Attack on Titan: Is Zeke Yeager Still Alive?

Welcome to the Rumbling, Attack on Titan fans. The latest episodes of the series have had our heroes see more gloomy days than usual. Eren has taken over the Founding Titan's powers and started the much anticipated Rumbling. More than 3,00,000 Colossal Titans are currently walking the earth, inevitably leading to mass genocide, leaving behind only Paradis Island.

While things don't look too good for our heroes right now, they haven't given up. Our favorite Scout Regiment members have allied with Marleyan warriors and are on their way to solving the "Eren" problem. The last few episodes have focused on Mikasa, Armin, Hange, and the rest of the alliance while Eren has been MIA.

The fallout from the Rumbling has left viewers with many questions about the current situation in the Attack on Titan-verse. One particular question fans have had concerns the older brother of our villainous protagonist, Zeke Yeager. We last saw Zeke in the 80th episode of the series, titled "From You, 2,000 Years Ago." So what happened to Zeke? Is he dead? Read on to find out.

Is Zeke Yeager Dead? What Happened to Zeke After Eren Started the Rumbling?

Much like Eren, Zeke has been absent for the past few episodes, with the story focusing on the alliance between Paradis and Marley. The last time we saw Zeke, he tried to stop Eren from convincing the Founder Ymir to destroy all of humanity. However, the Founder Ymir decided to place all her bets on the younger Yeager and granted his wish by freeing the wall titans. The scene quickly transitioned to Eren taking the form of the Founding Titan, leaving Zeke's fate a mystery.

By the end of the 80th episode, Eren relays a message to all the subjects of Ymir via the paths, informing them of his plan to wipe all life on earth except Paradis. During this message, we see almost all the subjects of Ymir on Paradis and Marley sans Zeke. While we don't know what happened to Zeke after Eren's transformation, it's safe to believe that he is alive. Here's why we think so:

The Beast Titan

Even though Eren Yeager has taken control of the Founding Titan and betrayed his older brother, Zeke is no novice. Let's not forget that Zeke still has the powers of the Beast Titan. Moreover, if he's still stuck in the Paths, we think he'd be fine. When Zeke welcomes Eren into the paths for the first time, he explains that he has spent a "long time" waiting for him.

He then proves this when he breaks out of the chains created by King Karl Fritz, thereby relinquishing the vow of renouncing war. So it seems that Zeke is well versed in the ways of the Titans. It's hard to believe that the man who survived Levi Ackerman would die so easily and off-screen.

Levi's Promise to Erwin

The end of Season 3 of Attack on Titan was tough on fans and our main characters in the universe. Levi had to make a difficult choice as Erwin and Armin lay dying. However, Eren and Mikasa's pleas were answered, and Armin was saved by Levi, becoming the Colossal Titan. However, Levi's promise to Erwin about killing the Beast Titan remained unfulfilled.

During Season 4, Part 1 of the series, Levi was visibly upset about teaming up with Zeke since he couldn't keep his promise. By the end of Part 1, Zeke almost killed Levi and himself by blowing up a thunder spear. Upon waking up from the incident, thanks to Commander Hange Zoe, Levi again brings up his promise to Erwin and declares killing Zeke to be his ultimate goal.

While we can't say for sure, we don't believe that Isayama would end the story without Levi accomplishing his ultimate task from Erwin. If Zeke has to die, we fully believe that it would be at the hands of Captain Levi.

Royal Blood

One of the most important details about Zeke Yeager is that he is a descendant of the Fritz bloodline. His mother, and Grisha's first wife, was a woman named Dina Fritz. Ever since the powers of the Founder were revealed, we've known one thing for sure: accessing its power requires a titan of Royal blood.

Eren spent Season 4 Part 1 fooling Zeke by pretending to go along with his plan because he needed his older brother's royal blood to use the Founder's power. While Eren has managed to turn the Founder Ymir against Zeke, he still needs royal blood to keep using his newfound power, which means he needs Zeke ALIVE.

So, in conclusion, we believe Zeke Yeager is still alive. He has also been established as a character important enough to receive an on-screen death. Attack on Titan will conclude Eren's journey in two more episodes! We'll have to wait to find out how Zeke's story ends.

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