In the world of Attack on Titan, Titans are towering humanoids that devour humans seemingly without reason. Over the course of the story, many powerful Titans emerge that challenge the status quo and turn the tides of battle. With new Titan abilities and shifting allegiances, the question of who the strongest Titan is becomes more complex as the story progresses.
What are Titans in Attack on Titan?
Titans are gigantic humanoid creatures that appeared over 100 years ago and nearly drove humanity to extinction. Titans vary greatly in size, anywhere from 3 to 15 meters tall. They resemble nude humans but lack reproductive organs. Their bodies are disproportionately large compared to their heads and limbs. Titans regenerate lost and damaged body parts very quickly.
Titans do not require food, water, or even oxygen to survive. They only seem motivated by an instinctual desire to seek out and devour humans. They will vomit up the human bodies after eating them, showing that they do not require sustenance. Titans roam outside the Walls that protect the last human settlement, so humans rarely encounter them in day to day life.
The origin of the Titans is unknown. Titans are not affected by extreme cold or heat. They became an existential threat to humanity, forcing humans to retreat behind a series of Walls for protection. Only skilled soldiers using Vertical Maneuvering Equipment can battle the Titans effectively.
Who were the strongest early Titans?
In the early story, two Titans stood out as the strongest:
- The Colossal Titan
- The Armored Titan
These two intelligent Titans were able to breach the outermost Wall Maria, allowing hordes of other Titans to stream in. This led to humanity losing over 20% of its territory in the fall of Wall Maria:
| Titan | Abilities |
|---|---|
| Colossal Titan | 60 meter height, emits hot steam to repel attacks |
| Armored Titan | Thick armor plating, can harden body at will |
The Colossal Titan’s incredible size and ability to emit scalding hot steam makes it dangerous for soldiers to get close. The Armored Titan’s thick layers of armored plating protect it from cannon fire and most blade attacks.
These two Titans are abnormal in that they are intelligent and controlled by humans who have the power to transform into Titans. They are able to strategize and know the layout of the Walls to target weak points accurately.
Who were the strongest new Titans?
As the story progressed, several incredibly powerful new Titans emerged that could rival the Colossal and Armored Titans:
- The Female Titan
- The Beast Titan
- The Founding Titan
- The Attack Titan
| Titan | Abilities |
|---|---|
| Female Titan | Intelligence, agility, can harden skin and call other Titans |
| Beast Titan | Ability to control hordes of other Titans |
| Founding Titan | Control and command all other Titans |
| Attack Titan | Ferocity in combat, future memory flashes |
The Female Titan has formidable fighting skills, able to defeat multiple opponents at once. She can selectively harden parts of her body like the Armored Titan. The Beast Titan has the mysterious ability to command hordes of lesser Titans using verbal orders.
The Founding Titan is able to control and command all Titans telepathically. The Attack Titan lacks special attributes but has unrelenting ferocity in combat. He also experiences glimpses of the future memories of successor Attack Titans.
Who had control of the Founding Titan?
The Founding Titan originally belonged to the Reiss royal family within the Walls. Later it passed to Eren Jaeger through inheritance. The Founding Titan has the potential to be the strongest since it can control all other Titans. However, its power was limited by two factors:
- The Founding Titan’s power can only be fully used by a member of the Reiss royal family.
- The power is negated if the wielder does not physically possess the Founding Titan.
Thus for most of the story the Founding Titan cannot be considered the strongest since its power was sealed away and limited by circumstances.
How did Titan abilities change the status quo?
At key moments in the story, the emergence of new Titans with special abilities shook up the status quo:
- Female Titan – Her appearance caused mistrust between the military regiments tasked with reconquering Wall Maria territory.
- Beast Titan – His ability to control Pure Titans allowed him to ambush and nearly wipe out the Survey Corps expedition forces.
- Founding Titan – Learning that this Titan had the ability to control all other Titans raised fears it could overwhelm humanity’s defenses.
Each new Titan revealed the scope of Titan abilities and how little humanity understood about their true nature and origins. The question of who the strongest Titan was became more uncertain over the course of the story.
Who emerged as the strongest Titans in the end?
By the climax of the story, Eren Jaeger gained access to the full powers of the Founding Titan as well as the ability to touch to activate memories:
| Titan | Abilities |
|---|---|
| Founding Titan (Eren Jaeger) | Control all Titans, activate memories by touch |
This made Eren the strongest Titan in terms of raw power. However, he was opposed by the Alliance which included Titans wielding the Jaw Titan, Cart Titan, Female Titan, and Armored Titan.
In the final confrontation, the Alliance was able to defeat Eren in his Founding Titan form. This demonstrated that Eren was not invincible despite the Founding Titan’s vast power. In the end, Eren chose not to unleash the full power of the Founding Titan on his former friends.
Conclusion
The Founding Titan under Eren’s control had the most raw power and thus emerged as the theoretically strongest Titan by the end. However, the story showed that individual Titans and Titan abilities alone did not determine strength in battle or inevitability of outcome. Rather, the wills and choices of the humans wielding the Titan powers became the ultimate deciding factor.