"I dont think that people should be omitted blame for their actions just due to the parts of their mind out of their control" How very black and white of you. Many laws dictate that if someone is not well mentally they are innocent. People that are mentally ill or neurodivergant literally CANNOT function the same as others and their actions can be excused. A person stealing chips from a store because he wants to is massively different from one that did so because they mentally cannot comprehend the actions of theft and ownership. Try having an autistic kid and then come back to me on this black and white point of view. Notifications are off, good luck replying
When we see himself as a child I forgot the exact words but talking about freedom wile walking with those titans form the wall that’s when I realized how one’s idea can influence another’s but it usually isn’t crated with the same expectations. An example would be eren and zekes solution to eldians freedoms. Zeke chose to Euthanize which would result in countless lives of eldians not being able to experience freedom and erens was killing those present clearing the slate with potential for those that survive to in the future to reap its benefit.
Middle school English teacher here. I'd love to do a class study of AoT, but unfortunately due to the medium (anime) and the violence within the story, it'd never get approved by the admin. And since I only teach middle schoolers the themes and analytical acumen necessary to discuss it thoroughly aren't developed yet, I will have to settle for occasionally mentioning the series in class.
@@kuronekonyaa i mean in middle school we learn about history and what is history then learning most of the time about wars and even on lessons of my native language we read so much books and novels that have killing in it self. I dont know how it is there where You live with school program for learning. But it seems stypid that aot couldnt be read because story is gory
I saved this video for after I saw the ending if the show and I’m so glad I did. I really liked how Eren had always been a slave to fate and his nature throughout the whole series. I have no clue how Isayama had everything so perfectly tied together seemingly from the start
Even at a surface level, I still think it's absolutely genius to give a character obsessed with freedom the ability to see an unalterable future. Edit: Jesus Christ this comment thread.
And make the god of the world be the biggest slave. One who is still shackled to a kingdom and people long dead and dusted. The two who should have been the most free are both the least free to the point that well and truly broken slaves to a path they did not want
@@kevind3974 well, Ymir wasn't really the god of the world, but rather the god of one group of people (or race, if you want to call it that). It's only Ymir's subjects that Ymir has control over.
@@le1660 yes. Thou the true ending is more of a middle ground then an ending. The actual ending to erens and the titans arc, most defiantly yes, i got nightmares from that. The last few panels, subjective, the world lives but at what cost.
The entire concept of Eren not beeing a free person himself was the whole reason why he hated those that are bounded/stricted by something (AKA not free) in the first place
Lol, he was always free to choose whether he want to just let the world destroy Paradis or start the rumbling to protect Paradis and he chose the second option after searching for other ways to solve everything peacefully which didn't workout. And if he had the free will to choose this much then this shows he was always free.
@@phoebepaige1619 Lol, Eren was never free. He was Ymir’s puppet this entire time. Ymir chose Eren as the person to free the eldians, unintentionally it led to him having no free will. Eren played out the future as he wanted, thinking he was striving for freedom because he always felt trapped. Inevitably leading to the rumbling. All of this, results in Ymir being free from royal blood and her duties of building Titans once Eren dies and passes on. Why was Eren able to control Grisha and convince him to take the founding Titan from the royal family, but couldn’t control Dina from killing his mom?? Why did Ymir bring Armin to the paths to meet Zeke? It was set up from the beginning.
@@phoebepaige1619 nah girl , the future of what will happen was already shown to him back in episode 1 when Eren woke up under the tree and said "I feel like I had a very long dream" and woke up crying when he saw the memory of Hannes's blood spilling , hinting it had already happened . Funny because if Eren could've chosen his own future , then why did Eren Kruger already had the memory of future Grisha saying to Eren "If you want to rescue Mikasa , Armin and the other" when Eren wasnt even born yet . The entire plot that the future was set in stone was already forshadowed since the beginning of AoT , just the Attack Titan's power of being able to peek into it's FUTURE holder's memory itself was enough to say that the memory had already established . It was also hinted that the future was inevitable when Eren in S4 asked Connie what was Sasha's last word were , that scene wasn't meant to show Eren's spiral into madness or anything , it was meant to show that Eren already saw that Sasha will die in the raid in Marley , Eren asking that question to Connie and Connie replying the same "Meat" was to confirm that memory he saw was correct , hence him laughing because he knew the future can no longer be altered. If you asked me why it can't be altered then the simple answer is because Eren 7 years in the past is still the same Eren 7 years in the future , they still are the same person with the same goal , that's why the future can't be avoided regardless of what Eren does to change it , because the future Eren already did that . If you're talking about "free will" then choosing whether to take a nap now or take a nap in 5 hour later is also a free will , but it wouldn't mean anything if you already knew what would happen after you take the nap ( In Eren's case , he already knew how the story will end ) . You just didn't know which nap would cause the butterfly effect
I don't think the concept was ever that Eren was not free. It is more like the AOT world has a Harry Potter concept of time, and time cannot be changed. '. Eren just happened to see ahead of time the results of the actions that he himself chose to take. The rumbling happend because he wanted it too, and that is all. Saying he wasn't free just sounds anti synergetic to his character arc. He seemed to believe he was free to the end.
@@tinamaryland4271 only Ymir that doesnt have "wants". imagine u had so much control of the path and founding titan and obviously u had a desire, a "wants". and eren want freedom not for him, but for he cherishes. yet the audience like u still interpreted it wrong. did u even watch the video?
@@qb4097 "The world outside the walls was different from my dreams. It was nothing like Armin's book. When I learnt humanity lived outside the walls, I was so disappointed. I wanted it to disappear. I'm sorry. I'm sorry" - Eren, chapter 131
@@vishalfrrThis video was released in December 22nd, 2021. The comment you’re responding to was written November 7th, 2023. That’s pretty close to two years apart.
''It's clear to me. He is a true monster and not because of his titan abilities. No matter how you try to hold him down, no matter what cage you lock him up in, forcing his mind into submission is an impossible task.'' One of Levi's hunchs.
@@mutdd3954 It's funny, because I thought he was monstrous, or rather I could see the monster he would become. I loathed him very early on. It genuinely surprised me to learn that people loved him, many, many people.
@@mutdd3954 I'd be surprised if you weren't, I don't come across many lol. I sometimes wonder if I might be too in the real world, if not for him but for the goal he wants to achieve.
"If I have to hear one more time, that you did this for your friends" "I did it for me. I liked it, I was good at it, and I was... really... I was free"
And how fitting a parallel considering how many people, even after he just straight-up says "I did it for me", _still_ insisted he was some kind of noble, selfless anti-hero with pure intentions. You hear all the Walt apologists give *exact* same excuses too: "He's doing it for his family", "It was the only way", "He had no choice", "He knew he was going to die soon and had to do something drastic", "The people he killed deserved it", etc.
@@heinrichagrippa5681 And the same goes to "Gus was going to kill him" or "The rest of the world wanted to destroy paradise" Using excuses to justify the horror they provoke on others.
@@heinrichagrippa5681 Walt was a megalomaniac. Eren was a traumatized kid who had the heaviest burden placed on him. To think that they’re anything alike is objectively wrong.
This isnt rlly what keeps him from being free tho, his lack of freedom is stemmed from the fact that he’s a slave of his own childlike obsession of it. He’s so obsessed with something that doesnt exist that he can never escape his obsession.
@@stockyflunky5013 it doesn't. it speaks to the fact that the founding titan was right all along and Eren became a villain who murdered nearly everyone and got his own people killed.
i’ve had this in my watch later for literal years looking at the thumbnail waiting to divulge in this video after the anime had ended, you did not disappoint at all. Thank you. Eren truly is one of the most complex characters in all of fiction.
@@ericx6969 Look at this guy did you even understand the true power of attack titan? They cannot foresee the entire future. Eren knew that someone was going to die but he didn't know who it was. Also, Eren does care for Sasha. Those laugh is like his reaction to Hannes' death. Additionally, if he doesn't give a fuck, remember from season 1 when Thomas Wagner was eaten by the abnormal titan, he just advanced without thinking the lives of his squad members; Armin, Mina Carolina, and the other two guys in their unit. With that, you might say that he doesn't care for Armin? Smh, just watch the whole video to understand him.
What made no sense for me was how despite Eren's arrogance and shortsightedness created a bigger mess that ultimately destroyed all of Paradis, his friends still thought he did them a great favor... Sparing those 20 percent served no purposes. Initiating global apocalypse was already unnecessary, especially when the Survey corps already proposed a more stable measurement, but chickening it out at the last minute wouldn't make him merciful. Refusing to kill them not only continued the existence of external threats against all Eldians, it worsened the cycle of hatred to a now-irreversible level. Eren just gave the whole world an even more justifiable cause for aggression: Revenge. He literally made Armin's job a million times harder than it already was, to which Armin replied: "Thank you for being a mass-murderer for our sake." Wake up Armin, he just signed your children's death sentence.
@@陳潔明-w6y Sparing the 20% was because he couldn’t fully commit as it would mean his friends would die. Maybe that wasn’t the best option for Paradis, but he values his friends more than the fate of Paradis. Also don’t forget that the boy went to the tree so now titan powers are thrown into the mix, we don’t know what’s going to happen for sure, also with the peace talks (peace talks which Eren allowed (that is meaning in his death the others give)).
@@euph1na This is why I actually like the extra pages. There's an ambigous sliver of hope with the boy and his dog finding the tree in a beautiful yet cruel world.
@@euph1na "Would die..." Or incapacitate them and proceed with his campaign. Logically speaking, both parts weren't mutually exclusive... Eren knew how his friends value the future of Paradis, and he proceeded to destroy up their dreams. Seriously, Eren should've been called out for his stupidity, not just that him crying for Mikasa possibly moving being pathetic... Eren is just like the teammate who doesn't go by the rules, mess up the group project, and quit the class the day before the presentation...
@@edwardedison1661 The extra pages backtracked ch.139, where Eren's actions were portrayed as noble with his friends paying their thanks toward him. It finally showed how much Eren really mess up everything... Honestly, I do think the added pages were an example of course correction... But still, AoT's ending was flawed at best...
The fact that Levi pointed out so early on, that he could sense Eren's true nature in season 1. (When they were being chased by Annie in the forest) The amount of seeds planted in season 1 is actually astonishing. 👌 AOT is award winning writing
To be fair, Eren has always been unhinged lol. His friends were just immune to it becaus they grew up with him. But everyone that first met him always got the vibe from him that he had a screw loose
@@N.A.alchemist exactly. I remember when AoT was around the First Eren vs Reiner fight in the manga there was a TH-camr who made a video saying that they suspected Eren was crazy.
Now that the anime has ended, i can finally watch this analysis. Any lingering doubts and questions I had about the ending and regarding eren decisions has been made clear by this excellent, exceptionally well made essay. Thank you, thank you so much for this. I already loved the ending but seeing this had elevated it even more in my eyes. Aot is truly a masterpiece.
@@kelvinkings3973 it’s not a theory, it’s an analysis, there isn’t really anything theoretical brought up. Because it’s an analysis that’s rooted in an opinion, you can disagree, but it’s also rooted in the events that take place in the story, so it’s also far from baseless theorizing.
You really hit the nail on the head. Especially the part where you mentioned how Eren had chosen to essentially reject his own personal growth, which is why he is seen as a child throughout the rumbling.
Eren was never selfish. No matter how you look at it Marleyans and the King formed a pact without telling anyone else, and it would essentially lead to the Eldians always being seen as devil spawn, but the fact that the Marleyans were blind to their own evil and manipulation of others is even worst. I mean they use the titans for their own benefit, and essentially wanted the Titans (Eldians) to all die. i dont know what is worst at that point.
i think i get it now. it took three years but i finally understand eren's version of freedom. "if i kill all my enemies, will i finally be free?" he wants uncontested choice. he spent so much of his life having things just happening TO him, and all he CAN do is react. his idea of freedom is the whole wide world all to himself where he gets to make the decisions, he gets to pull the strings, and there's no one to tell him he can't. but i can't help but feel that after a while, he would get bored of that too.
Never forget that the show starts off with, “80% of humanity was destroyed by the titans.” This was later found to be a lie as we discover humans exist outside of the walls but the story ends and as fate would have it 80 percent of humanity was destroyed by the titans… Im sitting here thinking about this and realize that in much of AOT the past present and future exist all at once just as Eren sees when he gains the founders ability. And we as the viewer almost gain the founders ability in the end where we can see all of AOT history truly existed all at one. In a way when the show starts off with 80% of humanity was destroyed by the titans the narration is saying it in the past present and future.
Eren really is such a dynamic character from the perspective of the viewer. While he doesn't change at all fundamentally, the light in which Eren is showed to us changes so much. A scene that really stuck with me after I had gotten the full context of the show, was when Eren was escaping Shiganshina on the lifeboats. The first time through, the "I'll kill every last one of them" line gets you excited to see this orphaned child conquer something so monumental in scale. Going through a second time though, the line is haunting foreshadowing of the horrors Eren unleashes onto the world
I always think about that line and how he was referring to the world and not the titans. I can't believe no one else mentions this. The anger and grief he shows in that scene alone makes you think this kid will burn the world down. Yet people still think his mother's death meant nothing to him. Absolute clowns out there I swear.
@@OffTopic123 Haters will be haters. Messi, Ronaldo, Lebron etc all have haters that say they are bad but the fact is they are not bad they are the best. These salty weebs are the same they will obviously hate the best
I feel like because of erens cold demeanor, and the way he acts in season 4 in general, a lot of people forgot that eren is still just a 19 year old boy who never had a chance of living out his childhood or his teen years like a normal person would. you can't expect him to suddenly be an all knowing, mature person who only makes the right decisions etc. he's still a kid at heart, and his breakdown at the end of the story made absolute sense to me. i was so confused to see so many people having next to no sympathy for him and being angry at him for showing his emotions despite eren always being this way. they really misunderstood his whole character and just went with their weird headcanon version of him and were disappointed when he didn't act like they wanted him to. this always bugged me about this community and still makes me a little mad.
@@Mausefell and I never said he wasn't. just that the fandom treated him as this edgy chad version of himself that never existed. of course he's a mass murderer but my point still stands.
@@Mausefell well because he was. what happened to him made him the person he was at the end of the story. of course he isnt redeemable after what he did but the environment that the story takes place in is ultimately to blame for the storys outcome. I am in no way shape or form saying that eren did nothing wrong and we shouldn't blame him. I'm saying that we should also take into account how horrible the whole Marley vs Eldia situation was in the first place and what kind of spot it put all these characters (who were all children) in. you have to have some kind of sympathy for him without apologizing his actions and seeing past the things he did. the future was inevitable. I hope you understand what I'm getting at, sorry for writing so much lol
@@Mausefell I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. I don't personally think he was a psychopath although there were a lot of things wrong with him, but I see what you mean. regardless, have a nice day :)
The new dialouge from the anime finale confirms everything from this video, Eren ultimately never grew out of being the psychotic rage child we knew him as and turned out as the biggest slave of all.
@@Shadowbaned It was probably Eldia's fault the island was destroyed after Eren's death. If you remember one of the final scenes in the final episode is Eldia rebuilding it's military strength and a guy on a podium spouting nationalistic BS. Still, at least Eldia (Paradis) had what looked like a few centuries of peace and prosperity before it was nuked out of existence.
@@ThwipThwipBoom this i feel like a lot of people don't understand the massage of AoT at all...they're too attached to eren they failed to see what eren see the island would have been destroyed, with or without eren interferene, and the reason is simple...human will fight each other, conflict is unavoiable no matter what age it is, just like us despite nearly 100 year from ww2 still wage war on each other, the reason doesn't even need to be they're eldian anymore, if it's 2000 years the conflict could be anything, the fact that eldian turned into facist super power nation at the end seems to be more of a reason to hate on eldian more than titan stuff after hundred year passed, let alone 2000
Pretty much. That and his apology to ramzi are very clear on why he is doing what he is doing. The words used matter as much as the emotion portrayed. A lot of people just see the emotion (despair at the sea, guilt with ramzi) but not what he is saying.
As the video says, even if Eren got his freedom by killing his enemies, he would inevitably become bored of the empty world he flattened, meaning that Eren soon realized that he would never attain freedom, hence the entire part of the video titled “Unattainanle Freedom”.
I really don’t think u should take the words of Eren and find a single motive behind it Most of his goals are contradictory to each other And plus this wasn’t even a goal , it was a possible outcome , the way he says it clearly shows how hopeless this attempt is as he knows he won’t ever be able to do this and we know that true freedom cannot be reached, it was a desire not a motive as he knew conflict won’t ever end and that no one would ever be free
@@santokun5835 yep this is what actually is. the world is full of hypocrites who conflate their own inner desire with good intentions, and AoT lays it out very very bare
Its alwasy been the road to hell is paved with good intentions if you're trying to spin your variation of it than you must not truly understand the saying.
True...From that scene, he stabbed the kidnapper too many times that its kinda disturbing for 9 year old kid to do even if it for self defense. And later on, he claim that he killed monster not a human being.
eren most likely associated the people he killed with titans (since he didbt understand why humans had to kill each other when he was training ) and therefore killed with the view that he was killing titans since their the only things that kill humans (remember he's still a child which is significantly Gullable). In that sense you could say that was his first titan kill since all titans are eldians anyway
@@dragonballoblivion8273 Very unlikely, Eren hadn't even seen a titan at this point. He never mentioned anything about wanting to kill titans until after his mom was eaten. I think you're confused about the timeline.
