- Manga
- Anime
The Eldian King at the time erected three walls on the island of Paradis and fled there with many of his people. | ||
— Jaeger teaching his son the history of Eldia[4] |
Paradis Island (パラディ島 Paradi-tō?) is a massive Eldian island on which the Walls Rose, Sina, and Maria are located. It is just off the coast of Marley and is sorrounded by the sea. Marley uses the island as a dumping ground for its Eldian criminals, turning them into Pure Titans as punishment. In this context, the island is often called "paradise" (楽園 Rakuen?).[4]
By the year 851, the island has been cleared of Pure Titans thanks to the use of the Executioner from Hell devices, allowing its inhabitants to roam freely outside the Walls.[5]
Following Eren Jaeger's initiation of the Rumbling, civilization advances on the island for many years before it is eventually destroyed by war.[2]
History
Late into the history of the Eldian Empire, Karl Fritz, the 145th monarch of the Fritz family, chose to abandon the conflict over the Nine Titans between the subservient Eldian families on the continental mainland. Karl, ashamed of Eldia and its history of persecuting Marley conspired with the Tybur family to ensure Marley would win the conflict and overthrow the Empire and moved the capital of Eldia to Paradis Island, a remote island at the time.[6] In the King's absence, the Great Titan War crippled the Eldian Empire as the eight Titan families would engage in an endless cycle of conspiracy and betrayal, which allowed the oppressed Marleyans to rise up. As Eldia lost more and more territory to Marley as Karl wanted, the King gathered as many Eldians and members of the royal family as was possible before creating three Walls using countless Colossal Titans around their last piece of undisputed territory in the year 743. At the same time Karl used the Founding Titan to erase the memories of his people so they would believe the entire human race except for them were devoured by the Titans.[1]
When this proved ineffective on the Asian and Ackermann bloodline's, Karl ordered their extermination in fear they would disrupt his vision of "peace".[7][8] Those who survived fled into hiding in places such as the Underground beneath Paradis' capital of Mitras or in the isolated wildernesses beyond the towns.[9] Karl then changed his family name to Reiss, and put a non subjects of ymir Eldians in power as their Descendents went on to establish the Royal government.[10] To keep up this pretense Karl invoked a vow in his Titan that would ensure his descendants would inherit his ideology and never be able to use the Founding Titan for retaliatory defense.
To ensure Eldians would never be able to venture beyond them without authorization, the Royal Government placed firm restrictions on the technological progress that could be achieved by the craftsmen and engineers of Eldia. Those who broke this regulation would be secretly targeted by the First Interior Squad, the elite force within Eldia's Military Police Regiment, who received orders directly from the monarch of Eldia.[11] Due to this restriction of progress, Eldian technologically would fall behind the rest of the world as the decades passed.[4]
At some point the Eldians in Paradis crafted a a three-branch military with each branch serving specific functions: the Garrison, which safeguards and reinforces the three Walls; the Scout Regiment, who ventured beyond the Walls into Titan territory as a means of researching the Titans; and the Military Police Regiment, which exercised control and order over the citizens of the Walls. The latter-most branch was a position of privilege available only to the top ten graduates of each yearly Cadet corps.[10]
Sometime after the raising of the Walls, the new Marley government built a 30-meter border wall along the southern shore of the island to prevent the Titans from escaping to the sea.[12] To deal with Eldian criminals, Marley sends them to the island and turn them into Titans to wander outside the Walls for eternity.[4] In year 785 an Eldian cult that worshipped Ymir Fritz were found by the Marley Public Security of Marley. They are exiled to the borderline of Paradis Island where the members are all turned into Pure Titans.[11]
A grade school teacher within the Walls, tells his curious son Erwin Smith about his suspicions that humanity's memories were erased when the Walls were built. Erwin tells this to his fellow students, and the theory is overheard by the Military Police Regiment. Erwin's father is arrested and is later killed after torture, and his death is covered up as an accident in a distant town. Erwin realizes the reality of what happened.[13][14]
In 829 a member of the Reiss family reached the end of his 13 year long term and passed the Founding Titan down to his second son Uri Reiss. At some point Uri comes in contact with Kenny Ackermann after a failed assassination attempt and, after years of his family persecuting the Ackermann bloodline, apologizes to Kenny and declares an end to the Ackermann family's extermination.[8] In 832 Eren Kruger gives Grisha Jaeger the Attack Titan and a mission to steal the Founding Titan from the royal family and restore Eldia to its former glory.[12]
