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“Channel the anger swelling inside you;
Fighting the boundary ’till you break through.
Deep in your soul, there’s no hesitation,
So, make yourself the one they all fear!”
We don’t usually come across a series that the more we watch, the more we get uncertain what is about to happen. Attack on Titan is one such series if you want a bumpy ride.
With never-ending cliffhangers, this series is counted as one of the most popular series, both among manga and anime fans. This article will take you through this series and show you why this anime stands among the top charts. However, our main focus in this article will be the ‘Armored Titan,’ the second main antagonist of the series.
You might be thinking why this article is spotlighting an antagonist that’s not even the main one. Don’t worry. Buckle up. You are about to embark on a journey that will introduce you to the beautiful animeverse of Attack on Titan and the most infamous villain, or as they say, the Armored Titan.
Related Titan Holders to the Armored Titan
Now let’s talk about some of the main characters of the series. In my view, if we understand these characters, we might be able to better acknowledge the character of the Armored Titan.
Karl Fritz; The Founding Titan
Karl Fritz was the 145th ruler of the Eldian Empire. He inherited the powers of the Founding Titan. As luck would have it, Karl Fritz was under the constant guilt of his ancestor’s sins and was so fed up with the miseries that they had laid, and having to experience an epiphany; he tried overthrowing his family’s reign in Marley.
To achieve his absolution, he gave rise to a civil mutiny by conspiring with the Tybur family. After the success of his scheme, he fled to Paradis Island with the Subjects of Ymir and made three walls around his empire, wherein he erased the memory of these Subjects of Ymir.
The Eldians who remained in Marley were persecuted and were confined to the internment camps. Over time, there rose a restoration movement to restore the Rule of Eldia and to be free from the misery leveled by the Marleys. Nevertheless, the perpetrators of this movement were burnt, but it still kept its flame burning.
Eren Yeager; The Attack Titan
Eren, the main protagonist of the series, remained unaware of the fact that he was the possessor of one of the nine Founding titans, the Attack Titan. Eren, after losing his mother to the breach of Wall Maria at the hands of Armored and Colossus Titan, resolved to avenge her along with other villagers who fell victim to the gluttony of titans.
Eren Yeager joined the 104th training Corps and was later promoted to the Survey Corps to fight the titans lurking around the empire. During a fight, Eren realizes that he can also transform into a titan. After accepting the bitter truth and overcoming the thought of every Titan being his sworn enemy, Eren Yeager learned the truth about the transformation of humans into Titans.
After reaching the crescendo of revelation, Eren determined to take back what was theirs in the first place, i.e., the empire of Marley. This started the beginning of his frequent face-offs with the Armored Titan.
Reiner Braun; The Armored Titan
As Marley was after establishing its empire over other territories by destroying the remnants of the Eldian empire in Paradis Island, they sent a warrior unit to get a hold on the powers of the Founding Titan.
Reiner Braun became the leader of this expedition after the death of Marcel, the leader of the squad who died protecting Reiner. Unaware of the location of the Founding Titan, Reiner Braun, the possessor of the Armored Titan, along with his crewmates, marched towards the Eldian Empire.
The first entry of the Armored Titan in anime was noticed when he broke through the Wall Maria of the Eldian Empire with the help of the Colossus Titan, Bertholdt Hoover, his unit mate, to retake the Founding Titan. He, along with his crewmates, then covertly made their place in the 104th Training Corps to spy on the Paradis’ military.
During this attack on Wall, Maria, Eren’s mother, was killed by a titan, making Eren to joining the same training course as that of the Armored Titan, and therefore becoming friends with Reiner.
Bertolt Hoover; The Colossus Titan
The first creature that instilled fear in the hearts of Eldians on Paradis Island was the Colossus titan. It was its appearance that kept the anime fans captivated. The Colossus titan was possessed by Bertolt Hoover, one of the crewmates of Reiner Braun, the Armored Titan.
Bertolt was a shy guy throughout the series. His feeble physique made him subservient to Reiner Braun. After the death of Marcel, the group leader of this covert squad, Bertolt suggested returning to the mainland of Marley. However, Reiner patronized him into continuing with the mission.
Annie Leonhart; The Female Titan
Annie Leonhart, one of the brightest students of the 104th Training Corps, was also a clandestine agent of Marley, who was among the four crewmates of the Marleyen squad. With disdain for the death of Marcel, Annie remained indifferent if they continued their mission or not.
It was later revealed in the series that one of the unstoppable titans, the Female Titan, was Annie Leonhart. However, being a part of many strikes on Eldia, along with Reiner and Bertolt, Annie was captured in a fight, but she managed to encase herself in an unbreakable crystal.
The Origin of Armored Titan
The first and most prominently shown Armored Titan of the series is Reiner Braun. Reiner was a guy who was never meant to get this title in the first place. Starting at the beginning, he is the illegitimate son of Karina Braun and a random Marley man who wants nothing to do with him.
