The 14 Most Upsetting Deaths On Attack On Titan
The following post contains spoilers for "Attack on Titan."
Hajime Isayama's "Attack on Titan" is one of the most popular anime series in the world, blending epic fantasy with a European steampunk setting. The story centers on rival kingdoms who fight with hordes of Titans, towering behemoths with a hunger for human flesh who transform from human hosts. The series' protagonist is Eren Yeager, a young recruit in the Kingdom of Paradis' elite military force, the Scout Regiment, who can transform into a Titan at a moment's notice.
In its opening episode, "Attack on Titan" commits to unflinching depictions of horror and loss, as major characters meet gruesome ends at the hands of Titans and other adversaries. Even the series' most beloved characters aren't safe, resulting in some truly heartbreaking moments. These are the 14 most upsetting deaths in "Attack on Titan." (For characters who have two significantly different anglicizations of their translated names, both translations have been provided.)
Carla Yeager/Carla Jaeger
"Attack on Titan" lets audiences know just how unforgivably brutal it can be at the very beginning. As Titans breach the walls around the Shiganshina District and devour the populace, the Yeager household collapses on Carla, Eren's mom, trapping her underneath the rubble. As Hannes leads Eren and his childhood friend Mikasa Ackermann to safety, Eren can only watch helplessly as his mother is eaten by a screaming Titan.
"Attack on Titan" lets viewers get to know Carla just long enough to make the loss sting, driving the pain home by ending the episode on Eren's visceral reaction to her death. Carla isn't the only character eaten in the series premiere, but the episode dials up the dread as her inevitable demise looms over the closing minutes. That Carla weeps for Hannes to return so she won't have to die alone makes it even worse. Carla's death firmly cements the series' merciless tone and sets the story into motion. Eren — and, by extension, "Attack on Titan" — is never the same.
Erwin Smith
Not many "Attack on Titan" characters pass away in relative peace. Erwin Smith is the rare exception, although his demise is no less emotional for it. While knowingly leading his recruits into a futile charge against the Beast Titan, Erwin is mortally wounded by flying debris. Though Levi initially considers giving Erwin a life-saving Titan serum, he changes his mind when he remembers that Erwin wishes to die alongside his soldiers, and lays the man to rest in an abandoned house.
Erwin is a soldier's commander, earning the respect of his both troops and as well as viewers by insisting on personally leading his unit into battle. He knows he's running headlong into certain death, but does so anyway because he believes in the information Levi can acquire. Erwin's end is nowhere near as gory or torturously drawn out as others on "Attack on Titan" but the nuanced fan-favorite makes his sacrifice acutely felt as he embarks on one last ride.
Hannes
Eren isn't the only major character traumatized by Carla's death. City guard Hannes is also haunted by his inability to save Carla from the Titan. Hannes gets a chance at redemption in the third season, when he spots the same Titan years later and attempts to avenge Carla. However, in a cruel twist of fate, Hannes' valiant — if foolhardy — attack comes to an abrupt end when he's bitten in half while Eren and Mikasa watch in horror.
Hannes has been on a redemption arc since the start of the series, but given that "Attack on Titan" is, well, "Attack on Titan," the show cruelly and gruesomely tears away his chance at atonement in his final moments. Not only does Hannes' well-intentioned sense of bravado lead to his death, but it also echoes the fate of the woman he's trying to honor. Hannes functions as something of a surrogate father to Eren, and his death at the hands of the same Titan that killed Carla only further isolates and enrages the teen.
Faye Yeager/Fay Jaeger
No matter which generation you're talking about, the Yeager family can't catch a break. Look at the tragic fate of Eren's aunt Faye Yeager years before the main story begins. In a third-season flashback, Faye and Grisha, Erin's father, explore the world outside of their internment zone. Eventually, Marleyan soldiers forcibly separate the two siblings. The following day, Faye's bloody corpse is found by a creek; Grisha doesn't learn the truth about what happened to his sister until seven years later.
"Attack on Titan" never has any qualms about killing off children, but Faye's death is particularly disturbing. Grisha discovers that, for their own twisted amusement, the Marleyan soldiers fed Faye to their guard dogs while watching. The sheer look of wide-eyed terror on Faye's face as she dies will haunt you forever once you see it, and makes the drastic actions that Grisha takes to pursue his revenge all the more understandable.