Grisha arrives in Paradis, and meets Keith Sadies of the Scout Regiment outside the Walls of Shiganshina District in a state of amnesia. He takes him into Shiganshina and teaches him of human life within the Walls.[15] Within the Walls, Grisha met Carla and fathered a child with her named Eren Jaeger, and over the years he provides medical services for the nobility in the interior and gains information needed to locate the true royal family on Paradis.[16] In 844, three bandirs stumble a upon an Ackermann and Azumabito family, killing the parents and kidnapping the daughter Mikasa Ackermann . She is rescued by Eren, who kills two of the traffickers. Mikasa uses her newly awakened power as an Ackerman to kill the third. She is later taken in by the Jaeger family .[9]
Story
The Fall of Shiganshina arc
Marley sends members of the Warriors: Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, Annie Leonhart, Marcel Galliard to retake the Founding Titan. Marcel is eaten by a Pure Titan while the other 3 make their way to Wall Maria. Annie as the Female Titan gathers Pure titans while , Bertholdt as the Colossal Titan breaches the outer gate of Shiganshina District, allowing countless Titans to enter the city.An abnormal Titan enters the city, finding and eating Grisha's wife Carla in front of Eren and Mikasa.[17] Reiner as the Armored Titan breaches the inner gate, forcing the Eldians of Paradis Island to retreat to Wall Rose.[18]
Grisha travels to the Reiss Chapel and urges the current monarch Frieda Reiss to stop the Titan invasion before Carla and his children are killed, but Frieda rejects his pleas. Grisha battles Frieda's Titan and defeats her, taking the Founding Titan from Frieda by devouring her human form. He proceeds to murder all members of the Reiss family but Rod Reiss, who escapes.[7] Grisha later takes Eren into a forest where he urges him to return to Shiganshina and enter the basement of their old home, before injecting him with Titan serum. As a Pure Titan, Eren eats Grisha, inheriting both the dormant Founding Titan and the power of the Attack Titan.[19]
A few days after Wall Maria's fall, Rod Reiss visits his illegitimate daughter Historia Reiss, planning on taking her in to his family. Kenny Ackerman stops them, killing Historia's mother Alma for her role in staining the reputation of the Reiss family. Rod stops him before he kills Historia, and gives her the alias "Christa Lenz."[14] A year later, the Royal Government enacts a culling program to have the titans kill off a chunk of Eldians under the guise of a reclamation operation for Wall Maria.
Humanity's Comeback arc
In 847 Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, Eren, Jean Kirschtein, Marco Bodt, Conny Springer, Sasha Braus, Ymir and Christa Lenz enlist in the Cadet Corps in order to combat the Titans in the future. In 849, on the 34th Expedition beyond the Walls, Ilse Langnar encounters a Talking Titan who speaks of the "Subjects of Ymir" and "Lady Ymir." She attempts to communicate with the Titan but is eventually eaten.[20]
The Struggle for Trost arc
In 850 Bertholdt as the Colossal Titan breaches the outer gate of Trost District, resulting in another Titan invasion for the first time in 5 years.[21] Eren Jaeger is eaten by a Titan, but transforms into the Attack Titan and begins to slaughter Titans in the city, the first time a Titan is seen fighting another Titan within the Walls in public.[19] The Cadet Corps experience actual combat against the Titans for the first time. Reiner and Bertholdt discuss plans on breaching the gate where they are heard by Marco Bodt, prompting them to disarm and leave him to be eaten by a Titan.[22] Eren uses a giant boulder to seal the breach in Trost's outer gate, giving humanity within the walls its first ever victory over the Titans. This also marks the first time humanity within the walls has ever retaken land from the Titans.[23]
Assault on Stohess arc
Erwin decides to appear at the recruitment ceremony of the Cadet Corps to persuade them to join the Scout Regiment. Erwin mentions the basement in Eren Jaeger's house, and how it can hold the answer to the mystery of the Titans. He also explains that by accessing his basement, they would need to find a way to reclaim Shiganshina and Wall Maria altogether.[24]
The Scout Regiment embarks on the 57th Exterior Scouting Mission out of Calaneth District.[25] Annie disrupts the expedition as the Female Titan in an attempt to capture Eren. As a result she wipes out multiple soldiers and members of the Special Operations Squad in the process.[26] Eren fights off Annie in the Titan Forest but is defeated. Mikasa and Levi Ackerman arrive and rescue Eren. The Scout Regiment retreat to Calaneth District and are ordered to surrender Eren to the Royal Capital. Annie returns to her post at the Military Police Brigade headquarters in Stohess District.[27][28] In Stohess District, the Survey Corps attempts to quietly capture Annie Leonhart, but she transforms into the Female Titan. Eren's Titan battles Annie's Female Titan, causing great destruction in the district. After failing to escape the district, Annie encases herself in a crystalline substance to avoid capture.[29][30] Wall Sina is damaged in the battle, revealing a Wall Titan.
