<h1>The answer contains heavy spoilers to anime watchers. You have been warned!</h1>

<p>It's been heavily hinted (almost confirmed, really) that titans are created by transforming humans in some way. Ymir was transformed to a mindless titan over 60 years ago, and was unable to return to her human form for a very long time.</p>

<p>We already know that several powers (such as titan shifter powers, titan control powers, and "The Memories") can be transferred by eating. This conclusion was reached by Hanji in chapter 57.</p>

<p>When Ymir ate Reiner's and Berthold's friend (who was also a titan shifter), she gained his titan shifting abilities, and was able to return to human form.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-24T19:32:59.560Z
For later readers, this has been speculated and heavily implied in story.
kaine
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-01T11:40:16.937Z
2015-01-02T16:38:44.750Z
2015-01-02T16:38:44.750Z
Madara's Ghost
<p>I wanted to update this question because the answers are outdated, and all of this information has been revealed in Chapter 89.</p>

<p>Please note, spoilers ahead, read at your own risk. </p>

<p>In Chapter 89, pages 8-18, we see a summary of Ymir's life in chronological order. </p>

<blockquote class="spoiler">
  <p>Ymir was originally an Eldian begger in the Marleyan internment zone for Eldians. As a child, she was caught associating herself with Ymir Fritz cultists, and she took the punishment for the cultists. As a result, she was sentenced to life as a mindless titan, taken to the penal colony Island Paradis, injected with titan serum in her spinal fluid, and shoved off the wall into the territory. This results in her roaming the titan territory of the penal colony for 60 years as a mindless titan. <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/NwQvA.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/NwQvA.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>At some point Ymir</p>

<blockquote class="spoiler">
  <p>hibernates in the earth under dirt and brush until 845 when Reiner, Marcel, Bertholdt, and Annie accidentally stumble upon her in hibernation. Marcel, seeking to save Reiner, sacrifices himself when Ymir tries to eat Reiner. Since Marcel was a titan-shifter he passed on his powers to Ymir, and Ymir regained the ability to shift back to human form. So, in essence, Ymir was only able to return to her human form because she ate a titan-shifter and then became one. All of this was entirely by accident and never meant to occur. <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/9isps.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/9isps.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-04T16:33:33.657Z
2017-07-04T16:33:33.657Z
Kate
<p>So how did Ymir turn to a titan</p>

<p>Major spoilers</p>

<blockquote class="spoiler">
  <p> So she was in Marley,Marley is a place beyond the walls. Eldians found her and called her Ymir after Ymir Fritz. She was worshipped. She was caught by Marleyians and was sent to Utopia. Utopia is a place that turns people into mindless pure titans by injecting titan serum. She roamed the earth for over 60 years. She was hibernating under the ground. Reiner and Bertholdt’s friend saved Reiner from being eaten and got eaten instead. <strong>So she turned to a Human for eating a Titan shifter and got his powers.</strong> So That is It.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-25T00:49:28.090Z
Correct me if I'm wrong but this already contains information from all the other answers before this. I think this can be considered a duplicate, and I don't think any new information can be added from the existing answers, given where the manga is now.
W. Are
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-24T23:41:50.670Z
2019-02-25T00:25:51.217Z
2019-02-25T00:25:51.217Z
ItzPhoenix ________
<p>Just the same as Eric the titan body falls dead at her comand and she foracess her way out through the back of the neck. It gross but awesome.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-01T01:23:06.480Z
2015-01-01T01:23:06.480Z
aquablue
<p>Late in the manga, we know that titans are actually transformed humans, and that not all people who transform into titans can turn back into human form.</p>

<p>I did a lot of research on Ymir and there are many theories regarding how she turns back to her human form for the first time. How does it work?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-01T04:20:41.713Z
Please be more specific - I guess you are referring to how Ymir turned into a titan initially (like how people turn into titan) and can't turn back, and you are asking why she turn back into human for the first time.
nhahtdh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-01T06:00:38.257Z
Well the research I did she couldn't turn back for 60 years and she consider the oldest titan than others. It said she ate Reiner and Bertholdt's childhood friend Marcel and after she ate him in front of them she was able to transformed back to her human form.
MikasaxEren
<attack-on-titan>
How does Ymir turn back into her human form?
# How does Ymir turn back into her human form?
Posted by: username_0 on 2014-12-31
Late in the manga, we know that titans are actually transformed humans, and that not all people who transform into titans can turn back into human form.

