WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Attack on Titan Season 4.
Attack on Titan's main character, Eren Jaeger, is very disturbed, which is unsurprising, given the number of traumas he has experienced. However, he is surprisingly not the most tormented character in the fourth season of the blockbuster anime. He is, instead, the one causing torment to the world, as well as to the people he considers his best friends.
When the Titans first breached humanity's walls, and Eren lost his mother, his fury fueled his desire to eliminate the monsters. He joined the military, where he met most of his loyal friends, and their bond only deepened as most of them chose to enlist in the Survey Corps. He experienced countless losses, and witnessed the deaths of multiple comrades he considered family. Now, one of his friends is experiencing a similar torment.
Connie joined the military, wanting to become a soldier who could make his family proud. Arguably, he has already fulfilled that dream, but at a terrible cost. When Zeke turned the inhabitants of Ragako Village into Titans, Connie's family was among them. He met his mother, already a Titan, trapped lying on their house, and he even heard her say, "Welcome back." She, and a portrait of Connie's parents, were all that remained of the family. That tragedy, however, was only the beginning of the darkest phase of Connie's life.
During their attack on Liberio, young Gabi infiltrated the airship and shot Sasha, one of Connie's best friends, right in front of him. When Connie broke the news to Eren, and told him Sasha's last word, Eren simply laughed. Connie's inner turmoil only increased after discussing Eren's state of mind with Mikasa and Armin.
After Porco voluntarily fed himself to Falco, Jean and Connie nabbed him as Eren made contact with Zeke. Falco became another moral dilemma for Connie: On one hand, he could use the boy to turn his mother back into a human being, albeit for only 13 more years; on the other, doing so would result in a bigger rift between them and the Warriors. Connie chose the first option, despite his companions' disapproval, and might have succeeded, if Armin and Gabi hadn't stopped him. Then, he was forced to choose between his friend and his mother. Armin chose to sacrifice himself in Falco's place, forcing Connie to save him before he could be eaten.
In Attack on Titan's latest episodes, Connie is once again forced to make heavy decisions. He and Armin rode to trick Floch and the other Jaegerists into lending them a plane. They were stopped and questioned by Samuel and Daz, who were also part of the 104th Training Corps. When Samuel shot Armin, Connie was reminded someone had to bloody their hands. He snatched Samuel's gun, then killed Samuel and Daz.
Connie's experiences prove how strong of a character he is. Despite suffering similar traumatic experiences as Eren, he refuses to follow his friend's genocidal plan. Unfortunately, joining his peers to stop Eren only means Connie's hardship will persist in the final few episodes of Attack on Titan.
