The Armored Titan

The duel begins with Eren driving a punch into the Armored Titan's face on the way down, slamming Reiner's head against the Wall. Mikasa watches from above, berating herself for hesitating when she had a clean chance to behead both traitors, knowing that opening will never come again. Atop the Wall, Bertolt's Colossus Titan sweeps a massive hand across the fortification, shattering its edge and scattering the soldiers. He snatches up the unconscious Ymir along with another soldier and drops both into his mouth, horrifying Connie, Hange, Historia, and Armin.

Hange orders a coordinated assault on the Colossus Titan's nape, and the squads dodge his sluggish swipes with ease, but a sudden eruption of scalding steam from his body hurls them back and burns several soldiers. Armin recognizes the defense for what it is: no one can approach without being cooked. Hange stations three squads on standby to strike the moment the steam runs dry, then leads the rest toward the fight below. At a distance, Connie and Historia tend the wounded. Historia pleads for some way to rescue Ymir, while Connie, still oblivious to the truth, begs help for Reiner and Bertolt, believing his friends are stranded without maneuvering gear.

Below, Eren lies broken on the ground, his hand and part of his skull knitting themselves back together. The pause fills with bitter memories. He realizes Reiner was never fighting seriously during their hand-to-hand drills, recalls how completely the pair earned everyone's trust, and how he once aspired to Reiner's strength. That remembered face, radiating righteousness, now sickens him. Setting their betrayal against the fall of Wall Maria, Eren judges them the greatest source of suffering humanity has ever known. Mikasa notes grimly that her blades, useless against the Female Titan's hardening, are even more worthless against a fully armored body, and Eren's blows appear equally futile. Restored, Eren rises and lands a ferocious punch to Reiner's face, only for the Armored Titan to answer with a blow that obliterates half his head.

Eren's Titan opens the fight against the Armored Titan while Mikasa regrets failing to kill Reiner and Bertolt when she could.

The Colossus Titan devours Ymir and another soldier, then repels the Survey Corps assault with a burst of superheated steam.

Hange positions squads to strike when the steam is exhausted, splitting forces between the two Titans.

Connie and Historia aid the wounded, unaware that the friends they worry over are the enemy Titans themselves.

Eren recalls Reiner holding back in training, brands the pair humanity's worst tormentors, and takes a head-destroying counterpunch after landing his own blow.

The Armored Titan opens volume 11 as the 43rd chapter overall, released March 9, 2013 in Japan and January 28, 2014 in English. It belongs to the Clash of the Titans arc, with its events adapted across the anime episodes Warrior and Close Combat.

The chapter establishes both enemy Titans' defensive tricks, full-body armor and pressurized steam, that shape the tactics of the following chapters. It comes after Warrior and directly precedes Strike, Throw, Submit, where Eren finds his answer to the armor.