Attack On Titan's 5 Grossest Kills Ever
While horror and dark fantasy have an extensive history in both anime and manga, "Attack on Titan" is clearly among the shows where the cruel reality of death is at its most terrifying. Though shows like "Berserk," "Goblin Slayer," and "Neon Genesis Evangelion" feature some absolutely horrific fates for central and supporting characters, it's the gruesome regularity of it on Hajime Isayama's series that makes all the difference.
With countless examples of depraved and disturbing deaths amid the four-season run of "Attack on Titan," it's actually a bit of a test of memory to try and break down the nastiest demises in the series. Furthermore, some of the bloodiest and most horrifically violent scenes are actually events that characters survive, like Armin (Marina Inoue/Jessie James Grelle) being slowly cooked alive in season 3 and Zeke (Takehito Koyasu/Ernesto Jason Liebrecht) being slashed and blown to pieces by Levi in the final season.
All the same, we were able to come up with five characters who faced the worst final moments in the history of "Attack on Titan," and we're pretty sure fans will agree that these are easily among the most disgusting, terrifying, and brutal deaths in the show's decade long run.
Hange bursts into flames and burns alive
Though we'd already seen how dangerous titan steam could be from the aforementioned burning of Armin in season 3, Hange Zoe's (Romi Park/Jessica Calvello) selfless final act was to buy time for the surviving allies to escape The Rumbling on a plane, and it shows them to be one of the bravest and most loyal characters on "Attack on Titan."
Hange swings in completely alone to a group of marching Colossal Titans with utterly no hope of succeeding. It's a total suicide mission, and Hange knows this the second they decide to do it. Still, they enter the fray all the same, and their clothes begin to catch fire before spreading to cover their entire body in a raging inferno.
All the same, Hange's final scream was a triumphant battle cry, even as the flames turned her to charred living flesh and ash. This means that her death, horrific as it is, must understandably be outclassed by a few others. However, considering the qualifying elements of being on a list of "Attack on Titan" moments like this, it's definitely a mercy to be last in this case.
The Jaw Titan shares the trauma of the War Hammer Titan
Eren Jaeger (Yūki Kaji/Bryce Papenbrook) returns with a terrible vengeance in season 4 of "Attack on Titan." While fans may have already seen Eren going dark in his initial attacks on Marley, which included slaughtering countless civilians with his own fists, it's his sadistic murder of The War Hammer Titan that really shows how much more brutal and unflinching he has become.
When Eren's Attack Titan must hold off a duel assault from the Jaw and War Hammer Titans, it looks like he may be facing his end. Still, he turns the tide and is able to dismember the Jaw Titan before using it for the most horrific purpose imaginable: as a titan nutcracker.
Eren places the War Hammer Titan's host into the Jaws of her own friend and ally, Galliard (Toshiki Masuda/Kellen Goff), and forces him to crush her to death against his will. As the crystal finally shatters amid Galliard's horrified screams, all that's left is a mess of blood and gore that Eren drinks heartily of, gaining a devastating new power along the way.
Nanaba is pulled apart and eaten alive by multiple titans
While the last few on this list have involved the deaths of central characters in "Attack on Titan," the absolute worst fates in the show are visited upon the supporting cast. In season 2, Nanaba (Asami Shimoda/Lydia Mackay) is one of two scouts who valiantly defend the tower from an overwhelming titan attack.
Though Gelgar (Yasuyuki Kase/Jason Miller) gets his own tragic and heart-breaking death as he is grabbed by a hungry titan while trying to taste the tower's wine stash, Nanaba's death is much more gruesome. She is so terrified about the prospect of being eaten alive by a group of titans that she suffers a psychotic break with reality, calling out repeatedly for her father to come and save her as a child might.
Nanaba's death in "Attack on Titan" only gets more horrific from here. As the gathered titans all try to eat her, she is pulled apart limb from limb while she is still alive before the titans eat the pieces greedily. Though Nanaba may have only had a brief time on the show, her excruciating demise is still awful enough to be remembered two and a half seasons later.
Miche is chewed and ripped apart by a gang of titans
This next one is similar to Nanaba's death in "Attack on Titan" in its brutal means of dismemberment at the hands of multiple titans, only with a couple of added grim twists. After meeting a talking titan, later revealed to be the Beast Titan, Miche (Kenta Miyake/Jason Douglas) is surrounded by a group of nearby titans, but the Beast Titan halts their attack, asking Miche a couple of questions.
However, when he's through with what he wants to know, Zeke's Beast Titan casually recalls Miche as he walks away calmly, telling the nearby titans that they can continue devouring him now. They immediately surround Miche, and an abnormal titan bites into his skull as the others rip him in half.
Coming as early as it does in the season 2 premiere of "Attack on Titan," Miche's death isn't just horrifying based on the circumstances of it but is also a shocking gut punch for viewers. Said to be second to only Levi (Hiroshi Kamiya/Matthew Mercer) in terms of skill, if Miche can be killed so easily, what chance do the other members of the Survey Corps have?
Zachary does unspeakable things to those he tortures
"Attack on Titan" is never shy about showing that the supposed heroes of the series are just as capable of sadistic cruelty as their enemies are. Even still, Dhalis Zachary's (Hideaki Tezuka/John Swasey) twisted, depraved, and obscene torture of a nobleman loyal to the corrupt government branch is relentlessly nasty and totally unforgettable.
Though viewers can't see the man being tortured very well, it soon becomes clear what the Premier is doing to his prisoner, Aurille (Yoshikazu Nagano/Doug Jackson). Having suspended Aurille naked and upside down in a torture chair of his own making, Zachary is forcing the man to eat his own bodily waste.
Even though we don't see it, this remains absolutely the most disgusting moment in all of "Attack on Titan." Furthermore, taking place in season 3 of the series, long before Eren's devastating heel turn, it offers an early hint at how far some people on "the good side" will go to get what they want. Furthermore, though we don't see Aurille's inevitable death, from this torture alone, we can't begin to imagine how awful it is.