Historia Reiss

Historia Reiss (ヒストリア・レイス) is the illegitimate child of the nobleman Rod Reiss. She was raised in isolation on one of the Reiss family estates until the fall of Wall Maria. At that point, her mother was murdered in front of her, and Historia was coerced into renouncing her name and claim to Reiss heritage, taking on the new identity of Krista Lenz (クリスタ・レンズ), and entering military service (which was expected to result in her death).

Over the course of her childhood and isolation, and under the influence of her legitimate half-sister Frieda Reiss, Historia intentionally created a persona for herself that was to be in all things selfless and kind to those around her. In her innermost self however, she is a melancholy, empty shell of a girl, uncertain of her true nature and personality and of her purpose and meaning in the world.

Ymir initially sought her out due to her curiosity about Historia's past, and in order to use her as a bargaining chip. In the process, she fell in love with the Historia she got to know under Krista's emotional armor and false projections.

Once she reveals her true name, Historia becomes an important asset to the Survey Corps. She is pursued by various agents of the government (under orders of the King and the Inner Brigade) and by the Titan Shifters.

Appearance
Historia is very petite. She is the smallest soldier from the 104th Trainees Squad from which the central cast originates. She has long blonde hair, large blue eyes, and a rounded face; she usually wears the standard military uniform. Historia is noted for being very pretty; this, coupled with her kindness, sometimes causes her classmates to wonder if she is a goddess or an angel. It is hinted that many of the boys in her class crush on her. On expeditions, she wears her hair in a low ponytail.

Personality
In her Krista persona, Historia is usually very shy, very kind, quick to burst into tears, and uncertain how to interact with others (likely due to her isolation as a child). However, Ymir notes that Historia's urge to show kindness to others stems not only from a desire to gain their esteem, but also that of the people around her: to be seen as a good person. This likely stems from her having been denied the esteem of others as a child and raised to believe herself to be an unfortunate mistake.

The strongest manifestation of this tendency is Historia's repeated and severe suicidal inclinations; she expresses the desire to die in a manner so that others won't hate her for having existed at all and will speak of her and remember her favorably. A prime example is Historia's attempt to drag a wounded Daz to safety through a blizzard. Had Ymir not decided to help without prompting, Historia and Daz would have both frozen to death.

After her abandonment by Ymir, who leaves with Reiner and Bertolt) after the Clash of the Titans arc, Historia loses the hope that the revelation of her name seemed to produce in her. She regresses into a vapid disinterest in anything going on around her. She states that while the persona Krista Lenz was a kind and deeply caring person, the real Historia is vacant inside. Although Eren Yeager tells her that she seems more genuine and "less creepy" now, she continues to regard herself as lacking any true nature or identity.

History
Historia was born as the illegitimate and unrecognized daughter of Rod Reiss, a nobleman whom we later find out is the true King. Her mother, mother, not named in canon, was a beautiful servant in his household who later became his mistress.

Historia was raised on an estate owned and administered by the Reiss family. Her mother was deliberately distant to her, never engaging her in any form of social interaction or expressing any affection to her. As Historia notes, her mother spent much of her time reading or leaving the estate in carriages; she never participated in work around the estate. Her maternal grandparents interacted with her only to inform her of her obligations around the estate and to instruct her on her chores. Therefore, Historia was gravely neglected by nearly all of her family.

An important factor in her formative isolation was how other children on the estate and surrounding lands treated her. If Historia attempted to engage with them and/or leave the estate, they actively terrorized her, throwing rocks and shouting abuse at her.

Growing up, she began to read voraciously. Some of the books she read depicted a typical relationship between a mother and her child. This led Historia to question her own relationship with her mother and to wish for meaningful physical contact with her. When she attempted to hug her mother, the woman violently slapped her away and openly lamented that she hadn't been brave enough to kill Historia at birth. Despite this vehement repudiation, Historia felt happy, because this was the first time her mother had ever spoken to her. The two would not see or interact with one another for several years.

During this interlude, Historia came to understand that those around her saw her as a curse and grave burden to the Reiss family, though she did not understand why. Her only consolation was the company of the animals being husbanded on the estate. However, she did have one companion during her childhood: a mysterious and beautiful young woman named Frieda Reiss, who would visit her in secret. Frieda, who had taught Historia how to read, further encouraged her personal development in the hope that Historia would become a kind girl whom everyone would love. She would chide Historia for not being more ladylike, yet would become distressed when the girl spoke of her as the ideal role model of a proper lady.

At the end of each visit, Frieda would wipe Historia's memory clean of their interactions and Frieda's existence by gently bumping their heads together. However, these memories were not thoroughly and permanently erased; they surfaced, for example, while Historia dreamed.

Days after the catastrophe of the Colossal Titan breaching Wall Maria, Rod Reiss came to the estate to see Historia and her mother and to take the girl into the Reiss household properly. It is assumed that Historia would thus have been recognized as his child and one of his heirs. As they attempted to leave, however, they were surrounded by non-uniformed soldiers of the Inner Brigade of the Military Police, who then confronted Rod over the identity of Historia and her mother. Rod attempted to deny any relationship to them. As Historia's mother desperately tried to deny any connection to Historia, one of the MP, whose name would later be revealed as Kenny Ackerman, restrained her and cut her throat. Her last words and act were to glare at her daughter and coldly state that she wished she had never given birth to her.

The MPs then attempted to kill Historia as well, but Rod offered an alternative: If she were to disappear from the Reiss estate, assume a new name and identity, and enlist in the military at age 12, there would be no need to kill her. The MPs agreed to this, and Rod gave Historia the new name of "Krista Lenz."