Clash of the Titans arc
Zeke Jaeger, Pieck Finger, and a small detachment of Marleyan soldiers invade Wall Rose and transform the people of Ragako into Titans using gas mixed with his spinal fluid, commencing the invasion.[31] As the Beast Titan Zeke kills Miche Zacharius and latter attacks the survey corps in Utgard Castle.[32] Ymir transforms into the Jaw Titan to protect the remaining recruits at Utgard. The Stohess operatives arrive at Utgard shortly after the break of dawn, saving the recruits at Utgard. Christa reveals her true identity as Historia Reiss.[33][34]
Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover reveal their Titan identities and mission to Eren Jaeger and subsequently assume their Titan forms as the Armored and Colossus Titans respectively. A battle ensues on Wall Rose. Eren and Ymir are captured by Reiner and Bertholdt, who escape to a Titan Forest.[35][36]
Five hours after the battle on Wall Rose, Commander Erwin reunites with the Scout regiment Corps. They set out to rescue Eren and Ymir.Reiner and Bertholdt attempt to flee to Wall Maria, but are intercepted by the Survey Corps, who manage to rescue Eren from their grasp. The Smiling Titan appears in front of Eren and Mikasa for the first time since the Fall of Shiganshina. Hannes attacks the Titan, but is killed in front of Eren. Eren unleashes the power of the Founding Titan unknowingly after striking the Smiling Titan's hand. Using this power, Eren commands nearby Titans to devour the Smiling Titan and attack Reiner and Bertholdt.[37][38] The forty surviving soldiers of the operation retreat to Wall Rose. Reiner and Bertholdt retreat to Shiganshina District with Ymir and take her back with them in Marley.
Royal Government arc
Minister Nick is captured and interrogated by the First Interior Squad, who kill him. Learning of his death, Hange begins to suspect a plot against the Scout Regiment. They later inform Squad Levi of their suspicions. They decide to continue with their current plans while confronting any forces that would oppose them.[39] Erwin Smith is summoned to the capital Mitras chancellery to speak with the Assembly. After awakening from a shifting-induced sleep, Eren starts to receive memory flashes of Frieda Reiss. On Erwin's orders, Squad Levi abandons their hideout and heads to Trost District.
Squad Levi discovers that Dimo Reeves is in league with the First Interior Squad. After some negotiation, Reeves agrees to aid the Survey Corps' cause.[40] Squad Levi successfully captures Djel Sannes, a member of the First Interior Squad.[13] Sannes reveals to Levi and Hange that the Reiss family are the true royal family. In Trost, Erwin Smith and Dot Pixis begin to plot against the Royal Government.[14] After Erwin receives news about the Reiss family from Nifa, he organizes a plan to locate Rod Reiss so that Historia may be crowned as the true queen of humanity.
Squad Levi receives Erwin's plan for overthrowing the monarchy. Dimo Reeves arranges for Eren and Historia to be taken by the First Interior Squad so that Rod Reiss can be located. Kenny arrives to collect Eren and Historia, but kills Dimo Reeves to avoid being followed.[41] Erwin is taken into Military Police custody after the Survey Corps is framed for the murder of Dimo Reeves. Before departing, he names Hange to be his successor. Squad Levi tracks the First Interior Squad to Stohess District. Kenny Ackerman's squad ambushes Squad Levi, and a battle breaks out over the streets of Stohess.
Hange convinces Roy of Berg Newspapers to report the truth about the First Interior Squad and the framing of the Scout Regiment to the public. The murder of Dimo Reeves by the First Interior Squad is revealed publicly in Trost District, repairing the Survey Corps' reputation. Erwin Smith is brought before King Fritz and the Assembly. As they order him to the gallows, Anka enters the court bringing news that Wall Rose has fallen. When the nobles refuse to allow refugees into Wall Sheena, Dhalis Zachary intervenes, arresting the nobles and dethroning Fritz.[10]
Squad Levi attacks the headquarters of the First Interior Squad, crippling their forces. Hange reunites with Squad Levi with news of the Coup d'état's success. Eren awakens in the cave below the Reiss chapel. By placing their hands on his back, Rod and Historia triggers Eren's memories of Grisha's final hours.[7] Dhalis Zachary begins torturing nobles, learning of their immunity to the Founding Titan. Squad Levi arrives at the Reiss chapel and battles with Kenny's Anti-Personnel Control Squad.
Historia refuses Rod's offer of reclaiming the Founding Titan, choosing instead to free Eren. Rod Reiss drinks from the Titan serum shattered by Historia, becoming an enormous Pure Titan.[42] Eren ingests an "armor" serum from Rod's bag, creating a hardened Titan for the first time, which he uses to shield Squad Levi from the collapsing cavern. Erwin Smith reunites with Squad Levi, and they head to Orvud to devise a method of defeating Rod Reiss, who is advancing on Orvud District. With the combined efforts of the Garrison, Eren, and Squad Levi, Rod Reiss' Titan is defeated at Orvud District, with Historia landing the killing blow.[43][44] Kenny Ackerman is found by Levi outside of the collapsed cavern. He reveals that he is Levi's uncle, and gives Levi a Titan serum he stole from Rod, before dying.
