Ymir

"Krista... I have no right to tell you how to live. So this is just... a wish of mine. Live your life... with pride."

- Ymir to Historia before revealing her Titan powers

Ymir (ユミル) was a graduate of the 104th Training Corps and a former member of the Survey Corps. She also had the ability to transform into the Jaw Titan, and had knowledge about the true nature of Titans and the history of the world outside the Walls.

Human form
Ymir was a tall, slender young woman with short, shaggy black hair parted down the middle. She had deeply intimidating gray eyes and freckles on her cheeks. Ymir's hair was usually kept in a low ponytail with a white tie.

During her military service, she wore the uniform of her faction with a dark v-neck underneath. When Ymir was revered as a goddess, she wore a pale halter dress with a belt and her hair down. During her final days on Paradis Island and leading up to her death, Ymir wore dark pants and a white long sleeve shirt.

Jaw Titan form
Ymir's Titan form, the Jaw Titan, was considerably smaller than most Titans, standing at. It had rugged hair, small black eyes, a large nose, small pointed ears, and long arms. Her most distinct traits were sharp fangs and claws. Unlike other human-controlled Titans, Ymir's body was not well-proportioned because her head was too big. Unlike the Female Titan, her Titan form possessed no distinctly feminine features, similar to Pieck Finger's Cart Titan.

Pure Titan form
Prior to eating Marcel Galliard, Ymir's Titan form was noticeably thinner and her rib cage was more prominent. She also had regular teeth instead of sharpened teeth.

Personality
Initially, Ymir appeared to be selfish, cynical, uncooperative, and confrontational. However, she later revealed a kinder side, especially around Historia Reiss. Even earlier, Ymir showed this emotional and selfless aspect of herself when she took full responsibility for the Eldian cult's existence, despite her followers betraying her first. She also saved Erwin Smith's life, even though she blamed him for the failure of her plan of ensuring Krista's future. It should also be noted that she showed considerable regret over devouring Marcel Galliard who was Reiner Braun, Annie Leonhart, and Bertolt Hoover's friend and comrade, regardless of the fact she did not do it consciously.

Ymir was extremely perceptive and could discern the nature of the people around her with alarming accuracy, such as Historia's martyrdom mentality, Reiner's split personality disorder, and Sasha Blouse's desire to look good in front of her peers by hiding her native accent and developing an extremely formal way of speaking. Due to her experiences and belief in self-pride, she tended to rudely criticize people for being untrue to themselves. Furthermore, Ymir was very reasonable, as she knew what to do during her kidnapping situation and reconsidered her options to accomplish her goals.

After regaining her human form, Ymir resolved to proudly live for herself only, thinking it to be the best revenge against all those who hated her for her mere existence, and those who had used her for their own purposes. While she was not arrogant, her pride was what defined her character the most. For this reason, though aware of Marley's existence and the secret behind the Titans, she refused to divulge any information to anyone behind the Walls. It also might have played a part in her decision to save Reiner and Bertolt out of a sense of being indebted to them since their arrival is what caused her to regain her human form, even though she knew it meant her own death and never seeing Historia again.

History
Many years ago, a nameless Eldian girl lived in the streets of Marley as a beggar with no home. Eventually, she was found by a man who gave her the name "Ymir," after the ancient deity Ymir Fritz, and brought her into a cult dedicated to the worship of Ymir. She was worshiped by many Eldians in the cult, and Ymir chose to abide by her new role in order to bring happiness to those around her despite knowing that she did not descend from royalty.

Eventually, the cult was discovered by the Public Security Authorities. To save himself, the man who found and named Ymir claimed that she had deceived him. Ymir chose to stand by the name and role she was given, and so she was arrested with the other cultists. After being paraded around Marley and stoned by angry citizens, the cultists were taken to the borderline of Paradis Island and forcibly turned into Pure Titans.

