Summary
The paramilitary organization known as the Marley Public Security plays an important role in maintaining order and control within the Eldian internment zones of Marley. As the primary security force stationed in Marley, the PS is responsible for a variety of duties related tothe oppression and containment of Eldians. This includes restricting the movement of Eldians, countering dissident movements, and exiling undesirable Eldians to Paradis Island to be transformed into Pure Titans.
In the anime seriesAttack on Titan, the Marley Public Security provides crucial context about the systematic discrimination and dehumanization faced by Eldians living under Marleyan rule. Let’s take a deeper look at the purpose, conduct, history, and key storylines involving this complex security force.
Purpose of the Marley Public Security
The primary purpose of the Marley Public Security, often abbreviated to PS, is to ensure law and order are upheld within the various Eldian internment zones located across Marley’s continental mainland. Their main area of jurisdiction lies within these walled communities, such as the large Liberio internment zone, where hundreds of thousands of Eldians are kept separate from the mainland Marleyan population. Some of the PS’s core responsibilities in the internment zones include restricting the movement of Eldians in and out of the ghettos, countering any dissident or extremist movements that may emerge among the Eldian population, and exiling undesirable Eldians to Paradis Island, where they areturned into Pure Titans.
In addition to maintaining a security presence within the zones, the PS also has the unenviable task of identifying potential child recruits from among the Eldians to be trained as Warriors in the military of Marley. Beginning in the year 830, the PS would scout Eldian children aged between 5 and 7 years old and select several candidates each year toundergo intense warrior training, with the promise that their families would gain honorary Marleyan status if they graduated. Some of the most famous children chosen included Zeke Jaeger, Bertholdt Hoover, Reiner Braun, Annie Leonhart, and Marcel Galliard.
While a powerful organization, the Marley Public Security had been infiltrated by the Eldian Restoration movement in the past. Through this, the movement was able to obtain censored historical records and important government documents. A high-level Eldian agent, known as “the Owl,” even rose to a high position within the command hierarchy. It wasn’tuntil Zeke Jaeger’s defectionthat most of the conspirators within the organization were rooted out.
Aside from the internment zones, the PS also shares jurisdiction over a wharf and outpost located onthe coast of Paradis Islandwith the Marleyan military. This facility is used both to exile undesirable Eldians to the island to turn them into Titans, and for transport operations between Marley and Paradis conducted by the military. However, the PS presence is largely confined to operating within and around the internment zones.
Conduct Toward Eldians
The Marley Public Security’s conduct toward Eldians is varied and sometimes contradictory. While the PS is charged with maintaining order, some soldiers seem to condone or participate in brutality against the Eldians. For instance, a Sergeant Major named Gross allowed his sons to sadistically unleash dogs against Faye Jaeger, resulting in her death, with no repercussions on his career.
The PS also uses harsh torture methods when interrogating suspected Eldian dissidents, such as cutting off all ofGrisha Jaeger’s fingersduring questioning. However, not all PS members demonstrate such cruelty. Some develop more familiar, even caring, attitudes toward Eldians due to frequent interactions over time on the job. For example, in 854, two gate guards near the Warrior cadets' residences were on friendly terms with the children through daily conversations at their posts. They knew details, like Falco Grice’s feelings for Gabi Braun. During the attack on Liberio, the same guards tried to stop Gabi from running into the fighting at a checkpoint, urging her safety instead. When the guards came under fire, one pushed Gabi away from the shots before both lost their lives.
Equipment and Uniforms of the PS
The Marley Public Security maintains standardized uniforms and equipment to carry out its duties. Regular PS troops wear a peaked cap with a leather visor, a navy blue trench coat, a leather equipment belt, a white shirt with a black tie, and leather jackboots. Higher-ranking officers are distinguished by wearing a gray trench coat instead.
Weapons include modern firearms, such as bolt-action rifles and revolvers to maintain control if needed within the internment zones. Past uniforms differed, with a “Napoleonic” style worn by the PS in Kruger and Ymir’s era including a cap, a tunic with two rows of buttons, leather shoulder and waist belts carrying ammunition, and epaulets on higher ranks. Infantry arms at the time were cap-lock muskets.
To facilitate transportation between the mainland and Paradis Island, the PS utilized at least one steamboat, though this was later destroyed by Eren Kruger. An outpost located on the island’s coast consisted of a pier and a small section surrounded by a 30-meter wall, allowing the PS to access the islandfor exiling undesirable Eldiansby transforming them into Titans.
History and Key Events
The Marley Public Security has played a key role in Eldian affairs over several decades. Between 743-817 AD, one of its predecessor organizations helped crush a revolutionary army formed bythe Eldian royal familyin Marley. Young Eren Kruger witnessed his family being burned alive, motivating him to later join the resistance.
When Kruger came of age, he faked the required blood test and infiltrated the PS, using his position to organize a new underground group and supply it with sensitive intelligence. Around the same time, the Marleyan forces discovered an Eldian cult worshipping Ymir and exiled the members to Paradis Island, where they were transformed.
In 817, Sergeant Major Gross’s sonsmurdered Grisha Jaeger’ssister Faye, deeply scaring Grisha and pushing him to lead the Eldian Restorationists. In 832, the PS took on recruiting Eldian children as Warrior candidates, including Grisha sending Zeke. However, Zeke betrayed the resistance to the PS, allowing the capture of most members.
PS officers subsequently shipped prisoners to Paradis outpost for titanization. During this, Kruger revealed his true identityas the Attack Titanto Grisha before battling the escort, destroying the entire detail and their steamboat transport in the process.
Role in Recent Story Arcs
In the Marley arc in 854 AD, PS officers are seen guarding the Liberio Internment Zone and processing returning Warrior members at the gates. During the Raid on Liberio, the PS assisted the military in evacuating casualties and preventing civilians from entering combat areas. However, the lightly armed PS soldiers fared poorly against the technologicallyadvanced Scout Regiment attackers, with at least two troops killed in an ambush.
During the War for Paradis arc, afterEren reveals his intentionto destroy all life outside Paradis, Eldians in Liberio’s internment zone gather at the gates to warn the PS of the threat. The PS soldiers remain unconvinced and attempt to round up the Eldians on conspiracy charges of trying to escape. However, one Eldian begins to retaliate, and the PS is unable to contain the panicked Eldians, many of whom escape the zone by train and spread the word of Eren’s plan to Marleyan citizens.
Attack On Titan
Cast
Based on Hajime Isayama’s widely popular manga, Attack on Titan is a dark fantasy anime set in a world where humanity lives behind walls to protect themselves from massive creatures known as Titans. Over the course of four seasons, the story takes plenty of unexpected twists and turns, almost evolving into a different type of series in the process.
