Jaw Titan (Anime)

"The Jaw Titan is an assault weapon. It's as speedy as it is small, with claws and jaw that crush nearly everything."

- A Marleyan analysis of the Jaw Titan

The Jaw Titan (顎の巨人) was one of the Nine Titans with a ferociously powerful set of jaws and claws that were able to tear through almost anything. It was also the second swiftest Titan of all due to its small size.

Crushing strength
The Jaw Titan possessed, as its name implies, an incredible biting and crushing strength in its jaws and claws which could be used with devastating efficiency against both Titans and man-made structures. Its claws were strong enough to cause severe damage to armored opponents such as turrets.

Speed and Agility
Those who held the power of the Jaw Titan demonstrated great amounts of speed and agility in their Titan form. They could even move fast enough to catch another one of the Nine Titans off guard. Though the Jaw Titan was relatively small and weak, its mobility excelled in terrain such as Forest of Giant Trees.

History
The Jaw Titan, like all of the Nine Titans, was brought into the world after the death of Ymir Fritz. In the 1,700 years following her death, the Jaw Titan was held in the possession of one or several of the warring Eldian houses subservient to the Founding Titan. After these seventeen centuries when Karl Fritz, the 145th king of the Fritz family, abandoned the conflicts of Eldia and relocated to Paradis Island, the Jaw Titan was taken by the nation of Marley during the Great Titan War.

Around the year 843, Marcel Galliard was chosen to inherit the power of the Jaw Titan. He would later make use of his Titan form during a war between Marley and an enemy nation, using his Jaw Titan to destroy the enemy's artillery guns.

In the year 845, the nation of Marley sent out Marcel Galliard, Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, and Annie Leonhart across the sea to Paradis Island as the start of the Paradis Island Operation. However, at some point before the attack on Shiganshina District, a Titan approached Reiner and nearly had him in its grasp until Marcel moved him away to safety. Marcel was caught in Reiner's place, and he was eaten alive as his comrades escaped. The Titan inherited Marcel's Jaw power and regained its human form: an Eldian girl named Ymir, who had been wandering as a Titan for around sixty years.

Choosing to start a new life for herself, Ymir made her way into humanity's territory and began living as a thief in the interior territories of the Walls. At this time, she overheard the story of "Christa Lenz" from members of the Order of the Walls and her plans to join the 104th Cadet Corps. Desiring to meet her for political and personal reasons, Ymir joined the Cadet Corps in the same year as Christa.

At some point during their training, Ymir and Christa faced difficulties escorting a sick cadet to shelter in harsh winter conditions. Wanting to see Christa survive, she sent her off to the shelter alone and used the Jaw Titan to bring their fellow cadet to safety at the base of a cliff side. Christa wondered at how Ymir could have possibly reached the shelter before her. Ymir agreed to tell her secret to Christa under the condition that when the secret of her Titan power was publicly known, Christa would go back to living under her true name.

Clash of the Titans arc
During the Wall Rose invasion, Ymir is among the recruits of the Scout Regiment at Utgard Castle when it is overrun by Titans commanded by the Beast Titan.

When their commanding officers die confronting the Titans, Ymir speaks with Christa, reminding her of a promise they made to each other during their training days. Taking a knife from Conny, Ymir slits her palm and transforms to fight the Titans at the base of the castle.

In her Titan form, Ymir begins to slaughter the Titans around Utgard with ease, using claws on her hands and feet to slash at napes as well as making use of her fanged teeth. After a short while, Ymir's Titan is outnumbered and overwhelmed and nearly breaks the structure of the tower. Rather than risking the castle's collapse, Ymir allows for her Titan to fall into the horde until Christa calls out to her, telling her that she should destroy the castle if that is what it takes to survive the Titan horde.

Ymir then starts tearing away at the tower, using bricks and stone to fend off the Titans until the tower begins to collapse. Climbing the tower, Ymir tells the other recruits to grab onto her Titan, which protects the others from falling to their deaths.

When the tower is reduced to rubble, Ymir continues to fight the Titans, but she is soon outnumbered, and the horde eats away at her Titan until the Scout Regiment arrives to finish them all off. Ymir is extracted from her Titan, missing some limbs and with serious abdominal injuries, and Christa tells Ymir her true name "Historia" before Ymir falls unconscious.

