Jaw Titans: All Look the Same?

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Here’s everything about jaw titans looking the same:

No, every jaw titan actually looks quite a bit different.

This is a common misconception because two of the most notable jaw titans are brothers, and thus look a lot alike.

If you compare Ymir or Falco to the brothers, you can see very clear distinctions in the appearance of the jaw titan from one user to the next.

So if you want to learn all about every jaw titan looking identical, then you’re in the right place.

Let’s jump right into it!

Jaw Titans: All Look the Same? (Everything to Know)
Contents: show

What Is the Jaw Titan?

If we’re going to talk about specific titans, what they look like, and what that might mean, then we have to get pretty deep into the story of Attack on Titan.

For those who don’t know, Attack on Titan (Shinjeki no Kyojin in Japanese) is an immensely popular manga and anime series.

The anime is the Japanese cartoon that is adapted from the manga (which is like a Japanese comic book).

Since the manga storyline is completed, and it’s the source material, I’ll be discussing everything from the perspective of the manga.

By and large, there won’t be any major differences in the anime, but I wanted to specify what sources I’m using.

All of that brings me to another important point.

There will be spoilers.

We’re talking about a specific titan here, so I have to get into plot points for everything to make sense.

If you’re not up to speed on both the anime and manga (remember that the anime is not complete yet while the manga is), then there will be spoilers in this article for you.

Consider this your formal warning.

With all of that out of the way, let’s talk about the jaw titan.

This is one of the nine special titans.

People of Eldian descent are capable of becoming titans, and if a titan eats one of the nine special titans, then it becomes a controllable power.

Throughout the history of the world of Attack on Titan, there have been individuals who can transform into the jaw titan at will.

There can only be one jaw titan at a time.

The power is passed from one user to the next.

As for the specifics, the jaw titan is the smallest of the nine.

It’s also the fastest of the nine.

And, as the name suggests, it has a very powerful jaw.

The jaws and claws of this titan are said to be able to break through anything.

How Many Jaw Titans Do We Know About?

Since we know that there are multiple jaw titans throughout the storyline, thinking about how they look makes more sense if we make direct comparisons.

The power of the jaw titan is actually passed down for thousands of years, so there are a lot of jaw titans.

I’m not going to try to go through them all.

Plus they don’t all have names, and the majority of them were never drawn or described in any way.

Instead, I’m going to focus on the four incarnations of the jaw titan that we clearly see in the series.

Those four who possess the power of the jaw titan are Marcel Galliard, Ymir, Porco Galliard, and Falco.

Let’s go through them in order.

#1 Marcel Galliard

Marcel Galliard is a Marleyan soldier (with Eldian heritage) who is actually dead before the first chapter of the manga begins.

He inherited the power in order to fight for the Marleyans, and he helped them win battles.

He was a part of the squad that was sent to Paradis Island as part of the nested layer of plans that really made the whole storyline what it is.

I’m going to skip the convoluted plot points.

Marcel was ordered to go to Paradis Island along with Berthold, Annie, and Reiner.

Before they made it to the city walls, Marcel was eaten by a random titan.

I’ll follow up on this in a bit.

In flashbacks, we see what Marcel looked like as the jaw titan.

He has long hair on the top of his head, a hairy body, and a very pronounced jaw.

In fact, there is a bone structure that even looks like armor around his jaw.

#2 Ymir

When Marcel is eaten by a random titan, his power is passed to that titan.

That’s when Ymir regains her humanity.

She’s the jaw titan that we know and see for the majority of the series.

It turns out that she was randomly wandering the island as a titan, and it was sheer coincidence that she ended up eating Marcel.

Because of that turn of events, she joins the Survey Corp and becomes a major player in the events of Attack on Titan.

Eventually, she decided to side with Reiner and his crew.

She ends up going to Marley with them, and when she is there, she is fed to the next successor of the jaw titan.

She dies, and a new person inherits the power.

As the jaw titan, Ymir is easily distinguished.

Her version of the titan has black hair on its head and no body hair.

While it doesn’t have any distinctly feminine anatomy, it does seem less overtly masculine when compared to Marcel’s version.

Ymir’s version also doesn’t have the pronounced bone plating around the jaw.

Instead, it has pronounced teeth and a very powerful bite.

Even with these differences, when Berthold and Reinar see Ymir’s jaw titan for the first time, they instantly recognize the power.

