#eren character analysis

[zurifushigurxz]

im writing a character analysis on Eren Jaeger because he’s genuinely so interesting and beautifully written. should i post it when i finish??

[harley-rose25]

So Isayama answered some more questions people sent him; and, apparently, he says that Eren would likely struggle to live in a modern world and would move from one odd job to the next and be really bored, or something like that. I've mentioned before that I think Eren would really not get along with modern society; actually in my break down on why I think Eren has aspd I mentioned that Eren manages to work well in his world because of the way his world is. Titans give him something to focus his aggression on. Anyways the point of this post is that I love when my head-cannons for characters get substantiated and basically confirmed cannon

I mean honestly I kinda would expect ModernEren to end up in jail or have spent time in juvi though.

one of the things I find interesting about Erens character is that it's, apparently, like taking the tropes of the main antagonist of any random Shonen and being like ok lets take these traits, maybe turn up the dial a little, and extend them out to their natural conclusion. Almost as soon as they learned about the outside world I was like ok now Erens gonna switch his kill target from Titans to everyone outside the Island; which is basically what he did.

I think its kinda funny actually, how all the main character cadets were like in shock and horror that Eren went in rage mode against Marley and then didn't believe he'd do the rumbling until he literally starts the rumbling and then tells them 'I'm doing the rumbling, I'm gonna kill everyone.' and then Armin and Mikasa are still like 'we just gotta talk to him guys, he'll come around'. I'm just like how did nobody see this, any of this coming? like Armin and Mikasa are one thing; I mean them not believed he'd go as far as global mass genocide is very understandable; but. like, no one in military was concerned that he might decide to fuck off and do damage in Marley? Like this guy is your main weapon; you should have eyes on him at all times but he literally manages to just walk away from the group twice.

Now I'm thinking about how awkward it must have been for the scouts when they returned to Paradis and had to tell the rest of the military and government that they lost Eren.

[crisalidaseason]

I think it's weird when people try to justify erens behavior using the death of his mother. Armin and mikasa had it way worse. Mikasa had both parents killed right in front of her and armin became an orphan 2 times and got bullied his entire childhood.

Warning: I do not condone Eren's actions, in fact I am the biggest critic of his actions/choices. If you are overly defensive over Eren, skip this and block me.

In a way I agree with you, but I think it's more complicated than simply childhood trauma.

Eren's fall has to do with many factors and all of them play an important part on his behavior in the end. Carla's death was a kickstart, but his life as a titan shifter, being the specific attack titan (+founder), can be seen as more direct reason for his decisions. From what I understand, justifying Eren's actions solely on Carla's death is a poor analysis of his character, he is more than just a vengeful orphan.

I think some people get so used to the 'villain's traumatic childhood turned them evil' trope that they forget people are constantly having their morals changed throughout their life. Your childhood defines a lot of future behaviors, but you are still capable of big changes of heart in your adult life.

[4everinyour-roaa]

eren IS the cycle of hatred, he carries not just his own hatred for his enemies, but he also carries that of grisha's, kruger's and all the previous shifters.

he even perpetuates it into his child self, by the act of turning dina to carla he grows that need for revenge in his young heart, fueling his own hatred for the warriors and marley.

which is why the rumbling was never going to free ymir, or break the cycle. you cannot break the cycle of hatred with even more hatred, and more violence.

so it makes sense for the character who symbolizes unconditional and selfless love to be the one who breaks said cycle with her choice.

even in the selfless act of killing her loved one for the sake of the greater good, that very same act was also done out of her love for him.

so as opposed to eren who fought out of hate, mikasa only ever fought out of love.

[clfixationstation]

idk if this is a hot take but I don't think Armin is friendly. I think people find him generally off-putting. Like, people think he looks sweet, but also find him strange; for the topics that interest him, the way he didn't stray far from Eren (& Mikasa) socially, and his general demeanor.

I think that as Armin established himself more as he grew up, he developed better interpersonal skills that compliment his rhetorical prowess. I think he's the type of person who sees value in life and in minimizing harm. He offers kindness to his friends and understanding to all. But I don't see him as particularly "friendly"

[sonofthesaiyans]

Hats off to Jean Kirstein, the Scouts' unlikeliest hero.

Honor dictates that I say a few words to honor the birthday of one of the 104th's strongest and most naturally gifted soldiers.

Jean Kirstein is a character who, at one point, I would have said had one of the most impressive arcs of any individual character in Attack on Titan. Once content to keep himself to the sidelines in service of the royal government, Jean has really come a long way from when we first met him in the early days of season one.

