Why injury is necessary for titan shifters to trigger the transformation?

[@Draco.Requiem]

I think it relates to Ymir being injured when she transformed for the first time. All of the titan powers relate to her to a certain degree. The 13 years curse is an example. Regeneration in human form acts only if you want it to, similar to how ymir didn't wanted to regenerate from the spear that killed her, that's how Eren infiltrated in Marley as an injured soldier.

[@NobodyUndefined]

This is probably it, the 13 year curse is passed on to the others so being injured to transform probably is as well

[@NicholasThyDank69420]

He literally says this in the video.

[@TFLdotcom]

It’s none of this. It’s sort of explained that like humans, the symbiote exists to survive. Injuries trigger a survival mechanism. It’s likely adrenaline that causes the transformation. Some sort of survival instinct that aligns with the creature

[@1200Murdah]

Eren also brings up that when he transformed he only was able to transform to complete the task he was thinking of I think this ties into your theory as yimir was injured and desperate to live whilst eren was also injured and desperate to kill all titans

[@franty19]

Damn really good comment bro i totally agree 💯

[@NIDELLANEUM]

One thing I liked about the finale was that Pieck was shown transforming by gently nibbling her hand. This means that all the dramatic, blood-spitting bites the others do are over the top and not necessary

[@hona-rebel9539]

all other titans require more energy hence why she can go in and out over 100 times and stay in that form for weeks

[@Outrunwhistle]

@@hona-rebel9539 Eren threatened Pieck, showing a single small cut on his finger. She gave up. Titan shifters only need to smallest of injuries for transformation, but it’s easier to go all or nothing.

[@HaiTharImDavid]

I mean it was shown way earlier too when Annie pricked her thumb with the hidden Spiked ring.

[@Nova-tl4yc]

The adrenaline might help or smrh

[@jamin5417]

Wasn’t pieck biting off the ends of her thumbs in the finale?

[@RogerLinkin]

I think the reason is more simple than that. Ymir is the one who restores titan shifter bodies and for that matter Titans. Every time she sees a titan body or shifter injured she comes over to heal them and its at that moment they ask her to build their titan bodies. So I guess injuries are kind of like phone calls to Ymir! lol

[@Diamond52894]

Came here to say this!

[@PolarvoidexYT]

A fun theory: with enough willpower, you might not need to injure yourself to become a Titan. You could transform with just sheer determination

[@Adri4nns]

eren almost transform when he's yelling at hange in the prison

[@jeremyjoyner9796]

Theoretically we are all physically injured without realizing it. Stomach ulcer, inflammation, ingrown hair/toenail. So I think you’re right. The video makes a good point though that maybe blood must be shed.

[@maverickmurphy]

​@@jeremyjoyner9796 even if we are, it's not enough to alert the central nervous system, where the titan power supposedly resides. I think the titan shifter must be aware of the physical pain in order to be able to transform.

[@sawdustconsumer]

​@jeremyjoyner9796 ah shoot this stomachache is pretty bad i shouldn't have eaten that taco be-AAAA⚡️💥⚡️💥⚡️

[@olofacosta3192]

​@jeremyjoyner9796 pretty sure they said that to use titan power, blood must be spilt. That's why Kenny cuts Eren in season 3. Because even though he didn't injure himself, blood was still drawn

[@RoddrickScott-rs9nv]

The connections to Ymir make the most sense I know the spinal fluid is necessary bc in Norse myth Eitr is the source of all living things and when Ymir came into contact with the SOALM it used it's Eitr to turn her Titan also the Midgard serpent which the SOALM is based on produces Eitr

[@RoddrickScott-rs9nv]

I also believe that the spinal fluid activates the Titan gene within the eldians bodies

[@SpiritofHaniaTV]

So....do you even know actual Norse mythology?

[@Edwardbf6xr]

