20 Most Powerful Attack On Titan Characters Ranked

Despite technically falling under the umbrella of "cartoons," the world of Japanese anime is far removed from the world of Western animation. Anime has its roots in the Japanese comic book "manga" tradition, an art form famous (and infamous) for pushing the boundaries of graphic storytelling in ways that Western comics can only dream of. 

Over the years, anime has surged in popularity around the world. From the early days of "Sailor Moon" and "Dragon Ball Z" in the '80s and '90s to present times, fans outside of Japan have grown familiar enough with the genre to be open to more experimental content. One major anime series to achieve breakthrough popularity outside of Japan in recent years has been "Attack on Titan," based on the manga of the same name.

The show takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which the last vestiges of civilization are under attack by colossal, human-shaped beasts called "Titans." Acting against them are a number of military-trained soldiers with formidable fighting skills. Over the course of the series, audiences have seen a number of powerful Titans and other strong characters pop up at various points. Let's take a look at the 20 most powerful characters shown on "Attack on Titan" as the series nears its conclusion. WARNING: Major spoilers ahead! 

Most of the main heroes and villains of "Attack on Titan" come from the 104th Training Corps, which helps train the next generation of Titan-killing soldiers. Historia Reiss (initially going under the assumed name of Christa Lenz) was the most diminutive member of the Corps, as well as being exceptionally pretty and kind-hearted, none of which screams "fearsome warrior" to the rest of the world. Moreover, a tragic childhood had left her with incredibly low self-esteem and a marked disinterest in self-preservation. All these factors interlaced to make her one of the least-threatening members of the military.

While Historia's kind nature held her back a lot, she was still a capable soldier. She graduated 10th in her class and was shown to be quite adept at using the complex Omni-Directional Mobility (ODM) gear the Corps uses to battle Titans. But Historia's true power lay in her heritage as Rod Reiss' secret child, which in turn made her the last remaining member of the Reiss royal family. Thanks to her lineage and the support of the common people, Historia eventually ascends to the throne to become "Queen of the Walls." As ruler, she commands vast power over her land and her people, but can be relied upon to use it wisely to help others instead of for selfish purposes. 

As one of the shorter members of the 104th Training Corps, with a slim build and an unfocussed attitude, Conny Springer did not pose much of a threat at the start of the series. Despite his strong desire to make his family and village proud of his military rank, Conny was a bit too fond of goofing off with his classmates during training for his own good. 

Still, his natural talent put Conny among the top students in his class. His work with the ODM gear was so intuitively astute that he was asked by his classmates for help in learning to use it. Connie was also incredibly fast in combat, to the point that he often did not even need to directly engage with a Titan during a fight. 

Conny's power attained a major boost when he obtained a Pure Titan form. As a Pure Titan, he grew tall enough to reach up to the Armored Titan's head for an attack. His time as a Titan was short-lived, however, and Conny soon grew disillusioned with the soldiers in charge of dealing with the Titan threat. Nonetheless, he remained a formidable combatant and determined soldier.

At first glance, Pieck Finger is one of the least threatening characters on "Attack on Titan." She was a short young woman who was generally shown to be kind, understanding, and quite intelligent. She was also seen as being more than a little weird due to her habit of walking around using both her hands and legs like an animal. 

This last unusual habit was directly tied into Pieck's secret source of strength. She was capable of transforming into the quadrupedal Cart Titan, a monstrosity standing four meters tall that is mostly used as a cargo animal. The Cart Titan exhibits incredible amounts of endurance, befitting its nature as a pack mule, as well as great speed. The Cart Titan also has the rare ability to communicate with humans through speech. 

Due to its natural abilities, Pieck's Titan form was mostly used for carrying equipment across vast distances. But the Cart Titan was also capable of inflicting great damage on enemies when the occasion demanded it. While her Titan form was not the strongest on the market, Pieck's remarkably astute nature coupled with her transformation ability made her an important player in "Attack on Titan's" power struggle.

