by Attack on Titan ain’t your typical monster flick—it’s a raw, streetwise chronicle of humanity’s desperate fight. Picture three towering walls—Maria, Rose, and Sheena—standing like aging sentinels, each name carrying its own weight. Then, just when you think you’ve got the plot sorted, bam—the twist: between seasons one and two, these walls turn out to be hiding more than just safety.
In this blog, we’re peeling back the layers on these names, unearthing the bitter irony of a society clinging to hope amid betrayal.
What Are the Three Walls in Attack on Titan?
Attack on Titan’s walls aren’t just barriers—they’re like tough, streetwise characters. These three stone giants, rigged with fixed cannons, kept the residents cozy enough to forget they were under a monster’s thumb.
Wall Maria
Imagine Wall Maria: 3,200 km long, 50 m high, and just 10 m thick—a colossal barrier that’s seen more action than most. All three walls share the same height, but Maria, being the outer guard, has taken the worst of the blows. It’s been torn apart and patched up repeatedly, a testament to its role as humanity’s frontline. No wonder the downtrodden call it home; it’s where life’s a constant fight for survival. Eren and Mikasa hail from the gritty Shiganshina District nestled within its confines. Abandoned in 845 after a massive Titan breach, Maria was boldly reclaimed in 850 when a strategic strike sealed its fatal flaw, rekindling hope against all odds.
Wall Rose
The middle wall, Wall Rose, stretches 2,400 km and now serves as a reluctant fallback for humanity. Abandoned and forgotten by many, it’s the retreating line in a desperate bid for survival—until the inland Beast Titan crashes in and shreds what little safety remains.
Wall Sina
At 1,570 km in length, Wall Sina is the inner sanctum—a secure fortress housing the royal capital and the nerve center of command. This is where the rich reside, with the royal family and Central Military Police enjoying a sheltered life, far removed from the Titan-ravaged world outside.
How Wide Are the Walls in Attack on Titan?
While the walls’ 50-meter height is iconic, their width is rarely discussed—but it’s just as staggering.
Inside these walls, the territory sprawls like a gritty urban landscape. Outermost Wall Maria covers the largest area, while inner Sheena is the smallest pocket of safety. The numbers tell a story: 100 km separates Maria and Rose, 130 km lies between Rose and Sina, and another 250 km stretches from Sina to the center.
That gives you a radius of 480 km—roughly 960 km in diameter when you think in circular terms. To put it in Japanese terms, that 250 km gap from Wall Sina to the center is about the distance from Fukushima to the Kanto-Chubu regions.
And if you spread out the areas of the other two walls, you’re looking at a space as vast as Iwate, Akita, and even the Kinki region, with Tokyo at its heart—and that’s before you factor in the extra ocean that a circle naturally swallows.
How Were the Walls Built? The Tragic Truth
King Karl Fritz, the first King of the Walls, held the power of the Founding Titan and bore the heavy weight of Eldian sins. Disgusted by the cruel legacy of the Eldian Empire, he moved his people to Paradis Island and built the wall—not as a monument of might, but as a desperate bid for a conflict-free refuge.
Rumors swirled that thousands of Colossal Titans had been used to form this barrier, ready to unleash fury at the slightest provocation, but that was just a myth. In truth, Fritz knew the sins of his people were too monstrous to wash away. He built the wall purely for his own peace—until Marley came knocking.
For about a hundred years, this wall has stood as humanity’s only defense against the Titans, its hardened surface the work of a single Colossal Titan acting as a support. Then Hanji, the keen-eyed leader of the Survey Corps, discovered that the hardened crystals on Annie—the Female Titan—and those in the wall shared the same patterns, hinting at a dark, shared origin.
To seal his vision of peace, King Fritz also created the vow of non-aggression—a promise passed down through generations to ensure that Paradis Island would never launch an attack on Marley using the power of the Titans. It’s a legacy of restraint in a world that’s anything but peaceful.
The Origin of the Names of the Walls
These colossal walls aren’t just built from stone—they’re built from a legacy soaked in blood. Named for Sheena, Rose, and Maria, the walls carry the names of Ymir’s daughters. Ymir wasn’t just any figure in history; she was the very first to transform into a Titan, and she gave life to the terror that would one day roam the earth, alongside King Fritz.
