Who is Zeke Yeager in Attack on Titan? Explained

Set in a world where giant humanoid Titans prey on humans, Attack on Titan explores themes of war, trauma, and the search for freedom. As the Survey Corps battles overwhelming threats, deeper ideological conflicts drive the story forward.

The series blends military strategy, ancient powers, and moral ambiguity to show how survival often comes at great cost. At the center of these conflicts is Zeke Yeager, a commander in Marley’s Warrior Unit, who is both a skilled strategist and a victim of childhood manipulation.

His beliefs in controlled extinction reflect the series’ central themes—freedom versus control and the legacy of inherited trauma.

Zeke Yeager’s origins and role in Attack on Titan

Born in Marley’s Liberio internment zone, Zeke is the Eldian son of Grisha Yeager and Dina Fritz, a descendant of the royal family. From an early age, he is pressured to serve his parents’ Eldian Restorationist cause in Attack on Titan.

Overwhelmed by their expectations and encouraged by Marleyan researcher Tom Ksaver, he reports them to the authorities—driven more by fear and a need for acceptance than principled mistrust of ideology. Zeke Yeager is then recruited into Marley’s Warrior program and selected to receive the Beast Titan via Titan-injection.

His Titan power is unusual: he can throw objects with extreme precision, create Pure Titans by injecting Eldians with his spinal fluid, and, because of his royal blood, he can—after they ingest that fluid and he issues a scream—command those transformed Titans.

The same fluid can even paralyze Eldians before transformation. On the battlefield, Zeke uses these abilities ruthlessly, earning the title of “Warchief.” Officially, he serves Marley’s military, leading missions against Paradis Island.

During the Battle of Shiganshina, he coordinates an attack involving multiple Titans, personally hurling boulder barrages from a position behind the screen of Pure Titans he commands. The battle highlights his tactical skills and how he shapes outcomes before the fighting begins.

Yet in secret, Zeke plans something far different: the Eldian euthanasia plan. His goal is to use the Founding Titan’s power to sterilize all Subjects of Ymir, ending the Titan curse and preventing future suffering.

Though he pretends loyalty to Marley, Zeke covertly cooperates with Yelena and the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers—whose main goal is Marley’s downfall—to advance his own mission. He believes mercy means preventing future generations from being born into pain.

Symbolism, final fate, and the ideological clash with Eren of Zeke Yeager

Zeke eventually meets his younger half-brother Eren, who holds the Founding Titan. Lacking royal blood, Eren must touch someone of royal lineage—like Zeke—to enter the Founder’s realm. Once inside, control initially lies with the royal, forcing Eren to wrest power by persuading Ymir.

After the raid on Liberio, the brothers appear to work together. But while Zeke trusts in their pact, Eren secretly pursues a different goal. Zeke seeks mass sterilization; Eren intends to destroy the world outside Paradis to protect his people.

Inside the Coordinate, the metaphysical realm that connects all Eldians, Zeke tries to show Eren how their father, Grisha, had once sought to indoctrinate him, only to learn that Eren influenced Grisha at one pivotal moment.

But Eren resists Zeke’s plan and takes control, turning their confrontation into a clash of values—freedom through control versus freedom through destruction. Zeke believes ending suffering means stopping the cycle of conflict, even if it requires extreme measures.

His experiences lead him to value prevention over rescue, convinced that removing the source of pain—future life—is a form of mercy. A brief Paths conversation with Armin about playing catch, the pastime that once bonded Zeke to Ksaver, finally makes him appreciate the value of living.

When Eren triggers the Rumbling, unleashing massive Titans on the world, Zeke witnesses the catastrophic results of unbridled power. Resolving to end the slaughter, he consciously manifests his body outside the Founding Titan’s spine, sitting dazed atop its skeletal back and quietly offering himself to fate.

Levi Ackerman beheads Zeke, ending the Beast Titan. By severing the Founder’s royal conduit, Levi also disrupts Eren’s connection to the Founder’s power, granting the Alliance the critical opening they need to destroy Eren’s Titan—not in triumph, but in quiet resolution.

Conclusion

Zeke Yeager represents the risks of ideological extremes in Attack on Titan. His actions—turning on his parents, plotting mass sterilization, and sacrificing himself—show how even those seeking peace can cause harm.

In the end, Attack on Titan uses Zeke's arc to pose a difficult question: can peace ever be achieved without crossing moral lines? Through his complex legacy, the story reminds viewers that good intentions are not enough to stop new suffering from being born.