Historia Reiss is ceremonially crowned Queen of the Walls.[8] The nobles from the Assembly are imprisoned and members of the Military take their places. Fragments of glowing stone from the Reiss Chapel cave are used for sources of light, increasing productivity and allowing for nighttime scouting missions to plot out a route to Shiganshina District. Queen Historia brings many orphans from the Underground to the surface world for adoption.[15] Zeke arrives in Shiganshina District, meeting Reiner and Bertolt. After a battle with Reiner, he decides that they will remain in Shiganshina District to await the arrival of the Survey Corps in order to retrieve the Founding Titan from Eren. After the coronation of Historia Reiss, Reiner, Bertholdt, and the Beast Titan are stationed in Shiganshina, awaiting the arrival of the Scout Regiment in order to steal the Coordinate from Eren.[8]
Return to Shiganshina arc
When the plans to retake Wall Maria are ready, the Scout Regiment start an expedition towards Shiganshina at night time, when most of the Titans would be inactive. After the soldiers arrive in the district, they begin the operation with 100 soldiers traveling to the exterior gate covered with hoods and cloaks to confuse the enemy so they would not know which soldier is Eren. After making his way to the top of the Wall, Eren freezes when he sees his hometown for the first time in 5 years, but is quickly pushed on by Levi Ackermann and he makes his way to the gate, preparing to transform. Finally, Eren transforms and seals the hole in the outer gate with his hardened Titan body.[45]
However, their seeming success is soon interrupted by the arrival of the Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan, during which the latter kills most of the soldiers inside the district and destroys much of the abandoned city, save for the members of Squad Levi and Hange. During this, the Beast Titan wipes out the soldiers evacuating the Scouts' horses, fatally wounding Erwin Smith in the process.[46][22][47] However, a last-ditch assault concocted by the survivors sees the Armored and Colossal Titans successfully incapacitated, with Reiner and Bertholdt captured alive. The Beast Titan is also disarmed by Levi, who wipes out his army of Titans surrounding the district.[48]
The battle sees the near-death of Armin Arlelt, who is administered the Titan injection by Levi and resurrects by gaining the power of the Titans. While Zeke and Reiner are rescued by the Cart Titan, Bertholdt is eaten alive by the transformed Armin, as the remaining Warriors are forced to retreat from Shiganshina.[49] Once Erwin's corpse was respectively covered and put to rest in an abandoned home, the nine surviving members of the Scout Regiment regrouped atop Wall Maria, and Sasha's wounds were further treated. Armin eventually regained consciousness, but with no recollection of the battle after Bertholdt's transformation into the Colossal Titan. Eren recounted the forgotten events to him, and the survivors discussed the implications of Erwin's death. Once all matters were settled, Eren, Mikasa, Levi, and Hange went into the ruined city in search of the old Jaeger family household and Grisha Jaeger's basement while the others kept watch atop the Walls.[50]
The four discovered that the Jaeger home was untouched by the Colossal Titan's destruction. After clearing away the wreckage, untouched in the five years since the fall of Wall Maria, the basement door was found. The key Eren received from his father five years ago did not work on the door, which had to be kicked through instead. The soldiers discovered that the basement appeared to be a typical doctor's office containing medicines and medical reference texts. However, Mikasa discovered a secret keyhole in Grisha's desk which fit Eren's key exactly. Inside was a drawer with a false bottom, and beneath there were three books preserved in peppermint oil and charcoal: "The Early Life of Grisha Jaeger," "Titans and Everything Known of History," and "Information About the World Beyond the Walls."[12] Within the first book, the four discovered a photograph, a technology unknown to them, depicting a younger Grisha with his first wife Dina Fritz and their son Zeke.[50]
Reading Grisha's story, the survivors learned of their true nature as the "Subjects of Ymir," the people of the nation of Eldia who served the royal family, descendants of the first Titan Ymir Fritz. Eldia had ruled the world in ancient times until they were defeated by Marley in the Great Titan War, their land now reduced to the cramped space within the three Walls on Paradis Island. Marley now ruled the continent across the sea, segregating the Eldians into internment zones such as the one where Grisha was raised in his youth.[4]
As a young adult, Grisha joined the Eldian Restorationists after learning his sister had been killed needlessly by Marley. He married the royal-blooded Dina Fritz and together they had a child named Zeke, whom they planned to give the Founding Titan power to in order to save Eldia, but when he sent his son Zeke to become a Warrior, he and his allies were betrayed and sent to Paradis Island to become Titans. However, Grisha was saved by Eren Kruger, the "Attack Titan," and a spy who had been aiding the revivalists. Grisha was given the task of taking the Founding Titan from the royal family to restore Eldia eighteen years ago, and he inherited the Attack Titan from Kruger.[4]
Once the survivors read through the information Grisha had left behind, they returned to Trost District in the afternoon. As a consequence for violation of military law, Eren and Mikasa were imprisoned. During their time spent behind bars, Eren looked into his father's memories and compared them to the knowledge gained from the basement, and he confirmed that his father's writings were consistent with the truth. Furthermore, Eren realized that Dina Fritz, his father's first wife, was in fact the Titan that ate his mother.[4]
Ten days before the scheduled ending of their sentence, Eren and Mikasa were released from prison in order to attend an upcoming military gathering. Before the meeting, Queen Historia Reiss was given the letter from Ymir, in which she apologizes for leaving Historia behind and explains that it will not be long before she dies.[12]