But the legacy took a dark turn. After Ymir died, her daughters were compelled to commit a ghastly act: they had to eat her corpse. This macabre ritual not only sealed their fate but also stamped their names on the very walls meant to guard humanity—a constant, grim reminder of where it all began.
Battles Within the Walls: Humanity’s Fight Against Itself
While Titans breaching the walls drove the story’s early stakes, Attack on Titan’s most brutal battles unfolded inside the walls—where greed, power, and ideology clashed.
Attack on Titan’s saga is a no-holds-barred fight for survival, with every battle inside the walls marking a brutal turning point. Here are the seven major battles that unfolded within the walls—from the first shattering blow of the Colossal Titan to the triumphant recapture of Wall Maria.
Battle 1 – The Appearance of the Colossal Titan:
In 845, in Shiganshina District just south of Wall Maria, a Colossal Titan emerged like a bad omen. Towering above the 50-meter wall, it smashed through with a single kick, sending Titans pouring in and forcing humanity to retreat to Wall Rose.
Battle 2 – The Trost District Defense Line:
In 850, another Colossal Titan breached the wall at Trost District, just south of Wall Rose. Amid the chaos, Eren was swallowed whole—but deep inside that monster, his Titan power ignited. With sheer grit, Eren sealed the breach with rubble, and the combined might of the Survey and Garrison Corps repelled the invaders, marking humanity’s first true victory.
Battle 3 – Encounter with the Female Titan:
While searching for a secret route to Shiganshina District, the Survey Corps set out on the 57th Outside the Walls Expedition from Calanes District. Instead of an ordinary foe, they encountered the elusive Female Titan. When they aimed for her weak nape, she smartly dodged, nearly catching Armin off guard—a narrow escape in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
Battle 4 – The Battle of Utgard Castle:
On a mission to locate the breach in Wall Rose, the Scouts took refuge in Utgard Castle. Their respite was short-lived as Titans soon encircled the fortress. Amid a hail of rocks hurled by the Beast Titan, casualties mounted. With the battle turning desperate, Ymir transformed into a Titan, fighting valiantly until her strength waned. Reinforcements eventually turned the tide, rescuing key members like Connie and Christa.
Battle 5 – Battle with Reiner and Bertholdt:
Then came the earth-shattering revelation: Reiner and Bertholdt exposed themselves as the Armored and Colossal Titans—the very forces that had ignited the war years ago. The Scouts, led by Mikasa, attacked, but both adversaries shifted into Titan form. Eren, in his own Titan guise, joined the fray only to be overwhelmed when Bertholdt’s crushing blow sent him spiraling away, captured by the enemy.
Battle 6 – Overthrowing the Monarchy:
Trouble wasn’t just outside—the walls themselves harbored internal strife. Historia Reiss (Christa Lenz) and Eren were kidnapped by the Central Military Police on orders from the shadowy Rod Reiss, the true king behind the throne. His plan? To have Historia, with her royal blood, consume Eren and inherit the Founding Titan’s power. But Historia refused that fate. When Rod transformed into the Colossal Titan using spinal fluid, the Survey Corps struck back, toppling his power and ushering in a new era with Historia crowned as Queen.
Battle 7 – The Final Operation to Recapture Wall Maria:
The ultimate showdown aimed to reclaim Wall Maria and the secret basement of Eren’s home in the Shiganshina District. Eren’s hardening ability blocked the outer gate, but the Beast Titan’s sudden rock barrage claimed many lives. With Levi neutralizing the threat, a fierce clash between the Armored and Colossal Titans erupted. Armin’s cunning plan eventually halted their brawl, leading to humanity’s biggest, bloodiest victory in the battle for survival.
The Walls’ Downfall: Why Their Destruction Was Inevitable:
In the end, these towering barriers—built on blood, lies, and a legacy of suppression—were doomed from the start. The very cracks in their hardened surfaces whispered of an inevitable collapse. No matter how many times they were rebuilt, the truth of their dark origins and the cycle of betrayal made their destruction unavoidable.
Real-World Parallels: What the Walls Say About Humanity
The walls aren’t just a barrier against Titans—they’re a mirror for our own society. They remind us how our defenses, built on secrets and fear, can both protect and imprison us. In the end, the crumbling of these walls is like the collapse of our own illusions—a call to confront harsh truths and rebuild with honesty.
