Attack on Titan’s Most Iconic Regiment Is Far More Dystopian Than You Imagined 

Often hailed as humanity’s last hope in Attack on Titan, the Survey Corps is a branch of the military that specialises in direct Titan combat and risks everything to explore the deadly world beyond the walls. To join their ranks, a soldier must be highly skilled and willing to put their life on the line, as they’re stationed on the front lines battling Titans. As a result, the Corps has the best fighters, but they also suffer the highest death rate in the military.

Before the breach of Wall Maria, the Scouts launched numerous expeditions outside the walls, but Titan attacks always forced them back with heavy casualties. For years, fans have seen this regiment as the ultimate heroes who sacrifice everything for humanity’s future. But as suggested by Redditor u/indignantfly, a closer look at Paradis’ political structure reveals a disturbing truth: rather than being humanity’s greatest hope, the Scouts may actually have been a tool used by the government to instill fear, control the population, and maintain the illusion of freedom.

A Convenient Way to Remove Troublemakers

The Scout Regiment in Attack on Titan attracts a very specific kind of person: brave, idealistic, and dissatisfied with the status quo. These are exactly the people most likely to question the government or organize resistance movements within the walls. Instead of letting these potential revolutionaries cause problems at home, the government cleverly redirects them into a supposedly noble cause that serves their interests.

The Scout Regiment’s members are described as the most skilled soldiers, but they could also be potential revolutionaries. That’s precisely why they’re sent on what everyone knows are basically suicide missions. Think about who joins the Scouts: individuals like Eren Yeager, who refuses to accept humanity’s supposed fate, or Erwin Smith, whose brilliant mind could easily be turned against the establishment. 

By sending these individuals outside the walls, the government doesn’t have to worry about them starting uprisings. There’s no need for surveillance, censorship, or assassination when Titans do the dirty work for them. It’s a system that sells martyrdom as glory, and the rebels buy into it willingly.

Propaganda Disguised as Military Strategy

The Scout Regiment operates under the belief that they’re making progress towards humanity’s salvation, but the evidence tells a very different story. Despite accomplishing little before the year 850, they were still called “the hope of mankind,” a label that served more as propaganda than proof of actual success. The government needed people to believe that something was being done about the Titans, even if every expedition was designed to fail from the start.

While the Military Police enjoyed safety and comfort inside the walls, the Scouts functioned more like an outlet for dreamers to get thrown into the meat grinder. They were chronically underfunded, understaffed, and sent on suicide missions. If the government genuinely wanted humanity to expand beyond the walls, they could easily provide the Scout Regiment with better equipment, more soldiers, or more strategic support.  

Instead, they maintain just enough funding to keep the regiment operational while ensuring it remains too weak to pose any real threat to the established order. This setup created a self-fulfilling prophecy: the Scouts failed because they were set up to fail, and each failure reinforced the idea that life inside the walls was the only option. As Commander Shadis himself admitted, the Scouts had learned nothing about the Titans for years, because that was never the point.

Killing Two Birds With One Stone

This whole scheme killed two birds with one stone: it eliminated those most interested in the outside world without the government getting its own hands dirty. It also sent a clear message to the rest of the population that dreaming of adventure or questioning the status quo was a fatal mistake. And just in case the Scouts ever did start getting too close to the truth, the government could just cut their funding or shut them down completely.

From that, it’s clear that the Scouts served a symbolic purpose more than a strategic one. They were never meant to succeed, only to return broken and bloodied as a reminder of what lies beyond the walls. It was all about instilling fear and making sure no one wanted to venture outside, killing off hope before it could spread, and quietly disposing of the most extreme freedom-seekers without having to do it directly.

But all of this started to change when Erwin Smith became Commander. His tactics allowed the Scouts to actually make some real progress. And once Eren was publicly revealed to be a Titan-Shifter, the government was left with no choice but to take a more active interest in the Scouts.

The Government’s Master Plan

In the end, this whole setup proves to be effective because it makes the victims complicit in their own destruction. Scout Regiment members genuinely believe they’re fighting for humanity’s future, making them willing participants in their own elimination. Their good intentions become the very weapon used against them.

The worst part is how the government takes everything good about people: bravery, hope, and the drive to fight for something better, and uses them as tools of control and manipulation. What’s really messed up about Attack on Titan isn’t the Titans chomping on people; it’s watching those in power throw their best soldiers into certain death while convincing them it’s noble. Their sacrifices don’t bring freedom; they just further strengthen the chains binding humanity.

H/T: Reddit