Soon afterward, the leaders of the military of the Walls gathered together to discuss the findings from Grisha Jaeger's basement. Before they begin, Zachary mentioned that the 199 soldiers who perished in the battle were to be honored and buried at a later day. When Grisha's writings were matched with knowledge gained from the Reiss family and Eren's memories, the leaders concluded that the only way to defend against their enemies beyond the Walls, essentially all the world against Eldia, would be to use the Founding Titan to unleash the Colossal Titans, an impossible task while Eren Jaeger held the dormant power. Eren thought of any possible means to use the Founding Titan, and he recalled the moment two months ago when he struck the hand of Dina's Titan, unleashing the Founding Titan in the final hours of conflict in the Wall Rose invasion. Eren concluded that touching a royal-blooded Titan may be enough to use the Founding Titan, but he chose to keep his discovery secret out of concern for Historia's safety.[12]
After some debate, the leaders of the military concluded that the information about the world beyond the Walls must be delivered to the public. The Berg Newspapers handled distribution of the information, and reception was mixed. While some accepted the information as fact, others believed it to be laughable falsehoods. Some believed the newly released information to be a military conspiracy.[5]
Once the basement information had been made public, the nine surviving members of the Scout Regiment were honored in ceremony. During this ceremony, Eren kissed the hand of Queen Historia, and in this moment of contact with royal blood received a memory from his father.[5]
Throughout the following months, the Executioner from Hell outside of Trost District was put to continuous use in clearing out the Titans from Wall Maria. With the gate in Shiganshina District permanently sealed, the Titan activity within Wall Maria continued to drop until the land was completely cleared of Titans by the first snowfall of the year. After the winter months had passed, the safety of Wall Maria was publicly confirmed. Around springtime, some residents of Wall Rose set out to repopulate the abandoned districts of Wall Maria.[5]
One year after the battle of Trost District, the Scout Regiment set out for an expedition beyond Wall Maria, the first of its kind in six years. As predicted by Commander Hange, the land beyond the Walls was nearly completely devoid of any Titans since the majority had entered into the Walls five years ago. Following the trail left by a crawling Titan, the Scouts eventually reached the "borderline," a Marleyan military structure where Eldian captives were turned into Titans. Near to the borderline, the Scouts finally reached the shores of the ocean, the last barrier between Eldia and their enemies.[5]
Marley arc
In 851, the Eldians of Paradis Island come into contact with a group of rebelling Marleyan soldiers : the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers. The two sides would work in parallel to each other in order to modernize the island in the hopes of freeing it from Marleyan aggression. In the following months, a new railroad is built, with the inauguration ceremony being held in Trost, while a port is built on the southern side of the island, in the hopes of making trade with various nations around the world. Marleyan survey ships sent after the Warrior Unit's defeat in Shiganshina are captured by the Eldian military with the help of the Volunteers, to which many Marleyans are brought to the Walls as POWs. Some of these soldiers would be convinced by the Eldians to help them modernize their military equipment, which would greatly help Paradis in fighting against Marley.[3]
In 852, the Azumabito clan of Hizuru visit Paradis Island in a historic meeting in order to revive the old alliance between Eldia and Hizuru which existed before the Great Titan War. They propose a 50 year old plan that has been put on the table by Zeke Jaeger, who is working behind the backs of Marley with the intention of restoring Eldia. The plan would consist in making the queen Historia Reiss mother many children in order for the Founding Titan to be passed down safely, a partial-Rumbling to scare off potential invaders and aggressors, while Hizuru would help the Eldians modernize their whole society in order to become a self-sustaining industrialized nation, which causes many heated discussions within the military government. The Eldians would also try to use Hizuru in order to engage in diplomacy with other nations, though it reveals to be extremely difficult as Hizuru wants to keep a hold on Paradis Island's resources, while many other nations find it convenient for the Eldians of Paradis to be viewed as the universal enemy.[51]
Unbeknownst to the government, many schemes would concurrently happen behind the scenes. Zeke utilized the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers in order to bring huge quantities of Marleyan wine that has been laced with his spinal fluid to Paradis Island and distribute it to the high-ranking military officers of the island, while Eren would be approached by him through the Volunteer Yelena in order to agree to a plan where the Founding Titan would be used in order to render all Subjects of Ymir incapable of reproducing, eventually solving the Titan problem once and for all. On the other hand, Eren would feign agreeing with Zeke's secret plan, with his own goal being the use of the Rumbling in order to wipe out all of humanity beyond the island in order to perpetually free the Eldians of Paradis from the threat of annihilation and end the cycle of hatred that has been going on for 2,000 years between Eldians and the rest of humanity. He would detail his plan in secret to the queen Historia Reiss and the fellow soldier Floch Forster. Historia relents and keeps quiet about Eren's intentions while then entering a relationship with a man to ensure she would not have to inherit Zeke's titan. Floch secretly gathers comrades from within the military that have been fed up with the way the military has been doing things recently, in the hopes of helping Eren use the Rumbling and re-establish the Eldian Empire.[52]
A couple months later, a small portion of the Scouts led by Hange embark on a political mission to Marley after the discussions started by Hizuru ended in failure which causes Eren to abandon the Survey Corps, contact Zeke,[52] and infiltrate the Marleyan army in the guise of an enlisted Eldian conscript. The two brothers then collaborate in secret in order to force the military government on Paradis to enact a coordinated attack in the city of Liberio in order to cripple the Marleyan military, and bring Zeke to the island, such as to have both the Founding Titan and a Titan with royal blood under their control, which would help the restoration of Eldia.