Dot Pyxis started out as one of the top officers of the Garrison Regiment, exercising full authority when it came to the defense of Trost District. While outwardly affecting a light-hearted demeanor, Pyxis was an extremely shrewd tactical commander who was astute enough to know how to appeal to the sense of duty of the soldiers under his command.

For much of his time on the show, Pyxis was a guiding light for the younger characters. He laid out the plans for engaging in battle with the enemy and was not afraid to sacrifice his men if it meant the eventual victory of humanity over the Titans. Despite his many good qualities, however, Pyxis fell prey to the notorious "Attack on Titan" trend of killing off well-liked characters in a brutal manner. 

In his final appearance, Pyxis accidentally ingested wine that carried traces of Zeke Jaeger's spinal fluid. As a result, Pyxis and several others were transformed into Pure Titan monstrosities. In his Titan form, Pyxis was filled with incredible physical strength, but lost his remarkable intelligence. He was killed by Armin Arlelt, but not before the latter whispered his thanks for Pyxis' years of guidance and support.  

Another notable member of the 104th Cadet Corps was Sasha Braus. Hailing from a small village and initially rather timid and formal, Sasha's main source of relief in those times was food, and her voracious appetite led to the rather unkind moniker "Potato Girl." But Sasha went on to distinguish herself as a soldier once she gained some self-confidence.

Despite her preoccupation with eating, Sasha had a highly-developed mind for battle strategies and could concoct plans to win the day even without using her ODM gear. When it came to direct combat against Titans, Sasha was prone to open displays of fear, but she managed to stand her ground against Titan assaults with the help of the rest of the soldiers on her team. 

Due to her childhood life of hunting and foraging with her family, Sasha had a keenly developed set of skills in archery, horseback riding, and tracking. Over the years, she also developed a fine sense of marksmanship and an impressive knack for thievery due to her habit of stealing food wherever she saw it lying around. While not the strongest or the fastest, Sasha's abilities helped her last longer in the series than many of her comrades.

As far as warrior spirit goes, by his own admission, Jean Kirschtein never had much. Jean joined the 104th Cadet Corps in hopes of landing a cushy and protected job within the walls — he didn't initially believe there was any point in trying to resist the overwhelming power of the Titans.

Despite his vocal opposition to the idea of trying to defeat the enemy, Jean rose through the ranks of the Corps through sheer talent alone. He was a natural leader, and despite loudly proclaiming his self-centered nature, he cared deeply about the safety of his fellow soldiers, even risking his own life for theirs. Jean was particularly noted for his skill with the ODM gear, which, unlike most soldiers, he was able to use in open terrain. When it came to direct combat, his weapon of choice was the "Thunder Spear," a rocket-like assault weapon  capable of piercing hardened Titan skin.    

One thing you eventually come to learn in "Attack on Titan" is that, as bad as the Titans are, the humans are worse. And few humans are worse than Kenny Ackerman, the captain of the Anti-Personnel Control Squad in the Military Police Regiment — and a former serial killer. 

The greatest strength and the greatest tragedy of Kenny's life was his marked absence of empathy towards others. This allowed him to commit the most horrific acts of war and torture imaginable with a detached air. But it also prevented him from living a full life, since he was unable or uninterested in caring for others beyond their use in his quest for more power. Kenny has been known to have executed over 100 MPs, earning him the title "Kenny the Ripper." Not only was he one of the most dangerous human fighters in the series, he also had a technical bent to his mind, which he proved with the creation of the Anti-Personnel gear. What made Kenny doubly dangerous was his willingness to sneak up on enemies and employ dirty tricks instead of keeping to a warrior's code of conduct.

