Every Main Titan In Attack On Titan, Ranked on How Terrifying They Are

The Colossal Titan behind Eren

I’ve watched a lot of anime in my day, but Attack on Titan is my favorite show in the medium, by far. It’s because of the lore. I can’t get enough of it! Now, before I proceed, I just want to say that if you’ve never watched Attack on Titan before, then turn back now, because from here on out, I am going to dive into some heavy spoilers.

Still with me? Okay, good. As I was about to say, I love the lore of Attack on Titan. And when we learned that the titans were actually people and not just monsters, well, that just changed everything for me. As I said before, I’ve watched a lot of anime in my day such as Dragon Ball Z and One Piece. But nothing has captivated me like Attack on Titan, and I think it all goes back to the titans themselves, which are truly terrifying. That said, which titans are the most terrifying? I have the answers for you right here, ranked. And if you disagree with me, well, “I don’t have time to worry if it’s right or wrong. You can’t hope for a horror story with a happy ending.”

The Female Titan

9. Female Titan

We first met the Female Titan in Episode 17, but we haven’t seen much of her ever since. We now know that it’s Annie Leonhart who took on the Female Titan form, but honestly, she’s not really all that scary.

She is fast, though. And one of the highlights of her first appearance was how she could come out of nowhere and kick the stuffing out of some scouts. Still, out of the nine Titans that we are just learning about in the new season, she seems to be the least intimidating. At least on the show that is. I don’t know what she’s like in the manga.

Attack Titan

8. Attack Titan

The show’s protagonist, Eren Yaeger, possesses the power of the Attack Titan. With his stretched-out jaw and angry expression, he does have a pretty scary look to him. But he’s more of like a boxer, which kind of takes away from his scary, inhuman characteristics. It’s mostly because he was modeled off of the mixed martial artist, Yushin “Thunder” Okami. So, in a lot of ways, he’s one of the most “human” out of all the Titans.

Plus, he’s the hero of the show, so you’re kind of rooting for him, which isn’t scary in the slightest.

Cart Titan

7. Cart Titan

Okay, visually, the Cart Titan is nightmare fuel. She (yes, she) has a long, almost duck-billed face, and is the only quadrupedal titan we’ve seen so far on the show. We first met her in the episode “Perfect Game,” (which is one of my favorite episodes in the entire series!) where she supplied rocks for the Beast Titan to hurl.

The only thing keeping the Cart Titan low on this list is the fact that we’ve rarely seen her. Time will tell if she moves up a few spots on this list as Season 4 progresses.

Armored Titan

6. Armored Titan

Much like the Attack Titan was modeled off of a UFC fighter, the Armored Titan, which is in the possession of Reiner Braun, is modeled off of several different fighters, one of whom being WWE superstar, Brock Lesnar.

It shows, too, since the Armored Titan is an absolute beast. What makes him terrifying is his sheer brute strength. He doesn’t climb over walls. He runs through them! Plus, those glowing yellow eyes get me every time.

Jaw Titan

5. Jaw Titan

I know what I said earlier about the Cart Titan not seeing enough action, but I don’t care. The Jaw Titan, who we were just introduced to in the first episode of Season 4 made such a terrifying first showing that he had to be high on this list.

I don’t know if that skull is a mask or his actual face, but the Jaw Titan would scare the living crap out of pretty much anybody on the battlefield. I don’t think he’s quadrupedal like the Cart Titan, but he seems to run on all fours like an animal nonetheless. He seems pretty small, but he reminds me of Wolverine. And could you imagine a skyscraper tall Wolverine? I couldn’t, and don’t much want to, either.

Colossal Titan

4. Colossal Titan

Probably the most famous titan of them all, the Colossal Titan, who was formerly possessed by Bertholdt, but is now possessed by Armin, is noteworthy for his size alone.

But that’s not all, since he has the ability to pretty much appear out of nowhere, as he once did right behind Eren. The fact that a monster that is pretty much the size of the Sears Tower could transform that quickly and be at your doorstep is the stuff that nightmares are made of.

Smiling Titan

3. Smiling Titan

Okay, so while all of the Titans on this list so far have been 1 of the 9 (we haven’t seen the Founding Titan or the War Hammer Titan yet), the Smiling Titan is unique in that she is just one of the mindless pure titans that was created using Titan spinal fluid. All the same, she is horrific to look at and has one of the most prominent roles in the entire series.

You see, the Smiling Titan is probably the catalyst for Eren’s entire journey as a character since she ate his mother. Not only that, but just look at her! When my wife, who has a fear of clowns, saw this perpetually grinning Titan for the first time, she had to shut the show off and I had to watch the rest of the episode all by myself. That’s how scary the Smiling Titan was for my wife.

Beast Titan

2. Beast Titan

Possessed by Zeke Yeager, the Beast Titan has such an abnormal shape, with his skinny arms and large paunch, that just the sight of him unnerves me. And the fact that he hurls rocks like baseballs doesn’t make him any less creepy. If anything, it makes him even more creepy!

But it’s the Beast Titan’s red eyes that really do it for me, especially when he’s smiling. The person inside the Beast Titan is actually really introspective and thoughtful, so to see him enjoy slaughtering people makes him look all the more disturbing.

Rod Reiss

Rod Reiss’s Pure Titan

Okay, remember when I said my wife couldn’t stand looking at the Smiling Titan? Well, I had my own opportunity to turn off the show when I saw Rod Reiss’s transformation where he grew to be the largest titan ever seen on the show. Almost skeletal in structure, Rod Reiss was so big that he literally crawled on his belly and dragged his face across the ground.

But when he lifted his head and half his face was missing, that’s when I had to turn off the show, since that visual alone was just too much for me. And for a person who actually “enjoys” watching movies like Cannibal Holocaust to be that sickened, well, I think that says a lot, don’t you?

Like I said in the intro, Attack on Titan is my favorite anime of all time. But which titan do you think is the scariest? Sound off in the poll or in the comments section down below.

This poll is no longer available.

Rich Knight
Content Producer

Rich is a Jersey boy, through and through. He graduated from Rutgers University (Go, R.U.!), and thinks the Garden State is the best state in the country. That said, he’ll take Chicago Deep Dish pizza over a New York slice any day of the week. Don’t hate. When he’s not watching his two kids, he’s usually working on a novel, watching vintage movies, or reading some obscure book.