Characters / Attack on Titan: Krista Lenz

Attack on Titan Main Character Index
Shinganshina Trio (Eren Yeager) | Warrior Trio | 104th Trainee Corps (Krista Lenz) | Survey Corps (Levi Ackerman) | Military Police Brigade | Garrison | Titans | Marley [Warrior Unit (Zeke Yeager)] | Eldia | Others | Before the Fall

WARNING: Unmarked spoilers abound. Beware if you are not updated with the manga.

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Krista Lenz/Historia Reiss

Voiced by: Shiori Mikami (JP), Bryn Apprill (EN), Cristina Hernández (Latin American Spanish)

Debut: Chapter 2 (Manga), Episode 2 (Anime)

"Do you think... everyone is disappointed? That I'm such an empty person... and the kind Krista Lenz doesn't exist?"

^{Click here to see her post-Time Skip appearance}

"No matter what... I'm on your side!"

Ranked 10th. Though she's known as a kind girl who puts herself out for others, it is suggested that her selflessness may actually stem from a lack of self-worth and the desire to become a martyr. Krista ranks 10th because her partner Ymir intentionally lags so that she can go to the interior and join the MPs, but Krista ends up joining the Survey Corps regardless.

Honoring her promise to Ymir, Krista reclaims her true identity as Historia Reiss, the illegitimate daughter of a powerful nobleman. When Ymir is taken by the traitors, she insists on joining the expedition to rescue her friend, but is instead kidnapped by Ymir and convinced to abandon humanity. Though prepared to leave the Walls with Ymir, she is instead left in the care of the Survey Corps and completely abandons her false "Krista" persona. Placed under the protection of her comrades, she becomes a vital key to humanity's fate when it is revealed that Historia has royal origins.

At this point in the story, Historia becomes a major character alongside the Shinganshina Trio, becoming the main point of contention in the Uprising arc.

