One of the most influential and talked-about modern anime has to be Attack on Titan. The series aired for four seasons, with the final season split into three separate parts, and ended in 2023. Attack on Titan follows Eren Yeager on his quest to find out the secret behind Titans, monstrous beings that plague the world, and eliminate the Titans for good. The anime has been recognized for its fight-scene animation, genre-blending, and memorable main character arc. Despite ending years ago, the anime is still discussed among fans for the questions its ending and overall theme pose to the audience.
Many of these discussions revolve around the decisions of the characters in the show, their final fates, and even the growth in skill certain characters exhibit. The Titan shifters of the show are a popular topic, as most of the show’s plot revolves around them and their usefulness to opposite sides of the war in later seasons. While every Titan has a unique ability and purpose that can be utilized in a fight, there are definitely some that stand out over others in terms of combat. Here, we’ll take a look at the Titan shifters ranked by their power, potential, and overall usefulness throughout Attack on Titan.
9) Cart Titan
The Cart Titan is easily the physically weakest of the Nine Titans, but could be much higher on the list when it comes to actual utility and transport abilities. Despite not being incredibly useful in a fight, the Cart Titan is depicted as an excellent scout, rescue operative, and cargo holder. The primary holder in possession of the Cart Titan throughout the anime is Pieck Finger, a shifter who makes full use of her Titan’s potential.
Skills the Cart Titan possesses include its durability, speed, and long-term endurance. Unique from the other Titans, its form allows the Cart Titan to carry weapons and cargo on its back in bulk amounts, even acting as a mobile weapon when equipped with armor or artillery. Pieck is also able to speak when transformed into her Titan form, an unusual ability that can make communication with her allies easy and streamlined.
8) Jaw Titan
One of the Titans that passes around the most throughout Attack on Titan’s plot is the Jaw Titan. Initially possessed by Ymir, who gained it from eating the original Titan warrior chosen by Marley, it then passed on to Porco Galliard, and finally to Falco Grice in the anime. As one of the smallest of the Nine Titans, the Jaw Titan is notably quicker and more agile than other shifters, something its holders take advantage of in both offensive and defensive fighting maneuvers.
Besides its speed, the Jaw Titan’s main power is its namesake: the crushing power of its bite. Not only are the Jaw Titan’s teeth incredibly strong, but its claws tend to also be highly destructive weapons. The anime depicts the Jaw Titan as able to chew or shred through structures, terrain, and other Titans, such as the crystal cocoon the Warhammer Titan produces for its host. Certain holders of the Jaw Titan also formulate armor-like masks that grant additional protection in battle.
7) Female Titan
Our first prolonged look at an enemy Titan shifter in the anime was the Female Titan, possessed by Annie Leonhart. She was a formidable opponent for the Survey Corps who still struggled with fighting Pure Titans— this was aided by the fact Annie herself was a proficient fighter and heavily trained in combat skills. While the Female Titan’s powers aren’t as advanced or useful as some of the other Nine Titans on this list, she still remains a memorable shifter that can cause widespread damage if utilized correctly by the holder.
The Female Titan has enhanced speed, agility, and durability in a fight, which gives her an edge in raw strength and power. Most interesting is the Female Titan’s Scream which attracts Pure Titans to her location in a frenzied wave. While the Scream is handy for drawing Titans to create a distraction, the Female Titan can’t actually control or manipulate them like the Founding Titan. There are also hints that the Female Titan is able to vaguely mimic certain characteristics of other Titans if she consumes part of their flesh, though exactly how much mimicry is limited.
6) Armored Titan
The Armored Titan holds a lower spot on this list because of the development of the Thunder Spear by the Survey Corps to capture and restrain Reiner in his Titan form, effectively nerfing his best advantage. Thunder Spears are explosives attached to spear-like mechanics that can pierce the Armored Titan’s weak links centered mainly around its face and joints, which proved crucial in later Survey Corps fights against shifters. Despite this adaptation making the Armored Titan less contentious than its original appearance at the start of the anime, it still holds a valuable ability in combat and infiltration compared to the other Nine Titans.
As its name suggests, the Armored Titan’s primary power is the armor-like skin hardened over its body to provide defense against attacks. The holder is also able to specifically soften or enhance key spots on their body to aid in tasks like grappling, climbing, and running. This Titan power was especially useful before the development of anti-Titan artillery, as there was little to counter the Armored Titan or remove the shifter from its nape, essentially making it an overpowered fighter with strong defense capabilities.
