Attack on Titanis one of the most disheartening animes, telling the story of a worldwide war between Titans and humans thatresulted in 80% of the entire population dying. Even apart from the massive global conflict, most of the series' characters had miserable upbringings plagued by abuse, fear, and death. Not only the war between Titans and humanity, but the smaller disputes between countries, took an enormous toll on these characters.
Looking into the childhoods of these individuals is devastating, because most of them have not experienced much joy or peace. For these characters who have never known an existence without war and fighting, life has always been quite bleak, but in the series, they worked to change this outcome by fighting back.Attack on Titan’scharacter backstories will undoubtedly cause fans to shed tears of sorrowat the boundless suffering these individuals have faced.
10Zeke Yeager’s Childhood was Loveless And Made Him Resentful
He Felt Neglected by His Parents, Who Devoted All Their Time and Energy To Freeing Eldia
Zeke Yeager, son of Grisha and brother of Eren, grew up to become a Warrior, fighting in opposition to the Survey Corps his brother joined. His parents were devoted Eldian Restorationists andforced Zeke to join the Warriors as a spy. However, this scheme backfired when he revealed his parents' true identities and intentions to Marleyan authorities to keep himself and his grandparents safe.
Dina and Grisha,were not loving parents and used their son as a toolrather than treating him as a valuable person. For example, they forced him to become a soldier when he was six years old. AlthoughZeke did continue working to free Eldiaafter their deaths, since he agreed with his parents' general sentiments, he developed a cold, emotionless personality, likely due to the neglectful and loveless childhood he experienced.
9Armin Arlert Lost His Entire Family and Was Bullied Throughout Childhood
Eren and Mikasa Were Supportive Friends to Armin, but He Experienced So Much Loss From a Young Age
Armin Arlert was always an inquisitive person, and he got this curiosity from his parents. Tragically,he lost both parents very young, because they were killed by Military Police for daring to venture outside the walls to explore. To make matters worse, Armin was bullied and picked on for his physical weakness and love of books.
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Unfortunately, Armin’s losses did not end there. He grew up with his grandfather, who taught him about the world outside the walls, sparking his interest in going to see natural wonders like the sea. When the Titans broke through the walls, however,his grandfather was killed, leaving Armin’s entire family dead other than him.
8Reiner Braun Was Abandoned by His Father and Struggled Emotionally and Mentally
He Developed Dissociative Identity Disorder, Creating an Indestructible “Soldier” Persona
Reiner was the child of a Marleyan father and an Eldian mother, andhis father abandoned the familywhen he was quite young. After training for many years and becoming a successful member of the Warriors, Reiner still clung to the hope his father might return. Unfortunately, he never did, and Reiner and his mother were left alone together.
Reiner’s harsh training, difficult childhood, and feelings of being abandoned allcontributed to him developing dissociative identity disorder.He struggled to pinpoint his true identity, felt a constant emotional burden, and was even almost driven to suicide multiple times. AlthoughReiner became a powerful fighter and Titan shifter, he still severely suffered from his past heartache and trauma.
7Historia Reiss Was Neglected and Abused by Her Mother, Alma
Alma Regretted Having Historia Since She Was Born Out of an Affair and Took Her Remorse Out on Her Daughter
Historia’s mother, Alma, outwardly hated her, a heavy blow for any child to experience.She was the product of an affair between Alma and Rod Reiss, king of the walls. Although she was a blood relative of the Reiss family, they treated her very poorly and shunned her because her mother was not royalty.
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Historia’s one glimmer of hope came in the form of her half-sister, Frieda Reiss. Frieda was not supposed to spend time with Historia but snuck to the farm she lived on with Alma anyway, simply wiping Historia’s memory after their interactions. Since Historia suffered abuse and neglect from her mother and had no contact with her father,Frieda offered her rare kindness the young girl was not receiving elsewhere.
6Eren Yeager Watched His Mother Die and Ate His Own Father
He Lost Both Parents in Disturbing Ways, While Living a Miserable Life Trapped Within the Walls
Eren grew up within the walls of Paradis Island, constantly fearing a Titan attack and not permitted to go outside. He vowed to join the Survey Corps and bring an end to the Titans' tyrannyto free himself and his family. When the Titans breached the walls, he had to witness his mother,Carla,being gruesomely eaten by a Titan right in front of him.
