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Even though he met his end quite early on in the series, as soon as the second episode of the story, Grisha Yeager's influence on the progression of events in Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan is exceptional. From being the previous holder of the Attack Titan, who passed it along with the Founding Titan to his son Eren, Grisha's played an indispensable role in facilitating his son's fate of triggering the Rumbling, even if that was not the course that he himself desired. Beginning with his time as an Eldian Restorationist in Liberio, where he forced his first son Zeke into becoming a Warrior, Grisha's actions were always driven by his motive of raising Eldia back to its former glory and avenging the death of his sister Faye. Brutally murdered by Marleyan authorities after he dared to venture beyond the internment zone with her when they were just children, Grisha always blamed himself for Faye's passing, and he made it his life's mission to punish those responsible for it.
Whether Grisha's actions in Attack on Titan were of his own will or not is an extremely complicated question to answer in the grand scheme of things. The Attack Titan's ability to transfer memories from future holders into the past, makes it all the more murky when contemplating the degree of influence Eren could have exerted on his father to carry out his plan at every turn. Eren himself lost sight of his own sense of self, or any notion of cause and effect after awakening the full power of the Founding Titan, putting his own agenda and free will into question. That being said, it is virtually impossible for Eren to have made it as far as he did without Grisha, and his manipulation of his own father was an essential step in his plan to protect Paradis Island from the wrath of the world.
Heir To The Owl
Grisha's journey began with his admission into the Eldian Restorationists, a group of radicalized Eldians in the Liberio Internment Zone who rejected the Marleyan version of history which painted the Eldian Empire in an exceedingly negative light. He became a prominent member of the group and even married Dina Fritz, a member of the Eldian royal family who stayed behind on the continental mainland. The activities of the Restorationists were funded and supported by a spy known as the Owl, later revealed to be Eren Kruger, holder of the Attack Titan. Hence, Grisha's involvement with the Restorationists, as well as his earlier encounter with Kruger at the time of his sister's death, were pivotal to him inheriting the Titan from Kruger. The Owl was also the one who presided over his execution on Paradis Island, after Grisha's son Zeke informed the Marleyan military about the Restorationists' activities, condemning them all to death.
Kruger himself was motivated by the memories of the future concerning Mikasa and Armin that he received from Eren via the Attack Titan. In fact, while mentioning their names to Grisha, he momentarily seemed to have his will taken over by Eren, who explained that taking the Attack Titan was the only way to save Mikasa and Armin. While it is quite difficult to ascertain who was really speaking through Kruger at this point, the result eventually aligned with Eren's plan. Grisha inherited Kruger's Titan and ventured towards the Walls in the hope of gaining access to the Founding Titan. He did so in an effort to put an end to Marley's oppression of the Subjects of Ymir living on Paradis Island, as well as the many who were treated as second class citizens all over the world.
Retrieving The Founding Titan
Once he encountered the Eldian civilization inside the Walls, Grisha Yeager ventured to develop a cover identity for himself as a doctor, which also enabled him to help his people without drawing too much attention to himself. After settling down with Carla Yeager, who gave birth to his second son, Eren, Grisha managed to find his way to the Reiss chapel, where the ceremony to hand over the Founding Titan was held every 13 years. However, as he sought to do right by his family and his newborn son this time, Grisha abandoned his mission and lived out a relatively peaceful existence inside the Walls, burying all traces of his past life and allegiances inside the basement of his home.
The destruction of Wall Maria by the Armored and Colossal Titans, and the death of his wife Carla, turned Grisha's world on its head, and driven by his rage, grief, and anguish at the loss of the life he had built, Grisha journeyed to the Reiss chapel once again. This time, he dared to enter the chamber where the Founding Titan ceremony took place, only to find the real Reiss royal family inside the Walls gathered there. Pleading with Frieda Reiss, the Founding Titan at the time, to take action and safeguard the Eldians of Paradis, Grisha was met by the will of Karl Fritz speaking through her. Dismissing his appeals and reiterating Eldia's guilt, the first king of the Walls told Grisha that the Subjects of Ymir deserved the horrifying fate that lay in wait for them. This made Grisha fly into a rage, and he attempted to transform into the Attack Titan, but stopped himself midway, realizing that he could not bring himself to kill the Reiss family, especially when there were children gathered inside the cavern, as it was in direct contradiction to his responsibility as a doctor.
Setting The Stage For Eren
At this moment, Eren spoke to Grisha through his future memories transferred through the Attack Titan, reminding him of his mission to avenge Faye, the Restorationists, and Carla. With the anger and will to act reaching boiling point inside him, Grisha finally transformed, defeated Frieda, took the Founding Titan, and slaughtered the Reiss family, sparing only Rod Reiss as per Eren's instructions. Without this singular moment taking place as it did, it would not have been possible for Eren to inherit the Founder alongside the Attack Titan, and his intervention at this moment, was crucial. Moreover, if Zeke had not resolved to journey through Grisha's memories to turn Eren over to his side, Grisha would have never gained the will to kill the Reiss family. This event is perhaps the most critical point in the story, and the Rumbling may never have taken place without it.
Shown the horrific images of the Rumbling by Eren, Grisha regretted his actions deeply and begged Zeke, who was also present there in the Paths, to stop Eren at all costs. Interestingly, this did not stop Grisha from his final act of handing over his Titan powers to Eren, allowing himself to be eaten by his own son, as he had been told to by the version of Eren from the future, who was communicating with him through the Paths. In this manner, Grisha's actions at every juncture in his life, paved the way for his son to obtain the power he needed to rid the world of Titans once and for all.