Understanding Attack on Titan via Realistic Conflict Theory
I’ve been thinking about making this sort of post for a while now, because Attack on Titan (AoT) has so many layers of conflict that go beyond “good guys vs. bad guys”. One of the things I’ve always found fascinating is how often the story’s biggest battles—whether between nations, factions, or even close allies—come down to fear, survival, and the belief that if the other side wins, we lose.
That pattern reminded me a lot of realistic conflict theory (RCT), a framework from social psychology that explains how competition over scarce resources can create and intensify hostility between groups. Once I started looking at AoT through this lens, the cycles of violence and mistrust in the series made even more sense.
What is Realistic Conflict Theory?
Realistic conflict theory (RCT) explains how intergroup hostility arises from competition over limited, zero-sum resources—those that, if one group gains, the other must lose. These resources can be material (land, money) or symbolic (power, safety, status). When groups perceive that their survival or well-being depends on securing these resources, they often develop prejudice, discrimination, and even open conflict toward the out-group. The word "perceive" is important here, as the mere perception that there's a scarcity of resources is enough to override the reality of whether there is or not.
A common byproduct of this tension is the creation of scapegoats: marginalized groups blamed for the dominant group’s problems, which unites the in-group and justifies hostility. RCT also emphasizes that such hostility isn’t inevitable; it can be reduced when opposing groups work toward superordinate goals: shared objectives that require cooperation and cannot be achieved by one group alone.
RCT highlights how scarcity, perceived threat, and structural competition fuel division, while shared needs and collaboration can pave the way for reconciliation.
How Does RCT Relate to Attack on Titan?
AoT is a story steeped in cycles of intergroup conflict: Eldians vs. Marleyans, Paradis vs. the rest of the world, military factions vs. civilians, and even internal divisions within those factions. Much of this conflict can be understood as stemming not from ideology alone, but from perceived scarcity—of power, land, safety, and historical legitimacy. RCT provides a useful framework for unpacking the many layers of violence and polarization in the series.
Paradis vs. Marley
Perhaps the most explicit example of RCT in AoT is the long-standing war between Marley and the Eldians of Paradis. Marley’s hatred of Paradis is rooted in the belief that the islanders pose an existential threat. Even after Paradis has spent a century under the King’s Vow Renouncing War, Marley continues its campaign of aggression, not simply for revenge but because Paradis holds access to the Founding Titan, a power that Marley both covets and fears. Control over the Founding Titan is seen as a zero-sum resource—if Paradis has it, Marley doesn’t.
This perception of threat justifies Marley’s ongoing dehumanization of Eldians within the Walls and explains the militarization of children like Reiner, Annie, and Bertolt, who are sent to infiltrate and destroy the enemy. Their mission isn’t framed as genocide, but as a necessary act of protection, which is classic RCT logic. If the enemy has power, we are not safe.
In turn, Paradis begins to act under the same logic. As the truth about the world is revealed, the people of Paradis, particularly people like Floch and the Yeagerists, view the outside world as an ever-present danger. They adopt a similar zero-sum mentality: if we don’t destroy them, they will destroy us. This mindset is what ultimately enables the Rumbling—not because Eren himself fully believed in it, but because the scarcity logic of those around him gave him the power to act. While Eren always knew the Rumbling was wrong, figures like Floch were aware of his plan and supported it anyway, convinced it was the only way to ensure Paradis’ survival. In this way, the Rumbling becomes the ultimate product of RCT’s darkest outcomes—not solely the belief of one individual, but the collective acceptance of mass violence as necessary self-defense.
Eldians vs. Eldians
RCT doesn’t only explain intergroup hostility; it also accounts for intragroup conflict when resources are scarce. Within the Walls, conflict arises between the ruling monarchy and the Survey Corps. The monarchy hoards knowledge and power, denying the rest of the population access to truth or agency. The SC, recognizing this resource imbalance, revolts in Season 3, leading to a coup.
Later, this same dynamic emerges again within Paradis. Once Marley becomes the external enemy, Paradisians become split between Eren’s followers (Yeagerists) and the remnants of the old military and SC. Both sides want survival, but they have different ideas about how to secure it. The Yeagerists believe peace is impossible and that power (via the Rumbling) is the only way forward. They gain traction, not just through ideology but by offering a resource-based solution to a terrified population—in essence, support us, and you’ll live.
The internal civil conflict on Paradis is, in many ways, a mirror of the broader global conflict: a splintering driven by scarcity, fear, and survival.
Marleyan Propaganda and the Creation of Scapegoats
RCT also predicts that when resources are threatened or perceived to be under strain, dominant groups often create scapegoats to blame for their condition. This is exactly what Marley does to Eldians living on the mainland. Even though Eldians in internment zones are powerless, they are portrayed as inherently dangerous—genetically inclined to violence due to their titan heritage.
Marley uses this perceived threat to justify their oppression. The Eldians become a convenient "out-group" that unifies Marleyans and prevents dissent. As RCT suggests, when a group is under economic or social pressure, cohesion often increases by redirecting anger toward a shared enemy. Basically, this narrative diverts attention from the state’s own failings.
This dynamic is especially clear in Reiner's backstory. As a child, he internalizes the belief that if he becomes a Warrior and defeats the "island devils" on Paradis, he and his mother will be granted citizenship and respect. In other words, he is taught that personal and familial security—scarce resources—can be won through loyalty to the state and hostility to the designated enemy. This is also prevalent in Gabi's story arc.
The Alliance: Superordinate Goals as a Path to Peace
One of the most hopeful applications of RCT is the idea that groups in conflict can overcome hostility by pursuing superordinate goals (again, shared objectives that require cooperation). AoT illustrates this possibility in the final arc, when the Alliance is formed. Former enemies (the Scouts and the Warriors) come together to stop Eren and prevent global annihilation.
Their alliance is not based on trust or shared ideology; it’s born out of necessity. If Eren succeeds, everyone dies. Stopping him becomes a superordinate goal that temporarily overrides their history of betrayal. While fragile, this cooperation shows how shared stakes can bridge seemingly irreconcilable divides.
This aligns closely with Sherif’s findings in the Robbers Cave study, where conflict between two rival groups of boys was only resolved when both teams were forced to cooperate to fix a problem that neither could solve alone.
Final Thoughts
AoT is often discussed in terms of trauma, ideology, or existentialism, but beneath all that is a brutal commentary on what happens when people are forced to compete for survival. RCT helps explain the psychological and sociopolitical dynamics that turn people into enemies: not because they are inherently evil or monstrous, but because they are scared, desperate, and convinced that there isn’t enough to go around.
It’s a story about what happens when fear overrides empathy/compassion—and what small hope remains when people choose, against all odds, to try working together anyway.
That’s what makes the story hit so hard. It’s not just titans that are terrifying; it’s how easily people can talk themselves into killing for “protection,” how propaganda can turn neighbors into threats, and how the same logic that fuels genocide can also be used to justify the people fighting against it. In the end, the Rumbling was less about one man’s belief than the collective mindset that let it happen.
It’s messy, it’s human, and it’s why AoT will always be a relevant and salient piece of media.