That's what i was thinking when this scene came up. From that point on I was almost certain that he will go against his friends in some way. The main reason why people thought he was a "badass" was pretty much just because his morals aligned with those of the viewer. Also him killing those thugs is probably his most defining character moment since he regressed to this exact mindset during the rumbling, just to be able to justify his actions, which he knows will bring death to millions if innocents aswell.
if a guy murdered your mom with a knife and you had the option to kill said guy, you wouldnt do the same thing? avenge your mother or father by killing the murderer who did it? seems aligned with human nature. id do it if my family members where killed. eren was one of the more proactive kids, but sadly he ironically he killed his mother instead of stopping it, but thitswas before he inherited the attack/founding titan.
I don't quite understand what's so understandable about genocide committed in spite of the fact of knowing that it's wrong and having other options presented to you.
why would anyone believe that young Eren is annoying? i found him extremely fun and easy to understand.his simple freedom and childish like motivation was super enjoyable, probably because i am a kid that's very childish and doesn't wanna grow up,but still,you don't have to be a kiddo to enjoy him
They want ultimate Chad's who doesn't show an ounce of emotions and is also very good looking doesn't matter if he is a kid or not In search for their fantasies they lose the realism
Same, I actually sorta disliked chad Eren while watching season 4 part 1, I was relieved when I read the final parts of the manga that showed Eren was the same, it resonated with me because I too am pretty childish and don't wanna grow up.
but then i think none of them would go to the survey corps, they'd just die to titans at some point and paradis island would get owned by reiner bertolt annie and zeke
With the extra dialogue that Isayama included in the anime between Eren and Armin, your theory is all but confirmed. I originally liked the ending but always felt that Isayama could've spent a few more pages to come to the conclusions you did and what he ultimately put in the anime. Cheers!
@@feister2869whenever they were sitting in the pool of blood eren holding up the hair, etc. pretty much saying this is wanted he wanted and there was no stopping himself from himself
@@feister2869 In the anime, it was stressed more that Eren did what he did because he simply wanted to, not because of his desire to protect his friends (which is what he also desired but was never his primary will). It also backs up what the creator of this video stated that because Eren wanted to (due to his view of the world based on what Armin told him), the future could've never been altered as Eren would've never had the will to change his primary desire. This was made more clear because Eren revealed much later to Armin in the conversation (vs the manga) that 80% of humanity was destroyed, to which Armin followed up questioning if what he did was really to protect everyone (wasn't in the manga), with Eren more elaborately confessing that he really did it because he felt like it (was in manga but context not as strong) and extra dialogue (not in the manga) that he was just an idiot that just so happened to fall into power that made his will a reality. The blood and teeth imagery was new as well along with Armin grabbing Eren by the collar and freaking out after the 80% humanity reveal (Armin's reaction to that statistic in the manga was a lot more lackluster with him showing more anger over Eren's initial dismissal of Mikasa). Also there was context to Armin thanking Eren in the manga for what he did (which at the time caused some controversy). In the anime, extra dialogue was given to Armin in which he decided to share responsibility with Eren and go to hell with him forever because it was HE who had introduced the idea of 'freedom' to him and for that he thanked him to help share some of his sins and for the fact that he did indeed ultimately create the world that they were after. Those to me were notable changes that I can think of off the top of my head that made a big difference. Some people, like the person who made this video, had ultimately figured out Isayama's initial intentions with Eren's character, but Isayama I felt could've been just a tad bit more clear in expressing his ideals short of spelling it out.
@@btsnoonafan6637This was the only problem I ever had with the manga, and I believe the lack of context that you mentioned was the reason so many people misunderstood the ending. Perfect summary
“Eren became the villain of his own story” Absolute chills. I view Eren, and AOT completely different after this character analysis. This anime is somehow so much more than I thought it was, I quite literally feel like video has opened my eyes to the harsh reality of who and what Eren represents. Thank you.
Something I do not get....Why did he say he wanted to kill all of those titans,and protect his city,after His 1ST transformation,and continue to defend the city,and try t6o kill those Titans,then Go,as you said,to kill off bulk of humanity? I do not get it....WHY try to fight against the Titans,Then kill off a lot of humanity? Explain it to me!
@@waynec38 He fought the titans because at that moment he had no knowledge of what and how the outside world truly was. His main motive at that point of time was to defeat the titans because he believed that would be the way he would obtain what he had always longed for... His freedom.
@@waynec38 Also once he got the memories from Historia and the knowledge from the basement, unfortunately the next target in the way to his "freedom" became the people of Marley.
Indeed. While most fans do know that genocide is wrong, I really feel like people flocked over the idea that Eren should have achieved his "freedom", without ever truly acknowledging how profoundly messed up and selfish Erens concept of freedom was. And I think that's what led to a fair amount of people not analyzing Erens true desires that led him to do what he did as the series started coming to an end.
@@Levi-rc8kh thank you man thats what iam saying some ppl wantes eren to just say iam sorry after he commited a genocide and everyone we live happy and the end 😂😂😂
Eren, a character centered around being free and having his own will, was actually chained by the hands of fate and was never able to free him and his friends without everything that occured. As a man who claimed to live free, its ironic he only became free after he died. Cool video!
Technically it's not fate that controls the world it's the future that controls the past per say only one timeline no alternate realities it was always gonna happen the perfect predictor paradox is perfect as it sums the universe of aot where fate doesn't change the timeline it was always going to happen as eren was the only one who reluctantly understood it
this was simply incredible. I wish I had the same patience and skill as you to be able to express as eloquently and clearly as you have here how helpful and clarifying this video was. I'm glad you feel pleased with how it came out and that it was worth your time, and am very personally grateful.
“Eren is always angry at something. That rage of his is going to take him to a very dangerous place before he even realise it. That is why I decided to let him meet you Mikasa. If he could stay with you in the mountains, surrounded by nature. Then maybe, just maybe his rage could calm down. You might be the only one able to save him…” - Grisha Yeager (Lost Girls - Chapter 8)
@Zavphkuiel it’s not headcanon to say that Eren is constantly angry at something. He’s always angry at that which impedes his and his friends freedom. Since season 1.
@Zavphkuiel well, Eren did destroy himself in the end and he himself questioned if Mikasa could have changed his fate. Mikasa possibly "saving" Eren isn't a headcannon, it's written by Isayama
Outta all tings and literature I’ve consumed… one quote or line that has stuck with me and hit home was “everyone is a slave to something”… I felt this because at the time I was going thru addiction. And as much as my body craved and fought for more. I would ignore things I previously loved and cared about.. so did that mean I loved my substance more than myself or others? No I hated it. So how could I work for and fight for more of something I hated? Was it free will? I definitely at one point decided to indulge, but at that point if it were up to me I wanted nothing more than to stop. So why couldn’t I?… I was a slave. It owned me whether I liked or not. And it made me realize and see all the other things I life that owned people, not just addiction. That quote and line couldn’t be any realer.
yo, man, this will probably get buried but what you have done is beyond amazing. You interpreted Eren as a person with childish goals and indeed a slave to his own dream rather than assuming he is a stoic, a completely new view that proved that the title was right, no matter what. Thanks a mile, Eren's character is truly one of my favorites of all time
I always wondered why they put so much focus on the lines "born into this world" and "keep moving forward" , like they don't animate this stuff for nothing?! And now you kinda enlightened me lol
Erens eyes lit up when Willy Tyburn said he was born into this world in his speech too. These major themes were always in front of us but placed so well!!
@@mondeezul Yes, exactly that and when Armin tried to invoke Eren when he wouldn't move in his titan form in first season (ep 12) with the question "Even tho we might die, why do you still want to see the outside world?" and he replied "Why? Because I was born to this world!"
The panel of eren saying freedom as a child with his arms outstretched is my favorite panel in all of AOT and i feel its perfectly juxtaposed with erens slaughter beneath him. I imagine it as eren forcing himself into this childlike state to try and justify/ignore the genocide hes committing.
He is not forcing himself, he has always been a child, like Ymir... in the end both are seen like this, they stopped in the moment they received trauma. She, in the paths is a child and wears the clothes she had on the day she was chased, she can't escape from that moment even if she grows and has 3 kids, even if she becomes the most powerful being, she is still a child -THAT child, a slave-. Eren is at the end the child that saw her mum being eaten (he is wearing the clothes he had on that day, too). Ymir and Eren understand eachother because they are both traumatised children and can't go on from that moment. Both of their traumas lead to that big scream an cry, the rumbling. I believe the rumbling is like a tantrum that kids do. Aside from that, personally, I don't believe people "are born with...", I think we are formed or maybe we are a mix. In the end, snk is a story of children being traumatised because of war and humanity (we aren't free because we are born into this world, the world is already made previously of our existence, is the opposite that Eren says "i'm free bc i was born into this world"). Sorry for my bad english
If my people were going to be slaughtered just for existing then I damn well would ignore any damage I did to my enemy. I always see people like you chastising Eren for “genocide,” while completely absolving the coalition of heir original sin of wanting to purge the Eldians (genocide). As if he’s supposed to feel bad for attempting to secure his peoples existence in the face of a hostile enemy.
On Griesha, I feel that he was on board with stopping Eren when he had talked to Zeke but that was before learning that Carla had died when he found Eren after the walls fell. After young Eren told him his wife died, I feel that he shifted to taken revenge as he had told Eren to use the power to avenge his mom and save his friends.
Griesha, never had a choice he would give the attack titan to Eren regardless,it wasn’t just for pure revenge, griesha was also close to dying cause 13 years was coming up also, the speech eren told his dad about joining the scouts b4 he left that day.
Eren went from "I wanna save the world from Titans" to "I wanna destroy the world with Titans" while his character inner workings didn't change at all. Isayama truly is a genius writer.
The part where all humans outside the wall were extinct nearly happend too, would have been so cool if that was the case, really bringing it full circle
I'm FINALLY at peace with the ending, amazing video, it felt so weird, you legit called me out when you said people hated the fact that Eren was "pathetic" because we all got attached to the image of chad Eren, first time it feels good to find out I was so wrong about something!
Something I wanted to add in regards to eren “pathetically” breaking down over mikasa. You already addressed that it was childish and that that was eren the whole time, but I also just wanted to go along with you and say that it just made sense. This whole time, eren was just a kid. The oldest he got to was, what, 19? Correct me if I’m wrong. Regardless he was a kid throughout the story who had his selfish dreams like everyone else. Like you and me even. Except he never even got the CHANCE to live life to the fullest like we do. So the fact that he knew that his time to go was in a matter of moments while in paths with Armin crushed him. The fact that he couldn’t be with the people he loved. With his best friend who he loved. With the girl he loved. He had every right to break down there because he quite literally was faced with the fact that his go at life was about to end before ever truly getting started (as a consequence of, as you said, his inability to break free of his OWN chains). His messed up idea of freedom. Was it a “pathetic” show of emotions? Sure. But goddammit it was real and I probably would’ve done the same :(
I love this because I've seen people say how dumb or "pathetic" him breaking down was but man Eren was a kid in his last moments with his best friend as well as his last (and only) moment of vulnerability regarding his love before he had to again live with the totality of ending the fn world for THEIR freedom, not his.
I disagree with this sentiment, Eren is no Shinji, he isn't just a kid trusted into situations bigger than himself and one of the big reasons for that is the fact that this world is deterministic, Eren was, like it or not, made to be this way, to me Eren breaking down is an honest display of his selfish desire to have his cake and eat it and while that is admittedly very childish, there is one big distinction, with the power of the founder titan, Eren has practically an eternity to ponder his actions at the moment he acquires that power, perceiving the time in a non linear fashion while also having the memories of his dad and presumably other users of his powers means that he can no longer be considered a child under any context, if anything he is more of a deity, Eren is not breaking down because he is a kid struggling with his chains, Eren is breaking down because he is selfish, he got what he wanted, he got his taste of his desired freedom, but he wanted more.
@@SpopySpider I think you are somewhat right. Eren was not exactly being childish, he was being little selfish which is everyone in the world. Till that point he was pushed by fate and he was making himself look bad, but for once he got chance to open his desires which were buried deep from long time. And he was 19, still a kid, he shown a lot of courageous and matured talks thats why we forget he is still 19. We can't expect him to be mature, and that was his true self wanting something for himself.
@@SpopySpider well if you think about it if a kid who hasn't experienced life enough to have his own set of beliefs (you can have your own set of beliefs when you're young but I mean beliefs that you will never change your mind on because your experiences made you come to that defitine conclusion) sees grown men's experiences not his own, he will be aware of the knowledge but it's not his own knowledge or experiences. it's just like doing research on past history figures but actually seeing what they saw, just because he knows what they know doesn't mean he became them or as old as them, it's not living in real time as them it's only a pass of knowledge. He's his own person who now knows what others know and he will have his own opinions, therefore Eren is still a kid. I agree with shooshi mooshi, I appreciate the different opinions and ways of looking at things either way I just saw something that I thought could be something else but ofc only the writer of aot will know.
Had this video bookmarked since it came out but didn’t watch till now that the anime has concluded. This feels like a necessary watch coming from finishing it and has helped me truly appreciate the ending and the aspects that I didn’t enjoy. The effort and time you put into this video truly shows. Thanks g.
How does that explain the reiner /eren part? This is the basic, understanding that eren does it because he has to but Reiner's development is just projecting suicidal ideations onto an Eren who embodied a rejection of him- who's against euthnasia thematically and then being concluded with you know what I had a feeling all along eren was fighting because he wanted to be stopped and be put out of his misery. The murder of eren is in itself an opposition of the themes because he was and kept being the symbolism of snks core
There is a blog article I really like called "Eren the Slave" by linkspooky. It was written at around September 2019 (after chapter 121 was released). I want to quote a particular section that explains the scene where Eren's choice of trusting his comrades over himself. "A lot of people misinterpret the Eren and Levi’s corps scene. That if Eren had fought from the start that he would have been able to protect everybody and trusting his comrades was the wrong thing. However, the point of that scene is that Eren chooses to try to trust in people and they all die. He then changes his choice and tries to fight on his own and it’s the same result, he’s captured and more people die. What Eren had to learn to accept in that scene was his own powerlessness. That no matter how strong he becomes there are times where he’s going to be equally helpless because that’s how the world is, massive, and beyond our control. Eren’s ideal version of that scene is that he did not have to trust anybody, that he was so strong that he could fight on his own, kill all the enemies, and not have to endure the loss of everyone. Therefore his ideal is where he has enough power to control every single factor. What he wants is not *freedom* but rather *control.* A brief tangent that is also why Levi is his foil, Levi’s narrative is continually about despite him having a miraculous strength he constantly has to learn to accept the loss of his comrades and his important people. Why? To disprove the idea that *the strong are the ones who can protect their loved ones.* This right of the strong idea is toxic and infectious, _if I’m strong I won’t have to be on the losing side anymore, I can take instead of being taken from._ The thing is even if Eren was the strongest Titan he can’t stop from losing everything. In an attack that works basically perfectly according to his plan when ambushing Marley, Sasha dies for basically what amounts to random coincidence. Eren started a chain of events yes, but that chain is so convoluted there was no way Eren could have foresaw it coming or protected Sasha. Mikasa can catch a cold and die tomorrow, in a situation that has nothing to do with Eren’s personal strength. There are things that are genuinely out of his hands, and yet Eren will never accept that, instead he makes everything about personal strength and control. That’s the thing Eren isn’t trying to solve the conflict or unfairness of the world, he doesn’t care about what happens to weak people who are taken by the strong. *He just wants to be on the side of the strong, taking from others.* His solution actually reinforces the cycle of the strong taking from the weak because all he does is try to climb to the other side, he still believes in the idea rather than figting against it. In Eren’s foiling with Levi, this is what he is supposed to eventually come to accept. That the strongest person in the whole world, the person with the most freedom, is still going to be powerless. Because people are born for no reason, live meaningless lives, and die for no reason. This is an idea that can both be liberating, or restricting depending upon how you see it. This is basically what Hange says to Eren and Mikasa as well, that they have to accept that they’re going to lose people, and moving forward in spite of accepting that is true strength. That is the lesson Eren is set up to learn with his foiling with Levi, but does not."
the only problem with this is that he wasnt trying to take and to be on the side of the strong, he just didnt accept the world as it is and tried to change it by his own hands
Honestly, I don't think it's necessarily that AOT is nihilistic as you describe, but that it's deterministic. Eren was just always crazy, it seems, and there's nothing more to it.
coming back to this now that the anime is over… this video will forever be one of my favorites on the whole platform. Thank you for giving this series the type of dissection it truly deserves.
The problem with the determinstic theory for AoT is the fact that when Eren unlocked the founder completely he saw every choice that lead up to his future. This means that he could change those choices, and in turn change the future. Meaning, Eren's an idiot or Isayama poorly wrote the last chapter
@@abeydaby16 It isn't overhated the rumbling Arc is quite literally the worst arc in the story. Annie and Reiner didn't die for their sins, Armin talked no jutsu'd the past shifters, and Ymir was waiting for Mikasa not Eren.
