10 Dark Attack on Titan Moments That Are Unforgettably Disturbing

Attack on Titantruly pulls no punches in a way few anime series do, starting off the first ever episode with a scene of unspeakable tragedy and gore. The Titans immediately destroyed the walls of Shiganshina and massacred countless citizens, and this was only the beginning of the darkness to come.

Because the series is set during a war, death is an everyday occurrence for these characters, making for some of the most tear-jerking situations in anime. Although Attack on Titan does have a grim emotional tone overall, a handful of scenes go a step further by candidly portraying the repercussions of war and the losses that can never be regained.

10 Armin Getting Burned Alive by Bertholdt’s Colossal Titan

"Hero," Season 3, Episode 17

One defining Attack on Titan moment proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Armin Arlert is a hero worth admiring. The Survey Corps were struggling to gain the upper hand in the fight against two traitors, Reiner and Bertholdt. Armin refused to accept defeat and chose instead to sacrifice his life in the most brutal way possible.

Flinging himself into the steaming heat of Bertholdt's Colossal Titan, Armin was burnt to near death. Bertholdt was defeated thanks to the bold soldier's bravery, and thanks to a handy vial of Titan serum Levi was given earlier, Armin was revived. Although he survived this brush with death, the scene of him being cooked alive in Bertholdt's Titan steam is still difficult to stomach.

9 Sasha Getting Killed by Gabi

"Assassin's Bullet," Season 4, Episode 8

The conflict between Marley and Eldia already seemed almost unsolvable, but one vengeful decision by Marleyan, Gabi Braun, only exacerbated the issue. The Battle of Liberio killed thousands of Marleyan citizens, and in an effort to avenge her fellow citizens' deaths, Gabi snuck onto an Eldian airship, intending to kill any Eldian she found.

Gabi shot randomly and Sasha was the unfortunate victim of the stray bullet, dying almost instantly. Her comrades and best friends desperately attempted to revive her, but it was no use, and thus, one of Attack on Titan's most heroic characters died needlessly, which only worsened the war.

8 Armin Blowing Up the Port in Marley

"Assault," Season 4, Episode 7

Although he is a Survey Corps soldier, Armin has expressed on more than one occasion that he hates killing people and would prefer to resolve disputes through nonviolent means. However, during the Raid on Liberio, Armin was forced to use his Colossal Titan to commit mass murder, wiping out hundreds of lives at once.

After he snuck into the port on a small boat, the Titan shifter transformed, leading to instant death and destruction that the pacifistic character never wanted to cause. One additional detail that makes this scene all the more devastating is the fact that Armin's Colossal Titan form is earless, different from how Bertholdt's was, because Armin could not handle hearing his victim's screams and cries.

7 Erwin Smith’s Suicide Charge Against the Beast Titan

"Perfect Game," Season 3, Episode 16

When the Survey Corps were up against Zeke Yeager's Beast Titan, Erwin knew he had to take drastic action if his men stood a chance of winning. What he proposed was a dangerous suicide charge, and although it had very small odds of success, Erwin's loyal soldiers were inspired by his iconic speech about victory and followed the commander into battle anyway.

Unfortunately, Zeke Yeager's mighty Beast Titan had a trick up his sleeve, throwing a handful of rocks so fast at the soldiers that they acted like bullets, leading to mass death. Erwin himself passed away from injuries shortly after this battle, making it not only an incredibly violent scene, but a depressing defeat for the Survey Corps all around.

6 Faye Yeager’s Brutal Death

"That Day," Season 3, Episode 20

A little knowncharacter has one of the most tragic Attack on Titan backstories, because she suffered unthinkable, undeserved violence while she was only a child. Faye Yeager, Grisha's younger sister, was spending a day with her older brother in the city and they both accidentally wandered outside the Eldian internment zone in Marley while admiring a flying blimp in the sky.

A group of Marleyan soldiers captured Grisha and Faye, and despite Grisha's pleas to spare Faye, she suffered the worse fate of the two children. Grisha was beaten and survived, but Faye's body was torn apart by dogs, and she was left for dead, leaving her older brother with lifelong guilt and trauma over a situation that should have been merely a simple mistake.

