Highlights

  • Subjects of Ymir trace their lineage to Ymir Fritz, who held Titan powers, shaping the Eldian bloodline and history.
  • Eldians once ruled vast lands with Titan abilities until the Great Titan War led to oppression and persecution.
  • Subjects share Titan-shifting power and connections but face global prejudice and dehumanization.



The subjects of Ymir are a mysterious ethnic group that plays a pivotal role in the story of Attack on Titan. As Hange discovers after exploring the secrets of Grisha Jaeger’s basement, the subjects of Ymir are descendants of Ymir Fritz, the first person who gained the power of the Titans over 1800 years ago. Through Ymir’s daughters, who inherited her power, the bloodline of those who can transform into Titans was expanded.

According to these, we’re a special race called the Subjects of Ymir who can turn into Titans. There’s also a belief that we may rule the world again. That’s why the world wishes to eradicate us Subjects of Ymir for good.



For centuries, the subjects of Ymir ruled over the ancient nation of Marley and established the powerful Eldian Empire. However, their reign eventually came to an end after the Great Titan War. In the present time of the story, the subjects of Ymir living on Paradise Island are unaware of the greater world that now despises them. Across the sea, those who remain in Marley live under oppression in internment zones. So who exactly are the subjects of Ymir, and what secrets from the past continue to shape their identity and destiny today?

The Origins of the Subjects of Ymir

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All known subjects of Ymir trace their ancestry back to Ymir Fritz, the first known human to gain the ability to transform into a Titan over 1,800 years ago. According to Eldian beliefs, after Ymir’s death, her powers were inherited by her three daughters—Maria, Rose, and Sina Fritz—when they consumed her corpse. This established the lineage of the Eldian people, also known as the Subjects of Ymir, as the only race with the ability to inherit the Nine Titans and transform.


For centuries, the Eldian Empire ruled over the known world. However, the empire faced decline after the uprising known as the Great Titan War, forcing the royal government to retreat behind the walls of Paradise Island. While most subjects of Ymir remained on the mainland and in internment zones like Liberio, those within the walls had their memories selectively erased by the royal family’s Founding Titan. This started a new chapter of oppression for the Eldian race abroad and mysteries within the walls.

The Rise of Imperial Eldia and the Great Titan War

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The descendants of Ymir Fritz, including her three daughters, came to be known as the Eldians. Wielding the power of the Nine Titans, they began conquering the lands of what is now known as Marley over 1800 years ago, establishing the Eldian Empire. Through strategic use of the Colossal Titans’ formidable abilities, the Empire was able to expand across the known world over centuries. At its peak, the Empire dominated the entire continent and beyond, with Eldians gaining elite status even in foreign lands. The Titans granted the Eldians seemingly unstoppable military might, allowing them to maintain control over their vast empire for over a thousand years.

However, around 120 years ago, tensions between the Eldians and oppressed peoples reached a breaking point, igniting the infamous Great Titan War. The developed technology of the time leveled the playing field against the Titans. In the ensuing global conflict, the allied nations achieved victory, toppling Eldian rule. Marley, in particular, emerged as the new dominant power, acquiring seven of the Nine Titans. Defeated Eldian refugees, including members of the royal family, were forced behind the massive walls of Paradise Island. Elsewhere, common Eldians faced systematic discrimination in wartime Marley and as refugees, marking the decline of the once formidable Eldian Empire.


Abilities of the Ancient Bloodline

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The Subjects of Ymir are a unique ethnic group that are descended from Ymir Fritz, the first person to gain the power of the Titans. There are a few notable characteristics that set the subjects of Ymir apart:

  • Titan Shifting Ability: Originally gained by Ymir Fritz, the subjects of Ymir have the inherent ability to transform into colossal humanoid titans through injection with special serums. This is the main driving force behind the global persecution and stigma they face.
  • Coordinate Connection: All living subjects of Ymir are connected via mysterious metaphysical “paths.”. This allows for coordinated control over Titans and subjects’ minds and memories through direct contact with a royal-blooded Titan inheritor like the Founding Titan.
  • Dominant Bloodline: If a subject of Ymir reproduces with a non-Eldian, their offspring will be Eldian, showing the dominance of Eldian blood over others. This worried Marley due to fears of more potential Titan inheritors.
  • Inheritance of the Titans: If a Titan power user dies without passing on their power, their Titan ability will be inherited randomly by a still-living Eldian baby, with no factors like distance or family relations influencing who inherits it.
  • Memory Inheritance: As shown with Grisha Jaeger, subjects of Ymir can seemingly inherit memories across generations through the Paths dimension.


While their Titan shifting gives them power, the subjects of Ymir also have vulnerabilities. Royal blood appears necessary to fully use the Founding Titan’s abilities. Additionally, their minds can be altered through manipulation of the Path connections, like when the King erased the memories of those on Paradis. Overall, the unique physiology of the subjects of Ymir sets them apart in both empowering and limiting ways.

Persecution and Prejudice of the Subjects of Ymir

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Since the fall of the Eldian Empire, the subjects of Ymir have faced widespread discrimination and oppression across the world. As the only humans capable of transforming into Titans, they were reviled as “devils” by other races liberated from Eldian rule. Within Marley, Eldians were stripped of their rights and placed in internment zones like those in Liberia. They were forced to wear armbands showing their status and were used as disposable soldiers. Violence and prejudices against Eldians were encouraged by Marleyan propaganda portraying them as inherently dangerous and deserving of persecution.

The situation has deteriorated further in recent decades. Advances in blood testing allowed authorities to identify Eldian heritage with greater accuracy, outing refugees hiding among other populations. This sparked a wave of expulsions as Eldians were forcibly removed from countries and plunged into lives as stateless refugees. Within camps, oppression escalated with increased restrictions and abuse against the Eldians. On Paradise Island, the royal family used the Founding Titan’s power to manipulate the island Eldians’ memories and seal them behind the walls in willful ignorance of the persecution faced by their brethren outside.


While the Eldian Empire once dominated the world through the power of the Nine Titans, its fall resulted in its inhabitants becoming the targets of fear, hatred, and discrimination across the globe. Within Marley and elsewhere, widespread propaganda portrayed them as irredeemable devils to justify the systematic oppression and human rights violations they suffered for over a century in an increasingly bleak and precarious existence.

Attack on Titan is available to stream on Prime Video.