Why was Eren so shocked after touching Historia’s hand? What did he really see?

Episode 19 of Attack on Titan set our screens on fire with its epic god-tier content this week. Leaping straight into the action, we hardly had time to breathe in between the sheer awesomeness that was unfolding before our eyes!

Now that Eren’s betrayed Zeke, we know that the Rumbling could be an episode away. However, we still don’t know when Eren decided to go down this path.

Even though a complete 180 in his demeanor in the final season signaled his descent to villainous infamy, we were already given a heads up way back in Episode 22 of Season 3 – Eren’s face contorted with terror after he kissed Historia’s hand.

While we finally got to see what led up to the massacre of the Reiss Family through the memories of his father, we still had no clue why Eren looked so stunned and downright horrified at the end of it all.

What exactly did he see? Was it only the slaughter of the Royal Family? Or was it something else?

Chapters 121 and 130 confirm that in addition to Grisha’s memories, Eren also saw the future – a future where he initiates the Rumbling and annihilates humanity outside the walls.

How could Eren see the future?

Even though the Attack Titan is famously known for its ability to see the memories of its future holders, how did Eren get an entire timeline of events from just a peck on Historia’s hand?

Our answer lies with the combination of the Attack and Founding Titan’s powers and the fluidity of time in the land of the Paths.

While the Founding Titan controls a network of memories that connect Eldians of the past and the present, the Attack Titan could allow the memories of the future holders to bleed into the past, as seen with Kruger, who mentions Armin and Mikasa despite them not being born.

Once contact with Historia activated the Founder’s powers, Eren could access this network through the lens of his Attack Titan powers, possibly influencing the past while eventually mapping out the future.

Since the realm of the Path also transcends time, it most likely gave him the clear-cut version of the horrific future that is to come.

We could go into more detail, but then we’d be entering spoiler territory for the next episode. But if you’re still curious, check out the conclusive evidence of Eren’s time-altering powers below.

Why does Ymir obey the Royal Family?

Episode 19 closed on Zeke having the upper hand as he reveals Ymir only obeys the Royal Family members despite Eren having the Founding Titan. But why is that case?

Up until now, we’ve been told that only Eren’s Founding Titan could command Ymir. However, Zeke explains that despite her immense power, she considers the Royal Family her masters since she served them in the past, and hence only carries out their orders.

If you want to know how Ymir came to serve the Royal Family, there are major spoilers on her origins below

Even though Eren deduced that contact of a royal blooded Pure Titan could activate the Founder’s powers, he failed to consider that Zeke is a conscious Titan Shifter as opposed to the tetanized Dina Fritz, who had no mind of her own during his encounters with her.

And even though he had the future laid out for him, he didn’t have all the important bits at his fingertips. But knowing Eren, I doubt he’ll roll over even when he’s faced with impossible odds.

Does Historia know about the Rumbling?

Surprisingly, yes! Historia was the only one among Eren’s friends who wasn’t kept in the dark. In Chapter 130, we see Eren disclosing his dead set intentions of eradicating humanity with her at the farm.

However, he was forced to do so as he needed her cooperation to prevent Zeke’s Euthanasia plan from happening.

It’s most likely Eren who planted the idea of her getting pregnant to delay inheriting the Beast Titan so that he could make it to Coordinate and activate the Rumbling.

However, she was horrified at first and even tried reasoning with him. But when he couldn’t be swayed, she warned him of the massive guilt both of them had to bear for the rest of their lives.

He offered to wipe her memory clean of the conversation once he got hold of the Coordinate. Finally satisfied, Historia promised not to breathe a word of his plan till its fruition.

Does Eren love Historia?

While Eren has shown great concern for Historia’s well-being, he has eyes for only one woman in his life. And much to the dismay of the Eren x Historia shippers, it isn’t her.

Even though Eren and Historia never shared a romantic relationship, he cared for her as a friend as he always made sure to prioritize her safety no matter the circumstances.

When he had the chance to disclose vital information on using the Coordinate, he kept a lid on it to prevent the Military from turning her into a Pure Titan.

He also vehemently opposed Zeke’s plan to inherit and pass down the Beast Titan despite Eldia’s dire situation as he wanted her and her children to live a full life.

However, the reason behind this rejection was two-fold, as he also wanted his plan of the Rumbling to progress without any hindrances.

Is he the father of her child?

One of AOT’s hotly debated topics has the fandom split between two candidates – Eren and the unknown farmer. Thankfully Chapter 108 confirms it’s the latter.

While defending Historia’s honor, Nile Dok explains that the farmer and Historia go way back as he hurled rocks at her whenever she came to work at the farm. But as time went by, he relented his past actions and joined her orphanage to make up for what he did.

After her pregnancy was announced, he was seen by her side in Chapter 107, and when she went into labor, sincerely praying on the sidelines.

Although they had a rocky relationship as children (pun intended), they made it work in the end, as Historia’s seen happily cradling her daughter with her husband in the background on her 3rd birthday.

But since the fandom loves theorizing the possibility of her lying or the farmer outright not being the father, it warrants an explanation in another article.

About Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. Kodansha publishes it in the Bessatsu Shonen Magazine.

The manga began serialization on September 9th, 2009, and ended on April 9, 2021. It has been compiled into 34 volumes.

Attack on Titan follows humanity settled within three concentric walls to protect themselves from the terrifying titans that prey on them. Eren Yeager is a young boy that believes that a caged life is similar to that of cattle and aspires to go beyond the walls one day, just like his heroes, the Survey Corps. The emergence of a deadly Titan unleashes chaos.