Attack on Titan: What Is the Okapi Titan? The Mysterious Being Explained!
Attack on Titan is undoubtedly one of the most popular contemporary manga and anime series. Hajime Isayama’s series focused on the fight between humans, and the monstrous Titans has become a true modern classic with a large fandom from all over the world. And while Attack on Titan raises many interesting questions, we have decided to focus on just one in today’s article, and that is – is there an Okapi Titan in the series? You will find out the answer to that question in this article.
In Chapter 136 of the Attack on Titan manga, titled “Dedicate Your Heart,” a form of the Beast Titan with the head of an okapi was shown when Mikasa picked out the Titan that supposedly swallowed Armin; this happened inside the Founding Titan. The Okapi Titan began to run away immediately but was eventually caught. Gabi Braun immobilized him with a shot in the head, enabling Mikasa to free Armin.
The rest of this article will provide you with more details on the Okapi Titan that appeared in the form of the Beast Titan in Attack on Titan. You’ll find out everything you need to know about the okapi and its connection to the Beast Titan and the story in general. We have gathered all the necessary information for you in one place.
What is the Okapi Titan in Attack on Titan?
Before we tell you anything, just take a look at this panel from the manga:
The small, weird-looking creature on the left is the okapi Titan. He was first seen on the other end of the Founding Titan, when Mikasa Ackerman identified it as the Titan that ate Armin. The group, led by Mikasa, immediately began chasing after it. Still, the okapi Titan started running away, and soon, other Titans rushed to help it, blocking the group’s way and forcing them to fight while the okapi Titan ran away. This happened in Chapter 136 of the Attack on Titan manga “Dedicate Your Heart.”
The story itself continued in Chapter 137 of the manga, titled “Titans,” when the group, after fighting their way through the numerous Titans, finally caught up to the okapi Titan, who was also revealed to be an incarnation of the Beast Titan, as the Beast Titan doesn’t always appear as a monkey. Upon noticing the okapi Titan, Gabi Braun fired a shot at its head, which stunned him and gave Mikasa Ackerman enough time to slash its jaw open and free Armin, who finally regained consciousness. And this is the story of the okapi Titan in Attack on Titan.
How is there an okapi Titan in Attack on Titan?
The fact that an okapi-shaped Titan existed in the story is related to the Beast Titan. The Beast Titan is one of the most famous of the Nine Titans, and he is known for being the only one that actually resembles a real animal and that can speak normally. He is seventeen meters tall and first appeared on the Wall Rose. His appearance resembles a great ape’s with a fur-covered body, elongated limbs, and a primate-like face.
He possesses full control of his intelligence and locution to speak, allowing him to lead large groups of pure Titans and the ability to operate perfectly well at night. At the same time, other Titans lose mobility without sunlight.
This titan also possesses the ability to transform human beings into controllable and specialized pure titans for different tasks through the ingestion of their marrow, such as the gluttonous titan and the high-altitude titans, as well as the ability to move freely, during the night, due to the light of the moon.
He is interested in the 3D maneuvering gear as he delicately strips Mike of his gear to study it before allowing his fellow Titans to devour the soldier. The Beast Titan uses his primate build to scale the wall and throw objects with great power and speed. He can harden his body like other Titan Shifters to either attack or defend, which explains how he could easily injure the Armored Titan.
As we have seen in the series, the Beast Titan is not necessarily ape-like, as it has taken on various other animal forms, although the exact mechanism has not been explained. These animals can be both big and small, depending on the user, and the series has implied that the Beast Titan took on the form of monkeys, birds, crocodiles, elk, bulls, wolves, snakes, rabbits, dinosaurs, okapis and goats over time.
Now, we know that the Beast Titan takes on various animalistic traits and that these traits can change based on the owner of the Titan, but as we have said, the exact mechanism behind that is unknown. We know what enabled the appearance of the okapi Titan, but we don’t really know the exact mechanism behind it.
What is an okapi?
Okay, now that we have talked so much about the okapi, we will tell you what an okapi is since the depiction in the manga is not the most precise one you’ll see. Okapia johnstoni is a species of ruminant mammal of the family Giraffiadae, endemic to the tropical forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The okapi is the only species of the genus Okapia and one of the last five species of the Giraffidae family, the other four of which belong to the genus Giraffa, reaching on average 180 cm at the withers.
The animal is found in a restricted space, including the Ituri forest and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. In the wild, the okapi is solitary, living discreetly and only meeting other individuals during the breeding season; in captivity, the okapi often forms a group of several individuals. It was scientifically discovered in 1901 by British colonial administrator and explorer Harry Johnston.
Before him, the Pygmies knew the animal by the name O’api. Scientifically, it is one of the last large mammals to be discovered. Due to its zebra-like appearance, Johnston initially classified it in the Equidae family. Its range is increasingly restricted, and several human activities, including poaching, threaten the okapi. Since 1933, the species has been protected, and since the end of 2013, it has been listed on the list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature as an “endangered species.”
