Terrifying abnormal titans in attack on titan

Important takeaways

• Abnormal Titans in
  Attack on Titan
  display high intelligence, unique behaviors and terrifying abilities.
• Notable deviations include the smiling, jumping, talking, chasing, gluttonous and portly titans.
• The Wall Titans and Rod Reiss Titan showcased immense power, destruction and gruesome performances.

As the title suggests, Titans is a key element in Attack on Titan anime and manga series. And while the Nine Shifting Titans might be the first to come to mind, the Abnormal Titans shouldn't be forgotten either: A rare type of Pure Titan that can display unusual behavior, intelligence, appearance, etc.

Abnormal Titans can be some of the most terrifying creatures in the series, as they are often stronger than a normal pure Titan, but still retain their animal-like ferocity. Throughout the series, there have been many Abnormals that grabbed the audience's attention because of how scary they seemed to be. And these are some of the most memorable.

Updated on October 26, 2024 by Julián Fernández Loyarte: The Attack on Titan series is filled to the brim with weird, creepy, and downright disgusting Abnormal Titans, so of course many of them had to be left out of the original version of this article. As a result, this list has been updated to include some of the most infamous titans, such as the Smiling Titan, the Portly Titan, and the Wall Titans, all of which are extremely terrifying in their own right.

Spoilers ahead for Attack on Titan

1 Smiling Titan (Dina Fritz)

That eerie smile has stuck in fans' nightmares

• First appearance: Chapter 1 (Manga) Episode 1 (Anime)

The Abnormal Titan known as Smiling Titan is arguably one of the most iconic creatures of all Attack on Titanand for all the wrong reasons. As if its eerie permanent smile wasn't already terrifying enough, it devours Eren Yeager's mother in a disturbing and heartbreaking scene that would set the tone for the rest of the series.

The Smiling Titan is one of the few Titans in the series whose origins are fully revealed to the audience. She was originally Dina Fritz, the first wife of Grisha Yeager, who was turned into a Titan by the Marley authorities. This means that Grisha's first wife, in a cruel twist of fate, cannibalizes his second wife.

2 Jumping Titan

Can jump very high to reach soldiers

• First appearance: Chapter 4 (Manga) Episode 5 (Anime)

At the beginning of Season 1, the Titans felt like mindless beasts that could be easily dealt with, although they did manage to make a surprise attack on humanity at first. That's why viewers were eager to see Eren Yeager and the rest of the cadets finally annihilate them.

But that one Jumping Titan was the first pure Titan that completely changed the mood of the series. When this monster jumped as high as the cadet corps to specifically reach them, it showed a level of intelligence never seen before. As Thomas Wagner was slowly eaten alive by the Titan, the soldiers realized how difficult their fight really was.

3 Talking Titan

Can talk to people, and is constantly fighting an urge to kill them

• First appearance: Ilse's notebook Special Chapter (Manga) Ilse's notebook OVA (anime)

As previously mentioned, before audiences learned the truth about the Titans, these creatures were seen as mindless monsters. There were several hints about their true nature and the infamous Talking Titan is one of the best examples. When met by Ilse Langnar, its enormous eyes can instantly send chills down the viewer's spine.

To make matters worse, this Abnormal begins to speak like an actual human, mentioning something about “Ymir's minions”, only to immediately begin fighting its urges to kill Ilse by tearing off her skin, though it ultimately fails to doing so, devouring her in the process The eerie feel of this creepy Titan is extremely memorable.

4 Chasing the Titan

It is extremely fast and relentless

• First appearance: Chapter 22 (Manga) Episode 17 (Anime)

While the Scout Regiment was on its 57th outer mission, Sasha Braus was ambushed by a creepy abnormal titan hiding behind a building, who immediately began hunting her and her troop, though they were skilled enough to lure them out.

In it Attack on Titan series, it's not common to see Titans running on all fours, so this Abnormal was pretty special. The high speeds that Chasing the Titan can reach, along with its relentless instinct to hunt down and try to kill Sasha, make it one of the most terrifying monsters in the series. This is an abnormality that no ordinary soldier would ever want to encounter in an open field.

