Attack on Titan: character guide and descriptions

The end is near. Attack on Titan, one of the most colossal animated TV shows ever made, is reaching its final installments this year, with a first batch set to premiere in March and the rest later in the year. Eren Yeager and the Survey Corps’ battle against the Titans and the world around them is drawing to a dramatic end, and it promises to be a heartbreaking and mind-blowing finale to one of the greatest odysseys ever seen on the silver screen.

Throughout the four seasons, the anime adaptation of Hajime Isayama’s manga has proven to be one of the most successful, critically acclaimed and controversial anime shows in history. More than $400 million in total media revenue, thousands of popular requests and a loyal fandom are the results almost a decade after the first episode. This dark fantasy about a post-apocalyptic world where humans live behind walls to protect themselves from man-devouring (and human-like?) monsters called titans started out as a typical fantasy violated and gradually became a complicated and mature view of the human race and its struggle to find peace and understanding. To this day, it is probably one of the best cultural products to assimilate and absorb the intricacies of human evolution and history. In honor of the final run, here’s a compilation of the story’s main characters.

Eren Yeager

Attack on TitanThe protagonist of ‘s is a strong-willed teenager who, after witnessing his mother being devoured by a titan, vows to destroy them all and decides to join the Survey Corps, a military branch responsible for exploring beyond the walls and wipe out the titans. In his very first fight, right after graduation, honor is swallowed by one of the monsters, but soon reappears as one of them and begins his fight against the invaders.

Throughout the many episodes of Attack on Titan, Eren has somehow remained virtually the same at the same time, and also radically changed. His desire for freedom remains, but as time goes by, his methods of achieving his goals become somewhat skewed by his comrades. In the last act of the story, he enacts what he believes will be the course of action that will guarantee him and his loved ones their great emancipation from their protracted struggle.

Mikasa Ackermann

After her parents were murdered in front of her, Mikasa is rescued by Eren, whose parents then take her in as one of their own. From then on, she felt a huge sense of gratitude towards the Yeager family and became extremely overprotective towards Eren. Since witnessing such a traumatic event, she lost all her innocence and understood the world as a cruel place, which also made her quiet and withdrawn. She takes on the role of Eren’s caretaker and follows him to the Survey Corps, where she graduated at the top of her class, considered an unprecedented talent.

Armin Arlert

Armin is Eren and Mikasa’s childhood friend who joins them to enlist in the Survey Corps to help humanity and fulfill his dream of seeing the world beyond the walls. Armin knew about this through an illegal book his grandfather owned containing information about the world beyond the walls. Initially a very shy character with an inferiority complex, due to his lack of physical strength and stamina, Armin proves his worth and courage in some of the most vital moments for the survival of mankind. His powerful intellectual and analytical ability managed to save Eren from death after one of his first transformations, to identify the titan shifters infiltrating the army and then defeat them in the key battle to retake their hometown.

Jean Kirstein

He initially planned to join the military police to pursue a safe life within the inner wall, but after watching his comrades die at the hands of titans, he decides to join the Survey Corps. Jean is a hot-headed person, usually clashing with Eren but at the same time finding admiration in him, eventually becoming a commander in the Survey Corps and one of the most enduring characters in the show.

Conny Springer

extroverted and cheerful, Connie is one of the more optimistic members of the Survey Corps. Like Jean, he was initially eager to join the military police, but is eventually persuaded to join the Survey Corps after hearing Eren’s passion and desire for freedom. His village is later decimated and his mother turned into a titan, which becomes a major concern for him later in the story. He develops a strong bond with Jean and Sasha.

Sasha shirt

Sascha is a skilled hunter with exceptional instincts. Obsessed with food, this causes her problems in her early days as a cadet, leading to her being called “Potato Girl.” Although she reluctantly joined the Survey Corps, she eventually becomes one of its most important members. The final season reveals more about her personality than just the show’s comedic relief, depicting her family in a more detailed manner.

