Quote Originally Posted by Ryllharu View Post
Motivation can be a strong factor. Like others have said, most of this new batch has directly suffered in some ways from the attacks. The older guards (at the time of the attacks) were used to taking potshots at them with cannons, at best. The only ones who fought directly were the scouting legion...and they're not exactly inspiring.

Where it used to be common knowledge that the "Offense" team was a death sentence and a waste of money, Eren and Mikasa have a reason to want to slaughter them all.
You made me realise that the people from the outter wall were despising the scouting legion as much as the people from inner walls did despise people from outter wall.
Not that big of a detail, or just that it shows Mankind probably did not choose the best strategy against the odds, by keeping a too strong classification between people.