Attack on Titan: The 12 Most Powerful Titans In The Series, Ranked

There are plenty of anime series out there that appeal to fans of Ghost of Tsushima, as well as the Yakuza franchise, but Attack on Titan is not one of those series. The series takes place in a seemingly dystopian world where the majority of humanity has been wiped out by giant, man-eating humanoid monsters called Titans, and what is left of humanity now lives in a large kingdom surrounded by walls. This is what appears on the surface, and it’s not until viewers are done watching the first three seasons that the premise expands to cover a wide range of themes and motifs that have helped cement this show as one of the very best anime ever made.

As the story progresses, things get far more complex and interesting, but the Titans remain the number one threat. Every single one of these Titans is incredibly dangerous, and the only way to kill them is by destroying a specific area in the back of their necks. There are certain, however, that are special, and they also happen to be the strongest Titans in Attack on Titan. Eldians who are deemed worthy by Marley are given the distinguished honor of housing the power of one of these Titans and becoming an honorary Marleyan, which itself is a double-edged sword.

Updated on March 13, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Attack on Titan is a legendary series that needs no introduction. The scope of this series ballooned in size, transforming from a story about humanity’s struggle against the Titans into a mind-bending tale that addresses everything from the brutality of war to outright racism and everything in between. The show’s themes are complex and engaging, making for a spectacular anime that fans can’t get enough of. Attack on Titan may have ended its legendary run, but viewers will still talk fondly about the many regular and special Titans that made an appearance in the series.

12 Pure Titans

The Most Common Form Of Titan

• Debut Episode: To You, After 2,000 Years: The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 1 (Episode 1 of Season 1)

The sight of the first Titan in the series is something that fans can’t forget. These hulking monstrosities with incredibly creepy expressions are horrifying to witness firsthand, especially since the death and destruction they can inflict on society is quite horrifying.

Pure Titans may become common fodder later on as the series tackles bigger threats, but that shouldn’t take away from the threat they pose. Any encounter with a regular Titan where the opposition isn’t prepared will end with a massacre of the highest order. Even the Survey Corps, a unit specifically trained to deal with these monsters, falls in droves because of how savage these lumbering giants are when they finally get their hands on fresh meat.

The Pure Titans’ Greatest Feat Of Strength: Oppressing The Residents Of Paradis Island For Centuries

The residents of Paradis Island were completely unaware of the reason why they were being oppressed by the Titans, who had forced them behind the walls for the longest time. It’s only after the secret of the basement is revealed that fans figure out the true nature of their existence and how these Titans are actually people themselves!

11 Abnormal Titans

A Titan That Moves And Behaves Differently

• Debut Episode: The World the Girl Saw: The Struggle for Trost, Part 2 (Episode 6 of Season 1)

It’s easy to laugh when viewers see an Abnormal Titan for the first time. They move around weirdly and have exaggerated mannerisms that can be pretty hilarious until their behavior leads to the death of numerous Survey Corps soldiers who have no idea how to deal with this threat.

Anything that massive that can run and cause havoc is going to be a panic-inducing sight for many. This makes it important to tackle these Abnormal Titans with a sound strategy in mind so that soldiers aren’t annihilated by the dozens. Without a plan and some skill, these unnerving Titans will thwart any attempt to have their napes cut off.

The Abnormal Titans’ Greatest Feat Of Strength: Being Completely Unpredictable

Unpredictability is common across Attack on Titan‘s story, and the Abnormal Titans certainly make it hard to predict what they’re capable of. They move funny and can increase their speed in no time flat, making it imperative to take these monstrosities out before things become really serious.

10 The Cart Titan

A Fast Titan Perfect For Support Roles

• Debut Episode: The Door of Hope (Episode 3 of Season 4)
• Known Users: Pieck Finger

The Cart Titan would strike fear into anyone because it’s a Titan, and although it is extremely versatile, it is arguably the weakest of the Nine Titans.

Unlike other Titans, the Cart is quadrupedal, which is why it can have multiple turrets placed on its back. What makes it so versatile is the fact that it possesses incredible endurance, which allows the Titan Shifter to remain transformed for extended periods of time. The shifter can also transform dozens of times without getting tired, and the Titan also happens to be one of the fastest.

The Cart Titan’s Greatest Feat Of Strength: Fending Off Numerous Titan Incarnations At Once

When Eren activates the Rumbling, the Scouts and Titan Shifters join forces to stop him, and when they finally reach him, he summons multiple former incarnations of the Nine Titans. The Cart Titan’s speed was very useful in this fight because it allowed Pieck to kill multiple Titans on her own. Its high-level endurance was also useful because it allowed Pieck to transform multiple times whenever her Titan body was severely injured.

