Summary

• Titans in Attack on Titan vary greatly, from mindless Pure Titans to more sophisticated Titan shifters like the Female Titan.
• Pure Titans are dangerous due to their sheer numbers, strength, and size, and are often used as weapons of war by different groups.
• Eren's Founding Titan form is considered the strongest among the 11 Titan types, with abilities that far exceed any other titan shifter.

Warning: Spoilers for Attack on TitanEach of Attack on Titan's titular monsters play an irreplaceable role in the popular anime series, but what makes these Titans so compelling is that they vary greatly, from the mindless Pure Titans, to the more sophisticated Titan shifters like the Female Titan.

As the show revealed more and more about the nature and lore of the Titans, the basic facts are clear: a Titan’s sole purpose is to seek out and devour humans, although they do not necessarily derive food-based sustenance from human flesh. The differences between Titan types multiply from there, with a few mysterious Abnormal Titans, the infinitely more powerful Nine Titans, to the towering threat of the Colossus Titan. Here's every type of Titan in Attack on Titan explained, and how they operate in the confines of the show.

The Pure Titans

Titan Shifters: All Subjects of Ymir

Pure Titans resemble humans but with varying levels of enlarged forms. The majority of the observed Titans both in the manga and the anime belong to this category, their overarching feature being their inability to form and process thoughts. Despite being made similarly to Attack on Titan's other Titan types, Pure Titans are mindless and tend to attack humans without discrimination. They are often dangerous due to their sheer numbers, formidable strength, and enormous size.

Pure Titans have been used as weapons of war since they appeared, first by Eldia and then by Marley, and can only be killed by slashing the nape of their neck with two swords. A notable example of a Pure Titan would be the humanoid dubbed Bean, who first appeared when the gates of Trost District were broken by Attack on Titan's epic Colossus Titan, after which, Eren and the rest of the human forces are able to reclaim the district. Bean was one of the two Titans kept alive for the sake of experimentation in an attempt to better understand the nature of these beats and their innate weaknesses.

The Abnormal Titans

Titan Shifters: Multiple, including Rod Reiss and Connie Springer's Mother

The Abnormal Titans are one of the most bizarre Titan types. Abnormals are Pure Titans that display unusual behavior and intelligence, allowing them to perform unpredictable moves. Abnormals often tend to ignore nearby humans and move on to strategic locations to inflict more damage, while being adept at performing tremendous leaps, running, speed-walking, and in a few cases, communicating in human tongues. An Abnormal Titan’s ability to form thoughts and speech has been chronicled in the diary of Ilse Langnar, who had run into a hesitant Titan amid an expedition massacre.

After the diary was found by Hange Zoë, along with other members of Levi’s squad, it is revealed that the Titan addressed Ilse as “Lady Ymir”, mistaking her for Attack on Titan's Founder Ymir Fritz. Confused by the possibility that a Titan can experience emotions, Ilse became increasingly frustrated during her attempts at communication, ending with the Titan crushing her skull whilst shedding tears. The existence of the Abnormal Titans forces humans to approach the beasts with more nuanced perspectives, as not all Titans are mindless killers.

The Attack Titan

Titan Shifters: Eren Jaeger, Grisha Jaeger, Eren Kruger