Summary
Over a hundred years ago, within the world ofAttack on Titan, humanity faced threats from the Titans and conflict within the Eldian Empire. Seeking refuge, the 145th King of Eldia, Karl Fritz, withdrewthe remaining people to Paradise Island. He then used the power of the Founding Titan to create the three concentric walls of Maria, Rose, and Sina by hardening millions of Colossal Titans within.
The walls reached around 50 meters in height and strength, acting as a defensive barrier for the inhabitants within. King Fritz told the world that any aggression against Paradis would unleash the Colossal Titans to flatten the earth as a deterrent. But where did these mysterious defenses truly originate? And for what deeper purposes were the colossal Titans interned within the walls' cores?
The Construction of the Walls
The King’s Vision of Sanctuary
To understand the Walls, we must first understand their creator, Karl Fritz, the 145th King of the Eldian Empire. Fritz realized that continuing the bloody conflicts sparked bythe Great Titan Warwould only lead humanity to ruin. Seeking peace, he withdrew the remnants of his people to the isolated island now known as Paradis and constructed the three massive concentric walls—Maria, Rose, and Sina—using his powers as the Founding Titan. Countless Colossal Titans formed from the subjects of Ymir were transformed into the Walls' fundamental structure, their 50-meter frames interlocking to form the towering barriers that stalemated mankind’s enemies for over a century.
Using the power of the Founding Titan, Karl Fritz erected three walls. These walls, formed by tens of millions of Colossal Titans, have served as a shield and spear, safeguarding peace.
Fritz claimed that any forces attempting to breach the Walls would face retaliation in the form of the Wall Titans being unleashed to flatten the earth. This so-called “rumbling” was used to deter other nations from attacking Paradis out of fear of complete annihilation. In truth, the King had renounced all war and made a vow to never utilize the Wall Titans orFounding Titans’s powers again. His goal was to shelter the remnants of humanity within the Walls' domain until their inevitable extinction, buying them temporary peace through isolation and intimidation until that point.
The Three Walls of Paradise
The Three Paths That Divide Paradise
Dividing up human territory were the three concentric walls namedafter Ymir Fritz’s daughters: Maria, Rose, and Sina. Wall Maria was the outermost, with a radius of around 100 km, granting vast agricultural lands. However, its southern Shiganshina District was the first breach point that triggered the series' overall story. Wall Rose lay further inward, around 130 km from Maria, providing additional room. The innermost Wall Sina enclosed the safest region close to the monarchy.
Within their domains, each wall had four frontier districts along its perimeter, considered the most dangerous zones due to constant Titan harassment. Southern areas faced the heaviest activity before Maria’s fall shifted them northward. Beyond abundant farming territories, the territory enclosed an estimated 723,822 square km. This allowed over a century of comfortable living behind humanity’s Titan-proof barriers.
The Attack on Shiganshina and Wall Maria’s Fall
Tragedy Strikes Shiganshina District
On that fateful day in 845, the massive Colossal Titan appeared and violently kicked a hole in Shiganshina’s defensive Wall Maria. Quickly followed bythe powerful Armored Titan, the coordinated attack allowed hordes of mindless Titans to pour into the new breach for the first time in over a century. The once-thriving district of Shiganshina was devastated as Titans swarmed in and mercilessly slaughtered the residents.
The catastrophe brought increased strain on resources within the territory inside Wall Rose as hundreds of thousands of survivors fled inward from Wall Maria’s fallen lands. Massive refugee crises emerged for the remaining humans within Wall Rose.This shaped Eren Yaegerand his comrades’ futures as they trained with the Cadet Corps to eventually join the Scout Regiment.
Secrets Hidden Within the Walls
The mysteries lurking inside the walls are revealed
For over a century, the true nature and purpose of the Walls lay shrouded in propaganda spread by the monarchy to keep the people isolated and secure. While the Scouts uncovered some revelations, the full scope of King Karl Fritz’s plans was not understood until later. Whenthe mysterious Female Titanfirst breached Stohess, its attack coincided with the discovery of a Titan face emerging from within Wall Sina, exposing that the Walls contained more than just stone.
Later investigations would confirm that the Walls themselves were in fact hollow constructs housingmillions of Colossal Titansplaced in a hardened state by King Fritz using the Founding Titan powers. Their skeletal forms merged together to form the fundamental structure of the barriers from within. But King Fritz’s vow of peace seemed at odds with amassing such a colossal offensive force. In truth, he hoped the threat of unleashing them would deter attacks and allow Paradise to live in isolation for as long as possible. Until the true nature of their power was realized, humanity remained unaware of the apocalyptic strength hidden just beyond the defensive shells surrounding their settlements.
The Return to Shiganshina and the Reclaiming of Wall Maria
The Scouts Strike Back at Shiganshina
The Scout Regiment launched an operation to retake Shiganshina District and seal the hole in Wall Maria. After a prolonged and fierce battle with the Colossal, Armored,and Beast Titans at Shiganshina, they successfully reclaimed Wall Maria by sealing the breach. This was done at the cost of nearly the entire expedition force and severe damage to the abandoned city. Their efforts also resulted in a crucial victory over the Warriors, including the death of Bertholdt Hoover, who was replaced by Armin Arlelt, who inherited the power of the Colossal Titan.
Once Wall Maria was reclaimed, the next nine months were spent wiping out the surviving Titans within Wall Maria. The Scout Regiment then ventured beyond the Walls to find the outside lands largely unpopulated by Titans, who had been drawn inside Wall Maria to get closer to humanity. The Scouts finally reached the ocean shore, signaling that, for the time being, they had regained full control of Paradise Island.
The Walls' Downfall and the Rumbling
The Colossal Rumbling Shatters Paradise’s Shelter
After Eren made contact with Zeke, he was able to usethe Founding Titan’s powerto awaken the millions of Colossal Titans that were dormant within the walls. All three walls simultaneously began crumbling as the Wall Titans emerged. For over a century, the walls had protected humanity from the horrors of the Titans lurking within. However, Eren unleashed this dormant threat upon the world in a strategic move known as the Rumbling.The rumbling allowed Erento retaliate against any foreign nations that posed a threat to Paradis, effectively removing the need for the walls altogether as he took the battle to the outside world.
Witnessing the walls finally shatter and collapse was a shocking moment, as it revealed the true nature of the walls' construction and showed that the King’s vow had been the only thing preventing the Wall Titans from being deployed. But Eren and Zeke’s cooperation disrupted this balance of power, mobilizing the millions of Colossal Titans for the first time. The Rumbling marked a major turning point that would reshape the global conflict and Paradise’s position within the world.
Attack On Titan
Cast
Based on Hajime Isayama’s widely popular manga, Attack on Titan is a dark fantasy anime set in a world where humanity lives behind walls to protect themselves from massive creatures known as Titans. Over the course of four seasons, the story takes plenty of unexpected twists and turns, almost evolving into a different type of series in the process.
