Warning: This article contains spoilers for Attack on Titan.
One of the biggest bombshells of Attack on Titan was the discovery that Titans are actually humans, with some able to control their transformation. While majority of these Titans are lacking intelligence and balanced mobility, there are several special types that differ from the rest. The Armored Titan, who made his appearance early on, is one of them. It is later revealed Reiner Braun, a member of the Scout Regiment, was the true identity of this particular Titan.
While the name and appearance make Reiner's Titan power seem obvious, the Armored Titan is more than meets the eye. Throughout the series, more aspects of Titans have been revealed, painting Braun as an even more formidable enemy. Here are five things to consider about the Armored Titan.
1. Its Armor
One of the Armored Titan's most prominent traits is its namesake. Given how the power was passed down for many generations, it is not to be underestimated. Whenever Reiner transforms, his Titan body created armor plates from his skin. Aside from some uncovered joints, the armor is incredibly tough and able to withstand attacks from cannons and the ultra-hard steel swords used by the Survey Corps. It also allowed him to break through Wall Maria, which is made up of several Titans having used their own hardening ability. Additionally, the Armored Titan was able to survive a direct collision with the Colossal Titan who fell from atop Wall Rose.
What's unique about the Armored Titan is how its hardened plates stay on permanently, unlike other Titans who are only capable of covering weak points temporarily. He is also shown to be able to harden his fingers to scale walls. Additionally, the Armor Titan is able to shed some armor plates in order to gain a boost in speed, but becomes more vulnerable to attacks.
2. Enhanced Speed and Strength
The Armored Titan excels in both speed and strength as Reiner's strong will and physical prowess easily transition into his Titan form. For instance, the first fight between him and Eren in their Titan forms left the latter with half his head destroyed from Reiner's punches. The Armored Titan is also strong enough to pick up like-sized titans with one hand and throw them with incredible force. Though not as agile as Eren or Annie, Reiner is still able to catch his enemies off guard.
In regards to speed, he is one of the few titans shown running at full sprint after gaining enough momentum. As mentioned previously, this speed combined with the armor plating makes him an efficient battering ram capable of penetrating almost anything. The initial burst of speed creates such an impact, any surrounding structures are blown away.
3. Travelling Consciousness
Among the Armored Titan's stranger abilities is being able to transfer brain function to other parts of his body. What's more fascinating is how this can be done in both his human and Titan forms. This is first shown when he is stabbed by Levi in the neck, but is still conscious enough to transform into the Armored Titan. Shortly after this incident, he is bombarded with attacks to the point where his human body is exposed and his head decimated. Despite this, the Titan was still able to move because Reiner spread his consciousness across his Titan body through the nervous system.
Though a powerful trump card, the ability is described as extremely difficult to pull off and only to be used as a last resort. This is evident after Reiner regenerates his head, but doesn't recall anything after the initial attack.
4. Regeneration Withdrawal
This ability leans more toward the human side of things. Regenerating wounds is something all the Titan Shifters possess when in Titan form or after returning to their regular bodies. Interestingly, Reiner was shown to have full control over it when he deliberately chose not to heal his wounds in order to keep his cover. This begs the question as to whether there are any other Titan Shifters capable of doing this. After the time skip in the manga, it is revealed Eren is also able to control his regeneration and does so to successfully infiltrate Marley.
5. Prone to Overheating
One of the key similarities seen in every Titan is how they all need to expel heat. This is usually in the form of massive amounts of steam rising from their bodies. The difference with the Armored Titan is, since his body is covered by armor plates, he's forced to push all the heat out through his mouth. In the one instance of this happening, the steam spewing from the Titan's mouth was ignited and appeared as if he was breathing fire. While a minor detail, it could point to Reiner being inefficient with his Titan's excessive overheating, meaning the other special Titans have similar inefficiencies ripe for exploitation.
