How Did Eren Get His Titan Powers in Attack on Titan?

Throughout the series, it was emphasized that one can get the power of a Titan by simply eating the previous user. Viewers have seen this happen a couple of times with different Titan users.

Attack on Titan started with Eren hating Titans after he saw what happened to his mother. He vowed to eliminate the existence of these creatures.

But what he (and the viewers) did not expect was that he is a Titan shifter himself. How was this possible?

It was explained later on that the other characters like Annie Leonhart and Reiner Braun inherited the powers of a shifter through training. But that was not the case with Eren. He trained to kill Titans, not to be one of them. So how did Eren get his Titan powers?

RELATED: Where to Watch Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 2

How Did Eren Get His Titan Powers?

Credit: Crunchyroll

In season one, Eren discovered that he was the Attack Titan. He was 15 years old at that time but the power was passed on to him when he was 10 years old. It all started when Grisha, Eren’s father, injected Eren with Titan serum. This turned Eren into a Titan and he then ate Grisha, making him the Attack Titan.

What fans did not expect was that in Season 2, it was revealed that Grisha fought Frieda, who was the inheritor of Founding Titan. This means that when Eren consumed his father, he was already the Attack Titan and Founding Titan.

In season 4, Eren attacked Liberio, a city in Marley, where he fought against Willy Tybur’s sister, who was the War Hammer Titan. Eren killed the War Hammer Titan's inheritor and consumed her to acquire the War Hammer Titan’s power.

Even though Eren already is the Founding Titan, he was not able to activate it on his own. Zeke, the Beast Titan who has royal blood, was able to help him use this massive power to start the Rumbling.

While Eren did not get all the Titans’ powers, he got strong enough to fulfil his mission. The ending of Attack on Titan was truly unexpected but the story itself was a masterpiece from the start.

RELATED: Do Eren and Mikasa Get Together in Attack on Titan?