CW: This article talks about mental illness, specifically DID, PTSD, depression, and OCD.
I started watching Attack on Titan when I was in middle school, and I was immediately taken aback by the show’s action scenes and gorgeous animation. However, I was even more enraptured by the show’s exciting characters. Each person had their own unique story to tell and was depicted realistically while contributing to a great story altogether that makes people wonder who the real good and bad guys are. As I got older, I came to realize that the show is also loaded with many representations of mental health issues, which is completely understandable for essentially an apocalypse story. It also deals with the deeper elements of mental illnesses, all of which will be talked about below.
- Reiner Braun – Dissociative Identity Disorder
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The first time we see Reiner’s disorder emerge is in season two of Attack on Titan when we found out that Reiner was the Armored Titan, the one that had broken through the wall in season one. Later on, in the show, we learned that Reiner was a “warrior” brought by Marley, who was tasked to find the Founding Titan and bring down humanity in the walls and the characters Bertholdt and Annie. To fulfill their mission in secret, Reiner had to pretend to be a soldier for the Survey Corps and fight for the same people he was sent to destroy. This carried out for years as he and the other characters trained alongside each other and faced various traumatic events together. He became an entirely different person and formed bonds with his fellow soldiers-in-training, acting almost like a “big brother” for the other trainees. However, deep down, Reiner’s real personality remained, and he still had a mission to fulfill.
Since the revelation of his true self, we begin to see him struggle between his two identities: a soldier for the Survey Corps and a warrior for Marley. He is still loyal to Marley, yet he cannot stand the overwhelming guilt he feels due to his sins of causing immense damage that led to the deaths of thousands. It got very bad to the point where at random, he would occasionally forget who he is and escape into the belief that he was actually a soldier defending the walls in order to maintain the emotional balance within his heart.
We see this in the scene from season two when Marco figured out Reiner and Bertholdt were the Armored Titan and Colossal Titan, respectively. To prevent Marco from telling the other soldiers about their true identities, Reiner took away Marco’s ODM gear, preventing him from escaping the area, and left a panicking Marco to be eaten by an oncoming Titan. As he, Bertholdt, and Annie watched Marco being eaten, we see Reiner staring at Marco with absolute horror on his face, saying “Hey…why is Marco getting eaten?”—as if he had completely forgotten what his “warrior” identity had just done and his “soldier” identity took over as a defensive mechanism for the trauma he just witnessed and the guilt he’ll undoubtedly feel later down the line. With his splitting memories and forgetting that he was a warrior, Bertholdt was there to remind him of his identity and his mission. This duality makes Reiner a very interesting character because it leaves the watchers (and manga readers) speculating if he is a genuinely good person who happened to be a victim of personal family trauma and Marleyan brainwashing.
- Everyone – Untreated Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Severe Depression
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Living in an apocalyptic world like the one in Attack on Titan will undoubtedly cause PTSD and severe depression for the people in it. Post-traumatic stress disorder is often caused by traumatic events such as war, assault, or disaster—all of which the characters face in the show, making PTSD the most abundant of issues among them. Eren Jaeger is an obvious example of someone who has PTSD; considering he has seen his mother being eaten by a Titan in front of his very eyes at a young age, there’s no doubt anyone would also develop PTSD from an event like that. Additionally, in season one, Mikasa Ackerman witnessed her parents being murdered by traffickers when she was also young.
Due to the bleakness of the events that have taken place in the show where characters continually watch their loved ones and comrades die at the hands of the titans in addition to other traumatic events, it is no wonder that most of these characters have also developed severe depression. For example, Levi Ackerman is just one of many that carry the heavy weight of depression due to his tragic past and the constant onstream of death he has witnessed for years being the captain of the Survey Corps. It is stated that he often sleeps in a chair and doesn’t sleep for very long, possibly because he suffers from nightmares if he sleeps for longer periods of time.
- Levi Ackerman – Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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While it is not entirely clear if Levi actually has OCD, he expresses OCD-like symptoms through one particular characteristic: his strict adherence to cleanliness. One of the most prominent symptoms of OCD is fear of contamination ort dirty and a way for people who have OCD cope with this is through frequent handwashing or cleaning. Throughout the show, we see that Levi has a particular abhorrence against dirty things and an unclean environment, so you can see him clean frequently (and he also makes the cadets clean). Fans had speculated that his compulsion for cleanliness might have derived from his past when he lived in the slums underground before joining the Survey Corps. The trauma from his living situation may have influenced his behavior.
- Erwin Smith – Sociopath
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One could make a good argument about how Erwin is a sociopath, or at the very least, show sociopathic tendencies, but it has not been confirmed. The most significant evidence that may prove his sociopathy is when he continuously makes plans to fight against the Titans that usually involve sacrificing his soldiers. He will also put himself through danger if it means that he will attain his goal. This corresponds to sociopathic tendencies where one does not consider their own safety or the safety of others. While Erwin feels guilt or remorse for putting his soldiers through constant danger in their missions, it does not deter him from continuing to sacrifice his soldiers and taking risks at the expense of himself or others. A clear scene from season three that shows this was when he ordered the remainder of the Survey Corps to charge the Beast Titan head on to distract the Titan from Levi, despite the apparent dangers of being shredded by rocks and shrapnel that were being flung towards them in windbreaking speeds. While the plan worked, it wiped out 99% of the Survey Corps with only one survivor. While it has not been confirmed whether Erwin is genuinely sociopathic, one can make a good argument about how he demonstrates sociopathic tendencies using examples of how he is willing to endanger the lives of his soldiers. Others may say that Erwin is the epitome of heroism and always strived to make the correct and moral decision when faced with obstacles, which would go against certain sociopathic tendencies.
Mental illness is always a serious issue to depict in entertainment, but Attack on Titan does a very good job of doing so with their characters, which makes them all the more interesting and real. That’s what makes the show so enticing for thousands, if not millions, and is one that I would recommend to anyone who wants to witness incredible storytelling and even more incredible characters.