The next time Ymir uses her Titan is after she agrees to help Reiner and Bertholdt in exchange for Historia's safety. While in a forest she transforms to face the Scout Regiment, which has come to retrieve Eren, who was kidnapped by Reiner and Bertholdt.

Because Conny has seen her in her Titan form before, he prevents the others from attacking her, giving Ymir the time she needs to look around at the faces of those present. When she spots Historia, she opens her mouth wide and captures her inside.

Ymir then turns around and swings from tree to tree, to escape. She meets up with Reiner and Bertholdt, who are waiting for her at the edge of the forest. On seeing her, Reiner transforms into the Armored Titan and begins running while Bertholdt grapples on to his shoulder with Eren. Ymir jumps on his back, and he carries them all away.

During their escape, Commander Erwin Smith leads a horde of Titans into Reiner to stop him and Ymir is forced to defend Historia. In the chaos, they are separated from Reiner and Bertholdt, but they manage to kill a Titan together. As the battle intensifies, Ymir questions whether she is better off siding with the Warriors or the Scouts, but any way she looks at it, the chances inside the Walls are bleak.

She joins Historia, Sasha, and Conny in fending off the surrounding Titans when a newly freed Eren strikes a smiling Titan with his bare hand, triggering something that everyone with the power of the Titans can feel.

This causes all the mindless Titans present to drop what they are doing in favor of devouring the one that had attacked Eren. As Eren runs away he screams and sends the Titans after Reiner and Bertholdt. Ymir now realizes why they were after Eren, and that with his power the people of the Walls may have a future.

The Scouts prepare to retreat during the confusion and Ymir looks back to see Reiner and Bertholdt are about to be overwhelmed. She reaches out to Historia and caresses her hair before apologizing and turning to run back. Ymir arrives in time to stop a Titan from eating Bertholdt and joins them in their fight to survive.

Marley arc
During the two months afterward, Ymir is sent to Marley. At some point after or during the year 850, Porco Galliard is chosen to inherit the power of the Jaw Titan from Ymir.

At the climax of the Marley Mid-East War during the battle of Fort Slava, Galliard is present in the trenches dug by the Marleyan Warriors surrounding the fort. Cadet Colt Grice suggests making use of Galliard's Jaw Titan and Pieck's Cart Titan against the defenses of the Mid-East Allied Forces, but Commander Magath rejects the proposal due to the presence of anti-Titan artillery patrolling the perimeter of the fortress. However, once cadet Gabi Braun destroys the armored train carrying the artillery using explosives, Galliard is sent out onto the battlefield. His Titan proves to be more than enough to defend against the turret-fire from the bunkers surrounding Fort Slava, and Galliard's Titan makes quick work of Marley's enemies.

Galliard's attack on the Mid-East defenses is met with support from the 800 Eldians and Pieck's Cart Titan in full battle armor. Using the immense strength of his Titan's jaws, Galliard rips the railways from the ground, ensuring a complete immobilization of the Allies' defenses.

Shortly afterward, Galliard retreats as Zeke Jaeger begins a Titan airstrike directly above the fortress, dropping dozens of Pure Titans onto the Allies. When Reiner Braun joins the fight as the Armored Titan, Galliard assists him in destroying the remaining anti-Titan artillery stationed within the ruined fortress.

Over a month later, the Jaw Titan returns during the Raid on Liberio when the Attack Titan makes a sudden appearance and begins a massacre. The Jaw Titan swings onto the Attack Titan's back, attempting to bite into the nape to take the Founding Titan, but its jaw muscles are sliced by Levi Ackermann before the nape could be bitten through. The Attack Titan throws Jaws into the nearby building, where the Scout Regiment surrounds it in preparation for battle. The Cart and Beast Titans soon join the Jaw Titan in the plaza, and the Warriors prepare to battle the Eldians of Paradis Island.

Observing the movements of the enemy's maneuvering equipment, the Jaw Titan leaps up from a building as an enemy soldier appears flying above the Cart Titan ready to launch a Thunder Spear, and slaughters the soldier mid-air. After the Attack Titan transforms once more, the Jaw Titan charges it, but is intercepted by Mikasa Ackermann, who the Jaw Titan then engages.

Enraged by the Colossal Titan's transformation at the port, the Jaw Titan goes after the Attack Titan again, and rakes the side of its face and inadvertently grazes the crystal surrounding the inheritor of the War Hammer Titan. It retreats after a quick flurry of strikes back to the husk of the War Hammer Titan.

