User blog:Gourgeist/Who Is The Beast Titan?

Fans have been pondering for quite a while about who the Beast Titan just might be, if it is a Titan Shifter anyway. I'm creating this blog post to knock out possible contenders and reel in others. Be warned before reading: this post contains  heavy manga spoilers.

The Beast Titan
The Beast Titan is a very abnormal Titan which was first discovered during the Clash of the Titans arc, and has not been seen since. It presumably caused the sudden wave of Titans from the south headed towards Castle Utgard, and is responsible for killing several soldiers before Ymir was revealed to be a Titan Shifter. It was last seen above a tower before disappearing completely.

As we know, this Titan was unaware and slightly amused that humanity created the 3DMG and "sword-like" weapons, noting that humans are aware of what's in the Titans' necks, making some fans speculate that it's a Titan Shifter. In a rather recent chapter, it is revealed that Titans are humans and technically the remaining human corpse is (or was) still in the Titans' nape. Still, it is different from normal Titans and could very well be a Shifter.

"Monkey Trouble" also wasn't certain that humans could speak the same language as Titans and was again rather amused (if not slightly uncaring) when he found out it was true, making it quite safe to assume that this Titan knows very little about humanity and has never been outside their "homeland".

Ymir recalled that Bert and Reiner both looked like "giddy children" upon witnessing the Beast Titan's (presumed) return. This implies that not only might they recognize it but also that it's from the "homeland" which they're always so spooked to talk about. Maybe it appeared because it's checking up on BRA's mission because they really suck at it? Who knows. Either way, it's from their homeland and seemingly it only appeared to toy with humanity.

Contenders
EDIT: as of Chapter 62, Grisha is deceased and no longer a candidate.

Eren's father


There are reasons to support this theory and reasons to not. First off, pretty much very little is known about Grisha. All we really know is that he's a doctor who saved an entire village from famine and holds the key to the basement in which he doesn't let anyone into. His history is unknown, and as this basement is somehow very important, we can presume that his background has a lot to do with Titans and maybe even Titan research.

I don't think Grisha is the Beast Titan. He lived within the Walls and probably had basic info to do with the military, and the Beast Titan didn't even know what 3D Maneuver Gear is. This is already quite contradictory as anyone living within the Walls is likely aware of what little can protect them.

Supporting:

 * Current whereabouts are unknown, likely not even living within the Walls anymore
 * Is aware of Titan Shifter abilities

Opposing:

 * Monkey Trouble was unaware of what 3DMG was, when Grisha almost definitely was aware
 * MT also wasn't aware that humans and Titans could speak the same language, even noting under his breath (out of obvious reach of a dying Mike) that they do indeed speak the same language
 * (Presumably) Turned his son into a Titan Shifter, aiding humanity quite a bit. Has shown to be emotionally connected to his family, that of which is at the mercy of the Titans.
 * Bert and Reiner looked like excited little children when they saw Monkey Trouble roaming about, implying that they either recognize it or know it's from where they formerly lived. This is contradictoy as when Wall Maria fell, Grisha was already living in Shiganshina and Bert and Reiner (shortly afterwards) managed to sneak into human territory, meaning the Beast Titan wasn't even living in its homeland if it is Grisha. Not totally against the theory but worth noting.

Kenny Ackerman
Mr. Jack the Rip-off is also a contender as he's heavily against the Survey Corps' (and humanity's) continued effort against the Titans, even aiding Reiss in doing whatever the hell they're going to do to Eren in Chapter 62, probably something very painful that will turn the tables.

Most likely he's just a military sellsword who does the dirty work in exchange for good pay and a safe spot. He has advanced 3DMG (which, remember, Monkey Trouble was all neanderthal about) and also knew Levi... which would contradict his identity as the Beast Titan as BR recognized him, and how many times does one go back and forth to their homeland?!

Supporting:

 * Serves as a constant foil to Levi and the Survey Corps
 * Has something to do with Reiss, the sketchy bastard
 * Is elusive and pretty much a badass.

Opposing:

 * Beast Titan wasn't aware of the 3DMG when Kenny has an advanced version
 * As noted above, the Beast Titan wasn't aware that humans and Titans shared the same language
 * Knew Levi, who is a human that speaks the same language, so he would have known already

Marcel/Berwick


Bertolt and Reiner's childhood friend. Eaten by Ymir and formerly a Titan Shifter. Hange already theorized that Marcel was formerly a Titan Shifter and Ymir ate him and absorbed his powers, but I don't know. Either way, this is still talked about a lot as Isayama has succeeded in confusing us further, but with this information Marcel is no longer a viable candidate.

Interestingly enough, however, nothing is explained about what Marcel had to do with their mission anyway, or even what his former Titan form looked like. Maybe he was supposed to play Annie's role in leading the Titans toward Shiganshina's gate after Bert destroyed it (theorized by Armin - idek) but lost that role once Ymir killed him.

Conclusion
There's something very contradictory in all this. The Beast Titan wasn't aware that humans and Titans shared the same language, however if it is a Titan Shifter, that means that it has a human form as well and can very well talk the same language as, say, Grisha to his wife Carla or Kenny to his old "friend" Levi. Put simply, if the Beast Titan had ever been to humanity's land before and disguised itself as any of the candidates, it would know about 3DMG and that humans and Titans share the same language.

Speaking of which, it's worth noting that Reiner and Bertolt more than likely needed to communicate with the Beast Titan in human form to get instructions or whatever to complete their mission. Maybe MT is simply an ancestor Titan that BR were only excited to see because they assumed it came from their homeland due to its not only different appearance but also its intimidating, dominant appearance. Something fans often fail to note is that Monkey Trouble best resembles an ape, part of what our world theorizes we came from, meaning it could be some kind of Titan ancestor.

Either way, BRA needed to talk in human form and learn language from their homeland, and if the Beast Titan didn't know humans could speak the same language, that puts things in a messy knot. Maybe BRA are Titan-turned-humans, and the homeland Titans assumed they spoke the same language on a hunch? I'm getting too deep into this.

Hope this clears certain things up and places other things on the table for debate. I just want the bloody Beast Titan to return.