@@invaderzz Héy, I hope u read it I agree with the clarification u did about the misunderstanding of what was going on (thank you) but… I have a problem with u use of the words inmature, childish, why don’t u use more exact words? Like selfish, violent,…. I don’t understand ur point about this: To live been drung on something is inmature? Someone who understand that he has no justification for to do something and still do it , is immature? So almost every bad guy is immature? I thought we all matured but in different ways, some in rotten apples for example Cause Eren understand that he is not justified, that doesn’t sound immature. But Eren cant say no to this ‘dream’ (freedom, no oppression), there is a world trying to destroy him and his loves, destroying what he wants and he has the power to destroy the threat for ever and he has no doubts. EREN IS JUST EREN, He coulnt say no to this ‘dream’, but he says NO in many occasions, for example to mikasa in 138, he preferred been killed before killing his friends, and many others. Is Eren childish? Ur childish adjective removes objectivity from ur arguments(?) Isayama says Eren is just Eren, Does it remind us that free will is an illusion (eren cannot be other than himself) not thät eren is childish? please someone explains to me, why is eren immature?. Thank you
I've always found Eren's entire character arc to be tragic, but couldn't really pinpoint the exact reasons why/ explain my jumbled thoughts. This explanation was excellent and well thought out. You did a great job at reading closely at each and every chapter. Just, well done overall.
I don't understand why anybody would think for a second that the ending was off... it clicked with me in the first second I saw it and remained with me as one of the greatest anime/manga writing of all time to this day... I'm happy somebody at the least, got to write their story out like they had planned. As a struggling writer for 13 years, I have wished to see a writer in the popular pillars of the anime market, write an actual story written for the sake of story and not changed by stupid trends and money or morals of our society. A good writing, is supposed to go where it's supposed to go. Period. It takes nerves of steel to deliver such boldness in this world. This (AOT) achievement has helped writers in our world feel that much more free to share such delivery and conquer the market with bold works that - yes, may have a tragic ending, even featuring victories of villains and massacre, and I'm sure popular studios and publishers will keep censoring this, but at least we can fight this nonsense now... freedom of the mind that writers feature in the works is essential for mankind to thrive. I truly believe that.
29:15 I just realized how good a parallel Kenny and Uri is to Eren and Armin. Like Kenny, Eren's dream was born when he saw the look in someone else's eyes and could tell they had something he didn't. So he became obsessed with getting the thing they had But for Eren, rather than giving up on his dream and dying (like Kenny), he metaphorically took the injection and became a monster. Also they look similar, and they are two of the only duos who talk about being friends.
I postponed watching this until I watched the ending, I read that people did not take the ending well, I believe it was ended well tbh, and damn it was emotional
I also added this to my "watch later" list until the series was over. I saw so many people upset at the Manga ending, but the anime seemed to end very well to me. Time to watch this now and see what's what!
@moeswagger2329 there's another video posted today that mentions the additions/changes. Watched that one and this one, gives a good overview of both mediums.
@@moeski17 The differences are very miniscule. It's just mostly the animators dropping the subtle nuances and 'implied implications' altogether and spoonfeding the ideas for the anime only's probably to avoid confusion cause it seems half of the fandom just take everything at face value.
I used to think that there would be an Anime original ending before this, but now I don't think so. You have articulated to me what I was unable to understand about the story. Thank you for allowing me to gain a greater appreciation for the story as a whole.
@@lychee_ice There definitely won't be an AOE... But they will make the ending much better by certain AO content. Isayama is involved in the production so I'm curious to see what these additions & changes are.
The scary thing about a deterministic timeline is being able to see the future or being a perfect predictor would be a terrifying curse. If you hate the you/actions you take in the future you are forced to know that no matter what your being dragged to become the monster you fear. Erin was truly a slave wether he wanted to reach his dream that way or not. He keeps moving forward because he doesn’t have a choice and ultimately never did.
I don't know, he wanted to do these things, if he didn't then I don't see why it couldn't have changed. If he knew every action would lead to an event all he would have to do is not take that action.
@@Zanaki113 see that’s where you’re a deterministic timeline means that outcome will come and the events that cause it will happen. Think of it like this say you know that you are gonna lose 100 dollars tmr. So your idea to prevent that is to not use your wallet and instead use your card. But because its fact that you lose 100 dollars you instead lose your card and someone spends 100 dollars using it
@@Zanaki113 Well, in Erens case, they made his reasons clear: he was disappointed that there were people outside the walls, as that contradicted the freedom he saw in Armins book. After 2-3 years, he came to the determination that he'd do the rumbling to fix that reality. Why? Because HE wanted to. Even if he didn't want to when he initially learned.
I'm making these to watch from where I leave: Part 1 - Mistaken Freedom 3:05 Part 2 - Guilty Hero 12:30 Part 3 - Free Will 23:56 Part 4- End of Eren 56:15 Part 5- Eren's Compromise 1:00:52
The problem with the determinstic theory for AoT is the fact that when Eren unlocked the founder completely he saw every choice that lead up to his future. This means that he could change those choices, and in turn change the future. Meaning, Eren's an idiot or Isayama poorly wrote the last chapter
@@encouraginglyauthentic43 there’s also the fact that he can control titans in any time and could’ve saved his mom, this debunks deterministic theory as well
This video PERFECTLY explained and is very close to my own opinion of (almost exactly the same as) the incredibly misunderstood character of Eren. There is a literal war going on in the community because of eren's character and misunderstanding the ending after the anime finished and if this video could reach everyone the war might just 'end'. (Although as long as humanity exists,the conflict will never ‘end’.)
"This line was the most that Eren had been himself since he saw the future four years prior" I'm honestly super surprised this wasn't the general takeaway from that scene, and it's really weird to just have finished the series a day or two ago and see that people thought it was essentially a character assassination. When I first read that chapter it felt like he was being the most open to Armin than to anybody he's been to since the timeskip. It was a breath of fresh air to hear you explain that he was always the same character he's always been, especially in that scene, because of how emotional he was. When I saw him like that my first thought was that he was finally being true to himself and Armin, and that the thoughts he had of Mikasa and him living together forever were completely genuine, they were just hidden under his convictions this whole time.
Well, you probably felt that way cause you finished it recently. Being part of a fandom as big as this can distort a lot of things. I mean there were literal false translations and “leaks” since chapter 121 from “fan translators” just to prove their headcanon lmao. That’s how bad it was.
This whole misunderstanding of Eren's character reminds me of the initial reaction to Shinji Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion who I think most people expected to grow into a cool mature; level headed person and didn't expect him to get worse and more pathetic towards the end. There is even a similar point in the arc where both seems to grow up (uprising arc for Eren and episodes 8-17 for Shinji) but then an event in the story (Basement reveal for Eren, Eva-03 incident for Shinji) turn their positive change arc to negative change arc.
@@Jonas-ob2sh The initial ending reaction is also more or less same lol. I vividly remember literally everyone shitted on after the “last” ep aired. Now, the perception changed quite a lot
If it makes you feel anything better, our current understanding of the laws of physics seem to support the idea that our universe isn’t a deterministic one. In fact, it seems to suggest that everything that could possibly exist is existing simultaneously.
@@see.eye.2361 I mean, that doesn't necessarily disprove a deterministic world, because to argue it does assumes you have a choice on which version of reality you go through.
@@see.eye.2361 I myself am a determinist, but im okay with the current outlook on physics being interpreted as support for a non-deterministic world (one where certain acts cause others, but it can't be predicted which ones). They, however, still don't change that I find it a fairly inescapable truth, that choices and how they causally come to be, are not free.
@@see.eye.2361 This makes me wonder if our insights alone are the reasoning behind our universe NOT being completely deterministic. Like other replies here, I have made observations on actions that I made which almost set my future in stone. And introspection tells me that the perfect predictor paradox has some truth, because on more than one occasion I distinctly remember being aware that these actions were setting me on a path, and I still made the decision and found myself on the long road to causality. I will say that as science has shown us, our insights into the universe have an impact. by simple observation I feel like we can make an impact on a reality that is always changing, while also remaining static. The present is written, AND changing.. Where that puts you and I on the scale of time and the universe is unclear, maybe we live each life simultaneously somehow. Dreams could play a part in processing that peculiar nature, I also feel like humans are evolving and getting better at noticing the changes and signs that put us on this almost supernatural perspective in reality and dimensions, as well as time.
tbh i loved his tantrum. i was actually pretty sad reading it coz i thought the same thing and that "he was back" but it was only in his final moments. i did like how isayama gave him one last time of "being himself" and to armin of all people. and honestly what 19-year-old wouldn't break down after destroying more than half the world for a freedom and love he'll never experience.
i mean technically Armin was the one to enlightened to him that he wasn't free, thus motivated him to become like that. So it's only fitting that Armin is the one to see his true self too
It's also good to remember that Eren's talk with Armin wasn't really his final moments, his talk with mikasa was. He really had his moment with Armin at the end of chapter 131.
@@cvinfinite Huh? No, his talk with Armin was in the paths? That's why he said 80% of humanity were already dead? Right? And his talk with Mikasa didn't really happen, it was more of a dream-sequence thing for her? Or?
Even after contemplating this story for a long time, it blew my mind how much I learned in this, especially about the way Eren saw the future. I'm eager to see more analysis from you in the future. Thanks!
Annie (after thaw) also said that she knows the things she had done are unforgivable, but if meant being able to go back to his stepfather, she would do it all over again. She said this. Just like Eren and Reiner knew what they were doing is wrong, they did it anyways for their on selfish purpose. So I think Annie too is the same as Eren and Reiner. And many other people. I think AOT wants to prove the point that everyone has the devil inside of them.
And also proves that point they can get away with committing genocide and become a peace ambassadors to negotiate peace with exactly the people they genocided.
I think there is one difference. I think Annie differs from Eren/Reiner in that Annie always knew she was doing things what were unforgivable, and did not pretend she wasn’t. On the other hand, Reiner and Eren put up a lie to cover their evil desires. For Reiner, it was to say he was trying to save humanity. For Eren, that he was doing it for Paradis. Annie was always aware she was doing harm and never tried to get close to anyone. And every time she was asked about her choices, she said it was to see his dad.
@@joseangelsanchezgomez3925 it's funny. Eren receives death and Reiner gets to be the ambassador to negotiate the same country he tried to destroy. Reiner got what he wanted in the end and became part of the legend of people who stopped eren and saved (part) of the world.
I HATED the ending. It felted rushed and made no sense. It left many questions unanswered. That's why the creator had to release extra pages to the final chapter to give more context on what he wanted the readers to understand.
I have loved Eren ever since his first appearance in the show, so basically… always lol. After watching this video, I love him even more. He’s my all-time favorite character
This is such an amazing in-depth analysis of Eren that truly reveals how complex he is as a character. I honestly need to watch this again because I feel like I it was so complex that I did not quite catch all of it. Eren truly is one of a kind.
This is literally the reverse of a character ark, and it is mind-boggling. Most stories progress by the main character evolving along with the plot, changed by the things going on around them, and completed by the story itself. We are brought along the journey as the character grows and changes, and the different aspects of a story are brought into being by the changes of the character. In THIS story, the character is EXACTLY the same through all of it. The story instead progresses by introducing new story elements and changing our perception of the character based on the way his identical personality interacts with the newly revealed world. He doesn't change from a hero to a monster; he was always the exact same person who is changed only in our minds based on the information we have at the time. The character's base doesn't change at all; the world he lives in does. Fucking crazy.
@@manwithnoname8229 He did change, IDK what this guy means by identical personality. His personality is completely different in season 4. It's his ideology that stayed the same.
@@ltb1345 his personality changes because of the things he experienced, but his core values stay the same. i think it’s fair to call it a flat character arc.
@@manwithnoname8229 James Bond, Sherlock Homes, and the lead in The Man With No Name series all have flat character arcs and tell fascinating stories. It is how the world, characters around Eren and the philosophies that challenges the reader which makes the story great.
@@ltb1345 I admit that my use of personality could be misinterpreted from what I really meant, but I think the rest of my argument gives enough context clues to assume that by "personality" I was refering to the base values of his character that define who he is in our minds.
There was a comment under a video I watched recently that I think describes Eren pretty well "Eren is more than a hero or a villain, an antagonist or protagonist. He is a consequence. A consequence of a cycle of violence that could not be stopped that grew so large it nearly consumed the world". While I believe this analysis of Erens character is objectively correct in alot of ways I think that he had more autonomy than believed in this analysis. Whether or not I'm right this was an amazing video and a great watch, love your work. : )
honestly eren had more agency than HE thought he had. Sure he could see the immutable future, but its HIS stupid ass that made that future. He determined the future, even if he came to regret it… earlier... time shenanigans lmao
@@JustButton The way I see it is that Eren saw certain version of what could happen in a nebulous and convuluted way. Eventually he saw a future where most of his friends survive, with the power of the titans erased, and Paradis intact. So he kept marching forward. Even if meant genociding 80% of the human race
That is absolutely an aspect of his character, thus the soldier's speech on the intercom when they deployed all the airships in the vain hope of bombing him and the Colossal Titans. It's also doesn't undermine the conclusions of this analysis, but rather complements it.
Freedom for Eren, if im right, was to be able to roam around a virgin world (without human presence). Im pretty sure this was enforced on him because of their belief to be the remains of humanity.
@matchan3962 It wasn't enforced on him. As he told zeke in the memories, he's always been this way, as in always been prepared to take away others freedoms for his sake. His fascination with the flat Exotic wastelands and environments was from Armins book. He definitely felt trapped by the future and his memories of it and Ymir and such, but deep down his core belief to keep moving forward was him.
I remember seeing your video pop up on TH-cam like 1 year ago and not watching it cause I didn’t want to be spoiled. Your video has shown up in my recommended so often i knew that as soon as I was done the show I had to watch your video just to satisfy my curiosity about what it was about. I love your video it was very informative and thoughtful. I watched it as soon as I finished the show. ❤
wow. this was an incredible, well-done, and thought out study of eren’s character. I’ll admit, for much if the video I was inclined to deny that eren primarily completed the rumbling because he wanted to. for so much of the show and reading the manga, I kept trying to rationalize and come up with reasons for why eren would do such a thing. I never really considered he was just completely morally in the wrong, knew this, and did it anyway. I didn’t really even recognize this about myself until you discussed how eren’s friends felt towards him during the last chapters-continuously trying to grapple with the fact that their dearest friend is doing something that is simply and plainly wrong because of his terrifying desire for freedom. With the way the story is told, Isayama makes us feel exactly as eren’s friends do as we experience eren’s decision to complete the rumbling. I also have never understood the future memories so THANK YOU! you’re totally right that the misunderstanding of this really contributes to the divisive reaction to the ending and misconceptions about eren’s character. overall AMAZING analysis. everyone into AOT should absolutely see this, even if they disagree with the interpretation. I would love you see your thoughts on the ending regarding stuff like Mikasa and Ymir’s choices and their freedom.
@@invaderzz if u do it would mean a lot. There r many people and I mean in huge masses including myself that don't understand or seem to understand the whole thing with ymir and mikasa and what ymir wanted from her. It would be something a lot of people want. So if u in future do it, it would mean a lot for a lot of people.
@@evanpowers6045 bro stfu.. Literally everything to u is a retcon, I see u commenting everywhere tryna argue with dumb reasons and explanations and lies. U r proven wrong in everything by that other guy and all u can say is retcon retcon retcon and u give no explanation for ur theories. Ymir and mikasa wasn't retcon, it makes sense why ymir was looking for mikasa it's just I would like to see him make a video on it since he explains things really well and from different perspectives that people fail to see including me.
@@evanpowers6045 and that is why he said during the operation to retake the wall that erwin is not the one who will save the world but armin as he saw that future at least I think that way haah
@@shanchaudhari8765 Oh it happened after? I though it was before they went to retake the wall haha I forgot watched it long ago haha wish it was before kinda would be epic detail
I think that the new ED further supports your theory that Eren's actions were primarily driven by his child-like selfishness. The name of the song is literally "Child of Evil" and features him as a kid with a knife in hand.
You were so spot on with almost everything. Especially with the whiny Eren in the end. Eren has always been that way. He was always there. He never changed. He just had to do what he had to do because he was a slave to his own concept of freedom.
yeah and most people legit were just straight up unwilling to accept the true nature of Eren cuz they fell in love w the new "badass, cold blooded, calculative" etc kind of demeanour of him
@@itsgeet I'd take the same whiny Eren that was able to make actions than whiny Eren that's just really whining without action, whatever those actions may be.
@@triumphant8637 he was literally going to die so he was just ranting about his wishes to his best friend 💀 bet i and you would do that too and there's nothing pathetic about that.
@@itsgeet such a weak argument. Do you remember trost arc? when Eren was in complete despair in the belly of a titan with ripped off limbs? what did he rant about again? "ill kill them all! every last one!". and now in the ending he rants about wanting his stepsisters p*ssy LOL! Eren claimed he would give his gladly give his life during the ceremony, then cries about not wanting to die in the end. what happened? it doesnt matter what me and you would do, but what this character eren would do. he has never whined about something so pathetic ever, and he has faced death many times throughout the series. just poor and bad writing
I understand this videos perspective but I agree with you more. Eren was pro peace with Marley until the Willy Tybur Speech. The video also ignores all of the times when The Survey Corps members said they didn’t see any other way of saving Paridis.
@@titan-framboise3126 i dont think its literally Eren talking through Krueger's body, just that Eren sent memories of his own desire to save his friends back to Kruger, and Kruger gets confused about whether those memories belong to Grisha or Eren ("who's memories are these again?")
@@taperhunter8671 i think he is never pro peace at the first place because Eren will never be satisfied with what he has and will always push something even it is bad.
