Paradis and Marley are the two most prominent nations featured in the Attack On Titan universe. Paradis is home to the Eldians and where the majority of the story's plot takes place, while Marley is one of the most tyrannical countries.
As the story continued to unfold, it became increasingly unclear which of the two peoples could be considered more "evil." Through identifying their worst actions and juxtaposing them to one another, we can better approximate the moral merits of each country and whether or not their detractors' criticisms are accurate.
10 Marley Indoctrinated Eldian Children To Hate Themselves
The Eldians in the interment zone faced intense scrutiny and indoctrination from their Marleyan overlords starting at a young age. Each child was viciously indoctrinated with the tenants of the state, often to great success.
Marley's brainwashing can be most prevalently found in Gabi, who hates her own lineage and existence. Her only consolation is that she's one of "the good Eldians" and will relentlessly attempt to murder those from Paradis regardless of whether or not they are enemies of the state (as seen through her attempt on Kaya's life).
9 Paradis Culled Its Own Population After The Wall Fell
After the fall of Shiganshina, there was a massive influx of refugees to the inner walls. Fearing a food shortage, the nation's leaders ordered roughly twenty percent of the population to attempt a "reclamation mission" of their lost territory, much of it occurring in titan country.
This was an unprecedented disaster that led to innumerable fatalities. However, such losses were the explicit objective of the mission to begin with to solve the surplus of mouths to feed. It was perhaps the Eldian monarchy's most appalling act of barbarism.
8 Marley Oppressed All Eldians - Including The Warriors
Marley was notoriously unfair toward the Eldians of their nation, often treating them with open contempt and denying them privileges that standard citizens enjoyed. This compelled many of the internment camp's denizens to aspire to becoming Marleyan Warriors so that they could receive a higher quality of life for themselves and their families.
However, even the Warriors were treated with vitriol, as illustrated through Reiner's many interactions with the nation's military. Their only consolation is that they receive an adequate standard of living - albeit nothing even resembling the luxuries of their affluent Marleyan counterparts.
7 Paradis' Founder Repressed The Memories & History Of Its People
Appalled by the brutality of his predecessors, Karl Fritz corralled the Eldian race within the walls of Paradis in order to atone for the sins of the past. Discontent with simply pacifying his own generation, he used the Founding Titan to alter his peoples' memories and convince them there was nothing outside the walls.
This was in spite of the fact that the Eldians had acquired many enemies by this time - with a considerable portion of their populace still being subjugated by Marley. Worse yet, his will would be honored by whichever of his predecessors also wielded the Founding Titan.
6 Marley's Sergeant Gross Turned Eldians Into Titans For Fun
Gross was a Marleyan Sergeant who enjoyed rounding up rebels and injecting them with titan fluid. He relished in their trepidation moments before becoming monsters and was morbidly fascinated by the concept of death.
When it was Grisha Yeager's turn to be executed, he attempted to feed him to one of his former constituents. Fortunately, Eren Krueger was nearby to shove him off the ledge and subject him to a fate that countless Eldians would share.
5 At One Point, The Eldians Oppressed The Entire World
As harsh as Eldians are discriminated against, the reason for doing so is not unfounded. In the past, Paradis was responsible for dominating the entire planet through the might of Ymir Fritz and her titan descendants.
It was only after Karl's intervention that their brutal reign came to an end. Regardless, the rest of the world would not forget the years of trauma and destruction that it had been subjected to and would see them in a much similar lens to Marley.
4 Marley Waged War With Other Nations Constantly
Though the natural defenses of pure titans kept Marley from encroaching on Paradis' borders, there was a second reason that they never invaded in full force. The industrial nation was constantly at war with its rivals, using the titans they claimed to spurn as instruments of destruction.
This was demonstrated at the beginning of the forth season through the combined assault of Reiner, Zeke, and Porco against Fort Slava. Marley would even employ a child soldier (Gabi) in order to conquer a fortified position.
3 The Eldians' Attack On Marley Had Immense Civilian Casualties
The attack on Marley was initiated by Eren as a show of Eldian force and to use surprise against the enemy nation. Armin's destruction of docks and Eren's carnage in the main city both significantly crippled their enemy's ability to retaliate.
However, it also had a massive number of civilian casualties, including the innocent onlookers of Willy Tybur's spectacle and even children. Yeager's rampage would confirm every negative preconception that audiences across the world had already come to believe of the Eldian people.
2 Marley Sent The Warriors To Kidnap Eren & Caused Unprecedented Damage To Paradis
One of Marley's most grievous and consequential sins is for how they utilized the Warriors. Since most of their military force was occupied fighting other countries, they sent their finest titan users to infiltrate Paradis and kidnap the Coordinate (Eren Yeager).
This would result in the destruction of Shiganshina and the aforementioned culling of the Eldian people. Moreover, the Warriors were content with turning on those who had come to trust them in the service of masters who will never appreciate their talent and friendship. Both Reiner and Bertholdt would be overwhelmed by grief for their actions.
1 Paradis' Monarchy Labeled The Scouts As Traitors, & Rod Reiss Kidnapped Eren
Rod Reiss kidnapped Eren near the time that the Scouts were marked as traitors to Paradis. This was so that Historia could return the Founding Titan to the royal family and use it as Karl Fritz intended.
Eren's abduction was a betrayal of everything that the Eldian nobility was supposed to stand for and embodied the corruption inseparable from the current system. Though Yeager's actions in commencing the Rumbling would be inexcusable, he at least did not act with the full faith of the Eldian people.