
October 02, 2024
Attack on Titan | Who Are the Ancient Titans in the Final Battle?
Read about the ancient Titans in the final battle of Attack on Titan, from the fearsome Snake Titan to familiar Titans like Eren’s father.


Buy: Attack On Titan Merchandise & Gifts
Buy: Attack On Titan Merchandise & Gifts
The final battle of Attack on Titan had everything the fans could ask for. From the alliance between Eldia and Marley and the stunning fighting scenes to the heartfelt moment of Mikasa and Eren’s kiss. However, one huge aspect of this battle truly intrigued everyone - the appearance of the past Titans.
As the allied forces confronted Eren, numerous Titans emerged to defend the Founder Titan and ensure the Rumbling's success. These Titans showcased diverse and terrifying forms from past holders, intensifying the battle and providing a glimpse into their incredible and fearsome abilities.
The Snake Titan
The Beast Titans have the astonishing ability to take on diverse animal forms, contributing to their amazing and awe-inspiring appearance during the battle. Out of every Titan who appeared, the Snake Titan stood out as the most fearsome and captivating one in the anime and manga series.
This huge serpent-like creature made a brief but threatening appearance, nearly eating Connie. Fortunately, Levi, despite being injured, displayed his exceptional ODM gear skills, swiftly rescuing Connie from danger.
The unknown background of the snake-like Titan in Attack on Titan sparks curiosity among fans. With no details about its origin or inheritor, it remains a mystery, causing discussions and speculation among the audience and adding an intriguing layer to the storyline.
The Okapi Titan
Unlike the other Titans summoned by Eren's Titan powers, the Okapi Titan had a more extended screen time and a much more significant role in the final episode of Attack on Titan. With its battle strategy, it nearly tipped the scales in Eren’s favor during the Battle of Heaven and Earth, almost suffocating Armin and helping the Rumbling’s success.
The Okapi used his strong and agile body to capture Armin, preventing his transformation into the Colossal Titan and isolating him from his squadmates. After a long chase where the other past Titans intervened, Mikasa finally caught up to the Okapi and helped Armin escape, shifting the tides of the battle by doing so.
The Ancient Armored Titan
One particular Armored Titan posed a formidable challenge to the Alliance comprising Eldia's and Marley's finest. Resembling Fantastic Four’s "The Thing", this Titan proved to be as strong as his Marvel counterpart, appearing almost invincible and immensely difficult to overcome.
Similarly to the other Ancient Titans, this Titan ensured the Okapi stayed away from Armin’s allies, holding Mikasa back and breaking her swords. However, just like Reiner, it had vulnerabilities that made it possible for Annie Leonhart to beat it.
The War Hammer Titans
Lastly, an interesting blend of futuristic, alien-like, and historical soldiers emerged—the War Hammer Titans, prepared for battle. Their presence on the battlefield introduced a new fighting style, setting them apart from others and posing a new challenge for the Scouts to overcome.
With their unique ability to create weapons, they engaged the Scouts in a traditional yet captivating way. They used swords for close-range attacks and targeted the distant enemies with arrows, trying to accomplish the same objective as the other Titans – to secure the success of the Rumbling.
The Return of Porco, Grisha, and Bertholdt’s Titans
Hajime Isayama found a great way to introduce the fans to the old Titans while also creating room for some fan favorites to return. As part of the ancient Titans army, familiar figures like Grisha’s Attack Titan, Bertholdt’s Colossal Titan, and Porco’s Jaw Titan appeared.
Unlike the other Titans who hindered the world-saving efforts of the soldier alliance, these Titans showed empathy and took a positive stance. For unknown reasons, all demonstrated clear thinking, significantly helping Mikasa and Armin in halting the Rumbling. This scene proves how a greater cause can unite everyone – even if, at some point, they were the greatest enemies.
By using everything the Founder Titan could offer, Eren was able to pose a great challenge to the Survey Corps. However, with one of the strongest Attack Titans in history, the terrifying size of the Colossus Titan, and the most agile one of the nine Titan shifters, the Eldian army finally got the huge help they needed.
Tom Ksaver’s Beast Titan
During the chaos created by all of the past Titans in Attack on Titan, there was one who stood out – Tom Ksaver’s horned Titan. Even though he took one of the most majestic Titan forms ever, Tom often mentioned that he was not very useful in battle. The appearance of this Titan, however, was a great surprise and confirmed the subtle foreshadowing shown in the first part of the fourth season of Attack on Titan.
Even though Tom was on Zeke Yeager's side and initially supported the plan of wiping out whole nations for the sake of achieving freedom, he ultimately fought against Eren in the final battle of the series. Just like Bertholdt and Porco, the reason behind Tom’s switch of allegiance remains a mystery.
The Foreshadowing in Attack on Titan’s Second Opening
The foreshadowing of Tom Ksaver’s Titan was not the first time Isayama teased these creatures’ appearance throughout the years. Back when the second season of Attack on Titan aired, the show was starting to get confusing as the fans were not familiar with all Nine Titans. Further adding to this complexity, the anime's creators made an opening sequence featuring multiple variations of the Beast Titan, contributing to the audience’s confusion.
The opening showed Zeke’s ape-like Titan, a zebra-like Titan, a whale Titan, an elephant Titan, and even a fearsome T-Rex-like Titan. As the series progressed, the enigmatic opening slowly started to make sense. The explanations began with Falco’s Flying Titan introduction and later continued with the unveiling of the past Titans who played an important role in the Rumbling and the end of Attack on Titan.
Final Thoughts on the Ancient Titans
The Titans' millennia-long existence was a widely known fact, yet fans remained in the dark about what these ancient Titans looked like. Their emergence in the final battle of Attack on Titan came as a surprise, adding a new layer to the series narrative. The ancient Titans elevated the scale of this battle, enhancing its epicness and grandiosity.
The Founder summoned everyone: from the newly introduced snake and okapi-like Titans to the reappearance of familiar figures like Porco’s Jaw Titan and Grisha’s Attack Titan. It’s amazing how Hajime Isayama subtly foreshadowed the appearance of these Titans back in the second season and later included them in one of the best fight scenes in the series.
The past Titans greatly enriched the story, captivating fans and sparking the desire for additional content, leaving the door for a prequel series open. However, even though it’s unlikely that Isayama would ever create such a story, the idea itself sounds very captivating.
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