Armored Titan

"As you can see, the Armored Titan is one that specializes in hardening abilities. One slam from that body should be able to destroy both Walls and gates."

- A Marleyan analysis of Reiner's Armored Titan

The Armored Titan (鎧の巨人) is one of the Nine Titans that possesses armored plates of skin across its body. It is currently in the possession of Reiner Braun, although Gabi Braun and Falco Grice are two candidates considered to inherit the power from him.

Armored skin
The defining feature of the Armored Titan is the all-encompassing layer of plated, armor-like segments of hardened skin protecting the Titan body. This armor is capable of protecting the Titan form from significant amounts of damage, even a direct hit from a cannon or the ultrahard steel blades of vertical maneuvering equipment. However, the armor has some limitations and is not capable of protecting the user from high-power weaponry such as the Mid-East Allied Forces' anti-Titan artillery.

One disadvantage of the Armored Titan's skin is the decreased speed of the Titan form. Whether due to increased weight or restrained movement, the Armored Titan is only capable of maintaining moderate running speeds when completely armored. This can be alleviated if the user chooses to shed segments of the armor to increase movement capability, such as the armor behind the knees, enabling the Titan to move with incredible speed.

History
The Armored Titan, like all the Nine Titans, was brought into the world after the death of Ymir Fritz. In the 1,700 years following her death, the Armored 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, the Armored Titan was taken by the nation of Marley during the Great Titan War.

In the year 843, Reiner Braun was chosen to inherit the power of the Armored Titan. He would later make use of his Titan form in a war between Marley and an enemy nation, using his Armored Titan to take the brunt of enemy artillery fire.

In the year 845, the nation of Marley sent out Reiner, Bertolt Hoover, Annie Leonhart, and Marcel Galliard across the ocean to the island of Paradis as the start of the Paradis Island Operation. After arriving on the island and venturing northwards to the Walls, Reiner entered into Shiganshina District, the southernmost territory of Eldia, after Bertolt destroyed the south gate with his Colossus Titan. As panicked Eldians fled the city while Titans swarmed in, Reiner's Armored Titan advanced to the north gate and charged it, breaking through and breaching the northern part of Wall Maria. Reiner joined his fellow surviving Warriors in entering the walled territory during the chaos, and he would not use the Armored Titan for another five years.

Battle of Trost District arc
Five years after the fall of Wall Maria, the Warriors of Marley learn of Eren Yeager's possession of the Attack Titan. Believing that he may be the current holder of the Founding Titan that they are searching for, Reiner does not use his Armored Titan to breach Wall Rose's northern gate after Bertolt Hoover breaches the southern gate of Trost District with his Colossus Titan. Instead, the Warriors turn their full attention to Eren.

Clash of the Titans arc
Over a month later, Reiner reaches a breaking point and chooses to reveal his nature as the Armored Titan as well as Bertolt's nature as the Colossus Titan to Eren, promising to leave the people of the Walls alone if he returns with them to their hometown. When Eren refuses and Mikasa attacks the two Warriors, Reiner transforms into the Armored Titan and grabs Eren. However, Eren in turn transforms into the Attack Titan and battles with Reiner.

Despite improvements to his control over the Attack Titan, the Armored Titan overpowers him initially until Eren makes use of a technique that was taught to him by Annie Leonhart some time ago, taking one of the Armored Titan's arms before retreating temporarily. Requiring more speed, Reiner begins shedding the armor behind his knees and continues his attack on Eren, but he is nonetheless overpowered by the Attack Titan again. With defeat imminent, Reiner calls for Bertolt's Colossus Titan, which falls on the two Titans in an explosive burst of steam. The Armored Titan is able to withstand the intense winds and bites Eren out of the Attack Titan. Once Bertolt exits his Titan with a captive Ymir, the Warriors escape to the nearby Titan Forest.

After some conversation in the forest, the Warriors start their retreat upon seeing signal flares from the Survey Corps approaching. Reiner uses his Armored Titan to carry Bertolt and their captives away, and the Survey Corps pursues them. The Armored Titan's retreat goes unhindered until Commander Erwin Smith charges the Titan head-on with a horde of mindless Titans following after him. The Armored Titan attempts to fight back against the Titans, and the Warriors lose Eren to the Survey Corps in the moment of vulnerability. Shortly afterward, Eren succeeds in temporarily using the Founding Titan, causing the Titans to swarm after the Warriors. The Armored Titan flees with Bertolt and Ymir, and they rest in the ruins of Shiganshina District.

