Summary
- Royal blood is crucial in Attack on Titan, linking to the Founding Titan’s immense power.
- Zeke Jeager carries royal blood despite not holding the Founding Titan, using its powers.
- Zeke’s royal lineage connects back to Eldian rebels in Marley, influencing his actions.
Royal Blood is one of the most prominent talking points throughout Attack on Titan. However, just like those pesky Titan shifters, it can pop up in the strangest of places. At first, royal blood appears limited to a select, secretive family within the walls. However, it then emerges that Zeke Jeager, an invading titan shifter from the world outside, also possesses the special lineage.
A lot of Attack on Titan’s story is rooted in lore going back thousands of years. The story of Zeke’s royal blood also paints a picture of nations at war and fights for freedom that have been ongoing for many generations before Eren and company.
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Royal Blood is Key to Victory in Attack on Titan
The idea of royal blood starts to appear in the Attack on Titan anime during the second season, when it’s revealed that Krista Lenz is an illegitimate child of the Reiss Royal family called Historia. However, its true importance is only slowly revealed over the third and fourth seasons.
Royal blood in Attack on Titan is a direct familial link going back to Ymir, the original titan, and King Fritz, to whom she got married. Being from this lineage is linked to unlocking the full potential of Ymir’s Founding Titan.
The Founding Titan is arguably the most powerful Titan in the whole series, allowing those who can wield it almost full control over the Subjects of Ymir, including:
- Turning people into titans
- Commanding pure titans
- Altering people’s memories
However, to max out the power of the Founding Titan, you need to have royal blood. Eren uses the Founding Titan’s power at the end of season 2 when he finds himself able to scream to command the Titans around him, but with royal blood, it would be possible to command all Titans anywhere in the world with much more control.
How Zeke Uses Royal Blood Without the Founding Titan
Another quirk of Attack on Titan’s royal blood is that it allows those who possess it to utilize some of the Founding Titan’s abilities without having that titan themselves.
During the fourth season, Zeke as the Beast Titan transforms Subjects of Ymir who drank wine laced with his spinal fluid into pure Titans. This is a limited version of the Founding Titan’s power, suggesting that the familial link from wielder to Ymir is as important as physical control over the Founding Titan.
Zeke’s Family History Reveals Royal Bloodline
Zeke Jeager’s connection to royal blood is thanks to his mother, Dina Fritz, the last remaining member of the original Fritz lineage. However, to understand how the last of Eldia’s ruling Fritz family ended up just being an ordinary citizen of Marley, you have to go back to the Great Titan War.
The Great Titan War is a key moment in Attack on Titan history, responsible for much of the world we discover watching the series. During the War, Marley is portrayed as the hero that rises against Eldian oppression, while King Fritz takes Eldians to Paradis Island and uses the Founding Titan to create the walls and brainwash those who settle inside them.
After creating the walls, King Fritz changes his family name to Reiss, creating the secretive Reiss royal family that eventually includes Historia. However, not everyone was happy with the King for his decision.
Zeke’s Descendance from Eldian Rebels
When King Fritz chose to flee to Paradis, part of the royal family were so enraged that they decided to stay on the mainland. This is how two separate lines of royal blood were created: the Reiss line inside the walls and the Fritz line in Marley.
King Fritz’s vow against war ensures all descendants of the Reiss family continue the story created during the formation of the world inside the walls – that they are the last remnants of humanity and no people exist outside. However, the Fritz lineage in Marley has a very different view; they believe that Eldia has pitifully given up its power, and it’s their responsibility to get it back.
Zeke’s mother, Dina Fritz, is the last remaining ancestor of that royal line in Marley. So, when she connects with Grisha Jeager’s Eldian Restorationists and reveals to them the potential power of the Founding Titan, her royal blood becomes a cornerstone of their ambitions.
“Since I was a child, my true loyalty has been to my father’s dream. I am the true Eldian Restorationist.” Zeke
The importance of Zeke’s royal blood plays a big part in his upbringing, where he is constantly pressured by Grisha and Dina to become a soldier capable of taking the Founding Titan. Despite eventually turning on his parents and becoming a key part of the Marleyan military, he maintains a desire to free Eldians from their suffering, something which sees him playing both sides of the conflict by the time Eren’s Scouts discover the outside world.