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According to these, we're a special race called the Subjects of Ymir who can turn into Titans. There's also a belief that we may rule the world again. That's why the world wishes to eradicate us Subjects of Ymir for good. | 
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| — Hange Zoë relays the truth found in Grisha's basement[1] | ||
The Subjects of Ymir (ユミルの民 Yumiru no Tami?), also referred to as the Eldians (エルディア人 Erudia-jin?), are an ethnic group that descended from Ymir Fritz and the only race that was capable of transforming into Titans.[2] Beginning with Ymir and her three daughters, the bloodline eventually expanded across the Eldian people, to the point of majority.[3][4] In 854, they populated the Walls of Paradis Island and the internment zones found in Marley and other nations of the world.
The Subjects of Ymir believe that they are the "chosen children of God";[5] however, the rest of the world views them as an "evil" race of devils,[6] the "spawn of the Devil" (悪魔の末裔 Akuma no Matsuei?).[7]
History
The Subjects of Ymir claim descent from Ymir Fritz herself, the first human to acquire the Power of the Titans over 1,800 years ago. After Ymir's demise, her daughters Maria, Rose, and Sina Fritz devoured her corpse and gained her ability to turn into a Titan. As per their father's commands, Ymir's daughters reproduced to expand the bloodline and continue the race of humans who can turn into Titans. The Subjects of Ymir conquered the old nation of Marley using the Nine Titans and established the Eldian Empire, which over the centuries would come to rule the mainland continent of its origin.[5]
About 600 years ago, an epidemic plagued much of the world; killing so many that the population plummeted. The King at the time used the power of the Founding Titan to rewrite how the bodies of the Subjects of Ymir were designed to overcome and survive the pandemic.
The rule of the Eldian Empire lasted until the end of the Great Titan War, which resulted in Marley's resurrection as a nation and Eldia's capital being moved to Paradis Island. The land surrounding the new capital of Eldia would later be surrounded by three concentric Walls raised through the guidance of the Founding Titan. On the mainland, Marley gathered the Eldians, and placed them into internment zones such as the one within Liberio. On the island, the Subjects of Ymir had their memories of the world outside the Walls erased by the Founding Titan.[5][1]
Karl Fritz altering the memories of the outside world from the Subjects of Ymir in Paradis
The Eldians of other races were unaffected by the Founding Titan, so the royal family either granted them nobility in exchange for silence, or persecuted them as in the case of the Ackermann and Oriental clans.[3]
Characteristics
Titans and Paths
The Subjects of Ymir are the only living beings capable of transforming into Titans. Some could also inherit the Nine Titans. If one of the Nine Titans was not transferred before dying, the Titan would be sent to a random baby among the Subjects of Ymir, with distance and blood relation playing no factor. This led to the discovery that all Subjects of Ymir are connected by paths, and these paths connected all Subjects of Ymir to the Founding Titan.[5][1]
Lineage
According to Marley, the Eldian Empire had forced other races to have their children, to produce more Subjects of Ymir.[5] This implies that if a Subject of Ymir reproduced with an individual of another ethnicity, the offspring would be a Subject of Ymir. Reiner Braun was a byproduct of this situation, being born from an unlawful relationship between his Eldian mother and his Marleyan biological father. Annie Leonhart was abandoned as a new born child after it was discovered that her biological mother had an affair with an Eldian. Her adoptive father brought her to Liberio's internment zone from a foreign country after himself having been put there by the authorities after his status as a Subject of Ymir was discovered. Marley, and most likely other nations around the world prohibit relationships between Subjects of Ymir and non-Subjects of Ymir. For this reason, Reiner's father didn't want to acknowledge his son for fear of being executed by the Marleyan authorities. Subjects of Ymir could be identified through blood testing.[1] By the year 854, blood test technology had improved to the point that more and more Subjects of Ymir who escaped internment were being discovered worldwide.
Demographics
Dominance within Eldia's population
Eldia predated the existence of Subjects of Ymir, which means that the latter started out as an extreme minority in its very early stages. The three daughters of Ymir were ordered by their father in his deathbed to make sure that Ymir's blood never becomes extinct, in order for Eldia and its Titans to rule the world for eternity. For this reason, the Subjects of Ymir came to gradually grow in numbers each generation, and eventually came to constitute the majority of the Eldian population as centuries went on, and the Eldian Empire expanded throughout the world. This led to the Subjects of Ymir becoming the dominant ethnic group within the empire. By the time of the Great Titan War, the Subjects of Ymir had grown to represent nearly all Eldians within the empire.