Ymir spent about sixty years wandering outside Wall Maria as a Pure Titan. During this time, she retained little awareness or memory, which she described as having been an "endless nightmare." It was in 845 that Ymir encountered Warriors Reiner Braun, Bertolt Hoover, Annie Leonhart, and Marcel Galliard as they were making their way towards Wall Maria to infiltrate it. After attacking the group, Ymir reached out to devour Reiner, but at the last moment, Marcel pushed him out of harm's way and was devoured instead. Ymir then awakens in a barren field with strange formations of light in the sky before calling it "freedom". Zeke Yeager would experience a similar phenomenon and believes it to be the manifestation of the link that connects all Subjects of Ymir.

Soon after this event, Ymir regained her consciousness and human form. She then spent the next two years living within Wall Sheena, sneaking about and spying on their society, surviving as a skilled thief. It was during this time that she overheard a conversation between members of the Church of the Walls, and learned about "Krista Lenz," an illegitimate child who had been given a new name. Her interest in Krista led her to enlist in the military.

Ilse Langnar, a member of the Survey Corps that resembled Ymir, encountered a Titan that spoke of her as a "Subject of Ymir." This Titan mistook Ilse for Ymir, and bowed before her while referring to her as "Lady Ymir." Ilse's notes of the encounter were later discovered by Hange Zoë. These were the first hints of Ymir's true nature.

104th Training Corps arc
On the first day of training, Ymir and Krista Lenz venture outside and fetch refreshments for Sasha Blouse after her 5 hour-long run as a punishment. She acts apathetic and shows little care for Sasha's well-being, telling Krista that she could use Sasha's stupidity to her advantage. Later, during their training, Ymir confronts Sasha about speaking in an overly polite tone, rather than her home's dialect. Ymir begins to criticize her for it, and Krista scolds her. Krista then claims that Sasha should speak however she wants to.

At some point during training, the trainees of the 104th Training Corps completed a snowstorm training exercise, arriving at a base at the foot of a mountain. After their fellow trainee Daz loses consciousness during the exercise, Krista elects to try to pull his body along on a cot, despite Ymir's protests. She argues that they will only survive if they abandon Daz and head for base together, but Krista insists that they could all survive if Ymir goes ahead of her. Noticing that Krista has not asked for help during their entire course, Ymir deduces Krista has no intention of saving Daz nor herself, and that she is using their situation as an excuse to die in a heroic way.

Ymir reveals that she is aware of Krista's true past, having heard officials from the Church of the Walls discussing her existence. Krista asks if Ymir joined the Training Corps in order to find her, and Ymir states that it may be due to her own past being similar. Krista asks if Ymir originally wanted to befriend her, but Ymir says that they are nothing alike, as Ymir kept her old name after starting a new life, because abandoning her name would be to admit defeat. By living for herself, she robbed her enemies of their power. Ymir scolds Krista for looking for death rather than directing her feelings towards her enemies.

Krista says that there is no longer any way for all three of them to survive their mission, but Ymir leads Krista to a cliff overlooking the base at the foot of the mountain and proposes tossing Daz over the edge so that she and Krista can make it to the base alive while Daz could be searched for later. When Krista objects, Ymir takes matters into her own hands and throws her aside into a snowbank. She then transforms and uses her Jaw Titan form to carry Daz down the mountain to base camp. When Krista arrives, Ymir shows her that Daz was safe indoors. Ymir then decides to reveal to Krista how she saved Daz, but only if she promises to live by her true name when her secret eventually becomes known to everyone.

Ymir does not graduate with a ranking in the top 10 in the 104th class. Upon learning this, Krista deems that she deserved to be there more than herself. It is implied that Ymir intentionally performed badly so that Krista could have the 10th rank so she could join the Military Police Brigade.

Battle of Trost District arc
Ymir is stationed in Trost District when the Colossus Titan breaches Wall Rose. During the battle, her squad discovers a catatonic Armin Arlert. Connie Springer tries to get Armin to tell them what happened, and Ymir observes that Armin is likely the only survivor of his squad. She callously declares that Armin's survival was not worth losing the rest of his squad mates. Connie grows angry at her attitude and Krista Lenz is forced to mediate between them. In response, she requests that Krista marry her once the battle is over.

