Titans are giant humanoid creatures that originated in the manga and anime series Attack on Titan. Though Titans come in many shapes and sizes, most share common traits like their large size, regenerative abilities, and lack of reproductive organs. An interesting question regarding Titans is whether they can swim in water or not.
Quick Answer
The short answer is yes, Titans can swim in water, though with some limitations. While Titans have greater density and weight than humans, they are still able to float and propel themselves through water to some degree. However, swimming does not come naturally to Titans, and they are slower and more cumbersome in water compared to land.
Evidence of Titans Swimming
There are a few instances in Attack on Titan that demonstrate Titans’ ability to swim:
- During the Battle of Trost, some Titans are seen wading through the river into the city, showing they can walk through deep water.
- When Eren first transforms into a Titan, he emerges from the bottom of a lake and swims to the surface, proving Titans can swim upwards.
- In a flashback, Ymir’s Titan form is shown walking along the ocean floor towards a shipwreck, indicating Titans can sink and walk underwater.
While these examples involve abnormal or shifter Titans, even regular pure Titans have been observed wading through deep water and rivers, confirming all Titans possess some swimming capabilities.
Explanations for Titans’ Swimming Ability
There are a few explanations for why Titans are able to swim despite their size and density:
- Their bodies are lighter than expected – Though Titans have large muscular bodies, their tissues and bones may be less dense than humans, giving them more buoyancy.
- Powerful leg muscles – Titans possess incredibly strong leg muscles which enable them to propel themselves through water when walking or jumping.
- Involuntary shifting of weight – Titans may shift their center of mass unconsciously to stay afloat, similar to how humans tread water.
- High energy reserves – As Titans do not need to breathe, they have greater stamina to move through water without tiring.
Their swimming style is essentially an awkward doggy paddle combined with walking along the seafloor. But thanks to their strength and endurance, most Titans are capable of traversing through water to some extent.
Limitations of Titans Swimming
However, Titans do have some clear limitations when swimming compared to their superior mobility on land:
- Slow speed – Titans cannot swim nearly as fast as they can run. At best, their swimming speed is a slow paddle or walk.
- No diving – Once underwater, Titans sink rather than float. They cannot actively dive or swim downwards.
- No buoyancy control – Titans likely cannot control their buoyancy or intentionally stay afloat.
- No swimming technique – Titans purely doggy paddle and lack proper swimming strokes.
- Less agile – Their bulky bodies make changing directions and maneuvers in water very difficult.
While Titans may not drown in water, their swimming capabilities are still greatly hindered compared to humans. They are only able to paddle and walk through shallows or along the ocean floor at slow speeds.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Titans in Attack on Titan can swim and maneuver through water to a limited extent. Their great strength enables them to doggy paddle or walk underwater effectively. However, they lack proper swimming techniques and their swimming speed and agility is far inferior to their mobility on land. Titans only swim when necessary and still prefer to travel on foot over water.
| Titans’ Swimming Attributes | Description |
|---|---|
| Buoyancy | Can float and tread water due to lower tissue density |
| Propulsion | Powerful leg muscles can paddle and push them through water |
| Underwater walking | Able to sink to the bottom and walk along the seafloor |
| Stamina | High energy reserves allow them to swim slowly for long durations |
| Titans’ Swimming Limitations | Description |
|---|---|
| Speed | Far slower swimming than running, only capable of a slow paddle |
| Diving | Cannot actively dive below the surface or swim downwards |
| Maneuverability | Lack agility to change directions or make turns when swimming |
| Technique | No actual swimming strokes, rely purely on leg paddling |
Other Titan Abilities in Water
In addition to swimming, Titans exhibit other abilities related to water:
- Walking on river or ocean floors – Some Titans can sink and walk underwater along the bottom.
- Withstanding high pressure – Titans are unaffected by water pressure at great ocean depths.
- Temperature resistance – Titans do not seem impaired by frigid water temperatures.
- Surfacing through ice – Their strength allows them to break through ice sheets and emerge from the water.
Though Titans may not be adept swimmers, they can still utilize their unique traits to traverse and withstand aquatic environments to aid their movement or reach targets.
Importance of Swimming for Titans
The ability to swim, even to a limited degree, is still important for Titans for several reasons:
- Traversing water obstacles – Allows them to cross rivers, lakes, and oceans that block their walking path.
- Chasing prey – assists Titans in pursuing human targets across or through bodies of water.
- Accessing offshore locations – enables Titans to reach coastal areas, islands, or ship targets located offshore.
- Surprise attacks – Titans can launch aquatic ambushes by swimming or wading across moats and rivers.
So while Titans are certainly not graceful swimmers, their rudimentary ability to paddle through water provides a strategic advantage and expands the environments they can move through to hunt prey.
Unanswered Questions
There are still a few unknowns regarding Titans and water:
- Can Titans consciously control buoyancy? It is unclear if they can intentionally stay afloat or sink on command.
- How long can they walk underwater before needing to surface? Titans may have unlimited underwater endurance.
- How fast can they swim with maximum effort? Their top swimming speed is uncertain.
- Can abnormalities or shifters swim better than pure Titans? Abnormal trait variations may enable enhanced swimming.
Further revelations about the nature of Titans may uncover more insights into the limits of their aquatic capabilities and any weaknesses that may be exploited.
Summary
To summarize, Titans can swim and move through water in Attack on Titan, but with limitations. Their great strength allows them to paddle and walk underwater effectively. However, they lack speed, technique, and maneuverability compared to land movement. While not natural swimmers, Titans’ rudimentary aquatic abilities still give them an advantage in traversing water obstacles and ambushing targets from offshore. Their swimming skills are enough to be strategically useful despite the Titans’ preference for traveling on foot.