Gory, heartbreaking, and pointedly existential, Attack on Titan has been a whirlwind for fans since the story began. Throughout this dark series, Eren Yeager and his friends seek to do the impossible by fighting massive humanoid creatures with an insatiable taste for human flesh.

RELATED: 10 Ways Attack On Titan Has Changed Since 2009

Though their society is protected, humanity is far from safe. The titans are about as horrific as monsters come, and fans have experienced the crushing defeats and losses of humanity's last hope. Many characters have died in the most shocking and vile ways anyone can imagine, crushing the hearts of many anime viewers and manga readers (spoilers ahead!).

Updated on February 22nd, 2021 by Kit Morris: A lot of characters in the series have died since this article originally released, and seeing as how it had only covered the first three seasons of the anime, some of the most recent deaths that have crushed fans were not included. There are also some characters that were overlooked that deserve to be on this list just as much as the ones that were already on it. 

15 Marlowe Freudenberg

While getting to know his fellow MPs, Marlowe realizes that corruption and greed are the only things driving his superior officers. He is so driven to make a difference that he becomes part of the Scout Regiment, a section of the military willing to brave the world outside the walls to learn more about the Titans.

Sadly, Marlowe does not last long in the Scouts. He is among those bludgeoned to death by the Beast Titan in the battle to retake Wall Maria. Watching Marlowe die in terror is a crushing dose of reality in the Titan universe.

14 Marcel

Ymir eats Marcel in front of Bertholdt and Reiner

In Marley, Eldian children are trained to become warriors, inherit one of the Nine Titans, and fight for the country they live in. Marcel is a warrior candidate that inherited the Jaw Titan.

When he goes to Paradis with Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie, Ymir almost ate Reiner. However, knowing that the inheritor of the Armored Titan was there because of him, Marcel pushes Reiner out of the way and is eaten instead.

13 Kenny Ackerman

Kenny Ackermann Attack On Titan Season 3

Kenny Ackerman is an assassin that works for the Military Police. When Levi was a kid, Kenny raised him until he taught him everything he could. Years later, the two meet again but due to the Military Police and Survey Corps fighting each other, they became enemies.

As he dies, Kenny contemplates whether or not to inject himself with the titan serum. Levi approaches him and learns that Kenny was his uncle, not knowing that they are related by blood. Kenny gives the titan serum to Levi, knowing that his nephew will use it to help humanity.

12 Hannes

A titan towering over Hannes, Mikasa, and Eren in Attack on Titan

We first meet Hannes before the fall of Shiganshina. He is one of the soldiers entrusted with guarding the outermost wall, and like his comrades, spends most of the day drinking and goofing off. Hannes is unafraid, believing that the walls can never fall to the Titans. He finds himself sorely mistaken when the Colossal Titan kicks a hole clean through the wall.

RELATED: Attack On Titan: 10 Deaths That Affected Levi

Years later, Hannes has transformed into a driven soldier and captain of the Scout Regiment. Shortly after, Hannes and the others spot the Titan that ate Carla advancing across a field. Hannes promises to right his prior mistake and takes on the Titan. Eren and Mikasa watch in horror as Hannes is eaten in a fashion eerily similar to Carla’s death.

11 Petra Ral

Petra Ral in Attack on Titan.

Petra was a member of the original Levi squad entrusted with protecting Eren after he discovers his powers. Petra stands out as one of the first Scouts to connect with Eren.  Petra is a talented fighter and excellent team player.

When she and her squadmates are killed by the Female Titan, Eren is truly blindsided. Their violent deaths are a wake-up call that even the best fighters cannot be prepared for everything the Titans throw at them. To make things even sadder, as the Scouts return from their mission, Petra’s father humbly approaches Captain Levi. He thanks him for believing in his daughter and express his pride in her but admits that he is concerned for her safety as a member of his squad. Mr. Ral does not yet know that Petra is already dead.

10 The Scout Regiment Recruits

Before the battle with the Beast Titan, the Scout Regiment experiences a surge of new recruits excited to take back wall Maria after the Scout’s recent victories. These eager young soldiers (including newly-transferred Marlowe) have mostly come from sheltered homes. Some have not even seen a real titan before joining the military.

However, they quickly realize how misguided their ideas were. The recruits are bombarded by large boulders and crushed to death by the Beast Titan while trapped between it and the wall. By the end of the battle, only one recruit, Floch, manages to pull himself from the wreckage.

9 Sasha Blouse

Sasha's death was recently shown in the anime and fans that didn't read the manga were shocked. Sasha, along with the other members of the Survey Corps, attack Marley in order to bring Eren and Zeke to Paradis. Thinking that the battle was over and that they had won, Sasha is happy to see that her friends have survived.

