It has been two years since the final episode of the Attack on Titan anime aired, yet the complexity and allure of the world Hajime Isayama created continue to spark endless discussions among fans. He crafted a fully realized world with deeply developed characters, leading to countless lively debates on Reddit about unanswered questions. One major mystery has been the fate of the Wall Titans after the Rumbling event.
Originally introduced as the backbone of the massive walls, when Eren triggered the Rumbling, these giants marched across the world, killing about 80% of humanity to protect Paradis. Although the Wall Titans were seen as an unstoppable natural force, their ultimate fate remained unknown.
After all Eldians lost the ability to transform into Titans, fans speculated whether the Wall Titans would remain Titans or revert to human form. During a 15th anniversary Q&A session for Attack on Titan, translated by @AttackOnFans on X, Isayama finally shed light on this mystery, delivering a grim conclusion that sparked even more intense discussions.
The Transformation and Tragic End of the Wall Titans
In the interview, Isayama candidly answered a fan’s question: “Will the Rumbling Titans return to human form?” He admitted, “If I had enough space to draw it, I would have. But they do return to human form completely naked, then they are executed by those about to be trampled by Titans.”
This revelation paints a bleak picture. After the Rumbling ended with Eren’s death in episode 87, the Titan powers disappeared. This means the Wall Titans reverted to their original human forms, nameless Eldians who were transformed into Titans centuries ago by King Karl Fritz to build the Walls.
The detail about their nakedness is intriguing because in most episodes, people who transform back from Titans usually keep their clothes. However, Ymir’s case stands out: she was completely naked when she first returned to human form after being a Pure Titan. The common factor between the Wall Titans and Ymir is that they both remained in Titan form for an extremely long time.
In Attack on Titan season 2, episode 10, a flashback shows Ymir, a Pure Titan who existed for 60 years, appearing naked after gaining the ability to transform. This contrasts with typical Shifters who retain their clothes when reverting.
Why the difference? Reddit user u/kemorsky theorizes that Pure Titans lack a fully intact human body and only retain a nervous system or small remnants. According to this theory, Ymir’s body may have fully regenerated after gaining transformation powers, explaining her nakedness since her original clothes would have long since deteriorated in the harsh Titan environment.
This also fits with the fact that the Scout Regiment has been killing Titans for decades without ever finding human remains in their necks. Moreover, when Titans die and their bodies decompose, no human corpse or skeleton remains. While this could be because the humans inside Pure Titans decompose similarly upon death, it’s more plausible that decomposition happens earlier, leaving only nervous tissue or faint human traces that hide the Titans’ true nature.
The Wall Titans’ Fate and Attack on Titan’s Themes
The tragic fate of the Wall Titans highlights Attack on Titan’s core themes: dehumanization, the cycle of revenge, and the possibility of redemption. It remains unclear whether King Fritz had explicit consent from the Eldians he transformed into Wall Titans, but it’s hard to believe any of them fully understood what it meant to become giants, guard Paradis for centuries, and kill on the Founder’s command.
Even more heartbreaking is the likelihood that they were completely passive in this transformation, becoming unwilling pawns in a conflict they never chose, much like Annie and Reiner’s forced roles.
Alternatively, some Eldians might have volunteered for this role, driven by hatred for Marley or love for their people. With so many theories proposing different scenarios, fans can only speculate. Some feel Isayama’s harsh ending fits the story, while others think it lacks a sense of salvation.
Redditor u/ToceanZ highlighted the “sad eyes” of a Wall Titan in a scene where a crowd passes a child, implying that the Titans were consciously aware of their actions and felt regret but were powerless to disobey Eren’s orders. This detail underscores their tragic nature, trapped in monstrous forms. Although Isayama never depicted this in the manga or anime, the Wall Titans’ fate reveals much about the complex post-Rumbling world.
There are over 500,000 Wall Titans, far outnumbering Paradis’s population. It’s easy to see why reintegrating such a large group poses challenges. Facing the human version of their worst nightmare, the survivors of the Rumbling could only respond with anger, making the Wall Titans’ march end in a haunting tragedy that left a legacy of unresolved pain.