I haven’t watched past season 2 so plz no spoilers.

I wanted to talk about Annie as a character. I’ve been reading some threads and it seems like I’m not the only one obsessed with her. Hell I started watching the show based on a clip of her kicking Eren’s ass. And I was like dam she seems p cool.

Idk y I’m in love with her. I can’t stop thinking about her and was wondering if anyone else felt the same way. Why tf do we care so much lmao

With the release of the most recent chapter, which also came with the release of my worries that our favourite heichou might die, it actually had me pondering for the first time about who Zeke, as a person, really was.

Now this was a strange thing I found myself thinking about. I didn't care much about Zeke up until this point of the story, specifically the latest and current arc. And now the latest chapter has shown a moment, which would ultimately lead me to writing this, which humanised Zeke; the glasses.

This man is at death's door, head to toe covered in the nastiest of wounds, and he thinks of Xaver. He thinks of the glasses that were given by him and asks Levi where they are.

Now dont get me wrong, the glasses isn't where I felt bad for Zeke. Remember, he helped turn the entire village of Ragako into a bunch of mindless beasts stuck in some walking purgatory. Instead of killing Zacharias right there and then he let him have a slow and painful death.

Where I did feel bad for Zeke is when after heavy thought I came to this conclusion: He believes that human lives, and quite possibly his as well, are merely weapons; tools, a means to an end.

Zeke was never treated human. His mother and father were never his mother and father. At worst they were emotionally manipulative bastards who used him for their own selfish gain and at best they were generals ordering a soldier around which is still such a highly toxic parent-child relationship it might just end you up on Dr. Phil.

He was told, trained and conditioned that he would rule over the liberated Eldians not because of who he was, Zeke Jaeger the man, but what he was, Zeke Jaeger the tool who so happens to have royal blood.

His own parents materialised his soul to such degree that he could not see the humanity in humans. It helped him develop a mindset that all the means justify the ends, even if those means ended up outweighing the ends in human costs. After all, what even is human to Zeke when he himself isn't one?

And despite how inhumane Zeke is, it is only humane that he is.

In this chapter when Zeke realizes that Levi survived his trap, he rages in a pathetic manner. He screams as he bites into his hand and after transforming he kills a mindless titan out of a blind fit. So here we have screaming, violent outbursts, irrational and spontaneous decision-making, and the typical reaction of someone who doesn't get something his way. And all of this reminded me of how a child would rage in such similiar fashion as well, and it reminded me that Zeke never was a child.

I finally finished Attack on Titan today — properly, this time.😌

My feelings are different now. Since it’s been a while, I was able to keep some distance from it and view the story more objectively as a whole. I have to say, Isayama truly is a genius when it comes to worldbuilding. If you focus closely on just one character — for me, it was Jean — you’ll notice how meticulously he handles their development. Based on each character’s background and experiences, the things they say and do feel incredibly real. And so many parts of the story hold deep philosophical value. The narrative isn't just confined to the island — it expands into a grander portrayal of war. I really believe Isayama must be a very intelligent person. Yet, he’s also ruthlessly honest with his own characters.

I used to think the Rumbling arc was unbearable, mainly because I was too deeply immersed in the story from Eren’s companions’ perspective. I genuinely felt like he deserved better — there were clearly other ways things could’ve gone. (Maybe that's why Yuki Kaji, his voice actor, also had a hard time letting go.)

But when you stop standing too close to Eren, you realize: this was his choice. He’s such an emotional person that trying to analyze him with logic alone just doesn't work. He’s extremely driven by emotion, which sometimes makes him seem foolish — but he’s not actually that dumb. It’s just that his choices weren’t made from a rational place. To put it simply, he’s like a wild beast, surging forward with raw instinct — born craving blood, needing to feed its young, and therefore destined to consume other lives to survive. That’s his shocking, almost incomprehensible way of living. And in that light, the ending isn’t actually bad at all. None of the characters were ever out of character. I think Isayama had the ending planned from the very beginning — and remembering that, I realized he did say as much.

