Eren Yeager is a fan-favorite anime character despite the fact that he recently set out on an international murder mission. This morally grey action has many viewers looking back at Eren's actions to decide whether he is one of the worst or best characters in Attack on Titan.

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The young dreamer has come a long way from starring longingly at the sky. During his days in Shiganshina and his days serving the scouts, Eren's mission was motivated by the fight for freedom. He may have taken some scary turns along the way, but the Attack Titan has more than a few redeeming qualities that still make him worthy of fans' praise.

10 Eren Is A Classic Overpowered Shonen Protagonist

Eren Yeager Smiling while staring at screen

Every good anime has a good, overpowered protagonist. This doesn't mean that a protagonist has to start off overpowered, but eventually, the lead should be able to carry the weight of their world on their own.

Eren is a perfect example of a protagonist that started off weak and developed into an overpowered monster. With the combined might of the Attack, Warhammer, and Founding Titan, there isn't a single character in the world of Attack on Titan who could stop Eren alone.

9 Eren Is Always The First Into The Fight

Eren as the Attack Titan

While the world around him hesitates before every action they take to talk over their next decision, Eren does the opposite. As the current Attack Titan, Eren embraces his role and leads his allies into battle without a moment of hesitation.

Eren's obsession with action eventually led him down a dark path, but before it reached the point of no return, he was rightfully celebrated as a hero within the walls of Paradis. His ability to charge into action without hesitating is what made it possible or the Scouts to eliminate the threat of the Titans and enter the international war that had been waging around them for centuries.

8 Eren Isn't Scared Of Anything

Eren Yeager from Attack on Titan.

Eren may have started the series off as a scared little boy who shed tears after waking up from a nightmare, but he quickly turned into a young man without fear. After grinding his way through cadet training, Eren conquered his fear by charging straight at the Colossal Titan that ravaged his home in Shiganshina.

He further expressed his fearlessness when he threw a punch at the Smiling Titan that killed his mother. By the time he shifted into the Attack Titan during the Invasion of Liberio, few fans were surprised by the boldness of his actions.

7 Eren Keeps His Strategy Close To His Chest

eren staring outwards attack on titan

The Final Season of Attack on Titan has left many fans scratching their heads in confusion. Eren's convoluted plot dragged fans through an introduction to the Marleyan Warrior Cadets, a theatrical declaration of war, Dhalis Zachary's ejection from power, and an adventure through time alongside his older brother Zeke.

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All of this would have been easy to understand if Attack on Titan had a stereotypical anime protagonist. Unlike Naruto, Goku, and Asta, Eren refuses to verbally reveal his plans before or after he acts. This distinction has left many fans perplexed, but his secrecy made it possible for Eren to gain full control of the Founding Titan and forcibly create freedom for the Eldian people.

6 Eren Trusted Armin's Brilliance

Eren and Armin hug

One of Eren's greatest strengths lies in his ability to maintain a relationship with Armin Arlert. With Armin's help, Eren's vague dreams of freedom solidified into a mission to reach the sea. While his dream was intermingled with Armin's, Eren fought for freedom like a hero.

Once the pair reached the sea, Eren's mission lost direction and spiraled into a mess of mania and murder. On top of this, Armin's diplomatic tendencies make him the perfect foil to Eren's addiction to action.

5 Eren Kept Mikasa Close To Him

Mikasa and Eren from Attack on Titan

Eren Yeager may seem like the hero of Attack on Titan for the majority of the series, but season 4 tells a different story. After Eren loses his way, Mikasa takes over as the show's hero and sets herself up as a foil to her lifelong friend.

With Mikasa by his side, Eren's ego was kept in check and he was able to serve as a proper hero. Without her, Eren's ego grew until he found the strength to place himself at the center of a generational war that nobody asked him to.

4 Eren Is Loyal To His People Above All Else

Anime Attack On Titan Episode 1 Eren Armin Mikasa Scared

Eren's genocidal plans are evil. With Armin's brain and Mikasa's fist by his side, diplomacy would have served as a much better solution to Eldia's freedom than mass genocide. Still, Eren's intentions while unleashing the Rumbling were altruistic.

This is a young man who is loyal to his people and sees no other way of securing their future than becoming death itself. The fact that he was willing to sacrifice his own life and moral code for the freedom of his peers is admirable, regardless of the means used to reach those ends.

3 Eren's Actions Have Always Been Aimed At Freedom

Eren pointing at the horizon with Mikasa and Armin behind him in Attack On Titan.

Dreaming of freedom for yourself and your allies is an admirable goal to reach for. Since the very first episode of Attack on Titan, Eren looked up to the sky and dreamt of a future where he could roam the world and do anything he liked.

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Unfortunately, boundless freedom is unattainable, making an admirable goal a contradiction strong enough to misguide a powerful and traumatized youth. If the hopeful young man had managed to reach a definition of freedom that was both fair and measurable, the outcome of Attack on Titan would have been completely different.

2 Eren Is Willing To Risk His Own Life For His Peers

Eren triggers the coordinate by punching the outstretched hand of the Smiling Titan

Eren may have thrown himself into the center of a conflict that nobody asked him to champion, but his willingness to sacrifice his own life for the sake of his mission is admirable. It's especially admirable when fans consider that Eren's mission has always been motivated by a fear of loss.

Though he would never admit it, Eren fights to save himself from the pain he felt when he lost his mother. In other words, Eren fights for the lives of others. Whether it be in Trost District, Shiganshina, or Marley, Eren is always willing to put his life on the line to stand up for his friends.

1 Eren Saw The Best In Reiner & Bertholdt

Reiner looks scared before Eren

Before Eren lost all hope in humanity and started The Rumbling, he was a hopeful young man who always managed to see the best in people. Before Reiner outed himself as the Armored Titan, Eren refused to believe that he and Bertholdt could be the men who destroyed Shiganshina.

Despite their consistently suspicious behavior, Eren saw the best in Reiner and Bertholdt. He even had a hard time seeing Rod Reiss as a villain after he went as far as chaining him up like a sacrificial lamb.

NEXT: Attack On Titan: 10 Times The Villains Could Be Trusted