As Reiner grew up in the internment zone of Liberia, he spent most of his childhood desperately trying to become a warrior, as he thought that by joining the ranks of warriors, his mother and father would be able to live together with him.
The problem for Reiner was that he had no practical skills that would put him above any of the other kids at the Marleyen warrior’s academy, but he was eventually chosen as the final warrior candidate after displaying a frightening loyalty to Marley. This over-the-top loyalty is something that was, no doubt, inherited from his mother, for which Porco, his fellow trainer, absolutely roasted him.
Of the seven candidates at that time, one of them was meant to inherit the Armored Titan, and based on merit, it would have been Porco Gilliard, but his nomination was sabotaged by his brother, Marcel. Marcel’s interference is the only reason why Reiner became the Armored Titan.
After becoming the Armored Titan, he was one of the four warriors selected to infiltrate Paradis Island. However, certain incidents led Reiner to have a different perspective of the situation. He had an encounter with his father before he left for Paradis Island, wherein his father made it clear that his mere existence was pretty much the biggest mistake of his life.
Things managed to get even worse once he arrived on the island. As the warriors gathered around the campfire, Marcel revealed the truth the Reiner was never meant to be chosen as a warrior, and he was here only because of his actions. Before anyone could even really process this information, a pure titan appeared out of nowhere, and Marcel, saving Reiner’s life, was devoured by the Titan.
Marcel already felt some guilt about making Reiner become a warrior instead of his brother, which, in no doubt, made him so quick to save him from being eaten. With this incident, the warriors lost one of Marley’s seven titans on the very first day of their mission.
After losing Marcel, they argued that they should count their losses and return home. But Reiner was majorly opposed to that idea, partly because he knew he would be grounded and prosecuted if they returned to Marley, as Marcel died saving his life.
It was also not far-fetched to assume that the military would hold Reiner responsible and, therefore, if that would be the case, Porco would be ready and available to eat him to get the powers of Armored Titan.
Reiner still had his ambition to be a hero that people could respect. Because of his desperation for the people’s approval, he was able to convince Annie and Burtholdt to continue being with the plan. Later, on that same day, they arrived at Wall; Maria and Reiner personally smashed the inner gate after transforming into Armored Titan.
Abilities
Now in terms of the design, the Armored Titan stands at around 50 meters tall, and, with the exception of some minor areas, his entire body is covered in armored plates. The front of his neck is one of those exposed areas, but luckily his nape has two protruding bits of hardened armored plates.
He has an armored mouth guard that opens in an almost mechanical way, and, as is often the case with some Titans, his short blonde hair was identical to him. Being a trained warrior candidate, he was able to use his ability in very interesting ways, such as selectively destroying parts of his armor to increase his speed or hardening his fingers.
Although the Armored Titan has a strong shell, I would say advances in technology have affected the Armored Titan more than any other titan. Although the armor is the main focal point of its abilities, it can’t withstand Anti-Titan artillery or Thunder Spears.
When you consider that the titans have been around for 2000 years, Reiner almost certainly had the worst out of any titan because the tech in this era is really making his superpower challenging.
Powers
Every Titan displays a unique set of qualities, while some traits are common. Here we will discuss some of the Armored Titan’s qualities that stand him out among other titans.
Super Armor Strength
As the name suggests, the main power of the Armored Titan lies in its armor. Unlike other titans, his body has armored plates all over it, except for the joints. These hard scales keep him safe from cannon fires and the deadly blades of the Survey Corps.
Because of its armor, the Armored Titan was able to break through the Wall Maria and remained the most feared Titan at the outset of the series.
Resistance to Fire, Acid, and Lightning
The presence of this hard armor makes the Armored Titan indifferent to fire and acid attacks. Not only this, but the armor also offers titan protection from lightning. This resistance helps the Titan remain insignificant to the skin reactions that may be induced by the attacks of enemies. The only things that can affect the armor include adamantine armaments or high explosive weapons.
Quirky Cooling Down Mechanism
One of the unique abilities of the Titan can be attributed to the fact that the Titan, because of this armored body, is unable to spew the steam through his body, making him emit it through his mouth. This cooling mechanism might not be practical but adds greatly to the demeanor of the Titan by making him look more furious.
Super Sprint
Even though the Armored Titan possesses hard scaling over his body, he can shed his armor plates present under knee pits. Though the armor plates impede the Titan’s ability to be agile like Cart titan or Jaw titan, this small maneuver allows the Armored Titan to achieve super sprint, dashing into hard structures and breaking through them.
This super sprint, combined with the Armored Titan’s toughness, is one of the deadliest combo attacks that can be seen in the series. A quick dash provides sufficient momentum to Armored Titan to break through almost anything.
Controlled Healing
This power might be missed by the anime fans, but if we recall the time when Reiner was in the Eldian military, he received many injuries, which healed gradually like a normal human’s injury. The titans have great healing ability, and Reiner being the Armored Titan, also possessed it, but he was able to control his healing speed to leave no doubt among his fellow warriors maintaining his cover.
