Reiner and Bertholdt’s transformation into the Armoured and Colossal Titan respectively shook us to the core. Personally, the Armoured Titan’s hair was a dead giveaway for Reiner. But I was hung up until the end on the Colossal Titan! In fact, I thought that Dot Pyxis might be the Colossal Titan because, you know, they’re both bald.

After a few re-watches of the anime, you come to realise the subtle beauty of hints that are hidden in episodes. When you take Armin’s observation of Reiner in consideration, his behaviour makes more sense.

So, here are a few “hints” that actually build up to the epic transformation.

Reiner and his obsession with the new titan

During the taking back of the HQ by the cadets, Reiner goes off topic to ask about the new titan. Connie exasperatedly tells him that they could talk about it later. While initially it does seem that Reiner says that out of curiosity, it was actually him being desperate about the identity of the new titan.

Later on when the Garrison is confronting Eren and he ends up partly transforming, there is a look of sheer terror on Reiner’s face. While everyone looked worried, Reiner was mortified.

Unable to control himself, Reiner uses his gear to get to the place of action. Bertholdt and Annie follow suit. This is a pretty explicit hint towards the three titan shifters and their concern over Eren’s status.

Special mention: Annie saying “sorry”

Though not about Reiner and Bertholdt, Annie’s actions deserved a special mention. When collecting dead bodies, Annie seems to be on the verge of breaking down and apologises profusely. For passive Annie to show this much emotion initially showed the gravity of the situation, but in hindsight she was repenting her actions that ultimately brought about the deaths of so many.

Reiner and Bertholdt when they see the Beast Titan

During re-watching, this was the biggest giveaway. Honestly, I don’t blame them for looking this scared. You would too, when your senior has to butt in because you failed to finish your task.

However, it turns out that its not just the audience who notice the shift in Reiner and Bertholdt’s expressions. Connie looks visibly confused with their expressions. On the other hand, Ymir has a knowing look on her face, meaning she most probably figured out that something was fishy.

Reiner and Bertholdt’s cryptic conversation

When Connie asks Bertholdt about Reiner’s personality, he clearly establishes a certain line between “warrior” and “soldier”. I brushed it off, thinking he was just explaining that Reiner went from fighting for glory (warrior like traits) to becoming a soldier, who follows certain conduct.

Oh boy was I wrong.

This was a subtle way of Bertholdt reminding Reiner that he is a “warrior”, an inheritor of a titan to aid Marley, and not a “soldier” who was part of the Survey Corps’ regiment of Paradis’ military.

Bertholdt’s extreme steps

While the tower at Utgard nearly collapses and Ymir comes to save them, the focal point of the scene is a happy Christa. However, if you focus on Bertholdt, he seems to be ready to bite his hand to transform. Logically, that was the most stupid thing he could do, but that easter egg is pretty awesome!

These, in my opinion, were some of the most visible hints that pointed towards Reiner and Bertholdt being titan shifters. Regardless of whether you guessed them or not, every time a titan shifter is revealed in Attack on Titan, it automatically becomes one of the most iconic scenes in all of anime.

Are there more such scenes that caught your eye? Let us know in the comments below!