Attack On Titan is an impressive rollercoaster of significant battles, political ambitions, and impressive storytelling. At the center of this immaculately depicted world is Eren Yeager, the protagonist who transforms from a young, idealistic boy to one of the most powerful forces in the entire series. He battles demons, both internal and external, throughout the course of the series, shaping him in the most unusual of ways.
As the story unfolds, Eren’s character gradually changes from the protagonist to the overarching antagonist of the series, demonstrating character development that challenges the norm of shonen anime. However, it is pretty clear that Eren, despite his formidable Titan abilities, is not without his vulnerabilities, and here are some of the biggest he has been shown to demonstrate.
5 A Lifetime Of Trauma
Eren lived a relatively peaceful life before the destruction of Wall Maria and the Shiganshina district. During the invasion, Eren witnessed the death of his mom and many other humans at the hands of Titans, which kickstarted his undying hate for them. However, this was only the beginning, as he had to live through so many life-changing moments after that.
As the holder of the Attack Titan, he has lived through several memories that include eating his father and all the hate and stigmatization previous holders of the Attack Titan have faced at the hands of the Marleyans. These experiences are enough to break a man several times over. Coupled with the fact that he has also watched so many friends die throughout the years, he even convinced himself that committing mass genocide was the only way to end the cycle of hatred in their cursed world.
4 His Martyrdom Complex
One of Eren’s most significant weaknesses is his martyrdom complex and always putting the wellbeing of his loved ones ahead of his own. This is pretty obvious when the true nature of his mass genocide plan is revealed, sacrificing himself and his image to unite all the world's nations. Even though he didn’t want to, he saw it as a better alternative to euthanizing his people and letting them die out.
He carried out the plan without consulting any of the Scouts, even his most trusted friends. Earlier in the series, when he was captured by Rod Reiss and enlightened about the true nature of the Titans and how his abilities came to be, he gave up on his life and begged Historia to eat him so she could harness the Founding Titan’s true power with her royal bloodline.
3 Inability To Communicate
Eren has always believed in carrying the burdens of his friends since he was the first to become a Titan shifter among them. Coupled with his constant anger and sometimes insecurity, it makes it hard for Eren to communicate his true feelings and intentions. This is another reason why he resorted to pushing his friends away in hopes that they would despise him even though, deep down, he was hurting.
His inability to effectively communicate was first highlighted during his “trial” after he was discovered to be a Titan shifter, failing to convince the jury of his dedication to humanity within the walls and only surviving due to the grace of Levi and the scouts.
2 His Impulsive Nature
Eren’s hothead and aggression are some of his most vital qualities, but they have also gotten him into some bad situations. His courage in his abilities sometimes gets to his head, and he rushes in without properly thinking his actions through. One of many such examples is when he turned back to save his fellow scouts who were being pursued by the Female Titan, thinking he could take her on.
He only succeeded in losing to her and almost getting kidnapped if not for the efforts of Levi and Mikasa, who rescued him. Despite his lack of skill, especially earlier in the series, he mindlessly got into battles with Titan shifters with more combat training and battle experience than him. Losing such battles would have proven fatal to the cause of the Paradis inhabitants.
1 Lack Of Skill As A Scout
During his time in the training camp, Eren was shown to be a below-average combatant, like his friend Armin. His ability with the ODM gear is mediocre at best compared to prodigies like Mikasa. A lot of fans may have forgotten, but he was eaten by a Titan earlier in the series and is only alive because of the powers he received from his father.
He has only managed to kill two titans outside his transformation, which are very poor numbers, highlighting the weakness of his regular form and dependence on his enhanced form to get by in the world. It also greatly suggests that he can be easily defeated if his titan form is worn down or inaccessible at that point in time.