Branch: Survey Corps

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# - F

• Abusive Parents: Her father was never there and her mother hated her and avoided her at all costs. Her mother in particular gets special mention due to only speaking to her twice her entire life even despite being the parent with more presence growing up, and both times were wishing that her daughter was dead.
• Action Girl: Ranked 10th in her class. Although she didn't really get to show us her stuff until later in the story.
• Adaptational Jerkass: Played for Laughs in the High School AU gag previews at the end of every volume, where Historia is a "Queen Bee" who could ruin Eren's school life just by pointing her finger.
• A Day in the Limelight: The Uprising Arc serves as this to her. See Arc Hero, below
• Affair? Blame the Bastard: Historia realized early on that everyone around her: her mother, her grandparents, their farm hands, her father all resented her existence because she was the result of an affair and her existence is proof of that, bringing shame to them.
• All for Nothing: Invoked and subverted. Historia Reiss turns out to be everything that Krista Lenz was trying to convey and much more: a kind, strong, gentle and loving girl. A lot of people had to die for her to realize this and it took the Royal Government to collapse for it to happen (though not by her fault).
• All-Loving Heroine: Krista does not seem capable of displaying ill will towards anything. Later turns out her case is a Deconstruction. She's certainly not a bad person, but her kindness stems completely from her desire to be seen as this kind of person by others. Ymir calls her out on this, saying that while she does have good intentions, her constant need to prove her morality to people will get her or someone else killed uselessly. Once forced to confront the truth about this and begin dealing with the demons from her past, she goes through a period of claiming to hate the world. Ultimately, this gets reconstructed, thanks to Eren, who made her realize how she is her own person via Character Development, this "person" having a heart even bigger than "Krista" had. Once crowned Queen, she realizes her greatest wish is to help all the people abandoned and made to feel as though they don't matter. She seizes the land of corrupt nobles, imprisoning, or heavily taxing them as punishment for their past crimes. The funds and the seized land are used to create an orphanage, and she frees all the people that had lived trapped in the Underground City. While ultimately still a loving and kind person, she's no longer reckless or desperate for approval.
• All of the Other Reindeer: While she was growing up, other children actively ostracized her to the point that she was afraid to leave her home.
• Always Save the Girl: Invoked. Before the time-skip, it was Eren's motivation to keep Historia out of harm's way due to her Royal blood; after the time-skip, Zeke states that one of the reasons for his defection to the enemy was precisely his own Royal blood, implying that this might still be an item of consideration regarding Historia, and how the Coordinate's powers can be used indeed without harming her. This is later confirmed by Eren in Chapter 106, as the military junta learns of Zeke's plan to defect to Paradis, including the Royal family's condition to be able to control the Coordinate Titan with all its powers. This, he argues he did because he could not rely solely on something as intangible as his father's memories as a motivation to possibly Titanize Historia.
• A Mistake Is Born: As the bastard child of Rod Reiss she was considered a “curse” and a “burden” by her entire family (both maternal and paternal sides) since she shouldn’t have been born. Her mother especially resented her because her birth meant she would die if the council found out.
• Antagonistic Offspring: Ultimately, Historia betrays her father and, after he becomes a Titan, says that killing him is something she has to do herself.
• Arc Hero: Of the Uprising Arc, where she is revealed as the true Queen of the Walls and foils her father's plans. Before the Survey Corps arrives to save Eren from being devoured, Historia manages to break both of them free and later is the one to deliver the killing blow against Rod Reiss' titan.
• Art Evolution: Early in the manga, she looked almost exactly like Armin. In later chapters and the anime, she looks sufficiently different — and while the resemblance is still there, it's not quite as pronounced, and it becomes a plot point later on.
• Ascended Extra: She was a reoccuring extra with the most distinct thing about her being she was really nice. She becomes much more important after the Female Titan was dealt with, only to be largely Demoted to Extra from the Return to Shiganshina arc onwards.
• Awesome Moment of Crowning: Behold the new Queen of the Walls: Historia Reiss.
• Baby Factory: It's strongly implied that she's been turned into this by the New Eldian government. As the Last of Her Kind, she must bear children who will inherit the power of her royal blood. Later subverted, as while she got pregnant, she did not do it by force or for a plan. The reason is currently a mystery.
• Badass Adorable: Implied. She's adorable beyond all comprehension, but also one of the top-ranked soldiers in her class. Well illustrated when she finally sees action later on.
• Bastard Angst: She's the illegitimate child of a powerful nobleman. Because of this, Historia was sent away and grew up isolated and lonely, with the few neighbors acting cruel — to say nothing of her mother showing nothing but hatred for her, all the way until her traumatic death.
• Battle Couple: During the battle between the Armored Titan and the Survey Corps, Ymir and Historia fight side by side while declaring their devotion to each other.
• The Beautiful Elite: Even among pretty girls like Mikasa, Annie, Sasha, and even Ymir, Krista is profoundly beautiful and on a league of her own. In a Sliding Scale of Beauty, she would be between a Level II (World Class) and coming within the fringes of Level I (Divine), as she has been described as the "goddess" of the 104th. She's later revealed to be a member of the nobility.