Geographic distribution
Just like Eldia, the Subjects of Ymir came to grow in numbers in their continental mainland of origin. As the Eldian Empire conquered vast swathes of lands over the course of more than a millennia, the Subjects of Ymir grew in numbers to become a race with global reach.
After the defeat of the Eldian Empire, Eldian-controlled territory was reduced to the single island of Paradis, with a small portion of the global population of the Subjects of Ymir residing there. The majority of Subjects of Ymir were placed into various internment zones around the world, in which they would have to endure daily and constant oppression by the anti-Eldian authorities and populations in countries such as Marley for the 100 years that came after the end of the war. A considerable amount of Subjects of Ymir were able to escape internment, and even a century later, many would knowingly or unknowingly live amongst the non-Subjects of Ymir populations.
Racial and ethnic perception
The Subjects of Ymir were both feared and stigmatized due to their unique ability to transform into Titans. This power had marked them as an ethnic group distinct from other populations, and their perception has shifted drastically over time, shaped by historical events, political power, and societal attitudes.
Eldian Empire
In the era of the Eldian Empire, the Subjects of Ymir were often seen as an elite ethnic group due to their connection to Titan powers, which allowed Eldia to dominate other nations for centuries. Eldians viewed their ancestry as a source of pride and superiority, and those under their rule likely saw them as formidable oppressors, shaping a perception of Eldians as a privileged, if feared, race. This prestige was largely tied to their Titan lineage, and Eldians frequently reinforced this identity through legends and cultural beliefs, placing Ymir Fritz in a revered, almost mythical status.
Post-Great Titan War
Marley
Following the Great Titan War and Eldia's downfall the perception of the Subjects of Ymir shifted dramatically. The Eldian population outside Paradis Island was subjected to intense discrimination, particularly in Marley, where anti-Eldian sentiment took root as the empire's former subjects sought revenge for centuries of oppression. Marleyan authorities weaponized Eldian identity, depicting the Subjects of Ymir as inherently dangerous and morally inferior, primarily because of their potential to transform into Titans. This resulted in systemic oppression, with Marley constructing internment zones to segregate Eldians from the general population, barring them from most civil rights and frequently portraying them as "devils." Marley's propaganda effectively ingrained a perception of Eldians as an existential threat, shaping a view of them as subhuman—a dangerous ethnic group that must be strictly controlled. For multiple generations, the Subjects of Ymir would be forced to live in absolute humiliation in what was described by Grisha Jaeger as "birdcages", where they would face constant oppression from local authorities. Eldians in Marley and other territories grew up acutely aware of their identity as Subjects of Ymir, a label that brought social stigma and restricted their freedoms. In an attempt to escape discrimination, many Eldians in Marley internalized the negative perception, actively denouncing the history of the Eldian Empire and attempting to align themselves with Marleyan interests through military service, particularly in the Warrior program, which promised status and privileges for those who would serve Marley.
Marleyan propaganda also forced the Subjects of Ymir living inside its borders to face a contradictory identity, as they specifically labeled the Subjects of Ymir living in Paradis as "island devils”, justifying much of the discrimination enacted on the mainlanders from the existential threat posed to the whole world by the islanders. The Subjects of Ymir in Marley thus faced a contradictory identity: they were encouraged to see themselves as loyal to Marley but were also constantly reminded of their "inferior" bloodline, by being put in the same box as the Subjects of Ymir of Paradis. This split perception created deep identity conflicts within Eldians, particularly Warriors like Reiner Braun and Annie Leonhart, who were tasked with attacking Paradis while being Eldians themselves. This internalized stigma and the struggle to reconcile their heritage with societal expectations shaped a conflicted racial identity that ran deep among all of them.
Paradis Island
Within the Eldian community itself, perceptions also became fractured. Living in isolation within the Walls, Paradis Eldians lost nearly all knowledge of their ethnic heritage, considering themselves merely as "people of the Walls." After the truth about their identity was revealed to them, the Eldians of the island rapidly accepted their identity and lived proudly as Subjects of Ymir, as a means of not accepting the stigma placed around this identity and defiance to the nation of Marley and the world at large that they considered as being the catalysts for much of their suffering.
Worlwide discrimination
Annie was abandoned right after her birth for being a Subject of Ymir
After the Great Titan War, Subjects of Ymir all around the globe were gathered and placed in internment camps throughout the multiple newly freed countries.
