Attack on Titan is literally traumatizing.
I mean this is the best way possible. The show, in general, is fantastic television. There’s a great storyline, really well thought-out characters, and plenty of action to keep you coming back again and again. With three complete seasons and a fourth one currently in production (the rather annoying third part is on the way), it’s a fantastic show to pick up if you haven’t seen it already.
But, with any show that has as much destruction as Attack on Titan does, there are bound to be some heartbreaking deaths that will just eat at you for hours on end. From the moment they happen to many episodes later, these deaths stay in your heart and make you cry – because God knows I did. Here are twelve from the show that truly stand out among the others.
Carla Jaeger
it was the first episode.
I mean, we get about twelve minutes of peace before the hellfire starts in Attack on Titan and Wall Maria is taken down within minutes by one kick from the Colossal. It’s made even worse when Eren is literally forced to watch his mother his be eaten by a Titan as he is being saved by Hannes, that horrible look on his face his while it happens.
His scream sits with you, too, and no matter how much Eren has changed in Season 4, a part of me can’t help but remember when he was just a little boy who wanted his mom to live. It’s so sad to re-watch these scenes and think about that.
Marco Bolt
I’m going to be honest – I had barely any idea who Marco was when he died in Season 1, Episode 13. There were so many characters in Attack on Titan at the beginning that I just wasn’t paying attention to the smaller ones. What really makes Marco one of the most heartbreaking deaths on here is A), the manner in which he was killed-betrayed by his friends his, and B) seeing Jean ‘s reaction to it.
Jean and Marco were best buddies when they were in training, and seeing his friend like that, literally torn in half, after the attack on Trost is awful in every way imaginable and I felt terrible for him. It’s amazing how far Jean has come since then, but it’s because of Marco that he ended up becoming a scout in the first place.
Hannes
Ugh. This one hurt. For those who don’t remember, Hannes was the one who was close friends with Carla Jaeger, and saved both Eren and Mikasa from the Smiling Titan in the first episode – the one that killed Carla. Now, in the Season 2 Attack on Titan finale, Hannes is faced with this Titan again, and he tries to kill it in order to get justice for Carla.
Unfortunately, the Titan gets the upper hand and kills him almost instantly once he is in its grasp. It’s so sad to see his story his come to an end just like that, and what makes it worse is Eren crying afterwards.
Bertholdt Hoover
While Bertholdt and Reiner were the antagonists in the second half of Season 3 of Attack on Titan, his death in the episode, “Midnight Sun,” truly sits with me because he was so scared to die. It makes sense, as his death his would be able to provide powers to a new holder of the Colossal-this time being Armin, but seeing his reaction his guts me.
Don’t get me wrong – I still don’t like a lot of the Marley Warriors from the 104, even after all the cool stuff they did in the best moments of Season 4, Part 2 alongside our favorite main characters, but at the end of the day, they were still just kids who were forced into this out of societal biases that have been passed down for generations. A part of me can’t help but feel bad for Berthold, because he’s still just a kid. It’s terrible – at least we got to see Armin live, though, right?
Fay Jaeger
This is probably one of the deaths that truly peeved me off the most. In Season 3 of Attack on Titan, in the episode “That Day,” When Grisha (Eren’s father) was younger, he had a little sister named Fay, and they lived in a camp that was composed of Eldians in Marley. However, he sneaks her out at one point to show her blimps her and they are caught. Instead of letting her live, it is later revealed that she was eaten alive by dogs.
The girl was so young. She had her whole life ahead of her and those officers straight up had her murdered just because she was Eldian and she snuck out with her brother to see a blimp. Not even to do anything bad. It’s awful what happened and I’ll never forgive Marley for it.
Levi’s First Season Squad
While we have gotten plenty of time with Levi Ackerman in Attack on Titan (he is humanity’s strongest soldier, after all), we barely got any time with his first season squad, consisting of Petra, Oluo, Gunther and Eld. Why? Because they were taken out by the Female Titan. In one attack, in Episode 21 of Season 1.
The moment this happens, it’s almost like a wake-up call for the series, that this is where things really take a turn. Levi’s squad is supposed to be composed of literally the best soldiers in the Scout,s and to see them taken out so easily, as if they were just flies on the wall, freaking tore me apart. Levi isn’t even an emotional man by any means, and yet even he was deeply affected by it. It’s screwed up and makes me not like Annie to this day.
