Zeke was a character clad in mystery throughout most of the first three seasons of Attack on Titan. Long did the Scouts struggle with Zeke's intellect, sheer power and knowledge of Titans -- whether they knew they were battling him or not. Zeke is among the most important characters in the series, not just serving as a foil for the protagonists, but also as a family member of one of the series' central characters' families. With the fourth and final season of Attack on Titan quickly approaching, let's get to know the mysterious Zeke from the anime.
Who Is Attack on Titan's Zeke?
Zeke is the keeper of the Beast Titan, the figurative thorn in the good guys' collective sides for what seems like the entire series. Zeke's mastery of the Beast Titan is unmatched, though perhaps Eren's command of his Attack Titan could soon allow him to surpass him. Speaking of Eren, Zeke happens to be Eren's half-brother, sharing the same father but different mothers. Zeke doesn't seem to be too keen on Grisha Jaeger, saying that he was "enslaved" by his father's ideologies growing up and sought to free Eren from the same fate with his group, "The Warriors." His mother was Dina Fritz, Grisha Jaeger's first wife and member of the Fritz Royal Family. She was eventually turned into a Titan as punishment for Zeke's escape, going on to consume Eren's mother during the breach of Wall Maria and later obliterated by Eren's in a fit of rage.
Zeke is fearsome in his Titan form, the 17-meter tall Beast Titan. While many Titans lose the ability to retain their human mind, Zeke is able to not only think clearly but even speak while in Titan form. He's even able to command lesser Titans to do his bidding, as seen in almost every encounter between him and the Special Operations Squad. Zeke's Beast Titan can also throw heavy objects with extreme precision -- as if he were a baseball pitcher. Zeke uses this skill with extreme efficiency during the battle to retake Wall Maria, where he hurls boulders at the attacking Scouts and thins their numbers.
Zeke's History In Attack on Titan
Zeke's first-ever appearance is in Episode 26, where he murders a patrolling Miche Zacharius and discovers the Special Operation Squad's ODM gear. He then wanders the exterior of Wall Rose, killing squad members while leaking secrets of his powers to the squad and the audience.
In Episode 37, Zeke is shown outside of his Titan for the first time. While he doesn't do anything noteworthy, it's among one of the few times we see a rogue Titan wielder evacuate their giant form by choice, rather than falling out or being forcibly removed.
The next time we see Zeke in action in the anime is during Episode 47, where he meets with fellow Warriors Reiner and Berthold, who urge their leader to help them save Annie Leonhart. Zeke refuses and, when challenged by Reiner, proceeds to quickly dispatch his underling while telling them that they'll save Annie when they have the Founding Titan. He then informs the duo of his plan to ambush the Scouts in Shiganshina and take his half-brother -- who also owns the Founding Titan.
Zeke's plan works. He successfully traps the Scouts within Shiganshina with a well-placed boulder hurl, destroying the inner wall and eliminating their only escape route. He then orders his smaller Titans to attack while the larger ones form a barrier around the battleground, keeping the Scouts in front of him. Zeke is able to kill a large number of Scouts by hurling more boulders at them but fails to notice his larger Titans have all been eliminated by his worst fear: Levi Ackerman. Levi is able to handily defeat Zeke in his Beast Titan form and would have finished him for good if not for the Cart Titan, a bizarre, fast-moving Titan that serves as Zeke's packrat, whisking its leader away.
It is during this wild dash to escape that Zeke first encounters Eren, who is holding a defeated Bertholdt hostage. Zeke reveals himself to his half-brother, saying that he wishes to save him. He then laments that he could not have more time with his half-brother and that he can't save his comrade Bertholdt as Levi wrecks the party, looking to finish the war once and for all. The Warriors are, however, able to locate Reiner, who is severely injured but still breathing.
Season 4 of Attack on Titan releases on December 7, which will no doubt answer many of the questions we have about Zeke, his Beast Titan, and just how Eren fits into all this chaos.