Marley
The armbands worn by civilian Subjects of Ymir in Marley
In the nation of Marley, the Subjects of Ymir who stayed on the mainland and didn't flee with Karl Fritz suffered the same fate, which started a century-long terrible oppression. The Marleyan government quickly demonized the Eldian Empire and the nature of the Subjects of Ymir in their history books, describing them as a demonic people deserving of extermination. The Marleyan government would force Subjects of Ymir to wear armbands whenever they go outside their homes, who are of different colours depending on their status in society, so that they are easily recognizable in public.
A traumatized Eldian Unit member in the battlefield under Marleyan authority
Countless Subjects of Ymir in Marley who were convicted of a crime or treason against the Marleyan state would be arrested and transformed into Titan in order to either wander the territories beyond the Walls in Paradis Island, or to destroy enemy soldiers, military facilities, or cities in foreign countries around the world for the benefit of Marley's imperialistic ambitions. Countless others were also used by Marley's military as cannon fodder in their expansionist wars beyond its borders through forced conscription, where they would be sent on the frontlines and be used as cheap expendable soldiers by their superior officers. Their sacrifices were completely ignored or downplayed by the military and even the public, who took their sacrifices for Marley as granted, believing that it was their duty to atone for their ancestors' crimes.
In school, Marley's Subjects of Ymir learned to despise themselves for the simple fact of being the offspring of their ancestors who have committed innumerable crimes against the world under the banner of the Eldian Empire, and also despise their fellow Eldians on Paradis Island, widely known as "island devils", who supposedly were at fault for the daily oppression they endured and were planning to destroy the entire world. From their point of view, this narrative was validated as of the year 854, because Eren Jaeger started the Rumbling and slaughtered even many Subjects of Ymir who weren't from his native island.
Xaver's Marleyan wife killed herself and their child after finding out his Eldian identity
The Marleyan population were also indoctrinated into considering the Subjects of Ymir as nothing more than a filthy race deserving of extermination, who should be grateful for even living after having slaughtered so many peoples during the Eldian Empire's reign. The general population totally supported the systematic and structural oppression their government had put in place to treat the Subjects of Ymir from their lands as second-class citizens. Any Subject of Ymir who walked around in areas beyond their internment zones were met with constant death stares, racial slurs and even physical agression from Marleyan citizens. The fear and hatred towards Subjects of Ymir from the Marleyan population was so intense that the vast majority of the populace wished nothing but to see them wiped out entirely, considering the fact that they were still able to live and have children dangerous to their livelihoods.
Rest of the world
Ambassadors invited in Marley insulting Udo during a high class gathering
The daily life of Subjects of Ymir in other countries was even worse, with many nations and peoples being even more fanatical than Marley in terms of anti-Eldian treatment. The world unanimously agreed on the fact that Subjects of Ymir were better off exterminated, and that human rights did not apply to them, meaning that if a massive international cooperation was formed in order to completely exterminate all Subjects of Ymir worldwide, it would have been met with applause from the majority of the world's nations and peoples. Marley's continuously extensive use of Subjects of Ymir in the 100 years following the Great Titan War by using the same methods as the Eldian Empire had a significant impact on the world's opinions regarding their race, wanting to end the Titan threat once and for all.
Story
Ilse's Notebook: Notes from a Scout Regiment Member
Ilse encounters a Subject of Ymir
In the year 849, Ilse Langnar of the Scout Regiment's 34th Exterior Scouting Mission encountered a Titan who called itself a "Subject of Ymir." The Titan spoke to her, believing her to be "Lady Ymir," and Ilse attempted to question it. After Ilse panics when the Titan gives no answers, the Titan kills Ilse bitterly before storing her corpse in a nearby tree.[8]
One year later, Ilse's notebook recounting her time in the scouting mission is found by Section Commander Hange Zoë and Captain Levi on the 49th Exterior Scouting Mission. The findings in Ilse's notebook convince Hange and Commander Erwin Smith that attempted Titan capture should be resumed as a Scout Regiment practice.[8]
Return to Shiganshina arc
Upon uncovering the secrets of Grisha Jaeger's basement following the Battle of Shiganshina District,[9] the surviving members of the Scout Regiment learn of their ethnic identity as Eldians and as Subjects of Ymir, a race despised and feared by all peoples of the world.[1] This news, along with the many remarkable truths found in the basement, become a much-discussed topic among people of varying opinions within the Walls.[10]
Marley arc
A crowd in Marley discussing about lynching a young pickpocket under the suspicion that he might be a refugee Subject of Ymir
In the year 854, as blood testing is becoming increasingly more precise, multiple Subjects of Ymir who escaped internment have been discovered by authorities accross the globe, leading to many being chased out from their countries. This leads to governments around the world zealously conducting blood tests on their populations in order to find Subjects of Ymir who have managed to hide their identities, and the general populations around the world to grow concerned about having to deal with "devil blood" tainting their communities. A worldwide refugee crisis then ensues, with Subjects of Ymir who have been expulsed from their native lands being scattered throughout the different nations and experiencing severe oppression, forcing organizations such as the Subjects of Ymir Protection Group to openly call for the international community to recognize their sufferings and come to their aid.