@@Sebastian-pt5qx if you payed attention to the declaration of war (manga version) you could tell that the speech was his last hope. He was more than ready to fight the world, but while doing so he was also looking for other ways to avoid conflict. People don’t realize he wanted peace, but the difference between him and people like armin is that he knows the true reality of humanity. He knows that peace could never happen.
Eren is the first character who truly broke my heart, as a viewer it's natural we wanted to see Eren win, and even if I knew it couldn't happen, the parts of Eren I didn't get made me still cling on to the hope that there was salvation for him. He is truly a tragic character.
Me too his ending in the manga was so sad. But as I went back in the anime to Eren's dream in season 1 episode 1. I noticed something. Remember the child's room with the red and green curtains with strange symbols on it ? I found out that those symbols are present in Mikasa's parents home. Inside the little shrine behind the mirror there is a clothe with exactly the same symbols. Question is Eren seeing the room of Mikasa's child in the future ? Is it possible for him to survive and have the life he wanted with Mikasa and everyone?
He may get a better ending in anime, given some non-anr aspects/evidence some fans uncovered, including some stuff straight from isayama's mouth. Eren getting a happy ending isn't like Light Yagami getting one, so hopefully there's a chance.
I didn't pity him. In fact, I would argue he is delusional. The video & writing overall paints an idea. Not to be r/14andthisisdeep but at a young age, personally, for me, I came to the conclusion - that no one truly is set "free". Even if you committed massive genocide and became the only living individual in the world, you would be chained by your everyday needs, emotional needs, regrets, etc. There is only one being that could be free and that would be God (in a philosophical & spiritual standpoint.) If God were not to do anything he would still be free as he still exists. In contrast, to what I stated before, that is the closest and most fundamental concept of freedom an individual could have. As that is essentially on choice. Anything beyond that is no longer absolute freedom that can be obtained by a human being. As it creates conflict and contradictions of the freedoms of others. What Eren believes in is the entitlement of choosing whose freedom is worth more. Which is just a God complex hence why I don't pity him. He becomes everyone's enemy not because out of necessity, not as an unnecessary evil. He genuinely holds the current responsible for the past. As Levi calls him a Monster, since Eren is unable to change due to his bullish and very naive perspective on Freedom - he becomes an Enemy as he's ultimately a Monster. I mean he killed civilians during the Rumble. Children. Who were just as naive as him. His very statement on being bored and gazing at the skies is not because he is complex. No, in contrary to what the average Joe may think, its because of how simple minded he is. Freedom is a simple concept that can be explained in various complex ways throughout lives. How Eren approaches Freedom is the opposite, he views it as an abstract concept that can be obtained by simple ways. Thus making him narrow minded. Of course, you can argue that negotiations were suggested by Eren - there is no doubt he considered other options. However, just like Eren sees Paradis entirely as a Victim. He acknowledges the innocents - disregards the value of Marleyans who are not part of it. This overall makes him a hypocrite. Thus making his beliefs and views trickle down leading to him making extreme choices to justify his principles. Let alone, his blind hatred is what strips him of his basic rights. Recall: Season 1 and Eren's conversation with Pixis. He didn't consider that perhaps killing all your enemies wouldn't result to peace. Surface level, he did it to unite everyone. Deeper than that, he did it to protect his friends. And even deeper than even that, the real reason he did it was selfishly for himself. Absolute freedom is illogical but freedom that is absolute is not. NOTE: This is a criticism towards Eren. Not Marley. They are terrible no doubt. This is about how Eren desires freedom.
This video and the series go way too meta, in a good way. Even when you go beyond the series and connect it to real life, it shows how the author basically predetermined Eren's actions, his behavior, and trapped him in a fixed timeline. I don't even know if what I'm saying makes sense or if I explained it correctly, but it's sort of trippy to think about.
I liked that you said one of the main themes in AoT was that in pursuing their dreams, the characters were not free; thus, the only characters that were free were the ones who had to let go of their dream, such as Kenny. Now it gives more context to scenes like Erwin's death, where Levi is about to make the choice to inject him with the serum, but remembers Kenny's last moments; this is what causes him to make the choice he did, to let Erwin die, so he would no longer pursue his dream, and therefore be free. BRUH>
@@shinzoutakayama7883 And because Eren could not abandone his dream, he could not change anything, he was stuck and enslaved by his nature. This show man...
I think that Reiners comment about being "Half assed" didn't only imply that he wished to be able to kill with a clear conscience, I think it also meant he was second guessing this whole mission and wanting to stop at times but couldn't because he wanted to be accepted and loved back at home too desperately. Great video!
Could easily be him expressing that he doesn't view himself as a proper person, too. In addition to those things of course, but that's just how I took it the first time lol
Throughout the final season Eren no longer wears the Wings of Freedom logo, the flashback in 4x09 doesn’t count, and yet he talks about freedom. Even Magath wore the jacket with the logo before dying alongside Keith. It’s a detail that nobody seems to point out about Eren regarding freedom.
Also Porco Although that one is up to debate. When Pieck waves her hands up, we see Porco in Garrison's rose. Before Porco gets eaten, he uses Scout's WoF.
See some time you have to do unthinkable things to achieve your goals in aot eren goal was freedom and going forward,mikasa always talk about if every thing end can be get the life before titan hit the wall.. Eren know he can not find freedom until outside world keep attacking paradise..when mikasa ask eren about is everything going to be same he ans not everything..it means he is ready to do what ever necessary so that he can save his frnds..he even told his frnd that you guys are most important to me... So he sacrifice his freedom for greater good for his frnds and mikasa freedom since she is only think about eren day in and day out..and that rumbling is necessary because without that outside world is planning to wipe out paradise...
@@thecommentatorguy4429 kinda true but also kinda not, he initiated the rumbling as much for his own freedom, it’s after the rumbling started that he already knew he lost so he worked towards his friends freedom
I actually changed my mind about the ending when I saw it animated. Hearing Yuki Kaji do a phenomenal job during the controversial "10 years at least" scene, Eren was suddenly less cringe and more tragic. It was still very much pathetic but it suddenly made me realize that this is the Eren I wanted to forget about - the whiny angry annoying screaming kid with the physical incapacity to fulfill his violent tendencies. Not the cool stoic calculative god he was portraying as. It took a long time to understand but at least now we can finally come to terms with the direction and vision Isayama had for this story - a frustrating but honest social commentary. Thanks for this video. These deep dives into Eren's character have been nothing short of a fascinating journey.
My favorite part about Eren and Armin difference is their lines in Return to Shiganshina: "When I thought about (taking back freedom/seeing the outside world), (strength/courage) flows through me"
Dunno if anyone commented this but I read it somewhere: 140 represents freedom. "In numerology the 139 symbolizes the end of something and the beginning of something else. In other words, the “death” of one thing and the rebirth of another. The 139 symbolizes an important change, which can be in the right or wrong direction." - "The numerology energy represented by the number 140 resonates with expression of a personal sense of freedom and self‑reliance. There is a resonance of independence, curiosity, and wit. " And maybe this is why Isayama ended the manga w Chapter 139. Eren the MC himself never did experience freedom.
@@Rust_Rust_Rust as a manga reader myself its quite odd that it ended at ch 139, actually a lot of people waited for ch 140. So it may just be a coincidence. Anyways I just shared what I also saw based from other people's discussion :)
@@rantipoleice292 sounds like bs tbh I can't imagine an author figuring out how to end their Manga and the exact chapter to end it at as a hint towards numerology.
It really puts into perspective the interview with Isayama where he said something along the lines of "I would like to say I'm the most like Armin, but I came to a realisation that I have much more of Eren in me than I would like to admit."
People seem to forgot that he killed 2 men by slitting one's throat and stabbing the other in the chest multiple time with a literal straight face showing absolutely no sign of remorse or horror, at NINE years old. Eren was still that same person from season one, from episode one, it's just that now we've finally realized it, it's already too late. The more you think about it the more terribly realistic the characters in this show can be. What a fucking story.
ikr. In hindsight him killing those men as a child should have is a clear sign he is a sociopath. Both Eren's allies and us the audience didn't see it cause they were focused on the war.
Why do you losers always cite this as a bad thing? Why would he show remorse to people who were going to enslave the orphan of the people they just killed? Jesus Christ
This is the best pro ending video I've seen. I loved the ending but was very thrown off when I found out the reasons people hated it, and I was starting to see their points without being able to properly say why I loved. You laid it out perfectly. Thank you. Eren was always Eren. Sidenote: thanks for explaining what info Eren learned at what moment, it got a bit confusing but knowing that and correlating to his actions and motivations was toptier 💯
So much of the discourse would be way better the moment people realize that Eren and Mikasa’s shared vision in 138 happens after his conversation with Armin in 139.
It surprises me how little people actually understand the chronology. Most people actually forget that the conversation of Eren and Armin happened in 131
@@evanpowers6045 It does , I have legit seen people say "at first he asks Mikasa to be free , and the very next thing he does was not want Mikasa to find another man" , totally ignoring the fact that he at first he selfishly didn't want to find Mikasa another man and remember him, but he later buries his feelings and tells Mikasa to forget him and be free , as much as he would like her to remember him , he ultimately requested her to move on and forget him , that was his last words. What he finally does is more important than what he initially feels. Chronology makes a huge difference.
@@evanpowers6045 anyone can have a selfish desire, even corrupt & dark so long as they don’t act on it. Seeing as Eren didn’t act on his inner desires means he chose HER best interest over his deepest darkest selfish desires because he cares for her & loves her. Even Carla tried to whisper: Don’t go to her SON as she was dying knowing she will be devoured by Dinah.. does that mean she hates her son or was willing for him to die with her?
@@karma6761 And Mikasa answered "I can't" + ton of other proofs that Mikasa didn't marry anyone else and that the child is adopted At the end, Mikasa didn't forget him and didn't marry someone else
People don't respect Aot subtextual writing enough. Espially in the manga community which you think should be the biggest aot nerds. I really like that this video dove deep into those layers. Plus also with the way the video framed information it's clear to see Iseyama was trying to create a negative character arc out of Eren. It seemed like a lot in the fandom either didn't see it that way or didn't want to believe it was the case, because many wouldn't often get lost in the weeds of trying to post hawk justify Eren motivation and play moral defense while seemingly not caring that that's missing the point. Eren actions can be justified up until a point but under enough scrutiny his logic break down and ultimately reveal how petite it truly is. And That's The Best Part about it. People are coming around to it nowadays but took a while. Luckily for deathnote it was more able to convey these morality themes with it's main character in a more easy to spot way.
@@bm4604 to be fair I think it's fairly easy to not understand a lot in terms of Erin's powers and seeing the future. Reading the manga I carried a lot of misconceptions from the point that eren explained that he had seen the future and it stayed with me throughout the story and I tried to make up why eren actions made sense but by the end I was just left confused. This video was amazing in locating all the points at which confusion could arise and does a really good job at explaining and I don't think I would have put the effort to truly understand the series so I'm externally grateful for all the effort put into this vid.
@@zorezakbar9892 ohh no no don't get me wrong the timeline explanation and the spoon feeding of how the attack titan memory transfer thing is truly kino and if the anime doesn't do a good enough job of clearing it up a video like this would be required viewing almost. I'm talking about how people on impulse after the ending assume that Iseyama harsh tear down of his protagonist, revealing his motives to be ultimately petite was a character assassination. When in reality it was the glue that holds Eren whole character together.
@@bm4604 Eren was truly pathetic, but that was still in-character, because it made sense... What truly made no sense was that Armin and co completely ignored how Eren really screwed them over by making the world fearing and hating Eldians even more and turning the nation of Paradis into a xenophobic fascist state that cared not for peace... Ch.139 tried to be way too hopeful despite the fact that it was literally a post-apocalyptic setting caused by some unhinged idiot... The original ending should've been more somber to reflect the severity of Eren's actions... Luckily, we got the added pages...
This is the best way to interpret the ending imo. A lot of fans thought 139 retconned everything "Chad" Eren did but that's not really true. Eren was truly a half hearted bastard that did want the best for his friends, but also couldn't let go of his innate desire to restart the world with the Rumbling. What makes me think Eren is a masterpiece of a character is that he really did have the same goals from the beginning to the end of aot. He wanted to travel a free world with his friends but throughout his tortured life his dream slowly became more and more demented as Eren began to realize humanity outside of the walls is what's stealing his freedom and not the Titans.
My new AoT analysis video is finally out: th-cam.com/video/HQ3uHh9OGAw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=2cEPw7nWO2mmhrcV
1st
ratio
"I dont think that people should be omitted blame for their actions just due to the parts of their mind out of their control"
How very black and white of you. Many laws dictate that if someone is not well mentally they are innocent. People that are mentally ill or neurodivergant literally CANNOT function the same as others and their actions can be excused. A person stealing chips from a store because he wants to is massively different from one that did so because they mentally cannot comprehend the actions of theft and ownership.
Try having an autistic kid and then come back to me on this black and white point of view.
Notifications are off, good luck replying
Can you add your previous pinned comment to the video description? I can’t find it
Third
Crazy how the story used to be so simple it was like "Titan bad, kill titan."
But can you kill the titan...in yourself?!
@@amanofnoreputation2164 damn.
eren kept saying shit like "ill kill them all" not even specifying just the titans.
@@aslaksockcraft English.
@@aditris4712 he is speaking english idk what your problem is
“Eren’s sense of freedom was a corruption of Armins childlike wonder” - BLEW MY MINd CUZ I NEVER THOUGHT OF IT IN THAT WAY.
yesss exclatly ¡¡¡¡¡¡
When we see himself as a child I forgot the exact words but talking about freedom wile walking with those titans form the wall that’s when I realized how one’s idea can influence another’s but it usually isn’t crated with the same expectations. An example would be eren and zekes solution to eldians freedoms. Zeke chose to Euthanize which would result in countless lives of eldians not being able to experience freedom and erens was killing those present clearing the slate with potential for those that survive to in the future to reap its benefit.
Won’t call it a corruption, I would say Eren obsessive need to wut he thinks freedom is.
Eren grasped onto arimins concerts and took it as an absolute. Eren is an unstable maniac and simple concepts can turn genocidal to a maniac
Honestly
This entire story would be amazing to discuss in an English class, can u imagine
Lol bro I wish I could attend class where the homework is watch attack on titan and be ready to discuss it
@@user-zo5jo3ox5g yep instead of making us read how to kill a mocking bird just let us read aot
I wish☠️
Middle school English teacher here. I'd love to do a class study of AoT, but unfortunately due to the medium (anime) and the violence within the story, it'd never get approved by the admin. And since I only teach middle schoolers the themes and analytical acumen necessary to discuss it thoroughly aren't developed yet, I will have to settle for occasionally mentioning the series in class.
@@kuronekonyaa i mean in middle school we learn about history and what is history then learning most of the time about wars and even on lessons of my native language we read so much books and novels that have killing in it self. I dont know how it is there where You live with school program for learning. But it seems stypid that aot couldnt be read because story is gory
I saved this video for after I saw the ending if the show and I’m so glad I did. I really liked how Eren had always been a slave to fate and his nature throughout the whole series. I have no clue how Isayama had everything so perfectly tied together seemingly from the start
Isiyama confirmed he wrote the story backwards - from ending to beginning.
amen bro, finished it last night and My Soul was Broken by the end
I did the same thing
you and me both, i remember saving this vid when it popped into my recommended page, now that its done i need to give it a watch
The man is a genius
Even at a surface level, I still think it's absolutely genius to give a character obsessed with freedom the ability to see an unalterable future.
Edit: Jesus Christ this comment thread.
And make the god of the world be the biggest slave. One who is still shackled to a kingdom and people long dead and dusted.
The two who should have been the most free are both the least free to the point that well and truly broken slaves to a path they did not want
@@kevind3974 so yams was right telling us all along that AOT would not have a happy ending.
@@kevind3974 well, Ymir wasn't really the god of the world, but rather the god of one group of people (or race, if you want to call it that). It's only Ymir's subjects that Ymir has control over.
@@le1660 yes. Thou the true ending is more of a middle ground then an ending. The actual ending to erens and the titans arc, most defiantly yes, i got nightmares from that. The last few panels, subjective, the world lives but at what cost.
How tf is this genius? you guys never read literature or even another manga ?
It is just bad writing
Philosophy =/= good writing
The entire concept of Eren not beeing a free person himself was the whole reason why he hated those that are bounded/stricted by something (AKA not free) in the first place
Lol, he was always free to choose whether he want to just let the world destroy Paradis or start the rumbling to protect Paradis and he chose the second option after searching for other ways to solve everything peacefully which didn't workout. And if he had the free will to choose this much then this shows he was always free.
@@phoebepaige1619 Lol, Eren was never free. He was Ymir’s puppet this entire time.
Ymir chose Eren as the person to free the eldians, unintentionally it led to him having no free will. Eren played out the future as he wanted, thinking he was striving for freedom because he always felt trapped. Inevitably leading to the rumbling.
All of this, results in Ymir being free from royal blood and her duties of building Titans once Eren dies and passes on.
Why was Eren able to control Grisha and convince him to take the founding Titan from the royal family, but couldn’t control Dina from killing his mom??
Why did Ymir bring Armin to the paths to meet Zeke?
It was set up from the beginning.
