Eren Jaeger's acquisition of the Founding Titan leaves a few plot holes in Attack on Titan's narrative road - and episode 81 makes no bones about pointing them out. The mysterious, all-encompassing power of the Founding Titan has lingered in Attack on Titan's background ever since Eren used the Coordinate to escape Reiner and Bertholdt in season 2. More details have gradually surfaced, and as Attack on Titan stampedes towards its finale, we now know the full truth behind Eren's power. Holders of the Founding Titan make requests to Ymir Fritz - the original Titan inheritor - who obediently fulfills these orders from the Paths, where she wields control over all her descendants.
Need to make every single Titan suddenly go floppy? Ymir can do that. Want to steal away Eldians' capacity to reproduce? The weird girl with the bucket has you covered once again. But when any work of fiction introduces a godlike power as far-reaching as Eren's, problems inevitably arise, as fans are left wondering, "Why didn't he/she just do..." and "If he/she is so powerful, why didn't they stop..." Now Eren Jaeger has unleashed the full power of the Founding Titan, this is precisely where Attack on Titan finds itself.
Whereas most stories try glossing over such plot holes, Attack on Titan episode 81 bravely confronts them, proving most characters are just as confused by Eren's new abilities as the audience. Attack on Titan first flags up a Founding Titan fallibility when Armin notices Zeke's wine-drinking Pure Titans killing Paradis Island Survey Corps soldiers. If Eren's overarching goal is to protect the inhabitants of Paradis, and if the Founding Titan can control all other Titans, why doesn't he halt the Titans currently assaulting his comrades? Even though these Titans were created by the Beast Titan, Ymir already proved she could control them when using a Pure Titan's stomach to heal Zeke from fatal Thunder Spear injuries.
Gabi then makes another good point. If Eren is relying on the Founding Titan to protect his friends, can he turn Connie's mother back into a human? Armin then responds by questioning why Eren wouldn't do the same for Dot Pixis and other soldiers poisoned by Zeke's wine. Though Armin does speculate un-Titanizing may be beyond the Founding Titan's influence, that's a weird limit, given how Ymir can render an entire race infertile, wipe their memories, etc. Gabi goes on to ponder why Eren can't target military bases, rather than going for total annihilation - another flaw in his Attack on Titan vision.
The Attack on Titan plot holes pointed out by Armin and Gabi aren't easily answered, and some are clearly nothing more than narrative contrivances. If Eren stopped the Pure Titans attacking his friends, we wouldn't get episode 81's epic Survey Corps vs. Pure Titans throwback battle. And if Eren restored Connie's mother, the suspense surrounding Falco's fate would fall flat. However, it's also possible Eren doesn't yet possess full mastery of the Founding Titan, and controlling countless Wall Titans is currently taking priority over stopping a giant, naked Dot Pixis, or affording Connie his long-awaited family reunion.
Attack on Titan's Founder plot holes may also hint toward Eren's true intentions. Though the new Founding Titan claims he's trampling the planet to protect his friends, that's likely not the entire story. Maybe Eren's friends need to battle the Pure Titans for his masterplan to pay off. And maybe merely destroying the world's military strongholds wouldn't achieve his hidden agenda. Whether convenient storytelling, lack of control, or hidden motives are to blame for Eren Jaeger's Founding Titan plot holes, it's refreshing to see Armin and Gabi verbalize questions viewers will already be asking as Attack on Titan's finale sneaks closer.
Attack on Titan streams Sundays on Funimation, Crunchyroll, and Hulu.