War for Paradis arc
The raid on Liberio is enacted in 854, with the battle ending in a complete Eldian victory. Following a declaration of war made by Willy Tybur in front of a large crowd where numerous diplomats, journalists and military officers from around the world have been gathered in the Liberio internment zone's plaza, the primary naval fleet and port of Marley in Liberio, alongside its entire military hierarchy are wiped out by the coordinated efforts of Eren and Armin in their Titan powers, while the Warhammer Titan is snatched from Lara Tybur by Eren. This attack, which caused the death of the globally acclaimed Willy Tybur, and many journalists and ambassadors from various nations confirms the threat of Eldia from the POV of the world, leading to the formation of a Global Alliance with the objective of enacting a scorched earth operation in order to annihilate Paradis in the next six months.
The return of the Eldian soldiers to Paradis Island with the news of the victory over Marley sent the population in a euphoria, with extreme praise being directed towards Eren, who is now seen by many as a savior and the one deserving of ruling over Eldia as the Founding Titan. But things quickly go out of order on the island, as the government faces pressure from dissenting soldiers and civilians considering that they are taking way too much time instead of capitalizing on their recent victory, leading to the birth of the Jaegerists. A group of soldiers led by Floch reveal to the public of Eren's arrest, which leads to many public demonstrations against the military regime, urging for the freedom of Eren. The latter frees himself using his newfound Warhammer Titan powers, and in the same day the Premier Zachary is assassinated by the Jaegerists, intensifying the fanaticism throughout the population inside the Walls.
In the following days, the newly formed Jaegerists cooperate with the Volunteers in taking control of the entire military regime, revealing that they have ingested Zeke's spinal fluid, and bring them all to Shiganshina's District, which has already been emptied of its residents in preparation for a partial Rumbling. In the same day in which Eren arrives with the Jaegerists in Shiganshina, Zeke escapes capture from the Scouts led by Levi, while Marley launches a surprise attack without waiting for the Global Alliance in retaliation from the raid on Liberio, with the objective of putting down the Founding Titan as quickly as possible.
A devastating skirmish then ensues in Shiganshina, with the Jaegerists led by Eren and Zeke fighting off against the Marleyan invaders, but it ends in only a couple hours during the climax of the fighting when Eren and Zeke finally come into contact. Unbeknownst to everybody else, in this once instant of contact Eren and Zeke would ideologically fight in the Paths realm, a fight that Eren would eventually come out as victor after freeing Ymir Fritz from her mental enslavement, acquiring the full powers of the Founding Titan and enacting the Rumbling. All Subjects of Ymir, no matter where they live in the world are telepathically communicated by Eren, who announces his plan of devastating the entire world for the sole benefit of the people of Paradis Island.
This announcement is received with huge amounts of praise by the Eldians of Paradis, who already viewed Eren as a savior. The Jaegerists are also celebrated as the ones who followed Eren's plan from the beginning, profiting from the fact that the entire military leadership has been transformed into Titans when Zeke screamed in Shiganshina during the battle, paving way for them to take control over the whole society on Paradis Island, including its military.
Armin, Conny, Gabi, and Falco reach Trost and find Annie, who decides to go with them to stop the Rumbling. In Shiganshina, Floch and Jean stand to execute Onyankopon and Yelena with a crowd of cheering Jaegerists. As Onyankopon pleads for his life, Jean shoots the ground four times giving the signal to be rescued by Pieck. Below, Mikasa, Annie, Armin, Conny, Falco, and Gabi ride out to find and recruit Reiner. Keith watches them from inside of a building. They find him and convince him to join up in the new alliance to stop Eren. Pieck brings Jean, Yelena, and Onyankopon to Magath, Hange, and Levi to which they wait for the others.[53]
At night, the alliance gathers in the woods beside a fire. Magath and Jean get into an argument in which Hange stops the two. Annie uses the silence to ask her former friends if they can kill Eren; Mikasa takes offense and begins to attack Annie. Annie calms her down when she tells her that she doesn't want to kill Eren, but save her Leonhart. The night carries on and Hange discusses her plan to use Kiyomi's flying boat to stop the Rumbling. Magath turns to Yelena for answers, but she refuses to help him; the conversation escalates even further with Jean beating up Reiner and accidentally kicking Gabi, Yelena's past being revealed, and Jean storming away for the rest of the night.[54]
the group heads out towards the port, Pieck comes back from scouting and relays that the Jaegerists have the port captured along with Kiyomi and her engineers.[54]
At the port, Hange and Magath notice the speed of the Rumbling and relay it to the group. They begin to plan their attack of rescuing the Azumabitos and stealing the flying boat. Floch discusses with Kiyomi about the future of the island, in which he is cut off by Armin and Conny frantically screaming for him. They tell him to prepare the flying boat so they can chase after Reiner and Pieck, who have escaped to the continent. Floch stares at them skeptically as they head over towards it and meetup with Samuel and Daz. Samuel and Daz stop them and Conny yells at them to unhook the bomb so they can chase Reiner; Daz buys into it and unhooks the detonator. Inside the building, Floch is restrained after trying to shoot the mechanics and being blindsided by Kiyomi. More Jaegerists burst in as Floch screams for them to help; Mikasa burst through the window and quickly handles the Jaegerists . Floch escapes and informs everyone that Mikasa, Conny, and Armin have betrayed Eldia. This prompts Samuel to shoot Armin and order Daz to reset the detonator as he holds Conny at gunpoint. Samuel pleads with Conny about how they were going to take back their land and share meat.
