

In **Attack on Titan** , how did humans learn the Titans' weak spot? How was
it that they learned how to kill Titans?

  * Was it through experiments with live, captured Titans?

The only example I could think of where humans successfully captured live
Titans and managed to get them within the walls was when they captured Sawney
and Bean. But, during the time they had Sawney and Bean up until their
untimely deaths, humans were already actively aware of the Titans' weak spots,
which was the back of their necks (which could be cut/sliced/attacked).

I am rewatching **Attack on Titan** now and am currently on **Episode 1**. I
may have overlooked something the first time I watched (hence I am rewatching
it) but I am quite positive this might not have been answered.

So how exactly did humans learn/discover how to kill Titans? I still don't
quite understand this. Manga answers are perfectly acceptable. ;)


CC BY-SA 4.0
2014-08-21T07:38:05.277
13547
2018-11-14T14:19:24.667
2018-11-14T14:19:24.667
43199
3650
question
attack-on-titan
How did humans learn how to kill Titans?


The titans can sometimes be killed with canons if they hit the weak spot. It
would be reasonable to presume that while they could not kill enough with
canons to due to the regeneration, they could see the occational fatality and
pass the information on. Some inventive mind would then create a more
efficient way to target that spot. I believe after the battle for Trost they
specify how many are killed by canon. But don't have a means right now to look
it up.

* * *

Edit: In manga chapters killing titans by shooting them with shells is
explicitly mentioned by Armin in the battle of Trost and in one of the
diagrams discussing the different between grape shot and regular shot. In
addition:

> We learn there are individuals who erased memories of all other humans. It
> is very possible that nobles with more information about the origins of
> titans revealed this info to those with the erased memories while holding
> other information back.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-22T18:08:18.177
13583
2015-03-24T19:40:53.300
2015-03-24T19:40:53.300
3561
3561
13547
answer


Your question is partly answered in the 17th chapter of the Manga **SHINGEKI
NO KYOJIN - BEFORE THE FALL**.

This answer is a **SPOILER** for anyone who hasn't read the manga after
chapter 16.

> In this chapter, Instructor Jorge recalls the last Survey Corps expedition
> before their dissolution, before the beginning of the current story. He
> recalls the tests done on the captured titan. These tests of theirs sealed
> with finding the weaknesses, if any, of the titans, by hacking into their
> bodies with weapons made of **Iron Bamboo**. They discovered that their
> lower part of the body (limbs), and the head wasn't their weakness. Then
> they were interrupted by the onset of other titans from the South and the
> West. Here, the chapter ends and as the next chapter hasn't been released
> yet, we don't know how they got to know about the weak point. What we do
> know is that Angel Altonnen killed Mammon (a titan) using **The Device** (a
> prototype of 3DMG) and discovered the weak point.

I will update the answer as soon as more information is revealed....


CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-08T12:11:36.523
28770
2016-01-08T12:11:36.523
19592
13547
answer


I am rewatching the anime currently, about half way through episode 5 there is
a part in which Eren and others were in a class learning about titans. Their
teacher started with "What little we know about their bodies , we learned from
Recon corps most recent report "..and then he continues teaching them how are
titans killed. I haven't read the manga so I don't know about what's mentioned
in the manga.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-31T21:48:13.037
32465
2016-05-31T21:48:13.037
24412
13547
answer


During one of the first encounters, a cadet was inspecting the body and
thought to slice the back open, he missed and accidently cut the nape, when
the Titan died, he reported it to his superiors, so the nape was found, this
is said in the manga, can't remember where, hope this helps.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-09T18:43:28.540
36738
2016-10-09T18:43:28.540
28638
13547
answer


In the OVA "[Ilse's
Journal](http://attackontitan.wikia.com/wiki/Ilse%27s_Notebook:_Record_of_a_Fallen_Soldier)"
Hanji/Hange tries to convince Erwin to let her capture _another_ Titan, which
is first refused due to the many squad members who had to die for a previous
capture. It is not mentioned when _that_ happened, but it makes sense to
assume that a previous capture helped in learning how to kill a Titan -
unfortunately also requiring Hange/Hanji to capture another one...


CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-31T07:09:30.010
38706
2017-01-31T07:09:30.010
1596
13547
answer


Here's an updated answer to your question. Note that this will contain
spoilers from the manga **Shingeki no Kyojin: Before the Fall** and I'm
confident this is accurate as of **Volume 14** of the mentioned manga, which
was where I stopped reading. Also, the events in this manga occurred
approximately 50-70 years before the breach in Shiganshina District in the
main **Shingeki no Kyojin** manga.

