Yelena

"Our native lands were snatched up by Marley and we were conscripted as soldiers. We were on our way to losing any will to oppose such a great power. Until...he guided us...."

- Yelena to Hange Zoë and Levi Ackerman

Yelena (イェレナ) is an ally of the Survey Corps, formerly a soldier of Marley who was part of the first survey fleet after the failed Paradis Island Operation.

Appearance
Yelena is a very tall woman with her blonde hair in a bowl cut. She has large, black eyes and somewhat androgynous features. She wears the standard Marleyan military uniform.

Personality
She is a fervent follower of Zeke Yeager, holding great admiration and respect for him. She is usually calm and collected, her demeanor remaining unchanged even when Jean Kirstein yelled at her for failing to see her job through. Nonetheless, she is willing to take responsibility and apologizes should she fail in her task. Yelena appears to have a very relaxed demeanor, but appears to also have dry, humorous undertones to much of her actions.

History
Yelena saw her homeland being invaded and conquered by Marley and after that, she was forcibly drafted as a soldier, fighting in the Marleyan military. She held a deep hatred for Marley and only thought of rebelling against that large nation.

Marley arc
At some point when Yelena and her comrades are placed in a situation where they lose their will to rebel against Marley. However, Zeke Yeager saves them, rejuvenating their fighting spirit, and inspiring Yelena to become a leading member of his Anti-Marleyan faction. She also becomes a devoted follower of Zeke, even considering him a God.

In 851, Yelena is among the first survey fleet sent by Marley to Paradis Island after the operation to retrieve the Founding Titan failed. Her ship is captured and beached by Eren Yeager, where she and her fellow soldiers are confronted by Hange Zoë, offering to negotiate with them. When her commanding officer refuses to listen, Yelena promptly kills him, and accepts Hange's offer to talk.

Meeting with Hange and Levi Ackerman, Yelena and her compatriot Onyankopon allow the two to inspect their weapons, explaining that Marley has not yet launched a full assault on Paradis Island due to a war they are currently caught in. Hange guesses that Yelena and her comrades are sleeper agents who have infiltrated the Marleyan army, but Yelena explains to her that they are simply conscripted soldiers who have chosen to rally around Zeke Yeager in opposition of Marley as the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers. Forming an alliance with Paradis Island, Yelena and her comrades begin sharing their technology with the islanders, and preparing to fight back against Marley.

Around one year later, the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers arrange a meeting between Paradis and the Azumabito family to discuss an alliance. While waiting for the family to arrive, Yelena gets a chance to meet Zeke's younger half-brother Eren Yeager. Yelena is ecstatic to meet him, and despite not being allowed to interact with him, declares that it will be a good day. As the Azumabito family arrives, Yelena calls Mikasa Ackerman's attention to their appearances, explaining that they resemble Mikasa's mother because they are related to her.

In 854, after their forces receive word that Eren Yeager is planning on launching a full-scale attack on Marley, Yelena is among the forces Paradis Island dispatches to retrieve him. Using a fake beard to disguise her appearance, she pretends to be a Marleyan soldier and arrives at the Warriors' seating area during Willy Tybur's production. Declaring that Magath called for them, she asks that Pieck, Galliard, and Zeke follow her. Soon after, she sends Zeke off in another direction while continuing to lead the other Warriors. They stop temporarily when Pieck suddenly hugs one of the Panzer Unit soldiers they meet on the way. She leads them into a room, where she traps the two in a hole.

At the end of the Battle of Liberio, she joins the rest of the Survey Corps on the blimp. Standing in a room along with Zeke, Eren Yeager, Armin Arlert, Levi, and Mikasa Ackerman, she takes her fake goatee off when Levi asks her to, commenting how people seemed to like it. They are soon joined by Jean Kirstein, who brought the recently captured Gabi Braun and Falco Grice. Jean yells at her for not carrying out her duty of locking up the Jaw and Cart Titan, causing more soldiers than necessary to die, for which she accepts responsibility.

After returning to Paradis, Yelena and her fellow Volunteers turn over a stock of Titan serums they managed to steal from Marley to the Garrison. After receiving the serums, Dot Pixis has his soldiers capture the Volunteers, revealing that Paradis is not yet willing to trust Zeke and his followers. Yelena is unconcerned with the betrayal, confidently declaring that the Volunteers and Paradisians will soon dine at the same table.

People killed

 * A Marleyan captain

Trivia

 * Yelena is the Anglicized form of "Jelena" which is, in turn, a Slavic derivation of a Greek name "Helénē" (Ἑλένη).

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