For much of Attack on Titan, Titans are presented as horrifying, mindless giants whose only purpose is to devour humans. As the series progresses, however, it becomes clear that these creatures are not natural disasters or monsters born without cause. The origin of the Titans can be traced back nearly two thousand years to a single individual and a moment that reshaped the course of human history.
Ymir Fritz and the First Titan
The story of the Titans begins with Ymir Fritz, a young girl living as a slave under an early Eldian ruler. Historical accounts within the series explain that Ymir was falsely accused of releasing livestock and was hunted as punishment. While fleeing through a forest, she fell into a massive hollow tree where she encountered a mysterious organism described as the “source of all living matter.” This creature fused with her spine, granting her the power to transform into the first Titan.
Ymir’s transformation was unlike any Titan that came after her. It was not inherited, engineered, or forced through experimentation. It was the foundational event that created Titan power itself. From that moment forward, the existence of Titans became inseparably tied to human civilization.
The Survival of Titan Power After Ymir’s Death
Ymir lived for thirteen years after gaining her abilities, a span that later became known as the Curse of Ymir. When she died, her power did not disappear. Instead, it was preserved by the Eldian king, who ordered Ymir’s daughters—Maria, Rose, and Sina—to consume her remains. Through this act, Ymir’s power was passed down rather than lost.
Over time, that power divided into nine distinct forms known as the Nine Titans. These included the Founding Titan, the Attack Titan, the Colossal Titan, and others. Each Titan could be inherited through consumption, ensuring that the power Ymir first gained would continue to exist across generations and be used as a tool of war.
Why Only Eldians Can Become Titans
Only the Subjects of Ymir, the descendants of Ymir Fritz, are capable of becoming Titans. This ability is tied to a unique biological connection passed down through her bloodline. When injected with Titan spinal fluid, a Subject of Ymir transforms into a Pure Titan, a mindless giant driven by instinct. Non-Eldians cannot undergo this transformation, regardless of exposure.
This biological distinction reshaped the political landscape of the world. Eldians came to be feared, controlled, and isolated, not because of who they were as people, but because of what their bodies could become.
The Paths and the Structure Behind Titan Power
All Titan abilities are connected through a metaphysical realm known as the Paths. This invisible network links every Subject of Ymir across time and space. Through the Paths, Titan bodies are formed, memories are shared, and power is inherited. Time does not function normally within this realm, allowing the past, present, and future to influence one another.
Ymir herself continues to exist within the Paths long after her physical death. Every Titan transformation and inheritance passes through this space, explaining how memories can travel across generations and why Titan powers feel both biological and supernatural.
The Founding Titan and Absolute Authority
At the center of the Paths lies the Founding Titan, the most powerful of the Nine. Its abilities include controlling Pure Titans, altering Eldian biology, and erasing or rewriting memories. For most of history, these powers could only be fully accessed by individuals of royal blood, a limitation rooted in Ymir’s continued obedience to the ruling lineage.
This restriction shaped centuries of secrecy, political manipulation, and control, particularly within the walls that once protected humanity from the outside world.
Titans as a System, Not a Curse
The ultimate revelation of Attack on Titan is that Titans are not a curse imposed by fate or nature. They are the result of a system built on obedience, inheritance, and unresolved trauma. Titans continued to exist because Ymir never chose freedom, even after death, and instead continued to serve through the Paths for thousands of years.
What began as a single moment between a frightened girl and an unknown organism became two millennia of conflict, fear, and oppression. In revealing the true origin of the Titans, Attack on Titan reframes its story entirely. The greatest danger was never the monsters outside the walls, but the history and systems that created them in the first place.
