Summary
As its title suggests, theTitans are a key elementof theAttack on Titananime & manga series. And while the Nine Shifting Titans may be the first ones that come to mind, the Abnormal Titans shouldn’t be forgotten either: A rare type of pure Titan that can show unusual behavior, intelligence, appearance, etc.
Abnormal Titans can be some of the most terrifying creatures in the series, since they are often stronger than a regular Pure Titan, but they still keep their animal-like ferocity. Throughout the series, there have been many Abnormals that grabbed the audience’s attention because of how scary they seemed to be. And these are some of the most memorable.
Updated on October 26th, 2024, by Julián Fernández Loyarte:The Attack on Titan series is filled to the brim with weird, creepy, and flat-out disgusting Abnormal Titans, so naturally, a lot of them had to be omitted from the original version of this article. As a result, this list has been updated to include some of the most notorious Titans, like the Smiling Titan, the Portly Titan, and the Wall Titans, all of which are extremely frightening in their own right.
1Smiling Titan (Dina Fritz)
That Uncanny Smile Is Stuck In Fans' Nightmares
The Abnormal Titan known as theSmiling Titanis arguably one of the most iconic creatures in all ofAttack on Titan, and for all the wrong reasons. As if its uncanny permanent smile wasn’t scary enough already,she devours Eren Yeager’s mother in a disturbing and heartbreaking scenethat would set the tone for the rest of the series.
The Smiling Titan is one of the few Titans in the series whose origins are completely revealed to the audience. She was originally Dina Fritz, the first wife of Grisha Yeager, who was turned into a Titan by the Marleyan authorities. This means that, in a cruel twist of fate, Grisha’s first wife ended up cannibalizing his second wife.
2Jumping Titan
Can Jump Very High In Order To Reach Soldiers
At the beginning of Season 1, the Titans felt like brainless animals that could be easily dealt with, even if they managed to make a surprise attack on humanity at first. That’s why viewers were eager to seeEren Yeager and the rest of the Cadet Corpsfinally annihilate them.
However, theJumping Titanwas the first pure Titan that completely changed the mood of the series. When this monster jumped as high as the Cadet Corps to specifically reach them, it showed a level of intelligence never before seen. As Thomas Wagner was slowly eaten alive by the Titan, the soldiers realized how difficult their fight truly was.
3Talking Titan
Can Speak To Humans, And It’s Constantly Fighting An Urge To Kill Them
As previously mentioned, before the audience learned the truth about the Titans, these creatures were seen as mindless monsters. There were several hints about their true nature, and the infamousTalking Titanis one of the best examples. When it is encountered by Ilse Langnar, its huge eyes may immediately send chills down the viewer’s spine.
To make things even worse,this Abnormal begins talking like an actual human, mentioning something about “the “subjects of Ymir,” only to immediately start fighting its urges to kill Ilse by tearing away its skin, although it eventually fails to do so, devouring her in the process. The uncanny feeling of this creepy Titan is extremely memorable.
4Chasing Titan
It’s Extremely Fast And Relentless
When the Scout Regiment was on their 57th Exterior Mission,Sasha Braus was ambushedby a scary Abnormal Titan hiding behind a building, which immediately began to chase her and her squad, although they were skilled enough to lure them out.
In theAttack on Titanseries, it is not common to see Titans running on all fours, so this Abnormal was quite special. The high speeds that theChasing Titancan reach, coupled with its relentless instinct to chase and try to kill Sasha, make it one of the most intimidating monsters in the series. This is an Abnormal no regular soldier would ever want to encounter on an open field.
5Wall Titans
Hidden Weapons Of Mass Destruction That Were A Key Part Of The Rumbling
At the very end of the Assault on Stohess Arc, readers and viewers find out that the three walls of Paradis Island actually contain living, unmoving Titans inside of them, which are dubbed theWall Titans. This was a disturbing revelation, but they actually didn’t do much for most of the series.
This changed during the final stretch ofAttack on Titan, when Eren Yeager awakened the Wall Titans with the powers of the Founding Titanand caused the event of mass destruction known as the Rumbling. It turns out that the Wall Titans are actually gigantic, as they’re as big and powerful as the mighty Colossal Titan. This ultimately means that their constant marching can kill thousands of people in mere seconds, not to mention that they’re almost unstoppable.
6Gluttonous Titan
Its Giant Eyes Make It Look Very Creepy, And It Can Even Follow Zeke Orders
It is later confirmed that all the Titansthat are created with Zeke Yeager’s spinal fluid are technically Abnormal since all of them can function during the night and follow his specific orders. Out of all of his minions, the infamousGluttonous Titanmay be the one that viewers remember the most.
As if all the attributes of Abnormal Titans were not frightening enough, the Gluttonous Titan showcases a pair of huge bug-sized eyes that nobody would want to encounter in real life. One of the ugliest designs in the series, and even its death at the hands of the Beast Titan was incredibly gruesome.
7Portly Titan
Its Unsettling Behavior Was Enough To Make It Stand Out
The Gluttonous Titan was notorious for assisting in the heartbreaking murder of Miche Zacharius, but he was not the only Titan present in the scene. The Beast Titan was controlling another Abnormal Titan to trap and intimidate the soldier, known as thePortly Titanamong fans.
Whereas the Gluttonous Titan was disturbing because of its unique appearance, the Portly Titan stood out due to its unsettling behavior, as it kept stalking and observing Miche from the corner of a building, instead of approaching him directly. Furthermore, the Portly Titan actually got to eat Miche alive, which makes it even more memorable and terrifying.
8Connie Springer’s Mother
Doomed To A Life Of Constant Agony, Even Though She Is Still Sentient
While most Abnormal Titans are scary because of the prospect of dying at their hands, this is an entirely different case because of the possibility of being in its place.The mother of Connie Springerwas turned into a titan who couldn’t move at all, so she was permanently stuck in the same position, with her rib cage fully exposed.
If that wasn’t already creepy enough,it’s important to note that Connie’s motherwas still capable of human speech and intelligence while in this form, seeing as how she welcomed her son back to their village with actual words. This means that she was aware of her suffering all this time.
9Red-Eyed Titan
It’s Extremely Vicious And Its Red Eyes Are Terrifying
Similar to the previously mentioned Chasing Titan, theRed-Eyed Titanwas infamous for its blinding speed, seeing as it was one of the very few cases of a quadruped Titan. To make matters even worse, it also had a pair of blood-red eyes, which were never seen again in another pure Titan, so it was a unique feature of this one.
Not only was this a scary Abnormal, both in agility and appearance, but it also seemed to be intelligent enough to use the rain in its favor to hunt for humans. That’s exactly how it managed to ambush and kill both Isabel Magnolia and Furlan Churchbefore it was slain by Levi Ackermanhimself.
10Rod Reiss Titan
It’s Huge, Has A Disgusting Appearance, And Caused A Lot Of Destruction
When Historia’s biological father, Rod Reiss, drank the Titan fluid, he instantly turned into the largest pure Titan in the entire series. With his enormous size, his raw power, and his ability to emit steam that could make everything around him catch fire. He was basically a smaller version of the iconic Colossal Titan.
TheRod Reiss Titanis not only massive and strong, but it’s arguably one of the most terrifying monsters in all ofAttack on Titan. Since Rod Reiss drank the fluid when he was lying on the ground, his Titan form could only move by dragging itself, tearing apart its skin and muscles in the process. This led to the giant creature having no face and his internal organs spilling out everywhere. Now that’s unsettling!