Jean has always been abrasive and cynical, holding on to no fantasies about the miserable world he and his friends have long been trapped in. But in spite of all he's gone through, he's shown a keen sense of judgement and natural leadership that has allowed him to survive again and again in a situation he at one point would have been all to happy to look the other way, and never turn back. In a world where insanity dominates between the Titans and humanity, Jean always seems to know what to do even when he's at an utter loss of what the outcome could be, and he's so often been a voice of reason when faced with the panic of his comrades or the zeal of his friendly rival turned mortal enemy, Eren.

His old pal Marco recognized this potential in Jean, and it seems Marco's words have resonated strongly with Jean long after his own demise. Understanding what was at stake, he took a hard look at what he signed himself on to and charged at it head on. Through and through, he's proven a dependable ally to those serving by his side and ultimately, under his own command. One of Jean's greatest assets, and perhaps in his own mind his greatest curse, is his nobility. Whatever his faults and failings, Jean has always sided with the greater good, and is one of the most incorruptible characters on Paradis. He's been pushed to his limits every bit as much as the rest of his circle......And through it all still stands tall.

By no means flawless, and I actually have some far stronger opinions about Jean in spite of the fact that I rarely ever comment on him around here.......And that's a discussion for another day.

For tonight though, gotta acknowledge the impressive track record of a guy who probably never should have been a Scout in the first place.......And somehow has lived to speak of the experience after going through Hell and back time and time again.

Seriously, Jean Kirstein would have been a worthy contender to become Commander of the Scout Regiment, or second-in-command under Hange and/or Levi. Whatever the case, he's certainly been an asset to the greater cause of freedom, and perhaps understood the meaning of what that was far better than Eren himself EVER did.

Keep moving forward as you always have, Commander Jean.

Happy Birthday to a man worthy of wearing the Wings of Freedom.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, and one last thing; If you really do truly love Jean, then for the love of all that is good and just.........

Do NOT even think about it with the lame as hell Horseface jokes. I think the fact that I acknowledged not just Jeanmarco, but also "Jeankasa" up here is being pretty generous as it is. So please, don't push it, alright?

Besides, I can name five other characters who look more like horses than him.....

[the-last-thread-of-my-sanity]

I’ve been thinking lately about how much the ‘curse of Ymir’ really does affect the psyche of each of the nine shifters and how it impacts the ending of the story.

Up until the end of Season 3/Chapter 87-88, the reader and the viewer have no idea that the shifters have a limited amount of time to live. They seem to possess this god-like power and they can rejuvenate and survive almost any injury. They seem unstoppable.

This is what motivates Erwin to create a plan to take one of the nine shifter powers with the serum- having another Titan in your arsenal would make a difference in winning the war.

But what the Paradisians don’t know is how holding the power of the Nine just perpetuates a cycle of violence and cruelty. It’s a curse as much as it is a power. No matter how brilliant or grand your scope is for what you can do with this near limitless power, you have to contend with the fact that you will only have thirteen years to do it.

This revelation to me is the what colors the entire last arc of the story leading into and after the time skip.

For Zeke, it amps up the level of desperation he has for accomplishing the euthanization plan- relying on Eren was still a variable that was largely unpredictable, and he trusted him more than he probably would have if he weren’t running out of time.

Going back further in the story, it retroactively explains why Ymir (of the cadet corps) would go back with Reiner and Bertholdt at all- a seemingly nonsensical choice when it seems she has something to live for in her relationship with Krista/Historia. But Ymir knows she has little time left. She has no future. So she chooses to surrender.

For Annie, it shows her desperation to get back to her father, a man who showed her very little affection, and yet if she could just make it back maybe she could live at least a year or two with him and make at least one happy memory with the man who raised her to kill.

Armin, I honestly feel the most for, because what he and everyone else thought of as his salvation, was actually just saddling him with a curse. And heaps of responsibility to try and be grateful for it. He went from a character with a singular and wholesome conviction, to someone wracked with guilt and forced to solve the world’s problems with limited time and resources.

In Reiner’s case, I actually think the fact that he knows he is going to die is the only thing actually keeping him alive in the tail end of the story. He wants so badly to face retribution for his deeds, and he can only find the strength to keep towing the line because he knows his violent demise is guaranteed.