9 The Female Titan

A Fast, Versatile Titan That Is Adept In Close-Quarter Combat

• Debut Episode: Female Titan: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, Part 1 (Episode 17 of Season 1)
• Known Users: Annie Leonhart

Attack on Titan is a great series with a great video game, but no one really talks about the game, which is unfortunate because it allows players to fight multiple Titans, including the Female Titan. As one of the Nine, the Female Titan is among the strongest, and depending on the shifter, it can be a very skilled fighter.

This Titan can summon lesser Titans with its scream, and it can harden parts of its skin for defensive and offensive purposes. It can also inherit abilities much faster than any of the other Nine Titans.

The Female Titan’s Greatest Feat Of Strength: Defeating Eren & Several Of The Scout’s Best Fighters With Ease

When Annie attempted to capture Eren, she needed to get through Levi’s entire squad, a squad that was composed of several of the Scouts’ best fighters. Annie used the power of the Female Titan to crush every single member of the squad, and when Eren transformed to avenge them, Annie used her Titan’s hardening ability to defeat Eren’s Attack Titan with a single kick after a short scuffle.

8 The Beast Titan

A Smart, Calculating Monstrosity With Great Aim

• Debut Episode: Beast Titan (Episode 1 of Season 2)
• Known Users: Tom Ksaver & Zeke Yeager

If it was done properly, Attack on Titan would make a great monster movie, especially since the Beast Titan actually looks like a monster. That is because the Beast Titan takes on the physical characteristics of various animals, but its appearance changes with each shifter.

The current Beast Titan can transform people into Titans, but that is because the shifter has royal blood. Normally, the Beast Titan’s best feature is its destructive throwing capabilities, but other than that, all it can do is harden its skin.

The Beast Titan’s Greatest Feat Of Strength: Wiping Out The Majority Of The Survey Corps

Zeke’s Beast Titan may be able to transform Eldians into Titans, but his greatest feat had nothing to do with this special power. When the Survey Corps rode out to take back Wall Maria, the bulk of their forces ended up charging toward the Beast Titan to give Eren and his friends more time. The Beast Titan crushed boulders with his bare fists and fired them at the Survey Corps. He ended up mowing them all down with multiple volleys.

7 The Jaw Titan

A Lithe, Agile Titan That Is Great For Hit-And-Run Tactics

• Debut Episode: Soldier (Episode 4 of Season 2)
• Known Users: Marcel Galliard, Ymir, Porco Galliard, & Falco Grice

There are anime out there that Final Fantasy fans would enjoy, and they might like Attack on Titan simply because it would remind them of fighting colossal beings. The Jaw Titan may be big, but it is arguably the smallest of the Nine Titans, but this means that it is also the swiftest of the Nine.

This Titan possesses incredibly sharp and powerful claws, but its greatest strength is obviously its jaw, which is filled with hardened teeth that are capable of biting through just about anything.

The Jaw Titan’s Greatest Feat Of Strength: Taking On Over A Dozen Titans At Once

When Ymir and her fellow recruits are camped at Utgard Castle, they get surrounded by more than a dozen Titans, and she transforms into the Jaw Titan to protect Historia and her friends. The Titan’s incredible speed was on full display during this battle, as the Jaw was able to cut through the enemy Titans with ease thanks to its sharp claws and powerful jaws.

6 The Armored Titan

Supreme Protection And Excellent Offensive Power

• Debut Episode: To You, After 2,000 Years: The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 1 (Episode 1 of Season 1)
• Known Users: Reiner Braun

Every single Titan is incredibly hard to kill, but the Armored Titan is even more difficult to take down because of its defensive capabilities. Most of the Armored Titan’s body is protected by hardened, armor-like skin and there are very few things that can pierce through it.

This Titan may be great at defense, but its armored skin also comes in handy during battle, as each punch deals out an absurd amount of damage. It can also harden its arms and legs to make them extremely sharp weapons that can slice through almost anything.

The Armored Titan’s Greatest Feat Of Strength: Breaking Through Wall Maria’s Gate

The Armored Titan was incredibly durable, but that durability ultimately meant nothing as the series went on because it was defeated by both the Beast and Attack Titans. It couldn’t handle being surrounded by regular Titans either. Its greatest feat came in the first episode though, when it charged towards a fortified gate to punch a hole through Wall Maria, and it did this while a barrage of cannon balls bounced off of its skin.

5 The Colossal Titan

Massive Size, Explosive Transformation, And The Ability To Emit Steam

• Debut Episode: To You, After 2,000 Years: The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 1 (Episode 1 of Season 1)
• Known Users: Bertolt Hoover & Armin Arlert

Attack on Titan proved in its very first episode that it is an anime capable of producing amazing visuals, and it all started when the Colossal Titan appeared and blew a hole in Wall Maria. As its name suggests, the Colossal Titan is massive, but that isn’t what makes it powerful.

It emits steam from its body like a blast furnace, and it is hot enough to melt flesh off of someone’s body. What truly makes this Titan terrifying is its transformation, because the amount of energy that is released is similar to a large-scale bomb that is powerful enough to level parts of a major city.

