Colossus Titan

"It is a god of destruction. It almost makes me feel sympathy for those island devils. That thing is going to show up one day out of nowhere to start killing them."

- A Marleyan analysis of Bertolt's Colossus Titan

The Colossus Titan (超大型巨人) was one of the Nine Titans and the early main antagonist of the Attack on Titan series. It was notable for its incredible size and significant control over the steam emitted by its Titan body along with the user being able to successfully control its transformation's power.

Explosive transformation
Although all Titans generated enormous amounts of heat and energy when transforming, the Colossus Titan took this to the next level. Its users could control the energy produced during their transformation to create various effects. For instance, when Bertolt attacked Trost District his transformation only causes a wind blast that knocked some trainees over the Wall. However, during the Battle of Shiganshina District, Bertolt released a much larger explosion, creating a mushroom cloud of dust and rubble, ravaging part of the city, and killing a great number of Survey Corps soldiers. Armin Arlert also used this ability to wipe out most of, if not all of the Marleyan naval fleet present at the Raid on Liberio in a tremendous explosion sending a massive wave of energy inland.

Size
Like it's name suggests, the Colossus Titan was infamous for its incredible size, standing at a previously unseen and being tall enough to peer over the top of the Walls. It also possessed incredible physical strength, able to destroy the outer gate of Wall Maria with a single kick, launch entire houses in the air, and send Eren's Attack Titan flying from the ground to the top of Wall Maria. Armin also used the Colossus Titan's immense strength and size to ensure the destruction of the Marleyan ships and naval port by stepping on them after his transformation.

Steam emission
The unique ability possessed by the Colossus Titan appears to have been significant control over the amounts of steam emitted by its Titan body. In normal circumstances, Titans emitted steam from wounds while regenerating, and their bodies would evaporate completely into steam after receiving a killing blow. However, the Colossus Titan was capable of emitting great amounts of steam at will. This power could be used for a variety of purposes. By emitting great amounts of steam at once, the pressure and force of the steam would burn and repel any individuals in close proximity to the Colossus Titan that were not fixed in place. And if they were fixed to him, they would be constantly roasted by the heat, at the Titan's mercy.

However, usage of this ability rendered the Titan's muscles immobile. Prolonged use of this ability also took a toll on the Titan, decreasing its muscle mass gradually until only the skeletal structure remains. In some cases when it was necessary, the Colossus Titan was capable of evaporating its entire body at once, disappearing instantly. This did put the user in a position of great vulnerability, with no way of preventing a fall from a great height where the Titan form once was. However, this disadvantage could be alleviated if the user was wearing vertical maneuvering equipment.

History
The Colossus 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 Colossus 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 Colossus Titan was taken by the nation of Marley during the Great Titan War.

Around the year 843, Bertolt Hoover was chosen to inherit the power of the Colossus Titan. He would later make use of his Titan form in a war between Marley and an enemy nation, using his Colossus Titan to destroy a city containing enemy troops in a sneak attack after the Cart Titan placed him in position.

In the year 845, the nation of Marley sent out Bertolt, Reiner Braun, Annie Leonhart, and Marcel Galliard across the ocean to Paradis Island as the start of the Paradis Island Operation.

The Fall of Shiganshina arc
Bertolt transformed into the Colossus Titan outside the southern gate of Shiganshina District, the southernmost territory of Eldia. Using his immense size, Bertolt's Colossus Titan breached Wall Maria in one kick, allowing for the many Titans awaiting outside to enter into Eldia's territory. Bertolt joined his fellow surviving Warriors in entering the walled territory during the chaos.

Battle of Trost District arc
Five years after the fall of Wall Maria, Bertolt and his allies graduate from the 104th Training Corps. The next day, Bertolt transforms into the Colossus Titan outside the south gate of Trost District, breaching the Wall as he did five years before. Before he can escape, his Colossus Titan is confronted by Eren Yeager seeking vengeance. Eren attempts to strike at the Colossus Titan's nape, but Bertolt makes use of his steam emission control and prevents Eren from getting close. As Eren fights against Bertolt's steam and comes in for the killing blow, the Colossus Titan evaporates instantaneously. As Eren attempts to comprehend the situation, Bertolt escapes under the cover of his Titan's steam using his vertical maneuvering equipment.

Clash of the Titans arc
Due to the discovery of Eren's possession of the Attack Titan, the Warriors postpone their plan to destroy the Walls and instead focus on capturing Eren, whom they believe possesses the Founding Titan as well. Bertolt does not make use of the Colossus Titan until a month after the battle of Trost District, when Reiner in a moment of exhaustion and desperation reveals himself to be the Armored Titan and exposes Bertolt as the Colossus Titan. With nowhere to run, the two transform into their Titan forms and battle against the Survey Corps.