Characters like Pieck and Bertholdt seem to accept their lot in life- but deal with this internally and develop their own sense of morals despite it- albeit in different ways and in Pieck’s case with a shade of pessimism. Falco and Marcel stand out as a characters who see the farce for what it is- but still want to subject themselves to it in order to prevent someone they love from suffering through it in their place.

Eren, though, it’s easy to see how discovering he has already lived more of his life in powerless ignorance than what he has left is what ultimately causes the collapse in his character. Combine that with the way that he sees ‘future memories’ and doesn’t see any future beyond his own, and suddenly you have a naturally impulsive and violent person living in the most fatalistic reality ever. It makes perfect sense that his fall from grace is near immediate and precipitous.

What difference does all that power make if all it means is that you become a tool for destruction with no future? That you will be forced to curse someone else so that this cruel power will continue to exist? That is the true legacy of Ymir and the Eldian Empire- you can have near limitless power, but you will never have true control over your own life.

And it makes for such interesting discussions and questions about power and mortality and agency- and all the seemingly ‘correct’ and ‘incorrect’ ways to respond to their dilemma.

Anyway, it is always ‘thinking about the moral quandary of the titan shifters’ hours around here…

[inkedkatt]

[diariodeunrincondemi]

So I can't get over AOT finale and after reading son many opinions, one thing that catches my attention is that it is said that Isayama is a genius for referencing Schindler's List. But the thing is: since the beginning he has been referencing different works of art.

When Eren in his titan form carries the rock on his back in Shiganshina, it is a reference (in design) to Atlas (a titan) carrying the world ball on his back.

When Historia and Eren are in the Reiss chapel, there is a reference to the representations of Jesus crucified and also to the representations of La Pieta (which at the time led me to think of Eren as the redeemer of the Eldians, but in a more twisted way. If the Eldians are the devil, he would sacrifice himself for them to free them from sin).

There are also references to Goya, like Dina devouring Eren's mom is a clear reference to Saturn devouring his son (Goya's most famous paint); but also, if you know Goya's work, you'll probably know his famous aquatint The sleep/dream of reason produces monsters (in spanish we use the word "sueño" for both "sleep" and "dream") which talks about how when humans abandon the reason and only have fantasies, monsters are created. And tbh, there was a moment, I don't know if during the 3rd or 4th season, when I wondered if AOT captured that idea: Eren has dreams, fantasies, but not reason.

And finally, don't forget Plato's Cave myth. What happens in Paradis (the Cave) is the shadow of what's happening in the continent (the outside world). As in this myth, people of Paradis lives in the cave and they only knows that reality, but Paradis reality (it is the shadows) is not the real reality (the outside world).

[casually-eat-my-soul]

I’m a big fan of the trope “I can’t fix him, but I can devote myself to his ideals and become his personal shield, and slowly become more monstrous to the point of being unrecognizable to myself and others only to be killed or thrown away”

The “what have you done” and “I did it for us”

Truly an art form

[rahuratna]

Hello hello! I have yet another musing (even though it isn’t one am) 🥹

There was one line Megumi said in season one that stood out to me: he will save people unequally based on his own conviction. Perhaps this was initially intended to be a foil for Yuji, but I ended up comparing it with Geto’s ideology. One acknowledges that not all of humanity is worth saving, that not all of the weak is necessarily innocent. And the other takes it to the extreme, that the weak are “polluting” the world, forcing sorcerers to become nothing more than disposable tools.

The reason I bring this up is because I couldn’t understand Geto for the life of me. Perhaps it is a good thing that I do not relate to a mass murderer LOL. Specifically it was his extremism that threw me off. Why didn’t he just leave like Nanami? Why not live off the grid and enjoy life doing whatever he wanted to do? Why put in so much effort in something that wasn’t even going to be realized in the first place?

So after reading up about it, I finally understood the back-to-back events that led him down that path. There’s a lot of analysis out there explaining it, and it made sense. That Geto will always be against non-sorcerers since he blames them for creating the curses causing sorcerers to have to sacrifice themselves. That there was no end goal, curses will never stop existing and sorcerers would continue to die in an endless cycle. He needed a reason to justify all the pain he had to go through.

But. I was not satisfied with that answer LOL. It seems almost TOO cold-hearted in a way. I mean, yes you need to be cold-hearted to be able to commit genocide, but Geto was not completely emotionless. Especially when he adopted the two girls, didn’t kill any of the Jujutsu High students, and was still able to smile in front of Satoru during his end…

Hm, I don’t think I’m very good at articulating this part of what I’m thinking. But it’s kind of like how I can understand the reasons why Eren killed 80% of the earth’s population. So the people that made up HIS world would be able to live better lives. I was able to understand this because we had followed his journey from the very beginning. We knew just how precious the reason he was fighting for was, and we also saw the exact world he envisioned. With Geto, we weren’t given the same opportunity to go in depth to what he valued.