5 Eren Eating His Own Father to Take His Titan

"Sin," Season 3, Episode 6

When Eren first unleashed his Titan in the first season of Attack on Titan, its origins were a complete mystery to not only him, but everyone else. Later on in the anime, the alarming backstory of Eren's Titan form was revealed, and it involves him eating his own father to gain the power.

When Eren was young, his father, Grisha Yeager, holder of both the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan, gave the boy Titan serum so he could inherit his father's Titan abilities, and they would not be lost when Grisha died, which was going to happen soon. After taking the serum, Eren ate Grisha, because that is how Titan powers are passed between people. For so long, Eren forgot this harrowing experience entirely, making it a life-altering realization when he finally remembered everything that had occurred in the past.

4 Carla Yeager Getting Eaten by a Titan

"To You, in 2,000 Years: The Fall of Shiganshina: Part 1," Season 1, Episode 1

One of Attack on Titan's darkest ever scenes actually occurred in the anime's very first episode, establishing a grim, hopeless tone for the rest of the series. Although the Titans had not breached the walls for a hundred years, one fateful day in Eren's childhood, the creatures attacked yet again, and wiped out many people in the town of Shiganshina, including Eren's own mother.

As Eren and his family were desperately fleeing, rubble from destroyed buildings began raining down around them, and pinned his mother, Carla, so she could not free herself. She begged Eren and Mikasa to continue their attempt to escape and leave her behind, but Eren refused to abandon his mother. Even with the assistance of another soldier, Hannes, Carla's fate was sealed, and he carried the two children to safety, realizing nothing else could be done to save Carla. As Eren looked back in horror, his mother was eaten alive by a Titan, instilling in him an even more powerful hatred of Titans.

3 The Beginning of the Rumbling

"From You, 2,000 Years Ago," Season 4, Episode 21

The mere thought of a Rumbling of thousands of Titans crushing everything in their path is already horrific, but once the event was actually animated in the show, it became more disturbing than anyone could have ever envisioned. Despite the terrified humans' attempts to flee, at least a billion humans died.

Although Eren's intention was to bring peace to Eldia, the Rumbling event itself was the exact opposite of that, ironically causing many Eldians to die along with the other humans whose lives it claimed. As the biggest massacre in Attack on Titan, the Rumbling is one of the series' most horrifyingly violent events.

2 Mikasa Beheading Eren Yeager

"THE FINAL CHAPTERS Special 2," Season 4

Ironically, Eren was so committed to his relentless quest for freedom that it led to his death, making it so he could never even enjoy the peace he hoped to achieve. His controversial idea was to start a "Rumbling," allowing the Titans to trample everyone who was not Eldian underfoot, so the Eldians would no longer have to be isolated within walls and hated by the rest of the world.

Many people, including his own friends and comrades, found Eren's plan despicable, and the Marleyans and Eldians joined together to stop him. Although she had to turn against her own lifelong best friend, Mikasa Ackerman fulfilled her duty to humanity and sliced off Eren's head herself. Arguably even worse, the aftermath scene of all of Eren's friends mourning around Mikasa while she cradles Eren's severed head is one of the most sorrowful moments in the series, that reveals the tragedy war can cause.

1 Ymir’s Backstory

"From You, 2,000 Years Ago," Season 4, Episode 21

When Ymir Fritz unintentionally entered the tree that gave her Founding Titan powers, she had no idea how her life would be ruined by this split-second action. The Eldian King Fritz became very intrigued by Ymir after she developed this life-changing power, and forced her to be his slave, carrying out his bidding with the new ability.

Ymir had already lived most of her life oppressed and mistreated by the Eldians who took over her village and slaughtered her parents, and her pain did not end, because she was manipulated by Fritz as a tool for him to achieve power over his enemies. What occurred after her death is perhaps the worst part of Ymir's gut-wrenching origin story. So the Founding Titan power would not die out with her, Fritz forced their three children to consume their mother's corpse, in one of the most disgusting scenes in Attack on Titan.