Aside from the loss of his beloved mother and the general lack of independence he experienced within the walls, there was another disturbing side to Eren’s childhood. Later inAttack on Titan,it was revealed that Eren was the Attack Titan. He received these powers in a horrifying way:his father, Grisha, forced Eren to eat him aliveafter giving the young boy Titan serum.
5Ymir Was Homeless, Joined a Cult, and Then Was Made Into a Mindless Pure Titan
Her Suffering Lasted for Years, Until She Eventually Became the Jaw Titan and Regained Some Humanity
Ymir’s backstory is interesting, but heartwrenching, asshe was taken in by a religious cult after years of homelessness.Eventually, Ymir was arrested as a criminal when the cult was shut down by authorities. Ymir was then transformed into a Titan, after being punished and publicly humiliated.
She found herself homeless and alone yet again, now as a Pure Titan. Her life was a time of lonely misery with no end in sight, untilshe took on the powers of the Jaw Titan, regaining her humanity. She ate Marcel, the previous holder of the Jaw Titan, when he was unlucky enough to come across her on a mission.
4Grisha Yeager’s Younger Sister, Faye, Was Brutally Murdered
This Tragedy Strengthened His Hatred Towards Marley and Desire To Free Eldia
Grisha’s childhood was incredibly disturbing, particularly one horrific moment with his younger sister. Faye and Grisha wandered outside the limits of Liberio’s Eldian internment zone,a decision that cost Faye her life.She was murdered by Marleyan officers who cruelly lashed out at the two Eldian children, and Zeke managed to escape alive.
Grisha was horrified at the punishment he and his sister faced for just walking outside,leading him to become a strong advocate of the Eldian Restoration cause.He blamed himself for Faye’s death and never let go of the crushing survivor’s guilt. This life-altering experience shaped Grisha’s decisions in adulthood, including the ways he selfishly used his sons, Zeke and Eren, to further his own plans to free Eldia.
As a Young Child, She Was Left With No Other Choice but To Kill a Man in Self-Defense
Mikasa’s parents were killed when she was a child, leaving her orphaned and alone. Mikasa was thankfully rescued by Eren before the traffickers who took her parents' lives could harm her.Mikasa’s “Ackerman powers,” a skill special to her family, were also awakened during this moment.
Eren was almost killed by one of the criminals, causing Mikasa’s powers to come alive in the dire moment.She committed her first murder in self-defense, a horrifying action for a child to have to take. She became fiercely attached to Eren, since she might have perished at the hands of the three stronger criminals without his interference.
2Levi Ackerman Watched His Mother Die and Then Was Left Behind by Kenny
Kenny, Who Took Levi in After He Lost His Mother, Abandoned Him Too, Leaving Levi Alone Again
Levi Ackerman’s life has been a never-ending nightmare, evidenced by his tough childhood.His mother died suddenly one dayand no one checked on Levi for a while, so he was left hungry and alone in a room with her corpse. Levi was taken in by his uncle, Kenny Ackerman, who was the first to find the abandoned child.
Although Kenny trained Levi well, he wasnot a kindhearted caregiver and eventually left him behind, so Levi’s childhood was mostly cold and lacked love. Levi essentially had to fend for himself, with the help of his “Ackerman powers.” His abilities were awakened after he fought for his life against some angry merchants he had stolen a tea set from.
1Ymir Was a Slave To King Fritz and Her Body Was Eaten by Her Own Kids After Death
Ymir Was Mistreated All Her Life and Even Her Corpse Was Used for Others’ Benefit
The Founder, Ymir Fritz,livedan enslaved, miserable life controlled by the king.Her parents were killed by Eldians, and when she fled, she stumbled upon the tree that started it all, giving her Titan powers. King Fritz then took her in to take advantage of her new ability, manipulating her to help Eldia’s power grow with the unstoppable Titan skill.
Her and Fritz had children, and although he was using her, she loved him. This love caused her to eventually die to protect him, but the horrors only continued for Ymir. Fritz was desperate to keep the Titan powers alive,so her three children ate her dead body.
Attack on Titan
Attack on Titanis a globally successful manga and anime franchise created by Hajime Isayama. The story is set in a world where humanity lives inside walled cities, threatened by giant humanoid creatures called Titans. The series follows Eren Yeager and his friends as they fight to uncover the truth about the Titans and the world. First serialized in 2009, the franchise has expanded into anime series, films, video games, novels, and live-action adaptations.
