Introduced during the Clash of the Titans Arc, Zeke Yeager's Beast Titan has been a mainstay throughout Attack on Titan, all the way until the events of the final battle. The various versions of the Beast Titan which have featured throughout the series possessed traits which connected them to the animal species they embodied, resulting in designs that differed drastically from the other Nine Titans.

Moreover, Zeke's Beast Titan was especially unique due to his royal lineage, granting him an assortment of powers that went beyond those of former inheritors. This, alongside with Zeke's keen intellect and combat skills, led to him being appointed as the War Chief of Marley's Warrior Unit, highlighting the value of his Beast Titan to the nation's military in Attack on Titan.

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Origins And Appearance

Like the other Nine Titans, the Beast Titan was born in the aftermath of the death of Ymir Fritz, the first Founding Titan. It was passed down through Eldian noble families for centuries, during the days when the Eldian Empire reigned supreme over the world. Eventually, this Titan fell into Marleyan hands along with most of the other nine, with the only exceptions being the Founding Titan and the Attack Titan.

Zeke's predecessor as the holder of the Beast Titan was his mentor, Tom Ksaver, who was an Eldian researcher, member of Marley's Warrior Unit, and a member of Marley's Titan Biology Research Society. His version of the Beast Titan resembled a bighorn sheep in appearance, and was reportedly unfit for combat by his own admission.

Various incarnations of the Beast Titan throughout history have displayed traits related to other animals, such as the alligator and snake Beast Titans seen on Eren's Founding Titan in the Rumbling Arc, as well as the bird like Beast Titan that gave Falco his ability to fly as the Jaw Titan. By contrast, Zeke's Beast Titan had a distinctly ape like design, reminiscent of mythical creatures such as the Yeti or Sasquatch.

His Titan's head, chin, limbs, groin, and upper torso were covered entirely in brown hair, leaving only the skin on his face, chest, abdomen, and back exposed. At 17 meters in height, Zeke's Titan was slightly taller than most of the Nine Titans, save for the Colossal Titan and some versions of the Founding Titan. Pointed ears, sharp teeth, dark sclera, and similarly colored irises were other characteristic features of Zeke's Titan. Finally, its physique was oddly proportioned, with a broad upper torso, elongated arms, and long dexterous fingers, which allowed it to pick up small objects with precision.

Unique Traits And Abilities

While Ksaver's Titan was said to be unsuited for combat, Zeke's Beast Titan was a specialist in long and mid-range attacks, due to its extended arms. Zeke was a naturally gifted pitcher and honed his skills throughout his life, allowing him to exploit them to their fullest in his Titan form. He often used crushed rocks as projectiles, hurling them with great accuracy, to take out multiple targets or prevent Titan shifters from engaging him in close quarters combat.

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During the Battle of Shiganshina, Zeke used this ability to wipe out most of the Survey Corps who engaged in a suicide charge to distract him, which allowed Levi to sneak up behind and incapacitate him. Later on, he decimated the entire naval fleet of the Mid-East Allied Forces which were stationed at Fort Slava, to bring the Marley Mid-East War to a conclusive end. These instances serve to highlight the devastating power of the Beast Titan's long range combat ability. Although ranged attacks were his specialty, Zeke was also extremely proficient in close quarters combat and he was able to defeat Reiner's Armored Titan in a one on one fight.

Zeke's Titan could use Titan hardening to some degree in order to protect its nape, although it is not certain whether this was an innate ability or one obtained through other means such as an "armor serum." Along with the Cart Titan, War Hammer Titan, and Ymir's Jaw Titan, Zeke's Beast Titan was capable of speech even in his Titan form, which allowed him to communicate with allies and taunt adversaries in the heat of battle.

The Effects Of Zeke's Royal Lineage

By virtue of his royal lineage, as the son of Dina Fritz, Zeke's Beast Titan had a few abilities which were unheard of among his predecessors. For starters, he could create Pure Titans by making Subjects of Ymir take his spinal fluid into their bodies, connecting them to him through the Paths. Subsequently, he was able to trigger their transformation simply by screaming. There was a limited range for this ability to activate as targets beyond a certain range would not be able to transform until they were within earshot.

From the Titans of Ragako village, to the battles at Shiganshina and Fort Slava, Zeke was able to use this ability to create subordinates that he could then use to overwhelm his opponents and stay out of their range of attack. In addition, Zeke also had some control over the Titans he created, although he needed to issue verbal commands in order to make them bend to his will. His control was also imperfect and far inferior to that of the Founding Titan, as certain Abnormal Titans were able to defy his orders.

Towards the end of the War for Paradis, Zeke and his Beast Titan were crucial aspects of the plan to awaken the Founding Titan laying dormant inside Eren, due to Zeke's royal lineage. Eren was only able to activate the Founding Titan and commence the Rumbling once he made contact with Zeke, which allowed him to enter the world of the Paths and make an appeal to Ymir Fritz. Finally, Zeke's death at Fort Salta, coupled with the decapitation of Eren's skeletal Founding Titan form with the aid of explosives, were effectively able to halt the advance of the Wall Titans and end the Rumbling, in the climax of Attack on Titan's final battle.

Attack on Titan is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

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