Sasha Braus/Sasha Blouse
Not every death on "Attack on Titan" involves lots of gore or a huge heroic sacrifice. As in real life, sometimes death just happens, although its spontaneity makes it no less gut-wrenching. This is especially true in the case of Sasha Braus, a fan-favorite character whose death during an attack on the Kingdom of Liberio comes as a shock to everyone — including her. As Sasha and the rest of the Scout Regiment return to Paradis on an airship, Sasha is shot in the chest, and bleeds out before her friends have time to react.
Along with Eren and Mikasa, Sasha is one the Scout Regiment's early recruits. Initially, she appears on the periphery, but becomes a steady presence as the series goes on. By the time the Scout Regiment attacks Liberio, Sasha is as much a staple of the main ensemble as Mikasa and Levi, which makes her death's abruptness that much more upsetting. Even Sasha is confused by what's going on, unaware she's dying even as her friends fail to stop the bleeding in time. Viewers are right there with her.
Miche Zacharius/Mike Zacharias
Miche Zacharius is one of the most formidable soldiers in the Scout Regiment, leading his own squad and killing an impressive six Titans during the series. This streak, and his life, comes to an end when Miche is caught off guard, and his momentary shock costs him everything. After Miche mistakes the Beast Titan for an Abnormal Titan, the Titan crushes the man's legs and begins to interrogate him. Shocked, Miche fails to respond in time, so the impatient Beast Titan commands other Titans in the vicinity to devour him.
Miche's bloody death overshadows the revelation that the Beast Titan can talk, as several Titans rip him apart in graphic fashion. If there's any hope that the articulate Titan will be less sadistic than his simple-minded counterparts, it's snuffed out as quickly as Miche's life. "Attack on Titan" establishes Miche as one of the most lethally competent soldiers in the Scout Regiment but, in the face of this vocal evil, even he doesn't stand a chance.
Ymir
Not to be confused with Ymir Fritz, the first human to channel a Titan's power, Ymir is the member of the Scout Regiment who obtains the abilities of the Jaw Titan and Pure Titan for herself. At first, Ymir is self-centered and standoffish, but, as she gets to know the others, she allows herself to open up — to a degree. Eventually, Ymir ends up in the middle of the intrigue between Paradis and Marley, accepting her grim fate as Reiner brings her back to Marley to transfer her power to one of his associates.
Porco Galliard, the brother of Marcel, whom Ymir previously killed in her quest for the Jaw Titan's abilities, eats Ymir to seize her powers. Ymir doesn't resist, simply writing a letter to Historia, her only remaining friend, before she dies. Though Ymir's death is not as graphic as other characters', the heartbreak comes from knowing just how isolated she is under her veneer of bravado. Because she's pushed so many people away, Ymir's death is the loneliest in "Attack on Titan," and quietly devastating in its emotional impact.
Hange Zoë
Hange Zoë is another longtime member of Scout Regiment whose death in the show's transformative final season reminds everyone, including viewers, that no one is ever truly safe on "Attack on Titan." Zoë succeeds Erwin as a commander in the Scout Regiment after the latter's death, and displays a tactical genius that proves integral in combating the Titans. This makes Zoë's death as costly as it is heartbreaking, establishing the stakes for the series finale by showing us that "Attack on Titan" is playing for keeps.
Hange fights a wave of Titans alone, buying the soldiers time to evacuate in an airship, even though they know that this last stand will end with their deaths. Hange acquits themself admirably, but the heat that Titans naturally expend ignites Hange's cloak, engulfing them in flames as they fall to their demise. At least Hange dies with the knowledge that the retreat is successful. "Attack on Titan" fans endured a lot of emotional twists during the final season, but nothing quite tops Hange's sacrifice, a Pyrrhic victory that sets the tone for the series' last episodes.
Kenny Ackermann
Levi Ackermann is one of the most confident and coolest figures in the Scout Regiment, capable of making life-and-death decisions like a true leader. He also gets a terrifying antagonist in the form of serial killer Kenny Ackermann, who tracks down Levi on behalf of the Military Police Regiment. When Kenny turns on Rod Reiss, the King of the Walls, Rod transforms into a Pure Titan. The immense heat expended by the metamorphosis mortally wounds Kenny.
In Kenny's final moments, he finally comes clean with Levi, revealing that he is Levi's uncle, and that he abandoned Levi as a child because he felt that he would've been a poor father figure. Kenny comes at Levi like a force of nature throughout the third season and the reveal, along with the gift of a Titan serum that Kenny could've used to save his life, is a true shock. Kenny's death isn't upsetting in itself, but lingers because it's a reminder of how morally complex even the most unabashed killers are on "Attack on Titan," where major plot twists and death often walk hand-in-hand.