As Reiner's Armored Titan battles Eren's Attack Titan, Bertolt fights against the soldiers of the Survey Corps with a partially transformed Colossus Titan. When the soldiers are ready to land a killing blow, Bertolt once more uses his steam emission control to keep them all at a distance, and their vertical maneuvering equipment is unable to reach him in the continuous gusts of wind. Bertolt's Colossus remains in this state of emission for a short time until Reiner faces imminent defeat in his struggle against Eren and calls for help. Hearing Reiner's signal, Bertolt falls to the ground below and evaporates his Titan in an explosive gust of steam. In the chaos, Reiner captures Eren by biting him out of his Titan, and Bertolt joins him after leaving his Colossus Titan.

Return to Shiganshina arc
The Warriors fail in capturing Eren and later flee to the ruins of Shiganshina District. For two months, Bertolt presumably does not use his Colossus Titan until the battle of Shiganshina District, where he prepares to transform into his Titan above the district in order to destroy the city. However, his plan is stopped short after seeing Reiner alive and in peril, and he transforms at a later time after speaking with his former fellow recruits. As the Colossus Titan, Bertolt begins setting fire to the houses of Shiganshina with his Titan's heat and sends the structures soaring through the air, bringing great devastation to the town. Eren attempts to attack the Colossus, but his attempt is short-lived when he is kicked to the top of Wall Maria. The recruits of the Survey Corps attempt to attack Bertolt with their Thunder Spears, but the Colossus' steam emission keeps them away. However, at this time Armin Arlert notices the loss of muscle mass brought on by each steam blast and formulates a plan to defeat Bertolt.

Armin brings Eren back into consciousness and informs him of his plan to defeat Bertolt. Knowing his maneuvering equipment will not stay attached to the Colossus' evaporating flesh, Armin grapples to the teeth of the Titan as Eren collapses to the ground below. Wanting to kill Armin quickly, Bertolt emits a huge amount of burning steam at Armin, roasting him alive until he can no longer remain grappled to his Titan. Armin collapses to the ground below, and Bertolt turns his attention to Eren. He notices too late that Eren's Attack Titan on the ground below is in fact merely its hardened shell, and in the moment of vulnerability, Eren strikes at the Colossus Titan in his human form, pulling Bertolt from the nape as the Colossus Titan collapses in defeat.

On the rooftops of Shiganshina, the surviving members of the Survey Corps are left with the choice of using a Titan injection in their possession to save either Armin or Commander Erwin Smith from the brink of death. The choice is left to Captain Levi, and after some hesitation he chooses to save Armin's life. As a Pure Titan, Armin grabs Bertolt as he comes back into consciousness and begs for his life. His cries go unheard, and Bertolt is eaten alive by Armin's Titan, which inherits the Colossus Titan power.

Marley arc
Through the years 851 to 854, the nation of Marley sent a total of 32 scouting ships to Paradis Island, all of which ended up missing. The Colossus Titan, along with the Attack Titan, assists in this by capturing ships by transforming near or directly above them and forcing their crews to jump overboard, after they had been lured into close proximity by Yelena and Onyankopon.

Roughly a month later, during the Raid on Liberio, Armin Arlert awaits at the shore of Marley in a fishing boat. As Marley's naval forces rally to provide reinforcements to the city's internment zone who are taking heavy losses due to the Survey Corps attacks, they quickly spot Armin and order him back to shore, only to realize his true identity when he removes his hood. He stares at them and then transforms into the Colossus Titan. The blast destroys the Marleyan warships and sends devastating explosive energy surging inland into the streets of Liberio.

After destroying the harbor, the Colossus Titan steps on all the ships to ensure that they have been completely destroyed. Armin then emerges from the Titan's nape and looks down at the carnage caused by the transformation and flies up using his anti-personnel vertical maneuvering equipment to a nearby Survey Corps airship.

War for Paradis Arc
Having been saved from the okapi-shaped Titan, Armin transforms into the Colossus Titan in an attempt to destroy Eren's Founding Titan's body using his explosive transformation ability. After doing this, the Colossus Titan emerges from the newly formed crater and prepares to head for the nearby Fort Salta. Eren generates a new body bearing similarity to the Colossus Titan, however, and the two Titans engage each other in hand-to-hand combat. Eren gains the upper hand, but Armin manages to hold Eren's Titan in place, giving Mikasa Ackerman the opportunity to head inside the Titan's mouth and decapitate Eren's exposed head.

Trivia

 * The Colossus Titan ranked 1st on the Titan Popularity Poll.
 * Before the start San Diego Padres vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers MLB game on July 5, 2019, someone dressed up as the Colossus Titan and took photos with Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda who has the Colossus Titan designed baseball glove.
 * A photo went viral that was posted by a Reddit user in November 2020 shows a sculpture of the Colossus Titan made of a banana.
 * Since its first appearance, Bertolt's Colossus Titan has become one of the most recognizable iconic images of the Attack on Titan franchise as a whole.

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