The reason for Eren’s genocide was emotional: it was for his friends. Like we could say, “yeah, Eren killed almost all of humanity because they were opponents and would’ve destroyed Paradis,” but there’s another layer of meaning behind it ykwim. With Geto, framing his reason for genocide in order to get rid of all non-sorcerers just doesn’t seem to capture the full extent of his purpose. MAYBE IM JUST OVERTHINKING IT BUT MAYBE—

Perhaps what I was looking to hear were two things:

- why Geto thought the world would have looked like without non-sorcerers

- what happened during his isolation when Gojo and Geto were in their third years of high school

I vaguely remember this scene from the jjk movie where Geto went a bit batshit when he saw the Jujutsu working together to beat him. I think? Anyways, I think it revealed how Geto was fighting for sorcerers to be able to be together. But maybe he was also fighting for the relived memories when both Gojo and Geto were strong together, how they were able to overcome anything together. That was probably one of the happiest times in Geto’s life. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to happy anymore after he had changed… and Gojo too… so perhaps he was trying to revive the moments that made him the happiest… That’s wishful thinking on my part but these types of thoughts absolutely change my perception on Geto (I still don’t condone genocide 🫠).

Lastly, we were given a glimpse— a crumb, really— of the drift between Gojo and Geto. This part really is up for speculation because we did not watch what happened throughout their third year. The part that I haven’t really heard much about is loneliness. Maybe people describe Gojo’s loneliness but I haven’t heard much about Geto’s loneliness. The extent of it, the impact it had on his descension, was it preventable, and what would’ve changed if he wasn’t alone. That’s where the song “Akari” might help answer some questions but this ask is wayyyyyy too long.

Omg, I’m so sorry if I am incoherent because I’m definitely rambling! It started off with Gumi then extremism talks then Eren then… yeah… I suppose my thoughts about Geto have been unresolved for a long time (aka 3 days💀)

Hey! Another lovely ask, yay! So, I think that you expressed this whole analysis far better than I could. I think the comparison to Eren is very apt, considering that these are two characters who are shown to be empathetic, to feel strongly about issues that affect those they care about and take decisive action on those ideologies ...

... unfortunately ending up committing mass murder. Where Eren's character arc ended was a hard to swallow, but understandable one to me. Considering everything he'd experienced and the burden placed on his shoulders, Eren's choice carried a lot of weight. He socialized with his victims! People who would die horrific and violent deaths at his hands, and he FELT the weight of their lives. It broke something inside him, and once he made the decision, there was no backing down. It would have been a sacrifice poorly spent (in his mind) if he didn't follow through with those plans for a safer world for HIS people.

The word that comes to mind when I think of Geto is 'isolation', something that @pmpmyread got into really well in her analysis. The things that happened to him were terrible and sent him spiraling into deep depression, but a lot of his isolation was also self-imposed. Nothing is more insular than building your own cult, which looks down on regular humans as trash and regularly kills them without batting an eye.

You're absolutely right about us not seeing enough of Geto's thoughts as he spiraled further, making his genocidal tendencies more difficult to explain, considering who he was at the outset. However, I do believe the answer lies in the underlying reasons that cults can exist, in spite of human logic and free will.

Because people need a space where they belong.

Geto was suddenly in a very dark and lonely place, where he was beginning to realise that he hated humans for creating the necessity for sorcerers to risk their lives, and that there was no desire to remain a sorcerer either, as their world was equally driven by corrupt and soulless motivations. He carved a space for himself, and other curse users, where he would finally feel a little less isolated. At least, that's the impression I got. His group trusts him implicitly, and risk themselves for his ideals, so there must be some form of bond he has created, even if, like most cults, it stems from an 'us against them' ideology.

And apart from all of this, Geto still preserved some sense of humanity. This is the same man who showed genuine care for his group and who still smiled at Gojo before he died. He still recognized the strength and value of his enemies, because they had once been his friends, in another place where he had belonged, a long time ago.

Those are my thoughts, and I'll stop there because I can also ramble on and on and lose the plot, LOL. Please send more thoughts (whether 1 am or any other time) when they strike you like lightning! It feels like having a great cup of tea with a like mind and good friend!