104th Trainees Squad arc
For the next two years, Historia lived in a refugee camp. At age 12, the minimum age requirement, she enlisted in the 104th Trainees Squad. Upon graduation she ranked as 10th in her class, one rank below Sasha Blouse. (Historia later asserted that Ymir should have been 10th instead.)

In the year 848, two years before graduation, Historia accompanies her fellow trainees on a wilderness hunt to sustain themselves in times of peace. The trainees are drawn into an equipment heist by thieves in the forest, and Historia is kidnapped and held hostage against retaliation. Her comrades come up with a plan to try to rescue her. After some trouble, Historia is safely returned and the thieves captured and arrested.

Battle of Trost District arc
Historia was not seen during in the Battle of Trost District until she attempted to console Armin, who was distressed because he believed he'd lost friends to the Titans. She then played a part in a gambit, devised by Armin and led by Mikasa, to retake the supply room of the munitions factory. This operation occurred while the Rogue Titan enaged other Titans in combat, distracting them from the trainees. The success of the operation enabled the trainees to resupply and therefore withdraw from Trost.

The Female Titan arc
After the Battle of Trost, as ordered, Historia presented her Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear to the Military Police for inspection. The inspection was part of the investigation into the deaths of two captured Titans, presumed to be have been killed by a soldier using 3DMG. Although she feared to face Titans in combat again, Historia volunteered to became a member of the Scouting Legion. Later, she said it was a decision made by her innermost self, and she didn't consciously understand the reasons behind it.

During the 57th Expedition, her first outside the Walls, Historia brought a spare horse to Reiner, Armin, and Jean after they became stranded while in combat against the female titan, thus saving their lives. She was next seen to be holding her position on the treeline, per orders, baiting the Titans and preventing them from entering the Forest of Giant Trees while the Survey Corps attempted to capture the Female Titan.

Clash of the Titans arc
Historia was part of the group of Survey Corps recruits under suspicion of being Annie's collaborators.

Pastor Nick revealed to the Survey Corps that one of their recruits might know about the Titans in the Walls due to her family connection, and that she assumed a false name after she was caught in the middle of her relatives' dispute. The Survey Corps officers, not knowing most of the recruits very well yet, ask Eren, Mikasa, and Armin who she is. Eren and Armin attempt to describe Historia physically, while Mikasa shocks Hanji and Levi by saying, "She's the one who's always hanging around Ymir."

During the battle at Castle Utgard (Clash of the Titans arc), Ymir makes Historia promise to reveal and reclaim her real name and to live for herself. Then she leaps from the castle tower, drives a knife through her hand, and transforms into the Dancing Titan to fight the Titans besieging the castle. Reiner asks her if she'd known that Ymir was a Titan Shifter; Historia says she had no idea, despite having been so close to her, and refuses to believe it at first. Her comrades demand to know whose side Ymir is on. Historia tells them that Ymir transformed in order to protect her fellow trainees and is therefore on the side of humanity.

Historia begins cheering for Ymir to live and to bring the tower down. In her enthusiasm, she nearly falls off the tower, before Reiner hauls her back to quasi-safety by her ankle. She exults when Ymir does in fact bring the tower down. She, Reiner, Bertolt, and Connie Springer cling to Ymir's back and head and land on the ground safely. Then the other Titans begin to eat Ymir. As Historia tries to make her way to Ymir's side, a Titan nearly grabs her, but Mikasa saves her as she and other Survey Corps personnel arrive on the scene. As everyone watches in disbelief at Ymir's surviving despite severe wounds and the truth of her nature, and the truth, Historia reveals her true name, and Ymir smiles.

Historia pleads with Hange Zoë to go easy on Ymir. She states she knew Ymir was wrong to have hidden information that could have been useful to the Survey Corps, but that she did it to protect her comrades. Hange tells Historia she understands that Ymir, like Eren, is a Titan allied to humanity, but that the matter is complicated considerably by politics and bureaucracy. Shortly thereafter, Historia watches in horror as Reiner, in his Armored Titan form, grabs Eren, while Bertolt snatches Ymir in his Colossal Titan form.

Assigned to provide care for the wounded, Historia insists that Ymir is still alive and begs the other soldiers to rescue her. Against Armin's advice, she joins the later rescue mission. The team eventually manages to catch up with Reiner and Bertolt, unaware that they convinced Ymir to side with them in exchange for Historia's safety. When Ymir appears in her Titan form, Historia rushes to greet her, and Ymir snatches her up in her mouth and runs away.

As the Titan Shifters flee from the military, Ymir spits Historia out and partially detransforms back to human form so they can speak. Historia initially believes that Ymir is being forced to cooperate with the traitors and begs to be released so that they can escape. However, Bertolt points out that Ymir is not being forced to work with them. He demands to know if Ymir is going to change her mind again, abandoning Historia in order to save herself. Ymir breaks down and confesses to Historia that Historia's status as an heir of the Reiss family was a bargaining chip Ymir had hoped to use to save herself from the traitors she served. Appealing to Historia's true nature, Ymir begs her to save her. In response, Historia smiles and vows she will always be on Ymir's side.

When Mikasa arrives and attacks Ymir, Historia quickly steps between them and refuses to back down, even when Mikasa threatens her. When Mikasa makes it clear she will spare no one who gets in her way, Historia finally relents and talks Ymir out of fighting any further.

"I'll fight together with you! So release your hand! Even if you have your reasons and there are things you can’t tell me! No matter what! I’m on your side!"