However, Gabi and Falco, two of Marley's warrior candidates, sneak onto the Survey Corps' ship. Gabi shoots Sasha, resulting in her death. Seeing as how Sasha is one of the most beloved characters in the series due to her humor and kindness, her death hurt fans more than most.

8 Ramzi & Halil

Rumbling AOT eren over the colossal titans

Ramzi and Halil are brothers that die next to each other during the Rumbling. When he goes to Marley, Eren saw Ramzi. Knowing that he would be responsible for this child's death, Eren cries and apologizes to him.

RELATED: 10 Seven Deadly Sins Characters Who Could Defeat A Titan

When Ramzi is with Halil, the two notice people running away from the Rumbling and try to escape as well. However, a Colossal Titan steps on the two of them and they instantly die.

7 Commander Hange

Hange Zoe, 14th Commander of the Survey Corps, staring off-screen in Attack on Titan pre-timeskip

After Eren begins the Rumbling, the soldiers and warriors join forces to stop him. As they try to catch up to their former comrade, Floch, Eren's most loyal follower, delays them.

Knowing that every second would count, Hange tells Armin that he is the next commander of the Survey Corps before sacrificing their life in hopes that their friends will escape. Upon death, Hange wakes up in the afterlife and is greeted by the soldiers that died before them.

6 Faye Yeager

Faye smiling up and Grisha AOT

Faye is, in many ways, a catalyst for the events of Attack on Titan. When Grisha Yaeger is a child, he and his 8-year-old sister venture outside the interment zone where their oppressed race is contained. The pair are caught without papers by military officials and told that they will be punished.

One beats Grisha while the other takes Faye by the hand, promising to walk her home. When Grisha eventually returns, he is told that Faye is dead. We find out later that Faye’s death is far more horrible than anything Grisha imagined. The officer had her fed to dogs. 

5 Marco Bott

Marco Bodt Attack on Titan

Marco Bott is a trainee in the 104th Cadet Corps with Eren Yaeger. He often encourages his fellow cadets when they feel hopeless and reminds them of the value they each possess. It’s safe to say that he’s a favorite among his team-mates, which makes his death a tragic loss.

The cadets are initially uncertain how Marco died and assume that he lost a battle with a titan. In reality, he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fellow cadets, Bertholdt and Reiner, are titans in disguise, secretly working against their comrades. Neither of them notices that Marco has come up behind them. When he confronts Bertholdt and Reiner about overhearing their conversation, Reiner decides they have no choice but to kill Marco

4 Grisha Yeager

attack on titan grisha yeager at his desk

Though Grisha is one of the first characters to die, fans are unaware of it for a long time. After the Colossal Titan and Armored Titan break into Shiganshina, Grisha finds Eren and injects him with titan serum.

By having his son eat him, Grisha gives Eren his Founding and Attack titans. However, due to Eren not remembering this, he thinks that his father is still alive, only to learn that he ate him years prior.

3 Mike Zacharias

AOT Mike

Mike Zacharias' death is nothing short of sickening. In his encounter with the Beast Titan, Mike mistakes it for an abnormal and comments on its size and appearance.  However, when Mike hears the Beast Titan speak, he is left speechless. The Beast Titan tells the other titans around them to stop and not eat Mike.

It questions him, but soon loses interest and gives the other titans permission to resume eating. This scene stands as one of the most horrible and frightening in the show so far.

2 Commander Erwin

Commander Erwin was definitely a fan favorite. He gained the respect of soldiers and civilians with his willingness to ride into even the most treacherous of battles alongside his men. Sadly, this is exactly how Erwin dies. During the battle with the Beast Titan, Erwin becomes trapped with his recruits between the Beast Titan and the outer wall.

Knowing there is no way out, he tells Captain Levi that he wants to spend his last moments trying to find the Yeager home to see if Grisha really hid the secrets of humanity in his basement. Erwin resigns himself to his death, thanking Levi with tears in his eyes and approaching his men to address them one last time. His final moments bring Erwin’s motives into question, but there is no denying his bravery and skill as a leader of the Scouts.

1 Carla Yeager

Carla argues against Eren's desire to one day join the Scouts. In the brief time we see her, Carla makes an impression as a good mother and hard-working citizen. Her death is the first shock of the series. When the wall to Shiganshina is compromised, a mass of titans flood the city and devour people at will. Carla is trapped in the wreckage of her home, too badly injured to escape.

Carla demands that the kids leave her behind and save themselves, as a titan, who happens to be Grisha's first wife, Dina, after being injected with titan serum, reaches her and devours her alive. The image of his mother’s death haunts Eren, further encouraging him to become a member of the Scouts.

NEXT: 5 Ways Attack On Titan Is The Best Anime Of Winter 2021 (& 5 It's Overhyped)