This series gave me a lot to reflect on, and I really enjoyed watching it.

Of course, that's because we’re the outsiders.

1. Armin Arlert (Colossal Titan)

-Core Values: Armin values freedom, peace, and understanding between people. He dreams of a world beyond conflict and cherishes his bonds with friends.

-Intentions: His primary goal is to protect his friends and achieve peace, initially for Eldians and later for humanity as a whole. He seeks diplomatic solutions over violence.

-Use of Powers: Armin uses the Colossal Titan’s power sparingly and strategically, such as during the Liberio raid or to stop the Rumbling. He avoids unnecessary destruction and grapples with the moral weight of his actions.

-Favorable Development: Armin evolves from an insecure, self-doubting boy to a confident leader who embraces his role as a peacemaker. His growth is profoundly positive, as he remains committed to hope and diplomacy, even after inheriting Bertolt’s memories and facing existential dilemmas.

2. Falco Grice (Jaw Titan)

-Core Values: Falco is driven by kindness, loyalty, and a desire to protect those he loves, especially Gabi and his comrades.

-Intentions: He aims to end the cycle of hatred between Eldians and Marleyans, hoping to use his power to save others rather than perpetuate war.

-Use of Powers: Falco uses the Jaw Titan to protect allies (e.g., saving Reiner and Porco) and assist in stopping the Rumbling. His actions are defensive and selfless.

-Favorable Development: Falco matures from a naive cadet to a brave, self-sacrificing warrior who embraces his role without losing his compassion. His inherited memories of the flying Titan inspire hope for a better future.

3. Uri Reiss (Founding Titan)

-Core Values: Uri values peace and atonement for Eldia’s sins, believing in self-sacrifice to prevent further oppression.

-Intentions: He seeks to maintain Karl Fritz’s vow of non-aggression, accepting Eldia’s punishment to avoid global conflict, though this perpetuates a flawed status quo.

-Use of Powers: Uri uses the Founding Titan’s power minimally, primarily to maintain the walls and enforce the Reiss family’s pacifist ideology. He avoids abusing his control over memories.

-Favorable Development: Uri’s development is limited, but his friendship with Kenny shows growth in empathy, recognizing the humanity in someone from a vastly different background.

4. Pieck Finger (Cart Titan)

-Core Values: Pieck values loyalty to her comrades and, later, the greater good of humanity. She is pragmatic but compassionate.

-Intentions: Initially loyal to Marley, she shifts to stopping the Rumbling to save the world, prioritizing survival over national allegiance.

-Use of Powers: Pieck uses the Cart Titan’s endurance for reconnaissance, support, and combat, notably aiding the alliance against Eren. Her actions are tactical and non-destructive.

-Favorable Development: Pieck evolves from a loyal Marleyan soldier to a key member of the global alliance, showing openness to working with former enemies for a greater cause.

5. Ymir Fritz (Founding Titan)

-Core Values: Ymir’s core value is selflessness, shaped by her traumatic life of slavery and abuse. She seeks freedom and love, even at great personal cost.

-Intentions: Her initial actions as the Founding Titan were coerced by King Fritz, but her later choice to help Eren (and ultimately abandon him) reflects a desire to break free from eternal servitude.

-Use of Powers: Ymir’s powers built the Eldian Empire under duress, causing immense harm. However, her final act—dissolving the Titan powers—frees the world from the curse.

-Favorable Development: Ymir’s arc culminates in profound growth, as she overcomes centuries of enslavement to reclaim her agency and end the Titan cycle.

6. Eren Kruger (Attack Titan)

-Core Values: Kruger values Eldian liberation and justice, driven by vengeance against Marley for his family’s suffering.

• Intentions: He aims to restore Eldia by infiltrating Marley, passing the Attack Titan to Grisha, and laying the groundwork for rebellion.

