Attack on Titan and its deaths are on a whole new level.
Never have we seen an anime that has portrayed deaths so.. Magnificently? Yeah, that's how you can possibly describe AoT's death sequences.
Now the thing with AoT is that they have a lot of death scenes… like, a lot! And obviously, we cannot mention all of them, but here are the top 10 most violent deaths that send chills down our spine every time we re-watch them.
15. Kaya's Mother
This was hands down the creepiest and jittery of all deaths. The scene begins with the sounds of someone chewing and bones cracking. And in the very next moment, we come across a scared Kaya who looks incredibly traumatized.
Why?
Because a freaking Titan is eating her mother!
It's one of the most violent and brutal deaths of AoT because her mother can't escape the Titan. It's slowly devouring her as she groans and moans in pain, with her daughter witnessing her agony.
Truly disturbing.
14. Faye Yeager
Faye Yeager was probably a little older than ten years old. Still, she met with one of the most gruesome ends in all of Attack on Titan. Grisha Yeager's little sis was always right there with him.
There was also a restricted zone where two Marley soldiers were napping. Faye was taken by them and fed to dogs while she was alive, screaming in pain and asking for help.
What could be more violent than this?
13. Hannes
Hannes was Carla Jaeger's best friend, and he was the one who rescued Mikasa and Eren from the Smiling Titan in the pilot episode. And if you remember, this is the Titan that killed Carla. Therefore to avenge her death, Hannes attempts to kill it at the end of season 2.
However, sadly, the Titan kills him instantly once it has him in its hands. Seeing a beloved character meet his end so brutally broke our hearts.
This scene has got to be one of the most heartbreaking scenes of AoT. Because Eren lost his mum and a fatherly figure to the same Titan, and in both situations, he was incredibly helpless.
12. Armin
In our opinion, the worst way to meet one's end is by fire. Getting burnt to death is incredibly, incredibly painful. And this is precisely how Armin died in season 3 when he sacrificed himself for the greater good.
He didn't budge as the Colossal Titan let out steam in an attempt to move him away, but Armin stayed put. He fought till his last breath and got fried head to toe.
Ouch.
11. Levi's Squad in S1
AoT fans can't really forget this scene. Because no one expected Levi's Squad to go down this early in the story. But Isayama had other plans regarding these characters and wrote quite a vicious death for them.
Especially Petra.
Oh, our heart aches for her! She was such a delicate, doll-like girl and the way her front was smashed against a tree breaking her spine - that's just downright cruel.
10. Bertholdt Hoover
Fans would understand the emotional impact of Bertholdt's death after learning his biography in the anime. As terrible and disturbing as Bertholdt's death was, seeing him scream in despair and plead with Reiner and Annie to spare him before Armin devoured him.
And seeing how he begged for his life just made things worse.
9. Marlowe Freudenberg
The supporting character Marlowe Freudenberg was lovable.
However, his time ran out when he saw the Beast Titan. Marlowe was smacked in the face by a boulder as the Beast Titan hurled rocks at the Survey Corps, and he had little time to wonder what Hitch would be doing currently safe within the walls.
8. Ilse Langnar
It was unsettling to witness the Titan who murdered Ilse had an emotional breakdown prior to eating her, and it was one of the most horrifying murders in the series.
In the main series, Titans didn't think twice about devouring humans. Still, the Talking Titan that confronted Ilse struggled to control his true nature. The Talking Titan introduced a new level of unease as he grabbed his face and furiously worked while he stood before Ilse. However, seeking the opportunity, she made a run for it but sadly got captured by the Titan.
Eventually, she was decapitated as the Titan chewed on her head, killing her once and for all. Even in her last moments, she vigorously wrote in her notebook as if it helped her calm down.
Poor Isle.
7. Franz Kefka
Hannah and Franz were this adorable couple whom the fans quickly liked as soon as they were introduced. However, with AoT, things go from cute to crap in a short time.
In the first-ever battle, there were multiple casualties. And the one that left us in tears was the death of Franz Kefka, and what hurt us more was Hannah's reaction to it. Franz is killed off-screen, and Armin later discovers Hannah doing CPR on him even though his lower half is gone.
How cruel, Isayama. How cruel.
6. Marco Bott
Marco happened to overhear Annie, Bertholdt, and Reiner, and that's when he knew that these three weren't fighting for Eldia. They were actually against them. A few pieces of the puzzle came together for him, and that was his end.
After seizing Marco's equipment, the Warrior Trio flung him to his death despite their reluctance.
Jean discovers his old friend's disfigured body while helping with the post-battle cleanup. Betrayed by friends, Marco's right side of the body is eaten by a Titan as he lies there with a lifeless expression.
5. Lara Tybur
While the Warhammer Titan was mighty, she was also weak because of being trapped in that crystal. Once her crystal form is located, it's game over for the Warhammer Titan.
And this is precisely how Lara Tybur faced her death.
Eren's attack on Liberio was met with resistance from Lyra, who proved to be a serious contender. However, the Warhammer Titan's hard shell was cracked by Jaw Titan's tremendous bite as Eren held his head and grazed his teeth over the crystal.
She was helpless and paralyzed, unable to do anything. Her death was both violent and… pitiful.
4. Ymir Fritz
Do you know what real brutality is? Laying your life for someone you love and they don't even appreciate you. Imagine giving your everything to a person and getting nothing in return.
This was the story of Ymir Fritz. She takes a spear to the stomach while trying to save the King from a traitor. As a Titan shifter, she can quickly heal these wounds; the King's statement that she is nothing more than a slave to him kills her.
She only wanted to be loved, but the King treated her like a servant. And nothing more.
This is violence. Violence with someone's heart.
3. Grisha Yeager
Grisha met a horrible death because he legit let his son eat him. The violent part is that it wasn't Grisha's plan to do so. He did approach the Reiss family with the intention to kill; however, his conscience took over, which made him realize that he was a doctor and couldn't murder those people.
However, Eren (adult, crazy Eren from the future) compelled him to do so. Once Grisha had the Founding Titan, the future Eren made the kid Eren eat his own father.
Like, what?
2. Mike Zacharias
Mike was only second to Levi in terms of military prowess, but even that couldn't spare him from the grim end that the Titans had in store for him.
A scene straight out of a horror film, the Beast Titan's callousness in ordering four different Titans to rip Mike's body apart was shocking.
Many viewers of Attack on Titan were traumatized by Mike's cries for help as the Titans tore at his flesh and ripped at his ligaments.
Our hearts broke in pieces for real. A handsome face like him deserved a long, long life.
1. Carla Yeager
It was literally the beginning! Literally! And the fans had to go through something this traumatizing so early in the show! I mean, if this isn't brutal, then what is?
Without a doubt, Eren's mom was one of the most likable characters on the program. And the way she was murdered? Buried under the rubble, waiting for a Titan to come eat her, all the while helping her son and Mikasa escape.
Sigh. How sad.
She's been a consistent source of encouragement for Eren throughout the series. However, after her violent death we see Eren spiraling into pure hate for the Titans, for whose extermination he crosses every line.
Conclusion
Calling AoT disturbing and brutal would be going easy on this anime.
This anime gave us a lot of tragic, shocking and brutal scenes that have left us all… tainted. I don't think anyone will be able to recover from this dilemma anytime soon.
Anyway, if you agree with us, please leave a comment below. And if you don't - well, we'd love to hear your thoughts!
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