5 Wall Titans

Hidden weapons of mass destruction that were an important part of the rumble

• First appearance: Chapter 33 (Manga) Episode 25 (Anime)

At the end of the attack on Stohess Arc, readers and viewers learn that the three walls of Paradis Island actually contain living, immobile titans within them, called Wall Titans. This was a disturbing reveal, but they didn't really do much for most of the series.

This changed during the last leg of the Attack on Titanwhen Eren Yeager awakened the Wall Titans with the powers of the Founding Titan and caused the event of mass destruction known as the Rumbling. It turns out that the Wall Titans are actually gigantic, as they are as large and powerful as the mighty Colossal Titan. This ultimately means that their constant march can kill thousands of people in mere seconds, not to mention they are almost unstoppable.

6 Gluttonous Titan

Its giant eyes make it look very scary, and it can even follow Zeke's orders

• First appearance: Chapter 35 (Manga) Episode 26 (Anime)

It is later confirmed that all Titans created with Zeke Yeager's spinal fluid are technologically abnormal as they can all function during the night and follow his specific orders. Of all his subjects, the infamous Gluttonous Titan may be the one that viewers remember the most.

As if all the characteristics of the Abnormal Titans weren't terrifying enough, the Gluttonous Titan sports a pair of huge bug-sized eyes that no one would want to face in real life. One of the ugliest designs in the series, and even its death at the hands of the Beast Titan was incredibly cruel.

7 Portly Titan

Its unsettling behavior was enough to make it stand out

• First appearance: Chapter 35 (Manga) Episode 26 (Anime)

The gluttonous titan was infamous for helping with the heartbreaking murder of Miche Zacharius, but he wasn't the only titan present on the scene. The Beast Titan controlled another Abnormal Titan to trap and intimidate the soldier, known as Portly Titan among the fans.

While the Gluttonous Titan was disturbing due to its unique appearance, the Portly Titan stood out due to its disturbing behavior, as it continued to stalk and observe Miche from the corner of a building, instead of approaching him directly. Also, the Portly Titan actually got to eat Miche alive, which makes it even more memorable and terrifying.

8 Connie Springer's mother

Doomed to a life of constant anguish, although she is still sentient

• First appearance: Chapter 37 (Manga) Episode 27 (Anime)

While most abnormal titans are scary because of the possibility of dying at their hands, this is a completely different case because of the possibility of being in its place. Mother of Connie Springer turned into a titan that couldn't move at all, so she was permanently stuck in the same position, chest completely exposed.

If that wasn't already creepy enough, it's important to note that Connie's mother was still capable of human speech and intelligence while in this form, as she welcomed her son back to her village with real words. This means that she was aware of her suffering all along.

9 Red Eyed Titan

It is extremely evil and its red eyes are terrifying

• First appearance: Attack on Titan: No Regrets (Manga) A Choice with No Regrets: Part Two (Anime)

Similar to the aforementioned Chasing Titan, the Red Eyed Titan were notorious for their blinding speed, being one of the very few instances of a quadrupedal Titan. To make matters worse, it also had a pair of blood red eyes, never seen again in another pure Titan, so it was a unique feature of this one.

Not only was this a terrifying abnormality, both in agility and appearance, but it also seemed to be intelligent enough to use the rain to its advantage to hunt people. That's exactly how it managed to ambush and kill both Isabel Magnolia and Furlan Church before being killed by Levi Ackerman himself.

10 Rod Reiss Titan

It is huge, has a disgusting appearance and caused a lot of destruction

• First appearance: Chapter 66 (Manga) Episode 44 (Anime)

When Historia's biological father, Rod Reiss, drank the Titan liquid, he instantly transformed into the greatest pure Titan in the entire series. With his enormous size, his raw power, and his ability to emit steam that could set everything around him on fire. He was basically a smaller version of the iconic Colossal Titan.

The Rod Reiss Titan is not only massive and strong, but it is arguably one of the most terrifying monsters of all Attack on Titan. Since Rod Reiss drank the liquid while lying on the ground, his Titan form could only move by pulling himself, tearing apart his skin and muscles in the process. This resulted in the giant creature having no face and his internal organs spilling out everywhere. Now that's worrying!