Subordinate Body Functionality
During the series, we also noticed that the Armored Titan was able to transfer his body control from the nape across his overall body. This, one of the most amazing powers, helped Reiner to survive the deadly bombardment of the Survey Corps, and even after his head was decimated, he was able to regenerate it.
Inheritors
The predecessors of the Armored titans in the series are unknown. However, Porco Gilliard was the rightful inheritor, but his brother Marcel didn’t let that happen. When the series progressed, it was revealed that Gabi Braun and Falco Grice were the two candidates being considered by the Marleyen military to inherit the power of the Armored titans after Reiner Braun.
Sad Realities of Being the Armored Titan
Though the Armored Titan was displayed as an antagonist throughout most of the series, there were still many bitter truths that make an anime fan question the purported character of Reiner Braun.
An Unwelcomed Family
As the story unfolds, the father of Reiner Braun was a Marleyen, while his mother was an Eldian. His father never loved him, which pushed Reiner Braun to become a warrior and inherit the Armored Titan to make his father proud, but his father felt indifferent even when he disclosed this great achievement to him.
Past Events Lead to A Split Mentality
Marleyens brainwashed Reiner Braun to hate Eldians. He wanted to prove himself before the Marleyen Empire; however, being an Eldian, he would have flashbacks of who he really is and who he really wanted to help. His mind was split between the poles apart ideologies that if he were to follow Marleyens or fight them.
Couldn’t Save Their Commander
Marcel Gilliard died while trying to save Reiner. He would have flashbacks of his failure to save his group leader. Even after doing so much for Marley, he could not forgive himself for the death of Marcel.
Had to Make Harsh Decisions
After joining the 104th training course, Reiner made a lot of friends. There were many a time when Reiner felt the good in the hearts of his peers, but he had to turn his back on them with a heavy heart to fulfill his mission.
All of This for Nothing
Reiner, after coming back to Marley, became more paranoid of what was right and wrong. He started to question everything he had done so far. This paranoia became so intense that he even tried to take his own life.
He had a hard time differentiating right from wrong. When he wanted to support Eldia, he would have flashbacks of the Marleyen struggle and its objective of getting the abused titan power under control. In the same way, when he would think of leaving the ranks of Marleyen warriors, he would have recollections of his squad leader and other crewmates who gave up their lives trying to save him. The more Reiner continued with his life, the more he dragged himself into oblivion.
Fascinating Facts and Trivia
Do you Know on Whom Was the Character of the Armored Titan Based?
Answer: It was released by the writer that he took many real-life figures into account when designing his characters. According to Hajime Isayama, the character of Reiner Braun was based on a famous WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar.
Would you believe Reiner was not to be the actual inheritor of the Armored Titan?
Reiner Braun fell short on merit as far as the selection for the inheritor of the Armored Titan was concerned. Marcel Gilliard tried wanted his brother to live a normal life to its full extent; therefore, he forwarded Reiner’s name in place of Porco for the best candidate for the Armored Titan.
Do you know why Titans die after 13 years of inheriting the power?
The Curse of Ymir allows the titans to live only for 13 years. It is because the first recipient of the Founding Titan, Ymir Fritz, died after 13 years of receiving the Titan’s power.
FAQs
Question: Is the Armored Titan the Most Powerful Titan of the Series?
Answer: Well, it is hard to say. There are few titans, like Attack titan, who seem more powerful than the Armored Titan. But it would be wrong not to count him among the most powerful titans.
Question: Can Armored Titan Talk in Its Titan Form?
Answer: We do have noticed some titans like Beast titan and Cart titan talking efficiently in their titan form. But as far as the Armored Titan is concerned, he has the same inability, unfortunately, to not talk like other titans.
Question: Did Reiner Braun Die in the Anime Series?
Answer: We do not know it yet, as far as the anime series is concerned. Though Reiner was suffering from severe depression and tried to take his life, he stopped right before the moment. Also, during his fight with the Attack titan, he was badly injured and collapsed but was saved by the Marleyen warriors before he was killed.
Armored Titan Guide: Final Thoughts
Attack on Titan is still counted amongst the most-watched anime series. Not only this anime series is popular worldwide, but it is also known for its popularity among manga readers.
Its popularity can be credited to its characters, and one of such characters is the Armored Titan. Albeit his character appeared as the main protagonist, as the series progressed, people started questioning him if he really falls under the definition of a villain.
The Armored Titan displays many unique abilities that stand him out among the other titans. But as the story progressed, this once considered undefeated Titan started to become vulnerable to the novel types of equipment of the Survey Corps. He also became weak to the attacks of the Attack Titan after he consumed the Founding titan.
Armored Titan reserves a special corner in the hearts of every Attack on Titan fan. Due to his harsh life history and the existential dilemma, many people regard him as a broken angel and justify the actions that he has taken so far. The anime is yet to be completed, and the fans are waiting for how many more turns his story has to take.