Summary
HowAttack on Titanhas changed and developed throughout the series has been pretty major. A show about saving humanity from the brink of extinction has transformed so significantly thatit’s almost unrecognizablewhen compared to the events that took place during the first season. It’s one of the many reasons why many people considerAttack on Titanto be one of the greatest anime ever made — a statement that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
As the name might suggest, a big part of what makesAttack on Titansuch a massive success is the Titans that are present front-and-center across most of the series' events. This is especially true in the case of the Nine Titan Powers that have been passed down to the Eldians for time immemorial. Here’s an in-depth look atall 9 Titansand the characters who have inherited their powers. These abilities are a blast to witness on-screen, showing just how much power the Eldians have and why humanity has feared them for such a long time.
Updated on June 05, 2025, by Ritwik Mitra:Attack on Titan is a series that needs no introduction. The show captivated fans with its premise before shaking things up to make for one of the most compelling conclusions ever seen in a series. There’s something about Attack on Titan and its excellent presentation that makes it one of the greatest anime ever made, with thenine powerful Titanslargely shaping how the story unfolds. Along with these nine titans, the regular Titans of the show also play pretty important roles.
Powers: Titan Creation, Titan Control, Controlling And Communicating With The Subjects Of Ymir
Known Inheritors
The Founding Titan is one of themost powerful and legendary TitansinAttack on Titan. Its powers include the manipulation and control of both Titans and Eldians, along with the creation of new Titans.
The fact that the Founding Titan can manipulate both humans and Titans makes it a fearsome power indeed. Eren uses it to address all Eldians and tell them about the Rumbling and how the entire population will be trampled by a wave of Colossal Titans, striking fear in the hearts of everyone and prompting the Survey Corps to unleash one final operation to save humanity.
Powers: Explosive Transformation, Steam Emission, Massive Size
The Titan power that dwarfs everything else in terms of sheer size is the Colossal Titan, which is easily one of themost recognizable Titans in the entire show. Bertholdt wrecked the walls with this Titan and proved to be a huge problem to deal with.
Ultimately, it took Armin’s crafty mind to finally take Bertholdt by surprise and abduct him once and for all. With both Armin and Erwin on the brink of collapse, Levi chose the former and gave him a few more years as the Colossal Titan, and this decision proved to be a very good one.
Powers: Titan Attraction, Hardening
Annie is easily one of the coolest characters on the show, and fans were more than delighted to see her make a return in theFinal Seasonafter her capture at the end of Season 1. She’s also the only known inheritor ofthe powerful Female Titan.
The Female Titan has always been a swift and powerful Titan that gets its time to shine in the spotlight during theFinal SeasonofAttack on Titan. What helped the Female Titan stay relevant till the very end was the special bond Annie shared with Armin, and most fans loved how effective the Female Titan was in combat till the very end.
Powers: Animalistic Nature, Powerful Throwing, Hardening, Turn Subjects Of Ymir Into Titans (Zeke-Specific Abilities)
The Beast Titan was one of the most unique Titans around when it was introduced for the first time. Watching this powerful Titan chuck projectiles at its opposition was a special thing to witness, and it did a great job at filling viewers with dread.
Zeke Yeager is the latest holder of this Titan form, and watching him switch allegiances time and time again made him as compelling as can be. Ultimately, he failed to stop Eren’s genocidal plan and became a pawn who was ultimately taken out by Levi.
Powers: Excellent Protection, Hardening
The Armored Titan is easily one of the coolest Titans in the entire show. Its combat and defensive properties are the stuff of legend, andReiner Braun makes full use of themwhen he activates the form.
While Reiner lost his will to fight after the time skip, it didn’t take too long for him to find his path once again, standing against Eren and his genocidal plan. He’s one of the most fascinating characters in the entire series and remains captivating till the very end. Having access to the Armored Titan is simply the cherry on top.
Powers: Inheriting The Future’s Memories
The iconic Attack Titan isthe power under Eren’s controlthat makes him such a focal point ofAttack on Titan. It’s a unique and iconic Titan that has become the face of the series, and there are countless reasons why this is the case.
Of course, over time, the Attack Titan has stopped being a symbol of hope and now stands only for Eren’s twisted desires. Its unique appearance has been ever-present throughout the series, with the final iteration of Eren’s Titan form being downright nightmarish to behold.
