If an Echo Knight fighter makes an attack from their echo's space and hits a paralyzed enemy, is it automatically a critical hit?

Question

The Manifest Echo feature lets the Echo Knight fighter create an echo, and attack from the echo's space (EGtW, p. 183):

When you take the Attack action on your turn, any attack you make with that action can originate from your space or the echo's space. You make this choice for each attack.

Suppose an attack originating from the echo's space hits a paralyzed creature. The Paralyzed condition states the following:

Any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature.

If the echo is within 5 feet of the paralyzed target but the Echo Knight isn't, is it automatically a critical hit?

Answer 1

Yes. "The attack originates from the echo's space" means we treat the attacker as being in the echo's space for rules purposes.

The Echo Knight fighter's Manifest Echo feature states (EGtW, p. 183):

[...] any attack you make with that action can originate from your space or the echo's space.

"Originate...from the echo's space" indicates that for the purposes of this attack, any rules applicable for that attack treat you as though you are in the echo's space. So for the purposes of the critical hit rule on a paralyzed creature, we treat "the attacker" as though they are in the echo's space.

Therefore, it’s a critical hit.