• Beauty Equals Goodness: Played with, in various ways throughout her character arc. She seems to play this straight at first, being the most beautiful and kindest of the 104th... but she's intentionally trying to live up to the ideal. In reality, there's much more to her and her beauty hides a deeply troubled young woman.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: She saves Eren's life because he made her realize that "Historia" is a person that thinks and feels, and not just a placeholder for other people's agendas. First and foremost, Historia refuses to kill Eren and betrays her father because Eren is her friend, and she will not abide anyone deeming him worthless (not even Eren himself).
• Beneath the Mask: Her self-sacrificing kindness is a front to mask her feelings of inadequacy and guilt.
• Blatant Lies: While in the middle of saving Eren, she claims that she's the worst, most vile villain and that once they escape, she would destroy everything. She then proceeds to save Eren, stop her father, become queen, and then open up an Orphanage of Love. Eren even calls her out on it later and she admits that she was just being emotional at the time.
• Blessed with Suck: She is one of the highest-born individuals in the Three Walls... but she's a bastard child. Up until she joined the military, her existence was deemed a mistake even to herself, so she sought to at least die a hero's death there; that is, until she found people that showed love to her.
• Blue Blood: The bastard child of the royal family privy to conspiracy secrets.
• Brick Joke: After being crowned the true Queen of the Walls, Historia punches Levi and dares him to hit her back. This is based on a suggestion Reeves made to her after Levi threatened her when she at first refused to be queen. As she doesn't interact with Reeves in the anime, the one that makes the suggestion is Mikasa instead.
• Broken Bird: Following her separation from Ymir and revealing her true identity, Historia reveals her true self to be empty inside, aimless and cynical.
• Broken Hero: Despite the Crapsack World she lives in and everything she's been through, she's still incredibly sweet and nice to everyone. Still, she's a lot more affected by it than she lets on. And despite her traumatic and lonely past, she chooses to be a kind and loving soldier.
• Calling the Old Man Out: She stands up against her father and calls him out on trying to manipulate her into becoming a (mindless) Titan and eating Eren.
• Came Back Strong: She was a nigh-suicidal girl, completely lost in the world and with an identity crisis the size of DC Comics. With the help of her friends, she became what she was meant to be: The Queen of the Walls. Even Eren is humbled by her determination and strength of character.
• Character Development: Introduced as a pure and selfless girl, Historia is later revealed to be a jaded individual desperate for approval and purpose. Historia eventually rejects what others want her to be and instead chooses to carve her own destiny for no one's sake but her own. She ultimately finds her purpose in taking the throne without the shackles of the ancient Titan King's will binding her like it had her predecessors.
• Chekhov's Skill: The combat training the 104th was put through was often derided for being useless against Titans, but she uses it to great effect when she flips Rod, who was both heavier and taller than her, breaking his back.
• Conflicting Loyalty:
  • Between Ymir and Humanity. She readily chooses Ymir, and was prepared to abandon Humanity without a second thought until Ymir made the choice for her.
  • Between Eren and her father. When Rod tells her Eren's father killed her beloved sister and that she can regain her and save humanity if she becomes a Titan Shifter and eats Eren, Historia nearly goes through with it, but then smashes the syringe and sets Eren free, declaring herself both the enemy of humanity and his friend. She told the others that she recognized Rodd was trying to manipulate her all along and played him for information, but later admitted to Eren that she'd seriously considered siding with her father and becoming a Titan Shifter. Seeing Eren crying and begging to be killed changed her mind.
• The Confidant: Later in the series she has become sort of this for Eren, who revealed to her all of his plans and his motives.
• Contrived Coincidence: She convinces Erwin to tell everyone that she slew Rod's Titan if the operation is successful, in order to give credibility to the narrative they're trying to push on her role as the royal successor, regardless of whether she kills it or not. Even Erwin is blown away at the fact that out of all the troops that engaged in the operation, she's the one that ended up killing Rod Reiss indeed, as she attacks the blown-off chunk of meat that contains him when encountering it by mere chance.
• Cuteness Overload: Armin, Jean, and Reiner suffer from it after she rescues them.
• The Cutie: Played straight at first, but later played with. Dainty, wide-eyed, kind to a fault and beautiful, Krista is considered this by her comrades of the 104th, especially Ymir, Reiner and Armin. However, her change in attitude following her revelation as Historia, and the abandonment incurred by Ymir, leave her neither bright-eyed nor optimistic, showing a not-quite-so-cute side of her. Still, her momentous experiences thereafter make her into a Badass Adorable in turn.
• Damsel in Distress: In the 3rd OVA, the plot centers around the others setting aside their differences to rescue her when she is kidnapped by bandits.
• Dark and Troubled Past: The daughter of a prominent nobleman and a servant, she was sent to live with her mother's parents at a young age. While physically provided for, she was isolated completely with no one showing her any affection to the point that she was actually HAPPY that her mother slapped her because she wanted SOME form of interaction. Her mother resented her since her existence took away her life of luxury surviving the Reiss' and put a mark on her head if anyone found out she birthed an illegitimate Reiss child. Her mother denied her any form of interaction, violently slapped her away when she tried to hug her and even openly lamented not having the courage to kill her. Her grandparents similarly considered her a burden and only talked to her to teach her how to work. She wasn't allowed to leave the farm and was bullied by neighboring kids by having rocks thrown at her. All while her father ignored her since he didnt want to face the dishonor of having an illegitimate child. Essentially, Historia was resented and ignored by her entire family just for having been born, something that she had no control over.