Inside the building, Mikasa and the mechanics rush down the stairs as Jaegerists begin to blow up the building; they are escorted to the basement by Hange, Magath, and Jean. Outside, Annie and Reiner transform and cause more chaos at the port
Conny wrestles with Samuel as Daz tries to reconnect the detonator; he is stopped by an injured Armin. Daz pleads for Armin to stop as he aims his gun at him and begins to tear up; at that moment, Armin thinks of Bertholdt and Conny snatches the gun from a screaming and crying Samuel and shoots them both dead.[55] Falco saves his allies by turning into the Jaw Titan and killing multiple Jaegerists. Floch fights off Hange and escapes Pieck attempting to destroy the steam boat carrying the flying boat, but is shot in the shoulder by Gabi and misses. The rest of the Jaegerists retreat as their reinforcements are suddenly derailed. Magath stays behind to hold off the Jaegerists and is saved by Keith, who blew up the train. They escape to another steam boat, explode it, and take out all of the Jaegerists on the boat with them.[56]
In the following days, Eren goes on to wipe out 80% of humanity beyond the island until he is killed by Mikasa Ackermann which brings an end to the power of the titans. News of this reaches Paradis, knowing that the rest of humanity would never forgive Eldia for the Rumbling, paranoia sweeps throughout the entire country, with the overwhelming support for the Jaegerists growing even more fanatical. By the year 857, Eldia has formed a new army ruled by the Jaegerists in the fear of suffering retaliation from the humans that survived Eren's onslaught.
Paradis would continue to exist as a country and prosper for many centuries after the Rumbling, with a city like Shiganshina going from the known regular town, to a bustling modern city, and finally turning into a vast, sophisticated and impressive futuristic metropolis with extremely high skyscrapers. But conflict eventually comes to Eldia, with the country being bombarded by enemy forces to oblivion, leaving cities like Shiganshina abandoned and subsequently reclaimed by nature over a long period of time. It is unknown how many times goes on after the wholescale destruction, but descendants of Eldians would continue to exist, scavenging through the ruins in landscapes where buildings have been completely buried by vegetation.[2]
Geography and Climate
Paradis Island appears to have a temperate climate, with the northern regions of the land being especially cold, rarely exceeding 30° C on the hottest summer days.[57] However, the coldness of the northern regions of the island are alleviated by the occasional presence of hot springs.[58]
The Walls raised by the First King, were built upon the center of Paradis Island, with the central region of the Walls laying at a higher elevation than the outermost territories. Some regions of the land are home to Forest of Giant Trees, where the trees are known to reach as high as 80 meters, possibly due to the unique content of the soil.[59] Paradis Island is also rich with various minerals and natural resources, which made the land a valuable target for the people of Marley over eighty years after the end of the Great Titan War.[4]
Demographics
Paradis Island hosts the Eldian refugees from the Great Titan War. Most of these Eldians are Subjects of Ymir, although those who are not live as nobles, excluding the Ackermanns.[7] There is also a small group of Orientals living on the island.[9][7]
The Ackermann and Oriental bloodlines are currently endangered on the Paradis. Since they are not Subjects of Ymir, they could not be controlled by the Founding Titan. In response, to protect the peace that those two clans disagreed with, the Crown exterminated them.[7] The only two remaining survivors are Levi Ackermann and Mikasa Ackermann, the latter also being the last Oriental on the island (albeit only half).
Population
During the fall of Wall Maria, it is said that 10,000 individuals lost their lives to the Titans. Two years later, approximately 250,000 people participated in the operation to reclaim Wall Maria; with less than 200 of them surviving the mission. The number of people that participated in the operation is said to have been 20% of humanity's population that had survived the fall.[1] With this information, it can be said that the total population of humanity within the Walls was approximately 1,260,000 individuals before the fall, 1,250,000 immediately afterward, and slightly less than 1,000,200 after the operation to reclaim Wall Maria.
Furthermore, based on the known dimensions of the Walls,[60] it can be calculated that the area of human territory is approximately 723,822 km² within Wall Maria and approximately 453,646 km² within Wall Rose. Based on these calculations, it can be said that the average population density of humanity within the Walls was approximately 1.7 individuals per square kilometer before Wall Maria's fall and approximately 2.2 individuals per square kilometer after the operation to reclaim Wall Maria. However, this does not take into account whatever population density exists within each district and town within the Walls.