Ymir and Krista volunteer to help supply other soldiers during the battle and are split up from Connie. They are eventually placed on standby with other surviving trainees, where Connie fills them in on what happened to the trainees at the military's headquarters. She is surprised to see that Mikasa Ackerman is not present among the survivors, but when the group asks Jean Kirstein what happened to her, he claims that he was ordered not to tell.

The Female Titan arc
After graduation, Ymir follows Krista Lenz into the Survey Corps. During the expedition outside the Walls, she asks Bertolt Hoover if he knows where Krista is.

Clash of the Titans arc
Ymir is one of the Survey Corps members taken outside Wall Sheena by Mike Zacharias who also disarmed her of equipment on suspicion of being a potential accomplice to Annie Leonhart. When Titans mysteriously appear within Wall Rose and the rookies are sent to warn the nearby villages, Ymir recommends to Krista Lenz that they run away, but Krista refuses.

After the rookies take refuge inside Utgard Castle, Ymir asks Connie Springer about his village. She begins to comfort him upon learning it was destroyed, but mocks him when he speaks about the resemblance between his mother and the Titan he found lying on his old house. Later, Ymir comes under the suspicion of Reiner Braun when he notices that she can read the label of a herring can, despite it being written in a writing unknown to the other members of the squad. Reiner suspects that there is more to Ymir's past than she lets on.

When the castle comes under attack by Titans capable of moving at night, Krista, Connie, and Ymir find an old cannon that they use to incapacitate a Titan that had come inside the tower. With Bertolt Hoover's help, she also manages to push another one off the tower. As Krista treats Reiner's wound, she asks her to take care of her as well, but is interrupted by Connie who states that she just has a scratch. Later on, a huge rock lands on the top of the tower, killing Lynne and Henning. Along with her friends, Ymir goes there and tries to find where the strike came from.

As the battle progresses, Gelgar and Nanaba are also killed, leaving the recruits defenseless. Resolving to use her Titan to save her comrades, Ymir orders Krista to live a life she will be proud of and asks her to remember a promise that they made earlier before Ymir jumping from the tower and cutting herself with the knife to trigger her transformation. She fights the Titans strategically, utilizing her speed ang agility to avoid attacks and aim for Titans' napes. However, she is forced to hamper her movement to avoid doing any more damage to the tower. Krista, realizing that Ymir is risking her life to save them, orders Ymir to tear the wall down and Ymir complies. As the tower collapses, Ymir orders her comrades to grab her Titan so that they will be safe. The tower completely collapses, burying the Titans under the rubble.

When the Titans begin to emerge from the wreckage, Ymir immediately reengages them. However, she is pushed to her limit and the Titans overpower her and begin devouring her. Krista runs to the Titan horde, begging Ymir to stay alive so that Krista could reveal her real name. Ymir and the recruits are saved by the timely arrival of Hange's squad, which proceeds to slay all the remaining Titans in the vicinity. Before Ymir passes out in the aftermath, Krista reveals that her true name is "Historia."

The Survey Corps regroup atop Wall Rose and Ymir is brought up via a lift. Historia speaks to Hange on Ymir's behalf, claiming that she is undoubtedly an ally to humanity. While Hange is skeptical, they note that it would obviously be for the best if they could all get along and work together, stating that Ymir's information could be a treasure to humanity. Shortly after, Reiner and Bertolt reveal themselves as the Armored and Colossus Titans. While Reiner fights Eren, Bertolt partially transforms into the Colossus Titan and swallows Ymir and another soldier. He and Reiner manages to escape with Ymir and Eren.

Afterward, Reiner and Bertolt arrive at a forest and take a break high in the branches. Ymir waits for her limbs to grow back while Eren regains consciousness, missing both of his arms. He is impatient and wants to fight his way out, but Ymir pragmatically points out that he does not have much of a chance. They are surrounded by Titans at the base of the trees and Reiner and Bertolt are the only ones with maneuvering equipment. Ymir asks Reiner why he stopped rather than going all the way to Wall Maria. He does not answer, but she deduces that he is waiting for night when the Titans will be less active.

