Top 10 Heartbreaking Attack on Titan Moments

Levi Ackerman is a man of few words, not one to shed tears or express anything other than the occasional bout of quiet rage. Despite not saying a single word, watching him discover the bodies of his Squad mere moments after they were torn apart by the Female Titan proved to be quite a powerful scene. It’s a gruesome reminder of what befell them, and while it looked like Levi was about to pass them by…he can’t help but stop to look over Petra. And there’s the gut punch.

This one is a bit of departure, since it’s probably one of the most sincere and endearing moments in the whole canon. While heading back on the train after a hard day’s work, Eren and the gang get to discussing who will inherit the Attack Titan after he’s gone. What follows is a truly touching exchange, all of them confessing in their own way just how much they care for each other. It’s legitimately sweet, and knowing it’s never going to be this good between them ever again is what makes it sting so badly.

One of the earliest examples of Attack on Titan’s all-encompassing brutality, this flashback revealed Mikasa’s bloody origins and what turned her into such an adept killing machine. Surprise! She lost her family. More specifically, her mother was cut down in front of her while she was kidnapped and set to be sold into slavery. The only reason she didn’t end going down such a hellish route is due to her Ackerman abilities awakening, along with some murderous cheerleading on Eren’s part. Put all that together and you’ve got one broken, badass beast of a woman.

While it would pale in comparison to another reunion that Eren would attend soon after, this surprise meeting with his grandfather was a shocker. At first glance it appears that the old man is a doctor treating the wounded Eldians…until he starts suffering from some severe flashbacks. We see that he is riddled with guilt by what happened to his children, to the point that it’s pushed him to insanity. The twist being that Mr Yeager is actually a patient is brilliant yet harrowing, giving us an insight into how just how far-reaching the consequences of one’s actions can be.

Even before we knew about what lurked beyond the walls, about the Titan serum, about the Eldian race, it was obvious something was off when Connie arrived back in his home village. Only to find that it was completely desolate with no sign of any life – except for a lone Titan that looked suspiciously like his mother. It raised so many questions, about how this could have happened, what it meant, and the deepening mystery about the Titans in general. It’s one of the ominous moments the series has conjured thus far.

The secrets surrounding Eren’s father and the contents of his infamous basement were the driving force for the majority of the series. We all expected a bombshell, but nothing could prepare us for the misery that Grisha experienced growing up in Marley. His sister was mauled to death by dogs belonging to a psychotic officer. His own son turned him into the authorities. He was tortured and forced to watch his friends be executed. And just to top it off, his wife Dina was turned into the Titan that would go on to kill his new wife years later. Yeah, it sucked to be Grisha!

Genius or devil, no matter how you looked at him, Erwin got results. It may have led to him standing on the bodies of thousands of deceased comrades, but no one could deny that the Survey Corp commander was wholly dedicated to humanity’s restoration. He also wasn’t above throwing himself in harm’s way, shown when he lead the suicide charge against the Beast Titan just to give Levi the chance of cutting it down. While there was a sliver of hope to bring him back from the brink with Titan serum, the decision to save Armin instead served as the final nail in his coffin.

She started out as a prickly loner, but as time went on, we learned that Ymir was someone who had been screwed over by life more times than we could count, making for one of the most sympathetic characters out there. As if learning about her ultimate demise wasn’t sad enough, the real kicker is when Historia read her final letter; where Ymir expressed her regrets. Right up until the end, Ymir was denied everything.

This wide-eyed ball of sunshine was just too innocent for this world. Simply put, Jean’s self-proclaimed bestie had the terrible misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, where he overheard the Marley trio’s confession. As a result, they left him to be devoured by a Titan. It’s a brutal act of betrayal, one that left poor Marco as a half-eaten corpse on the side of the street for Jean to eventually discover.

Just one bullet, that’s all it took to end the life of one of the Survey Corps most endearing members. What was supposed to be a moment of victory turned into tragedy after Gabi snuck aboard the airship and fired off a random shot into the crowd – one that found its mark. While it’s easy to make the argument that both sides had blood on their hands and this was simply the price of war, fans still had their hearts crushed as they watched their beloved country girl ask for meat with her dying breath.