Who Was the Smiling Titan?
Dina Fritz, also known infamously as the Smiling Titan, was a Pure Titan responsible for killing Eren Yeager‘s mother, Carla, during the invasion of Wall Maria. Her origins and background are cloaked in mystery, but her story serves as a pivotal early tragedy in Attack on Titan that fueled Eren‘s quest for vengeance. For AOT fans, unmasking the truth behind the Smiling Titan provides critical backstory on Eren‘s motivations.
Dina Fritz‘s Origins
As AOT creator Hajime Isayama has confirmed, Dina Fritz originally hailed from an Eldian internment zone in the nation of Marley, birthplace of the Titan menace. While much of her past remains unknown, she was descended from the noble Fritz bloodline like Historia Reiss, and eventually joined Grisha Yeager‘s Eldian Restorationists faction in rebelling against Marleyan rule. According to Isayama,
"Dina left her family behind in order to join the Restorationists."
This suggests strong personal motivations underlying her activism. She later married Grisha and gave birth to their son Zeke, who would inherit the Beast Titan.
Punishment and Release as a Pure Titan
When the Marleyan Public Security Authorities cracked down on the Restorationists in the year 832, Dina faced a terrifying punishment – she was turned into one of the mindless Pure Titans used by Marley for war and Domination. These Pure Titans resembled a zombie-like plague on humanity more than their intelligent Titan Shifter counterparts.
Isayama has stated that while Pure Titans harbor an instinctual drive to seek out and consume humans, they have no conscious control over their actions. What inner motivations might have pushed the Smiling Titan to ultimately target Carla Yeager remains a mystery. Some fans speculate that traces of Dina‘s maternal instincts led her back towards Grisha‘s new family.
The Fall of Shiganshina District
On that fateful day in 845 when the Colossal Titan first appeared, Dina was set loose as part of the initial wave of Pure Titans unleashed into Shiganshina. Over 250,000 people were killed in this devastating attack, including Carla Yeager.
As depicted early in the anime‘s first season, the Smiling Titan encounters young Eren and Carla amidst the chaos. As Carla‘s legs were pinned under rubble from the Titans‘ assault on Wall Maria, she urged Eren to take Mikasa and flee to safety, aware that escape was impossible. But Eren stubbornly refused.
Ignoring the human evacuees around her, the Smiling Titan stared intently at Carla in an eerie, grotesque approximation of a smile. Then with sudden speed belying her size, the Titan grabbed Carla. As Eren and Mikasa looked on in helpless horror, Carla struggled in futility against the Smiling Titan‘s grip before succumbing. Her chilling death left an indelible trauma on her son that would shape his quest for vengeance from then on.
Total Shiganshina Death Toll from the Titan Invasion:
| Type | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Titan stepping on houses | 200+ |
| Smiling Titan (Dina Fritz) | 1 (Carla Yeager) |
| Bearded Titan | 2 (Hannes, Moises) |
| Total | Over 250,000 |
This heartbreaking tragedy early in Attack on Titan ignited Eren‘s hatred of the Titans that would drive the entire plot going forward.
Avenging Carla
After the Titans‘ capture of Wall Maria forced the refugees into the territory of Wall Rose, Eren vowed to join the military‘s Scout Regiment to eradicate the Titan threat once and for all. But the road to mastering his own Titan powers would prove long and wearying.
In the anime‘s climactic Battle of Trost arc where Eren first transforms, we catch the first glimpse that his deep-buried rage over his mother‘s death fuels his Titan form‘s berserker fury in combat. This primal anger powers his determination to eliminate his mother‘s killer.
Eren battles the Armored Titan in Trost
Finally in Season 2, Eren unlocks the truth that the Smiling Titan from 5 years prior was no normal Pure Titan, but rather Dina Fritz herself. Enraged, he unleashes the full power of his Titan form against her mindless Pure Titan in a cathartic showdown. With key assistance from Hannes, Eren deals the decisive blow to Dina‘s nape that avenges Carla at long last.
Eren strikes a fatal blow against the Smiling Titan
This satisfying moment of payback for longtime fans highlighted Eren‘s emotional growth after enduring tremendous trauma. Having achieved his driving purpose over two seasons‘ worth of plot, where Eren goes from here as the Attack Titan remains to be seen…
So in summation, while much about Dina Fritz‘s history and her motivations as the Smiling Titan remain shrouded in mystery, her role as the killer who catalyzed Eren‘s quest for vengeance was pivotal early in the show. Unmasking the truth behind this critical Attack on Titan lore moment provides poignant backstory on Eren as the protagonist.