-Use of Powers: Kruger uses the Attack Titan decisively, such as destroying Marleyan forces to free Eldian prisoners, but his actions are violent and calculated.

-Favorable Development: Kruger’s development is minimal, as his life is defined by his mission. His empathy for Grisha and willingness to sacrifice himself show some moral depth.

7. Marcel Galliard (Jaw Titan)

-Core Values: Marcel values loyalty to his comrades and, to an extent, Marley, but shows compassion toward enemies.

• Intentions:He aims to serve Marley as a Warrior but protects Reiner by confessing to rigging the selection process, showing personal loyalty.

-Use of Powers: Marcel’s time as the Jaw Titan is brief, with minimal shown actions before his death. His powers were likely used in Marley’s service.

-Favorable Development: Marcel’s development is limited due to his early death, but his selfless act to protect Reiner suggests potential for positive growth.

8. Ymir Freckles (Jaw Titan) -Core Values: Ymir values personal freedom and loyalty to those she loves, particularly Historia, but is initially selfish.

-Intentions: She seeks to live for herself after years of suffering, later prioritizing Historia’s safety. Her alliance with Reiner and Bertolt is pragmatic, not ideological.

-Use of Powers: Ymir uses the Jaw Titan to protect herself and Historia, but also aids Reiner and Bertolt, indirectly supporting Marley’s goals.

-Favorable Development: Ymir grows from a cynical survivor to someone willing to sacrifice herself for Historia’s happiness, showing significant positive change.

9. Reiner Braun (Armored Titan) -Core Values: Reiner values duty and loyalty, initially to Marley, later to his comrades and the world. His guilt drives much of his arc.

-Intentions: He begins as a Marleyan loyalist aiming to destroy the “devils” of Paradis, but later seeks to stop the Rumbling and atone for his sins.

-Use of Powers: Reiner’s Armored Titan is used to break Wall Maria, causing mass death, but he later uses it to fight for humanity against Eren.

-Favorable Development: Reiner’s growth is profound, moving from a brainwashed soldier to a guilt-ridden, self-sacrificing hero who seeks redemption.

10. Frieda Reiss (Founding Titan) -Core Values: Frieda values peace and her family’s legacy, influenced by Karl Fritz’s vow of non-aggression.

-Intentions: She aims to maintain the walls and protect Paradis, but her adherence to the vow prevents her from resisting Marley or Grisha.

-Use of Powers: Frieda uses the Founding Titan to manipulate memories and maintain the Reiss status quo, avoiding broader conflict.

-Favorable Development: Frieda’s development is limited, as she remains bound by the vow. Her kindness to Historia shows potential for growth, cut short by her death.

11. Tom Xaver (Beast Titan)

• Core Values: Xaver values personal connection and atonement, shaped by guilt over his family’s death and his Eldian identity.

-Intentions: He seeks to end the Eldian cycle of suffering by supporting Zeke’s euthanasia plan, believing it will prevent further pain.

-Use of Powers: Xaver’s Beast Titan actions are minimal, likely used in Marley’s service. His influence on Zeke is more significant than his direct actions.

-Favorable Development: Xaver’s growth is mixed; his bond with Zeke shows empathy, but his support for euthanasia reflects a nihilistic outlook.

12. Annie Leonhart (Female Titan)

-Core Values: Annie values survival and loyalty to her father, with a cynical view of the world’s conflicts.

-Intentions: She aims to complete her mission for Marley to return to her father, later joining the alliance to stop the Rumbling for personal and moral reasons.

-Use of Powers: Annie uses the Female Titan to kill many Scouts during her mission, but later fights to save humanity, showing restraint.

-Favorable Development: Annie grows from a detached, self-serving soldier to someone who confronts her guilt and fights for a greater cause.

13. Porco Galliard (Jaw Titan)

-Core Values: Porco values pride and loyalty to Marley, driven by rivalry with Reiner and a sense of duty.