Isabel And Furlan
While the OVA, “No Regrets,” isn’t officially a part of the Attack on Titan episode line-up, it’s still canon within the story and I can’t do this list without mentioning Isabel and Furlan. For those who do n’t know, before Levi was a scout, he worked as a thug in the Underground alongside two close friends of his his, Isabel and Furlan.
They soon go to the Scouts when they are arrested, and train just like anyone else, but on their first expedition, both Isabel and Furlan are killed by an Abnormal. To be honest, you don’t even know these characters for very long, but what really makes this so heartbreaking is Levi’s reaction. He is destroyed by this. You never see him so upset at something ever, not even in the official anime. It’s such a dark moment in his character history his and one deserving of this list.
Kenny Ackerman
Damn, Levi can’t catch a break, huh?
In Season 3 of Attack on Titan, we are introduced to Kenny, someone who raised Levi in the Underground who’s later revealed to be his uncle. It’s clear that these two have a very complicated relationship, what really makes his death his heartbreaking is, again, Levi’s reaction his.
During the episode “Friends,” he finds out as Kenny is dying that he’s actually Levi’s biological uncle, which is why he ended up taking him in after Levi’s mother passed away. Levi did n’t even know his last name his until that point, but he does n’t even get the chance to properly talk to Kenny about it, because the man dies from his injuries not that long after revealing it. I don’t think Levi would have let Kenny live if he had made it out alive, but it’s still such a sad moment in the show.
Ymir Fritz
See, her story is one of the reasons why this show is so good. We barely knew anything about Ymir up until this point except the fact that she was the Founder of the Titans. In Season 4 of Attack on Titan, in the episode, “From You, 2,000 Years Ago,” we get her backstory, about how she was basically a slave (and a baby-maker) for the king at the time.
Her death is brought comes when she’s trying to protect the king from a traitor, taking a spear to the gut. While she can easily heal these wounds (as she’s a Titan shifter), it’s what the King says to her, that she’s just a slave to him still and nothing more, that causes her to lose her will to live. All she ever wanted was to feel loved, but she’s still just some worker to the king. It tore me in half.
Dina Fritz
Dina Fritz was actually Grisha’s first wife in Attack on Titan, and the mother of Zeke Jaeger (Eren’s half-brother who is also the Beast Titan). She is captured alongside many of the Eldians who were planning to revolt against Marley. While she does n’t technically “die” until she ‘s killed by other Titans at the end of Season 2, her soul and brain her are gone when she is transformed into a mindless Titan during the Season 3 episode, “That Day .”
What makes her death even sadder is that she ends up becoming the Smiling Titan – the Titan that eats Eren’s mom, Carla, as well as Hannes.
Erwin Smith
You want to talk about the epitome of a fantastic commander? Erwin Smith is that in Attack on Titan. And, his death his is freaking awful. In Season 3 during “Midnight Sun,” Levi is given the option to use the spare Titan serum Kenny gave him to turn either Armin Arlert or Erwin Smith into a Titan, since Bertholdt is gravely injured and can be eaten now to have the Colossal passed onto someone else.
For a while, it seemed as if Levi was going to give it to Erwin, as he was the Commander, and Hange agreed that they needed him too. After an interaction with the dying man, though, he decides to let Erwin rest in peace after what happened and gives it to the dying Armin instead. It’s a sad end to the Commander’s storyline and makes you wonder what would have happened if he just got to that basement.
It’s still a very hotly debated topic if Levi made the right decision. I personally think so, but who knows at this point.
Sasha Braus
Don’t talk to me, I’m still not over this.
Do you know the pain I felt seeing Sasha alive in the Season 4, Part 2 finale? I had so many feelings because she was literally one of my favorite characters and all I wanted was to see her alive again. Her death her in the Season 4 episode, “Assassin’s Bullet,” shattered my soul.
From the moment I saw Sasha in Attack on Titan, I felt this connection with her. I, too, love food and would probably eat a potato while getting yelled at, and she just continued to grow on me. Watching her get absolutely shot to hell by that little brat, Gabi, made me want to just die.
I don’t remember the last time I cried so hard. It was one of the best (and worst) moments of Season 4, Part 1, but damn, I was out of it for a week after that. She was n’t innocent, no one is in this world, but she was sweet, and kind, and she did n’t deserve the end she got. Ugh…be right back, about to go cry.
Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 3 is coming next year and I am not prepared for the pain I am about to feel in this show ending. Excuse me while I go and re-watch the series.