Walls (Anime)

"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."

- Willy Tybur recounts the formation of the Walls

The Walls (壁) are three large structures located on Paradis Island that guard the remnants of Eldia. They were built by the 145th King of Eldia, Karl Fritz, more than a century ago using countless colossal-sized skinless Titans which are contained inside the Walls' hollow core. They stalled the other nations from attacking Paradis, under the false threat that the King would unleash the Titans inside upon the world if they did so.

Description
The Walls reach about 50 meters in height from base to summit and are incredibly strong in substance. However, the Female Titan was able to damage one of them when she attempted to climb over it, and the Beast Titan was able to break off pieces of Wall Rose and throw them.

The distance from Wall Maria to Wall Rose is said to be about 100 km, the distance from Wall Rose to Wall Sina is about 130 km, and the radius of Wall Sina is about 250 km. Assuming the Walls to be perfect circles, this would make the total perimeter of Wall Maria to be around 3,016 km with the total area inside the Walls being 723,822 km².

The Walls are too long to be guarded in their entirety. The tops of the Walls are lined with cannons, which can fire on approaching Titans, even though they are not particularly effective due to the Titan's regeneration abilities. To account for this, each one has four towns on their periphery known as "districts." As Titans are drawn towards large concentrations of people, humanity can focus its defenses at these districts and not the rest of the Wall. The districts are considered the worst and least desirable places to live, as they are at greater risk of a Titan invasion.

Few people know about the Titans within the Walls. The Scout Regiment learned of their existence when the Female Titan damaged the surface of Wall Sina, exposing the face of an enormous Titan. Pastor Nick, a foremost member of a cult which considers the Walls to be holy, knew of the Titans within them, but would reveal no more under the interrogation of Hange Zoë. It is unknown how commonplace this knowledge is within the Order of the Walls.

History
One hundred and seven years ago, it is said that humans were brought to the brink of extinction at the hands of the Titans. In response to this, the survivors made huge Walls to protect their last stronghold. In reality, however, King Karl Fritz decided to end the Great Titan War and the fighting within the Eldian Empire by withdrawing to Paradis Island, taking as many of his people with him as he could. He then enclosed them within three concentric Walls; Sina, Rose, and Maria. After Marley started sending Pure Titans to the island, the Eldians inside were taught that they are the last of humanity who built the Walls to escape the Titans.

In an attempt to isolate his people and create a peaceful utopia for them as long as possible, Karl Fritz told the world that any attempt to attack the Walls would result in him unleashing millions of Colossal Titans inside the Walls to flatten the entire earth. Then, to ensure the Founding Titan would never be used for war, he made a vow to renounce it, and his will was passed down to all his descendants.

Fritz realized that this would leave his people defenseless, but decided that if Marley wished to exterminate all Eldians, they should accept it because of how grave the Eldian Empire's crimes against the world had been. But until that day, he wished for his people to have a paradise without conflict.

In the year 784, it was discovered by a miner with twenty years of experience who attempted to dig under Wall Rose to reach Wall Sina that the ground below the Walls was made of the same material as the Wall and that they also seem to extend surrounding human territory underground.

The Fall of Shiganshina arc
In 845, Shiganshina District is the first district to fall when Wall Maria is breached, leading to a massive slaughter and prompting humanity to abandon the entire perimeter and the remaining cities along the Wall as they attempt to consolidate their losses. After the fall of Wall Maria, the survivors take refuge in Wall Rose.

The current status of the Walls is chaotic. A massive campaign to retake Wall Maria is launched with nearly 250,000 conscripted soldiers sent out to fight the Titans alongside the Scout Regiment; this campaign ended in disaster and saw the near-total annihilation of the army tasked with this mission. This campaign was, in actuality, a means of population control to alleviate the food shortages caused by the massive influx of refugees. Due to the vast loss of life, the food shortages were alleviated, ultimately helping the people within the Walls.

The Struggle for Trost arc
Five years after the fall of Wall Maria, Trost District is breached, though it ultimately survives due to the intervention of Eren Jaeger, while also ensuring the local population's survival.

Assault on Stohess arc
Sometime later, Wall Sina and Stohess District are heavily damaged when Eren battles the Female Titan.

Clash of the Titans arc
On the same day, the Titans within the Walls are discovered, and multiple Titans are spotted inside Wall Rose coming from the south.

Royal Government arc
After the military overthrows the Royal Government, a Titan twice the size of the Colossal Titan appears and causes major damage to Orvud District.

Return to Shiganshina arc
After the successful coup d'état, the Scout Regiment returns to Shiganshina District and successfully seals the hole in Wall Maria. They fight a prolonged and fierce battle with the Colossal, Armored, and the Beast Titans to ensure the Wall's protection, but at the cost of nearly the entire expedition and massive damage to the abandoned city. The battle results in a crucial loss by the Warriors, as well as the death of Bertholdt Hoover at the hands of Armin Arlelt, transferring possession of the Colossal Titan. With the battle over, the nine surviving members of the Scout Regiment return to Trost District.

After the military's victory over the Warriors at Shiganshina, the next nine months are spent wiping out the surviving Titans within Wall Maria. This is done with minimal risk to soldiers through the use of the Executioner from Hell, which is designed through the use of Eren's hardening ability. Their installation at Trost and other Walled cities finally pave the way for human settlers to repopulate their abandoned cities inside Wall Maria. The Scout Regiment then ventures 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 reach the ocean shore signaling that, for the time being, they have regained full control of Paradis Island.

Marley arc
In the proceeding months, the Walls make contact with Hizuru and the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers, who assist them in matters such as intelligence gathering, and infrastructure development. Marleyan POWs are also captured and forced to aid the Walls effort. A plan is developed such that the Walls would spend the next fifty years modernizing, all while keeping the threat of "The Rumbling" as a deterrent to foreign aggression.

War for Paradis arc
Three years after reaching the ocean, discord is sent throughout the Walls after word of the arrest of the volunteers, Eren and Zeke Jaeger is leaked to the public. Disagreement turns into chaos following the rise of the Jaegerists, and the assassination of Dhalis Zachary. This comes as the outside world band together and prepare to launch a devastating invasion on the island, following the Scouts' strike against Liberio.

Trivia

 * The size of the nation within the Walls is most comparable to the real-life nation of, with a total area of 752,612 km², making it the 38th largest country in the world. The Human activity zone would come right after at 39th.
 * Titans primarily targeted the southern region, even before the loss of Wall Maria. As such, they are considered the most dangerous and least desirable places to live in.
 * The northern districts are considered the most desirable region, due to minimal Titan activity. However, the weather is brutally cold and makes life for residents very difficult. Hajime Isayama suggested they may have hot springs to make up for the harsh weather.
 * Isayama has described the northern region as relatively cold, rarely exceeding even on the hottest summer days.
 * "Rose" was the East Germany's secret codename plan to build the Berlin Wall.
 * In the early draft of chapter 1 presented by Isayama to the editors of the, Wall Maria and Wall Rose were switched, so Wall Rose was the outermost Wall breached by the Colossal Titan, and Wall Maria was the second outermost Wall to where the survivors retreated.

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