-Intentions: He aims to serve Marley and prove his worth, later sacrificing himself to save Falco and aid the alliance.

-Use of Powers: Porco uses the Jaw Titan in Marley’s wars and the Liberio raid, but his final act is a selfless sacrifice.

-Favorable Development:Porco’s growth is limited but positive, as he overcomes his bitterness to save Falco, showing selflessness.

14. Lara Tybur (War Hammer Titan)

-Core Values: Lara values her family’s legacy and Marley’s dominance, shaped by the Tybur family’s role as Marley’s shadow rulers.

-Intentions: She aims to protect Marley’s interests and eliminate Eren as a threat during the Liberio raid.

-Use of Powers: Lara uses the War Hammer Titan aggressively against Eren, showcasing its versatility, but her actions serve Marley’s oppressive regime.

-Favorable Development: Lara has no significant development, remaining loyal to her family’s cause until her death.

15. Bertolt Hoover (Colossal Titan)

-Core Values: Bertolt values loyalty to Marley and his comrades, but is emotionally detached due to guilt and trauma.

-Intentions: He seeks to complete his mission to destroy Paradis’ walls, hoping to return home, but lacks strong personal conviction.

-Use of Powers: Bertolt’s Colossal Titan causes massive destruction (e.g., Wall Maria’s fall, Shiganshina’s devastation), with little regard for civilian lives.

-Favorable Development: Bertolt’s development is minimal; he becomes colder over time, with no clear redemption before his death.

16. Grisha Yeager (Attack Titan, Founding Titan)

-Core Values: Grisha values Eldian freedom and vengeance against Marley, driven by personal loss and nationalist zeal.

• Intentions: He aims to restore Eldia by stealing the Founding Titan and passing his mission to Eren, hoping to overthrow Marley.

-Use of Powers: Grisha uses the Attack Titan to fight Marley and later kills the Reiss family to steal the Founding Titan, causing significant harm.

-Favorable Development: Grisha’s growth is mixed; he regrets his harsh parenting of Zeke but passes a destructive legacy to Eren, showing limited positive change.

17. Zeke Yeager (Beast Titan)

-Core Values: Zeke values ending Eldian suffering, shaped by a nihilistic worldview and childhood trauma.

-Intentions: His euthanasia plan aims to sterilize Eldians to prevent future generations, believing it’s a merciful solution to their oppression.

-Use of Powers: Zeke uses the Beast Titan to devastating effect (e.g., Ragako’s transformation, Shiganshina’s massacre), prioritizing his plan over lives.

-Favorable Development: Zeke’s late realization of life’s value through Armin’s influence is redemptive, but too brief to outweigh his earlier actions.

18. Rod and Uri Reiss’ Father (Founding Titan)

-Core Values: The Reiss patriarch values maintaining the status quo and upholding Karl Fritz’s vow, prioritizing control over change.

-Intentions: He aims to preserve the Reiss family’s rule and the vow of non-aggression, avoiding conflict with Marley at all costs.

-Use of Powers: His use of the Founding Titan is limited to memory manipulation and maintaining the walls, reinforcing a stagnant, oppressive system.

-Favorable Development: He shows no significant growth, remaining rigid in his adherence to the vow.

19. Karl Fritz (Founding Titan) -Core Values: Karl Fritz values atonement for Eldia’s sins, believing Eldians deserve punishment for their imperial past.

-Intentions: He seeks to end Eldian dominance by creating the walled Paradis, enforcing a vow of non-aggression, and accepting Marley’s retaliation.

-Use of Powers: Karl uses the Founding Titan to build the walls, manipulate memories, and bind his successors, creating a century of stagnation and suffering.

-Favorable Development: Karl shows no growth, as his ideology is fixed and leads to long-term harm for both Eldians and the world.

