Eren Kruger (Anime)

"The only truth in this world is that there is no truth. Anyone can become a god or a devil. All it takes is for people to believe it."

- Eren Kruger's thoughts on Ymir Fritz's story

Eren Kruger (エレン・クルーガー) was an Eldian spy posing as a Marleyan officer in the Marley Public Security. He founded the Restorationists, and used the pseudonym the Owl (フクロウ) to communicate. Secretly, he possessed the power of the Attack Titan.

Human form
Kruger was a fairly large, well-built, older man. He had shaggy dirty blond hair which he kept combed to the side. Kruger had a very slender face and pronounced cheekbones, and he was seen wearing the standard uniform for Marleyan soldiers and officers, although he only wore his uniform's hat when he was facing civilians.

Titan form
As a Titan, Kruger's form had sunken eye sockets, was very muscular, and had long blond hair. However, his Titan form also shared some unique facial characteristics with his human form, such as his pronounced cheekbones.

Personality
Kruger appeared to be a largely stoic individual who never displayed any emotions, most likely as a consequence of enduring years of suffering and misery as a mole and being forced to commit brutal and atrocious acts against fellow Eldians. After finding Grisha and Fay Jaeger outside of their internment zone, he felt no qualms in punishing Grisha physically. He continued to show a lack of empathy when the Jaegers learned of Fay's death, remaining stone-faced at the sight of their sorrow.

However, in truth, he felt remorse for all of his immoral acts that he did to his brethren, but saw it necessary for the betterment of Eldia. Another notable aspect of his worldview was his relativistic belief; he denied the concept of an objective truth, claiming that everything was a matter of personal opinion.

History
Kruger was born to an Eldian family living in Marley. His father had joined an Eldian revolutionary army led by the remnants of the royal Fritz family who remained on the mainland. Unfortunately, the army was very ineffective, and its members, including Kruger's father, were captured and burned alive by the Marley Public Security as Kruger hid in a closet. Afterward, he was rescued by friends of his father. Sometime later, Kruger was able to join the Marley Public Security as a spy thanks to an Eldian doctor who was able to fake his blood tests as he had done for himself sometime earlier. As a spy in the military, Kruger would refer to himself in correspondence with the Restorationists as "the Owl," all while spending his military career turning thousands of Eldians into Titans over the years in order to hide his identity as an ethnic Eldian.

While spending his downtime watching blimps with Gross, Kruger caught sight of Grisha and Fay Jaeger following the blimp. Observing their armbands, Kruger deduced that they are from the Liberio internment zone. Because they had left their Internment Zone without permission, Kruger offered them a choice between hard labor or "physical punishment." Grisha nervously chose to take both his and Fay's punishment, and Kruger proceeded to savagely knee him in the stomach. Afterwards, however, Kruger showed a vague hint of empathy after allowing Grisha to stay with him to watch the blimp, citing that since he was here, he may as well see it. Kruger accompanied his fellow officer to inform the Jaegers of Fay's death and observed quietly as they grieved for Fay. Amidst the conversation, he looked into the traumatized Grisha's eyes, seeing pure hatred and a desire for revenge.

Two years later Kruger inherited the Attack Titan from an unknown predecessor, gaining the Power of the Titans.

Kruger was present when Grisha was tortured by the Marley Public Security. He asked if he confessed to the Owl's identity, and Grisha assured he did not know. Kruger announced the boat that will send the Restorationists to Paradis Island was ready. During the operation at Paradis Island, Kruger escorts Grisha from the top of a thirty-foot wall, telling Grisha that as punishment for treason, he will be transformed into a Titan. Grisha tells Kruger that he remembers him from all those years back when his sister was murdered, which Kruger blithely acknowledges. He calmly watched the Restorationists being turned into mindless Titans and chase after their comrade.

As it was Dina Fritz's turn to be transformed, Kruger violently silenced a yelling Grisha and held him in place. Both he and Grisha watched as Dina was turned into a Titan. When Gross was about to throw Grisha off the Wall, Kruger suddenly intervened and pushed his comrade off the wall, and revealed to a shocked Grisha that he was the Owl. While mutilating his hand, he taught Grisha how to use the Power of the Titans before, in his Titan form, destroying the Marleyan steamboat and slaughtering all the remaining soldiers.

After destroying the Marleyan men and their equipment, Kruger returned to the top of the Wall. He goes on to explain his terrible acts against thousands of Eldians were all to serve Eldia in the end; Kruger then expresses regret for playing a role in the death of Grisha's sister, but that the hatred he saw in Grisha's eyes was part of the reason he ultimately chose him as his successor. This reminded Kruger of his own uprising, when he watched his family be burned alive and chose to get revenge for them, however, it turned out that he had to torture fellow Eldians to maintain his identity until that day. Kruger told Grisha that he must enter the Walls and take back the Founding Titan, using the power of the Titans Kruger would give him. Grisha then asked why Kruger was not doing it himself; Kruger reveals that the host will die thirteen years after inheriting the power of the Titans and he is rapidly approaching the end of his tenure. He then explained that all Eldians are connected by paths to the Founding Titan Ymir Fritz once had and that no one can ever be stronger than her, so they die after thirteen years like she did. Grisha then questioned this logic and the Eldian history, which Kruger explained is probably not true from the Marleyan or Eldian perspective.

When Grisha asked Kruger why he allowed for Dina to turn into a Titan, he said that he believed it would be better than having her give birth to royal children for Marley until her death. Grisha told him that he did not believe he was fit to take on his mission, and that he would not have paid the price for freedom if he knew what it was. Kruger then commended Grisha's father for trying to keep his family safe when he knew what happened to Fay. Kruger confronted Grisha, and told him that the reason he chose him is that at the expense of others, he sought freedom by going past the Walls. He said that their brothers and sisters paid the price for their freedom, and that those actions will follow them until they are repaid, even after death. As Grisha finally agreed, Kruger informed him of the name of the Titan he would be inheriting: the Attack Titan.

Kruger then explained the history of the Founding Titan and King Fritz's vow with the Founding Titan renouncing all war. As he prepared to inject Grisha with a Titan serum, he urged him to find a family and complete his mission for the sake of Armin and Mikasa. Grisha was confused by these names, and Kruger admitted that he did not know whose memories he was seeing.

Power of the Titans
Kruger was able to turn into a Titan and possessed the same abilities others with the Power of the Titans have. He slit his own palm with a knife in order to trigger the transformation.
 * Regeneration: As a holder of the Power of the Titans, it is believed that he could regenerate his body faster than regular humans, even from fatal wounds.
 * Enhanced Strength: Kruger was able to split a steamboat in two.

People killed

 * Previous inheritor of the Attack Titan (as a Pure Titan)
 * At least 9 Marleyan soldiers.

Indirectly

 * Gross
 * Thousands of Eldian civilians

Trivia

 * Kruger bears a resemblance to Eren Jaeger as a child.
 * Kruger is featured in the full version of the Linked Horizon song Guren no Zahyou from the Shingeki no Kiseki album.

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Eren Kruger (Anime)