The first time we saw that lanky, fur-covered freak peering over the Wall Rose treeline, everything changed. Up until that point, Attack on Titan was basically a survival horror about mindless, naked giants eating people. Then comes the Beast Titan—or as the internet dubbed him, the Attack on Titan monkey—and suddenly the giants are talking. He’s curious. He’s polite. And then he crushes a horse with a boulder just to see what happens.
Honestly, that moment in Season 2 (or Chapter 35 for the manga readers) shifted the entire DNA of Hajime Isayama’s story. It wasn't just a new monster. It was a paradigm shift.
The Mystery of the Attack on Titan Monkey
When the Beast Titan first appeared, fans were losing their minds. Who was he? Why did he look like a massive Bigfoot instead of a skinless body? For a long time, the Attack on Titan monkey was the ultimate enigma. He didn't seem interested in breaking walls; he wanted to observe. He picked apart Mike Zacharias’s vertical maneuvering equipment like a scientist examining a bug. It was chilling.
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The design itself is a weird departure from the other Nine Titans. Most Titans have a human-like musculature, but the Beast is all about those elongated arms and thick, dark fur. It’s a design that screams "unnatural evolution." We later find out that the Beast Titan's appearance actually depends on the specific shifter. For Zeke Yeager, it took the form of an ape—possibly because of a monkey plushie he had as a kid. If someone else had inherited it, we might have seen a giant bird, a deer, or even a dinosaur, which we actually catch a glimpse of in the Season 2 opening credits.
Zeke Yeager: The Man Behind the Fur
You can’t talk about the Attack on Titan monkey without talking about Zeke. He’s easily one of the most complex "villains" in modern anime history. He isn't some cackling psychopath. He’s a man driven by a deeply depressing philosophy: the Eldian Euthanization plan.
Zeke grew up in a pressure cooker. His parents, Grisha and Dina, used him as a tool for the Eldian Restorationists. Then he was sent into the Marleyan Warrior program. He was a double agent who eventually realized that the only way to "save" his people from a world that hates them was to make sure they were never born in the first place. It’s dark. It’s nihilistic. It makes his clashes with Levi Ackerman feel personal, even though Levi just wants to kill him because he turned his comrades into literal red mist at Shiganshina.
The dynamic between Zeke and Eren is where the story gets really juicy. You have two brothers with the same goal—stopping the cycle of hatred—but completely opposite methods. Zeke wants a quiet, painless end. Eren wants to rumble the entire world into dust. The Attack on Titan monkey becomes a tragic figure in the end, caught between his desire for a father figure and his cold, calculating logic.
Why the Beast Titan is Terrifyingly Overpowered
Most Titans are scary because they're big. The Beast Titan is scary because he’s a sniper.
Zeke’s unique physiology—specifically his royal blood—gives him powers that other Beast Titans didn't have. He can turn people into Titans just by screaming, provided they've ingested his spinal fluid. Remember the Ragako village incident? That was him. He turned an entire village into a trap.
Then there’s the throwing. Because of Zeke’s background playing catch with Mr. Ksaver, he turned the Attack on Titan monkey into a living piece of heavy artillery. He can shred a fleet of ships or an entire regiment of soldiers from miles away by pitching crushed rocks. Watching the Survey Corps charge toward him in Season 3 was one of the most stressful experiences in television history. It wasn't a fight. It was a slaughter.
The Levi vs. Beast Titan Rivalry
If there is one thing every fan remembers, it’s Levi turning Zeke into sashimi.
The Attack on Titan monkey was the pinnacle of Marleyan power. He was the "Warchief." He felt untouchable. And then Levi Ackerman happened. That first fight in Shiganshina is a masterclass in animation and catharsis. After Zeke spent an entire afternoon casually murdering the Scouts, seeing Levi emerge from the smoke to dismantle him was incredible.
But it’s important to note how Zeke keeps surviving. He’s slippery. He’s smart. Even when he’s blown up by a thunder spear or stuck in the stomach of a Titan to heal, he finds a way back. That's why the final confrontation in the series feels so earned. It’s not just a battle of strength; it’s a battle of ideologies.
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Semantic Realities: Is He Actually a Monkey?
Technically, he’s an ape. More specifically, a Great Ape. But "Attack on Titan monkey" stuck because it sounds funnier and a bit more insulting, which fits how the characters in the show often view him—as a beast rather than a man.
In the lore, the Beast Titan has appeared in many forms. During the final battle on the back of the Founding Titan, we see past versions of the Beast. There’s a white-furred one, a goat-like one, and even something resembling an okapi. It proves that the "monkey" aspect was unique to Zeke’s tenure. It represented his playfulness, his detachment, and his distance from humanity.
Common Misconceptions About the Beast Titan
- He’s the strongest Titan: Not really. In a straight-up brawl, the Armored Titan or the War Hammer would probably wreck him. His strength comes from his range and his ability to control other Titans with his royal blood.
- He’s purely evil: Zeke is a utilitarian. He thinks he’s the hero of the story. If you look at his childhood, it’s hard not to feel a little bad for him, even if he did enjoy "perfect games" while killing the Scouts.
- The fur is just for show: It actually provides some level of protection, though not as much as the hardening ability. It also helps him survive in different climates, making him a versatile weapon for Marley.
The Legacy of the Beast
The Attack on Titan monkey changed the stakes. He introduced the concept of the "Warrior" vs. the "Soldier." He brought the outside world’s technology and cold-blooded strategy to the doorstep of the simple people of Paradis. Without Zeke, the story never leaves the walls.
He represents the burden of the past. Zeke was literally carrying the weight of his predecessor, Tom Ksaver, and the sins of his father, Grisha. Every time he threw a rock, he was throwing his trauma.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lore of the Beast Titan, here are a few things you should do:
- Watch the OADs: Specifically No Regrets. It gives you a better understanding of Levi’s mindset, which makes his hatred for Zeke much more palpable.
- Re-read Chapter 114: This is the deep dive into Zeke’s childhood. It’s heartbreaking and clarifies why he is the way he is.
- Analyze the "Moving Pictures": Look at the Season 2 opening again. The scene with the animals (including the dinosaur) was a massive foreshadowing of the Beast Titan’s true nature that most people missed for years.
- Check out the "Final Exhibition" sketches: Isayama released concept art for other Beast Titan iterations that never made it into the main series.
The Attack on Titan monkey isn't just a meme. He's a pillar of the series. From his terrifying introduction to his quiet, reflective end, Zeke Yeager and his ape-like form remain the most interesting antagonists in anime. He forced us to ask if a peaceful death is better than a violent life, and honestly, we’re still debating the answer.
The story of the Beast Titan concludes not with a roar, but with a conversation about the simple joy of playing catch. In a world of monsters, that might be the most human thing of all.