Attack on Titan, also known as Shingeki no Kyojin, is an extremely popular anime that first aired in 2013. The post-apocalyptic thriller has captivated audiences with its complex storylines and multi-dimensional characters. With various antagonists and plot twists, it can be hard to determine who the true villain is in Attack on Titan.
Quick Summary of Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan takes place in a world where the last remnants of humanity live within a walled city to escape the danger of the Titans, giant humanoid creatures who devour humans. The main protagonist is Eren Jaeger, who vows revenge after his mother is eaten by a Titan. As a member of the Survey Corps which ventures outside the walls, Eren learns there is more to the history of the Titans than meets the eye.
Throughout the seasons, we are introduced to various potential villains like Reiner, Bertolt, Annie, Zeke and the mysterious forces that seem to be orchestrating events behind the scenes. With complex motivations and backstories, it’s not always clear cut who the true antagonist is. Let’s analyze some of the key candidates.
Reiner Braun – The Armored Titan
Reiner Braun is revealed to be the Armored Titan – one of the Titans that originally breached Wall Maria and set the events of the show in motion. He infiltrated human society and joined the 104th Training Corps under a false identity alongside allies Bertolt and Annie.
As the Armored Titan, Reiner played a key role in destroying Wall Maria early in the story, leading to the death of Eren’s mother. He is the one directly responsible for that tragedy which fueled Eren’s quest for revenge. Reiner continued to oppose Eren after his identity was revealed, causing massive death and destruction.
However, Reiner is a complex character. Flashbacks show he was brainwashed as a child to take on this mission to destroy humanity. He suffers from dissociative personality disorder and copes by convincing himself he is a soldier protecting his homeland. In many ways, Reiner is a tragic villain who thought he was doing the right thing.
Key Points
- Reiner as the Armored Titan breached Wall Maria, setting the story in motion.
- He is directly responsible for the death of Eren’s mother.
- He continued to oppose Eren after his identity was revealed.
- He was brainwashed as a child to take on this mission.
- He is a complex tragic villain with dissociative personality disorder.
Bertolt Hoover – The Colossal Titan
Like Reiner, Bertolt Hoover is Eren’s former ally who is exposed as an enemy – the Colossal Titan. In the beginning, it is the Colossal Titan who breaches Wall Maria and lets the other Titans in. The Colossal Titan reappears five years later to break through Wall Rose, continuing the campaign against humanity.
Bertolt plays a major role in carrying out the mission against humanity alongside Reiner. As the Colossal Titan, he is the spearhead who enables the attacks on the walls. Without Bertolt demolishing the walls, the other Titans would not have been able to terrorize humanity.
However, similar to Reiner, Bertolt is portrayed as a brainwashed child soldier who regrets his actions but feels he has no choice. He takes no pleasure in the destruction he causes and is wracked with guilt. While an enemy to the humans inside the walls, his backstory makes him a complex antagonist.
Key Points
- Bertolt as the Colossal Titan breached Wall Maria and later Wall Rose.
- He enabled the Titan attacks by destroying the walls.
- He assisted Reiner in carrying out the mission against humanity.
- He is portrayed as a regretful, brainwashed child soldier.
- His tragic backstory makes him a complex antagonist.
Annie Leonhart – The Female Titan
Annie Leonhart is another of the Titan shifters hiding in plain sight within the 104th Training Corps. As the Female Titan, she assists Reiner and Bertolt in their mission against humanity. This is revealed when she transforms during the 57th Expedition and battles against the Survey Corps.
Annie proves to be a formidable foe as the Female Titan with her intellect and fighting skills. She demonstrates her coldness by leading Titans to feast on Marco simply to hide her identity. After her defeat, she encases herself in crystal but the threat of the Female Titan still looms.
Though Annie assists in fighting against humanity, she is not driven by hatred. Her father raised her to take on this role, and her primary motivation seems to be returning to him. While an antagonist, she is portrayed as a somber girl stuck in circumstances outside her control.
Key Points
- Annie assisted Reiner and Bertolt as the Female Titan.
- She proved a dangerous foe for the Survey Corps with her skills.
- She killed Marco to protect her identity.
- She attempted to capture Eren multiple times.
- Her main motivation was returning to her father who raised her as a warrior.
Zeke Yeager – The Beast Titan
Zeke Yeager is Eren’s older half-brother and the Beast Titan. He is the one who inherited the power of the Beast Titan from Marcel and worked closely with Reiner, Bertolt and Annie in their mission.
As the Beast Titan, Zeke is highly intelligent and a formidable opponent who can hurl projectiles and even command some Pure Titans. He defeats the Survey Corps in Shiganshina, causing massive casualties. Zeke continues to work against the Survey Corps in subsequent battles.
However, Zeke’s true motives and allegiances remain shrouded in mystery for much of the story. He claims to have a special plan to “save” Eldia but the details are unclear. While antagonistic, Zeke is hard to classify as a straightforward villain, especially after he and Eren apparently form a partnership later on.
Key Points
- Zeke is Eren’s older half-brother and the Beast Titan.
- He inherits his powers from Marcel Galliard.
- He works closely with Reiner, Bertolt and Annie.
- As the Beast Titan, he is highly intelligent and formidable.
- Zeke’s true motives and allegiances remain mysterious for much of the story.
