From a wide-eyed young boy thrown into a harsh, cruel world, to a jaded anti-hero driven to achieve his objectives at any cost, Eren Yeager is a character with many layers to his persona. Say what you will about his cutthroat strategies and lack of inhibition when it comes to sacrificing innocent lives to save his friends, Eren is perhaps the most interesting character in Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan manga and its anime adaptation following the story's four-year time skip. His development puts many contemporary shonen protagonists to shame, with the sheer depth and complexity ingrained into his experiences and actions, as well as how they shape the narrative of Attack on Titan.
The anime's final chapter brings with it a host of dilemmas regarding Eren's character and the horrifying acts he has committed in the name of saving his homeland and loved ones. Those closest to him, repulsed by the extremes he has gone to, are now the very ones taking a stand against him. Such drastic changes in these relationships could only have been brought on by some truly unforgivable choices on his part, although the moral conflict behind Eren's crimes is not cut and dry, taking on shades of gray that cannot be distinguished from good or evil at times. As fans prepare for the finale to this much loved series to hit the airwaves, the question of Eren's final fate hangs in the balance. Many on both sides of the debate either defend his heinous deeds in the name of Eldian survival or condemn them for the immeasurable death and destruction he has wreaked upon the world. In this case, are his actions justifiable from any angle? Is he deserving of any sympathy or forgiveness, and is there anything he can do to atone for the suffering he has caused?
Protagonist Or Antagonist?
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When first introduced, Eren checked most of the boxes associated with modern shonen protagonists. From the harrowing loss of his mother, his insane drive to liberate humanity, his immense determination and never-say-die attitude, as well his love for those closest to him all fit the mold quite well. Even if he was not always the most compelling main character, or even the most interesting character in the story, Eren played his part quite effectively, engaging audiences and forcing them to get invested in his story and the struggles he braved. Over time, this changed, as more truths about the world of Attack on Titan were unearthed, and the once innocent boy who yearned for freedom became a hardened warrior who endured betrayal and loss time and time again. Such events are enough to drastically alter anyone, and the end of Season 3 with the operation to retake Wall Maria concluded with Eren only just beginning to fathom the larger perils to Paradis that lay across the ocean.
The next season opens with a more mature Eren, who has resolved to take matters into his own hands on seeing the hatred of all humanity directed towards Paradis. Once the victim of an enemy attack, his character arc comes full circle during the raid on LIberio. Here, he becomes responsible for actions whose cruelty and inhumanity is on par with those of the Armored and Colossal Titan's attack on Shiganshina at the very start of the series. In this vein, Eren's role in the story is turned entirely on its head. Initially, he was once the lone hope of an underdog group of Eldians trying to survive in an unjust world that sought to punish them for the crimes of their ancestors. Now, to the rest of the world, he is face of the Island devils that threaten to destroy the earth. His hands stained completely with the blood of the innocent, including young children, Eren cannot in good conscience be called the hero of the story anymore.
The Devil Of Paradis
With reference to the lore behind the origin of the Titans, the "Devil of All Earth" and the "Source of all living matter" are depicted as the true source of Ymir Fritz's powers by both sides. The former from the Marleyan perspective and the latter from the Eldian one. Despite there being no real consensus on which version is the true history, the islanders of Paradis have constantly been referred to as the "Devils of Paradis" by the rest of the world who live in fear of the threat of the Rumbling. Following the timeskip, and the raid on Liberio, all the nations allied against Paradis come to know of Eren as the current holder of the Founding Titan and Attack Titan, thereby singling him out as the single greatest deterrent against a direct attack on the island.
His deadly rampage against the global leaders gathered in Liberio made him the subject of even more fear and loathing. Taking the bruden of the collective hatred of the world on his shoulders, Eren becomes the very embodiment of the devils feared by those opposed to Paradis' existence. A further layer to this new persona developed after the time skip comes from his decision to join the Yeagerist faction. Alienating most of his fellow Scouts from the 104th Training Corps, along with his mentors and superior officers such as Hange and Levi, Eren's antagonization of all who chose to reason with him reaches a fever pitch during his conversation with Mikasa and Armin in the lead up to the War for Paradis arc. Finally, his triggering of the Rumbling and slaughter of a considerable majority of the world's population takes his immorality to new heights, truly living up to his mantle as the real "Devil of Paradis."
Eldia's Only Defender
Sadly, there is another side to the story when looking at the Eldian perspective of events. Eren, after traveling to the conference of global leaders in Marley, was shocked to find no scope for diplomacy in Paradis' attempt to ensure its survival. Instead, what he saw was a group of powerful individuals who were ready to do anything to exterminate his people. This sight was enough to erode away any remaining inhibitions he retained about the future and how he would inevitably set off the Rumbling and wipe out most of the human race to save his homeland. Genocide can never be justified and Eren's choice is far from justifiable. However, with the complete lack of other options, there was no other recourse available to him, and the drastic measures he took were only out of desperation and not malice. In fact, Eren was so broken up about his fate that he immediately apologized to Ramzi and the other refugees he encountered in Marley, on realizing that he would bring about their deaths.
While his actions cannot be forgiven or even defended, even in spite of what he had to sacrifice, Eren's character arc is incredibly complex, a hallmark of the sheer quality of Isayama's writing. Posing questions that few can really answer, Eren's actions after the time skip have a depth to them that few other main characters in anime possess. This is made all the more complex by the story's exploration of the immense hardships he has faced. In the end, while Eren's acts of terror might not be worthy of redemption or sympathy, they are not entirely without reason. It is this multidimensionality that elevates Attack on Titan beyond the simple black and white worldviews that many stories put forth, showcasing a million shades of gray that cannot be distinguished from one another.