Season 4 of Attack on Titan saw a complete metamorphosis of its main character Eren Jaeger.
Replacing the rash and impulsive hothead who would often wind up in situations way over his head is a cold, calculating, and eerily calm Eldian warrior who would do just about anything for his country.
But despite his sudden transformation, he still seems to be dancing to the tune of Zeke’s euthanasia plan by following every order given by the sketchy Anti-Marleyan Volunteer, Yelena.
However, that changed when he deliberately ignored her pleas of playing it safe during Marley’s ambush, deciding instead to go all out with Reiner despite the risk it posed to the plan should he fail.
This moment of recklessness coupled with his usual aggressive determination to save his homeland has fans doubting his resolve in following through with Zeke’s plan.
Will Eren see the euthanasia plan through? Or will he betray Zeke and Yelena?
Chapter 120 confirms Eren’s betrayal as he refuses to “command” Ymir to sterilize the Eldians, stating he would never take part in a hypocritical plan of sacrificing the Eldians in a bid to save them.
SPOILERS AHEAD!This page contains spoilers from Attack on Titan.
Why did Eren betray Zeke and Yelena?
Chapter 120 saw an enraged Eren dissing Zeke’s plan grandly, stating that he “would never take part in such a joke of a plan.”
But this shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Eren has always been fiercely protective of his freedom, friends, and home.
Having gone through intense trauma for years and on learning the danger the world posed to Paradis, Eren wasn’t about to give up the very thing he risked his life to save countless times, even if it meant ending hundreds of years of conflict.
Moreover, he was beyond furious with Zeke’s self-righteousness. He was incensed by his half-brother’s disillusioned dream of saving the Eldians from this “hell” by denying them the right to live.
And to add fuel to the fire, Zeke even throws in hypocrisy – lamenting about breaking the cycle of hate and violence, Zeke tries to sway Eren a second time to comply with the plan.
However, Eren knew all too well that the world’s hatred wouldn’t dissipate even if the Eldians were slowly driven to the grave.
Their continued existence with the threat of the Rumbling would make the world loathe them even more. Plus, Eren wouldn’t tolerate his people withering away as the rest of humanity cheered on.
But what he detested the most in both Zeke and his plan was that it was born out of his ambition to correct Grisha’s mistakes, essentially making him a slave to their father long after he had passed away.
And going by his conversation with Armin and Mikasa, we know he has a zero-tolerance policy for self-made shackles.
He had only played along all this while to reach the Coordinate to carry out the plan he believed would bring true freedom to the Paradisians for years to come.
Regardless of the horrific outcome and consequences, it was either Paradis or the world for Eren, and Zeke chose the world.
What is Eren’s real plan?
Eren’s future had been laid out when he kissed Historia’s hand in season 3. Back then, all we got were flashes of the past and Eren’s terrified expression at the end of it all.
Then in chapter 122, we finally understand why he was so frozen and shaken to the core at that moment. He had just witnessed the complete annihilation of all life beyond walls, and what’s worse, he would be the one to do it.
Since then, everything fell into place exactly as he had seen in the vision.
Even though he looked for a way to prevent him from committing mass murder, he was shoved back on track by bitter reality – Sasha’s death, failing diplomacy, and the imminent extinction of his people via the euthanasia plan.
Ultimately, his survival instincts kicked in, and he decided to go full throttle, never once questioning his plan till its fruition. Even before the Volunteers landed on the shores of Paradis, Eren had already made up his mind.
He then skilfully manipulated Zeke into granting him access to the Coordinate and tweaking the past so that mass extinction of the outside world would be inevitable.
Even though he knew his friends would never agree to his drastic measure, nor would they allow him to travel down the path of a mass murderer, he had planned it so perfectly that Paradis would win regardless of their choices.
If his friends chose to watch the rest of the world being trampled, it would bring peace to the islanders as they would be the only inhabitants left in the world.
And if they were to fight and succeed in killing him, they would become heroes to the remainder of humanity as he would have already destroyed the majority of the world by the time they had rallied their forces to confront him.
But he made sure to give them that choice, confronting them with his ever favorite “tatakae” line. However, he didn’t seem to hold back in subsequent chapters.
In the final chapter, he even confessed to Armin that he wasn’t sure if they would have survived his plan.
While he argued that the fluidity of time brought on by the Founder’s powers muddled his brain, we can’t help but wonder if he made the descent into villainous infamy, even if it was just for a moment.
Is he the final villain of the series?
The complexity of Eren’s character is that he cannot be given any labels. While some of his actions may be characterized as heroic or villainous, the actual person is neither.
However, it isn’t just about who he is or what he did that defines him, but people’s perspective of him. Even though Eren committed an unforgivable sin, he would still be hailed as a hero in Paradis.
But for the rest of humanity to accept the Eldians as their saviors, he would have to be portrayed as a villain.
Since Isayama’s brilliantly written world of Attack on Titan strays far from cookie-cutter characters and simple premises, it makes it extremely hard for us fans to pick a side or differentiate between good and evil.
Basing his entire story on the fundamental right of freedom and a person’s yearning for it, Isayama paints a grim reality of an imperfect world where getting one’s freedom may come at the cost of others.
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About Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan was a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. Kodansha publishes it in the Bessatsu Shonen Magazine.
The manga began serialization on September 9th, 2009, and continues to date with 30 tankōbom formats.
Attack on Titan follows humanity settled within three concentric walls to protect themselves from the terrifying titans that prey on them. Eren Yeager is a young boy that believes that a caged life is similar to that of cattle and aspires to go beyond the walls one day, just like his heroes, the Survey Corps. The emergence of a deadly Titan unleashes chaos.
Originally Written By Epic Dope
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