Eren Yeager

"My head... was all confused... The Founder's power made it so that there was no past or future... Everything exists at the same time. So... I had to do this..." Eren explains why he felt compelled to move on.

Eren Yeager was a former member of the Survey Corps. He was the main protagonist of Attack on Titan. He lived in the Shiganshina District with his parents until the fall of Wall Maria, where he helplessly witnessed his mother being devoured by a Titan. This event led to Eren's intense hatred of Titans, to the point where he vowed to exterminate them from the face of the Earth.

Soon after, his father, Grisha Yeager, found him and gave him the key to his cellar, instructing Eren to find it at all costs and retake Wall Maria. He then injected Eren with a Titan serum.

In the year 847, Eren, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlert joined the 104th Training Corps. The three graduated with Eren ranking 5th, and they joined the Survey Corps after the battle of Trost District.

After finding the basement and unlocking his father's memories, Eren learned the truth about what the Titans are, as well as the history of Eldia and Marley. Eren then vowed to free his home from its true enemy: the rest of humanity living on the other side of the ocean.

Eren possessed the power of three Titans. From his father, Eren inherited the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan. After eating Lara Tybur during the Attack on Liberio, he also gained the War Hammer Titan.

Appearance Human form

Eren was a young man of average height and muscular build. His facial features were very similar to his mother's; he had a relatively long, round face, large, expressive green eyes. His hair was short, brown, and his bangs fell in a natural style, parted in the middle, like a curtain. After his training and during his time as a soldier, he became very physically fit and muscular, although this was often not visible due to his relatively loose clothing. After the four-year time skip, Eren's hair grew to his neck.

Eren was first seen wearing typical city dweller attire, consisting of brown trousers, a green shirt with cord tassels at the collar, a reddish-brown coat, and simple brown shoes. A few years before the fall of Wall Maria, he also wore a black scarf, which he gave to Mikasa Ackerman on the day they met. As a teenager, he was frequently seen in the typical Survey Corps uniform during training. His casual attire consisted of a beige long-sleeved shirt identical to the one he wore in his first appearance, a brown sash at the waist, white trousers, and brown knee-high boots. He always carried the key he received from his father hanging around his neck by a cord.

When Eren infiltrated Marley in the year 854, he had grown noticeably and his hair was shoulder-length. He had a light mustache and goatee, as well as bandages covering his forehead and left eye.

To maintain his disguise, he wore the Eldian armband on his left arm, although he had initially worn it on his right arm before being corrected by Falco Grice. After returning to Paradis Island, Eren discarded his Survey Corps uniform and began wearing a white shirt with dark trousers under a simple black cloak. He tied his hair in a bun and shaved off his mustache and goatee.

Attack in Titan form Eren's appearance changes drastically when he transforms into the Attack Titan. His height increases to 15 meters, his hair grows to shoulder length, and his tongue and ears elongate. His features also undergo a transformation: he develops a prominent, hooked nose, his eyes become deeply sunken, and his mouth takes on an unusual, irregular shape, unsuitable for intelligible speech. Despite this, he is able to howl and roar to express his exhaustion and anger. Furthermore, he also loses his lips and the flesh on his cheeks, leaving his teeth exposed.

Unlike previous wielders of the Attack Titan, Eren's Titan form was well-proportioned and physically fit, displaying a well-defined, lean, and muscular physique instead of the more common protruding or emaciated belly appearances of regular Titans.

Founding Titan Form Eren's Founding Titan, nicknamed the Final Titan, was drastically different from Ymir Fritz's Founding Titan, or any other Titan for that matter. Initially, much of the Titan was shrouded in the vapor of the Wall Titans, but its colossal size was immediately noticeable, towering above the horde of Wall Titans. What appeared to be the torso was devoid of flesh, resembling a massive ribcage. The spinal protrusions and ribs were grossly elongated; the ribs reached the ground while the curvature of the spine extended towards the sky. The pelvis and legs were, however, very small, seemingly useless. Despite this, they were still taller than any Wall Titan.