- Historia to Ymir

To slow down the traitors' escape, Erwin Smith leads a massive horde of Titans directly into the Armored Titan's path. While the other trainees retreat to safety, Historia chooses to stay with Ymir and quickly comes under attack by the mindless Titans. Ymir rescues her, and they quickly become separated from Reiner and Bertolt in the ensuing chaos. During the fierce battle, she rescues Ymir from a larger Titan and proudly declares it her first Titan kill.

As she lands and prepares to check on her companion, Connie Springer arrives on the scene and snatches her up. Historia initially struggles with him, arguing that she doesn't need to be saved and has chosen to side with the traitors. She tells him that unless Historia goes along with her, Ymir will be killed by the Titan Shifters' people. Connie, however, saw through Ymir's lies. He asks Historia if this is exactly what Ymir told her and points out that Ymir only ever acts seriously in order to protect her. He further points out the danger they're in, suggesting they retreat to safety together with Ymir. This seems to calm Historia. Soon afterward, Ymir joins them in her Titan form, running alongside them. They then notice Titans being thrown into the path of the main military force, cutting off their retreat.

As chaos reigns around them, Historia uses her 3DMG to jump onto Ymir's head, and she shouts at Connie to call her "Historia." She then confronts Ymir about what Connie had said to her, wondering if Ymir is still lying to her in order to protect her. With newfound resolve, she states that they should both live only for themselves from now on -- echoing Ymir's words to her before she leapt from Castle Utgard. With a smile, she declares that she will never fear anything as long as they can be together. With this, she charges into battle along with Ymir and Connie.

In the aftermath of the battle, Historia rejoins the main forces in fleeing back to the Walls. But Ymir hesitates and stops upon hearing Bertolt's screams, watching as the traitors fight for their lives against the mindless Titans. Historia is shocked when Ymir utters an apology to her, reaching out to gently caress her hair before leaving to help the other Shifters. While Connie leads her horse, a heartbroken Historia watches Ymir rejoin the battle and is forced to leave her behind within the Titan-infested lands of Wall Maria.

The Uprising arc
Upon arriving back at Wall Rose, Historia collapses into the arms of Rico Brzenska, who gives her water and comforts her by telling her that there are no Titans nearby. Meanwhile, the rest of the military is overwhelmed with caring for the injured. Mikasa has a shattered ribcage; Connie grasps his head and struggles to stand. [[Jean|Jean Kirstein] notes that out of 100 people, there are just 40 left, half of whom can't walk.

Historia overhears a conversation among Eren, Armin, Jean, and Connie about Eren's possible Coordinate powers, the dead and the injured, and whether all these casualties have any meaning. She stands up, over Armin's and Rico's protests, and corrects Armin by saying that her name is Historia. Then she urges Eren that they should hurry toward the Wall. As Eren also begs her to rest, she yells in panic that she is fine. Then she grabs Eren by the shoulder and shouts that if they don't hurry they won't be able to save Ymir. She asks him if he's feeling all right and demands he use his Titan powers to save Ymir. As the others wonder what she's saying, she collapses. Rico orders her to calm down and relax. Eren tells her that Ymir was concerned about her safety when they were captured, and Historia responds that she doesn't understand. Eren observes that Ymir chose to leave the Walls on her own, prompting Connie to agree and Jean to admit that she is hard to understand. As Historia begins to break down and cry, she says she won't forgive Ymir for choosing Reiner and Bertolt over her. As she calls her a traitor, Jean calls her "Krista" and says she is not acting like herself. Historia begins to laugh with tears still in her eyes and says that "Krista" was nothing more than a role given to her so she could live.

Some time later, Eren, Armin, Jean, Mikasa, Sasha, Connie, and Historia -- now Levi's new squad -- have all relocated to a remote cabin in the wilderness. Historia returns from gathering firewood with Mikasa, whom Armin scolds for overextending herself while injured. Eren mentions that he tried to stop her from doing situps, and Jean yells at him for spying on her. Sasha remarks that the arguing reminds her of training. Armin agrees but wonders why they were chosen for Levi's squad when plenty of other veterans could protect Eren and Historia. The fighting continues as Armin and the others accuse Sasha of stealing bread. Shortly thereafter, Levi convenes a meeting of his and Hange's squad, at which Historia is present.

As Mikasa, Historia, Eren, and Connie prepare dinner, Connie admits to Eren that he didn't understand half of what was said at the meeting. Eren explains that they'll need to carry out the experiments on him discreetly, and to eliminate anyone who stands in their way. Connie announces his desire to kill the Beast Titan since, according to Ymir, it was responsible for transforming his village into Titans. Connie also expresses anger at Ymir for taking him as a joke. Historia argues that he's wrong, that Ymir actually kept quiet in order to avoid hurting Connie. Eren, Mikasa, and Connie give each other looks of skeptical disbelief.

At dinner with Levi and the rest of the squad, Historia tells the story of her childhood. She says she was born on a farm in northern Sina under the control of Rod Reiss. She remembers constantly doing chores and her beautiful mother always reading books, except when she dressed up and was taken to the city by different noblemen. After learning to read and write, Historia realized that she was lonely, since no one ever had a conversation with her that wasn't about work; she had never spoken to her mother. Desperate for affection, she hopped into her mother's lap; her mother slapped her off and voiced her wish that she'd had the courage to kill Historia at birth. Nonetheless, Historia was happy to have received attention at all from her mother. After her mother left the farm, Historia realized that everyone else regretted her existence, and her only companions were the animals.

