Summary
Character development is a staple in the construction of captivating storylines with regard to emotional attachment. So is the development of Gabi Braun fromAttack on Titan, as she works her way up from a young, fiercely brainwashed warrior of Marley into a girl who learns how grave the weight of her actions are.
Her character arc is one of redemption and understanding, showing the circle of hatred and vengeance that comprises the world ofAttack on Titan. Gabi’s development was painful and powerful; with this, she went from one of the most hated characters in the series to one of the most understood.
Ready To Kill All Her Enemies
A Young Eren in the Making
Immediately from the moment Gabi Braun appears in the anime series, it puts her as an ambitious and determined character. Just like a young Eren Yeager, she is fueled by hatred for the perceived enemy this time around, the Eldians of Paradis Island. Born and raised in the nation of Marley as a warrior candidate, Gabi was brainwashed by the Marleyan regime that the Eldians across the sea are devils and have brought every malady into the world. She is fiercely nationalistic, confident in her skills as a soldier, and believes through the destruction of her enemies she can bring peace to Marley and honor to her family.
This aspect ofGabi’s character parallels Eren’s early storyline, wherein he, too, was blinded by anger and motivated by a need to kill when the Titans destroyed his hometown and killed his mother. Both Gabi and Eren entered their stories with a single vision: the eradication of their enemies. Neither realized that they were actually victims of an enormous scheme of oppression and deception.
Brainwashed and Blinded by Hate
It is in Marley that Gabi is taught that the Eldians of Paradis Island are a threat to the world, and this very indoctrination fuels her at every turn. She believes that her people will be protected and can wipe out the “devils” by serving as a warrior candidate and inheriting the Armored Titan after Reiner. She is confident enough to think that, and during the attack on Liberio, she takes the life of one of the series' fan favorite characters, Sasha Blouse, which becomes a turning point in the story. The actions that Gabi takes here create a very strong amount of hate from the fanbase, as intense as the hate Eren received later in the series because of his extreme actions.
By now, Gabi has become blind to any other view but her indoctrination; she cannot conceive theEldians of Paradis as humans. She thinks that she is in the right and that is what makes her even more despised by readers. But that is just the very beginning.
Learning the Truth: The Paradis Experience
The actual character development of Gabi begins when she gets taken to Paradis Island. Captive and filled with revenge, she held onto her belief that the people of Paradis were no less than monsters. However, shortlyafter being taken in by Sasha’sfamily, mainly by Sasha’s father and sister Kaya, she starts doubting all that was preached to her. And here is where her journey crosses again with Eren’s. It is at this point, when Eren finally feels his lifelong enemies are no different from himself, that Gabi finally begins to see that the people of Paradis are no devils but ordinary humans caught in the same circle of violence as herself.
This realization is painful and gradual for Gabi. It was one of the key moments in the film whereby Kaya’s act of kindness, knowing that Gabi had killed her sister, nudges Gabi to reflect upon her wrong actions. Such interactions with Kaya further melt the hatred inside Gabi that was instilled within her since her childhood. She starts to understand the consequences of what she did, such as killing Sasha, and truly starts feeling sorry for that.
Gabi and the Rumbling: A Disaster Befalling
Despite that realization, Gabi inadvertently plays a huge role in kick-starting the Rumbling-a cataclysmic event that ends up destroying large swaths of the world. When Eren manipulates events to unleash the Colossal Titans, it is Gabi who shoots him during the chaos, which decapitates him for a time. This, of course, is merely a temporary hindrance, as the Rumbling begins and erases much of humanity.
Although not entirely the cause of the rumbling, it was Gabi’s actions that made this chain of events occur precisely in the manner that they did. A noxious reminder that, in this chain of violence, even the most well-meaning positive things turn to ruin.
Gabi’s Part in Stopping Eren: The Final Fight
Gabi becomes an integral part of thisalliance in an attempt to stop Erenas the world is about to be annihilated. She fights with Eldians and Marleyans in what would probably be the last hope for the remnants of human civilization to survive. By now, Gabi understands the world and how futile hate can be. She no longer views the people of Paradis as enemies but as allies in the fight for survival.
It is in this final battle that Gabi’s determination and courage really shine through: she becomes a keen shooter, mowing down enemies and protecting her comrades that were more recently found. The brainwashed child soldier had finally grown into a young woman who fought for the greater good. In the end, Gabi no longer acted out of hate but out of a desire to protect the people she cared about.
Aftermath: Gabi’s Redemption
By the end of the series, Gabi earns forgiveness from Sasha’s family and, to a large extent, forgiveness from the audience. Her character, once despised due to her blind hatred and rash actions, is now one that is understood and, in many ways, even liked. Gabi’s storyline is one of thedeeper ones in Attack on Titan, reflecting upon the core themes which are there in the series itself, namely cycles of hate, consequences of revenge, and the possibility of redemption.
Her character arc makes for a powerful statement about how false teachings and hate can be dismantled through understanding and empathy. Like Eren, Gabi was the product of the world she had been born into, but unlike Eren, she manages to break herself free from the chain of violence onto a new path.
It is without a doubt a hallmark that Gabi went from brainwashed warrior to a young woman with feelings of compassion and comprehension. The arc of Gabi runs parallel to that of Eren but manages to stand independently as a tale of redemption. While she started as one of the most hated characters, the growth of Gabi allows viewers by the series' end to show her in a new light.
Attack On Titan
Cast
Based on Hajime Isayama’s widely popular manga, Attack on Titan is a dark fantasy anime set in a world where humanity lives behind walls to protect themselves from massive creatures known as Titans. Over the course of four seasons, the story takes plenty of unexpected twists and turns, almost evolving into a different type of series in the process.