I did a lot of research on Ymir and there are many theories regarding how she turns back to her human form for the first time. How does it work?
**Tags:** attack-on-titan
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Please be more specific - I guess you are referring to how Ymir turned into a titan initially (like how people turn into titan) and can't turn back, and you are asking why she turn back into human for the first time.  
> **username_0**: Well the research I did she couldn't turn back for 60 years and she consider the oldest titan than others. It said she ate Reiner and Bertholdt's childhood friend Marcel and after she ate him in front of them she was able to transformed back to her human form.  
---
## 4 answers
### Answer by username_2 on 2015-01-01. Score: 4
# The answer contains heavy spoilers to anime watchers. You have been warned!

It's been heavily hinted (almost confirmed, really) that titans are created by transforming humans in some way. Ymir was transformed to a mindless titan over 60 years ago, and was unable to return to her human form for a very long time.

We already know that several powers (such as titan shifter powers, titan control powers, and "The Memories") can be transferred by eating. This conclusion was reached by Hanji in chapter 57.

When Ymir ate Reiner's and Berthold's friend (who was also a titan shifter), she gained his titan shifting abilities, and was able to return to human form.
> **Comments:**
> **username_3** (2015-03-24): For later readers, this has been speculated and heavily implied in story.  
---
### Answer by username_4 on 2017-07-04. Score: 1
I wanted to update this question because the answers are outdated, and all of this information has been revealed in Chapter 89.

Please note, spoilers ahead, read at your own risk.

In Chapter 89, pages 8-18, we see a summary of Ymir's life in chronological order.

> Ymir was originally an Eldian begger in the Marleyan internment zone for Eldians. As a child, she was caught associating herself with Ymir Fritz cultists, and she took the punishment for the cultists. As a result, she was sentenced to life as a mindless titan, taken to the penal colony Island Paradis, injected with titan serum in her spinal fluid, and shoved off the wall into the territory. This results in her roaming the titan territory of the penal colony for 60 years as a mindless titan. [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/NwQvA.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/NwQvA.jpg)

At some point Ymir

> hibernates in the earth under dirt and brush until 845 when Reiner, Marcel, Bertholdt, and Annie accidentally stumble upon her in hibernation. Marcel, seeking to save Reiner, sacrifices himself when Ymir tries to eat Reiner. Since Marcel was a titan-shifter he passed on his powers to Ymir, and Ymir regained the ability to shift back to human form. So, in essence, Ymir was only able to return to her human form because she ate a titan-shifter and then became one. All of this was entirely by accident and never meant to occur. [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/9isps.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/9isps.jpg)
---
### Answer by username_5 on 2019-02-24. Score: 0
So how did Ymir turn to a titan

Major spoilers

> So she was in Marley,Marley is a place beyond the walls. Eldians found her and called her Ymir after Ymir Fritz. She was worshipped. She was caught by Marleyians and was sent to Utopia. Utopia is a place that turns people into mindless pure titans by injecting titan serum. She roamed the earth for over 60 years. She was hibernating under the ground. Reiner and Bertholdt’s friend saved Reiner from being eaten and got eaten instead. **So she turned to a Human for eating a Titan shifter and got his powers.** So That is It.
> **Comments:**
> **username_6** (2019-02-25): Correct me if I'm wrong but this already contains information from all the other answers before this. I think this can be considered a duplicate, and I don't think any new information can be added from the existing answers, given where the manga is now.  
---
### Answer by username_7 on 2015-01-01. Score: -2
Just the same as Eric the titan body falls dead at her comand and she foracess her way out through the back of the neck. It gross but awesome.
---