The upper body appeared proportional to the legs, meaning the legs were insignificant compared to the "rib cage" (although it was revealed that the "rib cage" originated in the lower back). The head was the only part of the body with significant muscle tissue, although it was significantly deformed: both the ears and hair were greatly elongated; the cheeks were absent, exposing the molars; and the lower jaw was almost bare, with only the lips and chin remaining. Like a puppet, the upper body was suspended by tendons, supported by vertebrae like a suspension bridge. Inside the Titan, Eren's head was separated from his torso; having been decapitated and reassembled by Ymir's power, it was connected by additional vertebrae to what was presumably his body. Some tendons supported his scalp.

The Titan walked with its "rib cage" undulating, its ribs like the legs of a centipede. It was fast enough to keep itself in the Rumble's sight.

Pure Titan Form Eren's Pure Titan form was much shorter than his current Titan form. He was 4 meters tall, with short, disheveled hair, and an irregular, lipless mouth that exposed his teeth. His Pure Titan form also had a large head, elongated ears, and a robust overall build.

Personality

(Eren expresses his desire to kill the Titans).

Eren has best been described as stubborn, determined, passionate, and impulsive, attributes that reflect both his strong resolve to protect humanity and, eventually, his equally strong resolve to escape the Walls. Even as a child, he was so determined to join the Survey Corps that he would argue and yell at his mother, calling the villagers "fools" and comparing them to compliant cattle.

Eren cared deeply for his friends and family, risking injury and even death to protect them. As a child, he confronted larger boys who bullied Armin Arlert and, more tragically, attempted to lift the rubble that crushed his mother during the Titan attack on Shiganshina. Eren was also capable of displaying violent behavior in defense of people he didn't even know. This was evident when he attempted to rescue Mikasa Ackerman, brutally massacring two of the human traffickers who had captured her.

After Armin showed Eren a book describing the wonders of the outside world, he came to share his friend's curiosity about the world beyond the Walls and decided to see it for himself. This led Eren to develop a disdainful attitude towards anyone who was content to live and die within the confines of the Walls without ever setting foot outside. As a result, he greatly admired the soldiers of the Survey Corps, considering them "heroes" and wishing to join their ranks as soon as he became eligible for enlistment. He was easily offended when someone spoke ill of the Corps, and his determination to join them caused friction between him, his mother, and, to a lesser extent, Mikasa.

Eren displayed a remarkable lack of self-control, which frequently got him into trouble, causing concern among his friends and family. His limited self-control was evident in his temper, which often led him to act recklessly in moments of anger or to say things he knew he shouldn't have said. This was exacerbated by his tendency to see the world in black and white terms, where individuals who denied freedom to others were despicable scum, unworthy of living. Although he possessed great compassion, Eren had little empathy and was prone to accepting things superficially, evaluating situations or ideas solely from his own arbitrary perspective and rarely reflecting more deeply on them unless someone pointed out the facts to him.

Although Eren spoke of eradicating the Titans with apparent great confidence, his bravado concealed deep insecurities. He frequently blamed himself and his incompetence whenever something went wrong, believing that an action he took—or failed to take—was the reason for the disastrous results. This became most evident when he blamed himself for the deaths of the Special Operations Squad at the hands of the Female Titan and for the deaths of the many veterans who perished in the rescue operation after their kidnapping by Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover.

(Eren asks Historia to eat him to save humanity).

Eren's suffering since the coup had considerably softened his personality. When he discovered the truth about his father's whereabouts the night Wall Maria fell, he was willing to ask Historia Reiss to eat him for the sake of humanity. He admitted that he considered himself weak and that his dependence on the Attack Titan proved it. It took a lot of encouragement from his friends for him to overcome this state of despair and regain his passion.

When he discovered from his father's books that the Titans were actually humans who had been forced to transform by the Marleyan government, he seemed to have abandoned his hatred for them. Passing a Titan that was slowly moving toward the ocean, he showed no signs of anger or unease and instead calmly called the Titan "Eldian."

Eren possesses great perseverance, strength, and determination. As such, he managed to master the basics of vertical maneuvering equipment, even when his own equipment was damaged, and graduate as the fifth-best student in his class, despite his lack of natural talent.