• David Versus Goliath: Invoked, more than standard examples in this series. She is easily the shortest character in the series, but is the one that dealt the killing blow to one of the largest Titans in the series.
• A Day in the Limelight: Chapter 52, aptly titled "Krista Lenz," partially focuses on her backstory and motivations.
• Death Glare: She gives a particularly vicious one to Eren in Chapter 63, blaming him for his father's slaughter of her siblings. Then, she turns it on her father after destroying the syringe holding the serum.
• Death Seeker: Ymir accurately points out that Krista only joined the military with the intention of looking for a heroic and noble way to die. Since being called on her martyr complex many times, and nearly losing the one she loves, Krista seems to be getting past it.
• Defiant Stone Throw: When she is left without her 3DMG, Krista uselessly throws a rock at the Titans.
• Demoted to Extra: After being one of the most important characters, Historia gets this post Time Skip. While in theory, she's quite important since her pregnancy significantly delays the military's plan to feed Zeke to her and she is a Secret-Keeper for Eren's plans, she gets very few scenes or interactions with the other characters.
• Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: She craves love and attention after being ostracized for most of her childhood. She transforms herself into Krista Lenz to convey with it a personality that is impossible not to love, but still hiding an enormous burden of self-deprecation inside. She tries to reach to Ymir, but is left behind; then, she becomes receptive to her father, but realizes that he doesn't have her interests at heart. In the end, she chooses her friends, realizing that they're the only people that would not leave her behind for once in her lifetime.
• Dramatic Irony: Also bordering History Repeats, Eren Kruger had begrudgingly allowed Dina Yeager to be Titanized in order to prevent her from becoming a Baby Factory in favor of Marley. Years later, and in spite of all his efforts to prevent this, Eren Yeager had to allow Historia to become a Baby Factory in favor of Eldia and their allies, and even worse, to become the following candidate to inherit the Beast Titan from Zeke Yeager. The irony doesn't escape him, as he becomes furious with Hange for not giving her a better alternative to being treated like a piece of meat in spite of having had three whole years to come up with just about anything else.
• Dude Magnet: Admired by all her male classmates, who think of her as a "Goddess".
• Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: Our first glimpse of an adult Historia is a woman with an empty expression, staring off into the distance. Despite being quite cheerful in flashbacks to before the timeskip, she looks as miserable as she did after losing Ymir.
• Emotionless Girl: After the events of Chapter 50, she rarely shows emotion anymore. She gets better thanks to Eren though, coming to accept herself more and softening up a bit after having somewhat of an existential crisis.
• Empty Shell: Refers to herself as this in Chapter 54, saying that at least Krista Lenz had a personality and a purpose in life, while Historia Reiss doesn't and only seems to serve as kidnapping bait and a source of information. This is eventually subverted by her actual actions though, as she's clearly more passionate about things than she initially lets on. As she puts it herself to Eren; she may not be the savior of humanity, but she's always an ally to anybody who thinks they're not needed (thanks to her own experiences as a child).
• Even the Girls Want Her: Sasha thinks she is "God", while the aloof Ymir falls in love with her.
• Extreme Doormat: Averted. She gives this impression, but she can be pretty stubborn and didn't hesitate to return the headbutt Ymir gave her.
• The Fake Cutie: Everything about the gentle "Goddess" Krista was nothing more than an act on Historia's part. Once she drops the facade, Historia reveals herself as stoic and even admits to not really caring about others.
• Fake Ultimate Hero: Subverted. Prior to the battle in the Orvud District, Historia asked that she be given credit for the Titan kill so that her heroism would make her acceptance by the people easier. The fact that she actually does take down that Titan surprises even her.
• Foregone Conclusion: Invoked. The prospect of her becoming pregnant was a possibility in extremis, as Eren suggested that it should be employed when all other routes were exhausted. The problem that arose was that, indeed, all other routes were exhausted. Subverted later, as Historia did have two more options she could've taken to avoid getting pregnant: fight or run away and hide. However, she chooses to have a baby regardless, but the reason why is currently hidden.
• Foreshadowing: A minor example. She's easily the tiniest member of the 104th. Turns out, her small body frame is characteristic of certain members of the Eldian Royal Family and it's a trait that she shares with her father Rod, her uncle Uri and her distant relative Dina Fritz.
• Friendship Moment: She's ecstatic when she learns that Mikasa might be a member of the nobility of Hizuru, or even a princess of the Shogunate, as this means that she is no longer alone as a figurehead in a sea of political maneuvering. This means that, in Mikasa, she finally found a peer in this respect, stating that she possibly couldn't be in better company.
• Friend to All Living Things: She grew up on a farm, caring for the various animals. It's noted that she has a special way with the military's horses, and no one is surprised when she shows up with Jean's missing horse. When spooked, it ran off looking for her.
• From Dress to Dressing: Turns her ankle-length skirt into a miniskirt, using the pieces to create a makeshift bandage and sling for Reiner after he's injured.