She then tells of the night five years before, several days after Wall Maria fell, when she met her father, Rod Reiss. Rod told her she would be living with him from now on. Her mother was also there, seeming incredibly scared. As they moved toward the carriage, they were suddenly surrounded by a group of adults who grabbed her mother and remarked that what Rod had done was very troubling. Historia screamed for her mother, who denied having any connection with her at all. As Kenny Ackerman, the group's apparent leader, asked Rod if that was true, he lied and said that it was. Kenny forced her mother to her knees and slit her throat as she screamed at Rod for lying; her final words were a wish that Historia had never been born. As Kenny approached Historia to kill her too, Rod intervened and told her that her name was now Krista Lenz. She then lived in a refugee camp for two years and joined the 104th Trainee Squad at the age of 12. She ends her story by saying that was when she met the other trainees who are now at the table.

Historia is one of the onlookers as Hange and her squad conduct an experiment with Eren's Titan form in the mountains. Afterward, Historia joins Levi, Mikasa, and Hange in a wagon on Levi's order. Eren wakes up in bed in the cabin with the four of them in the room, along with Armin. After Hange explains that Eren was unable to harden his Titan form, she announces that their only option left is to investigate the Wall Cult and their link to the Titan-created walls. She wants to know why King Fritz, supposedly the highest authority, doesn't know about the Wall Titans, but the Reiss family does. Erwin, she says, has gone to the capital in order to gather information. He has sent the rest of them orders to launch a coup d'état, which they all read in shock. They evacuate the cabin shortly before a group of men break into it.

Eren and Historia separate from the others and head to a safehouse; meanwhile, Jean and Armin, disguised respectively as Eren and Historia, are being used as bait. Eren worries about them aloud to Historia; he believes that they'll suffer if they're caught in their disguises. Historia soon falls asleep in her chair and begins to dream of her childhood. Back on the Reiss farm, her half-sister Frieda Reiss marveled at Historia's reading ability. Historia credited Frieda with helping her; she responded by making Historia blow her nose while telling her to be more ladylike. After Historia asked what "ladylike" meant, Frieda showed her a picture in a book as an example and claimed that it meant being kind, gentle, and thinking of others. She then encouraged Historia to be like that so that she would have friends, because the world is a harsh place. Historia replied that she wanted to be just like Frieda, who was surprised and dismayed. She hugged Historia, told her it was time, gave her one last hug, and told her to forget everything that happened her until next time. As Frieda walked away, Historia in her dream had no idea who she was.

As Historia awakens, Eren asks if anything is wrong. She says no, she was just dreaming; she feels like she had an important dream but can't remember any of it. Eren says this happens to him all the time. He wonders what time it is before he begins to worry again about Jean and Armin, and he asks Historia if their enemy really is the Reeves Corporation. He takes a seat opposite Historia and apologizes for not being able to harden his Titan form; she's confused as to why he's apologizing to her. After he asks whether she still wants to help Ymir, Historia replies that her feelings have changed and that Ymir made her own choices; Historia has no right to do anything to override them. She is unsure she's suited for such high responsibilities. Eren is forced to ask what she wants, and Historia replies that she is not sure.

After some silence, Historia tells Eren that she envies him because he always does what he wants to do and has something to fight for, which Historia lacks. With Ymir gone, Historia admits to having no motivation, and she asks Eren if he ever thought someone like herself could exist. He replies that if they look at the world around them and the danger the Titans present, they have plenty of motivation. He scolds Historia that she should be worrying about Armin and Jean. She replies that she's unsure about that, and that Krista certainly would have worried about them because she was a good girl. Historia, speaking about herself, says that she wasn't loved and didn't wish to be born, adding that her real self is empty and good girls like Krista don't exist. Eren tells her that he had plenty of reasons to dislike Krista, which shocks Historia. He adds that he likes her now because she is a stupidly honest, regular person.

Historia and Eren regroup with the rest of their squad and retreat to yet another remote hideout. They learn that Levi and Mikasa foiled the kidnapping of Armin and Jean, Levi formed an alliance with the kidnapper, and the Survey Corps has captured two First Interior Squad members. Historia and the rest of Levi's Squad listen in horror to the screams of Djel Sanes, the First Interior Squad Member who killed Pastor Nick, as Hange and Levi torture him in another room. Later, she is seen sitting down on watch with a rifle.

In the morning, after the torture session, Hange and Levi's squads, minus Hange, convene another meeting in the cabin along with Dimo and Flegel Reeves. Nifa announces that the meeting is about Historia ascending to the throne. Amid the shocked faces, Levi casually admits that he forgot to keep his squad up to date. Nifa continues, saying that the Fritz Royal Family are puppets in control of the real rulers, the Reiss family. Armin breaks the appalled silence by asking if making Historia the queen is their main goal. Levi tells him it is. Then he asks Historia her thoughts, and she immediately says she cannot do this. Levi expresses sympathy, as this is a large burden to impose on her, and he understands her reluctance. Nonetheless, he concludes harshly, none of that matters, and he orders her to go along with the plan.

After Historia refuses a second time, Levi grabs the distressed girl by the collar and hauls her into the air, to the horror of the other trainees (except Mikasa, who seems unaffected) and eliciting a flash of anger from Historia. He tells her that if she runs away, the Survey Corps will only hunt her down and force her to comply; he adds that this is her fate, and the only way out of it is to fight Levi. He then throws her to the ground; Sasha and Armin rush to her side, while Jean angrily says, "You didn't have to do that to her." Levi continues by asking his new squad if they think they'll be able to do whatever they want tomorrow, if the person standing next to them will still be there. He doesn't think so. He's not normal, he says, due to everything he's seen. For all they know, Wall Rose could be breached tomorrow, and he's willing to fight. Although he'd rather not kill people if he doesn't have to, he says he doesn't mind becoming a cold-blooded killer of anyone who gets in their way. Torturing people to death, he says, is preferable to another Titan attack, because not everyone has to take part in torture. He ends by stating that all this can be avoided if Historia takes power. Kneeling next to her and putting his hand on her head, he shouts at her to follow his order. A frightened Historia shouts back that she'll do it; if her next role is to become queen, she'll throw herself into it. Levi, looking faintly guilty, helps her up and tells her they're counting on her. He then tells Nifa to continue as the others exchange glances.

