Attack On Titan's Most Brutal Death According To Anime Fans (Warning: It's Gross)
While many anime and manga series contain elements of fantasy and science fiction, there are those like "Psycho-Pass," "Berserk," and "Goblin Slayer" that push up against the lines of these genres and take them further into the realm of horror. Filled with gruesome deaths and horrific dismemberments, "Attack on Titan" easily falls into this sort of category.
Still, the grotesque violence of the series was even more shocking early on, as audiences weren't fully prepared for how nasty "Attack on Titan" could truly get. For instance, Season 2, Episode 1 ("Beast Titan") concludes with the terrifying demise of Miche (Kenta Miyake/Jason Douglas).
After the warrior confronts the Beast Titan, it looks like the action-heavy series is setting up another intense Titan battle. However, the tide is immediately turned when Zeke Jaeger (Takehito Koyasu/Ernesto Jason Liebrecht), aka the Beast Titan, reveals his devastating ability to throw objects at high velocities. Grabbing Miche's horse in his hands, he hurls it at the soldier, incapacitating him and leaving him as easy fodder for the other Titans.
"He was given no dignity or honor when he died," wrote Reddit user @armyofbeees in the top comment. "Zeke treated him like a dog or even a bug. It was f****d." @Anadaere agreed, writing, "Yep, and this is why no matter what Zeke is after, I am pissed at him." Later episodes would try to explain how Zeke ended up the way he is, but it sounds like there's no amount of traumatic life details that can redeem Zeke in some fans' eyes.
Attack on Titan's Beast Titan is a total nightmare
Of course, Miche's death is made even more disturbing by the fact that the Beast Titan halts his demise to question him about his ODM gear. Though Miche attempts to strike back, the Beast Titan ends their encounter by recalling the four nearby Titans, who bite into Miche's flesh and tear him to pieces while he screams in agony.
"For this reason, I'd never ever give Zeke an ounce of sympathy," said Reddit user @menouthiz. "He was psychopathic in his treatment of his enemies. Needlessly cruel and devoid of compassion." @Mundane-Document-538 weighed in on another aspect that made the scene so disturbing. "Not just sad," they wrote, "but depressing and hopeless watching him being slowly eaten by the Titans."
Aside from the explicit nature of Miche's death, there are several key elements to the scene that help cement its place as one of the series' most iconic in the minds of "Attack on Titan" fans. First is the scene's overt strangeness. We've never seen a Titan speak before this moment, so we're just as shocked as Miche is when the Beast Titan addresses him directly.
Furthermore, the control that the Beast Titan displays over the other Titans is also new information. Coupled with his formidable strength and knack for tactical fighting, this frightful creature immediately shows that he is not a villain to be trifled with. Still, the most chilling aspect of the encounter may be the benevolent way that the Beast Titan smiles down at Miche before having him killed.
Miche's death has terrifying Attack on Titan implications
There are other reasons why this "Attack on Titan" moment is so memorable. Early on in the series, creator Hajime Isayama flipped the script repeatedly, most notably by having Levi's (Hiroshi Kamiya/Matthew Mercer) squad get completely obliterated single-handedly by the Female Titan. As major "Attack on Titan" fans know, Miche is said to be second only to Levi himself in terms of his Titan-crushing abilities. This is why seeing him get killed off before he even has a chance to display his skills is so shocking to the audience.
Finally, considering the fact that the Beast Titan will go on to become a central antagonist of the series, his brutal introduction is all the more meaningful since it's built upon as the rest of the series unfolds.
"He'd have been fine if the beast didn't turn everything we knew about titans on their head and fastball pitched a horse at him," wrote @thedrunkentendy. "Such a sad way for him to go and his horse." Luckily for fans like these, Zeke eventually falls victim to a series of brutal comeuppances before finally meeting his end in the "Attack on Titan" series finale.