G - P

• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: She snaps Eren out of his Heroic BSoD after they both find out what Eren's father did to Historia's family and Historia decides to not go along with her father's plans.
• Girly Girl: She manages to be one in spite of living in an environment that doesn't exactly promote femininity. Among the girls from the 104th, both those who are still alive and those who perished, she is indeed the girliest.
• Gratuitous Princess: The Reiss family is actually the true royal family, making her a possible heir to the throne. Erwin plans on using this fact to ensure a bloodless revolution.
• Happily Married: After Eren's death and a post three year Time Skip, Historia got married to her daughter's father and all three of them are living happily together.
• Hair-Contrast Duo: The cute, sweet blonde to moody brunette Ymir.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She's kind, gentle, and so beautiful that her peers call her their "goddess". Invoked, as she's attempting to live up to this image to an unhealthy degree.
• Hand on Womb: The first time Historia appears as an adult, she's resting her hands on her large stomach — indicating that she's pregnant.
• Harmful to Minors: Watches her mother get her throat slit at the tender age of 10, immediately after her mother furiously denied being her mother and wished she'd never given birth to her.
• Heal It with Booze: She uses a bottle of wine as improvised disinfectant while treating Reiner's injuries.
• Heel–Face Revolving Door: She initially was loyal to the Survey Corps, but then sided with Ymir when she chose to ally with the enemy Shifters. After Ymir left, however, she remained loyal to the Survey Corps again until being reunited with her father. Once he reconciles with her and begins revealing the truth about her family to her, she sides with him. Overall, she seems to be aligning herself with whoever she feels will give her the love and acceptance she desperately craves. Soon after, she betreys her father and frees Eren.
• Her Heart Will Go On: Historia sees Ymir run off with Reiner and Bertolt and Ymir ends up dying once she returns to Marley and has her Shifter Powers given to another Warrior. However Ymir's encouragement for Historia to life a live she can be proud of is ultimately the final push she needs to reject her father and become her own person, just as Ymir always wanted.
• Heroic Bastard: She's an illegitimate child, meaning that her parents were not married when she was conceived.
• Heroic BSoD: She goes through a major one when she and Ymir go their separate ways.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: She calls herself the enemy of mankind and the worst and most despicable girl in the world when she decides to stand up against her father and release Eren.
• Hidden Depths: She is not as stoic and uncaring as she showed herself initially, though she is still miles away from what Krista was. In spite of this, she is not as meek and malleable as Krista; Eren even praises her as a "great person" and she argues in response that her misanthropic tirade when she freed him from Rod Reiss was just hyperbole.
• The High Queen: She is coronated in Chapter 69. With encouragement from Jean and Sasha, she celebrates by following through on Director Reeves's joke that she punch Levi after taking the throne, but his response abruptly ends her levity.
  • Ironically, Historia herself has almost no power in the government. Having intentionally traded most of her own authority to the Survey Corps and the military junta. This gives her more free time to run her orphanage.
• I Just Want to Be Loved: The reason she kept grasping for straws after Ymir abandoned her, and Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places by trying to reach the very father that abandoned her. It's Eren's own distress which makes her realize how twisted her father is and how she has to value her own life and worth a whole lot more.
• Implied Trope: Passing the Torch. It's heavily suggested that Frieda was entertaining the idea of passing on the Crown to Historia and her frequent visits to the girl at the farm were her way of probing the waters by testing how Historia would respond to the ideologies of the Will of the First King and the history of Ymir Fritz, the Progenitor Titan. Still, there's no evidence that she wasn't searching elsewhere in the family, as Frieda had siblings aplenty, and as such, approached Historia because she was a viable candidate too.
• The Ingenue: As Krista Lenz, she actively tries to cultivate a reputation of being sweet and innocent. In the words of Historia, "Krista Lenz is a good girl", because she realy wanted to present such a persona.
• Innocent Blue Eyes: Wide, big, and baby-blue, representing her beauty and goodwill.
• Lack of Empathy: Discussed in a conversation with Eren in Chapter 54. Later subverted when she renews her sense of purpose.
  Eren: Right now, Armin's taking on a dangerous mission as your body double. Shouldn't you be more worried about him?
  Historia: ... sorry. To be honest, I don't understand that way of thinking. Krista probably would've been worried for everyone. Krista Lenz is a good girl.
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: The mysterious woman from her past, later revealed to be Historia's sister, would erase herself from Historia's memories every time they parted ways. She has a dream of one of their meetings, but cannot recall it after waking up.
• Last of Her Kind:
  • She is the only confirmed extant Reiss in Paradis, as it's not actually known if the deposed King Fritz was part of the royal family indeed. She is not the last member of the Eldian Royal Family, though, as Zeke Yeager is part of the lineage of the Fritz family that stayed in Marley.
  • The rest of Karl Fritz's bloodline was wiped out, leaving Historia the last known descendant of the Eldian Empire's final king. Her distant relative, Zeke, is similarly the last of the mainland branch of the Royal bloodline.
• Like a God to Me: Played for Laughs. The official site notes that her peers think of her as the 104th's "Goddess".
• Little Miss Badass: Thanks to Character Development, she's gone from being a broken cutie to a warrior damn near as fierce Mikasa. In Chapter 67, when the rest of Levi's squad are prepping for the battle against her Titan-ized(?) father, Historia shows up in full battle gear. This was not what Levi ordered her to do, but when he tries berate her for it, she doesn't flinch. Her retort can basically be summed up as "I've chosen to fight. You got a problem with that?" Levi backs down.
• Living Emotional Crutch: To Ymir. A darker example than Eren and Mikasa, though, as she is completely willing to take away Krista's chances of a future in order to see her one more time. Or so she says, but in truth she just wanted to get her away from the Walls, knowing they would be soon engulfed in conflict.
• Living Macguffin: More proactive than the usual example, but following The Reveal of her Secret Identity, the Survey Corps invest as much time and resources in her safety as they do Eren's, due to her possessing knowledge about the Walls. Chapter 53 even has an attempted kidnapping staged on her.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Albeit it was implied that she knew of Ymir's eventual fate from her last letter, Historia is not quite aware of what transpired, and that Porco Galliard devoured her to gain the Jaws Titan for Marley.
• Loss of Identity: The crux of her character after Chapter 50 (well, a version of it anyway). She's been wearing the "Krista" mask for so long, she doesn't know how she's supposed to behave, act, feel, etc. It's the reason for her sudden loss of personality, as she's trying to sort out a bunch of feelings she's kept buried years, and define for herself just who Historia Reiss is. The turning point for her character is when she refuses to become a Titan and eat Eren; marking the first time that she decided what was important to her and finally expressing her genuine feelings.
• Love Bubbles: Non-romantic example: When she gives a starving Sasha food, Sasha's vision sees her in this light.
• Love Martyr: Historia says she'll support Ymir even after Ymir claims she was just using Krista to save herself. She was also one to her mother, who despised her. She later refuses to kill Eren at her father's urging. To hell with the whole "greater good for humanity"! Eren is her friend, and she's not going to let him die just to satisfy the wishes of a self-centered, emotionally manipulative old bastard.
• Madonna Archetype: Historia is rather a dark and disturbing example. Her name may not be Mary, but used the fake name of Krista, which was the name of a motherly figure holding a child in a similar manner Mary would hold baby Jesus in the Madonna art style, from a book Frieda gifted to her. She is introduced as a kind-hearted girl possibly in love with Ymir, a Titan shifter. She is a Proper Lady, considered a sacred figure for the wall worshippers and later to most of Eldians as their queen. She is ever referred as a goddess by multiple characters. As an adult, she is expected to become a Breeding Slave for the 50 years old plan for the Paradise Island, and all of her children would turn in a way into Messianic Archetypes inheriting the Beast Titan.