The Warriors gather to discuss the fate of the Eldians
Following the Marley Mid-East War, the Warriors of Marley begin to grow urgently concerned over the fate of the Eldians, and by extension the Subjects of Ymir, particularly in the world's growing desire to see them exterminated in order to end the Titan threat. Capturing the Founding Titan remains in high priority, though Pieck acknowledges that this alone will not save the reputation of the Eldians. In an effort to shed a positive light on the Eldians and to do away with the threat posed by the people of Paradis Island, Zeke Jaeger collaborates with the Tybur family, who agree to make a public announcement in favor of the Eldians during a festival in Liberio. At this time, they will convince the nations of the world that Paradis Island will be conquered within a year.
Willy readies the ambassadors for the following day's announcement
Soon afterward, the Tybur family comes to Liberio. As Commander Theo Magath and Lord Willy Tybur discuss the affairs of their nation, Lord Tybur expresses the regret he and his ancestors have felt for the fate the Eldians have been burdened with in the past century. Desiring to set things right for his nation, Lord Tybur offers to work with Magath towards the betterment of Marley.
One month later, the time of the festival approaches. On the eve of the festival, Willy acknowledges the world's shared hatred for the Eldian people, announcing that by the end of the festival he will announce his plan to solve the crisis posed by the Eldians and the Titans.
War for Paradis arc
Eren addresses all Subjects of Ymir
About one month later, back on Paradis Island and following Marley's surprise attack on the island for the raid on Liberio, Eren Jaeger manages to come into physical contact with his royal-blooded half-brother, Zeke Jaeger, allowing him access to the Founding Titan's powers. Eren uses them to unleash the countless Colossal Titans within the Walls to destroy the outside world, telepathically addressing all Subjects of Ymir using the Founding Titan to declare his intentions.
Eren Jaeger's death caused the disappearance of the Titan powers from existence, meaning that Subjects of Ymir were freed from the curse of the Titans and thus for the first time in history, were as normal as the other humans.
Trivia
- In modern times, the Subjects of Ymir are often simply called "Eldians". While this is generally true as most Eldians are Subjects of Ymir, the two terms are not entirely synonymous.
- According to Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, and Annie Leonhart, the false king and the nobles who ruled the interior of the Walls are Eldians of another race. This confirms that, even in modern times, not all Eldians are Subjects of Ymir.
- The Subjects of Ymir Protection Group argues that the Subjects of Ymir from other nations beyond Eldia and what is now Marley deserve protection because they are not Eldians, have never been Eldians, and are only victims of the Eldian Empire's historic force-breeding. This means that not all Subjects of Ymir are Eldians. In fact, Ymir Fritz herself was not an Eldian. Floch Forster was willing to accept any Anti-Marleyan Volunteer as honorary Eldians despite them not being Subjects of Ymir.
- Pieck asks Gabi Braun if they are Eldians or Marleyans before answering that it does not matter which because the bottom line is that they are "Subjects of Ymir," a race who can turn into Titans. This suggests that "Subjects of Ymir" is their race whereas "Eldian" is their ethnicity or nationality. This is further emphasized when Mikasa Ackermann reminds Kiyomi Azumabito that she is an Eldian, regardless of her Asian blood.
- At the height of the Eldian Empire, being a Subject of Ymir was proof of high status in non-Eldian countries. However, after the Eldian Empire's collapse, having Subject of Ymir blood is condemned upon, even among the remaining Eldians who are not Subjects of Ymir.
- Annie Leonhart speculates that this is how Eldians within Paradis Island who are not Subjects of Ymir stay in power: they do not mingle with Subjects of Ymir and do not trust outsiders who might be of the bloodline. As such, nobody could get close to them to challenge their power.
- The Subjects of Ymir are similar to the Jewish people. Both are ethnic groups that, according to their traditions and beliefs, are the "chosen people of God", in addition to both suffering segregation and discrimination by the authorities of certain countries that even led to their extermination.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 58
- ↑ Attack on Titan manga: Chapter 87 (p. 36)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 43
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 80
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Attack on Titan anime: Episode 57
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 52
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 36
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Attack on Titan anime: OVA 1
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 56
- ↑ Attack on Titan anime: Episode 59