Powers: Powerful Jaw, Hardened Claws, High Speed, Flight (Falco Only)
The Jaw Titan is easily one of the most unique Titans. Whileits appearance with Ymirwasn’t anything to be intimidated by, the true potential of this Titan has certainly been unlocked with the Galliard brothers.
The Jaw Titan is nimble and has a powerful bite that can easily deter most foes in its path. Of course, this strength can backfire on it — something that Eren showcased when he used the powers of this Titan for a truly heinous act. At the end of the tale, Falco acquires this Titan and makes it even more effective by unlocking the power of flight during the final battle to save humanity.
Powers: Quadrupedal Form, High Speed, Amazing Support Capabilities
The Cart Titan is easily the weakest of the Nine Titans. The mere fact that it’s meant to be a mobile supply unit shows just how little stock people put into its overall power.
However, that’s not to say that the Cart Titan is completely useless. If anything, the Cart Titan is deceptively reliable and can be used as a smart and mobile unit to carry substantial firepower and blast the opposition. It’s an incredibly agile Titan, and those who have access to its power are able to stay in the form for incredible lengths of time.
Powers: Structural Hardening, Weapon Creation
The War Hammer Titan is the final Titan to make its presence known in theAttack on Titanseries, but its impression is still a strong one. Its mastery of crystallization means that the War Hammer Titan can easily destroy its enemies with the crafty use of its powers.
This Titan was hidden withinthe royal Tybur familybefore Eren came into the picture and forcefully ingested the remains of the previous inheritor, Lara Tybur. As a result, he acquires the powers of the Founding Titan, Attack Titan, and War Hammer Titan.
Special Mention: The Other Titans
While the Nine Titans ofAttack on Titandeserve their time in the spotlight, it would be remiss to not mention the other Titans in the series and how they’ve terrorized countless characters throughout the story. It’s easy to write these monsters off as fodder after the threat of the human-controlled Titans is brought to light, but that’s a simplistic way of looking at things.
Even afterAttack on Titanballoons in scope, there’s something about the threat of these regular Titans that is pretty harrowing. The Survey Corps put their bodies on the line time and time again to ensure that these mindless titans could be brought down, but coming face to face with one of these lesser Ttians was always a risky situation.
Pure Titans
From the very start of the series, the Pure Titans' comical gait and looksbetray the threat they pose to humanity. These transformed monstrosities do not need to consume flesh to survive, but they do so anyway. They were once regular Eldians, but they were turned into Titans upon being injected with a special serum.
The Pure Titans continue to be a threat until the latter stages ofAttack on Titan, proving to be a big issue when Zeke turns a bunch of beloved Eldians in the military into them. Many legendaryAttack on Titancharacters lose their lives because of this, and watching them being cut down makes for a horrifying moment that shows just how nightmarish these creatures truly are.
Abnormal Titans
Abnormal Titans live up to their moniker, with the deceptive speed and ferocity of their moves making them a priority threat that the Survey Corps must take out by any means necessary. Taking out these nightmarish foes is easier said than done, and this is proven to be true when Levi is forced to witness his friends being chomped down by an Abnormal Titan before stepping in to avenge their deaths and showing his mastery with the ODM gear.
Of course, it would be impossible to talk about Abnormal Titans without mentioningthe monstrosity that was Rod Reiss. After failing to convince Christa to eat Eren, he takes matters into his own hands and transforms into an incredibly massive titan, dragging himself face-first towards the residents of Paradis Island. Thankfully, Historia’s heroics ensure that he doesn’t terrorize the population.
Wall Titans
The Wall Titans are some of the most nightmarish creatures inAttack on Titan, and that’s saying something. Each Titan isas tall as a Colossal Titan, with hundreds of these monsters forming the walls on Paradis Island that house its marginalized inhabitants. They are initially revealed at the end of the battle against Annie, but their true significance doesn’t come to light until much later.
After Eren activates the Rumbling, these Titans break out of their walls and initiate a genocide that wipes out 80% of humanity. These massive threats were downright impossible to take out because of the steam they let out, and it’s not until Eren is killed that the Rumbling is finally stopped.
