This story is about the “Great Titan War” mentioned in Attack on Titan, the conflict that brought down the old Eldian Empire. The original story leaves much of it unexplained. In this work, the author will detail the causes, course, and outcome of the Great Titan War, combining original worldbuilding with inspiration from real history to fill in the many gaps that have frustrated Attack on Titan fans.
After the cautious and weak 143rd king ascends the throne, his ability to control the Eldian Empire steadily declines. The eight families of the intelligent Titans gain increasing autonomy and scramble to expand their influence. Meanwhile, as the modern economy develops, the Empire's political and economic systems fall ever further out of step with the times. Conflicts intensify across society, and uprisings by the various peoples break out one after another.
In 722, the Tybur family, inheritors of the War Hammer Titan, faces the prospect of dying out. This fuels the ambitions of the other intelligent Titan families and various factions. Civil war breaks out and gradually spreads across the continent, while foreign enemies seize the opportunity to invade. The Empire's rule teeters on the brink of collapse, and the conflict ultimately spirals into the completely uncontrollable Great Titan War.
Meanwhile, Prince Karl Fritz has long been designated the next king after the next. Well versed in history, Karl despises the Eldians' nearly 2,000-year history of wars and atrocities committed with the power of the Titans. He deeply sympathizes with the Marleyans and other peoples who have been brutalized and exploited. Determined to exploit the civil war, he maneuvers to intensify the infighting among the intelligent Titan families and other factions, while backing the Tybur family and Helos, a young Marleyan knight, in restoring Marley. In the end, they defeat the other nobles and make his ideal a reality.
