Zeke Jaegerwas the former War Chief of Marley’s Warriors and the holder of the Beast Titan. Known for his tactical genius and fearsome power, Zeke was regarded as the strongest warrior in Marley’s forces, a contrast to Levi Ackermann’s title as “humanity’s strongest soldier.” His ultimate goal was to bring about the extinction of the Eldian race, which he believed would bring “salvation.” Zeke manipulated both Eldia and Marley in pursuit of his plan.

He was the son of Grisha Jaeger and Dina Fritz, making him the older half-brother of Eren Jaeger. Through his mother, Zeke was also a member of the Fritz royal family, which gave him unique significance in the conflict over the Founding Titan. Zeke played a pivotal role in the ongoing war between Marley and Eldia, ultimately revealing his true intentions through his manipulation of both sides.

Zeke Jaeger was an intelligent and curious man, as shown when he attempted to communicate with Miche Zacharius to learn about the omni-directional mobility gear and understand Miche’s language. His intelligence often paired with a detached and callous demeanor, as he displayed complete indifference to Miche’s death in favor of examining his ODM gear. This combination of intellect and apathy defined much of Zeke’s personality.

As a leader, Zeke was decisive and commanding, showing no hesitation in using brute force to assert his authority. For example, he crushed the head of a disobedient Titan during an encounter with Miche and later beat Reiner Braun to ensure that the mission to acquire the Founding Titan stayed on course. Zeke was highly pragmatic, willing to prioritize mission objectives over personal connections, as seen in his decision to abandon Annie Leonhart to focus on capturing the Founding Titan.

Though not overtly sadistic, Zeke demonstrated ruthless efficiency, killing soldiers without hesitation and allowing Titans to devour Miche when he was no longer useful. His lack of visible emotion during these events highlighted his cold and detached approach to achieving his goals.

However, beneath his militant and sarcastic exterior, Zeke had moments of self-awareness and emotional conflict. He despised sentiments like passion and honor, associating them with his father’s ideals, and strived to remain logical and detached. Still, his emotions occasionally surfaced, such as when he expressed pity for the citizens within the Walls, calling their situation a “tragedy” and even showing frustration at their plight. Zeke’s outward apathy seemed to be a coping mechanism for dealing with the harsh realities of war.

Zeke held a deeply negative and nihilistic view of Eldian society. As a teenager, he believed it would have been better for the Subjects of Ymir never to have been born. His ultimate plan was to end Eldian suffering by using the Founding Titan’s power to sterilize all Eldians, leading to their extinction within a century.

During his time as a Warrior and later as a captain, Zeke was known for his ruthless efficiency and militaristic discipline. He had no qualms about punishing or abandoning his subordinates when they failed, as seen in his treatment of Reiner and Bertholdt. Zeke threatened Reiner with death for disobedience and left Bertholdt behind to die when the situation required it.

Outside the battlefield, Zeke’s demeanor changed, becoming warmer and more charismatic. He was often seen cracking jokes and acting humbly around his superiors. However, Pieck noted that Zeke was always secretive and duplicitous, suggesting a deeper level of manipulation beneath his friendly exterior. Despite his interactions with his comrades, Eren Jaeger appeared to be the only person Zeke genuinely cared for, seeing him as a fellow victim of their father’s influence. Zeke expressed a desire to “save” Eren, a moment that Pieck recognized as one of the few times Zeke seemed sincere.

Zeke’s affection for Eren eventually evolved into a desire for validation from his younger half-brother. He postponed his plan to sterilize the Eldians until Eren agreed with him. However, this affection dissipated after Zeke learned how Eren had manipulated their father through the Attack Titan’s future memory ability. Zeke was disgusted by Eren’s actions in influencing Grisha to kill the Reiss family and subsequently abandoned his attempts to convince Eren to join his cause.

Zeke Jaeger was born to Grisha Jaeger and Dina Fritz, who were Eldian Restorationists planning to overthrow the Marley government and restore Eldian rule. When Marley announced the Warrior program, asking for Eldian children to serve as Warriors, Grisha enrolled Zeke with hopes of him infiltrating the Marleyan military as a spy. However, Zeke’s early performance as a Warrior candidate was poor, and he struggled to keep up with his peers. This led to disappointment from his father, who was focused on Zeke becoming the Restorationists’ key to success.

While Zeke struggled as a candidate, he formed a crucial friendship with Tom Xaver, a Warrior and Titan researcher who took an interest in Zeke. Xaver became a mentor to Zeke, and their shared games of catch created a bond between them. Xaver’s influence shifted Zeke’s perspective, especially when Zeke overheard that the Marleyan authorities were close to discovering the Eldian Restorationists. Fearing for his family’s safety, Zeke tried to convince his parents to stop their rebellion, but Grisha dismissed his fears.

Under Xaver’s guidance, Zeke made the difficult decision to turn in his parents to the Marleyan authorities to save himself and his grandparents. By betraying his parents, Zeke secured his position in Marley’s eyes as a loyal Warrior. Grisha and Dina were sent to Paradis Island and transformed into Titans. Although Zeke felt guilt over his actions, he justified them by believing his parents had recklessly forced their ideals on him.

Zeke’s bond with Xaver grew deeper, and Xaver introduced him to the possibility of using the Founding Titan’s power to sterilize all Subjects of Ymir, ensuring their extinction within 100 years. Zeke embraced this idea as a way to end Eldian suffering without resorting to mass genocide. Inspired by Xaver’s scientific research and tragic backstory, Zeke vowed to keep the Founding Titan out of Marley’s hands to prevent further harm to Eldians.