As they wait for sunset, Reiner begins talking strangely about promotions and how hard they have been working. Ymir realizes that Reiner has fractured his personality to cope with the guilt over being friends with the people he is trying to kill and begins mocking him. Ymir asks if Reiner and Bertolt are trying to meet up with the "monkey" they saw back at Utgard Castle, positing that they might need it to return home. Eren realizes that Ymir knows much more than he does and pushes her for answers, but before she can say anything Reiner offers her a deal. They cannot promise her safety, but they are willing to work with her in order to protect Christa.

Reiner and Bertolt notice a signal flare and begin preparing to flee from the advancing rescue party. Bertolt asks Ymir if she remembers who she ate when she regained her human form. She admits she does not but apologizes when she realizes that it was probably a comrade of his. Bertolt is surprisingly understanding, saying that he similarly does not remember. He asks her how long she had been wandering as a Titan and Ymir says it was about sixty years, like she was stuck in a nightmare that would never end.

As they begin to flee through the forest, Ymir notices the signal flares and realizes that Krista has come to rescue her. She demands that they kidnap Krista now, and when they refuse, she begins to attack Bertolt, threatening to fight them to death if necessary. Ymir transforms and meets the pursuing soldiers alone in the forest, where Connie recognizes her and tells the others not to attack. She looks around until she spots Krista, who she captures in her mouth. Ymir then turns around and swings from tree to tree to escape. Reiner and Bertolt are waiting for her at the edge of the forest. On seeing her, Reiner transforms into the Armored Titan and begins running while Bertolt grapples onto his shoulder with Eren. Ymir jumps onto his back and he carries them away.

As they flee, Ymir removes Krista from her Titan's mouth and partially emerges from the nape. She calls apologizes for eating her and tells her that she is going with Reiner and Bertolt for her safety. Historia does not believe Ymir and offers to help her fight off Reiner and Bertolt, saying she will always be her ally. Though Ymir wavers, she decides she cannot let Historia go. Ymir expects she will be killed to retrieve the power of the Titans she stole, but if she hands Historia over Reiner and Bertolt, they will speak on Ymir's behalf. She calls herself pathetic for doing this to save her own life, but Historia reassures her that she will still be on her side.

When several soldiers catch up and begin to launch hooks into the Armored Titan, Ymir pulls them out and drops the soldiers on the ground. She is ambushed and partially blinded by Mikasa Ackerman, who violently threatens to kill anyone that gets in her way. Krista intervenes and tries to plead with Mikasa to stop. However, Mikasa threatens to kill them both if they get in her way, forcing Krista and Ymir to back off.

Commander Erwin Smith leads a horde of Titans into Reiner to stop him and Ymir is forced to defend Historia. In the chaos they are separated from Reiner and Bertolt, but they manage to kill a Titan together. As the battle intensifies, Ymir questions whether she is better off siding with the Warriors or the Survey Corps, but any way she looks at it, the chances inside the Walls are bleak. They join Connie in fending off the Titans around them when a newly freed Eren strikes a particular Titan with his bare hand, triggering a power which causes all the Pure Titans present to drop what they are doing in favor of devouring the one that had attacked Eren. As he runs away he screams and sends the Titans after Reiner and Bertolt.

During the chaos of the battle, Ymir manages to get the drop on Erwin Smith and charges in to attack him. She expresses anger at him for ruining everything, but at the last moment, instead decides to rescue him from another Titan. As Ymir finishes it off, Connie and Krista catch up with her. Krista uses her equipment to jump onto Ymir's head, confronting her over having lied to protect her once again. She declares that they should live only for themselves, and proclaims that she will never fear anything as long as Ymir is at her side. This declaration renews Ymir's spirits, and the pair charge into battle together to face the Titan horde.

When Eren's power as the coordinate manifests, Ymir senses it and reacts with surprise. Realizing that Eren's power to control Titans might guarantee a future for the Walls, Ymir looks back to see Reiner and Bertolt are about to be overwhelmed. She apologizes to Historia and returns to help them, arriving in time to stop a Titan from eating Bertolt. With her assistance, the three make it back to Wall Maria where Reiner asks her why she came back to them. Ymir calls herself an idiot, but that she will be a souvenir so they do not return empty-handed. If they had not come to break the Wall, she would never have woken from her nightmare, so she is going to return what she borrowed.