#3 Porco Galliard

When Ymir is fed to her successor in Marley, Porco Galliard gets the power.

He is Marcel’s younger brother.

With the jaw titan’s power, Porco fights a few battles on behalf of Marley, and he fairs pretty well.

Eventually, Eren’s plans bring the battle to Marley itself, and Marcel fights with the forces from Paradis Island.

He barely escapes, but with the power of the titan, he is able to recover.

Marcel is among the Marleyan forces that fully attack Paradis Island.

During those events, he is eventually eaten by another titan and passes the power to its final user.

In appearance, Porco’s version looks a lot like his brother’s.

At a glance, they are not easily distinguished from each other.

Upon closer inspection, you can see subtle differences in the portrayal of their hair.

Ultimately, Porco’s jaw titan has pronounced bone plating, long hair on his head, and excessive body hair.

#4 Falco

During the main battle on Paradis Island, Falco ends up eating Porco.

He inherits the power, and he becomes the final jaw titan.

At first, he looks more like the Galliard versions of the jaw titan than Ymir’s version, but you can still tell Falco’s version apart pretty easily.

The bone plating around the jaw looks quite different on Falco’s version.

But, the biggest difference happens as Falco joins the group that is chasing after Eren and the Rumbling.

Falco comes to realize that the jaw titan is capable of flying.

He figures out how to do it and sprouts wings.

He is the only winged version of the jaw titan that we see in the main storyline, and his wings make it very easy to distinguish him from the other jaw titans.

Do the Jaw Titans Look Alike?

Based on everything you just read, the answer to this question is pretty easy.

Each jaw titan looks different from the other jaw titans.

While the two Galliard brothers look a lot alike as the jaw titan, every other version we see is pretty easy to distinguish.

Despite the differences, every jaw titan looks enough like the others that characters and fans of the series are able to tell that what they are seeing is a jaw titan.

That’s a deliberate drawing choice, and it seems to be a theme with titans in the world of Attack on Titan.

Titans of the same power look similar enough to each other that you can tell what kind of titan it is.

Despite that, there are unique characteristics that allow you to know who is driving the titan, so to speak.

What About the Ancients? (2 Things)

The four jaw titans we’ve discussed so far are the last four people in the world to hold the power.

So, there’s a question.

Did every jaw titan look different, or did distinctions rise over time, maybe as some type of titanic evolution?

That’s hard to say since so many of the older titans were never drawn or fleshed out as characters, but in general, the ancients seem to hold to the same principles.

They look enough like their modern counterparts that you can recognize which titan is which, but they’re distinct enough that you know you’re not looking at any of the modern characters.

#1 What Ancients Are

This might make more sense with a bit of a segue.

What even is an ancient?

This explanation requires us to go back to the beginning.

Long before the Attack on Titan story begins, there is a slave girl named Ymir (the Ymir we’ve already discussed is named after this original Ymir).

This girl accidentally discovers the source of the titans and becomes the first titan.

She fights on behalf of her country, but eventually, she dies.

In order to preserve the power of the titan, the king has Ymir’s daughters inherit her power.

The process is a bit graphic, so I’m skipping some details.

Ymir has three daughters, and they carry out titanic duties.

Eventually, each of those daughters dies, but they each have three daughters, leaving nine granddaughters in total.

The nine granddaughters inherit the powers of the titans, and these granddaughters are the first iteration of the nine special titans.

From then on, the power of these nine titans is passed directly from one person to the next.

The granddaughters are known as the ancients.

#2 The Ancient Jaw Titan

The ancient jaw titan does not get very much animation time, but we do get a few glimpses.

It has the signature oversized head, the clearly strong visible teeth, and general demeanor of a jaw titan.

You can tell it’s a jaw titan, but it doesn’t look like any other versions that we see.

Why Do Jaw Titans Look Different?

This brings us to the final question.

Why does each jaw titan look different?

At the same time, why do the Galliard titans look so alike?

Clearly, the individual wielding the power of the jaw titan is expressed in some ways in the appearance of the titan.

Every user will look a little different in titan form because no two users are truly identical. 

Outside of the lore of the world, this is an animation choice.

The titans look different so you can easily tell that a different person is using the power.

At the same time, they always look enough alike so that you’re never confused as to which titan you are seeing.