History Reiss

Initially Krista Lenz, in the third season her true identity is revealed as the illegitimate daughter of the real king within the walls. historyHer traumatic childhood led her to become someone who was always reliable and always looking to please others, hoping to die a heroic one day after joining the Survey Corps. Her father eventually contacts her again in hopes that she will take over his rule from the shadows.

Levi Ackerman

The mightiest of all men, Levi Ackerman is the small, agile and incredibly strong head of an elite team within the Survey Corps. Although he appears emotionally distant and unapproachable, he has a strong respect for structure and discipline. His intervention during Eren’s trial allows him to avoid being killed by the military police and fall under the responsibility of the Corps.

Erwin Smith

Erwin is the 13th Commander of the Survey Corps, a gambler determined to fulfill his personal mission and learn the truth about human history. Charismatic, daring and mysterious, Erwin becomes “mankind’s greatest hope” as his schemes succeed in giving humans their first victories against titans.

Hang Zoe

to hang Survey Corps veteran and scientist in charge of studying titans. These arouse in her an abundant sense of fascination, which led her to get to know Eren to a moment of absolute joy. Her invention of gadgets to fight titans managed to advance humanity and gain significant advantages in battle.

Floch Forster

Part of Eren’s recruiting class, Floch joins the Survey Corps in the second half of the third season. After surviving the battle at the end of that season and knowing the truth of the world, he becomes spiteful and vengeful towards outsiders. He represents those who have not suffered the same setbacks as the departed Survey Corps, making him more impervious to violence.

Related: Is Attack on Titan Over and Should It Be?

Rainer Braun

Cleaner distinguished himself from the original cadet class as a responsible and dedicated soldier, always looking out for all of his comrades. When his true identity is revealed, it is such a shock that even he is surprised and ends up dealing with the consequences of a double life. By the final season, Reiner has changed, his fiery and forceful personality declining into someone who clearly fears war, personal demons, and guilt.

Bertolt Hoover

Calm, reserved and analytical, Bertolt Hoover is one of the top cadets in his class. After joining the Survey Corps, his identity along with Reiner’s is revealed in the second season. Though doubtful and weak at times, by the third season he has overcome his doubts and is determined to assert his power as one of the the strongest characters in the performance.

Annie Leonhart

Cold hearted and distant, Annie Leonhart always seemed to be hiding something. Raised to fight and become a soldier, fantastic with swords and hand-to-hand combat, Annie is one of the most deadly characters in the series. After her true identity is revealed, she crystallizes herself to avoid capture.

Zeke Yeager

The war leader of the invading forces has one of the most complicated and heartbreaking storylines of the saga. As Grisha Yeager’s first son, and Eren’s half-brother, Zekehis heart is divided and his decisions are always filled with mystery and deceit.

Porco Galliard

Porco is a stubborn and energetic warrior, bearer of the Jaw Titan. He would inherit the Armored Titan, but his brother praised Reiner instead of him to avoid becoming a weapon. He makes his first appearance in the fourth season where he becomes one of the main characters of the Marley arc.

Peak Finger

Surprisingly, he appeared as the Cart Titan at the end of the third season, saving Zeke and Reiner from death. Peaks is not seen in human form until the final season. A powerful warrior with a keen eye for detail, she is always ready to protect her comrades.

Related: Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 3: Plot, cast, release date and everything else we know

Gabriel Brown

Gabi is a young warrior candidate who wants to inherit the Armored Titan. She is dedicated to showing the world that her race is not evil, and to be accepted by society. Her attitude and energy mirror that of Eren at the beginning of the story.

Falcon Grice

Falcon is a kind-hearted boy and warrior candidate. He constantly plays with Gabi while clearly having a crush on her. His emotional maturity and openness to understanding others marks a significant difference from the rest of the characters on the show.

Grisha Yeager

Grisha is the father of Eren and Zeke. A man from outside the walls who held the truth of the world in his basement, unknown to the people who lived within the walls. Initially a man of radical views and nationalistic ideals, as his life sinks into tragedy, his heart changes and he becomes a compassionate and devoted man, becoming a kind parent to Eren. Most of the events in this story are set in motion by a decision he made in his youth.