and with so many characters and creatures, there is so much to look forward to.
One element that confuses people is the Beast Titan, one of the most prolific characters in both the manga and series anime which is why we have written this article. In this guide, we’ll be taking you through everything you need to know about the Beast Titan and whether he is operated by Eren’s father, Grisha, which is so often theorized.
Before we answer this question, however, it’s important to know the background of Attack on Titan as well as the character of the Beast Titan and Eren Yaegar to give you a better understanding of why this is such a common misconception.
As mentioned previously, Attack on Titan takes place in an alternative medieval universe where humans are forced to live behind walls for fear of Titans, humanoid giants that feed on humans.
Following Eren Yaegar, the series sees him hellbent on revenge after his town falls to Titans and his mother perishes violently in front of his eyes at the hands of a Titan.
Both the manga and the anime have seen plenty of critical and commercial success which has contributed to it becoming one of the most well-known series in history.
The success of the manga and anime series has led to live-action films, as well as novels and video games, among much more.
The Beast Titan
The Beast Titan is one of the Nine Titans, Titans that have different physical appearances to regular Pure Titans as well as unique powers that make them difficult to defeat.
Just as his name suggests, the Beast Titan looks like a beast, specifically a sasquatch, and is often mistaken for being operated by Eren’s father Grisha when in fact, it is operated by Zeke Yaegar.
In this section, we’ll be delving into everything you need to know about the Beast Titan and its part in the overall plot.
The first time the Titan appears in the series is when the Titans arrive at Wall Rose.
There, it is encountered by Miche Zacharius who notes the differences in its physical appearance as well as how it acts; however, he wrongly believes that the Beast Titan is a regular Abnormal Titan (a Pure Titan who displays unusual behavior but isn’t as much of a threat).
The Beast Titan then unexpectedly grabs Miche’s horse thus preventing Miche’s escape.
Other Titans start to appear nearby and Miche lands on one’s mouth but the Beast Titan orders the other Titans not to eat him while he asks him some questions about the weaponry and gear.
Miche is shocked at the Beast Titan’s ability to talk and is unable to respond.
When a Titan attempts to eat Miche, the Beast Titan kills it and asks the question again but Miche still cannot talk. The Beast Titan then takes Miche’s gear and leaves Miche to be consumed by the Titans while he walks away.
The next time we see the Beast Titan is when he is stalking around the Utgard Castle grounds where Titans are surrounding members of the Scout Regiment, even though it is well-known that Titans are supposed to be inactive at night.
However, after the Scouts kill some of the larger Titans, the Beast Titan begins to attack and starts throwing stones at the tower which results in the deaths of Jenning and Lynne as well as the last of the horses.
This results in the fall of the tower as the Titans can break in. It is during this attack that Nanaba notices that the Beast Titan’s screams control the other Titan’s attacks.
The Beast Titan is then confronted by Bertholdt and Reiner, who are the Colossal Titan and Armored Titan, respectively in a bid to work together so they can free Annie from captivity.
The Beast Titan refuses and a conflict ensues with Reiner using his Armoured Titan form to fight but the Beast Titan is too strong. However, the Beast Titan comes up with a plan to save the Coordinate first by capturing Eren and, in turn, the Coordinate.
This takes place in the Shiganshina District where the Beast Titan rallies an army of smaller Pure Titans and throwing a boulder to plug the hole of the wall so the Scout Regiment cannot escape on horses.
The Pure Titans are then ordered to attack north of the wall while Squad Levi is tasked with taking down the Armored Titan and Levi himself is commanded with defeating the Beast Titan. Bertholdt then transforms into the Colossal Titan.
The Beast Titan continues to use boulders to destroy the houses and the wall’s structure meaning that the soldiers have a limited chance of escape.
They are then forced to regroup at the north of the wall where Erwin and the group try to come up with a strategy to defeat the Beast Titan.
The group works a distraction by rushing towards him with signal flares to block his view whilst Levi manages to overwhelm the Beast Titan and dismember it before it can put up a defense.
This results in the fall of the Beast Titan. Zeke emerges from the Beast Titan’s body and Levi has mercy on him but the Cart Titan suddenly appears and rescues him.
Eren Yaeger
Eren Yaegar is a name that pops up time and time again when it comes to Attack on Titan. This is because Eren serves as the series’ protagonist and we see the world through his eyes. But who is he?
A deeply complex character, Eren has a complicated background that results in him being one of the strongest characters in the series as well as the most troubled.
Raised in the Shiganshina District within the confines of Wall Maria, Eren lived with his mother, father, and adoptive sister, Mikasa.
In the first episode and volume of Attack on Titan, we see the fall of Wall Maria as Titans break in thanks to the Colossal and Armored Titans, and Eren’s mum is consumed violently by a Titan.
Eren then vows to take revenge on all Titans and wipe them from the face of the earth.
Grisha, Eren’s father, gives his son a key to the basement which then reveals all kinds of secrets including the fact that Eren has been injected with Titan serum which allows him to transform into a Titan with extra powers as he holds the abilities of strength and armor as he inherits the Attacking and Founding Titan powers.
Is Eren’s father the Beast Titan?
So now that you understand Eren’s past and his family, you’ll be able to understand the answer to this question more thoroughly. As mentioned before, the Beast Titan is operated by Zeke Yaegar, Grisha’s other son.
Grisha was known to operate two Titans, the Attacking Titan, and Founding Titan before he passed the skills onto Eren. However, he has never been the Beast Titan. This has always been Zeke Yaegar only.
Zeke is regarded as one of the most powerful warriors in history as he has been able to master the powers of the Beast Titan and operate the Titan ruthlessly to gain as much power as possible.
Conclusion
Hopefully, now that you know everything there is to know about the Beast Titan, you’ll have a better understanding when you read or watch the series.
One of the most important characters in the series, the Beast Titan has become one of the most recognizable and prolific characters in the Attack on Titan universe and is a force to be reckoned with.