Another graduate of the 104th Cadet Corps who would have a significant impact on the story of "Attack on Titan" was Annie Leonhart. When it comes to her physical and mental abilities, Annie finished near the top of her class at the fourth position, and could have ranked even higher if not for her "lone-wolf tendencies." But what made Annie a truly formidable threat was her ability to transform into the Female Titan when the occasion demanded. At a height of 14 meters, the Female Titan was a towering behemoth noted for having a host of natural abilities that most other Titans could not rival. Due to her special abilities, the Female Titan was considered one of the biggest threats on the show.

Apart from her physical training and transformation power, Annie's fearsome reputation was bolstered by a willingness to hurt or kill anyone for the sake of her mission. This, coupled with the fact that the heroes of the show saw Annie as their ally at the start, allowed her to inflict massive amounts of damage that had grave repercussions until the end of the series.

Many years prior to the start of "Attack on Titan," a homeless Eldian girl was picked up off the streets and made the centerpiece of a cult. Given the name "Ymir," the little girl was betrayed by her cult and unwillingly transformed into a Titan, and she spent years wandering around outside the walls of the city. She eventually reverted to her human form and re-entered the city in an attempt to rejoin humanity.

It was then that Ymir enlisted in the 104th Cadet Corps and became one of its most accomplished members. But her true power naturally lay in her Titan form, dubbed the Jaw Titan. At five meters tall, the Jaw Titan wasn't the biggest Titan around, but Ymir made up for it with her skills — her control over her Titan form was so great that she was able to transform partially and still carry on interactions with other humans.

As the name suggests, Ymir's Titan form was particularly noted for its giant maw and sharp teeth, which it used to tear through multiple enemies in quick succession. After Ymir allowed herself to be killed, the power of the Jaw Titan was transferred to Porco Galliard, which was fitting, since Ymir initially obtained the power of the Jaw Titan after consuming Porco's brother, Marcel.  

Of all the dangerous Titans to appear on the show, perhaps none are more important, at least story-wise, than the one controlled by Bertholdt Hoover. There is some irony in this, because Berthold himself is quiet and rather weak-willed, not the type of person you can easily imagine as a great villain capable of inflicting so much harm. As a member of the 104th Cadet Corps, Bertholdt showed regard for his classmates — at least, before it was revealed that he had been the enemy all along in his Colossal Titan form. The Colossal Titan grew to approximately 60 meters in height, making it one of the most towering monstrosities in the history of the show, and it was the creature responsible for kickstarting the events of the series. It was also far more dangerous than just a mindless beast, as it was able to retain Bertholdt's brain.

The Colossal Titan is particularly notable for, along with the Armored Titan, being strong enough to tear down the gates of the Walls, though it moved slowly due to its size. It also possessed a unique ability to create steam within its body that could be released under great pressure and at great temperatures to inflict damage on smaller and faster opponents.   

There were other humans who wielded the power of the Jaw Titan at other times, but Porco Galliard was arguably the one who realized the destructive capabilities of his Titan form to its fullest extent — at the expense of the show's lead characters.  

Unlike Ymir, who stumbled upon the power of the Jaw Titan by accident, Porco was chosen to inherit that power and specially trained for the purpose. As a result, he was a skilled warrior in his human state while also exerting a high degree of control over his Titan form, making him an invaluable ally on the battlefield. The Jaw Titan inflicted devastating damage on enemy soldiers due to its great speed and the ability to rip humans apart with its teeth in seconds. Imagine a giant lawn mower hurtling across the battlefield, eating up any soldiers in its path, and you have an idea of the menace posed by Porco Galliard.

If you're only casually acquainted with "Attack on Titan," chances are you know the series primarily through its most infamous beast, the dreaded Armored Titan. While not the biggest or strongest of the Titans, the creature has a distinctly fearsome appearance that has made it a standout on the show, along with its human alter ego, Reiner Braun. The man who would one day inherit the power of the Armored Titan was born from a secret union between an Eldian and a Marleyan. Over time, Reiner grew into a formidable soldier and was forced to do all kinds of terrible things as the Armored Titan, who was 15 meters tall and whose look was inspired by WWE superstar Brock Lesnar.

