Carla Jaeger (Anime)

"Is it wrong not to be special? I don't think that way. And when it comes to my child... I don't care if he doesn't grow to be great. My son doesn't have to be better than anyone. After all, just look at him... He's so cute. I think Eren's special enough already. Because he was... born into this world."

- Carla expresses her ideology to Keith Sadies

Carla Jaeger (カルラ・イェーガー) was the mother of Eren Jaeger and the second wife of doctor Grisha Jaeger.

Appearance
Carla was an attractive, fair-skinned woman of medium height with a slender yet curvaceous build. She had large bright hazel eyes, long black hair tied loosely, hanging on her right shoulder with bangs on each side and only a few short hairs kept loose on her forehead. When she was seen inside her home, she wore a cream-colored sweater with frilled sleeves and a long red skirt with a white apron and small tan boots.

During her younger days, Carla could be seen wearing a short-sleeved dress with an orange front laced corset over top.

Personality
Carla had a kind, willful, and concerning nature, reprimanding her family and friends for dangerous decisions. When Eren wanted to join the Scout Regiment, Carla forbade him on the grounds that it was too dangerous, showing her motherly care. She seemed to genuinely care for Eren's safety, and had been known to be protective of her family, enough to put them before herself when Eren and Mikasa were in potential danger for attempting to rescue her. However, once her children left earshot, she whispered that she did not want them to leave her alone to die and continued crying until her death.

Carla was content with the simple aspects of life and did not believe that is necessary to be acknowledged by others, seeing that existing is special on its own.

History
During her youth, Carla worked as a waitress in a bar that Keith Sadies frequented. One day, Keith brought along Grisha Jaeger, who had recently been found lost outside the Walls. Carla reprimanded Keith, thinking that he wanted to beguile Grisha into joining the Scout Regiment, but both men denied this.

Sometime later, Carla became ill with a disease that plagued most of Shiganshina and was urgently taken to Grisha by Keith, who had become the main doctor overseeing the cure of the plague. Carla was more worried about her parents, but Grisha ensured her that everyone would be fine. Grisha later managed to save both Carla and her family, and Carla hugged him as she rejoiced in tears.

They soon fell in love and later got married. Sometime later, they had a son named Eren. When Keith returned from an unsuccessful mission as commander, he approached Carla with a young Eren as she expressed her and Grisha's worry for him. Out of spite, he accused her of being ordinary and lacking in imagination. Carla listened to Keith and then simply stated that some people do not have to be special or greater than anybody else. Carla then claimed that existing on its own was very special.

The Fall of Shiganshina arc
When Mikasa and Eren return from collecting firewood, Mikasa tells Carla about Eren's desire to join the military. Carla becomes upset, lecturing him on the dangers of the Scout Regiment. She tries to get Grisha to join her in condemning Eren's plans, but Grisha abruptly announces that he must depart on business. After Grisha leaves Carla tries to dissuade Eren again, leading to an argument between the two which ends with Eren running off. This leads him to yell at her and run off, ignoring her protests. Carla asks Mikasa to look after Eren.

During the invasion of Wall Maria, the Colossal Titan breaches the Wall of Shiganshina District by kicking at its outer gate, and some of the flying debris falls on the Jaegers' house, destroying it and trapping Carla inside. Eren and Mikasa attempt to free her, but they are not strong enough to lift the beams holding her down. Carla tries to order the two children to leave her behind, but they refuse to listen. As a Titan bears down on them, Hannes arrives and Carla asks him to take the children. The man considers fighting the Titan instead before thinking better of it and fleeing with the children. Resisting the urge to call Hannes back to save her, Carla bids her children farewell as the Titan arrives and grabs her from the wreckage. She briefly strikes the Titan from it's grasp only to have it grab her with its other hand to violently wrench her apart. The Titan then devours her.

Clash of the Titans arc
While Eren recuperates after the Assault on Stohess battle, he remembers when his mother told him that he is a man who needed to show some restraint and not get into fights, with Mikasa always coming to his rescue. She reminded him that he also needs to be there for Mikasa. She would later be avenged by Eren, when he used the Coordinate ability to make the Titans attack and devour the Titan that killed her.

Royal Government arc
When Eren, Hange Zoë, and Squad Levi go to question Instructor Keith Sadies on his knowledge of Grisha Jaeger, Keith puts into words his meeting of Grisha and losing Carla to him and the experiences that led up to, and followed those events.

Relationships

 * Grisha Jaeger - Grisha was Carla's husband. Keith introduced them, which worried Carla by thinking that her friend tried to recruit Grisha to the Scout Regiment. He was a well renowned doctor known most notably for single-handedly curing an epidemic that had affected the town. She fell in love with Grisha after he was able to cure her and her parents of a life-threatening disease, and soon married Grisha. When Carla learned that Eren wanted to join the Scout Regiment, she pleaded Grisha to change his mind, but Grisha said that there was no point in stopping an inquisitive mind like Eren's. In Eren's memories of Grisha injecting him with the Titan serum, Eren tells him in confusion that Carla's death drove him insane.


 * Eren Jaeger - Eren was Carla's only son. She felt a deep love for him, seen when she told him not to join the Scout Regiment because it was too dangerous. Knowing her son is too reckless for his own safety, she often took care of him with Mikasa's help. Also, when she was trapped under the debris of their house, she ordered Eren and Mikasa to run away and leave her behind so that they could escape from the Titans. She also told Hannes to take them and run, feeling relieved and thanked him when he accepted. She would be avenged by Eren, years later, when he indirectly killed the Titan that killed Carla.


 * Mikasa Ackermann - Carla relied on Mikasa to keep an eye out for Eren, trusting her enough to pull him out of trouble. When Mikasa was first accepted into their home, Carla showed that she was comfortable with Mikasa's company. The two often did chores together in the home such as washing dishes and they bonded over this. When Mikasa struggled to save her, and when she was taken away, Carla painfully called out to her in her final moments, worried for her safety. She greatly cared and worried for Mikasa, despite her independence and strength. Carla's death had a deep impact on Mikasa who vowed to uphold the promise she made to her in protecting Eren.
 * Keith Sadies - Carla knew Keith from his regular visits to the bar she worked in, becoming friends over time. However, she was often annoyed when Keith tried to convince customers to join the Scout Regiment. Though it is hinted that Keith had strong feelings for her, she seemed to be always unaware of his thoughts. Still, Carla respected him and was worried about the dangers that he experienced in the Scout Regiment. After one of the expeditions in which she had not heard from him, she awaited Keith to scold him for risking his life. Despite the fact that Keith responded rudely, she did not seem to be offended but only momentarily surprised, and continued talking to him kindly. After her death, Keith regretted his reaction and tried to prevent her son Eren from joining the military in order to save his life, though he ended up changing his mind since Eren's wishes were too strong.
 * Hannes - Carla and Hannes were acquainted for some time prior to Shiganshina's destruction. When it was breached Hannes initially tried to fight the Smiling Titan to save her but out of cowardice fled and took Eren and Mikasa with him, though Carla was thankful that Hannes took the kids to safety. Carla's death and his cowardice to stop it haunted Hannes for the rest of his life, and he was ironically killed by the same Titan 5 years later.

Trivia

 * Carla is the first character in the series who is shown being eaten by a Titan.
 * Carla has a character song in Linked Horizon's Shingeki no Kiseki album, 14 Moji no Dengon (14-Lettered Message).
 * Her death at the hands of Dina Fritz as a Titan is ironic as she was Grisha's first wife.

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