• Mandatory Motherhood: She is the Last of Her Kind, which presents a serious issue. Lady Kiyomi estimates that Paradis will need at least 50 years to catch up to the rest of the world. Until then, the island is dependent on having both the Founding Titan, and a different Titan with royal blood, to protect them. This means that Historia must have children to inherit both the throne and the Titan powers, or risk her nation becoming unable to defend itself in the future. Revealed later to actually be subverted, since she was the one who decided to have a child when she did, which spoiled the Military Police's plan of having her eat Zeke as soon as possible.
• Martyr Without a Cause: Ymir diagnoses Krista with this, pointing out that, despite saying she needs to drag a teammate to safety through a snow storm, and chastising Ymir for cynically saying they should leave him behind, she never actually asks her partner for help. Ymir says she might have good intentions, but her subconscious need to prove her morality to people is going to get her killed uselessly.
• Meaningful Name: "Krista Lenz" sounds a lot like "crystal lens," which can magnify objects or help see them more clearly, while "Krista" sounds like the Nordic name "Kristian" (in other words "Christian") which may link to her connection to the Wall worshippers (given them being the story's version of Christianity). Her real name, Historia, is Latin and Spanish for "history", which itself means "inquiry" or "knowledge acquired from investigation". Both make sense, since she has the authority to freely speak whatever she knows about the truth of the Walls, and our heroes are told to go ask her about them. "Riese," the German word for Titan, is very similar to her surname as well.
• Meaningful Rename: Fulfilling her promise with Ymir, once the latter shows her her "secret" (that she can turn into a Titan), she decides to go by her real name once more.
• Mirror Character:
  • Despite Ymir and Krista initially appearing to be polar opposites of each other, Krista eventually drops the act and reveals her true personality. Historia turns out to be quite similar to Ymir (broken, cynical, misanthropic, and somewhat self-centered). And as it turns out, despite their cynical outlooks on life, they aren't as selfish as they initially appear.
  • Also has this with Eren. While Eren is obsessed with saving humanity from the Titans, Historia herself claims that she doesn't really care about humanity. But once Eren learns about the truth of his father and the Coordinate ability, he has a Heroic BSoD and feels like he didn't need to happen. Not unlike how Historia felt for the longest time. It's what ultimately leads to her defying her father.
  • Ironically, she's a lot more like "Krista" than she thinks. Her heart is just as big, and she is ultimately as kind and compassionate as the facade she put, only that Historia doesn't sugarcoat anything like "Krista" did, and she is at the very least sincere with herself.
  • In another fashion, she is once again similar to Eren, but also Zeke, all three being people who had their fathers use them as tools for their own goals rather than caring what the child themselves think. It turns out that Eren is not actually so similar to them in this regard.
  • From Mikasa, as they are both girls whom Eren gave a reason to live after a great emotional trauma. Mikasa even realizes this, demonstrating that she's not OK with Historia and Eren getting too chummy with each other after she's crowned Queen of the Walls.
• Misanthrope Supreme: She claims to be this. Eren wants her to eat him so she can save humanity, as there is no other way to access the Coordinate's power and destroy the Titans. Too bad she doesn't care if humanity is destroyed. Even though she claims she said those things in the spur-of-the-moment, Eren later throws her words back at her when he reveals his plans to annihilate everyone outside the Walls.
• Missed Him by That Much:
  • Turns out, Ymir's plan to take her along Reiner and Bertolt wasn't such a good idea, as it's shown that the Marleyans would have probably turned her into a baby factory at the very least. As a matter of fact, this is the very reason Eren Kruger allowed Dina Fritz to be turned into a Mindless Titan some twenty years before, as he surmised that the Marleyans would have done much worse things to her had they learned that she was part of the Eldian Royal Family. However, as she herself predicted, Ymir did not escape with her life and was fed to another Warrior to surrender the Jaws Titan Power.
• Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: She responds to Rod manipulating her feelings, and trying to have her transform into a Titan to kill Eren, by destroying the syringe containing the serum and flipping her father over when he grabs her.
• Morality Pet:
  • She's the reason that the moody Ymir took a level in kindness.
  • Historia is this to her father Lord Reiss, as he seems to genuinely care for her, at least on some level.
• Motherly Side Plait: Wears her hair this way, on occasion, and acts as the group's Team Mom.
• Never Got to Say Goodbye: With Ymir who left with Reiner and Bertolt in Chapter 50 to return to Marley and was then Killed Offscreen so that her Titan power could be transferred to Galliard.
• Nice Girl:
  • She initially wants to be thought of as a noble and kind person. However, she is willing to risk not only her own life, but that of her comrades. Ymir calls her out of this nonsense, and forces her to confront her true motivations for being such a helpful, kind person. Her kindness is genuine, but tainted by her serious issues.
  • Even after the Uprising and the ordeals she goes through, it turns out that Historia is indeed a beautiful person, both in body and soul.
• No One Gets Left Behind: Krista refuses to turn a blind eye to an ally in need, though some of her "efforts" are actually revealed to be more deliberately suicidal than helpful.
• Not So Stoic: While she is mostly aloof and callous, when her father hugs her she starts crying, and when he tells her how her beloved sister died, she shoots Eren a Death Glare.
• Odd Friendship: With Eren, the person that made her realize who she is, as opposed to who she ought to be, which is the maxim that guided her life until that moment. As such, Eren becomes very dear to her.
• Official Couple: With Ymir, though their relationship is somewhat ambiguous within the series itself and only confirmed by creator statements.
• Older Than They Look: Standing at 4'9 and weighing only 90 pounds with a petite frame to match, she could probably pass as a 10 year old despite being in her mid-teens.
• One Head Taller: Ymir skirts the line at Statuesque Stunner (172 cm or 5 feet 8 inches) and compared to Krista who's only 149 cm (4 feet 9 inches), she's this.
• Only Friend:
  • To Ymir. She's the only person who sees past her crude exterior and accepts her. Likewise it turns out that Ymir, for the longest time, was the only one to see her for the secretly cynical person she is and accept her for it. Unfortunately when Ymir left with Reiner and Bertolt it broke Historia and she admitted that she didn't know who she was without her.
  • To Eren as well. Of all the top 10 graduates, she was the only one to whom Eren disclosed his true goals, something he concealed from even his best friends, Mikasa and Armin. Historia is surprised when Eren declares his intention to protect her from being Titanized, no matter what.
• Orphanage of Love: After becoming queen, she pours a generous amount of resources into maintaining one for orphans and others in need.
• The Paragon: She becomes this after refusing to follow her father's agenda, and eventually slaying him. She becomes a shining example for her friends and an active and extremely influential voice in the military junta, because she is the people's queen regardless of the junta's intentions.
• Patricide: Once she rejects Rod's offer to become a Titan, Historia kills him for good when he uses the remainder of Historia's serum to transform himself into a Titan.
• Perpetual Frowner: For a while after the events of Chapter 50, she stops smiling.
• Phrase Catcher: "A goddess!" or "Marry me", depending on the characters.
• Pimped-Out Dress: After being coronated as queen in Chapter 69.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Her father Rod isn't much taller than her, but still, it was a bit surprising to see how easy it was for the 4'9, 90 pound Historia to flip him over her shoulder in the air and slam him onto his back. Turns out she wasn't in the top ten of her class just for show.
• Princess Classic: Subverted. She looks the part even when she's not dolled-up, but having been raised in humble surroundings, and having been forced into the military service, she becomes a Warrior Princess instead.
• Protectorate: To Ymir who sees in her someone who feeds herself on lies just as she once did. The fact that the two are in a relationship (as Word of Gay confirms) also helps. Later on she becomes one to Eren.