Technology
The firearms used by the military of Paradis Island before the year 850 were mostly based on the flintlock mechanism, where a piece of flint ignites the gunpowder and fires the gun, which must be reloaded after every shot. These came in the form of muskets, pistols, buckshot rifles, hand cannons, and flintlock sniper rifles. The firearm technology had not progressed much as guns were proved ineffective against the Titans.[61] Part of the reason was due to the Military Police First Interior Squad stopping firearm advancements in technology to maintain order within the Walls, with two of the advancements that were suppressed being the development of revolvers and metallic bullet cartridges. The Scout Regiment and the Garisson also use flare guns to communicate over long distances. Furthermore, cannons lined the top of the Walls. While each one originally had its own track so it could be pushed to the outer edge or the inner edge, tracks were later laid along the entire Wall to connect them all and enabled them to be pushed to different positions. Four years later, the Scout Regiment were able to incorporate semiautomatic and bolt action firearms into their arsenal with the covert aid of the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers, while Thunder Spears became standard issue equipment for anti-Titan and anti-fortification warfare.[62]
One of the most sophisticated pieces of technology the Eldians of Paradis used was the Omni-directional mobility gear. The advances needed for the system to work included steel wire, compressing gas under pressure derived from iceburst stone, and blades made of ultrahard steel, a substance which could only be manufactured in the blast furnaces of the Industrial City.[63]
Transportation within the Walls is derived primarily from horses. Furthermore, sailless boats guided by pulleys and rails connect some districts by river, such as the boats providing transport between Shiganshina District and Trost District.[1] In the year 851, a port along the coastline began development, allowing Paradis to use captured Marleyan ships.[3] At the same time, the Eldians were introduced to locomotives[3] and obtained access to an airship, later used by the Scout Regiment for their mission in Liberio.[62]
Other forms of basic technology have been shown to exist within the Walls, such as pocket watches, pulley-based lifts, metallic water pumps,[17] and the printing press.[10] Photography was not something that the people inside the Walls initially knew about, as Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackermann, Hange Zoë and Levi Ackermann were not able to identify what a photograph was without Grisha's note written on the backside.[50]
Government
- Main article: Royal Government (Anime)
When the last remnants of Eldia after the Great Titan War were isolated within the Walls, the Royal Government served as the head of power throughout the land. The main body of the Royal Government consisted of the monarch of the Walls as well as an assembly of noblemen subservient to the monarch.[7] However, soon after the founding of the Walls, the King, Karl Fritz, took his family into hiding under the new name of the "Reiss family," playing the role of a house of nobles in Wall Sina.[13][12] While in hiding, the Reiss family would still communicate with the assembly while a false monarch held the public throne.[13] This would continue until the coup d'etat in the year 850, with Historia Reiss taking power as the new queen of the true royal bloodline. In 854, the Jaegerists took control of the entire government and establish a new regime focused on militarism against Eldia's potential enemies.
Politics and Diplomacy
Little can be said of the diplomacy of the Eldian Empire in ancient times, due to slander spread by the Marleyan government after the war.[12] What is known is that the Eldian Empire was once allies with Hizuru.[51] After the Empire's downfall at the hands of Marley, the Eldians of the outside world held no political positions of power,[4] with the known exception of the Tybur family and "the Owl," an Eldian spy within the Marleyan Public Security.[4]As King Fritz had wanted, the Eldians of Paradis Island who lived within the Walls made no interactions with any nation of the outside world, believing themselves to be the last surviving remnants of humanity in a world conquered by the Titans.[1]
After the end of their century-long ignorance inside the Walls, the Eldians of Paradis Island brought back their alliance with the nation of Hizuru, in the hopes of trying to save Eldia from war and the threat of extinction through diplomacy. These diplomatic efforts were thwarted by Eren Jaeger's decision of attacking Liberio and enacting the Rumbling, which increased the world's fear and hatred towards Eldia a tenfold.[3]
Three years after the Rumbling and Eren's death, the Jaegerist-ruled Eldia resumed diplomacy with the remnants of humanity in the outside world, while still arming itself in fear of retaliation.[2]
Trivia
- The name "Paradis" is French in origin, translating as "paradise."
- If mirrored vertically, the continent controlled by Marley and the island of Paradis are very similar to the real-life continent of Africa and the island of Madagascar, respectively.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 2
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Attack on Titan anime: Special 2
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 68
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 57
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 59
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 64
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 43
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 47
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 6
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 42
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 35
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 58
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 39
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 40
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 48
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 79
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 1
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 62
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 9
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: OVA 1
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 4
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 52
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 13
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 17
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 19
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 20
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 22
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 23
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 24
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 25
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 72
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 26
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 28
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 29
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 32
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 33
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 36
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 37
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 38
- ↑ Attack on Titan manga: Chapter 54 (p. 1 - 41)
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 41
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 44
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 45
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 46
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 50
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 51
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 53
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 54
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 55
- ↑ 50.0 50.1 50.2 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 56
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 69
- ↑ 52.0 52.1 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 87
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 83
- ↑ 54.0 54.1 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 84
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 85
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 86
- ↑ Bessatsu Magazine, November 2013 issue
- ↑ Bessatsu Magazine, September 2013 issue
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 18
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 1 — Current Publicly Available Information.
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 7
- ↑ 62.0 62.1 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 65
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 6 — Currently Publicly Available Information.