Warning: The following contains spoilers for Attack On Titan.
In Attack on Titan, the shocking revelation of humans being given the power to transform into fearsome titans caused a rift between the characters, with former brothers in arms eventually becoming enemies. The reveals that Annie and Reiner were the Female Titan and Armor Titan, respectively, were somewhat obvious in retrospect. Conversely, there was almost no reason to suspect the connection between the unassuming Bertolt and the Colossal Titan, making his reveal genuinely surprising.
The Colossal Titan appeared at the very beginning of the series, giving viewers a glimpse of its menacing presence as it loomed over the walls. Its subsequent appearances were few, but always managed to create lasting impacts because of its unique abilities. Armin is now the holder of this power after he was saved by Levi and ate Bertolt. Here are five things to know about the Colossal Titan that make it a devastating force of nature.
1. Its Sheer Size
As with the other special titan powers, the Colossal Titan gets its name from its most recognizable feature: its immense size. It towers over pretty much everything at a whopping 60 meters, making it even larger than the Beast Titan. For further height comparison, Eren's Attack Titan only reaches slightly above the Colossal Titan's ankle. It is also the only Titan shown to overshadow the walls.
Though the Colossal Titan is quite intimidating due to its size, the trade-off is in how incredibly slow it moves. The Titan is slow to the point where it allows Survey Corps members to use their vertical maneuvering equipment to latch onto its body easily. Its other abilities make up for its slowness.
2. Steam and Heat Manipulation
Given how slow the Colossal Titan is, one would assume it is highly susceptible to attacks from enemies. This conclusion is wrong due to how the Titan expels heat and steam, and uses this ability both offensively and defensively. It can produce pressurized steam strong enough to deflect cables from the Survey Corps' equipment, as well as repel anyone in close proximity. Additionally, the Colossal Titan has the ability to increase the steam's temperature, making the air around it so hot that it sears flesh. An example of this is when Armin managed to hook onto the Titan's body and hold his position, but ended up as a burnt corpse.
What's unusual about the Colossal Titan is how it doesn't need to cool down as other Titans are shown to do. Even more intriguing is how Bertolt's human body doesn't sustain any heat damage while using the Titan power.
3. Explosive Transformation
Whenever any shifters use their power to transform, a surge of energy surrounds them. Eren and Reiner appear to be struck by lightning during their transformations. What differentiates Bertolt from the rest is his control over how much energy is released when turning into the Colossal Titan. This can range from small amounts of energy that simply knock away Survey Corps members with bursts of wind, to large explosions causing massive amounts of damage in its wake similar to a bomb. The latter is seen when Bertolt transforms in Shiganshina, leaving behind destroyed buildings and a small mushroom cloud.
4. Instant Dissipation & Partial Transformation
Speaking of transformations, Bertolt is the only titan shifter who can revert back to his human form almost instantaneously. This is evident when Eren confronted the Colossal Titan only to witness it disappear completely a few moments after. A similarly fascinating ability Bertolt had was partial transformations. This is demonstrated when he and Reiner finally reveal themselves as shifters to the Survey Corps, with only the upper body of the Colossal Titan being fully formed.
5. Enhanced Strength & Regeneration
As with most of the other special Titans, the Colossal Titan has enhanced strength and regeneration. Only it and the Armored Titan were capable of easily damaging or breaking through the walls, making them two of the strongest Titans. The Colossal Titan was able to destroy most of the upper portions of Wall Rose, and all of its cannons, with one sweeping motion of its arm. It also broke through Wall Maria's south gate with one strike of its foot, damaging all nearby buildings. The Colossal Titan was even capable of halting Eren's Titan transformation by jumping onto him from the top of the wall, albeit in an incomplete form, which left a large crater in the ground.
The Colossal Titan is definitely a force to be reckoned with. It is still unclear whether Armin will inherit these abilities or have to learn them, but he may become unstoppable when he combines the power with his brilliant mind.