The Uprising arc
The conversation Ymir had with Bertolt Hoover in the Forest was later recalled by Eren and written down for Hange Zoë. This information proves to be vital, leading Hange to speculate that Titans are able to absorb the abilities of devoured humans with the power of the Titans. This leads Hange to further speculate that this may be one reason Titans instinctively seek to devour humans and transformed intelligent Titans.

Historia Reiss's memory about Ymir telling her to live her life with pride later inspires her to defy her father and refuse to eat Eren Yeager to inherit the Founding Titan.

Return to Shiganshina arc
Before Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover get into position to prepare for the Survey Corps, Reiner remembers that they made a promise to Ymir to save Historia Reiss. Later that day, when Reiner is defeated, he reveals that Ymir had written a letter to Historia, which Hange Zoë keeps for later inspection. The letter is handed over to Historia later. In it, Ymir reveals that Reiner was waiting beside her as she wrote and that she was going to die soon. She went into her past as a nameless child, being turned into a Titan at Paradis Island, and regaining her humanity after devouring Marcel Galliard. Ymir began living her life without regrets, except the one of not being able to marry Historia and expressing her love for her. She would return to Marley in order to protect Historia but only punishment awaited her there.

Marley arc
After being brought back to Marley, Ymir willingly allowed herself to be killed and eaten by Marcel Galliard's brother, Porco Galliard, transferring the power of the Jaw Titan to him. Porco mentions that when receiving Ymir's memories, Reiner appeared to be a very different person on Paradis Island than on Marley, accusing him of imitating Marcel's Warrior-like personality, which Reiner does not deny.

Abilities
Ymir possessed great physical ability even in human form. She also showed to be fully capable in combat and the using of weapons. During her time as a trainee, it had been rumored that she started slacking off to ensure Historia a spot in the top ten.

Power of the Titans
Ymir was able to transform herself into the Jaw Titan (顎の巨人), a 5-meter Titan. She gained this ability after she ate Marcel Galliard, a Warrior from Marley, in the year 845.
 * Speed: Despite her small size, Ymir's Titan form had above average speed and agility, which made it easy for her to climb walls and trees. She dispatched multiple enemies in quick succession by biting them in their nape while using her claws and pointed teeth, a clever tactic used by her several times. Against humans or other Titans in a forest, Ymir would have the advantage, as she could swiftly outmaneuver them. However, her size has proven to be a problem since she was easily overpowered by Titans not long after her transformation at Utgard Castle.
 * Partial Transformation: Ymir possessed the ability to partially emerge from the nape of her Titan form, allowing her to interact with others while still transformed. This appears to be a defining ability of the Jaw Titan, as Porco Galliard does the same during the Raid on Liberio. However, Uri Reiss did the same thing with the Founding Titan.
 * Regeneration: Like other Titans, Ymir had shown the ability to automatically heal any injury and even regrow entire limbs. When she lost her right arm and leg at the battle of Utgard Castle, she was able to regenerate them in a matter of hours.
 * Communication: While others with the power of the Titans, such as Eren Yeager, are unable to form words while transformed, Ymir was skilled enough to communicate through her Titan form, though she was unable to speak as eloquently as Zeke Yeager's Beast Titan or Pieck's Cart Titan.