You can disprove both of the first ones quite easily. The first being that your nerves have to be alerted to transform, that dosent make sense because that would mean even just stubbing your toe could cause you to transform. Furthermore it takes less than a second for a message from your nerve to be sent to yoru brain meaning a shifter would have less than a second to transform before the brain received the message, this would mean the shifter would probably have less than a second to transform and yet weve seen time and time again shifters purposfully not transform right away even letting part of their injury heal by their power before they decide to transform. This means its clearly not a reaction by the nerve being alerted and a concious choice by the shifter. The second theory about the shifter having to make a blood sacrifice dosent make sense either because its never specified what counts as a blood sacrifice. Is it blood leaving the body? In that case we can disprove the theory since weve seen a few times titan powers kick in without there being gushing blood. The first time was when eren bashed his head during kadet training, their was no blood yet his powers kicked in. Whilst it isnt a transformation we can assume that if some of his powers can be activated without blood then all of his powers can be activated without blood. Furthermore there is a scene where eren transforms when reaching for a spoon. This dosent make sense because the show made it clear that some time had past since he tried to transform which means his original injury probably wouldve healed meaning no blood when he transformed because of the spoon. If you still need more evidence think about all the eldians marley transformed with titan fluid, sure some of them might have been bleeding like grisha with his fingers but all of them? They all transformed without having to bleed meaning we can assume a shifter can transform without the need for blood. The third theory is a bit more interesting and i think its partly true, i think that it is because ymir was injured and ill explain why. Ymir was injured when the worm attached to her spine. When the daughters ate ymir we can assume they received their mums power from eating the spine and bits of the worm. When eren had his head blown off its revealed that he also had a worm living in his spine. I believe all the shifters have these worms living in their spines or at least bits of the worm and its the worm that actually causes the transformation not the shifter. I think since ymir was injured when the worm attached to her and transformed it became the only way ymir could communicate with it, kind of like when a dog whines when its sad or wags its tail when its happy, we cant understand dogs but we can understand what it means when they do those things. I believe that the worm understands its hosts needs the same way we understand dogs, when a shifter isnt injured it means it dosent need to transform. When a shifter is injured and its adrenaline is pumping or its feeling an intense very specific wave if emotions or maybe when its brain waves are different it means do transform. The worm dosent understand humans like humans understand eachother but it understands that. I think that this theory can also explain why shifters cant control their power when they first receive their titan. Its not that they cant control their powers its that the worm dosent understand its hosts emotions because its a new host that feel differently than the previous host, maybe the worms new host is a much more angry person than its previous host and it thinks differently than its previous host so in the first few weeks or months of being in them they activate the transformation when they think the host wants it but really the host was just reaching for a spoon with a coincidental injury. Hope this makes sense👍

[@aldrinalavazoanimation8686]

I finally understand it!! Tyy

[@UpturnTheUncool]

I love these AOT theories/discussions. It’s crazy how much there is to talk about a year after the show is over. I also believe theories 1 and 3 are the most viable reasons for the need to inflict damage. Also based on Pieck just nipping her finger a little in the end, I think the bigger the Titan the more damage has to be done but that’s just a thought.

[@Explorer-um7dm]

nah! size doesn’t matter -that’s...wha...she...sai…- i mean injury size doesn't matter! eren bites his hand for a 15m titan. while armin & burrito…just a cut on their finger!!! its already shown in the anime… just tellin’…noone’s right or wrong here : )

[@UpturnTheUncool]

@@Explorer-um7dm​​⁠Nah you’re right. I forgot Barragan just cut his hand a little in the battle at Shiganshina, and we know Armins too squeamish for what Eren does to himself so I get it. 😁 Edit: LOL at your crossed out joke 😂

[@Explorer-um7dm]

@@UpturnTheUncool : ) tru~ : ) armin would never bite his hand like eren does! : ) …bro’s a peace loving guy. plus…just remembered!…levi even mentioned in the finale…when that okapi thingy kidnapped armin…that even if he received aslittle as a paper cut…he’d have transformed!

[@brandonwilliams4050]

I think the third theory makes the most sense. My headcanon is that the Titan worm is a parasitic (or perhaps symbiotic before it merged with Ymir) entity and thus it needs a host to survive. So to ensure its own survival, it protects its host by creating a massive "shell" around the host's body in response to any perceived danger. The shell isn't just for defense but also enhances the host's attack power to maximize its ability to defend itself--in other words, what humanity referred to as a "Titan". Injury is needed because an injury signals that the host is in danger and the shell needs to form to protect it. Just "asking" the worm to make it isn't enough, it has to know there is a specific reason. That's why it bonded with Ymir in the first place; it detected her multiple injuries and acted. Likely if she had been uninjured she would have just drowned. The primitive people of that era would have seen the fearsome power of Ymir and her descendants as the work of a demon or gods of some kind. But in fact the whole thing is a Resident Evil style scenario that got *way* out of hand (in the games there are multiple instances of people in pre-modern eras using parasites, viruses, and fungi to become powerful superhuman beings, and the masses believing them to be gods or demons or chosen by gods or demons). **EDIT**: I also think this is why the Titan Shifters had absolutely no hope of defeating the worm in the battle of Fort Salta. Because the Titan bodies are made by the parasite, it likely wouldn't allow them to be used to harm it (hence why Annie couldn't squeeze it to death or why Pieck couldn't rip it apart despite clearly injuring/drawing blood from it.) Had the Marleyan soldiers been thinking clearly enough to fire their cannons downward, they may have actually been able to kill the abomination, and prevent the cycle from starting over again hundreds of years later (again similarly to Resident Evil since it's almost always soldiers with guns and modern weapons that finish off the monstrous pathogen).

