The Nine Titans (九つの巨人 Kokonotsu no Kyojin) are nine Titan powers that have been passed down through the Eldian people for nearly 2,000 years after Ymir Fritz's death, each of them having their own name. They are the Founding Titan, the Attack Titan, the War Hammer Titan, the Colossus Titan, the Female Titan, the Beast Titan, the Armored Titan, the Jaw Titan, and the Cart Titan. Currently, the first six are with Eldians on Paradis, while the remaining three are under the control of Marley and its Warriors.
History: Around 2,000 years ago, Ymir Fritz obtained the power of the Titans and became the first Titan, the Founding Titan. Thirteen years later, she died from unknown causes and her soul was split into the Nine Titans, who were passed down to nine of her Subjects. The Nine Titans soon destroyed the ancient empire of Marley and conquered the entire continent to build the Eldian Empire. As family relations play a significant role in passing inheriting memories from the previous inheritors of the Titans, the Nine Titans normally resided within noble families during Eldia's reign. The noble families who held the Nine Titans, other than the Fritz family, were in a constant state of conflict with each other, known as the Great Titan War, but the Founding Titan had maintained the peace. When the 145th King, Karl Fritz, inherited the Founding Titan, he held great shame for the actions of his people and carried sympathy for Marley, a nation under constant tyranny. He conspired with the Tybur family as atonement for the actions of the kings and queens of old and fabricated the story of Helos, a Marleyan who defeated King Fritz. They succeeded in inciting civil war with the help of the people of Marley and while Eldia collapsed from the inside, Marley seized control over seven of the Nine Titans, with only the Founding and Attack Titans escaping their grasp. They distributed the Titans they had among Eldians loyal to them known as Warriors. Karl Fritz then moved many Eldians onto the island of Paradis and built the Walls by transforming thousands of Subjects of Ymir into Colossus Titans, which hardened to form three concentric walls. The king then erased the memories of the Eldians on the island, except for a few immune minority races. The Tybur family was allowed to keep their Titan because they were the first to fight for Marley, leaving them and the Reiss family (the Fritz family renamed) the only remaining Eldian houses left with their Titan after the war.
Types: - The Armored Titan (鎧の巨人 Yoroi no Kyojin) is particularly good at hardening and is covered by hardened armor-like skin, except in key areas necessary for movement. It stands at 15 meters and specializes in its defensive capabilities.
- The Attack Titan (進撃の巨人 Shingeki no Kyojin) is said to always move ahead seeking and fighting for freedom. It stands at 15 meters and specializes in its offensive capabilities.
- The Beast Titan (獣の巨人 Kemono no Kyojin) has incredible throwing capabilities and stands a little taller than the others (aside from the Colossus Titan) at 17 meters.
- The Cart Titan (車力の巨人 Shariki no Kyojin) is quadrupedal, has great endurance, and can stay transformed for long periods of time. Its speed rivals the Jaw Titan's since it's similarly small, being a 4-meter-class.
- The Colossus Titan (超大型巨人 Chō ōgata Kyojin) is enormous, being 60 meters tall, and can evaporate its body to release immense amounts of steam. It’s specialty is its unusual size.
- The Female Titan (女型の巨人 Megata no Kyojin) stands at 14 meters and is able in every field and can attract nearby Pure Titans by screaming. Specializes in versatility, as it is an all-around capable Titan.
- The Founding Titan (始祖の巨人 Shiso no Kyojin) is able to turn Subjects of Ymir into Titans, manipulate the actions of Titans, and erase the memories of the Subjects of Ymir with its screams, but only while in contact with the royal blood. It is connected to all the Subjects of Ymir via paths. It stands at 13 meters.
- The Jaw Titan (顎の巨人 Agito no Kyojin) is small, being a 5-meter-class, but is the swiftest of all the Nine Titans; it also has sharp teeth and claws capable of breaking almost anything.
- The War Hammer Titan (戦槌の巨人 Sentsui no Kyojin) can harden its flesh and shape it into various weapons. In addition to its 15 meters height, it can also be controlled by its operator from afar via a cable of Titan flesh.
Physiology: The heights of the Nine Titans vary greatly. Many of them, however, range around 15 meters. Age does not affect the appearance of the Nine Titans. Some of the Titans have been shown to possess the ability to harden. The Armored Titan is particularly skilled at this, being able to naturally harden its entire body. It can also control the areas of hardening, removing armor for more mobility or creating claws on its fingertips. The Jaw Titan has naturally hard teeth and claws; this hardening is much stronger than normal hardening. The Female Titan and the Attack Titan are also capable of hardening: they are able to selectively harden regions of their Titans and even create a protective layer around their human body. The War Hammer Titan takes it a step further and can even make weapons out of hardening. The other Titans do not have this as an innate ability, but it can still be gained through specialized serums.
Inheritance: The Nine Titans can be transferred to a new host, should they be devoured by a Titan. This allows an ordinary Titan to become a new human with the power of the Titans, and inherit one or more of the Nine Titan abilities as well as the memories of the previous inheritors. This has been the case with the Founding Titan for over a thousand years. However, according to royal records, the power of the Titans resides within a human's spinal fluid, meaning that to gain the Titan's power, it is not necessary to eat the entire human, but rather a Titan can simply bite through the spine and ingest said fluid. Titan serums are, in fact, the spinal fluid of Titans, though study of the serums is difficult due to the serum's rapid rate of evaporation upon contact with air. Inheritors of the Nine Titans do not adopt the appearance of the previous owners' Titans. The current inheritor's Titan forms do experience certain changes depending on which of the Nine is received. If an individual with the Nine Titans dies before their Titan can be inherited by being devoured, that Titan will be passed on to the first baby among the Subjects of Ymir who is born directly after the said inheritor's death, regardless of distance or relation to the previous inheritor.
