Attack on Titan is a haunting anime series full of shocking twists and frightening revelations. It follows the story of Eren Jaeger, a young boy whose goal is to join the Survey Corps in the hope of protecting his friends and family, but after the titans attack his home, Eren becomes fixated on thoughts of revenge.
He is a calculated manipulator who won't stop until his goals have been met. No matter how hard his friends try to sway him, he will always keep fighting for what he believes is right. Eren has done some terrible and unforgivable things in Attack on Titan, but he justifies his actions as necessary to protect humanity.
Updated December 16, 2022, by Justin Flynn: Eren Yeager has changed a great deal throughout his life. As a child, he was forced to inherit the Attack Titan from his father, and since then, has been exposed to some truly horrible situations that have molded him into what he is today. Eren has been subjected to many terrible things, and though it's easy to feel bad for him, it's hard to forgive many of his actions. It was because of his future-seeing abilities that most of the story transpired the way it did, which makes Eren seem even eviler than how he was initially presented. Eren wasn't always an evil character, but there are plenty of hints sprinkled throughout the series regarding what he was destined to become.
12 Destroying Capital Mitras
Though it wasn't his direct intention, and most of the blame can be placed on those who organized the plan, Eren destroyed a great deal of Mitras, the most densely populated city behind the walls. He needed to capture the Female Titan, but the only way to it was to face her in combat.
Eren did what he felt was necessary, and though he believed his actions were justified, they required a great sacrifice to be made. Eren has gone on to do some truly heinous things since this battle, but his willingness to sacrifice so many lives for the greater good this early in his story revealed exactly how his mind works.
11 Attacking Mikasa
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As one of the most skilled members of the Survey Corps, Mikasa rarely finds herself struggling against a foe. She is a capable combatant and seldom needs to rely on her comrades for assistance, but this wasn't the case when Eren attacked her.
After discovering he can transform into a Titan, Eren offered to use his newfound abilities to seal the breach in the wall. When he transformed for the second time; however, he lost all control of himself and attacked Mikasa. Though it's hard to blame Eren for attacking her, it remains one of the evilest things he has ever done.
10 Asking Historia To Eat Him
Upon learning that she has a claim to the throne, Historia decided to seek out Rod Reiss to get some answers. Before she could begin her search; however, she was captured by Kenny and brought to the village chapel, where Rod attempted to convince her to transform into a Titan and eat Eren.
Realizing that consuming Eren would invoke the First King's pacifism, she refused, but Eren begged her to heed Rod's words. Eren had just learned that his father, Grisha, murdered most of the Reiss family. Because of this, he felt he deserved to be punished. Though Eren may have thought this to be a noble wish, he was essentially asking Historia to give up her life.
9 Eating The War Hammer Titan
Paradis Island's attack on Marley was one of the most visceral battles showcased in Attack on Titan. Not only did Eren end up ruining countless lives, but he also forced his closest friends to side with him, thus making them just as responsible for the deaths he caused.
While the battle featured countless deaths, none were quite as shocking as the death of the War Hammer Titan, primarily due to the way it came about. To break through the War Hammer's impenetrable crystal casing, Eren lodged the crystal in the Jaw Titan's mouth and forced Galliard to break it open with his teeth, which resulted in one of the most gruesome deaths in the series.
8 Siding With Zeke
Zeke has been the source of most of Paradis Island's suffering, so it felt uncharacteristic of Eren to join him. Though it's eventually revealed that Eren was using Zeke to get what he wants, the way he went about making him an ally was cruel, especially when considering how it affected his friends.
To ensure Zeke trusted him fully, Eren distanced himself from his closest friends and even declared some of them enemies. He formed a group of rebel soldiers called Yeagerists and tasked them with doing some truly awful things. Eren believed these actions were necessary to protect his home, but this doesn't excuse how evil they were.
7 Laughing At Sasha's Death
The death of fan-favorite Sasha Braus served to shock fans of the series because of how unexpected it was. Many believed their favorite characters to be safe due to their vast histories, but Season 4's "Assassin's Bullet" episode proved that no one was protected from the onslaught of their enemies.
After being informed that Sasha died from a gunshot wound, Eren begins to laugh. He displayed little emotion prior to this event, but her lifeless body leads him to showcase just how fractured his mind truly is. Though it is later revealed that he knew this was going to happen, he never once attempted to stop it.