Nifa claims that she will now communicate Erwin's orders: to hand over Eren and Historia to the First Interior Squad, who will be monitored by the Reeves Corporation until they reach their final destination. That destination is Rod Reiss, Historia's biological father, and the highest authority within the Walls according to the MPs Levi and Hange interrogated. The Survey Corps will capture him and ask him questions. If he has sufficient answers, he will be allowed to remain in power; otherwise they will replace him with Historia. When this has been taken care of, they can recommence the move toward Wall Maria.

Outside, Dimo ties up Historia and Eren and rubs dirt on them for effect. Flegel asks why they are following a brute like Levi. Dimo coldly replies that the way a businessman looks at someone is key, and this is why he trusts Levi, especially since this is the only way to save his company and Trost. He then jokingly tells Historia that once she's queen, she should smack Levi as revenge; Eren chuckles nervously at this. Flegel leaves to use the bathroom just as Dimo hides several small blades on Eren and Historia so that Eren can transform when needed. An employee tells Dimo that the First Interior Squad has arrived; he is shocked at how early they are. Kenny Ackerman congratulates Dimo. Then, frighteningly, he asks Historia if she remembers him, and he disparagingly notes how little she has grown. Kenny then calls Dimo outside and asks if he's familiar with a man named Levi Ackerman; Kenny says he taught Levi everything he knows. Kenny then kills Dimo and everyone else from the Reeves Corporation, except for Flegel, who has hidden behind a tree. His subordinates capture Eren and Historia and confiscate their blades. Telling one of his subordinates to prepare the anti-personnel control squad, he blames Dimo's murder on the Survey Corps and remarks that letting such a group gain power and run around freely has always been trouble. Unbeknownst to him, Levi has been silently watching the entire scene from behind another tree.

Levi and the remaining five members of his squad follow Eren and Historia to Trost, where they are in coffins being loaded into a carriage. Kenny and the First Interior Squad stage an ambush, killing Nifa, Keiji, and a goggled member of Hange's squad. Levi manages to escape after a vicious gunfight, but he and his subordinates are forced to abandon their pursuit, and Kenny leaves the chase up to his own subordinates as he escorts the coffins to Rod Reiss.

Historia's and Eren's coffins are opened in some manner of building; Kenny remarks to Eren how long his journey has been. As Historia's restraints are removed, she glares furiously at Rod with tears in her eyes. He unexpectedly apologizes for everything that has happened, embraces her, and insists that he's never stopped thinking of protecting her. She boggles in confusion while Eren, still bound and gagged, looks on at them in disbelief.

We next see Eren in a high-ceilinged underground cavern filled with tall pillars. Though he is unconscious, he is kneeling at the edge of a high promontory at the top of a flight of stairs. He is wearing only trousers and a bit gag, and his arms are stretched out and chained to either wall. Historia is completely unrestrained and wearing a white robe and sandals. As Kenny sharpens a knife, Rod remarks to Historia that they can now put an end to this battle. As Eren comes to, Historia tells him that everything will be all right if he hangs in there for a while longer. She explains that Rod has always been an ally of humanity and had no choice but to deal harshly with Pastor Nick, the Reeves Corporation, and the Survey Corps. Rod breaks off his conversation with Kenny and walks toward Historia as Kenny retreats into the background. He tells his daughter that he will take over from here. To Eren, who is now observant, he says that despite this being Eren's first time in this location, it should feel familiar to him. Historia asks him to explain to Eren. Rod says he intends to, but first he'd like to try triggering Eren's memories. He and Historia walk upstairs to Eren, and each of them rests a palm against Eren's bare back.

Eren begins to experience a patchwork of memories that begin with someone entering the cellar of a chapel. He sees Rod standing with Frieda and some children, a white-haired Titan being injured, and the children being killed as Rod runs away. The next memory is of 10-year-old Eren being given the key to his basement and injected with a syringe that causes him to transform into a Titan. He eats the person who injected him. After transforming back into a human boy, he grabs the abandoned spectacles of his victim and cries in despair and horror: It was his father, Grisha Yeager. As Historia looks off to the side in confusion, Rod then asks a deeply shaken Eren if he remembers his father's sins.

Several images of Frieda appear in Historia's memory. She begins to tear up, and Rod asks her what's wrong. She realizes now that, back on the estate, she wasn't alone, but she has no idea why she hadn't remembered this woman until now. Rod asks if she'd met Frieda, but Historia doesn't recognize the name. Rod describes her as a young woman with long black hair who was Historia's half-sister. He explains that she visited Historia frequently and that she likely erased her memories in order to protect her, which confuses Historia. Rod explains that touching Eren's back opened up Historia's memories as well as Eren's. She asks if she can meet Frieda. Rod hugs her and tells her that, five years ago in this location, a Titan Shifter named Grisha Yeager killed Frieda, Rod's wife, and their other four children. Grisha had come to steal the Reiss family's power, Rod says, a power that was kept within Frieda's Titan form. However, she was too inexperienced to use it effectively against Grisha, who ate her, allowing him to steal his power. He then killed 14-year-old Dirk, 12-year-old Abel, 10-year-old Florian, Rod's wife, and their oldest son Ulklin. Rod says that he was the only survivor, and that he rebuilt the chapel after Grisha destroyed it.