The Armored Titan's attacks are noted for their devastating power, from razing entire buildings to the ground simply by charging through them to throwing Eren Jaeger's Titan form into a border wall hard enough to crack it. As the name suggests, the Armored Titan also possesses specially hardened skin that makes it impervious to most piercing attacks and can be used as an offensive weapon capable of ripping through most obstacles. Finally, Reiner possessed the unusual ability to shift his brain function into other parts of his body to avoid certain death.

One of the three main protagonists on the show alongside Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackermann, Armin Arlelt was their fellow cadet in the 104th Cadet Corps. At first it was easy to dismiss Armin as a small and weak soldier-in-training, but his diffident nature masked a highly-developed strategic mind bordering on genius.

Armin's brain, along with his acute sense of loyalty and regard for his allies, made him an important member of the show's main trio. Armin wasn't great at using the ODM gear, which was why he was rarely called upon to take part in direct combat, but his strategies helped save his fellow soldiers from certain death on more than one occasion, and he played a key role in identifying the spies in the Corps before all-out war broke out. Armin would later go on to inherit the power of the Colossal Titan from Bertholdt. The size and power of the Colossal Titan, when controlled by Armin, seems roughly on the same level as when Bertholdt was in charge. Additionally, Armin's Titan transformation is accompanied by a giant explosion that once took out the entire Marleyan navy and port in one fell swoop.

Erwin Smith was the 13th commander of the Scout Regiment, meaning that when things were officially falling apart and the Titans were rampaging across your city, he was the dude you called. Erwin was known for his pragmatic approach to Titan confrontations, as well as for developing the Long-Distance Enemy Scouting Formation to allow for a greater view of the battlefield. He had a brilliant strategic mind and was also known to be a ruthless opponent, not above sacrificing his own men for the sake of taking down the enemy. But Erwin was equally willing to put his own life on the line. When a Titan bit off his arm, not only did Erwin shout at his men to continue with their mission, but he single-handedly dealt with the Titan and returned, minus a limb, to their side.

While Erwin did not command the power of the Titans, he was a formidable warrior regardless. His vast years of experience going toe-to-toe with Titans and living to tell the tale made him one of the series' most fearsome characters.

"Attack on Titan" is filled with characters who can cause great destruction, but arguably more important are the ones who have devoted their lives to keeping humans alive and safe, taking on both the politics of the ruling classes and the assault of the Titans. Hange Zoë is one such, a character who uses her abilities to protect rather than destroy. 

As the leader of the 4th squad, Hange was deeply involved in studying the biology of the Titans to better understand their extraordinary abilities. She later proved herself to be more than just a scholar, however, as she was able to kickstart a revolution against the government within the Walls. While Hange did not take part in much action early on, this changed over time, to the point that she was shown taking down several Colossal Titans during the Rumbling. 

Hange is also said to have survived more than six years of expeditions outside the Walls, which indicates a high level of survival skills and may explain why she rarely shows any hint of fear, even when interacting with a Titan up close. Hange is eventually appointed the 14th Commander of the Survey Corps, adding even more power to her arsenal.

Being a powerful warrior is a trait that runs deep in the Ackermann clan. Like other members of her family, Mikasa Ackermann just wanted to lead a peaceful life, but destiny had other plans.

Mikasa lost both her parents at a young age and only survived due to help from Eren Jaeger. Ever since then, Mikasa has made it her life's mission to look after Eren and keep him from harm. That's what led to her joining the 104th Cadet Corps alongside Eren, where she quickly stood out as the best soldier in the group. After graduating, Mikasa continued to be preoccupied with Eren and followed him into the Scout Regiment.

Mikasa has been shown to be remarkably strong for her size, capable of lifting Eren off the ground with ease and sending bullies scurrying away due to her mere arrival. As a soldier, Mikasa's abilities with the ODM gear and the speed and accuracy with which she was able to dispatch multiple Titans were the stuff of legend — it was said that Mikasa alone was equal to a 100 regular soldiers. Mikasa also has access to the battle memories of her ancestors and is powered by her clan's ability to manifest a measure of the power of the Titans in human form.

