8 times Eren seemed more like a villain than a hero

Eren Yeager is one of the most complex main characters anime has seen to date. The cruel attitude of Attack on Titan introduced him as a passionate young man who wanted to break free from the walls that confined him. Several deaths soon turned this into a tale of revenge. But once he realized the true nature of the outside world, his life turned upside down.

With the whole world as his enemy, he slowly drifted away from his friends to reach his goal. While searching for freedom, he became a slave to fate and turned into the show's antagonist. His actions were ruthless and unforgivable, making him Attack on Titan's greatest villain. Let's look at some of these moments, where Eren was closer to a villain than a hero.

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Eren is violent by nature

Eren's anger and frustration in the first few episodes is understandable, given the heartbreaking experience he endured. But even before the walls were invaded, and his mother died, he was full of rage that felt abnormal for his age. When he saved Mikasa from the traffickers, he violently stabbed them to death. When questioned by his father, his intentions to simply save Mikasa were clear, but his terrifying anger and resort to violence were morally questionable.

He scared Hange and scared her

Shortly after the attack on Marley, the Scouts returned home with Eren and Zeke in their custody. They locked Eren away from Zeke due to a lack of trust between them. Hange found Eren talking to himself in the mirror, which she found strange, and began to question him. Eren rudely answered her and explained the reality of the situation. He expressed the futility of locking him up and Hange's inability to influence the situation. He violently grabbed her collar and pulled her towards the cell, which really shocked her. Compared to the later events, his frustration is not with Hange but with his inability to change the predetermined future, but it is still a scene where he no longer seems to care about his comrades.

He used Porco's Jaw to kill the War Hammer Titan

During Eren's attack on Liberio, the War Hammer Titan rose and, along with Marley's military firepower, became a threat to Eren. At the right moment, Mikasa and others appeared and fought alongside Eren. Even after heavily attacking the warhammer's neck, it rose up, causing Eren to realize that Lyra Tybur's body is outside in a crystal. But Eren couldn't even scratch this crystal. However, when the Jaw Titan accidentally scratched it, his claws were powerful enough to damage the crystal. This caused Eren to use the Jaw Titan to break the crystal and eat the War Hammer Titan. He tore apart the Jaw Titan's limbs, rendering it immobile, and powerfully used its jaws to break the crystal. This was an inhuman, cruel move that even frightened Eren's comrades.

He had to kill his own mother

During the closing moments of Attack on Titan, fans were shown memories that Eren had previously erased. One of those memories was an important conversation between Eren and Armin that answered many questions. This conversation revealed Eren's hand in his mother's death, setting his plans in motion. Eren claimed that after attaining the power of the Founding Titan, he could no longer distinguish between the past, present, and future. Everything seemed to exist at once, prompting him to send Dina's titan against his mother so he could save Bertolt, who would not die yet.

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The attack on Marley

During the medal ceremony, Eren saw the future and unfortunately became a slave to fate. Realizing that the world was against the Eldians, he decided to attack them before they could attack Paradis. He infiltrated Marley and used Falco to send letters to Eldia. This helped him launch a surprise attack in Liberio, where he caused countless civilian deaths. Before his attack, he had a conversation with Reiner and seemingly understood Reiner's attack on Paradis. But this did not stop him, but instead, like Reiner, he also moved forward and put an end to his enemies.

He manipulated his father

Grisha was the one responsible for stealing the Founding Titan from the royal family and passing it on to Eren. In the past, Eren despised his father for doing such a cruel thing. But when Eren and Zeke visited the memories of their father, the terrifying truth was revealed. Grisha had decided to wipe out the royal family, but when the moment came, he couldn't bring himself to hurt others or kill children. Eren was shockingly able to influence the past and incited his father to violence. He reminded his father of the atrocities he had to go through, which allowed Grisha to kill everyone at the Reiss Chapel.

He pushed his friends away to achieve his goals

When the Yeagerists took over, Eren decided to talk to Armin and Mikasa. This was the first conversation since their separation years ago, and they had many questions to ask Eren. But instead of clearing his intentions, Eren took this moment to distance himself even further from Armin and Mikasa. He deliberately told lies that seemed almost true and broke the hearts of both of his dearest friends. He claimed that Armin was only talking to Annie because his mind had been taken over by Bertolt. Likewise, Mikasa only cared for Eren because of her Ackerman blood, forcing her to protect the host. He went on to admit that he had hated Mikasa since their childhood, which infuriated Armin, and the two began to fight. But it was one-sided, and Eren knocked Armin down. It was a heartbreaking moment where Eren made it seem like he no longer had any compassion or affection for the two most important people in his life.

He killed 80% of humanity

After receiving powers and full authority from Ymir, Eren began the rumble. But it wasn't just to stop the ongoing conflict, but to end humanity outside the walls altogether. He used the power of the founder to connect with other Eldians, where he declared war on the world. He became an enemy not only to the world outside the walls but also to his comrades, whom he secretly hoped to protect. With an army of colossal titans, he killed millions upon millions. Finally, in his last conversation with Armin, he admitted that he really wanted to flatten the world. According to Eren, his actions were not for others but for his desire to see a free world where no one else existed.