@@phoebepaige1619 nah girl , the future of what will happen was already shown to him back in episode 1 when Eren woke up under the tree and said "I feel like I had a very long dream" and woke up crying when he saw the memory of Hannes's blood spilling , hinting it had already happened . Funny because if Eren could've chosen his own future , then why did Eren Kruger already had the memory of future Grisha saying to Eren "If you want to rescue Mikasa , Armin and the other" when Eren wasnt even born yet . The entire plot that the future was set in stone was already forshadowed since the beginning of AoT , just the Attack Titan's power of being able to peek into it's FUTURE holder's memory itself was enough to say that the memory had already established . It was also hinted that the future was inevitable when Eren in S4 asked Connie what was Sasha's last word were , that scene wasn't meant to show Eren's spiral into madness or anything , it was meant to show that Eren already saw that Sasha will die in the raid in Marley , Eren asking that question to Connie and Connie replying the same "Meat" was to confirm that memory he saw was correct , hence him laughing because he knew the future can no longer be altered. If you asked me why it can't be altered then the simple answer is because Eren 7 years in the past is still the same Eren 7 years in the future , they still are the same person with the same goal , that's why the future can't be avoided regardless of what Eren does to change it , because the future Eren already did that . If you're talking about "free will" then choosing whether to take a nap now or take a nap in 5 hour later is also a free will , but it wouldn't mean anything if you already knew what would happen after you take the nap ( In Eren's case , he already knew how the story will end ) . You just didn't know which nap would cause the butterfly effect
His founding titan form in itself embodies that concept as he was held up by strings
I don't think the concept was ever that Eren was not free. It is more like the AOT world has a Harry Potter concept of time, and time cannot be changed. '. Eren just happened to see ahead of time the results of the actions that he himself chose to take. The rumbling happend because he wanted it too, and that is all. Saying he wasn't free just sounds anti synergetic to his character arc. He seemed to believe he was free to the end.
This made me realize what Reiner meant by “The last person in the world who should have that power… is you, Eren”
Exactly what I was thinking the entire time, Eren is the worst person to give the foundan/attack titan to. Because Eren has his own “wants”.
Exactly. Unlike others, Eren didn't use the power out of necessity, but because he wanted to do so, for himself.
@@me-myself76 ah yes, be the villain so everyone Eldia's survivor can be a hero is "Himself" act.
@@tinamaryland4271 only Ymir that doesnt have "wants". imagine u had so much control of the path and founding titan and obviously u had a desire, a "wants". and eren want freedom not for him, but for he cherishes. yet the audience like u still interpreted it wrong.
did u even watch the video?
@@qb4097
"The world outside the walls was different from my dreams. It was nothing like Armin's book. When I learnt humanity lived outside the walls, I was so disappointed. I wanted it to disappear. I'm sorry. I'm sorry"
- Eren, chapter 131
Finally... the time has come... I can watch this video. Literally had it on watch later for almost 2 years
real
Same! I’m so happy reading through all these comments that did the same as me
I feel so liberated now that I know the ending. I'm no longer afraid of spoilers. You could say that I am now a slave to freedom
bro video released just a year ago
@@vishalfrrThis video was released in December 22nd, 2021. The comment you’re responding to was written November 7th, 2023. That’s pretty close to two years apart.
''It's clear to me. He is a true monster and not because of his titan abilities. No matter how you try to hold him down, no matter what cage you lock him up in, forcing his mind into submission is an impossible task.''
One of Levi's hunchs.
this foreshadowing was insane
You can blow off Eren's head and he still won't fucking submit.
@@mutdd3954 It's funny, because I thought he was monstrous, or rather I could see the monster he would become. I loathed him very early on. It genuinely surprised me to learn that people loved him, many, many people.
@@shadowboxing7029 I’m pro jaegerist but it’s truly a STORY so it is what it is really
@@mutdd3954 I'd be surprised if you weren't, I don't come across many lol. I sometimes wonder if I might be too in the real world, if not for him but for the goal he wants to achieve.
"If I have to hear one more time, that you did this for your friends"
"I did it for me. I liked it, I was good at it, and I was... really... I was free"
this comment deserves love, it's one of the few AOT-related jokes I've been able to stomach in recent times
And how fitting a parallel considering how many people, even after he just straight-up says "I did it for me", _still_ insisted he was some kind of noble, selfless anti-hero with pure intentions. You hear all the Walt apologists give *exact* same excuses too: "He's doing it for his family", "It was the only way", "He had no choice", "He knew he was going to die soon and had to do something drastic", "The people he killed deserved it", etc.
@@heinrichagrippa5681 And the same goes to "Gus was going to kill him" or "The rest of the world wanted to destroy paradise"
Using excuses to justify the horror they provoke on others.
Are you?
@@heinrichagrippa5681 Walt was a megalomaniac. Eren was a traumatized kid who had the heaviest burden placed on him. To think that they’re anything alike is objectively wrong.
As a person who’s read the manga, Eren is never free. He’s tied down by the fact that he has to free everyone else.
This isnt rlly what keeps him from being free tho, his lack of freedom is stemmed from the fact that he’s a slave of his own childlike obsession of it. He’s so obsessed with something that doesnt exist that he can never escape his obsession.
@@seb7269 can you explain to me how the rumbling concludes to freedom in Erens eyes. I was getting a bit confused
@@stockyflunky5013 it doesn't. it speaks to the fact that the founding titan was right all along and Eren became a villain who murdered nearly everyone and got his own people killed.
@@TFLdotcom that makes no sense
@@daryeusford9696 how does that make no sense. that is what happened. He killed 80% of the world then the Eldians got nuked do you not remember?
i’ve had this in my watch later for literal years looking at the thumbnail waiting to divulge in this video after the anime had ended, you did not disappoint at all. Thank you. Eren truly is one of the most complex characters in all of fiction.
Same 😭
lol bro same. Now im binging all the aot ending explanation vids
The video is just one year old tho
@@LuisSierra42 almost 2
It wasn't uploaded for years...
Eren did not change, our perspectives toward him changed. I will never forget this. Thank you for your brilliant analysis.
he did change he knew meat girl was gonna died didnt give a fk
@@ericx6969 Look at this guy did you even understand the true power of attack titan? They cannot foresee the entire future. Eren knew that someone was going to die but he didn't know who it was. Also, Eren does care for Sasha. Those laugh is like his reaction to Hannes' death. Additionally, if he doesn't give a fuck, remember from season 1 when Thomas Wagner was eaten by the abnormal titan, he just advanced without thinking the lives of his squad members; Armin, Mina Carolina, and the other two guys in their unit. With that, you might say that he doesn't care for Armin? Smh, just watch the whole video to understand him.
Eren literally said that He remains the same since his born in the s4 pt2 trailer
@@smsprt_ naw he didn't care at the moment so he never cared
@@smsprt_ Your a hater 🤡
The fact that Eren realized what makes a person unlikable , but then also had to follow those things to become unlikable, is just incredible
What made no sense for me was how despite Eren's arrogance and shortsightedness created a bigger mess that ultimately destroyed all of Paradis, his friends still thought he did them a great favor...
Sparing those 20 percent served no purposes. Initiating global apocalypse was already unnecessary, especially when the Survey corps already proposed a more stable measurement, but chickening it out at the last minute wouldn't make him merciful.
Refusing to kill them not only continued the existence of external threats against all Eldians, it worsened the cycle of hatred to a now-irreversible level.
Eren just gave the whole world an even more justifiable cause for aggression: Revenge.
He literally made Armin's job a million times harder than it already was, to which Armin replied: "Thank you for being a mass-murderer for our sake."
Wake up Armin, he just signed your children's death sentence.
@@陳潔明-w6y Sparing the 20% was because he couldn’t fully commit as it would mean his friends would die.
Maybe that wasn’t the best option for Paradis, but he values his friends more than the fate of Paradis.
Also don’t forget that the boy went to the tree so now titan powers are thrown into the mix, we don’t know what’s going to happen for sure, also with the peace talks (peace talks which Eren allowed (that is meaning in his death the others give)).
@@euph1na This is why I actually like the extra pages. There's an ambigous sliver of hope with the boy and his dog finding the tree in a beautiful yet cruel world.
@@euph1na
"Would die..."
Or incapacitate them and proceed with his campaign.
Logically speaking, both parts weren't mutually exclusive...
Eren knew how his friends value the future of Paradis, and he proceeded to destroy up their dreams.
Seriously, Eren should've been called out for his stupidity, not just that him crying for Mikasa possibly moving being pathetic...
Eren is just like the teammate who doesn't go by the rules, mess up the group project, and quit the class the day before the presentation...
@@edwardedison1661
The extra pages backtracked ch.139, where Eren's actions were portrayed as noble with his friends paying their thanks toward him.
It finally showed how much Eren really mess up everything...
Honestly, I do think the added pages were an example of course correction...
But still, AoT's ending was flawed at best...
The fact that Levi pointed out so early on, that he could sense Eren's true nature in season 1. (When they were being chased by Annie in the forest) The amount of seeds planted in season 1 is actually astonishing. 👌 AOT is award winning writing
Except the ending
@@ashlinthomas4500 Did you miss the entire point of the video?
To be fair, Eren has always been unhinged lol. His friends were just immune to it becaus they grew up with him. But everyone that first met him always got the vibe from him that he had a screw loose
@@N.A.alchemist exactly. I remember when AoT was around the First Eren vs Reiner fight in the manga there was a TH-camr who made a video saying that they suspected Eren was crazy.
@@N.A.alchemist lik?
Now that the anime has ended, i can finally watch this analysis. Any lingering doubts and questions I had about the ending and regarding eren decisions has been made clear by this excellent, exceptionally well made essay. Thank you, thank you so much for this. I already loved the ending but seeing this had elevated it even more in my eyes. Aot is truly a masterpiece.
i'm glad i wasn't the only person waiting to watch this XD
Same here!!
Its definitely a well made video but that doesnt mean its a correct interpretation.
@@jchud13 There's no "correct" interpretation tho
@@LuisSierra42exactly
“Everyone had to be drunk on something to keep pushing.” Eren wasn’t only drunk he was PLASTERED
Man's was stoned for days
@@thatlovelywitch2056 if buddy got stoned the situation wouldn't have happened 😭
He's sober of freedom
@@saber033 buddy was a lot of things 😭😭
@@metaphorgucci6175 PFFFTTTTT
It’s a shame that not all aot fans will see this video because it actually clears up a lot of misconceptions about erens character and the story
It still doesn’t change anything it’s literally just a theory
@@kelvinkings3973 it’s not a theory, it’s an analysis, there isn’t really anything theoretical brought up. Because it’s an analysis that’s rooted in an opinion, you can disagree, but it’s also rooted in the events that take place in the story, so it’s also far from baseless theorizing.
@redwill17 I remember something similar happened with the ending of Death Note.
@@kelvinkings3973 lol someone's mad keep seething!
@@DoomPredictions the ending of death note wasn't bad but the last arc wasn't good at all
You really hit the nail on the head. Especially the part where you mentioned how Eren had chosen to essentially reject his own personal growth, which is why he is seen as a child throughout the rumbling.
Why do we also see Armin as a child on Eren's mind?
@@miles62546 probalby becuase Eren wanted to go back to that time where there was just wonder and joy for the outside
@@miles62546 he didn’t want to accept that armins dream had changed and he did not share erens thoughts
Eren was never selfish. No matter how you look at it Marleyans and the King formed a pact without telling anyone else, and it would essentially lead to the Eldians always being seen as devil spawn, but the fact that the Marleyans were blind to their own evil and manipulation of others is even worst. I mean they use the titans for their own benefit, and essentially wanted the Titans (Eldians) to all die. i dont know what is worst at that point.
@@isaacsanchez3310 he could've done something else though. The rumbling was not the answer, showing he wanted to do this for his own personal reasons.
i think i get it now. it took three years but i finally understand eren's version of freedom. "if i kill all my enemies, will i finally be free?" he wants uncontested choice. he spent so much of his life having things just happening TO him, and all he CAN do is react. his idea of freedom is the whole wide world all to himself where he gets to make the decisions, he gets to pull the strings, and there's no one to tell him he can't. but i can't help but feel that after a while, he would get bored of that too.
Eren has a personality of a child and views the world through a child's ideals. He's also a genocidal monster who killed billions of people.
Never forget that the show starts off with, “80% of humanity was destroyed by the titans.” This was later found to be a lie as we discover humans exist outside of the walls but the story ends and as fate would have it 80 percent of humanity was destroyed by the titans… Im sitting here thinking about this and realize that in much of AOT the past present and future exist all at once just as Eren sees when he gains the founders ability. And we as the viewer almost gain the founders ability in the end where we can see all of AOT history truly existed all at one. In a way when the show starts off with 80% of humanity was destroyed by the titans the narration is saying it in the past present and future.
stg everywhere you look in AOT theres more forshadowing
This is also a good argument for the time loop theory, now that I think about it.
Dammm, i never thought about it ..nice observation
@@lazy_biscuits08 I agree!
where did you get this from? I don't remember anything like this bruh
Eren really is such a dynamic character from the perspective of the viewer. While he doesn't change at all fundamentally, the light in which Eren is showed to us changes so much. A scene that really stuck with me after I had gotten the full context of the show, was when Eren was escaping Shiganshina on the lifeboats. The first time through, the "I'll kill every last one of them" line gets you excited to see this orphaned child conquer something so monumental in scale. Going through a second time though, the line is haunting foreshadowing of the horrors Eren unleashes onto the world
reading this and thinking about this gave me fucking CHILLS
I always think about that line and how he was referring to the world and not the titans. I can't believe no one else mentions this. The anger and grief he shows in that scene alone makes you think this kid will burn the world down. Yet people still think his mother's death meant nothing to him. Absolute clowns out there I swear.
@@fabianl604 for real. First season Eren with the context of the the last season is terrifying
@@zub41r75 seriously. I really don't understand how people think this Eren isn't a fantastically written character
@@OffTopic123 Haters will be haters. Messi, Ronaldo, Lebron etc all have haters that say they are bad but the fact is they are not bad they are the best. These salty weebs are the same they will obviously hate the best
I feel like because of erens cold demeanor, and the way he acts in season 4 in general, a lot of people forgot that eren is still just a 19 year old boy who never had a chance of living out his childhood or his teen years like a normal person would. you can't expect him to suddenly be an all knowing, mature person who only makes the right decisions etc. he's still a kid at heart, and his breakdown at the end of the story made absolute sense to me. i was so confused to see so many people having next to no sympathy for him and being angry at him for showing his emotions despite eren always being this way. they really misunderstood his whole character and just went with their weird headcanon version of him and were disappointed when he didn't act like they wanted him to. this always bugged me about this community and still makes me a little mad.
exactly ;(((
@@Mausefell and I never said he wasn't. just that the fandom treated him as this edgy chad version of himself that never existed. of course he's a mass murderer but my point still stands.
@@Mausefell well because he was. what happened to him made him the person he was at the end of the story. of course he isnt redeemable after what he did but the environment that the story takes place in is ultimately to blame for the storys outcome. I am in no way shape or form saying that eren did nothing wrong and we shouldn't blame him. I'm saying that we should also take into account how horrible the whole Marley vs Eldia situation was in the first place and what kind of spot it put all these characters (who were all children) in. you have to have some kind of sympathy for him without apologizing his actions and seeing past the things he did. the future was inevitable.
I hope you understand what I'm getting at, sorry for writing so much lol
@@Mausefell I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. I don't personally think he was a psychopath although there were a lot of things wrong with him, but I see what you mean. regardless, have a nice day :)
@@Mausefell you two are civil af haha, pretty rare to see sometime
The new dialouge from the anime finale confirms everything from this video, Eren ultimately never grew out of being the psychotic rage child we knew him as and turned out as the biggest slave of all.
And he was right, since the Island was destroyed in the end.
@@Shadowbaned Took a few centuries for the world to recover tho
@@Shadowbaneddoesn’t matter if it was 10 seconds or 100k years later. Eventually it would have happened
@@Shadowbaned It was probably Eldia's fault the island was destroyed after Eren's death. If you remember one of the final scenes in the final episode is Eldia rebuilding it's military strength and a guy on a podium spouting nationalistic BS.
Still, at least Eldia (Paradis) had what looked like a few centuries of peace and prosperity before it was nuked out of existence.
@@ThwipThwipBoom this
i feel like a lot of people don't understand the massage of AoT at all...they're too attached to eren they failed to see what eren see
the island would have been destroyed, with or without eren interferene, and the reason is simple...human will fight each other, conflict is unavoiable no matter what age it is, just like us despite nearly 100 year from ww2 still wage war on each other, the reason doesn't even need to be they're eldian anymore, if it's 2000 years the conflict could be anything, the fact that eldian turned into facist super power nation at the end seems to be more of a reason to hate on eldian more than titan stuff after hundred year passed, let alone 2000
Didn't he literally say, "If I kill all my enemies, will I finally be free?" I feel like it's hard to mistake the man's motive.
Pretty much. That and his apology to ramzi are very clear on why he is doing what he is doing. The words used matter as much as the emotion portrayed. A lot of people just see the emotion (despair at the sea, guilt with ramzi) but not what he is saying.
he said we
As the video says, even if Eren got his freedom by killing his enemies, he would inevitably become bored of the empty world he flattened, meaning that Eren soon realized that he would never attain freedom, hence the entire part of the video titled “Unattainanle Freedom”.
I really don’t think u should take the words of Eren and find a single motive behind it
Most of his goals are contradictory to each other
And plus this wasn’t even a goal , it was a possible outcome , the way he says it clearly shows how hopeless this attempt is as he knows he won’t ever be able to do this and we know that true freedom cannot be reached, it was a desire not a motive as he knew conflict won’t ever end and that no one would ever be free
He also shouted for everyone to hear that he'd destroy the entire world but they all forgot about it till it happened.