[@CelulonTomato]

First of all you are the first person I've met that has the same exact idea as me. I think another reason the worm needs a host is to reproduce. It clearly couldn't duplicate on its own, so it has to use its host. Being born Eldian isn't hereditary, just one of your parents has to be one to pass the symbiote onto you. It also has titan powers of its own as default (as seen in the finale), so it isn't something Ymir specifically created. So it also probably has insane regeneration capabilities. Shifters probably reside inside the nape because it is close to the spine, isn't blocking the throat, and has the least amount of flesh around it, which is important because titan flesh emits a lot of heat and could harm the person and worm. An Eldian becomes a pure titan when injected with spinal fluid from other pure titans which probably contains pheromones saying "hey a titan is injured. We have to transform too to help them." Pure titans are a transitory step to becoming a titan shifter, like a cocoon, and they just need the right information (Shifter spinal fluid) to know that it is safe for them to become human again (now that they have the ability to transform at will). Titans look like their human because the worm inside them reads their DNA and created a crude copy mold and upscale it. You know how when you make a small image larger and it reduces the quality because the pixels are larger? Same thing here. It makes a larger version of the person's DNA so that's how their titan form looks like them, but a little wonky. It does this because it is a shape that works and that the host is used to for ease of control. So that's my extension to your Idea.

[@KING_RETZ]

Thank you man

[@TheAnimaniq]

You're welcome! 😀

[@thatidiotoverthere6311]

I saw the comment that inspired this video the other day and just waited for this to drop 😂

[@TheAnimaniq]

🌝

[@doctunes3335]

Vaguely “rooted” + tree image. Nice!

[@aveem3164]

I always thought it was like that because it was as if Ymir wanted to protect their inheritors when they are injured. Considering Ymir's goal when escaping those soldiers was to protect herself, this makes some sense.

[@jeom3808]

Consider that the entire point of Paths/Ymir is the goal of "not dying". Titan power makes them pseudo imortal, it was a wish Ymir had and the spinal creature granted it with titan power. so when you are injured, and have a goal, the desire to "not die"/"fight" is triggered. Pradis are the children of Ymir, a part of her, it's a twist on immortality. Hence you can even see dead eldians in Paths and bring their titan forms with Warhammer titan as well.

[@lavaa7392]

Ok I have an idea. You know how when you have a glow stick and you have to snap it in half for it to light up-

[@paradoxtatorstudios9681]

I like to think that a shifter's brain and spinal area needs to recognize that the body is in danger, and that the shifter themself is determined to survive, in order to transform- the whole "will to live" sort of thing.

[@sonicguyver7445]

Because no one ever thought to strike a pose and yell out, "HENSHIN!"

[@Isaah-d4f]

My head cannon is its a defensive reaction like salamanders letting go of a leg or tail to confuse and scare predators so in the same way their body has to have some kind of injury to trigger their body's defensive reaction I.e. shifting

[@Speechless-Gamer]

The Warhammer transforms completely different from what I saw

[@Mr_Mustache_og]

Lastly, it just looks cool.

[@Selatapey]

It’s Ymir. Everything links back to Ymir.

[@Foxyboarding]

Armin transformed with our injury

[@excalibur2596]

I think the Titan powers were meant to be used for self defence since Ymir was wounded when she got the founder and only used the power to defend herself.

[@liongames_gaming]

I think that it's the adrenaline from self injuring, that's why eren when eren got eaten, he transformed.

[@Yujijojo]

I believe that if Titan shifter gets injured and has will the TITAN powers or whatever we call it ignites in order to heal the injury.

[@pholrakchantaratcharoen4563]

For me, I feel that the "transformation" is caused by shifter forcing themselves to over-regenerate the damaged part(s) and creating a giant humanoid figure.

[@jaipandey7142]

Maybe King Fritz used to injure Ymir to make her transform everytime

[@gambeg1n346]

❤

[@Sunflower_SM64]

While the 2nd theory is definitely weaker than the others, these are great theories

[@tshepangmotsatse4148]

The first one,only the first one is absolutely right....forget everything else

[@wilhelmw9149]

Ive always been curious what happens if they dont get eaten by another titian after 13 years? Do they just die? Is it just tradition? Do they live?

[@garyferrans7509]

Hey, hope this helps. So basically they always end up dying due to the curse of Ymir regardless of if they get killed by someone/something or die of “natural” causes, then after their death the power of their titan is passed onto the next eldian child to be born after the shifters death. The only way to stop the power going to a random newborn child is to have the shifters eaten by a titan. *Edit* I have just found out through another comment that after they reach the 13 years mark the shifter begins to age rapidly until they eventually pass away.

[@АлександрЛис-о2г]

I think its because Ymir not want to die, when parasyte connect with her. Also, parasyte in blood of titans also dont want to die, but parasyte no have hight neural function, no have emotions, mind or will and can transform human body into titan without will of human.