Relationships

 * Historia Reiss - Ymir was romantically attracted to Historia and utterly devoted to her. The two had a strong connection and deeply trusted each other, even while keeping their own secrets. Due to their similar background and painful experiences, Historia was one of the few people Ymir truly cared about, wishing to protect her at any cost. This is possibly why she started to slack off in order to allow Historia to graduate in the Top 10, which would give her a chance to live safely in the Interior as part of the Military Police. While not completely willing to trust Reiner and Bertolt, she betrayed the Eldians of Paradis Island in exchange for Krista's safety. Even though doing so may endanger Krista's life, Ymir stated she was a horrible person that wanted to see her one more time, but only left her behind when she thought that Historia would be safe inside the Walls. Ymir actively worked to discourage Historia's martyr complex, and challenged her to embrace her true identity and live for herself with her head held high. Her influence in Historia was so strong that she even rejected to inherit the Founding Titan and fought her father.
 * Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover - Ymir agreed to become their ally and work with them in exchange for Krista's safety. She expressed that she did not trust them entirely and believed that even if she cooperated with them, she will eventually be killed by their warriors. When they attempted to flee without kidnapping Krista, she made it clear that she will fight them to the death if they did not give in to her demands. When things looked bad, Ymir quickly abandoned them and considered leaving them to their fate. However, she decided to leave Krista behind in order to come to their aid because she felt a sense of gratitude towards them for accidentally triggering her return to human form. She stated that she was the only one capable of understanding their circumstances, as they are "the same". She further stated that she wished to "return what she took from them" and insisted on returning to their hometown as their prisoner.
 * Connie Springer - Connie is an antithesis to Ymir; Ymir was as wily, selfish and only had Krista while Connie is obtuse, empathetic, and has many friends. Inevitably, they had an antagonistic acquaintance, often exchanging verbal barbs with each other. They had repeatedly clashed (one incident almost physically), as Ymir often made him the target of mockery and he called her pejorative names due to her haughty attitude. Even so, it would not be right to say that they were on completely bad terms: Connie was quick to defend her when she appeared before the soldiers in Titan form. Later, when he encountered her again during battle, he told Krista that Ymir only acted seriously when it came to protecting her, showing that even after her apparent betrayal, he still believed in her.
 * Sasha Blouse - Ymir was not ashamed to take advantage of other people, especially if they are naive and simple-minded. She initially helped Sasha back to bed after she collapsed in exhaustion, but used this to make Sasha feel indebted to her. It is shown that she often pushed her chores onto Sasha, but she also was the one to confront Sasha over hiding her real dialect/accent and demanded that she should not be ashamed of her roots.
 * Eren Yeager - Ymir and Eren had few interactions prior to being kidnapped by Reiner and Bertolt, with him admitting that he did not know her well at all. They quickly came to mistrust each other, due to Ymir's secretive nature. She was critical of his then short-sighted viewpoint and stated that she could not rely on him for anything, instead choosing to side with the Warriors. However, Ymir was surprised when she discovered Eren possessed the Coordinate and took back her previous views of him. With this, she saw that Historia was going to be safe as long as he was around, deciding she was going to leave her in the Walls as she went off with Reiner and Bertolt.

People killed

 * Marcel Galliard (unintentional as a Pure Titan)
 * 1 member of the Scout Regiment

Failed attempts

 * Reiner Braun (unintentional as a Pure Titan)
 * Mikasa Ackerman

Trivia

 * Ymir ranked eleventh in the First Character Popularity Poll.
 * Ymir ranked thirteenth in the Second Character Popularity Poll.
 * Ymir ranked twelfth in the Third Character Popularity Poll.
 * is a primeval being in Norse mythology who is the progenitor of all jötnar (giants). "Ymir" also means "the scream."
 * Though she first appeared in chapter 5 of the manga, she was not named until chapter 36.
 * Ymir shares a birthday with Lynne.
 * Isayama drew Ymir with freckles to make her look more like a commoner, contrasting with Historia.
 * Oddly, her personality appeared to be a foil of Krista, who often pretends to be a sweet girl so that others will remember her fondly. However, her true nature was darker, more depressing, and blank. Ymir's true persona appeared to be much more selfless and quite emotional.
 * The official website mentions Ymir was in love with Historia (Krista).
 * In the original draft for the series, Ymir slacking off to give Krista the 10th rank is discussed immediately after graduation. In the published version, Krista does not confront her about this until much later.
 * Overall, Ymir's Jaw Titan lacked the distinct similarity to her human form that the majority of the other human-controlled Titans show.
 * In Chapters 39 and 40, Ymir's Pure Titan was originally shown to have sharp teeth, but Chapter 95 would later retcon this and establish that her Pure Titan had normal human-like teeth, revealing that her sharpened teeth were products of the Jaw Titan.
 * To Isayama, the most "ideal" character in Attack on Titan is Ymir.

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