"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."
Totally changed how I see Eren and I love the take. It's brilliant
I don't think that applies here. More like the road to heaven is paved with bad intentions 🤔
@@henryquiri My take is kinda different l more like road to hell is paved with inner desire.
@@santokun5835 yep this is what actually is. the world is full of hypocrites who conflate their own inner desire with good intentions, and AoT lays it out very very bare
I love the ta-take too
Its alwasy been the road to hell is paved with good intentions if you're trying to spin your variation of it than you must not truly understand the saying.
I don't think Eren was ever a normal kid. He killed adults as a child without flinching.
True...From that scene, he stabbed the kidnapper too many times that its kinda disturbing for 9 year old kid to do even if it for self defense. And later on, he claim that he killed monster not a human being.
eren most likely associated the people he killed with titans (since he didbt understand why humans had to kill each other when he was training ) and therefore killed with the view that he was killing titans since their the only things that kill humans (remember he's still a child which is significantly Gullable). In that sense you could say that was his first titan kill since all titans are eldians anyway
@@dragonballoblivion8273 Very unlikely, Eren hadn't even seen a titan at this point. He never mentioned anything about wanting to kill titans until after his mom was eaten. I think you're confused about the timeline.
That's what i was thinking when this scene came up. From that point on I was almost certain that he will go against his friends in some way. The main reason why people thought he was a "badass" was pretty much just because his morals aligned with those of the viewer.
Also him killing those thugs is probably his most defining character moment since he regressed to this exact mindset during the rumbling, just to be able to justify his actions, which he knows will bring death to millions if innocents aswell.
if a guy murdered your mom with a knife and you had the option to kill said guy, you wouldnt do the same thing? avenge your mother or father by killing the murderer who did it? seems aligned with human nature. id do it if my family members where killed. eren was one of the more proactive kids, but sadly he ironically he killed his mother instead of stopping it, but thitswas before he inherited the attack/founding titan.
With the anime ending adding in a few extra dialogue the entire analysis aged liked fine wine.
Eren is an understandable hero, a detestable villain, and a tragic protagonist. Masterpiece writing.
I don't quite understand what's so understandable about genocide committed in spite of the fact of knowing that it's wrong and having other options presented to you.
@@ivansmirnoff6987 did you read the whole sentence?
@@ivansmirnoff6987 I think he means that it is undestandable why some characters in the world of AOT consider him a hero.
Fandom don't understand Eren
@@ivansmirnoff6987 Other options?
Did you not watch/read this series? For Eren to achieve his goals, there were no other options.
why would anyone believe that young Eren is annoying?
i found him extremely fun and easy to understand.his simple freedom and childish like motivation was super enjoyable, probably because i am a kid that's very childish and doesn't wanna grow up,but still,you don't have to be a kiddo to enjoy him
@Eren Yeager lol
Because he’s compared to every other anime protagonist who play an unrealistic hero from beginning to end.
Same, I like eren, if people didn't who cares
They want ultimate Chad's who doesn't show an ounce of emotions and is also very good looking doesn't matter if he is a kid or not
In search for their fantasies they lose the realism
Same, I actually sorta disliked chad Eren while watching season 4 part 1, I was relieved when I read the final parts of the manga that showed Eren was the same, it resonated with me because I too am pretty childish and don't wanna grow up.
The good ending:
"Armin don't show him that book!"
Yeah, let mf get bored to death lmao. Although he would have realized he isn't free anyway when reiner and bertholdt attacked shiganshina.
but then i think none of them would go to the survey corps, they'd just die to titans at some point and paradis island would get owned by reiner bertolt annie and zeke
@@Nik-md4to he wouldn't get bored to death. Marley would slaughter everyone within the walls to death.
@@Nik-md4to no because eren was already sending titans to eat his mom
@@AidenBoBaiden5 That makes zero sense
With the extra dialogue that Isayama included in the anime between Eren and Armin, your theory is all but confirmed. I originally liked the ending but always felt that Isayama could've spent a few more pages to come to the conclusions you did and what he ultimately put in the anime. Cheers!
What lines were added?
@@feister2869whenever they were sitting in the pool of blood eren holding up the hair, etc. pretty much saying this is wanted he wanted and there was no stopping himself from himself
@@michaelgerik8730this is what i think. while armin holding a shell eren hold a hair and finger
@@feister2869 In the anime, it was stressed more that Eren did what he did because he simply wanted to, not because of his desire to protect his friends (which is what he also desired but was never his primary will). It also backs up what the creator of this video stated that because Eren wanted to (due to his view of the world based on what Armin told him), the future could've never been altered as Eren would've never had the will to change his primary desire. This was made more clear because Eren revealed much later to Armin in the conversation (vs the manga) that 80% of humanity was destroyed, to which Armin followed up questioning if what he did was really to protect everyone (wasn't in the manga), with Eren more elaborately confessing that he really did it because he felt like it (was in manga but context not as strong) and extra dialogue (not in the manga) that he was just an idiot that just so happened to fall into power that made his will a reality. The blood and teeth imagery was new as well along with Armin grabbing Eren by the collar and freaking out after the 80% humanity reveal (Armin's reaction to that statistic in the manga was a lot more lackluster with him showing more anger over Eren's initial dismissal of Mikasa). Also there was context to Armin thanking Eren in the manga for what he did (which at the time caused some controversy). In the anime, extra dialogue was given to Armin in which he decided to share responsibility with Eren and go to hell with him forever because it was HE who had introduced the idea of 'freedom' to him and for that he thanked him to help share some of his sins and for the fact that he did indeed ultimately create the world that they were after. Those to me were notable changes that I can think of off the top of my head that made a big difference. Some people, like the person who made this video, had ultimately figured out Isayama's initial intentions with Eren's character, but Isayama I felt could've been just a tad bit more clear in expressing his ideals short of spelling it out.
@@btsnoonafan6637This was the only problem I ever had with the manga, and I believe the lack of context that you mentioned was the reason so many people misunderstood the ending. Perfect summary
“Eren became the villain of his own story”
Absolute chills.
I view Eren, and AOT completely different after this character analysis. This anime is somehow so much more than I thought it was, I quite literally feel like video has opened my eyes to the harsh reality of who and what Eren represents.
Thank you.
Something I do not get....Why did he say he wanted to kill all of those titans,and protect his city,after His 1ST transformation,and continue to defend the city,and try t6o kill those Titans,then Go,as you said,to kill off bulk of humanity? I do not get it....WHY try to fight against the Titans,Then kill off a lot of humanity? Explain it to me!
@@waynec38 He fought the titans because at that moment he had no knowledge of what and how the outside world truly was. His main motive at that point of time was to defeat the titans because he believed that would be the way he would obtain what he had always longed for...
His freedom.
@@waynec38 Also once he got the memories from Historia and the knowledge from the basement, unfortunately the next target in the way to his "freedom" became the people of Marley.
It is different not more , this video proved that aot and eren is simpler than what most people think
@@ascendedboi2224 They deserved it they started shit first
Finally someone dares to say that Eren's concept of freedom is twisted
The problem is how nobody understood this from the jump its was very clear from the starting of the rumbling that eren is not good person
@@dayday6829 neither was Marley, to me he was the lesser of two evils.
@@Corpse701 yes marley is trash but eren didnt need the rumbling to fight them what he did is for his own sake not bc of eldia or saving anyone
Indeed.
While most fans do know that genocide is wrong, I really feel like people flocked over the idea that Eren should have achieved his "freedom", without ever truly acknowledging how profoundly messed up and selfish Erens concept of freedom was.
And I think that's what led to a fair amount of people not analyzing Erens true desires that led him to do what he did as the series started coming to an end.
@@Levi-rc8kh thank you man thats what iam saying some ppl wantes eren to just say iam sorry after he commited a genocide and everyone we live happy and the end 😂😂😂
Eren, a character centered around being free and having his own will, was actually chained by the hands of fate and was never able to free him and his friends without everything that occured. As a man who claimed to live free, its ironic he only became free after he died. Cool video!
I think instead of fate use his own innate nature
his "fate" was sealed by himself so i dont think it counts as being with no free will.
@@astrotecn he is an idiot for giving up..
His fate was having his personality and ideals being retconned at the very end of a bad written ending. What a shame.
Technically it's not fate that controls the world it's the future that controls the past per say only one timeline no alternate realities it was always gonna happen the perfect predictor paradox is perfect as it sums the universe of aot where fate doesn't change the timeline it was always going to happen as eren was the only one who reluctantly understood it
this was simply incredible. I wish I had the same patience and skill as you to be able to express as eloquently and clearly as you have here how helpful and clarifying this video was. I'm glad you feel pleased with how it came out and that it was worth your time, and am very personally grateful.
“Eren is always angry at something. That rage of his is going to take him to a very dangerous place before he even realise it. That is why I decided to let him meet you Mikasa. If he could stay with you in the mountains, surrounded by nature. Then maybe, just maybe his rage could calm down. You might be the only one able to save him…”
- Grisha Yeager (Lost Girls - Chapter 8)
This was in the OVA ? Well fuck... If we need a non main episode to understand the story...
@@titan-framboise3126 you dont need it. that just adds on to what is already pretty obvious.
@Zavphkuiel it’s not headcanon to say that Eren is constantly angry at something. He’s always angry at that which impedes his and his friends freedom. Since season 1.
@Zavphkuiel well, Eren did destroy himself in the end and he himself questioned if Mikasa could have changed his fate. Mikasa possibly "saving" Eren isn't a headcannon, it's written by Isayama
Soo, Mikasa is basically a emotional help dog? Funny huh
I can't see Eren the same way again
Eren isn't necessarily the villain, nobody's a villain. Just victims.
Maybe?
Pretty sure Hitler is a villain
na bruh like the dude say we cant excuse our actions in our nature,eren is indeed a villain even more when he choose his dream over innocent lifes
@@escanoreldifunto-sama4044 how bout Reiner.
Not often better said
“Eren never changed, our perspective on him has.” Was so spot on👌🏾💯
🔥
That was too col'
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
i love this characterization, very recently it was also used on oden on one piece.
Dude's life so tragic he can't even shag the only girl he groomed.
Outta all tings and literature I’ve consumed… one quote or line that has stuck with me and hit home was “everyone is a slave to something”… I felt this because at the time I was going thru addiction. And as much as my body craved and fought for more. I would ignore things I previously loved and cared about.. so did that mean I loved my substance more than myself or others? No I hated it. So how could I work for and fight for more of something I hated? Was it free will? I definitely at one point decided to indulge, but at that point if it were up to me I wanted nothing more than to stop. So why couldn’t I?… I was a slave. It owned me whether I liked or not. And it made me realize and see all the other things I life that owned people, not just addiction. That quote and line couldn’t be any realer.
yo, man, this will probably get buried but what you have done is beyond amazing. You interpreted Eren as a person with childish goals and indeed a slave to his own dream rather than assuming he is a stoic, a completely new view that proved that the title was right, no matter what. Thanks a mile, Eren's character is truly one of my favorites of all time
I always wondered why they put so much focus on the lines "born into this world" and "keep moving forward" , like they don't animate this stuff for nothing?! And now you kinda enlightened me lol
Erens eyes lit up when Willy Tyburn said he was born into this world in his speech too. These major themes were always in front of us but placed so well!!
@@mondeezul Yes, exactly that and when Armin tried to invoke Eren when he wouldn't move in his titan form in first season (ep 12) with the question "Even tho we might die, why do you still want to see the outside world?" and he replied "Why? Because I was born to this world!"
@@mondeezul good catch
The panel of eren saying freedom as a child with his arms outstretched is my favorite panel in all of AOT and i feel its perfectly juxtaposed with erens slaughter beneath him. I imagine it as eren forcing himself into this childlike state to try and justify/ignore the genocide hes committing.
STOP 😭😭😭😭😭😭
Same
Same bro, fk my heart can't take this.
He is not forcing himself, he has always been a child, like Ymir... in the end both are seen like this, they stopped in the moment they received trauma. She, in the paths is a child and wears the clothes she had on the day she was chased, she can't escape from that moment even if she grows and has 3 kids, even if she becomes the most powerful being, she is still a child -THAT child, a slave-. Eren is at the end the child that saw her mum being eaten (he is wearing the clothes he had on that day, too). Ymir and Eren understand eachother because they are both traumatised children and can't go on from that moment. Both of their traumas lead to that big scream an cry, the rumbling. I believe the rumbling is like a tantrum that kids do. Aside from that, personally, I don't believe people "are born with...", I think we are formed or maybe we are a mix. In the end, snk is a story of children being traumatised because of war and humanity (we aren't free because we are born into this world, the world is already made previously of our existence, is the opposite that Eren says "i'm free bc i was born into this world"). Sorry for my bad english
If my people were going to be slaughtered just for existing then I damn well would ignore any damage I did to my enemy.
I always see people like you chastising Eren for “genocide,” while completely absolving the coalition of heir original sin of wanting to purge the Eldians (genocide). As if he’s supposed to feel bad for attempting to secure his peoples existence in the face of a hostile enemy.
On Griesha, I feel that he was on board with stopping Eren when he had talked to Zeke but that was before learning that Carla had died when he found Eren after the walls fell. After young Eren told him his wife died, I feel that he shifted to taken revenge as he had told Eren to use the power to avenge his mom and save his friends.
This is correct
Griesha, never had a choice he would give the attack titan to Eren regardless,it wasn’t just for pure revenge, griesha was also close to dying cause 13 years was coming up also, the speech eren told his dad about joining the scouts b4 he left that day.
Thats probably why Carla had to die. But I'm really curious what else did future Eren influence.
Eren went from "I wanna save the world from Titans" to "I wanna destroy the world with Titans" while his character inner workings didn't change at all. Isayama truly is a genius writer.
And then full circle, because he did destroy all Titans from the world in the end
He did will a world where no one would suffer from titans anymore.
"I'm gonna destroy them all" changed meanings but eren never let go of that goal
The part where all humans outside the wall were extinct nearly happend too, would have been so cool if that was the case, really bringing it full circle
isayama probably does organic chemistry in his sleep
I'm FINALLY at peace with the ending, amazing video, it felt so weird, you legit called me out when you said people hated the fact that Eren was "pathetic" because we all got attached to the image of chad Eren, first time it feels good to find out I was so wrong about something!
If you are a female , will you date eren?
@@春蠶至死絲方盡 yes (im a guy)
@@DarthVader-do8tu now become female and tell us ur opinion
👁 👁
That's how I felt too. I don't even wanna try diving deeper onto this because I feel like I've reach the truth about his character after this video.
Goated ending
Something I wanted to add in regards to eren “pathetically” breaking down over mikasa. You already addressed that it was childish and that that was eren the whole time, but I also just wanted to go along with you and say that it just made sense. This whole time, eren was just a kid. The oldest he got to was, what, 19? Correct me if I’m wrong. Regardless he was a kid throughout the story who had his selfish dreams like everyone else. Like you and me even. Except he never even got the CHANCE to live life to the fullest like we do. So the fact that he knew that his time to go was in a matter of moments while in paths with Armin crushed him. The fact that he couldn’t be with the people he loved. With his best friend who he loved. With the girl he loved. He had every right to break down there because he quite literally was faced with the fact that his go at life was about to end before ever truly getting started (as a consequence of, as you said, his inability to break free of his OWN chains). His messed up idea of freedom. Was it a “pathetic” show of emotions? Sure. But goddammit it was real and I probably would’ve done the same :(
I love this because I've seen people say how dumb or "pathetic" him breaking down was but man Eren was a kid in his last moments with his best friend as well as his last (and only) moment of vulnerability regarding his love before he had to again live with the totality of ending the fn world for THEIR freedom, not his.
I disagree with this sentiment, Eren is no Shinji, he isn't just a kid trusted into situations bigger than himself and one of the big reasons for that is the fact that this world is deterministic, Eren was, like it or not, made to be this way, to me Eren breaking down is an honest display of his selfish desire to have his cake and eat it and while that is admittedly very childish, there is one big distinction, with the power of the founder titan, Eren has practically an eternity to ponder his actions at the moment he acquires that power, perceiving the time in a non linear fashion while also having the memories of his dad and presumably other users of his powers means that he can no longer be considered a child under any context, if anything he is more of a deity, Eren is not breaking down because he is a kid struggling with his chains, Eren is breaking down because he is selfish, he got what he wanted, he got his taste of his desired freedom, but he wanted more.
@@SpopySpider I think you are somewhat right. Eren was not exactly being childish, he was being little selfish which is everyone in the world. Till that point he was pushed by fate and he was making himself look bad, but for once he got chance to open his desires which were buried deep from long time. And he was 19, still a kid, he shown a lot of courageous and matured talks thats why we forget he is still 19. We can't expect him to be mature, and that was his true self wanting something for himself.
@@SpopySpider well if you think about it if a kid who hasn't experienced life enough to have his own set of beliefs (you can have your own set of beliefs when you're young but I mean beliefs that you will never change your mind on because your experiences made you come to that defitine conclusion) sees grown men's experiences not his own, he will be aware of the knowledge but it's not his own knowledge or experiences. it's just like doing research on past history figures but actually seeing what they saw, just because he knows what they know doesn't mean he became them or as old as them, it's not living in real time as them it's only a pass of knowledge. He's his own person who now knows what others know and he will have his own opinions, therefore Eren is still a kid. I agree with shooshi mooshi, I appreciate the different opinions and ways of looking at things either way I just saw something that I thought could be something else but ofc only the writer of aot will know.
