Attack on Titan: Why Titan Shifters have eyemarks?

Attack on Titan final season's part 3 is scheduled to be released on Saturday, March 4, at 12.25 am JST. This has given fans time to brush up on their knowledge of the series, which includes learning about obscure and interesting facts regarding the rich plethora of characters that feature in the series.

One such discussion has opened conversation about the marks that appear under the eyes of every Titan Shifter in the series, such as Eren, Zeke, Armin etc. The older these characters grow, the longer these marks become while also gaining more prominence.

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The reason for some characters having eyemarks in Attack on Titan

Eren with his eyes connected to Attack Titan's body (Image via WIT Studio)

Every Titan Shifter in the series is shown to have marks under their eyes that tend to become more distinct with the passage of time. These eyemarks are the result of the optical connection between the human eyes of the shifters and their titan bodies. The area underneath their eyes is where the connection gets made, causing identation due to the increased pressure of the tendons resulting in low blood supply and permanent scars.

In Attack on Titan, after transformation, the shifter's body gets merged with their Titan's flesh, making them immobile. This is where their eyes are connected to their Titan body, giving vision to their giant avatar. The transformation makes them appear in the Titan's nape of the neck, giving them control over the body and essentially helping them pilot these weapons of mass destruction.

Zeke Yeager with scar marks under his eyes in Attack on Titan anime (Image via MAPPA)

Titan Flesh is extremely hot, as we have witnessed before, with Bertholdt's Colossal Titan producing enough heat to burn Armin to a crisp, or the heat that is emitted every time someone shifts back from their form to their normal self. This causes characters like Eren, Zeke, Reiner etc to develop more prominent eyemarks over time, with the increased use of their Titan bodies.

In Attack on Titan, eyemarks have no effect on the health of the characters and appear to just be a side effect of their Titan transformation. The progression of these eyemarks is best highlighted by Eren Yeager himself, with his marks going from minuscule to aggressively prominent as the series progressed.

Other notable characters who highlight this trait are Zeke with the prolonged use of his Beast Titan, Reiner with his Armored Titan and the Ymir with her Jaw Titan.

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In summation

Eyemarks of all the Titan Shifters (Image via Twitter)

The eyemarks are better displayed in the Attack on Titan manga, with Hajime Isamaya using the black and white features manga to give them more depth. These eyemarks depict the incredible toll a titan shifter goes through and how much of their life they leave behind when they choose to transform into a titan.

In Attack on Titan, the theme of being influenced by history is extremely prevalent, which binds all the titan shifters to Ymir's curse, shortening their lifespan to a mere 13 years. The cost of being a Titan is highlighted perfectly in the series, with strain being reflected directly on the character's physical appearance, reminding them of their short mortal life that was filled with death and violence.