The Colossal Titan’s Greatest Feat Of Strength: Destroying An Entire Navy/Port

Out of the Nine Titans, the Colossal possesses the most destructive power, and this power was on full display in Season 4 when Paradis Island launched a surprise attack on Marley. Armin possessed the power of the Colossal at this point, and he transformed inside the harbor in the middle of Marley’s navy. The amount of energy that was released destroyed every single ship and portions of the city along the port were blown to smithereens.

4 The Attack Titan

Excellent Jack Of All Trades With Localized Hardening Powers

• Debut Episode: Small Blade – The Struggle for Trost: Part 3 (Episode 7 of Season 1)
• Known Users: Eren Kruger, Grisha Yeager & Eren Yeager

Eren Yeager is the current holder of the Attack Titan and he has shown just how formidable it can be in a fight. As far as abilities are concerned, the Attack Titan is capable of seeing the memories of its past and future holders, which can come in very handy.

It is because of this ability that the Attack Titan constantly tries to move forward by fighting for freedom, and seeing as it has managed to defeat several of the other Nine Titans in battle, it is one of the strongest.

The Attack Titan’s Greatest Feat Of Strength: Defeating The Armored Titan In A Wrestling Match

The Attack Titan managed to defeat a lot of Titans, but its greatest victory came against the Armored Titan. The Armored Titan’s skin is far more durable than the Attack’s, but Eren was still able to overpower it. Eren was able to grapple with the Armored Titan to the point that he managed to crack and shatter segments of his armor.

3 The War Hammer Titan

The Ability To Manipulate Titan Hardening Powers And Form Weapons

• Debut Episode: The War Hammer Titan (Episode 6 of Season 4)
• Known Users: Lara Tybur & Eren Yeager

The War Hammer Titan was the last of the Nine Titans to appear, and its debut was truly exciting. Unlike the other Nine Titans, the holder of the War Hammer can control their Titan from afar thanks to a cable made of Titan flesh which allows the shifter to hide in a crystalized case underground.

What makes the War Hammer Titan so strong is the fact that it can create weapons and structures from its hardened flesh, which means that it can trap people and other Titans, and impale them with a spear or shoot them through the neck with a massive arrow.

The War Hammer Titan’s Greatest Feat Of Strength: Manhandling Eren’s Attack Titan

In terms of versatility, the War Hammer Titan is the best, and if it wasn’t for Mikasa, it would have annihilated Eren. When the two fought each other, the War Hammer was pretty much in complete control because its weapons easily pierced through the Attack Titan’s body. The War Hammer Titan also managed to immobilize Eren by impaling his Titan body with its ability to create spikes from beneath the ground.

2 The Wall Titans

Massive Titans That Emit Steam And Can Obliterate The Entire World

• Debut Episode: Wall: Assault on Stohess, Part 3 (Episode 25 of Season 1)
• Known Users: None

At the end of Attack on Titan‘s first season, fans learned that the walls protecting humanity were made from thousands of slightly smaller colossal Titans. These Titans are mindless, but together, they are capable of destroying all of humanity.

These Titans serve as a deterrent to anyone who wants to attack Paradis island, but they also act as a sword because if they are released, they will march until they flatten the entire Earth beneath their feet, and it is incredibly difficult to kill one of them as cannon fire and aerial bombing have little effect on them.

The Wall Titans’ Greatest Feat Of Strength: Trampling Nearly All Of Humanity

The Wall Titans are about as large as the Colossal Titans, but they have no minds of their own. These Titans only exist to deter the rest of the world, and it worked because these Titans are capable of trampling humanity out of existence. When Eren triggered the Rumbling, the Wall Titans did exactly what they were created to do, as they walked across the Earth and flattened approximately 80% of human life.

1 The Founding Titan

Can Control Other Titans, Summon Past Titan Shifters, And Initiate The End Of The World

• Debut Episode: Scream (Episode 12 of Season 2)
• Known Users: Ymir Fritz, Karl Fritz, Uri Reiss, Frieda Reiss, Grisha & Eren Jaeger

The full extent of the Founding Titan’s power can only be activated by someone who possesses royal blood, but when this condition is met, it is by far the strongest Titan in the world. With its scream, the Founding Titan can force Eldians to transform into Titans, and it can alter the memories of Eldians as well.

If the shifter is properly trained, it will be able to put up a decent fight, but most of the time, it can get by without fighting because it can control the minds of every other Titan, including the other shifters.

The Founding Titan’s Greatest Feat Of Strength: Activating The Rumbling & Summoning Past Titan Shifters

The Founding Titan connects every Titan and every Subject of Ymir, which is why it was able to wake every Wall Titan at once. The Rumbling would never happen without the Founding Titan, but its true strength is its ability to defend itself. It does this by summoning dozens of previous incarnations of the Nine Titans, and each of these incarnations possesses the powers of their respective Titan.