Q - Y

• The Quiet One: In stark contrast to her early sociable, charming nature, Eren notes that she hasn't talked much since the events of Chapter 50.
• Raised by Grandparents: While her mother was present for most of her childhood, she only ever bothered talking to her twice. Her grandparents were only marginally better though, since they mostly only talked to her about farmwork, and ignored her the rest of the time.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: Exploited Trope. Historia asked Erwin to tell everyone that she was the one to kill Rod Reiss' massive Titan to stabilize the doubt and unrest in wake of the military coup, and even joined in on the battle against it. She actually ended up being the one to land the killing blow and was seen doing it by numerous citizens, so the trope is wholeheartedly believed by the people.
• Rank Up: When she's assigned to the new Special Operations Squad, though like Eren she is primarily protected by the others.
• Refusal of the Call:
  • After learning that she has the potential to be queen, Historia refuses to accept such a position of power. However, Levi reminds her of her duty to do what is best for humanity, and forces Historia to comply regardless.
  • Happens again when Rod offers her the power of the Coordinate and the ability to rule humanity.
• Retired Badass: She has retired from military service since taking the throne.
• Royal Bastard: She's the daughter of a very powerful nobleman and his mistress.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something:
  • It's revealed that the Reiss family is the real royal family, making Krista a princess basically and a potential successor to the throne.
  • Played with when she's crowned queen. The military basically rules the kingdom for her while she's the monarch in name only. Justified in how she never wanted to be a ruler in the first place. But she was the one who stopped her father. And she used her political influence to open up a shelter for orphans and the poor.
  • What needs to be made clear here is that she's not their puppet, despite what some members of the Military Police might claim. She lets them call the shots because they've got more experience in strategy than she does. But it does not mean that they control her. She made it pretty clear during Rod's attack that she will buck orders if she doesn't agree with them, and now that she's officially the Queen (and well loved by her people) there's not a damn thing that the military can do about it if she chooses to do so again.
  • She actually lampshades it, claiming she does more than just care for children and cattle all day.
  • After the second Time Skip, Historia uses her power as Queen to protect the Survey Corps' families from Yeagerists who are upset that they killed Eren and stopped the Rumbling. Despite her uncertainty as to whether Eren was right about needing to exterminate the enemy, Historia is willing to work with the outside world to come to a peace agreement.
• Running Gag: Her ability to charm any of her male comrades simply by being kind to them. Comes up again in a more serious manner when Ymir wants her romantically because she was kind to her in spite of everything.
• School Idol: According to the official site, she is considered the idol of the 104th.
• Secret Identity: "Krista" is actually Historia, the bastard child of the Noble/Royal Reiss family. Pastor Nick states that she is capable of revealing the secrets about the Wall Titans, though Historia is ultimately ignorant of such secrets. However, with the later revelation that the Reiss family is tied with the royal bloodline, Historia Reiss would technically be a potential heir to the throne, again making her very important to several factions.
• Secret-Keeper: In chapter 130, it is revealed that besides Floch, Historia was the only person aware of Eren's true intention to destroy the world. While Historia had initially disagreed with Eren's plan, it is unknown why she agreed to keep mum about it, because much of her conversation with Eren is currently a mystery.
• Ship Tease:
  • Perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly, Historia gets her fair share of tease with Ymir, even if she isn't as outward about her feelings as Ymir herself is. She's constantly worried about Ymir's well being, has no objections to Ymir invading her personal space, and absolutely devoted to her, wanting to be with Ymir no matter what even if it meant abandoning her friends and the safety of the walls.
  • Later in the series, there are a few teases between Eren and Historia, starting with the moment where he tells her he disliked her personality as Krista Lenz and prefers her real one. Since then there have been panels in the manga showing her paying more attention to him, and they have been bonding with one another a great deal. Though the scene that comes to mind to most is when they are having a moment of light banter over an emotional outburst of hers, and a glaring Mikasa is looming over them.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: Rod manipulates her in order to have her retrieve the Coordinate power by transforming her into a Titan to ear Eren. Remembering Ymir's advice to live her own life, Historia responds by throwing the serum to the ground and flipping over Rod.
• Son of a Whore: It's implied that her mother was one in her backstory, though it's later revealed she was just a servant to the Reiss family. Although it is implied that Alma did become a prostitute to earn money when living on her parents farm rather than help them and her daughter with farm-work.
• Spanner in the Works: For her family on both sides. Her birth brought a new burden for her father Rod to bear, who had to contend with a new variable to his family dynamics; after having had a close relationship with Alma, it's implied that Rod cut off his contact with her to a bare minimum when Historia was born, and that Alma's servant family and her were sent to become plain farmers after serving in luxury to the Reiss family, meaning that they had to live in sole function to Historia's well being. As such, Historia was one child too many for both her parents.
• Spare to the Throne: In the practical sense, she was dead-last to the throne after Frieda, her half-brothers and half-sisters, and her father. It's not even stated whether she had a claim at all to begin with as a bastard child, and Rod brought her into the fold because he had no other choice. She ends up seizing the throne by merit alone.
• Spotlight-Stealing Squad: After The Reveal that she's the true heir to the Reiss throne and royalty, she gets an enormous amount of focus and is at the center of The Uprising arc, and even ends up finishing off Rod Reiss for good. Her screentime throughout Seasons 2 and 3 is only rivaled by Eren himself.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: With Ymir. Aside from the whole "Ymir is a Titan and Titans are the enemies of humanity" thing Ymir went with Reiner and Bertolt willingly, and was executed by the Marley government in order to transfer her Titan Shifter power to a new host.