The Jaw Titan spots an incoming airship that serves as the method of escape for the Scout Regiment. It then goes to bring it down but is caught off balance due to Mikasa slashing its legs and severing one of its feet.

Crashing next to the Attack Titan, the Jaw Titan is further rendered helpless by getting both of its arms torn off. Then the crystal is jammed into its mouth and the Jaw Titan is unable to stop the Attack Titan from applying enough pressure to shatter the crystal, killing the inheritor of the War Hammer Titan. It is then knocked unconscious and about to be eaten by the Attack Titan, but is saved by the arrival of Reiner and his partially formed Armored Titan.

War for Paradis arc
From inside a military headquarters in Shiganshina District, Galliard takes his Jaw Titan form after Pieck leads Eren Jaeger onto the roof. Bursting through the building from beneath Eren's position, the Jaw Titan fails to fully devour its target, with Eren subsequently transforming. The Jaw Titan shields Pieck and Gabi from the resulting debris, whilst preparing to engage its foe.

Pieck then calls out and gets the Jaw Titan's attention by holding out her shackled wrist. Galliard understands and amputates Pieck's hand at the wrist, freeing them to escape from the rooftop. The Jaw Titan evades the Attack Titan and retreats for the time being. After the Armored Titan joins the battle, the Jaw Titan teams up and the two engage the Attack Titan and fight to a standstill.

Then, the Cart Titan is able to snipe the Attack Titan, briefly stunning it. After getting impaled by a set of spikes, the Jaw Titan frees itself and avoids another set of spikes. However, when it tries to attack from behind, the Attack Titan swats the Jaw Titan out of the air and gets sent flying into several buildings. Still out of combat, he witnesses the arrival of the Beast Titan to the battlefield.

The Jaw Titan takes some time to regain its senses before noticing that Reiner has been temporarily taken out of commission by the Attack Titan, which is now approaching Zeke's Beast Titan atop the Wall. It goes to ambush the Attack Titan, but is pelted by numerous Wall fragments thrown by the Beast Titan.

Recovering from the injury, and seeing the Attack Titan heading towards Zeke, the Jaw Titan quickly moves in to bite off the Attack Titan's leg. In response, Eren hardens his hands and strikes the Jaw Titan's neck, damaging Galliard inside and knocking out the Jaw Titan once again. Seeing Reiner about to be eaten by Falco Grice's Pure Titan, Galliard, who used up the power to heal himself, emerges from his Titan and muses on Reiner's inferiority to himself, before allowing the Titan to devour him, transferring the power of the Jaw Titan to Falco.

After the Armored and Female Titan are overrun by the Jaegerists at the harbor, Falco suggests using the power of his Jaw Titan, however, Pieck disagrees, saying his first transformation will not go well. Despite her reasonings, he thinks about what Galliard would do in his position and disregards his safety along with Pieck's warnings by jumping into the battle. He uses a nail he found from the harbor to transform into the Jaw Titan. The Jaw Titan and the Cart Titan are easily able to decimate the remaining Jaegerists, but as soon as they are defeated, Falco begins losing control of his Titan. Unable to recognize his allies, the Jaw Titan begins attacking the Scout Regiment members and Pieck, who tries to calm him down but to no avail, as he almost completely bites through her Titan's nape using his sharp teeth. She is asked to hold him down by Magath, who cuts him out of his Titan's nape using a blade. Magath then carries Falco's unconscious body to the boat, leaving him with Onyankopon.

After the Warriors and the Scouts leave, Falco recalls memories from a previous inheritor of the Beast Titan which could soar above the clouds and believes that his Titan could do the same. The Jaw Titan does indeed form a pair of wings enabling it to fly. Falco flies Annie and Gabi towards the Founding Titan, managing to save the Warriors and Scouts from an army of Titans. After getting a moment to regroup and devise a plan with the others, the Jaw Titan circles around Fort Salta and heads back to the Founding Titan, depositing the Warriors and Scouts at several locations to try and disable it. Falco is informed of Armin's plan to stop the Rumbling and the Jaw Titan returns to the Founding Titan's back to collect the Warriors and Scouts (minus Armin and Reiner); the Jaw Titan then flies away as Armin explosively transforms into the Colossal Titan atop the back of the Founding Titan.

After Eren's death, the Jaw Titan ceases to exist together with all Titans.