20. Eren Yeager (Attack Titan, Founding Titan, War Hammer Titan)

-Core Values: Eren values freedom above all, initially for himself and his friends, later for Eldia, but his vision becomes distorted by vengeance and despair.

-Intentions: Eren’s goal evolves from protecting Paradis to initiating the Rumbling to destroy the world outside, believing it’s the only way to secure Eldian freedom.

-Use of Powers: Eren uses his Titan powers to catastrophic effect, unleashing the Rumbling to kill millions, making him responsible for unparalleled destruction.

-Favorable Development: Eren’s arc is tragic; he gains self-awareness of his flaws but chooses a path of destruction, believing it’s inevitable. His development is not favorable, as it leads to genocide.

Final Ranking:

1. Armin Arlert
2. Falco Grice
3. Uri Reiss
4. Pieck Finger
5. Ymir Fritz
6. Eren Kruger
7. Marcel Galliard
8. Ymir Freckles
9. Reiner Braun
10. Frieda Reiss
11. Tom Xaver
12. Annie Leonhart
13. Porco Galliard
14. Lara Tybur
15. Bertolt Hoover
16. Grisha Yeager
17. Zeke Yeager
18. Rod and Uri Reiss’ Father
19. Karl Fritz
20. Eren Yeager

Only after looking Eren as wholistically as possible; one can actually appreciate complexities of character like Gabi and Floch and role they play in the larger interpretable and implied narrative.

only when someone stays with eren even after his "easy-to-latch-onto" motive i.e. revenge gets taken away from him as well from the audience by making him play a part in carla's death and only when someone stay with him after his display of absolute human pathetic-ness amidst in sea of blood one can actually look into more loud and shallow seeming characters like Gabi and Floch

→ Looking Gabi past her annoying qualities; as disregarding someone's issues because of their aesthetic unappealing-ness is ethically wrong and unjust. Gabi has lot of on your face parallels to characters like Eren and Reiner but one thing is different from them and that is that she is good at it, “it” being the killing or the act of killing i.e. combat. Her socioeconomic environment has made her connection to combat similar to a artist’s connection to their artistry. So the hollowness that she experiences while the foundation of her worldview and the whole self gets shaken-ed, especially as a kid is as tragic as almost any other character/element in the show.

→ Looking Floch past his loud qualities; especially in S4 where his opinions start sounding hateful and less thoughtful compared to other characters and more importantly very annoying as he is misbehaving with more beloved members of the cast i.e. Hange. We forget that he too is just a teenager like most of our cast who has seen some very horrible sights just like rest of them. After going through such experiences not only his views about world and evaluation of threat they have at hand got changed drastically but also his perspective of himself. He got to come in face to face to his weakness and his self-diagnosed cowardness .All of this gave him an immense baggage of self-loathing which is quite similar to some other character in our cast i.e. erwin, armin, eren etc. This self loathing plays a key role in floch's behavior and action, even after hearing the story of the other side, he just isn't capable of empathizing with them or he is actively making the choice of not empathizing with them, if even there is a slight chance of him seeing that sight again then he wants make sure that it does happen because he knows his weakness that he won't be able handle it, our world i like this bcz not all people are capable of making such choice, empathy might a an innate quality of human but for it to properly bloom and take shape of compassion such that it doesn't become an excuse for inaction. To cope with all of this as well as the taste of authority over ppl also making his sadistic quality come in light. All of this is him, just like of whom he is a part of SNK (the story), the founder (paths, source of life) and Eren. Create a world where all ppl have the quality of life which includes such compassion Both in there environment, education and parents/peers. The anger of the yeagerist is very valid just focused on wrong ppl and institutions. To fight these institutions you need. The anger is also what just yams was feeling as he also grew up with nationalist and some fascist works. The anger of yeagerist is the one the loudest as well as an ugly manifestation of the ever present "Action/Advancement/Attack" within the context of the story.

Just some scattered thoughts; pardon the typos and Thank you for reading!