Meet the 11 Main Characters of Shingeki No Kyojin

Meet the 11 Main Characters of Shingeki no Kyojin

Shingeki no Kyojin - or Attack on Titan - is a work created by Hajime Isayama and has become popular for its political themes, violence, war, monsters known as Titans and, of course, many charismatic and captivating characters. The mangaka has managed to bring a wonderful cast to life, but do you know the 11 main characters in Shingeki no Kyojin, ranking them from weakest to strongest?

The franchise is a fever around the world and is about to come to an end, with the final part of the anime scheduled to premiere at the end of 2023. On the other hand, its manga has already been completed and has attracted attention for dividing fan opinion. Of all the main characters in Attack on Titan, did they all get a worthy end? How important is each of them to the final plot of the series? Check out our list and find out!

Galliard pig

Galliard pig
Galliard pig

Porco Galliard is also an Eldian and became one of the main characters in Shingeki no Kyojin for being one of the bearers of the Titan Jaw, which before him belonged to Ymir. He was the younger brother of Marcel Galliard, another warrior from Marley who was assigned to Paradis Island, but ended up being killed and devoured by Ymir before he could reach the island.

Pieck 

Pieck
Pieck

Pieck Finger is an Eldian who served in Marley's army, becoming one of his warriors and giving her life by becoming the bearer of the Carcass Titan. This is considered to be the weakest of all the Original Titans, since its function is not to fight, but to transport weapons, people, food and other things.

After the incidents that led to Eren Yeager making the Burst, Pieck allied herself with the warriors of Paradis Island and became a member of the force, which was determined to stop Eren before he destroyed the whole world. She is one of the main characters in Shingeki no Kyojin precisely because she remains relevant to the plot until the final arc.

Reiss History

Reiss History
Reiss History

Historia Reiss plays a key role in the plot and is one of the main characters in Shingeki no Kyojin as she is the current Queen within the walls of Paradis Island. She is the illegitimate daughter of Rod Reiss - the King who was in power before her - and was raised far from the castle and not recognized by the nobility. However, after seeing her mother killed, she was coerced into renouncing her name and her royal heritage.

Thus, until halfway through the series, Historia was known as Krista Lenz, her new identity, and joined the Exploration Squad hoping that this would lead to her death on one of the missions. After the success of the revolution against the government, Historia regained her true name and the throne.

Hange Zoe 

Hange Zoe
Hange Zoe

Hange Zoe appears in the series as one of the most wacky and entertaining characters in the franchise. She was one of the experts on the Titans and was in charge of the Fourth Squadron with the task of inventing and conducting research into the origins, weaknesses and anatomy of the Titans. 

She became one of the most important characters in Shingeki no Kyojin after being promoted and appointed by Erwin Smith as the 14th Commander of the Exploration Squad. As a result, she also became responsible for planning expeditions, managing the regiment and recruiting new soldiers. She was also one of the members who fought to the end to prevent Eren from destroying the world with the Thunderbolt.

Annie Leonhart

Annie Leonhart
Annie Leonhart

Like Reiner, she was also on the mission to recover the Founder Titan and was one of the people responsible for the incident that took the life of Eren's mother on the day the group of young people infiltrated the Walls. She came to be considered one of the main characters in Shingeki no Kyojin when we discovered that Annie is actually the Female Titan, who took the lives of several members of the Exploration Squad.

She also joined the Corps and her combat skills were notorious, which made her stand out. However, after her real identity was revealed, she was captured and held captive in a kind of crystal, in a state of coma. Four years pass before she is freed and helps the group that wants to stop Eren Yeager from destroying the world.

Reiner Braun

Reiner Braun
Reiner Braun

Reiner Braun is the Vice-Captain of Marley's War Unit and was responsible for the mission to bring the Founder Titan back to Marley. His career as a warrior began as a child, when he was selected to become one of his nation's future warriors and, at the age of 10, he was chosen as the new bearer of the powerful Armored Titan.

He is one of the main characters in Shingeki no Kyojin precisely because he is one of those responsible for the Titan invasion of the Maria Wall, which killed countless innocent people. After the incident, he infiltrates the Exploration Squad until his colleagues discover his real identity. 

