Attack On Titan is a verifiable phenomenon. No one could have guessed just how popular the anime would become when it debuted, with its fourth season becoming one of the biggest shows in the U.S. right now. Currently one of the most well-regarded anime in the world, fans are hyped to see how it will all end, as the battle for the future of humanity reaches a new and much more complicated phase.
At the center of it all is Eren Yeager, the show's long-time protagonist and a character who has changed as much as the show itself. Lately, it's questionable whether he's still a hero or if he's shaping up to become the series' greatest villain.
(MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT)
10 Eren Is A Hero: He Has A Tragic Backstory
Eren's life has been defined by tragedy. Born as the kingdom was coming under greater attack by the Titans, he believed that his people were the last of the human race. He shed blood at a young age, killing fellow humans in order to save Mikasa from a terrible fate. He even watched his mother get devoured by a Titan, a terrible death that changed his life forever.
Watching his people suffer gruesome fates in the war against the Titans hardened his resolve to save the day no matter what the cost, sacrificing nearly everything to eliminate the threat to his people.
9 Eren Is A Villain: He'll Do Anything To Win
The tragedies that shaped Eren created someone who would do anything to win his war against the Titans and while this has been a great boon in the war against the Titan scourge, it's also created someone who will go to any length, regardless of the morality of the situation.
Eren has committed some pretty questionable acts over the years, both in the manga and the anime, ones that show just how willing he is to jettison his morals in order to defeat his enemies. Sometimes, a hero who is willing do anything to win blurs the line between hero and villain too much.
8 Eren Is A Hero: His Actions Have Saved Countless Lives
One thing that can't be denied is just how many lives Eren saved during his time with the Survey Corps. While he wasn't the best fighter, certainly not on the level of Mikasa or Levi, once he realized he could shift into a Titan, he became the biggest game-changer for the people inside the Walls. His actions saved countless lives, both civilian and military.
With him by their side, the soldiers of humanity were able to survive long enough to learn the secrets of the Titans and figure out a plan that would destroy them, freeing Paradis Island from the Titans' threat for a time.
7 Eren Is A Villain: His Actions Put A Target On Paradis Island
Eventually, after learning of the outside world and conferring with his half-brother Zeke Yeager's Eldian Restorationists, Eren went to Marley with a terrible plan — to strike a blow against the leadership of the people that had just about destroyed the Eldians and almost killed everyone on Paradis. Playing his hand when the leaders of the world's government were all together, Eren's attack was a declaration of war on the world.
This action would paint a target on Paradis Island, angering the nations of the world and mobilizing them in a new war against the people of the tiny island nation.
6 Eren Is A Hero: He Joined The Most Dangerous Branch Of The Military
Eren entered into military service after the death of his parents because he had nothing left and to get revenge on the Titans. He distinguished himself during training to such an extent that he could have joined just about any branch of service. He could have joined the Garrison branch or the Military Police and had a relatively cushy life within the Walls.
However, he chose the Survey Corps, going beyond the Walls and taking the fight directly to the Titan menace, risking his life by putting himself on the frontlines of the conflict. Eren earned his place with the soldiers of the Survey Corps, proving just how much of a hero he could be.
5 Eren Is A Villain: He Dragged His Friends Into His Fight & Many Lost Their Lives
The whole time Eren was hiding on Marley, he was sending letters back to Paradis Island, asking his friends for help when the time came for his attack. As formidable as Eren's Founding Titan form was, he knew that he wouldn't be able to survive in Marley without help and a way to escape. His friends came running to the rescue like they always did, and many of them were killed.
Eren knew exactly what he was asking his friends to do; walk into the capital city of the most powerful nation on Earth and pull him out — a move that would cost lives. He was perfectly willing for his friends to sacrifice themselves in order for him to accomplish his mission.
4 Eren Is A Hero: He Was The Most Efficient Anti-Titan Weapon Of Them All
Once Eren learned how to control his Titan-shifting powers, he was able to make a huge difference in Paradis Island's battle against the Titans. Every engagement that Eren found himself in had a higher rate of survival than ones without him for his fellow soldiers and he made a huge dent in the number of Titans that attacked the Survey Corps and the Walls.
He proved most efficient against the Marleyan Shifter Titans Annie, Reiner, and Bertoldt, able to take the fight directly to them in ways that his fellows in their ODM gear couldn't and made a huge difference in every engagement against them.
3 Eren Is A Villain: He Caused A Schism In The Military
Upon his return to Paradis Island after the attack on Marley, Eren was put in jail as the military brass tried to decide what to do about him and the collision course with the rest of the world he set the island on. Members of the Survey Corps, led by Floch Forster, leaked information about Eren's imprisonment to the public, causing the people to turn against the military and forming the Yeagerist faction.
The Yeagerists would commit terrorist attacks against Military headquarters, resulting in the death of Darius Zackly, the General of all three branches, and join with Eren once he escaped captivity, plotting to enact Eren's plans and take over the military.
2 Eren Is A Hero: He Helped Put Historia On The Throne, Where She Belonged
For years, the people of Paradis Island were led by a pretender to the throne, with the actual royal family, the Reiss family, acting as nobles but not as royalty. Historia, the illegitimate daughter of the true heir to the throne Rod Reiss, was a member of the Survey Corps. Eventually, her true identity was revealed, with Eren and the Survey Corps working to put her in her rightful place as queen.
With Eren and the Survey Corps' help, Historia would defeat the pretenders and ascend to the throne, ready to lead Paradis Island against a world that was arrayed against them.
1 Eren Is A Villain: He Thinks The Rumbling & Genocide Are Paradis Island's Only Hope
The Marleyans sent the Titans to Paradis Island to prevent the Rumbling — the awakening of the Colossal Titans that make up the Walls going forth and destroying everything in their path. The irony is that no one knew how to trigger the Rumbling until the Marleyans came to the island and the people of the island discovered the secret of the Titans.
Eren decided that the only way to protect his people and ensure their survival in a world that has tried to exterminate them is to unleash the Rumbling and commit genocide, which is pretty much the most villainous solution to the problem imaginable.