Eren Yeager – Protagonist or Antagonist?
While Eren is the protagonist, as the story progresses, he adopts an increasingly extremist attitude and willingness to commit genocide against those he perceives as threats to Eldia. This calls into question whether he is turning into an antagonist himself.
After unlocking the Founding Titan’s full power, Eren manipulates events to initiate the Rumbling – trampling the rest of the world with an army of Colossal Titans. This demonstrates he has transitioned from wanting to retake Wall Maria to being willing to destroy the rest of humanity beyond the walls to protect Eldia.
Nonetheless, Eren remains a complex character with layers of motivations. His actions continue to drive the plot forward at key moments. While he displays antagonist qualities later on, the story is framed from his point of view.
Key Points
- Eren becomes willing to use extreme measures like the Rumbling.
- He transitions from retaking Wall Maria to destroying threats beyond the walls.
- His motivations are complex – he displays some antagonist qualities.
- The story continues to be framed from Eren’s point of view.
- As protagonist, he drives plot forward at key moments.
Ymir Fritz – Founder of the Titans
Ymir Fritz is revealed to be the original Titan from whom all Titan powers stem. Nearly 2000 years before the main story, she was the first person to transform into a Titan and make a deal with the “source of all living matter” to gain her powers.
Ymir is long dead by the time of the main story. However, she lives on through the Paths dimension that connects all Subjects of Ymir and allows their minds to be influenced by the Founding Titan power. In a sense, it is Ymir’s lingering will that enables many of the story’s events.
As the original Titan, Ymir could be considered the underlying antagonist driving the 2000 year history of Titan conflict. However, as with the other antagonists, she is presented as a tragic figure who was persecuted and mistreated during her life, making her motives complex.
Key Points
- Ymir Fritz was the original Titan thousands of years ago.
- Her deal with the “source of all living matter” began the Titan era.
- She lives on through the Paths dimension that links Subjects of Ymir.
- As the first Titan, she enabled the 2000 year history of conflict.
- She is portrayed as a tragic figure with complex motives.
The Eldian Empire – Perpetrators of Atrocities?
While less tangible than other antagonists, the ancestors of the present-day Eldians could be viewed as villains for their role in initiating the cycle of violence between Eldians and the rest of the world.
2000 years ago, Eldia used the Titans to build a vast empire and subjected other races like the Marleyans to their rule through violence and cruelty. This imperialism and oppression naturally bred resentment.
It was this mistreatment that motivated the oppressed people like the Marley warrior ancestors to rise up and overthrow Eldia. This violent history poisoned relations between Eldians and other races in the present story.
Nonetheless, it’s ambiguous whether the ordinary citizens of Eldia were responsible for the sins of their ancestors and deserve punishment. The cycle of vengeance between Eldia and Marley seems tragic and pointless.
Key Points
- The Eldian Empire committed atrocities 2000 years ago.
- They used the Titans to oppress other races like the Marleyans.
- This oppression motivated the Marleyans to eventually overthrow them.
- It created a cycle of vengeance between Eldians and other races.
- Unclear whether ordinary Eldians today deserve punishment for ancestral sins.
Marley – Perpetrators of Modern Atrocities?
On the other hand, while the Eldian Empire committed atrocities long ago, the modern nation of Marley could also be considered antagonistic for its discrimination and cruelty towards present-day Eldians.
Marley continues to oppress Eldians, forcing them into ghettos and using them as disposable weapons by turning them into Titans. They spread anti-Eldian propaganda to justify this mistreatment. Any dissent is punished brutally.
Marley seeks to exterminate the population within the walls on Paradis simply out of xenophobic hatred and desire for natural resources. Their warrior program brainwashes children like Reiner and Bertolt to carry out these genocidal acts.
However, ordinary Marleyan citizens have also been conditioned by years of propaganda. They view genocide as justified retaliation, making them complex antagonists. The true villains are likely the unseen rulers of Marley.
Key Points
- Marley oppresses present-day Eldians and forces them into ghettos.
- They turn Eldians into disposable Titan weapons.
- They spread propaganda to justify mistreating Eldians.
- They seek to exterminate the population within the walls out of hatred.
- They brainwash Eldian children into warriors to carry out atrocities.
- Ordinary Marleyan citizens have been conditioned by propaganda.
Conclusion
So who is the real villain in Attack on Titan? The truth is complex, as numerous factions and characters display both heroic and villainous traits at different times. The story often unravels notions of simple good vs evil.
Candidates like Reiner, Bertolt, Annie and Zeke do commit horrific acts against humanity, but are portrayed sympathetically as brainwashed and tragic. Eldia’s ancestors set in motion a cycle of discrimination, but ordinary citizens may not deserve punishment. Marley oppresses Eldians horribly in the present, yet many citizens are misguided by propaganda rather than purely evil.
This nuanced portrayal is what makes Attack on Titan so compelling. There are very few one-dimensional villains. Instead, the story dwells in moral greys rather than black and white. Many characters have understandable motivations shaped by tragic circumstances, even if their actions are reprehensible.
Perhaps the true villains are forces like racism, propaganda, warfare and the cycle of vengeance itself. These drive otherwise decent individuals down dark paths. The line between hero and villain often depends on where you are standing – a complex but powerful message woven through the moral ambiguities of Attack on Titan.