The Uprising arc
Some time later, Reiner's Armored Titan battles Zeke Yeager's Beast Titan over their next course of action. The Armored Titan is soundly defeated in the brawl, and Zeke states that they will wait in Shiganshina for the arrival of the Survey Corps rather than attempting to rescue Annie Leonhart, the Female Titan.

Return to Shiganshina arc
Three months after the battle of Trost District, the Survey Corps arrive in Shiganshina and seal the southern breach using a new hardening ability acquired by the Attack Titan. Suspecting that the Warriors may be nearby, Armin Arlert proposes a search of the Wall and Reiner is found hiding within. As he is attacked by Captain Levi, Reiner uses one of his last-resort Titan powers to transfer his brain functions to the entirety of his body long enough for him to transform into the Armored Titan. As the battle of Shiganshina District begins, Reiner hardens his fingers to climb Wall Maria in order to attack the Survey Corps' horses. However, Eren's Attack Titan appears in the city and Reiner is left with a choice of attack. Reiner chooses to confront Eren, and the Attack Titan battles with the Armored Titan for a second time.

Eren's new ability to harden the Attack Titan's skin successfully deals heavy damage to the Armored Titan, but the greatest damage is dealt from the Thunder Spears, a new explosive weapon developed by the Survey Corps in recent months. The explosives tear through the armor of Reiner's nape and destroy his brain, though his consciousness transfer once again keeps him alive. The Armored Titan calls for plan B, the Colossus Titan, and shortly thereafter Bertolt arrives at Reiner's side, telling him to lie down on his back for the time being.

While Bertolt confronts the Survey Corps, Reiner follows Bertolt's advice and the Armored Titan lies down on its back, protecting Reiner from further harm and allowing for him to regenerate his body. A short while later, Reiner fully heals his brain and the Armored Titan returns to the fight, but with no memory of any events that had occurred since earlier that morning. The Survey Corps attacks Reiner with the Thunder Spears again, incapacitating it and successfully bursting Reiner from the nape of the Armored Titan. Reiner is interrogated afterward, but before he can be killed he is rescued by Zeke and Pieck's Cart Titan, who brings him atop Wall Maria. The Warriors would return to Marley afterward, abandoning Annie and Bertolt.

Marley arc
Four years later, Reiner is present at the battle of Fort Slava at the climax of the Marley Mid-East War, waiting on standby in a zeppelin due to the presence of anti-Titan artillery on the ground below. Once the ground infantry succeed in destroying the armored train carrying the artillery around the fortress, Reiner eventually joins the combat as the Armored Titan after a Titan airstrike sent down with the power of Zeke's Beast Titan. Alongside Porco Galliard's Jaw Titan, the Armored Titan decimates the anti-Titan artillery set up on the walls of the fortress. When the coast is clear, Reiner's Titan signals for the Beast Titan to join the battle, where it throws spare artillery at the Mid-East Allied Forces' navy stationed in the bay nearby. However, when the ships begin to open fire on the Beast Titan, Reiner uses his Armored Titan as a shield for Zeke, receiving devastating damage in the process. Despite having lost his entire body below the head in the explosion, Reiner later recovered.

One month later at Willy Tybur's ill-fated speech in Liberio, Falco Grice takes Reiner to a basement behind the stage, where he is faced with Eren. After Eren sets aside their differences and clarifies Reiner is not his true enemy, he takes Reiner's hand and begins to transform. In a state of terror, Reiner quickly bites his hand while turning towards Falco. He creates two armored hands that successfully shield the two from the energy blast and wreckage. In the attack, Reiner is knocked out, although his injuries do not regenerate. Falco suspects this is due to Reiner's confession to Eren and his lack of a will to live. Later during the attack by the Survey Corps, Reiner is brought out of his stupor and expresses his disappointment and annoyance that they will not let him die. Nevertheless, he transforms and goes to try and intercept the Attack Titan. The Armored Titan distracts the Attack Titan from consuming the Jaw Titan but is caught by a hardened punch that sends it flying across the ruined plaza.

Trivia

 * The Armored Titan ranked 2nd on the Titan Popularity Poll.

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