Attack on Titan reveals the truth about Yelena's origin - and her hidden story is more important than you might realize. The final season of Hajime Isayama's epic Attack on Titan narrative is coming to an end, and with only a few episodes remaining, Eren Jaeger's Founding Titan threatens to destroy the entire world. So, are Attack on Titan's heroes in the midst of a climactic final battle, knee-deep in Wall Titan guts and gunning for Eren before he claims more innocent lives? Not quite. Attack on Titan episode 84 ("Night of the End") brings the main cast together for a nice chat.
Their fireside conversation does, at least, yield a few important moments. The Survey Corps finally learn how Marco really died, while Annie makes her allegiance known, having previously been focused squarely on pie. The most shocking reveal, however, concerns Zeke's right-hand woman, Yelena. Best known for that creepy face earlier in Attack on Titan season 4, Yelena claimed to hail from a nation Marley invaded and destroyed. She allegedly threw her weight behind Zeke's cause to avenge her homeland and prevent others suffering the same fate through Zeke's Eldian euthanization.
Attack on Titan episode 84 reveals Yelena fabricated that entire origin. Magath and the other Marleyans expose Yelena as one of them - a full-blooded resident of Marley, with no foreign heritage whatsoever. Compared to most in Attack on Titan's dystopian world of perpetual war, Yelena would've enjoyed a peaceful life among Marley's main population, not oppressed like the Eldians, nor forced into military service like the prisoner she purported to be. Whether Yelena comes from Marley proper or one of its conquered territories may seem like a technicality given Attack on Titan's current landscape, but the detail changes everything audiences thought they knew about Yelena's character, whilst drawing a dark parallel between her feelings for Zeke and Mikasa's feelings for Eren.
Yelena, it would be fair to say, has not tried to hide her adulation for Zeke Jaeger. Until now, however, her admiration looked suspiciously like a savior complex. Yelena endured the loss of her country and her freedom was stolen, but then along came Zeke promising an end to her misery. After Magath's revelation, this no longer applies. Yelena acted solely out of love for Zeke, with no ideological prompting or vengeful spark helping her along. Zeke's charisma was somehow enough to make Yelena abandon a comfortable life and embark upon a mission that would inevitably end in her demise, along with countless others. One might argue that Yelena was acting in protest of Marley's treatment of the Eldians. Others would reply that sterilizing them wasn't the best way to achieve that.
Yelena's blind absolutism following Zeke Jaeger makes her the polar opposite to Mikasa in Attack on Titan's final season. Both love a Jaeger brother in a way many would describe as unhealthy (what is it with these boys?!), but Yelena makes clear that she would've carried out whatever order Zeke asked, no matter how depraved. Mikasa faces exactly the same dilemma as Attack on Titan's final battle draws closer. She could follow her heart and support Eren's genocidal mission to protect Paradis Island, and Annie questions whether Mikasa is even capable of defying Eren Jaeger. Without hesitation or doubt, Mikasa confirms she's taking a moral stand against the person she loves, refusing to let him claim more innocents lives.
Parallels can also be drawn between Yelena and Ymir Fritz. The Founding Titan's love for King Fritz meant she continued obeying the royal family who enslaved her, despite possessing enough power to kill them all in an instant. In a similarly grim vein, Yelena surely knew Zeke Jaeger was manipulating her absolute trust for his own designs, but carried them out regardless, with nothing but Zeke's mere presence as reward. Ymir eventually imploded with rage and joined Eren; will Yelena take a similar path? Or is the loss of Zeke Jaeger punishment enough?
Attack on Titan streams Sundays on Funimation, Crunchyroll and Hulu.