Eren was known for his charisma and talent for passionate speeches, often unintentionally managing to persuade most of his listeners to sympathize with his point of view. Even Jean Kirstein, his fierce rival, admitted this, convincing more than half a dozen recruits to consider joining the Survey Corps before the Battle of Trost. Four years later, he consciously used this ability, as demonstrated when he easily cheered Falco up and convinced him to deliver a letter outside of Liberio, despite Eldians generally being forbidden from leaving the internment zone.

(Eren discovers the true location of the War Hammer Titan).

In the years following his recovery from Shiganshina, Eren demonstrated remarkable progress in his analytical and tactical skills, both in and out of battle. In addition to maintaining cover as a Marleyan soldier for an extended period and devising a method to transport his letters to the Survey Corps, Eren accurately guessed the origin of Falco Grice's injuries and his motive for wanting to become the next Armored Titan. Later, he lured Reiner into a trap and, in his battle against Lara Tybur, quickly deduced the true location of the War Hammer Titan.

When he couldn't break the crystal that encased her with the jaws of his Attack Titan, he was resourceful enough to use the Jaw Titan's jaws as an improvised nutcracker to kill her and obtain the War Hammer Titan.

Eren was aided in this by his stoic and calm demeanor, which he developed since infiltrating Marley, never losing his composure and generally displaying an impassive expression on his face, no matter how terrible or stressful the situation might be. Although he admitted to being angry when Koslow traumatized Eldian soldiers, he remained seemingly unfazed during the incident. Furthermore, he appeared to have become less proud overall, thanking Mikasa for helping him, something he normally used to detest and criticize in her.

His infiltration of Marley provided a change in perspective regarding his enemies. After spending time as a Marleyan soldier, he understood that his enemies were people just like him. Therefore, he deeply sympathized with Reiner and the other Warriors sent to Paradis Island, abandoning his desire to kill them in revenge for the attack on his homeland and stating that they were simply victims. Even so, he prioritized his personal mission to destroy Paradis' enemies in the name of his freedom and that of his people, regardless of how many lives were lost on both sides. Furthermore, this personal mission motivated him to such an extent that he freed all the Titans from the Walls and declared that he would crush the entire world to exterminate all life outside the island.

(Eren brings down a building with Eldian families inside).

Eren was ready and willing to use many unethical means to achieve his goals, such as when he declared war on Marley, making the entire world his enemy.

Eren abused the young Falco's trust, fully aware of his family's precarious situation, and eventually killed numerous innocent Eldian civilians (including children) as collateral damage in a surprise attack on Willy Tybur.

Despite this, he seemed to have developed an aversion to war, referring to it as "hell." He believed that, rightly so, no one would want to go to war if they knew the suffering it would cause them. He also showed compassion for the Eldians living in the world's internment zones, as well as for Ramzi and his refugee family who lived without freedom in Marley. While walking through Marley, he expressed regret and inner conflict about his future actions towards the people outside the Walls, as he recognized that many of them were innocent.

Eren's time serving in the Marleyan Middle Eastern War also seems to have affected his psyche to some extent. While he showed great sadness for the comrades who died on expeditions, and demonstrated much compassion for his fellow graduates of the 104th, he laughed upon hearing that Sasha Blouse's last words were "meat"; though he changed his reaction and was seen on the verge of tears after Jean Kirstein accused him of being responsible for her death and recalled Sasha's conviction that they would have more sheep and cows after retaking Wall Maria.

Later, it was revealed that Eren knew the future through the Attack Titan's ability and was sinking into a state of depression upon realizing that he would eventually unleash the Rumbling, knowing what the inevitable outcome of the present would be. Although he desired a peaceful solution, he understood the impossibility of that better than anyone around him, even Armin.

After initiating the Rumbling, Eren intended for the world to see the Eldians who stopped him as heroes.

However, he was still unsure if his friends could have truly stopped him, noting that he would have completed the Rumbling even if they hadn't. Eren couldn't pinpoint why he wanted to exterminate the world, remembering Grisha telling him "you are free" on the day he was born. In a rare display of emotion in years, Eren broke down in tears to Armin at the thought of Mikasa finding someone else after her death, and revealed his true feelings for her, causing Armin to feel sorry for him. Eren longed to be with Mikasa and everyone else, but knew he could not be forgiven for his actions after decimating 80% of the world's population.