Armin Alert

Armin Alert
Armin Alert

Armin has undergone many changes since his start in Attack on Titan, going from an innocent friend of Eren's to the current and 15th Commander of the Exploration Squad (or what's left of it). He was appointed by Hange Zoe, after the character nominated him for the position minutes before her death. However, he was regarded as one of the weakest members of the Exploration Squad, but a genius with unparalleled and invaluable strategic intelligence.

After the Shiganshina Battle Arc, he became the new bearer of the Colossal Titan and used his transformation a few times, although he has always been against hurting or killing people. Now he's part of one of the main characters in Shingeki no Kyojin who are heading towards the Burst.

Mikasa Ackerman

Mikasa Ackerman
Mikasa Ackerman

Mikasa is one of the main characters in Shingeki no Kyojin. She is one of the main women in the series and is recognized for her strength and abilities. She appears in the first episode in the main trio of friends, alongside Eren and Armin, remaining with them when the Walls are invaded and they end up becoming members of the Exploration Squad. She is also one of the descendants of the Shogun clan, who stayed on Paradis Island.

Mikasa's goal has always been to protect Eren at all costs, but now that the boy is determined to exterminate humanity, she must put her feelings aside to put an end to the Estrondo threat. 

Zeke Yeager

Zeke Yeager
Zeke Yeager

Zeke Yeager is the half-brother of Eren Yeager, the protagonist of the series. However, he is a Marleyan and has held the position of Captain of the Marley Warrior Unit (now the former Captain). Zeke is one of the most important characters in Shingeki no Kyojin as he is one of the bearers of the Bestial Titan and was considered by many to be Marley's strongest warrior.

He had orders to remove the Founding Titan from Paradis Island and return it to Marley's possession, and to do so he sent Rainer, Annie and Bertholdt to the island with the intention of infiltrating it. That's how the titan attack on the walls began. However, Zeke had his own plans: the extinction of his people, in order to bring "salvation" to the world, since with his species dead, there would no longer be any possibility of someone turning into a Titan. 

Levi Ackerman

Levi Ackerman
Levi Ackerman

Levi Ackerman is the darling of many fans of the series and is considered by many to be one of the main characters in Shingeki no Kyojin, not only for his strength and abilities, but also for his intelligence and endurance. Ackerman is the captain of the Exploration Troop's Special Operations Squad, and is also known as "humanity's strongest soldier".

He is one of the most feared, especially by Zeke Yeager, who has faced him countless times and - overwhelmingly - ended up being defeated or fleeing from Captain Levi. He's also faced dozens of titans on his own and even though he's been seriously injured, he's never failed to be at the forefront of their operations, even going to meet Estrondo to defeat Eren. 

Eren Yeager

Eren Yeager
Eren Yeager

Eren Yeager, the protagonist of Attack on Titan... Eren was a sweet boy who dreamed of discovering the world beyond the walls where he lived, but everything changed on the fateful day of the Titan invasion, when he saw his mother being devoured by one of these monsters. From that day on, Eren began to harbor a hatred for these creatures and joined the Exploration Squad in order to kill all the Titans and get his revenge. However, a twist comes when we discover that Eren is actually the Attack Titan!

From then on, the course of the story changes and the boy slowly masters his new abilities. It's not just his leading role that makes him one of the main characters in Shingeki no Kyojin. His journey up to the present day, when the dreamy little boy from the beginning of the plot is cast aside by a cruel Eren, who is willing to exterminate all the humans on the planet to protect his friends. 

How important are the main characters in Shingeki no Kyojin?

Each of the characters mentioned in this list plays a fundamental role in the development of the story, mainly because without them, we wouldn't have the Titan invasion, its consequences for the protagonist's life and, of course, the repercussions for all of humanity. Shingeki no Kyojin is a great example of how to work on the personal development of each character in a way that really makes them endearing and memorable!

Did you like our list? Also check out the 6 best action anime of all time!

Flavia Pedro
Graduated in History from UFF - Universidade Federal Fluminense and passionate about pop culture. She is a member of the Anime Dicria project in Rio de Janeiro, a writer with texts published on various websites - inside and outside Brazil - and a content creator about anime and manga in her spare time. @fllavia_Pedro

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