Tom Ksaver

Background

Several years after their son was born, Ksaver's wife learned of his Eldian heritage and, in shame, killed both herself and the boy. Overcome with grief, he became a Warrior as a form of suicide, somehow inherited the Beast Titan, one of the Nine Titans, and became a researcher so that he could study the Titan powers.

About halfway through his tenure with the Titan he took a particular interest in the poorly performing Zeke Yeager and encouraged him. When Zeke revealed that his parents led the Eldian Restorationist movement, Ksaver suggested he turn them in to prove his loyalty to Marley and save his grandparents. He later shared his discovery that the Founding Titan could change the very body composition of Eldians, and Zeke promised to inherit the Beast Titan and use it to seize the Founding Titan and free the world from its fear of the Titans.

In the year 842 Ksaver was consumed by Zeke, passing the Beast Titan on to him.

Main characters

Eren Yeager is the main protagonist and antagonist. After witnessing his mother eaten by a Titan while escaping his hometown, he dedicates his life to eradicating Titans and joins the Survey Corps. He graduates fifth in his cadet class but is swallowed by a bearded Titan during his first mission in Trost, only to reappear as a 15-meter Titan that fights other Titans. It is later revealed that his father killed the Reiss family and passed the Founding Titan and Attack Titan to Eren by having him eat him.

Eren becomes a target of multiple parties. He joins the Special Operations Squad and learns to control his Titan abilities. In the final arc, he unleashes millions of Colossal Titans in a genocidal crusade that wipes out 80% of humanity. The Survey Corps and Marleyan Warriors unite to stop him, and Mikasa kills him.

Before the battle, Eren explains to Armin in the Paths that he simply wanted to level everything. They hug, and Armin promises they will be together in hell. Mikasa buries Eren's head under a tree in Shiganshina, which later grows to resemble the tree where the organism that gave Ymir her Titan power lived. Eren's Titan form was modeled after mixed martial artist Yushin Okami.

He is voiced by Yuki Kaji in Japanese and Bryce Papenbrook in English. In the live-action film, he is portrayed by Haruma Miura and Ryota Ozawa. Mikasa is Eren's childhood friend, taken in by his family after her parents were murdered by human traffickers. She feels gratitude toward them, especially Eren, who saved her and gave her his scarf.

Her parents' deaths caused her to become quiet and withdrawn, maintaining a stoic expression except around Eren and her friends. She joins the Survey Corps to ensure his safety, graduates top of her class, and is regarded as a genius. This is due to her father being a descendant of the Ackerman clan, an Eldian bloodline modified to create super soldiers equal to a Titan in strength, originally designed to protect Eldia's king. Under duress, these abilities may allow access to ancestors' battle experience.

Mikasa's instincts awakened when Eren urged her to fight back against her kidnappers. She is the last known person of Asian descent residing in the Walls.

Survey Corps

The Survey Corps is composed of expeditionary soldiers who venture outside the Walls to discover the origins and weaknesses of Titans and ultimately fight them. They are integral to the campaign to recapture Wall Maria. The division suffers high casualty rates, but survivors are elite veterans. Their insignia is the "Wings of Freedom."

The 13th Commander, Erwin Smith, led the last mission before Wall Maria fell. He served the government even after they murdered his father as a child, believing it was for the good of the people to conceal the truth of Paradis' establishment. He made difficult choices, sacrificing lives for the benefit of others, and had a reputation for gambling on unorthodox strategies. He developed the Long-Range Scouting Formation, which reduced death tolls despite continued significant casualties.

After learning of a mole, he concealed this intel while orchestrating the 57th expedition to expose and capture Annie. When Eren is kidnapped by Bertolt and Reiner, Erwin leads a rescue, losing his right arm to a Titan. After learning the government acted only for the upper class, he stages a bloodless coup to place Historia in power. He then leads an expedition to Shiganshina to seal Wall Maria's breach, facing the Warrior Titans.

He is mortally wounded after sacrificing himself and recruits so Levi can attempt to kill the Beast Titan. Levi initially considered injecting Erwin with Titan serum but decided to let him die in peace, giving the injection to Armin instead. Levi then hunts the Beast Titan Zeke to avenge Erwin. Erwin is voiced by Daisuke Ono in Japanese and J. Michael Tatum in English.

Hange is a bespectacled Survey Corps veteran and leader of 4th Squad. A scientist who studies Titans, Hange shows little fear interacting with them and is ecstatic when meeting Eren. Hange hated Titans until discovering Ilse Langnar's notebook, which provided new insight into their nature. Hange invents new weapons, including a barrel that fires multiple grappling hooks to capture Titans alive and Thunder Spears, which are instrumental in recapturing Wall Maria.

After the battle of Shiganshina, Hange loses their left eye to shrapnel from the Colossal Titan's transformation and later covers it with an eyepatch. Hange succeeds Erwin as the 14th Commander. Following Eren's message to all Subjects of Ymir, Hange forms an alliance with remaining members.