As Historia wonders how Grisha could have done something like that, Kenny interrupts and yells at them for yammering away. He reminds Rod that the Survey Corps has almost certainly been successful in overthrowing King Fritz and are probably headed this way. Rod replies that before he can take action, everybody but himself, Historia, and Eren must leave the cavern, including Kenny. Kenny replies jokingly that he'd only been looking for a toilet; this breaks the tension, and the two men profess trust in one other. However, as Kenny leaves, he mockingly calls Rod "Your Majesty." Historia, processing Rod's story and her own memories, has tears in her eyes and at one point looks angrily in Eren's direction. After apologizing for making her wait, Rod pulls out a syringe and a vial of serum, which look identical to what Grisha injected Eren with. Rod tells Historia that although it sounds strange, Frieda isn't really dead, as her memories live on. He asks Historia if she would like to see her sister, and Historia responds that she would. Hearing this, Eren struggles against his chains and screams through his gag.

Hearing the battle between the Survey Corps and the First Interior Squad close by, Rod tells Historia that they should hurry. Eren attempts to speak again, but Historia glares coldly at him, while Rod remarks that Eren is meeting his fate for his sinful choices. Rod tells HIstoria that the power stolen by Grisha and transferred to Eren will return to the Reiss family through Historia. He explains that this cavern was created by a Titan who also created the Walls and altered humanity's memories so that they could live in peace. While some bloodlines are immune to the memory wipe, nobody knows the history of humanity prior to 100 years before or where the Titans came from, except Frieda. When she gained her Titan powers at age 15 by eating Rod's younger brother Uri, she also gained all the knowledge in the world. For the last century, passing down the power in this manner has been the duty of the Reiss family, and each person who carries out this duty becomes a "living book" entrusted with the story and fate of humanity. Each of them is free to either spread the secrets or tell no one; each has always chosen the latter.

As Historia begins to ask a question, Rod interrupts her, saying they must hurry, because the breached Walls, ongoing civil war, and loss of life has made the situation dire. He admits that Frieda could have prevented all of it and even exterminated all other Titans if Grisha had not stolen her power and passed it along to Eren. Anyone not of the Reiss bloodline, Rod claims, cannot fully use this power; therefore, so long as Eren lives, the world will remain terrible. Historia begins to speak again but this time is cut off by Kenny, who lowers himself from the ceiling on his 3DMG and asks Rod to confirm that only a Reiss can use the power. After Rod does so, Kenny remarks that, then, even if he himself were to become a Titan and eat Eren, there'd be no point.

Kenny begins to tell them about himself, as a young man, confronting his dying grandfather. After discussing other members of their family, he asked the old man why Ackermans are so hated and persecuted, when they used to be the favorites of the king. His grandfather replied that he doesn't know the whole story as he was born after the Walls went up, but he did know that their family is feared because they can't be controlled. He'd intended to carry the secrets with him to the grave, but now he saw no point. The Ackermans, he told Kenny, were assistants to the monarchy entrusted with the survival of humanity. They are among several minority bloodlines whose memories cannot be manipulated; another one is Asians. This threatened the king's plans to bring about peace by erasing all memories. After Kenny expressed confusion, his grandfather clarified that the monarchy have been passing down the power of the Titans for generations, a power that built the Walls and resulted in humanity losing memory of anything outside them. Because the King couldn't wipe their memories, he couldn't control the Ackermans, who refused to submit to him. Grandfather Ackerman ended his story by saying that Kenny's parents kept him ignorant of this history to protect him from the monarchy, but given the monarchy's recent abuses, this plan turned out to be pointless.

Kenny tells Rod, Historia, and Eren that he believes his grandfather's story because things will be more fun that way, and that this story has influenced his beliefs up to today. He then violently lifts Rod into the air by his collar and points his pistol at him. Rod asks if Kenny thinks he is lying. Kenny says no: This is the one moment in which he knows Rod is not lying. Rod thanks Kenny for his service, but then states that he never understood why his brother Uri took "a dog like you" off the streets. Kenny threatens his life if he ever speaks ill of Uri again. Historia shoves Kenny's gun out of Rod's face and demands that he release her father. Kenny gives her a scornful look and calls her pitiful. He tells her that Rod wants to turn her into a Titan and have her eat Eren. Historia replies that if this is her duty, she'll do it to save humanity: she'll thus bring Frieda back, inherit the history of the world, and then exterminate the titans. Placing Rod in a chokehold, Kenny reminds Historia that her birth was a tragedy, Rod never wanted her, and her mother only conceived her in order to gain favor. He points out the irony in Rod randomly showing up and painting himself as a good father to Historia; it's because, he says, Grisha slaughtered his "real" family and he needed Historia's blood. Kenny goes on to say that he was ordered to kill Historia as well as her mother but that Rod intervened, and that Rod even had the Wall Cult monitor her over the last five years.

Kenny jams a large knife into Rod's mouth, shouting that he hadn't wanted to become a Titan so he foisted his succession duties as a Reiss off onto his brother, then his daughter. Rod even concealed the fact that Frieda had lost her powers in order to keep the Reiss family in power, which led to the deaths of thousands during the Battle of Trost. Yelling louder now, Kenny accuses Rod of not caring about his family, humanity, and certainly not Historia: He is nothing but a coward.