There are a lot of terrible people in "Attack on Titan," but Zeke Yeager carries the dubious distinction of being considered the main villain of the series (at least until Eren really starts getting mad). As the surname suggests, Zeke is Eren's half-brother. He is also the inheritor of the power of the cataclysmic "Beast Titan." 

What makes Zeke a particularly formidable enemy is his vast brain power, as well as the fact that he is a member of the royal family the Titans were initially created to serve. As a result, Zeke is a threat to the world order due to both his abilities and his ambitions. After all, this is the guy who has been expertly manipulating both Paradis and Marley for years into thinking he is on their side. 

When it comes to Zeke's Titan form, the Beast Titan has vast amounts of strength, and its preferred method of attack is grabbing anything, from a horse to giant rocks, and hurling them across vast distances to crush opponents. But more than its personal strength, the Beast Titan earned its fearsome reputation by being the Titan leader. Zeke is also able to converse fluently with humans while in his Titan form.

We're not done with the Ackermanns yet, and we saved the best for the last. Levi Ackermann was another distinguished member of his clan who was appointed captain of the Special Operations Squad, aka the ones you called when even the Scout Regiment was unable to deal with a Titan problem. As captain, Levi earned a reputation for being the strongest soldier humanity has ever seen. While Titan-hunting is a group exercise for everyone else, Levi prefers to take them one-on-one, letting his squad handle the rest. Little wonder that Levi is considered the most skilled user of ODM gear ever — and also doesn't actually need ODM gear to cut down Titans.

Having lived a life of crime on the streets before joining the Scout Regiment, Levi scores high on pretty much every aspect of fighting and survival. He was trained in combat by Kenny Ackermann at a young age and carries the family gifts of ancestral battle memory and the ability to harness Titan power. It's no surprise that even Zeke Jaeger admitted he did not want to face Levi in combat.  

Not every wielder of a Titan's power is a battle-hardened warrior. Lara Tybur was the sister of the nobleman Willy Tybur and initially didn't have much to do in the story beyond hanging out at her brother's side. But Lara's true importance was revealed when she exposed herself as the inheritor of the power of the War Hammer Titan, whom Eren had to overcome.

Despite her brief appearance in the series, Lara proved she was not to be taken lightly when she came very close to beating Eren one-on-one. As the War Hammer Titan, Lara's main strength lay in her ability to generate massive and durable weapons out of the Titan's body, the most notable one being the War Hammer that gave the Titan its name. Lara also possessed the rare and extremely valuable ability to operate her Titan form remotely while keeping her human body safe within a crystallized cocoon, circumventing a typical Titan weak spot. In fact, it was only Lara's (justified) belief in the superiority of her fighting ability over Eren's that allowed the latter to gain the upper hand at the last moment, when Lara's attention slipped due to her arrogance.

He's the central protagonist of "Attack on Titan" (at least for now), and he's the reason the lives of the show's main characters are thrown into such upheaval. Eren Jaeger was a young boy when he witnessed his mother being killed and eaten by a smiling Titan — the incident sparked a deep, burning hatred towards all Titans inside Eren and became the catalyst for his career as a soldier. Eren's seething hatred of Titans led him to distinguish himself as a hot-headed but often unstoppable member of the Scout Regiment, but things changed when Eren learned the Titans' true nature and came to see the rest of humanity living "across the sea" as the real enemy that must be destroyed at all cost.

This set Eren on a path towards obtaining more power, from which there was no return. While already dangerous in his human form, Eren came to possess power unlike anything the world had seen before after becoming master of not one but three Titan forms — the Attack Titan, the Founding Titan, and the War Hammer Titan. Eren also has the ability to command other Titans to do his bidding. But with so much awesome power at his command, what exactly is the increasingly conflicted Eren Jaeger going to do next?