@@rufaro- It’s because he destroyed the world and Eren has the audacity to cry about something silly
Had this video bookmarked since it came out but didn’t watch till now that the anime has concluded. This feels like a necessary watch coming from finishing it and has helped me truly appreciate the ending and the aspects that I didn’t enjoy. The effort and time you put into this video truly shows. Thanks g.
Completely rehabilitated and reimagined my understanding of the series' themes and its ending. Thank you.
I second this
Same
Totally same
Im genuinely mind blown. That whole part where Erens meets Reiner in season 4 makes so much sense now I feel like my brain just expanded 🤯
It's like before we didn't have the necessary information (or didn't want to accept it?) and this man just came in and gave it all to us
What are you talking about this is just face value shit
How does that explain the reiner /eren part? This is the basic, understanding that eren does it because he has to but Reiner's development is just projecting suicidal ideations onto an Eren who embodied a rejection of him- who's against euthnasia thematically and then being concluded with you know what I had a feeling all along eren was fighting because he wanted to be stopped and be put out of his misery. The murder of eren is in itself an opposition of the themes because he was and kept being the symbolism of snks core
My mind expanded at the part where he was talking about the high school cast manga. At that point That’s where I realized it made sense to me
Wtf ? It was straightforward, how you couldn’t get it lol
There is a blog article I really like called "Eren the Slave" by linkspooky. It was written at around September 2019 (after chapter 121 was released). I want to quote a particular section that explains the scene where Eren's choice of trusting his comrades over himself.
"A lot of people misinterpret the Eren and Levi’s corps scene. That if Eren had fought from the start that he would have been able to protect everybody and trusting his comrades was the wrong thing. However, the point of that scene is that Eren chooses to try to trust in people and they all die. He then changes his choice and tries to fight on his own and it’s the same result, he’s captured and more people die. What Eren had to learn to accept in that scene was his own powerlessness. That no matter how strong he becomes there are times where he’s going to be equally helpless because that’s how the world is, massive, and beyond our control. Eren’s ideal version of that scene is that he did not have to trust anybody, that he was so strong that he could fight on his own, kill all the enemies, and not have to endure the loss of everyone. Therefore his ideal is where he has enough power to control every single factor. What he wants is not *freedom* but rather *control.*
A brief tangent that is also why Levi is his foil, Levi’s narrative is continually about despite him having a miraculous strength he constantly has to learn to accept the loss of his comrades and his important people. Why? To disprove the idea that *the strong are the ones who can protect their loved ones.* This right of the strong idea is toxic and infectious, _if I’m strong I won’t have to be on the losing side anymore, I can take instead of being taken from._ The thing is even if Eren was the strongest Titan he can’t stop from losing everything. In an attack that works basically perfectly according to his plan when ambushing Marley, Sasha dies for basically what amounts to random coincidence. Eren started a chain of events yes, but that chain is so convoluted there was no way Eren could have foresaw it coming or protected Sasha. Mikasa can catch a cold and die tomorrow, in a situation that has nothing to do with Eren’s personal strength. There are things that are genuinely out of his hands, and yet Eren will never accept that, instead he makes everything about personal strength and control.
That’s the thing Eren isn’t trying to solve the conflict or unfairness of the world, he doesn’t care about what happens to weak people who are taken by the strong. *He just wants to be on the side of the strong, taking from others.* His solution actually reinforces the cycle of the strong taking from the weak because all he does is try to climb to the other side, he still believes in the idea rather than figting against it.
In Eren’s foiling with Levi, this is what he is supposed to eventually come to accept. That the strongest person in the whole world, the person with the most freedom, is still going to be powerless. Because people are born for no reason, live meaningless lives, and die for no reason. This is an idea that can both be liberating, or restricting depending upon how you see it.
This is basically what Hange says to Eren and Mikasa as well, that they have to accept that they’re going to lose people, and moving forward in spite of accepting that is true strength. That is the lesson Eren is set up to learn with his foiling with Levi, but does not."
the only problem with this is that he wasnt trying to take and to be on the side of the strong, he just didnt accept the world as it is and tried to change it by his own hands
Honestly, I don't think it's necessarily that AOT is nihilistic as you describe, but that it's deterministic. Eren was just always crazy, it seems, and there's nothing more to it.
Eren never wanted to control anyone. If he did, he would have stopped the Scouts from opposing him
Shit take
coming back to this now that the anime is over… this video will forever be one of my favorites on the whole platform. Thank you for giving this series the type of dissection it truly deserves.
This is already rising in views, but once the anime finishes it’ll skyrocket even more. Very well deserved too, really excellent analysis.
Fr and this video deserve it
honestly shoutout to the people on tik tok who pushed this agenda
The problem with the determinstic theory for AoT is the fact that when Eren unlocked the founder completely he saw every choice that lead up to his future.
This means that he could change those choices, and in turn change the future.
Meaning, Eren's an idiot or Isayama poorly wrote the last chapter
fr bro ending of aot is overhated af
@@abeydaby16 It isn't overhated the rumbling Arc is quite literally the worst arc in the story. Annie and Reiner didn't die for their sins, Armin talked no jutsu'd the past shifters, and Ymir was waiting for Mikasa not Eren.
Every AOT fan deserves to see this. I’m an aspiring writer, and this is a very useful study for character writing and a look into myself as a person
Thank you, I'm glad you liked it
@Reiner Braun Looking into themselves as a person, eh not to much. If you have a strategy
@Reiner Braun It could also TREMENDOUSLY help you with writing. As i'm an aspiring writer too.
@Reiner Braun nothing is too complicated for someone who learns.
@@invaderzz Héy, I hope u read it
I agree with the clarification u did about the misunderstanding of what was going on (thank you) but…
I have a problem with u use of the words inmature, childish, why don’t u use more exact words? Like selfish, violent,…. I don’t understand ur point about this:
To live been drung on something is inmature?
Someone who understand that he has no justification for to do something and still do it , is immature? So almost every bad guy is immature? I thought we all matured but in different ways, some in rotten apples for example
Cause Eren understand that he is not justified, that doesn’t sound immature. But Eren cant say no to this ‘dream’ (freedom, no oppression), there is a world trying to destroy him and his loves, destroying what he wants and he has the power to destroy the threat for ever and he has no doubts. EREN IS JUST EREN, He coulnt say no to this ‘dream’, but he says NO in many occasions, for example to mikasa in 138, he preferred been killed before killing his friends, and many others. Is Eren childish?
Ur childish adjective removes objectivity from ur arguments(?)
Isayama says Eren is just Eren, Does it remind us that free will is an illusion (eren cannot be other than himself) not thät eren is childish?
please someone explains to me, why is eren immature?. Thank you
I've always found Eren's entire character arc to be tragic, but couldn't really pinpoint the exact reasons why/ explain my jumbled thoughts. This explanation was excellent and well thought out. You did a great job at reading closely at each and every chapter. Just, well done overall.
I mean it’s not THAT tragic
@@erenyeager8427 He is literally the most tragic character of the show. He is enslaved by his destiny.
@@santokun5835 no I am not
@@erenyeager8427 Denial is the first stage of grief
@@mimiky7577 LMFAO 💀 bro why'd i laugh at this
I don't understand why anybody would think for a second that the ending was off... it clicked with me in the first second I saw it and remained with me as one of the greatest anime/manga writing of all time to this day...
I'm happy somebody at the least, got to write their story out like they had planned. As a struggling writer for 13 years, I have wished to see a writer in the popular pillars of the anime market, write an actual story written for the sake of story and not changed by stupid trends and money or morals of our society.
A good writing, is supposed to go where it's supposed to go. Period. It takes nerves of steel to deliver such boldness in this world. This (AOT) achievement has helped writers in our world feel that much more free to share such delivery and conquer the market with bold works that - yes, may have a tragic ending, even featuring victories of villains and massacre, and I'm sure popular studios and publishers will keep censoring this, but at least we can fight this nonsense now... freedom of the mind that writers feature in the works is essential for mankind to thrive.
I truly believe that.
Excellent analysis.
"Give up on your dream and die" makes so much more sense now. Powerful message.
just thought about it and now i see the comment) agreeee
In the end he gave up the mission.....didnt went full rumbling i mean
@Weyland Punani amazing mesage
@@zbuilder4664 lol
U just speak up my mind 🗿
29:15
I just realized how good a parallel Kenny and Uri is to Eren and Armin. Like Kenny, Eren's dream was born when he saw the look in someone else's eyes and could tell they had something he didn't. So he became obsessed with getting the thing they had
But for Eren, rather than giving up on his dream and dying (like Kenny), he metaphorically took the injection and became a monster.
Also they look similar, and they are two of the only duos who talk about being friends.
Really awesome way to put it.
Antithesis is a better word
I used to think why the king looks like Armin.
You gave me the reason lmao
yoooo how did i never think or notice about this. Rly good observation
Yeah that is great but now mention the tons of shit points about AoT that ruined the ending lol
I postponed watching this until I watched the ending, I read that people did not take the ending well, I believe it was ended well tbh, and damn it was emotional
I also added this to my "watch later" list until the series was over. I saw so many people upset at the Manga ending, but the anime seemed to end very well to me. Time to watch this now and see what's what!
@@LordDraco3 What were the differences? I just read the final arc on the manga after watching the anime last night. I thought it ended the same.
@moeswagger2329 there's another video posted today that mentions the additions/changes. Watched that one and this one, gives a good overview of both mediums.
@@LordDraco3what’s this another video that ur referring to?
@@moeski17 The differences are very miniscule. It's just mostly the animators dropping the subtle nuances and 'implied implications' altogether and spoonfeding the ideas for the anime only's probably to avoid confusion cause it seems half of the fandom just take everything at face value.
I CAN FINALLY WATCH IT
I used to think that there would be an Anime original ending before this, but now I don't think so. You have articulated to me what I was unable to understand about the story. Thank you for allowing me to gain a greater appreciation for the story as a whole.
same here
There will be an anime original ending. It does not contradict anything said in this video though
@aiden nedai Isayama never said that. He only said that anime is a "definitive version" of the story
@@lychee_ice There definitely won't be an AOE... But they will make the ending much better by certain AO content. Isayama is involved in the production so I'm curious to see what these additions & changes are.
@@Comicbroe405 How can you say so surely that there won't be an AOE when there are so many hints that it will happen
The scary thing about a deterministic timeline is being able to see the future or being a perfect predictor would be a terrifying curse. If you hate the you/actions you take in the future you are forced to know that no matter what your being dragged to become the monster you fear. Erin was truly a slave wether he wanted to reach his dream that way or not. He keeps moving forward because he doesn’t have a choice and ultimately never did.
Probably the worst part is that once you become the monster you fear, it would ultimately be because you wanted to.
I don't know, he wanted to do these things, if he didn't then I don't see why it couldn't have changed. If he knew every action would lead to an event all he would have to do is not take that action.
@@Zanaki113 see that’s where you’re a deterministic timeline means that outcome will come and the events that cause it will happen. Think of it like this say you know that you are gonna lose 100 dollars tmr. So your idea to prevent that is to not use your wallet and instead use your card. But because its fact that you lose 100 dollars you instead lose your card and someone spends 100 dollars using it
@@Zanaki113 Well, in Erens case, they made his reasons clear: he was disappointed that there were people outside the walls, as that contradicted the freedom he saw in Armins book. After 2-3 years, he came to the determination that he'd do the rumbling to fix that reality. Why? Because HE wanted to. Even if he didn't want to when he initially learned.
@@Zanaki113 my guy did not watch the vid
I'm making these to watch from where I leave:
Part 1 - Mistaken Freedom 3:05
Part 2 - Guilty Hero 12:30
Part 3 - Free Will 23:56
Part 4- End of Eren 56:15
Part 5- Eren's Compromise 1:00:52
Part 6 - Unattainable Freedom 1:15:17
@@rebecca3647 that helps
Thankss
The problem with the determinstic theory for AoT is the fact that when Eren unlocked the founder completely he saw every choice that lead up to his future.
This means that he could change those choices, and in turn change the future.
Meaning, Eren's an idiot or Isayama poorly wrote the last chapter
@@encouraginglyauthentic43 there’s also the fact that he can control titans in any time and could’ve saved his mom, this debunks deterministic theory as well
This video PERFECTLY explained and is very close to my own opinion of (almost exactly the same as) the incredibly misunderstood character of Eren.
There is a literal war going on in the community because of eren's character and misunderstanding the ending after the anime finished and if this video could reach everyone the war might just 'end'.
(Although as long as humanity exists,the conflict will never ‘end’.)
"This line was the most that Eren had been himself since he saw the future four years prior"
I'm honestly super surprised this wasn't the general takeaway from that scene, and it's really weird to just have finished the series a day or two ago and see that people thought it was essentially a character assassination. When I first read that chapter it felt like he was being the most open to Armin than to anybody he's been to since the timeskip. It was a breath of fresh air to hear you explain that he was always the same character he's always been, especially in that scene, because of how emotional he was. When I saw him like that my first thought was that he was finally being true to himself and Armin, and that the thoughts he had of Mikasa and him living together forever were completely genuine, they were just hidden under his convictions this whole time.
T_T Cry I all the time I read this page, after a dozen times it still moving so much
totally agree, it honestly made me laugh when i first read it cus i thought "yup, thats the eren we all know, deep down just a selfish child"
Well, you probably felt that way cause you finished it recently. Being part of a fandom as big as this can distort a lot of things. I mean there were literal false translations and “leaks” since chapter 121 from “fan translators” just to prove their headcanon lmao. That’s how bad it was.
This whole misunderstanding of Eren's character reminds me of the initial reaction to Shinji Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion who I think most people expected to grow into a cool mature; level headed person and didn't expect him to get worse and more pathetic towards the end.
There is even a similar point in the arc where both seems to grow up (uprising arc for Eren and episodes 8-17 for Shinji) but then an event in the story (Basement reveal for Eren, Eva-03 incident for Shinji) turn their positive change arc to negative change arc.
@@Jonas-ob2sh The initial ending reaction is also more or less same lol. I vividly remember literally everyone shitted on after the “last” ep aired. Now, the perception changed quite a lot
This video taught me a lot about determinism and the “perfect predictors”. Great work and a lot of effort put into this.
If it makes you feel anything better, our current understanding of the laws of physics seem to support the idea that our universe isn’t a deterministic one. In fact, it seems to suggest that everything that could possibly exist is existing simultaneously.
@@see.eye.2361 I mean, that doesn't necessarily disprove a deterministic world, because to argue it does assumes you have a choice on which version of reality you go through.
@@see.eye.2361 I myself am a determinist, but im okay with the current outlook on physics being interpreted as support for a non-deterministic world (one where certain acts cause others, but it can't be predicted which ones). They, however, still don't change that I find it a fairly inescapable truth, that choices and how they causally come to be, are not free.
@@see.eye.2361 This makes me wonder if our insights alone are the reasoning behind our universe NOT being completely deterministic. Like other replies here, I have made observations on actions that I made which almost set my future in stone. And introspection tells me that the perfect predictor paradox has some truth, because on more than one occasion I distinctly remember being aware that these actions were setting me on a path, and I still made the decision and found myself on the long road to causality.
I will say that as science has shown us, our insights into the universe have an impact. by simple observation I feel like we can make an impact on a reality that is always changing, while also remaining static. The present is written, AND changing.. Where that puts you and I on the scale of time and the universe is unclear, maybe we live each life simultaneously somehow. Dreams could play a part in processing that peculiar nature, I also feel like humans are evolving and getting better at noticing the changes and signs that put us on this almost supernatural perspective in reality and dimensions, as well as time.
I was the 1000th like 👍🏾
tbh i loved his tantrum. i was actually pretty sad reading it coz i thought the same thing and that "he was back" but it was only in his final moments. i did like how isayama gave him one last time of "being himself" and to armin of all people. and honestly what 19-year-old wouldn't break down after destroying more than half the world for a freedom and love he'll never experience.
The part made me so sad I cried
i mean technically Armin was the one to enlightened to him that he wasn't free, thus motivated him to become like that. So it's only fitting that Armin is the one to see his true self too
It's also good to remember that Eren's talk with Armin wasn't really his final moments, his talk with mikasa was. He really had his moment with Armin at the end of chapter 131.
Noooo but eren couldn't be a virgin incel he had to be an edgy chad and bang Historia nooooo
@@cvinfinite Huh? No, his talk with Armin was in the paths? That's why he said 80% of humanity were already dead? Right?
And his talk with Mikasa didn't really happen, it was more of a dream-sequence thing for her? Or?
Even after contemplating this story for a long time, it blew my mind how much I learned in this, especially about the way Eren saw the future. I'm eager to see more analysis from you in the future. Thanks!
Thank you!
Annie (after thaw) also said that she knows the things she had done are unforgivable, but if meant being able to go back to his stepfather, she would do it all over again. She said this. Just like Eren and Reiner knew what they were doing is wrong, they did it anyways for their on selfish purpose. So I think Annie too is the same as Eren and Reiner. And many other people. I think AOT wants to prove the point that everyone has the devil inside of them.
And also proves that point they can get away with committing genocide and become a peace ambassadors to negotiate peace with exactly the people they genocided.