Rod, surprising Kenny, removes the knife from his own throat, badly cutting his hand in the process. He tells Historia there's a reason he can't become a Titan. He adds that he can't trust anyone else, prompting Kenny to release him and rhetorically question what he's just said. As Historia rushes to his side, Rod thanks Kenny by saying that he has done well and that he finally understands his brother's decision, but that his ambitions will go unrealized. Kenny, Rod finishes, is free to leave and should find himself another reason to live a long life. With a blank stare, Kenny begins to walk upstairs toward Eren, remarking that taking Rod's advice wouldn't be fun. He ignores Rod's and Historia's fearful reactions as he tells Eren he'll no longer prevent him from transforming. He removes Eren's bit gag, then announces that both Historia and Eren will transform and fight one another. If Historia wins, there'll be peace; if Eren wins, nothing will change. To help Eren along, Kenny gouges a cut in his forehead, which causes blood to pour down Eren's face. Historia screeches in terror as Kenny gruffly says that what Rod has just suggested can't even be called living.

Rod ignores him and thrusts the syringe into Historia's hands, telling her that she will definitely win because the serum he chose will transform her into a Titan well suited for combat, while Eren is still chained. He adds that she need only consume some of Eren's spinal fluid in order to regain the Reiss power. As Historia exposes her arm and prepares to inject herself, Kenny flies far out of the way on his 3DMG. Just before she presses the plunger down, she pauses to note that Eren has not transformed, and she asks him why. As Rod urges her own from a safe distance, Eren replies through blood and tears that what his father did wasn't necessary -- that Eren himself was never necessary. He wonders how many people have died due to Grisha's actions, and he despairingly states that he could never begin to make up for all these deaths. Historia, recalling how her own mother rejected her, feels compassion for him. He then begs her to eat him so she can save humanity. She replies that when Eren called her a normal person in the safehouse, it made her very happy, and she begins to press the plunger of the syringe down again.

As the tip of the needle pricks her skin, she experiences another memory of Frieda, who was pulling a splinter out of 10-year-old Historia's palm. Historia confessed that she tried to climb over a wooden fence on the Reiss estate, and Frieda reacted with rage. These memories are interspersed with those of Ymir detransforming after she took down the tower at Castle Utgard, of Historia being in the woods with Ymir and Daz, of herself and the other Survey Corps recruits from the 104th being ordered to "devote your hearts," and of Ymir calling her out for trying to do a supposed "good deed." She freezes still. Rod asks her what's wrong and whether she's scared, and urges her to inject herself. Instead, she asks why Frieda never fought. From far above, Kenny looks down and mutters, "You've got no guts, Historia. Hurry up and transform. Turn into the ruler of this world."

Historia then asks Rod why, in the hundred years since the Walls were built, why the Reiss family never tried to get rid of the Titans, despite controlling them. She then adds that sometimes Frieda would seem to act like a completely different person, as if she were possessed, raging about how they were all "sinners," then experience deep depression afterward. Historia asks Rod if Frieda had been troubled by having inherited all the lost memories of the world, and whether she'd also inherited the first king's ideology. Rod confirms this, saying that the first King Reiss wanted humanity to be ruled by Titans. As both Historia and Eren stare in shock, Rod continues that the first king believed this to be the way to true peace, although he doesn't know why. Only those who hold the memories of the world would know why. As he grabs Historia's arms and attempts to press the plunger of the syringe down, he said that his father acted the same way after inheriting the memories and ideology, refusing Rod's and Uri's plea that he free humanity from the Titans, nor ever explaining himself. Uri eventually volunteered to inherit their father's memories, but he "entrusted me with a mission of my own in exchange": to pray. We see in Rod's memories that both his father and Uri in turn had the radiant eyes of the possessor of the Coordinate.

Rod states that, having become the sole creator and ultimate governing force of this world, "an all-knowing, all-powerful being," Uri had become God, with the fate of humanity in his hands. As Historia still resists his attempt to inject her, he tells her that his mission is to summon God back into this world and devote his prayers to it. He apologizes for not having explained this all earlier, but states that there is no other choice: if the power remains inside Eren, there's no hope for humanity. Historia reflects, however, that this course of action would lead her to be controlled by the first king's ideology. Rod continues to talk about "God," urges her to pray, and tries to force the plunger down. In the meantime, Historia remembers Ymir on the tower of Castle Utgard, saying she has no right to tell "Krista" how to live, but she wishes for her to "live your life with pride in your heart," and then leaping into battle.

Suddenly Historia wrenches herself out of Rod's grasp. To his horror, the syringe falls to the floor and shatters. She then grabs him by the shirt and throws him over her shoulder. As he lies on his back moaning in pain and fear, she stands over him and yells, "God?! Give me a break! You're just coming up with whatever lets you off the hook and saying whatever you think will make me do it!" Declaring that she's had enough and that she won't let him kill her, she grabs the doctor's bag and strides upstairs to Eren. Kenny laughs in amusement, remarking that "this is getting interesting!"

Eren asks her what she's doing as she attempts to undo his chains with a ring of keys. She tells him they're escaping. In horror, he yells at her that she needs to eat him and save humanity, and that it's too painful for him to keep on living. In disgust, Historia punches him in the back of the head, tells him to shut up, and calls him a crybaby. He stares at her in shock as she undoes his chains and yells that exterminating the Titans would be "a pain in the ass," that humanity is actually the problem, and that they should just let the Titans destroy it. "I'm the enemy of mankind!" she yells. "Understand?! The worst, most despicable girl in history! I'll let you get away from here, and then I'll destroy everything!"

Meanwhile, Rod is dragging himself toward the puddle of serum around the broken syringe, muttering the names of his father, Uri, and Frieda, and begging them to wait for him. He licks up the fluid and immediately explodes into a Titan even larger than the Colossal one, radiating heat and wind, and in his transformation he breaks one of the cavern's supporting pillars. Kenny, swinging out on a Gear wire from the destroyed pillar, curses Rod for having transformed himself.

