Rod Reiss is a major character in the Attack on Titan anime and manga series. He is the true royal family bloodline, being Historia’s biological father. Rod possesses the power of the Titans, specifically the Founding Titan. However, he operates behind the scenes and manipulates others to fulfill his goals. Understanding Rod’s identity as a Titan shifter is key to unraveling the mysteries behind the Walls.
Who is Rod Reiss?
Rod Reiss comes from the lost Reiss royal family who once ruled within the Walls. He is the illegitimate child of the former Reiss monarch and younger brother to Frieda Reiss. After Grisha Yeager killed most of the Reiss family to steal the Founding Titan, Rod went into hiding. He then manipulated the Interior Police and planned to make his daughter Historia into a Titan under his control.
As a descendant of the old royal family, Rod possesses special powers when ingesting Titan spinal fluid. This allows him to become a massive Titan well over 120m tall. He sought to reclaim the Founding Titan power that was stolen from him years earlier.
Rod’s Goal to Control Historia
A key aspect of Rod Reiss’ character is his complex relationship with his illegitimate daughter Historia (formerly known as Christa Lenz). For much of the story, Historia is unaware of her true heritage. Rod rejected Historia due to her being born out of wedlock. He saw her only as a tool to be used later on.
After the Scout Regiment’s coup d’etat overthrows the puppet king, Rod begins to set his plans in motion. He tasks Kenny Ackerman and the Interior Police with capturing Historia so that he can turn her into a mindless Titan. Since Historia possesses royal blood, becoming a Titan would allow Rod to reclaim the Founding Titan’s powers through her.
However, Historia ultimately rejects her father’s wishes after learning how he only views her as a vessel for the Throne’s power. She refuses to inherit his Titan and be used as a pawn.
Rod’s Hyprocrisy
Despite casting Historia aside for so many years, Rod still claims to care about his daughter when trying to convince her to inherit his Titan. This shows his hypocrisy and willingness to manipulate anyone, even his own family, for power. Rod refuses to take responsibility for failing to protect the Founding Titan. He hopes to use Historia to correct his past mistakes.
Rod’s Monstrous Titan Form
After Historia rejects the plan to become a Titan, a desperate Rod Reiss takes matters into his own hands. He steals a dose of the spinal fluid needed to trigger the transformation. Licking the serum transforms Rod into a massive 120m Titan, one of the biggest ever shown in the story.
Appearance and Abilities
Rod’s Titan appears quadrupedal with a long neck and small head like a giraffe. While normally intelligent Titans are shaped like humans, Rod more resembles a dinosaur. This demonstrates how inaccurately he estimated the proper serum dosage needed.
While gigantic in size, Rod’s Titan form also crawls extremely slowly. This awkward, lumbering movement makes it difficult for him to accomplish his goals. He becomes a prisoner in his own massive body.
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| Type | Abnormal |
| Height | 120m |
| Speed | Very Slow |
| Intelligence | Low |
| Speech | None |
Seeking the Founding Titan
Once transformed, Rod’s Titan form heads towards Orvud District where Historia is located. Driven by pure instinct, he seeks to devour Historia in order to steal her royal blood and the Founding Titan ability. However, this mindless goal conflicts with Rod’s original plan of controlling Historia as a Titan.
Rod’s massive size causes widespread destruction to Orvud District as he lumbers towards the caves where Historia is taking refuge. His transformation puts the entire area at risk.
Defeat and Destruction
Rod Reiss’ plans to restore his family’s power by devouring Historia ultimately fail. His lumbering Titan form is confronted by Eren Yeager, who has gained a new hardening ability. Eren is able to stop Rod’s movement and buy time for the Scouts to swarm over Rod’s body.
A Team Effort
The Scouts employ an unorthodox strategy to take down Rod’s enormous Titan. A group led by Hange Zoe equips themselves with barrel-launched grappling hooks called Thunder Spears. These Spears allow the Scouts to penetrate deep into Rod’s body despite his size.
Other Scouts like Sasha, Connie, and Jean act as distractions to keep Rod’s attention away from the Thunder Spear teams. Meanwhile, Eren uses his hardening powers again to keep Rod pinned down. This coordinated plan reflects how much the Scouts have developed their Titan-fighting abilities.
Explosive End
After sustaining massive internal damage from dozens of Thunder Spear strikes, Rod’s Titan finally succumbs. But even in defeat, Rod poses a huge threat. The excessive heat and pressure within his Titan causes Rod’s massive body to explode. This sends a destructive shower of flesh raining down on Orvud.
While Eren manages to shield himself and Historia from the worst impact, the remains of Rod’s Titan still cause considerable damage to the district. This mirrors the widespread chaos and destruction Rod and the royal family have unleashed on society through their constant infighting over the Thrones’ power.
Conclusion
Rod Reiss serves as a major antagonist in Attack on Titan through his selfish attempts to restore his family’s rule. His enormous 120m Titan form makes him one of the biggest Titan threats in the series. However, this power comes at a great cost. Rod loses his humanity and intelligence by overdosing on Titan serum, becoming a mindless monster. His futile quest causes destruction to many innocent lives.
Rod reflects how the royal family’s internal conflicts have allowed the Walls to become ruled by deception and manipulation. His relationship with Historia represents these dynamics on a personal scale. While seeking to reclaim the Founding Titan, Rod ultimately loses sight of what matters most. This paves the way for newer leaders like Historia to chart a different course for humanity’s future.