Attack on Titan Districts: How Many Are There & Why Are They Important?
The world of Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan is a truly special one. Whether you like the militaristic undertones or not, the world Isayama has created is undeniably unique. The manga is finished, and the anime is slowly nearing its end, but the world of the franchise still keeps attracting fans who wonder about its origin and its structure. In this article, we are going to tell you about the so-called “districts” of Attack on Titan, i.e., you’re going to find out how many there were and why they were important.
Based on our official information, each of the three Walls of Paradis Island had four larger border towns, known as districts and an inner capital; not all of these districts have been officially revealed. The districts were built as the first line of defense against the constantly attacking Titans and were used to defend the other towns, which is why they were the worst places to live in.
The rest of this article is going to further explore the world of Isayama’s Attack on Titan, as we are going to introduce you to the districts of the world of Attack on Titan. We will tell you what the districts are, how many there are, and what their exact narrative function within the lore of Attack on Titan is.
How many districts are there in Attack on Titan?
The geography of the heavily fortified Paradis Island is truly intriguing. Namely, inhabitants of the island are guarded by three walls that are used as a form of defense against the Titans. Each of these walls, which have a concentric structure, also houses peoples, who live in villages and small(er) towns, as well as the larger towns known as districts. Each Wall houses four main districts and there is a central capital in the middle of these Walls, which means that the total number of districts in the series is 13, but there are numerous other smaller towns and villages spread throughout the walls.
The districts are as follows (not all of them have been named):
| District | Wall | Notes | Side |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ehrmich District | Sheena | The district of Ehrmich lies to the south of the Wall Sheena. The refugees seek refuge in this city, which makes the city mercilessly overcrowded. | South |
| Karanes District | Rose | Karanes is located at the easternmost end of Wall Rose. Karanese is thus another outsourced district. In the manga, a river runs through the district, while in the anime, a wide canal runs through the city. | East |
| Krolva District | Rose | Krolva is the western district of Wall Rose. This makes Krolva one of the outlying districts the Titans are supposed to focus on, as full surveillance of Wall Rose isn’t possible. The district has not yet been featured in the main story, and little is known about it. It was originally named Nedlay, but the name was changed; in the light novels, it is called Fuerth. | West |
| Mitras | Sheena | Mitras is the capital, which lies within the wall ring of Sheena. It is best protected from Titans. | Inner (Capital) |
| Orvud District | Sheena | Orvud is a district of Wall Sheena. It is located in the north. Since the district is in the north, they rarely have contact with Titans. | North |
| Quinta District | Maria | This district is present only in the light novels Attack on Titan: The Harsh Mistress of the City, Part 1, and Attack on Titan: The Harsh Mistress of the City, Part 2. Quinta has a dubious canon status. | West |
| Shiganshina District | Maria | Being on the south of Wall Maria, Shiganshina is one of those outlying districts that the Titans are supposed to focus on since full surveillance of Wall Maria isn’t possible. | South |
| Stohess District | Sheena | Stohess is the eastern district of Wall Sheena. The military police are stationed in this city. Below the city lies the Underground. | East |
| Trost District | Rose | Therefore, this district lies at the southernmost end of Wall Rose and is outsourced. Eren Yeager’s abilities successfully sealed the Gate of Solace after the Colossal Titan’s attack. | South |
| Utopia District | Rose | Utopia is the northern district of the Wall Rose. Armin Arlert only mentions it. He says that Annie Leonhardt is being tortured underground at Utopia. | North |
| Yarckel District | Sheena | Yarckel is located in the western part of Wall Sheena and is a mostly unknown town since it has not been featured in the series. | West |
As you can see, the two districts of Wall Maria (those in the south and east, respectively) have not been named. They exist, as per the map shown, but they have not been named or shown in manga or anime series.
Why are districts important?
Although they seem to be quite functional living spaces, the towns that are actually districts have a very grim story behind them, and there is a very dark reason why they even exist. That reason is connected to the Walls themselves. There are three Walls in total in a concentric structure. Had the people simply built the walls in a circle and built the human settlements within these walls, they would have no way of defending against Titans breaking through the walls. Because one would never know at which point of the vast territory they would invade, humanity does not have the resources to guard and defend the walls in their entirety.
Therefore, the solution has been to build district towns. This structure aims to limit the attack surface. This also reduces the cost of guarding. The people living there act as a kind of bait. This is why the government gives them a special rank that commends their “bravery” (although they don’t have much choice). Each wall is about 50 meters high and several meters wide so that rails can be installed on top, on which cannons, among other things, can be mobilized. Titans are imprisoned within the walls, providing greater stability.
The greatest weakness of the walls is their gates, as they are thinner than the walls themselves and consist of two gates that can be moved independently. Thus, the air space between the individual gates becomes a hazard, as Titans find it easier to punch through two thin walls than through a massive one. The Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan used this strategy. The location of the gates is, therefore, also unfavorable. They are right on the main roads, connecting the districts with other areas. This will facilitate the Titans’ rapid spread if the gates are breached.
As you can see, the districts had a very specific function – to save the rest of the people. The people living in them were constantly threatened and were scapegoats for the Titans. The government populated these districts with people to protect them from the Titans, who would attack and kill the people in the districts rather than elsewhere. Sure, not everyone would die, but the districts also had that defensive function, as the scapegoats would also be able to defend the Walls and drive off the Titans, hoping to lose as few people as possible.
This was a very grim function of the districts and the dark story behind their existence, which perfectly fits into the depressing truth behind the story of Attack on Titan, as depicted by Hajime Isayama, the manga’s author.