> Before the invention of the [Vertical Maneuvering
> Equipment](https://attackontitan.fandom.com/wiki/Vertical_maneuvering_equipment),
> the Survey Corps could only counter Titans using swords, rifles and bombs
> for close-combat and cannons for long-range. This was shown in **Volume 2**
> of the manga. However, **this was just a stopgap and the most it could do
> was delay the movements of or distract a Titan** due to its fast
> regenerative abilities. The swords were initially made using a naturally-
> growing/wild plant called [Iron
> Bamboo](https://attackontitan.fandom.com/wiki/Iron_bamboo_\(Before_the_Fall_Manga\))
> before it would be replaced with [ultrahard
> steel](https://attackontitan.fandom.com/wiki/Ultrahard_steel_\(Before_the_Fall_Manga\))
> after the final design of the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment was completed.
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/mhiTe.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/mhiTe.jpg)

However,

> [Angel Aaltonen](https://attackontitan.fandom.com/wiki/Angel_Aaltonen), a
> craftsman, with the help of his assistant,
> [Corina](https://attackontitan.fandom.com/wiki/Corina_Ilmari), and another
> craftsman, [Xenophon
> Harkimo](https://attackontitan.fandom.com/wiki/Xenophon_Harkimo), were able
> to come up with an early model of the maneuvering equipment. This was mostly
> shown in **Volumes 10-11** of the manga as Angel's flashbacks. [![enter
> image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/avIiR.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/avIiR.jpg)
> This equipment could only move vertically (upwards and downwards). Also,
> unlike the current maneuvering equipment which has a control grip at the
> handle of each sword, the control grip for the early model was in one hand
> while the other holds the sword. [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qACrV.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qACrV.jpg)
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3CllW.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3CllW.jpg)

**How did they come up with this idea?**

> It was Corina who suggested on thinking up on a device that allows them to
> fight 'on equal terms' with Titans. So, the invention of the first
> maneuvering device happened, **to make up for the height difference of a
> human and a Titan.** But, during this time, they were still unaware of a
> Titan's 'weak spot.' [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/waNaT.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/waNaT.jpg)

**How, then, were they able to 'learn to kill' a Titan?**

> After Angel, Corina and Xenophon returned from the [Industrial
> City](https://attackontitan.fandom.com/wiki/Industrial_City) where they made
> the first model of the maneuvering device, a Titan was able to get inside
> the gates of Wall Maria, which ate Corina. Angel, wanting revenge, first
> joined **an expedition to attempt to capture a Titan and find its
> weaknesses.** This almost ended in failure but with the death of his close
> friend, [Sorum](https://attackontitan.fandom.com/wiki/Sorum_Hum%C3%A9), who
> sacrificed himself by blowing up a Titan's head when he was about to be
> eaten, they witnessed how the Titan did not regenerate and die (they saw
> lots of smoke being emitted from the Titan's body before disappearing).
> **They initially presumed that the weak point might be the head or somewhere
> in the throat and neck.** To test this, **another expedition was led in
> secret by the Survey Corps** and this time, Angel himself was able to kill a
> Titan, the first human to do so using the early model of the maneuver
> device, but the credit was given to the then-captain of the Survey Corps,
> [Jorge 'The Hero'](https://attackontitan.fandom.com/wiki/Jorge_Pikale),
> [despite Jorge himself not wanting
> to](https://attackontitan.fandom.com/wiki/Jorge_Pikale#Trivia). [![enter
> image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xxI3L.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xxI3L.jpg)

In **Volume 6 Chapter 19** ,

> Jorge mentioned that they were not sure of the exact location of the 'weak
> spot' but this was what he said: '..based on the way Angel delivered the
> killing blow, we can assume that it is somewhere on the back of the neck.
> Angel was able to confirm that it was not actually the throat, as we
> initially surmised..' Therefore, **it was Angel who discovered the Titan's
> weakness** but after this expedition, he would disappear for roughly a
> decade before being convinced by
> [Sharle](https://attackontitan.fandom.com/wiki/Sharle_Inocencio) to go back
> and help finish the device.

In **Volume 12** ,

> during their journey back to the Industrial City in Xenophon's workshop, it
> was Sharle who suggested that the control grip be placed on a sword's
> handle. [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zcyQW.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zcyQW.jpg)
> After Sharle's suggestion, it took them one month to finalize the Vertical
> Maneuver Equipment's design and build it. Thus, mankind's first weapon that
> can actually kill Titans was finally finished.


CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-13T14:18:56.543
49659
2018-11-14T02:40:38.737
2018-11-14T02:40:38.737
43199
43199
13547
answer