5) Attack Titan
The Attack Titan is easily the most recognizable Titan from Attack on Titan due to the protagonist, Eren Yeager, inheriting it from his father as a child. Its iconic scream and roars are some of the most memorable transformation scenes from the anime, an audible testament to Eren’s rage and willingness to fight to live and win. Besides the Titan’s physical attributes, it has some of the best abilities among the Nine Titans that boost it above the rest in terms of strength and importance.
Perhaps the key strength the Attack Titan has is its ability to resist the Founding Titans control and manipulation over memory due to its innate desire to fight for freedom. Additionally, the Attack Titan is able to access the past and future memories of users which lends an edge in foresight and understanding. It’s this skill that lets Eren change and influence events from the past and future to his agenda. The Attack Titan is also shown to have decent combat boosts like enhanced speed and strength that give it a leg-up on some of the Titans lower down on this list.
4) Beast Titan
The Beast Titan was an insanely useful weapon in the hands of Zeke Yeager in Marley’s assault against Eldia. Though Zeke’s true goal was later revealed, while feigning allegiance to Marley, he took out squadrons of Scouts using the Beast Titan, only to be stopped by Levi Ackerman’s skill in removing him from his Titan’s nape. The Beast Titan was also used as a deterrent and defense against invaders in Marley, as Zeke’s finesse with the Titan was highly regarded.
In theory, each Beast Titan changes in appearance depending on the current holder of the Titan, but the general appearance will take on animalistic features— Zeke’s Titan, for example, was similar to a monkey in looks. The Beast Titan also possesses a strong throwing ability with a long-range reach and strong force that makes it a dangerous offensive Titan if in capable hands. Additionally, the Beast Titan’s spinal fluid can be used to transform humans into Titans, making it the only Titan besides the Founding able to transform Subjects of Ymir.
3) Warhammer Titan
A Titan that should have been included in more of the anime has to be the Warhammer Titan, coming in on this list at spot three. The Warhammer Titan is one of the Nine Titans that has been in the possession of the Tybur family ever since the Great Titan War. The identity of the Warhammer’s holder was kept a secret throughout its time belonging to the Tybur’s, likely so it couldn’t be stolen— the first time it’s shown in the anime, Lara Tybur possesses it.
The Warhammer Titan’s power relies on creating powerful weapons out of hardened Titan flesh. These structures range from armor, crossbows, the signature war hammer, and more, all of which are difficult to break or destroy due to their construction material. Another trait the Warhammer holds that makes it useful in battle is the fact that its user does not need to be located in the Titan’s nape; instead, they can enclose themselves in a large crystal connected to the main Titan body by a large cord, allowing the shifter to remain hidden while fighting.
2) Colossal Titan
The Colossus Titan is one of the most iconic Titans in the anime due to its first appearance and the significance it holds on the narrative. But besides that, the Colossus Titan easily takes second place on this list for its power and extreme usefulness as an offensive weapon. It played a key role in the initial infiltration of Shiganshina, which would later lead to the fall of Wall Maria; it was also a tool used by Armin, the second colossal shifter in the anime, during the raid of Liberio.
One of the most notable attributes of the Colossus Titan is its massive size— the Titan stands around 60 meters, though it can occasionally appear larger in the show. Besides this, the Colossus Titan has an incredibly powerful transformation that acts as a large explosion, which can decimate enemies if placed strategically. It’s also able to emit extremely hot steam from its body that can be used as a defensive method from attackers and protect the shifter inside. Finally, the Colossus contains a decent amount of physical strength due to its size, though the drawback of this is its slow speed and reaction time.
1) Founding Titan
The top spot has to be given to the Founding Titan, the original Titan of the Nine Titan Shifters. The Founding Titan was first formed by Ymir Fritz after she gained her shifting abilities from a strange creature she encountered in the woods, which merged with her body. Later, the Titan would be passed down through the royal bloodline (Fritz and Reiss) until Grisha Yeager stole the Titan and passed it to his son, Eren Yeager.
The Founding Titan has abilities that far outclass any of the other Nine Titans. Most notably, its Scream is able to modify and erase the memories of the Subjects of Ymir, used to suppress Eldia’s knowledge of the outside world for generations. The same Scream can control and create other Titans, and was key in making the army of colossal titans inside Eldia’s walls. Finally, the Founding Titan has the power to access the Paths, a place where all Subjects of Ymir are connected and can communicate.
Are you a fan of Attack on Titan? Tell us your favorite Titan shifter and how you would rate them in this list.