6 Killing Mikasa's Attackers
As a child, Mikasa lived a happy and peaceful life with her mother and father. One day, a group of bandits arrived at her home and kidnapped her, but not before murdering her entire family. She later wakes up to find the bandits looming over her, discussing the price they might get if they sold her.
Eren and his father arrive at her home and learn of what has happened, a sight that fills Eren with unbridled rage. He follows the trail left by the bandits and eventually finds their hideout. Once inside, he poses as a lost child to distract the assailants before delivering a barrage of knife swings at the two kidnappers. This terrifying attack was necessary to save Mikasa, but there is no denying how evil it was for Eren to commit.
5 Attacking Armin
In an attempt to dissuade his friends from associating with him, Eren decides that the best course of action is to renounce his ties. He meets Armin and Mikasa and berates them for their actions before ultimately referring to Mikasa as a slave.
Armin, infuriated by this, throws a punch at his former friend, but Eren responds much more viciously. He mercilessly brutalizes Armin while mocking him for his weakness. Though Eren merely sought to distance himself from his companions, the way he deals with Armin reveals just how evil he can be.
4 Revealing His Hatred For Mikasa
While attempting to locate Zeke, Eren uncovers the whereabouts of his former friends and decides to interrogate them for the information he seeks. It is evident throughout each of their encounters that he cares deeply for Mikasa, but Season 4's "Savagery" sees Eren displaying an entirely different emotion.
He informs Mikasa that the only reason she ever fought by his side was due to a feature in her blood, meaning that any feelings she had for him were a product of her lineage. He then goes on to say that he has always hated Mikasa, an untrue statement but a cruel one nonetheless.
3 The Attack On Marley
After infiltrating Marley under the guise of a wounded soldier, Eren gets to work on manipulating both friends and foes in preparation for his attack. He makes friends with Falco, a young warrior candidate who comes to quickly trust the strange man without question. Eren sets his plan in motion by asking Falco to post a letter to his allies in the Survey Corps, an action that swiftly leads to the invasion of Marley.
Eren then transforms beneath a stage on which Willy Tybur was encouraging Marley to rise up and destroy Paradis Island once and for all. He crushes the famed nobleman and proceeds to attack the attending audience in the hope of luring out the Warhammer Titan. The aftermath of the battle sees the nation of Marley left all but destroyed, with many innocent lives lost. Though Eren felt his actions were justified, the means he chose to achieve them were cold-hearted and evil.
2 Manipulating His Father
Upon escaping from Marley, Grisha Jaeger finds himself roaming the primitive land of Paradis Island. Posing as a doctor, he gains access to the forgotten civilization and becomes one of the most respected practitioners in his field due to his advanced medicinal knowledge. He starts a family in an attempt to distance himself from his previous life, but his grief-stricken past eventually comes back to haunt him.
Grisha's guilty conscience leads him to confront the Reiss family, a royal family that possesses the Founding Titan. He knows that the titans plan to break through the wall and wreak havoc in his new home, so he begs Frieda to renounce her pacifist vow and prevent the attack. When she refuses, Grisha attempts to transform but is unable to bring himself to.
Up to this point, he has dedicated his life to saving the lives of others and doesn't have it in him to murder the Reiss family. Witnessing this, Eren appears to remind him of the reason he came to Paradis. He fills Grisha's head with terrifying memories and forces him to attack. If not for Eren, Grisha may have had the chance to pursue a life of peace.
1 Beginning The Rumbling
Since his childhood, Eren has always yearned to be released from the confines of Paradis Island. This led him to join the Survey Corps, but his hellbent mind guided him down a dark path in the process. With the entire world rising up against his homeland, Eren decides that a more permanent solution is required to ensure his island's freedom.
Having obtained the power to awaken the Colossal Titans residing in his city's walls, Eren unleashes them unto the world and aims them at the nation of Marley, a small island that opposed Paradis for countless years. Destroying Marley is Eren's first objective before delivering the same fate to the rest of the world. Years of persecution have morphed him into an untethered man who has run out of patience, so if obtaining peace requires mass destruction, he is more than willing to abide.
Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 3 is scheduled to release in 2023.