[@user-kk8zq3sg8j]

We not gon talk abt how eren transformed by just shaking hands?

[@Goatsicle1]

I dont know if ur dumb, but Erens leg was literally cut off, I think thats a good enough injury.

[@user-kk8zq3sg8j]

@Goatsicle1 I dont know if your dumb, but he had already grown it back by the time he shook hands, so your argument is invalid, and I doubt you can just delay a transformation

[@user-kk8zq3sg8j]

@Goatsicle1 as you know they need to be injured to trigger it, he was injured, didn't transform, it grew back, he stood up and kept talking, a few minutes later, he shool hands, then transformed

[@kidkaden5139]

Honestly I think all 3 might be the damn answer

[@yorriamo]

I thought it was explained that it’s the bodies and natural will of wanting to live

[@hokthandz_doda9811]

ITS THE SECOND ONE BECAUSE TITAN SHIFTING IS A CURSE

[@r_aptor_gaming_official]

Is there More than one Founding Titan Worm ?

[@XTRACTPLAYS]

My theory So the ending of the AOT and the AOT world changed after a long time and war starts happening their so the Funeral of Eren is in a tree and that tree grow larger like the tree YMIR jump into and that means AOT world keep repeating and repeating so another YMIR another EREN Just my theory

[@Omen06]

The real reason is a lot more simple. It’s a defense mechanism. The halluciagenia is a parasitic organism that wants to live, simple as that. When its host is threatened or injured, it turns them into a larger, stronger being at their will. Like when a turtle retracts into its shell, or when a lizard detaches its tail. This topic isn’t explored that much in the series, but it’s weird how so many attack on titan fans create these wild theories and explanations lol.

[@theabyssalguardian4521]

I like this theory most

[@cammulatterly3051]

LMAOOOO exactly i was looking for someone with common sense 😊

[@Invinceble_editz]

Why don’t Titan shifters just bite inside there’s mouths instead of moving their hand up and if their unable just give up

[@TheAnimaniq]

Have you intentionally tried biting your tongue? You got the answer there. Most of the shifters can't even bite their hand, they use knifes etc

[@Invinceble_editz]

@@TheAnimaniq But As we saw in season one when Levi’s squad but their hands they couldn’t go as far as Erin. I feel like in a situation like Armin in special 2 where he was in the best titans mouth, he could have bitten his cheek until it bled because there was no other option.

[@papichulo7593]

What about when Eren reached for the spoon 🥄 and transformed? Was he injured?

[@doghplayz6716]

Yes he had already bit himself multiple times but he didnt transform till he reached for the spoon

[@papichulo7593]

Thanks I just rewatched the scene he does have bandages

[@misterhotdog69420]

i thought it was just that *pawin owie i sense danger self destruct activated*

[@okayibelieveyou9330]

they all bout that spinal fluid

[@tobeywitak47]

I like theory 1 and 2

[@OmegaCT55555]

What if I have a goal of eating my food but bite my tongue

[@Cykos_Sketch]

Any Emo kids dream

[@OdyBuns]

Then why didn't Eren transforms into the attack titan when he painfully cut off his leg?

[@SonnieSage]

Good theory but, how do you explain Erin yaeger delaying his transformation just to talk to the enemy?

[@НуралиАмиров-б3ц]

Because Isayama developed this feature for better storytelling

[@l________YOURNAME_________l]

but eren could just changed that lifespan he can control It now how he dies he technically is the founder now because ymir offered herself to him

[@ericnewsome2240]

So how did the first king get the founder, did he eat his children?

[@TheAnimaniq]

No he didn't inherit titan powers, remember when he was on his death bed, he was advising his daughters to have children and transfer the powers to them

[@Reauneth]

How do they die after they lived 13 years?

[@RJhorton313]

They age rapidly you can see it through uri during season 3 i probably butchered his name's spelling

[@Outrunwhistle]

@@RJhorton313 No, you spelled it right. Just without the capital

[@satyam168]

I just farted while watching this

[@RJhorton313]

Me too

[@TheAnimaniq]

🙄

[@AnthonyTarectecan]

Bruhh how about anny was still in her cage hahahha

[@maxryabokon1515]

Why do you call her Ymir Fritz? She was never his wife and Fritz is not her name.

[@supasmortguy]

Fun fact: nvm ill get cancelled

[@evanbyrain]

You dont have enough people who know you to get cancelled

[@horriblyawefull]

no one would care

[@itstoasty7089]

What I don’t understand is why when the body of a shifter is regenerating, they can’t transform.

[@TheAnimaniq]

Actually I made a video on the topic you can check that, it's 2nd most popular video on my channel

[@itstoasty7089]

@ oh bet, take my sub

[@Blindstoic]

I thought it was exposing blood to oxygen.

[@dude-w6t]

Attack on Titan ending sucks