Eren insists that Historia just let Rod eat him, but she vehemently refuses as she continues to try to free him. "I may be humanity's enemy," she says, "but I'm your friend, Eren. I can't be a good girl, and I don't want to become God, but if I see someone crying about how they're not needed in this world" -- she remembers Frieda, then Ymir, as she speaks -- "I want to let them know that it isn't true. No matter who it is, or what the situation, I am going to go and rescue them!" As she finally undoes one of Eren's shackles, a blast of hot air from Rod's Titan form blows her backward heels over head, as Eren screams in alarm for her. As she hits the back wall hard, Mikasa swoops down to kneel beside her, asking if she's okay. She passes her the key ring, which Mikasa passes to Levi. As the roof threatens to cave in on them all, Connie, Levi, and Jean continue to work on Eren's shackles. They finally get him loose and drag him backward a split second before a pillar comes crashing down on where he was just kneeling.

As the cavern continues to crumble, Kenny swoops down from the ceiling to confront Rod, telling him he's really "screwed the pooch this time" and demonstrated that he was just as ignorant about Titans as the rest of them. The Interior Squad fly into the cavern, and as Kenny yells at them to fall back, more of the roof caves in. Eren wonders why Rod won't eat him, and despairs that his Titan form isn't big enough to save everybody from the collapse. His squadmates stare at him, expecting him to transform. With a shout of disgust, he apologizes, stating that he's always been useless and has never actually been Humanity's Hope. As he finishes, weeping, he notices an intact vial of serum on the ledge beside him, labeled "Armor - Braun".

Jean, Connie, and Sasha berate Eren for "playing the tragic hero" and being "timid." Levi points out that it would be hard enough to escape even if the rest of them didn't have to carry Eren and Historia, and Mikasa observes that the heat from Rod's titan will probably burn them to death if they get any closer. Sasha insists they still try and hope for the best. Eren insists there's no escape, and Historia angrily asks him if he justs wants them all to wait there and hold hands until they're killed - "because we're enemies of humanity?" As Eren stares at her in despair, Levi apologizes for making him choose again, but orders him to do what he wants to do. Remembering how his choice in the Forest of Giant Trees led to the deaths of Levi's first squad, Eren grabs the vial and runs to the remaining edge of the promontory, thinking, "I'm sorry… I want you to let me do it… just once." As he crushes the vial between his teeth, he thinks, "Let me believe in myself" - and he transforms.

Relationships

 * Ymir - Their relationship is complex, but they are very close, and Ymir has been stated to be in love with her . Historia states that Ymir has "the worst personality ever," but that she was willing to abandon humanity if doing so would help Ymir. She states her intention to be at Ymir's side and that she trusts her above all others. While Ymir challenges her unhealthy behaviors, Historia likewise challenges Ymir on her worst aspects.
 * 104th Trainees Squad - "Krista" is admired by the rest of the trainees. Many of her male classmates have a crush on her due to her beauty and kindness, as demonstrated when she rescued Reiner Braun, Armin Arlert, and Jean Kirstein. Sasha Blouse also initially thought she was a goddess and seems to have remained close to her during training.
 * Mikasa Ackerman - Mikasa's reactions to Historia have been mixed. During the Clash of the Titans arc, she made it clear to her that she would not spare anyone who got in her way; when Levi was roughing Historia up, Mikasa was the only one of her fellow former trainees who did not look alarmed. However, when Mikasa and the rest of Levi's squad arrived in the innermost cavern of the underground Reiss chapel, she went to Historia's aid first, not Eren's. Though neither girl is likely aware of it, they are alike in that each has a person who is important to her, and each is willing to go to any length to ensure the safety and well-being of that person.
 * Connie Springer - They have only been shown interacting a handful of times, mostly during the Castle Utgard sequence, but it is clear that Historia and Connie are good friends. He is the one to make her aware of the truth behind Ymir's actions, and she trusts him enough to take his word at face value.
 * Eren Yeager - Historia had always envied Eren for always knowing his goals and being able to work toward them. Eren had initially disliked her Krista persona, seeing it as phony. Since the revelation of her true identity, Eren has come to respect her as a "stupidly honest and regular person." His statement that he likes her better as Historia meant a lot to her, and it motivated her in great part to stand up to her father and try to save Eren's life, rather than consume him.

Trivia

 * Krista-Chara_Design.png official site reveals that the majority of her male classmates had a crush on her, referring to her as the "Goddess" of the 104th.
 * In a Volume 11 sideart, Isayama portrayed Historia shifting into a Titan which depicted an angel.
 * So far, she has been called a goddess twice in the story. The first time by Sasha in Episode 3/Chapter 15. Second time, in Episode 18/Chapter 24.
 * Her name is based upon the song lyrics "The Unsung War" from the Videogame Ace Combat 5 which also serves as Inspiration for Isayama's Oneshot "Heartbreak One" he had written before Shingeki no Kyojin in which the female lead character strongly resembles Historia.
 * Her name Historia is Greek in origin and means "History" . Also, her pseudonym Krista is of Greek origin (greek: Χριστή), meaning "she who is the anointed one". In Hebrew, "the anointed one" is "messiah".
 * Her birthday, January 15th, was celebrated in Japan as Coming Of Age Day between 1948 and 2000. It is now held on the second Monday of the month, but continues to celebrate the entry into adulthood by those turning 20.
 * Her alias surname "Lenz" means "spring" in old German.
 * At the Animagic 2014 series panel, producer George Wada confirmed that Ymir and Historia are "indeed a couple".

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