At the age of 17, Zeke was selected to inherit the Beast Titan from Xaver. Zeke retained Xaver’s glasses as a memento of their bond. Through his Beast Titan, Zeke discovered that his spinal fluid could transform Subjects of Ymir into Titans with a scream and allow him to control them. This ability, combined with his royal lineage, made Zeke an invaluable asset to Marley, although the full extent of his abilities remained a mystery to the Titan Biology Research Society.

Zeke proved to be an effective Warrior, using his Beast Titan to crush entire nations, bombarding enemies with explosive projectiles. His success in battle solidified his status as Marley’s strongest Warrior, and he played a key role in Marley’s military campaigns. In 844, Zeke used his Titan abilities to topple the capital of an enemy nation by controlling hundreds of Titans. As Zeke’s power grew, Marley prepared for the Paradis Island Operation, which would bring Zeke face-to-face with his half-brother Eren Jaeger, and set the stage for his grand plan to euthanize the Eldian race.

Zeke had the rare ability to control Pure Titans by giving vocal commands. Titans under his control could function even during the night using moonlight, a trait not seen in normal Titans. However, Zeke’s control was limited to Titans created using his spinal fluid, and his authority was not absolute, as some Titans could occasionally disobey his commands. This ability stemmed from his royal blood.

Like all Titan shifters, Zeke had the power to regenerate rapidly from injuries. After being critically wounded by Levi, Zeke managed to heal part of his face shortly after encountering Eren.

The Beast Titan was exceptionally strong, capable of hurling large chunks of Wall Rose and bombarding enemies with rocks at great distances. Zeke’s throws were fast enough to create sonic booms, and during the Battle of Shiganshina, he used his bombardment technique to decimate most of the Scout Regiment. His strength was also demonstrated when he wiped out a naval fleet during the Marley Mid-East War.

Due to his royal blood, Zeke possessed a scream that could transform any Subject of Ymir who had ingested his spinal fluid into Titans. These Titans were connected to Zeke through “paths” and would obey his orders. Unlike regular Titans, those created by Zeke’s scream could function at night as long as there was moonlight.

The Beast Titan had incredible accuracy when throwing objects. Zeke demonstrated this by accurately throwing a horse at Miche Zacharius and landing direct hits on Lynne and Henning with boulders from atop Wall Rose. His precision extended to handling small objects, as he retrieved Miche’s ODM gear without damaging it.

Zeke had the ability to harden his Titan body, although this required time to prepare. During his battle with Levi, Zeke attempted to harden his nape for protection but was unable to do so quickly enough due to Levi’s speed.

Zeke was a formidable combatant, capable of overpowering even the Armored Titan, Reiner Braun, without sustaining any serious injuries. Reiner claimed that while Levi was strong, he believed Zeke’s strength as War Chief surpassed Levi’s.

The Founding Titan, also referred to as the “Coordinate” by Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover, was one of the most powerful Titans, possessing the ability to control Pure Titans. Eren inherited this power from his father, Grisha Jaeger, after Grisha stole it from the Reiss family. However, Eren could only access its full potential while in contact with someone of royal blood.

Eren first activated the Founding Titan’s power by accident during the Battle of Shiganshina when he struck the Smiling Titan, who was later revealed to be a member of royal blood transformed into a Titan. This caused the nearby Titans to attack and devour the Smiling Titan and forced Reiner and Bertholdt into retreat. Although the power can influence Pure Titans, it is unclear whether Eren could control other Titan-shifters with the Founding Titan’s abilities.

The Founding Titan’s immense power made Eren a target for many factions, including Marley’s Warriors and the Reiss family. After four years of seeking to unlock its full potential, Eren finally gained complete control of the Founding Titan by convincing Ymir Fritz, the source of all Titans, to lend him her power. This transformation turned Eren into the massive “Doomsday Titan,” allowing him to control the Wall Titans, create a unique Titan form that dwarfed all others, and telepathically communicate with all Subjects of Ymir.

• Zeke shares his English dub voice actor with Shikishima from theAttack on Titanlive-action movies.
• Zeke’s name is a shortened form of “Ezekiel,” which is of Hebrew origin, meaning “God will strengthen.” In the Bible, Ezekiel was a prophet who foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and the restoration of Israel, paralleling Zeke’s role as a transformative figure in theAttack on Titanstory.
• The katakana for Zeke’s name is the same as the German word “Sieg,” meaning “victory.” This thematically aligns with Grisha Jaeger’s hopes that Zeke would lead Eldia to victory.
• Zeke’s talent for throwing (referred to as “pitches” during the Battle of Shiganshina) is likely influenced by his time playing baseball as a Warrior candidate. He aimed for a “perfect game” in the battle but left Floch Forster as the sole survivor of his devastating attack.
• Zeke’s Beast Titan appearance resembles various cryptids, such as Sasquatch/Bigfoot, the Yeti, and the Yowie, giving his Titan form an especially monstrous and primal look.
• In Episode 57, a young Zeke is seen playing with a long-armed monkey toy, foreshadowing his future Beast Titan form. He is also shown with a horse and two soldier figurines, hinting at his later massacre of the Scout Regiment soldiers during the Battle of Shiganshina.
• Tomohiro Machiyama, the screenwriter for theAttack on Titanlive-action films, stated that Tetsurō Araki informed him that Isayama modeled Zeke’s appearance after Machiyama himself.