Isabel Magnolia and Furlan Church
Even more than Kenny, Isabel Magnolia and Furlan Church are responsible for making Levi cold and hard. The prequel miniseries "Attack on Titan: A Choice with No Regrets" chronicles Levi's life as a criminal before joining the Survey Corps, during which he teams up with fellow thieves Isabel and Furlan. According to "No Regrets," the two young crooks form Levi's found family. Then, it's all stripped away at once, leaving Levi permanently transformed.
Because "No Regrets" is a prequel, we understand what's coming for Levi and his friends long before the reveal that Isabel and Furlan have been ambushed by the Abnormal Titan and killed. This foreknowledge makes the mounting dread as Levi leaves his two companions behind excruciatingly palpable, as does Levi's discovery of the gory aftermath. "Attack on Titan" repeatedly showcases the bloody price war demands from families; when he loses his, a significant piece of Levi dies.
Bertholdt Hoover
Even the villains in "Attack on Titan" get disturbing death scenes; the duplicitous Bertholdt Hoover's demise, for example, is just as upsetting as any of the heroes'. Like Reiner Braun and Annie Leonhart, Bertholdt is a double agent who infiltrates the Scout Regiment to acquire the power of the Founding Titan. But Bertholdt's true allegiance is eventually exposed. So is his identity as the devastating Colossal Titan, who was responsible for breaching the Shiganshina District and left Eren's family at the Titans' mercy.
During his extended infiltration, Bertholdt forms genuine friendships with several members of the Scout Regiment, which makes his betrayal all the more heartbreaking. Eventually, after Eren cuts Bertholdt out of the Colossal Titan and leaves him to die, Bertholdt's friend Armin Arlelt transforms into a Pure Titan and consumes him on the spot. Bertholdt's increasingly panicked pleas to his friends on the Scout Regiment as he is crushed between the teeth of the Pure Titan form one of the series' crueler deaths, even if it's deserved.
Marco Bodt
In retrospect, Marco Bodt's death feels inevitable. The idealistic soldier constantly reminds his fellow recruits to keep their hopes up and recognize their self-worth. The problem? "Attack on Titan" has a nasty habit of brutally eliminating any sources of good cheer. What makes Marco's death even more tragic is that it could've been easily avoided. He just happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and is too naive to notice.
Marco overhears fellow Scout Regiment recruits Reiner and Bertholdt talking privately about how they're secretly the Titans linked to recent attacks. Assuming the two are joking, Marco approaches them and reveals that he caught some of their conversation. As a result, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie feed Marco to a Titan to conceal their deception. Later, Marco's friends discover his corpse, leading them to wonder what happened, while Reiner is quietly shaken by his role in killing his good-natured friend.
Grisha Yeager/Grisha Jaeger
In its third season, "Attack on Titan" explores Eren's mysterious backstory, revealing his complicated history with his father, Grisha, and the horrors that the Yeager family endured before he was born. Unwilling to go to murderous lengths for his vendetta, Grisha instead pins all of his hopes for vengeance on Eren. In the fourth season, Grisha sacrifices himself in a flashback in order to pass on his abilities to his son, effectively making Eren the ultimate weapon.
By injecting Eren with the Titan serum, Grisha triggers Eren's transformation, then deliberately allows his own child to eat him to gain his powers. This suicide by Titan is Grisha's last and most twisted manipulation, one made even more heartbreaking by Grisha preceding apology to his older son, Zeke, for being a terrible father. By forcing Eren to kill him, "Attack on Titan" puts Grisha's hypocrisy on full display and forces his sons and the wider world to live with the consequences — all because of a longstanding grudge.
Petra Rall
Levi handpicks Petra Rall, one of the first friends that Eren makes after joining the Scout Regiment, for his squad because of her natural combat prowess. Later, Petra leads her team to ambush the Female Titan, only for the Titan's regenerative abilities to turn the tables. The Titan kicks Petra and she hits a tree with lethal force, dying upon impact.
As efficient a warrior as she is, Petra also cares deeply for Eren, giving him another friend at a time when he needs one the most. Her death is the biggest loss he experiences after joining the military, and painfully teaches him about the realities of war. Even worse, just to twist the knife further, Petra's father greets the Scout Regiment right after she dies, cheerfully praising Levi's leadership. With the viewer still reeling from losing Petra, that's just pouring salt in an open wound.