• Stepford Smiler: Type A, her cheerful nature hides incredible insecurity and desperation to be considered a good person.
• The Stoic: Grows into this more and more after the events of Chapter 50, no longer understanding how she is suppose to act anymore. Comes to an end in Chapter 66. And it's her shining moment, (not to mention Heartwarming)
• Straight Gay: Well, straight bi in any case. Unlike Ymir, Historia displays no stereotypical traits with bisexuality, and while her relationship with Ymir was confirmed to be reciprocated and romantic in nature via Word of Gay, she never makes any comments on explicit attraction to one gender or the other. Though it should be noted that she was very attached to Ymir and goes through an identity crisis due to being abandoned by the woman she loved and she later chose to get pregnant and have a baby, confirming her attraction to men and women.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Historia looks a lot like her parents, and also her sister Frieda. Speaking of which, almost every member of her family (with the exceptions of Frieda and Urklyn) is also absolutely tiny. Her father Rod is only 5'2!
• Stronger Than They Look: While she only ranked 10th in the Trainee Corps because of Ymir purposefully underperforming for her, this waifish young girl is as capable a ODM user as her fellow cadets.
• Swallowed Whole: Ymir does this in order to kidnap her.
• Team Mom: Most often seen bearing food and supplies (like horses) when they're needed most and in general does the scolding for comedic purposes (most often to Connie or Sasha).
• That Thing Is Not My Child!: On the receiving end of this, as her mother only spoke to her twice in her entire life and both times referred to her as a "thing" and wished her dead.
• Those Two Girls: Often seen together with Ymir.
• Thousand-Yard Stare: Sports one after the events of Chapter 50. Character development replaces it with a Determined Expression.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: The girly girl to Ymir's tomboy.
• Took a Level in Badass: She was already implicitly a badass, but it wasn't until later in the series that she actually killed a Titan, and she did it by herself. She also demonstrates surprising strength when she turns on her father, reminding everyone that, even if she seems sweet and Ymir gave her the tenth spot, she's still a heavily trained soldier, eleventh best of a class of hundreds. Even more impressive considering many of the people stronger than her are Titan Shifters, and Mikasa.
• Touch Telepathy: Not in the typical manner this trope is employed, but for a while Eren could only recall the memories stored within him by making physical contact with her. So for a while the group apparently just had the two holding hands constantly off-screen to try to get as many memories as they could out of him.
• Tyrannicide: Historia kills Rod. His death signifies the end of the Royal Government and its policy of perpetuating the Will of the First King, leading to the Survey Corps retaking Wall Maria and learning about the truths of the world.
• Uncanny Valley Girl: Eren essentially calls her Krista Lenz persona one, stating that he found her perfection to be incredibly creepy. While she's not a murderous psychopath, Historia admits that she has difficulty understanding or even caring about others' feelings. She's slowly improving, now that she's not obsessively pretending to be The Ingenue.
• Undying Loyalty: Her loyalty to Ymir cannot be shaken, no matter what the other girl does to push her away. She's even willing to abandon humanity for Ymir if need be, and would have stuck with that decision had Ymir not decided for her.
• Universally Beloved Leader: Historia reveals her identity of the true Queen mere moments after everybody in the Orvud District watched her take down Rod Reiss's Titan in a Big Damn Heroes moment. Then she opens up an orphanage for abandoned children and spends her days watching over them. As a result, she's pretty much beloved by the masses and, ironically enough, viewed as a Goddess like figure — not unlike her "Krista Lenz" persona was in the past.
• Unkempt Beauty: Frequently shown with messy hair, or sweaty and dirty from fighting....but still very beautiful.
• Unpleasant Parent Reveal: She is shaken up by the revelation that Rod is her father.
• Unwitting Pawn: For Rod, who manipulates her into becoming a Titan and eating Eren so that she can recover the Coordinate power to the Reiss family. Even after this is pointed out to her, she considers it her duty to become a Titan and eat Eren. In the end, Historia decides to not go along with it.
• Used to Be More Social: After Chapter 50, her withdrawn, quiet nature is in stark contrast to her earlier charming, cheery attitude.
• Warrior Princess: Even before the reveal that she's a possible heir to the throne, Historia ranked among the top 10 trainees, just below five Badass Normals and four Titan Shifters. During the endeavour to rescue Eren from Reiner and Bertholt's clutches, she even slays a Titan on her own! Note that it is quite unusual for nobility to be good for anything but eating. This one, however, went to bootcamp because of a complicated reason and thus became a warrior.
• "Well Done, Daughter!" Girl: She eagerly goes along with her father's plans if it means earning his love. Subverted when she decides to not obey him in the end.
• What You Are in the Dark: Having been given the opportunity to gain the Coordinate and the Will of the First King, Historia is practically unimpeded in this endeavor, and under the circumstances placed by her father, it's better that she eats Eren; even Eren agrees to this. However, seeing that Eren is giving up on his life by doing so makes her realize that this is her friend, and that she cannot bear the thought of him deeming himself with such low worth. She then rejects and foils her father, leaving the Coordinate inside Eren.
• Woman Scorned: Her identity crisis comes in a significant degree due to the fact that Ymir abandoned her after swearing to be together. Further chapters reveal that this shook her to her very core, leaving her in desperate need of love and affection.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: She says that even though she doesn't care if humanity is destroyed, if she sees someone crying about how they're not needed in this world, she wants to let them know that's not true.
• You Are Worth Hell:
  • Feels this way towards Ymir. Although Ymir ultimately denies her the chance to prove it.
  • She outright tells her father and Eren that she'd rather let the world be destroyed than letting Eren be harmed; this is, because Eren both saw her for what she is and praised her for it, making him a truer friend to her than anyone she had ever met.
• You Killed My Father: She turns her anger on Eren upon learning that Grisha killed her beloved sister to steal her memories and powers for him. With prodding from Eren, she nearly goes through with killing him to retrieve the Coordinate powers, but decides against it.

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