Away from the field, however, there is more to him than just his angry image.
"There has been a lot of media around that, with my aggression towards the opposition, but it's just my nature and I just love playing football," explains Taupau.
"I have a few mates around different clubs and we always like to try and out it over each other. Personally, I'm very competitive. I don't like to lose and I don't like to take a backward step.
"On the other hand, away from football, it's not always the angry aggressive Marty Taupau. There's a different side to that."
Ahead of tonight's clash with the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium, the Auckland-born 25-year-old explained he enjoys the quiet life with his family and is an avid reader with an interest in the wider world.
"I spend a lot of time with my two little ones and I like to read," he said. "At the start of the season there was a book that [Tigers coach] Jason Taylor put me on to, Serve to Win: The 14-Day Gluten-free Plan for Physical and Mental Excellence by the tennis player Novak Djokovic.
"I just finished Chris Kyle's American Sniper so now I'm going to start reading Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. I'm just trying to look to the spiritual side and the power of living in the now."
Taupau wasn't always so balanced. Four years at the Bulldogs saw him play just 20 games. The former Australian Schoolboy and Junior Kiwis captain felt he was treading water before joining the Tigers last year.
"Early on in my football career it was very hard to cement an NRL spot, especially playing with James Graham, Aiden Tolman, and Sam Kasiano back when I was at the Bulldogs.
"I struggled a bit but was very fortunate with the Tigers bringing up an opportunity for me to slot in there. I grabbed it with two hands and the rest is history."
History includes a starring role off the bench in last year's Four Nations final against the Kangaroos before a neck injury saw him stretchered from the field.
Typically, Taupau downplays his contribution to that victory.
"It wasn't much of a role. I was just doing my job like the rest of the 17 in the team.
"I was told what to do and that's what I did. I went out there and did my best," says Taupau.
The Warriors present a more immediate challenge but the sixth-placed Tigers (three wins, two losses) understand the task in front of them in what is Manu Vatuvei's 200th game celebration.
"It's a massive occasion for Manu. Good on him for reaching 200 games but we're very aware of what we have to do to handle the big boys in the ruck and also out on the edges as well. It should be a good game."