[kimiko24-art]

Bruno Bucciarati & Eren Yeager : Parallels

[crisalidaseason]

i know you dislike eren, but do you think he is really evil? imo he is just a very traumatized boy no choice other than to protect his home in any way possible

Well, I have mentioned a few times that I don't like Eren, but I don't think I ever referred to him as evil (I called him a villain once, which he is). He is absolutely traumatized, but also completely unstable. I don't like him for who he is, but I definitely think he is such an interesting character.

I think Eren's actions deserve a nuanced view. Just saying that he was traumatized doesn't explain the complexity of his character and his decisions during the last few seasons. It's always good to remind people that he was very much conscious of his actions and how horrible they were. Eren believed wholeheartedly that murdering 80% of the population was the only path possible, and he also knew that was wrong to do.

In the end, Eren is not a cartoon evil or good. He is like humanity in general, where there aren't entirely good or bad people. Just people doing whatever they need to protect their own interests.

Anyway, anyone can totally disagree with me, I will respect your opinion because I'm not here for fandom indoctrination. But please give respect back!

[4everinyour-roaa]

mikasa and eren are both contrasting characters,

eren deals with a lot of insecurities, mikasa carries a lot of pride.

eren is constantly thinking about the future (quite literally living in it considering titan memories due to the founding and attack), while mikasa constantly thinks about the past.

eren is angry and impulsive, mikasa is calm and collected with a clear idea of what she wants to do.

eren allowed people to enter his heart including reiner and annie which explains his sadness finding out about their betrayal, while mikasa only concerns herself with the people that she loves and has no room in her heart to care about more after her trauma.

even in the way they love each other, all mikasa wants is to be by eren's side even if it means risking her life, while all eren wants is for her to be safe even if it means their separation.

and interestingly enough, their character development is basically becoming who the other used to be, in s4 mikasa starts to be more like eren from s1, and s4 eren is more like mikasa in s1

[clfixationstation]

I like this parallel drawn by this twt user

[bittergirlsworld]

beyond the serum bowl: armin and erwin being each other mirrors

I think when people talk about what happened in Midnight Sun, they barely take Armin and his own journey inside the RTS arc and how his storyline mirrors Erwin's in every way possible while keeping their individuality which leads to the events in that roof. For start, they both chose give up on their dreams and charge a suicidal attack for what they judged be the greater good or their only chance and they both were in peace with said choice.

they both were dealing with a similar situation simultaneously, where they were in charge of making the decisions in a high-pressure setting. erwin was the one who trusted armin the capacity of making said decisions. when Armin delivered his little speech to eren, Eren knows he was lying and he was about to die. this can be directly tied to erwin telling levi that they would need a first-rate con man to convince the youth to charge to their own death. both of their dreams were similar in origin and nature.

erwin starts to want to know about the outside world because his father told him about it, as armin's grandfather told him about the sea and piles of salt. both of them lost what was their only caretaker in a early age (both around 10yo) because of the government and this was what led both of them to join not only the military but specifically the Scouts. so they both shared the same traits that made them shine (manipulation and oratory, strategies, wits, a very grey sense of morality and resilience) but also shared the same grief.

so when they are taken in that roof, they both also shared the same fate till there: dream drivers leaders who in their last moments on earth let said dream go and parted on peace. the serum gate was more about the people who were discussing (eren, mikasa, hange and levi) than about armin and erwin. yes, armin survived as a consequence of levi choosing letting erwin rest but the key point was, although levi made clear that armin could never replace erwin, he was not only in peace with his decision to die but now he was bought back to life in a setting where he didn't had a say on it, people were resenting him for it, he had to be presented to the brass on relatories that discussed him and he was ostracised and compared not only by himself but also by others.

floch was right when he said that the brass didn't understand why armin and not erwin. there was some expectation that he would at least live up to some standard that would justify said decision, which led him to a path of self-loathing similar to Erwin's on his last days. it's a tragedy of its own that both armin and erwin didn't had more time with each other because they would benefit greatly of having someone who lived your hardships and could relate to you in the deepest level.

any of them would be the right choice, but I feel this scene is analysed mostly on how it must have felt to Levi, Eren, and Mikasa and not how it must have felt to Armin. to think you would rest and wake up with a burden as double the weight. armin was at peace, and it was unfair to bring a boy who was only sixteen years old back with such a heavy burden on his shoulders. also, him and erwin share the most delicate parallels, and their potential could have been more explored.