Otaku USA Magazine
Putting the Tall Guys of Attack on Titan in Perspective

Attack on Titan has some big fellas.

I am terrified of very tall things. Not giant robots — they’re friend-shaped. But big statues, kaiju, eldritch beings… thinking about something that big terrifies me. And yet here we are, talking about Attack on Titan. But for a very good reason: I want to give you some real-world context for these things.

This might have no effect on you. Heck, you might think this is more cool than terrifying. That’s fine, too. Either way, let’s join me in imagining standing next to these things. Also, the third entry is a major spoiler for the manga. Proceed at your own risk if you are anime-only. (Also it’s just freaky-looking.)

 

The Colossal Titan Overshadows the Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Colossal Titan

When Attack on Titan kicked off, the Colossal Titan was the poster boy for this larger-than-life series. Now, of course, he’s just one of many familiar named Titans throughout the series. He’s a beast, though: where others were already large enough to make a mess, he came in at 60 meters.

That’s the same height as the Leaning Tower of Pisa — or would be if it weren’t leaning. Thanks to the famous tilt of the campanile, the Colossal Titan outranks it by either 4 or 5 meters (depending on which side you measure).

 

Rod Reiss Nearly Matches the World’s Tallest Buddha

Rod Reiss gets dragged by Rod Reiss

This is one of the gnarliest-looking dudes in Attack on Titan, and that’s a high bar to clear. This creepy crawler doesn’t stand upright much. But when he does, he measures 120 meters from his big feet to his weird, small, horrible head. (We’ll spare you a direct look at his face… what there is to see, anyway.)

Compare that to the Spring Temple Buddha, which (minus its lotus pedestal and base) is 128 meters tall. It’s the second-tallest statue in the world at the time of this article going out, and the tallest Buddha statue in the world specifically. What does that translate to in terms of scale? Since it’s considered good luck to clasp the Buddha’s feet, there are plenty of tourist photos — and the best anyone can manage is a big toe.

 

Eren Is Anywhere Between a Skyscraper and Angel Falls

One bony boi

We’ve not got any official measurements for Eren’s absolutely bananas second-to-last Titan form. However, Internet sleuths have carefully counted the heights of Wall Titans and crunched the numbers. Some put Eren’s height from ribcage to vertebrae at 400 meters, with others putting him closer to 900 meters. So anywhere between an architectural wonder and a natural wonder. Angel Falls, the world’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall, is 979 meters.

For better or for worse — depending on if you’re as megalophobic as I am — we’ll probably get a better idea of scale when Attack on Titan adapts those last few chapters. It’s going to be exciting. And by “exciting,” I mean “terrifying for several people including me.”

Need more scary mental images? Here’s an article about Resident Evil Village!

Kara Dennison

Kara Dennison is a writer, editor, and presenter with bylines at Crunchyroll, Sci-Fi Magazine, Sartorial Geek, and many others. Beyond the world of anime, she's a writer for Doctor Who expanded universe series including Iris Wildthyme and the City of the Saved, as well as an editor for the critically-acclaimed Black Archive series.

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