I think there is one difference. I think Annie differs from Eren/Reiner in that Annie always knew she was doing things what were unforgivable, and did not pretend she wasn’t. On the other hand, Reiner and Eren put up a lie to cover their evil desires. For Reiner, it was to say he was trying to save humanity. For Eren, that he was doing it for Paradis. Annie was always aware she was doing harm and never tried to get close to anyone. And every time she was asked about her choices, she said it was to see his dad.
@@joseangelsanchezgomez3925 True but she still halfassed it by always letting Armin go. Inevitably causing her to be trapped for years
@@joseangelsanchezgomez3925 it's funny. Eren receives death and Reiner gets to be the ambassador to negotiate the same country he tried to destroy. Reiner got what he wanted in the end and became part of the legend of people who stopped eren and saved (part) of the world.
@@cmend LoL yeah! He did become a hero.
I thought I understood Eren but this helped me completely grasp his character and I love the ending even more now
You can’t completely grasp him if you think he just wants destruction
@@badbye8064 true
I HATED the ending. It felted rushed and made no sense. It left many questions unanswered. That's why the creator had to release extra pages to the final chapter to give more context on what he wanted the readers to understand.
@@dorianmouzone7313 watch the video bro !
I have loved Eren ever since his first appearance in the show, so basically… always lol. After watching this video, I love him even more. He’s my all-time favorite character
Do you think that this justice he will have?
I understand that it is a 50/50 with him.
Same its funny that people found Him annoying and the sudden many people like him now.
@Eren Yeager and always will be 🕊
@@erenjaeger1738 and the same people who hated him before started hating him after the ending
sameee
This is such an amazing in-depth analysis of Eren that truly reveals how complex he is as a character. I honestly need to watch this again because I feel like I it was so complex that I did not quite catch all of it. Eren truly is one of a kind.
This is literally the reverse of a character ark, and it is mind-boggling. Most stories progress by the main character evolving along with the plot, changed by the things going on around them, and completed by the story itself. We are brought along the journey as the character grows and changes, and the different aspects of a story are brought into being by the changes of the character.
In THIS story, the character is EXACTLY the same through all of it. The story instead progresses by introducing new story elements and changing our perception of the character based on the way his identical personality interacts with the newly revealed world. He doesn't change from a hero to a monster; he was always the exact same person who is changed only in our minds based on the information we have at the time. The character's base doesn't change at all; the world he lives in does. Fucking crazy.
And that's called a flat character arc. Eren, staying the same literally means he has no development or it's just a façade.
@@manwithnoname8229 He did change, IDK what this guy means by identical personality. His personality is completely different in season 4. It's his ideology that stayed the same.
@@ltb1345 his personality changes because of the things he experienced, but his core values stay the same. i think it’s fair to call it a flat character arc.
@@manwithnoname8229 James Bond, Sherlock Homes, and the lead in The Man With No Name series all have flat character arcs and tell fascinating stories. It is how the world, characters around Eren and the philosophies that challenges the reader which makes the story great.
@@ltb1345 I admit that my use of personality could be misinterpreted from what I really meant, but I think the rest of my argument gives enough context clues to assume that by "personality" I was refering to the base values of his character that define who he is in our minds.
There was a comment under a video I watched recently that I think describes Eren pretty well "Eren is more than a hero or a villain, an antagonist or protagonist. He is a consequence. A consequence of a cycle of violence that could not be stopped that grew so large it nearly consumed the world". While I believe this analysis of Erens character is objectively correct in alot of ways I think that he had more autonomy than believed in this analysis. Whether or not I'm right this was an amazing video and a great watch, love your work. : )
honestly eren had more agency than HE thought he had. Sure he could see the immutable future, but its HIS stupid ass that made that future.
He determined the future, even if he came to regret it… earlier...
time shenanigans lmao
@@JustButton The way I see it is that Eren saw certain version of what could happen in a nebulous and convuluted way. Eventually he saw a future where most of his friends survive, with the power of the titans erased, and Paradis intact. So he kept marching forward. Even if meant genociding 80% of the human race
That is absolutely an aspect of his character, thus the soldier's speech on the intercom when they deployed all the airships in the vain hope of bombing him and the Colossal Titans. It's also doesn't undermine the conclusions of this analysis, but rather complements it.
Freedom for Eren, if im right, was to be able to roam around a virgin world (without human presence). Im pretty sure this was enforced on him because of their belief to be the remains of humanity.
@matchan3962 It wasn't enforced on him. As he told zeke in the memories, he's always been this way, as in always been prepared to take away others freedoms for his sake. His fascination with the flat Exotic wastelands and environments was from Armins book.
He definitely felt trapped by the future and his memories of it and Ymir and such, but deep down his core belief to keep moving forward was him.
Best Attack on Titan video I've ever seen, and one of the best analysis vides on TH-cam at that. Keep up the good work!
I couldn't agree more with this review!
this is the first ever donation comment i have seen since the update 😅😂
@@vivek_02512 +1
@@vivek_02512 +1
@@vivek_02512 +1
I remember seeing your video pop up on TH-cam like 1 year ago and not watching it cause I didn’t want to be spoiled. Your video has shown up in my recommended so often i knew that as soon as I was done the show I had to watch your video just to satisfy my curiosity about what it was about.
I love your video it was very informative and thoughtful. I watched it as soon as I finished the show. ❤
wow. this was an incredible, well-done, and thought out study of eren’s character. I’ll admit, for much if the video I was inclined to deny that eren primarily completed the rumbling because he wanted to. for so much of the show and reading the manga, I kept trying to rationalize and come up with reasons for why eren would do such a thing. I never really considered he was just completely morally in the wrong, knew this, and did it anyway. I didn’t really even recognize this about myself until you discussed how eren’s friends felt towards him during the last chapters-continuously trying to grapple with the fact that their dearest friend is doing something that is simply and plainly wrong because of his terrifying desire for freedom. With the way the story is told, Isayama makes us feel exactly as eren’s friends do as we experience eren’s decision to complete the rumbling.
I also have never understood the future memories so THANK YOU! you’re totally right that the misunderstanding of this really contributes to the divisive reaction to the ending and misconceptions about eren’s character.
overall AMAZING analysis. everyone into AOT should absolutely see this, even if they disagree with the interpretation.
I would love you see your thoughts on the ending regarding stuff like Mikasa and Ymir’s choices and their freedom.
Thank you! I might make a video about Mikasa and Ymir, not entirely sure yet since it would be a lot of work.
@@invaderzz if u do it would mean a lot. There r many people and I mean in huge masses including myself that don't understand or seem to understand the whole thing with ymir and mikasa and what ymir wanted from her. It would be something a lot of people want. So if u in future do it, it would mean a lot for a lot of people.
This definitely needs more views
@@azmalftw The Ymir and Mikasa is a simple retcon considering the story has built up a connection between Eren and Ymir.
@@evanpowers6045 bro stfu.. Literally everything to u is a retcon, I see u commenting everywhere tryna argue with dumb reasons and explanations and lies. U r proven wrong in everything by that other guy and all u can say is retcon retcon retcon and u give no explanation for ur theories. Ymir and mikasa wasn't retcon, it makes sense why ymir was looking for mikasa it's just I would like to see him make a video on it since he explains things really well and from different perspectives that people fail to see including me.
the part about what eren saw when he kissed historias hand makes so much sense now, that was definitely missed by the majority
Yeah he saw the future
@@evanpowers6045 and that is why he said during the operation to retake the wall that erwin is not the one who will save the world but armin as he saw that future at least I think that way haah
@@nekotamo1925 he kissed historias hand after that though
@@nekotamo1925 I think that was just foreshadowing, not that he actually knew
@@shanchaudhari8765 Oh it happened after? I though it was before they went to retake the wall haha I forgot watched it long ago haha wish it was before kinda would be epic detail
I think that the new ED further supports your theory that Eren's actions were primarily driven by his child-like selfishness. The name of the song is literally "Child of Evil" and features him as a kid with a knife in hand.
That ending was so good
Because it is. I kept telling this to the fandom many times but it always fell on deaf ears.
The latest ED , especially it's full version , literally explains Eren's character to people who didn't get it.
@@nsomjimi because it changes nothing
@@nsomjimi because many of the fandom identify with Eren mentality and childish selfishness without admitting to it
This is the single greatest video about AoT I've seen on yt. So comprehensive.
You were so spot on with almost everything. Especially with the whiny Eren in the end. Eren has always been that way. He was always there. He never changed. He just had to do what he had to do because he was a slave to his own concept of freedom.
yeah and most people legit were just straight up unwilling to accept the true nature of Eren cuz they fell in love w the new "badass, cold blooded, calculative" etc kind of demeanour of him
@@itsgeet I'd take the same whiny Eren that was able to make actions than whiny Eren that's just really whining without action, whatever those actions may be.
Eren was never that way. He never cried over something so pathetic before, only over deaths and other important things (like in the cave)
@@triumphant8637 he was literally going to die so he was just ranting about his wishes to his best friend 💀 bet i and you would do that too and there's nothing pathetic about that.
@@itsgeet such a weak argument. Do you remember trost arc? when Eren was in complete despair in the belly of a titan with ripped off limbs? what did he rant about again? "ill kill them all! every last one!". and now in the ending he rants about wanting his stepsisters p*ssy LOL! Eren claimed he would give his gladly give his life during the ceremony, then cries about not wanting to die in the end. what happened? it doesnt matter what me and you would do, but what this character eren would do. he has never whined about something so pathetic ever, and he has faced death many times throughout the series. just poor and bad writing
Eren already said his goal during season 3 using Kruger......
"To save Armin,Mikasa and everyone."
that's why i can't complain the ending
I understand this videos perspective but I agree with you more. Eren was pro peace with Marley until the Willy Tybur Speech.
The video also ignores all of the times when The Survey Corps members said they didn’t see any other way of saving Paridis.
I need someone to bring me evidence that it was Eren's talking threw Krueger. Because for almost 7 months, no one ever bring me anything at all.
@@titan-framboise3126 i dont think its literally Eren talking through Krueger's body, just that Eren sent memories of his own desire to save his friends back to Kruger, and Kruger gets confused about whether those memories belong to Grisha or Eren ("who's memories are these again?")
@@taperhunter8671 i think he is never pro peace at the first place because Eren will never be satisfied with what he has and will always push something even it is bad.
@@Sebastian-pt5qx if you payed attention to the declaration of war (manga version) you could tell that the speech was his last hope. He was more than ready to fight the world, but while doing so he was also looking for other ways to avoid conflict. People don’t realize he wanted peace, but the difference between him and people like armin is that he knows the true reality of humanity. He knows that peace could never happen.
Eren is the first character who truly broke my heart, as a viewer it's natural we wanted to see Eren win, and even if I knew it couldn't happen, the parts of Eren I didn't get made me still cling on to the hope that there was salvation for him. He is truly a tragic character.
Me too his ending in the manga was so sad.
But as I went back in the anime to Eren's dream in season 1 episode 1.
I noticed something. Remember the child's room with the red and green curtains with strange symbols on it ?
I found out that those symbols are present in Mikasa's parents home.
Inside the little shrine behind the mirror there is a clothe with exactly the same symbols.
Question is Eren seeing the room of Mikasa's child in the future ?
Is it possible for him to survive and have the life he wanted with Mikasa and everyone?
He may get a better ending in anime, given some non-anr aspects/evidence some fans uncovered, including some stuff straight from isayama's mouth. Eren getting a happy ending isn't like Light Yagami getting one, so hopefully there's a chance.
@@CHRISCAMPO-wq8bi hopefully
@@CHRISCAMPO-wq8bi I really hope Eren get's a happy ending but it sure doesn't feel that way
I didn't pity him. In fact, I would argue he is delusional. The video & writing overall paints an idea. Not to be r/14andthisisdeep but at a young age, personally, for me, I came to the conclusion - that no one truly is set "free". Even if you committed massive genocide and became the only living individual in the world, you would be chained by your everyday needs, emotional needs, regrets, etc.
There is only one being that could be free and that would be God (in a philosophical & spiritual standpoint.) If God were not to do anything he would still be free as he still exists. In contrast, to what I stated before, that is the closest and most fundamental concept of freedom an individual could have. As that is essentially on choice. Anything beyond that is no longer absolute freedom that can be obtained by a human being. As it creates conflict and contradictions of the freedoms of others. What Eren believes in is the entitlement of choosing whose freedom is worth more. Which is just a God complex hence why I don't pity him. He becomes everyone's enemy not because out of necessity, not as an unnecessary evil. He genuinely holds the current responsible for the past. As Levi calls him a Monster, since Eren is unable to change due to his bullish and very naive perspective on Freedom - he becomes an Enemy as he's ultimately a Monster. I mean he killed civilians during the Rumble. Children. Who were just as naive as him. His very statement on being bored and gazing at the skies is not because he is complex. No, in contrary to what the average Joe may think, its because of how simple minded he is. Freedom is a simple concept that can be explained in various complex ways throughout lives. How Eren approaches Freedom is the opposite, he views it as an abstract concept that can be obtained by simple ways. Thus making him narrow minded. Of course, you can argue that negotiations were suggested by Eren - there is no doubt he considered other options. However, just like Eren sees Paradis entirely as a Victim. He acknowledges the innocents - disregards the value of Marleyans who are not part of it. This overall makes him a hypocrite. Thus making his beliefs and views trickle down leading to him making extreme choices to justify his principles. Let alone, his blind hatred is what strips him of his basic rights. Recall: Season 1 and Eren's conversation with Pixis. He didn't consider that perhaps killing all your enemies wouldn't result to peace.
Surface level, he did it to unite everyone. Deeper than that, he did it to protect his friends. And even deeper than even that, the real reason he did it was selfishly for himself.
Absolute freedom is illogical but freedom that is absolute is not.
NOTE: This is a criticism towards Eren. Not Marley. They are terrible no doubt. This is about how Eren desires freedom.
This video and the series go way too meta, in a good way. Even when you go beyond the series and connect it to real life, it shows how the author basically predetermined Eren's actions, his behavior, and trapped him in a fixed timeline.
I don't even know if what I'm saying makes sense or if I explained it correctly, but it's sort of trippy to think about.
I liked that you said one of the main themes in AoT was that in pursuing their dreams, the characters were not free; thus, the only characters that were free were the ones who had to let go of their dream, such as Kenny. Now it gives more context to scenes like Erwin's death, where Levi is about to make the choice to inject him with the serum, but remembers Kenny's last moments; this is what causes him to make the choice he did, to let Erwin die, so he would no longer pursue his dream, and therefore be free. BRUH>
Thats the same thing armin always repeats; those who cannot abandon something cant change anything
@@shinzoutakayama7883 And because Eren could not abandone his dream, he could not change anything, he was stuck and enslaved by his nature. This show man...
@@luniousm3246 This shit show
@@IAm-zo1bo Cope
Yep, Kenny said "We're all slaves to something." In Eren's case, he was a slave to freedom, which is rather ironic.
I think that Reiners comment about being "Half assed" didn't only imply that he wished to be able to kill with a clear conscience, I think it also meant he was second guessing this whole mission and wanting to stop at times but couldn't because he wanted to be accepted and loved back at home too desperately. Great video!
Whole things wont happen if Reiner tell them paradise is not evil, but Marley would shut him, Marley is the real evil brainwasher,enslaver, invader.
Could easily be him expressing that he doesn't view himself as a proper person, too. In addition to those things of course, but that's just how I took it the first time lol
Throughout the final season Eren no longer wears the Wings of Freedom logo, the flashback in 4x09 doesn’t count, and yet he talks about freedom. Even Magath wore the jacket with the logo before dying alongside Keith. It’s a detail that nobody seems to point out about Eren regarding freedom.
Eren decided to sacrifice his freedom for his friends freedom
Also Porco
Although that one is up to debate. When Pieck waves her hands up, we see Porco in Garrison's rose. Before Porco gets eaten, he uses Scout's WoF.
Oh, shoot.
See some time you have to do unthinkable things to achieve your goals in aot eren goal was freedom and going forward,mikasa always talk about if every thing end can be get the life before titan hit the wall..
Eren know he can not find freedom until outside world keep attacking paradise..when mikasa ask eren about is everything going to be same he ans not everything..it means he is ready to do what ever necessary so that he can save his frnds..he even told his frnd that you guys are most important to me...
So he sacrifice his freedom for greater good for his frnds and mikasa freedom since she is only think about eren day in and day out..and that rumbling is necessary because without that outside world is planning to wipe out paradise...
@@thecommentatorguy4429 kinda true but also kinda not, he initiated the rumbling as much for his own freedom, it’s after the rumbling started that he already knew he lost so he worked towards his friends freedom
I actually changed my mind about the ending when I saw it animated. Hearing Yuki Kaji do a phenomenal job during the controversial "10 years at least" scene, Eren was suddenly less cringe and more tragic. It was still very much pathetic but it suddenly made me realize that this is the Eren I wanted to forget about - the whiny angry annoying screaming kid with the physical incapacity to fulfill his violent tendencies. Not the cool stoic calculative god he was portraying as. It took a long time to understand but at least now we can finally come to terms with the direction and vision Isayama had for this story - a frustrating but honest social commentary. Thanks for this video. These deep dives into Eren's character have been nothing short of a fascinating journey.
He's litteraly his own curse, he's not free because of his own nature
@Eren Yeager true
Not nature, but believe.
This is why in the modern world, we seek psychological help with things like this.
Basically AoT needs a good psychological health care
"EREN HAS ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THIS IT WAS NOT EREN WHO CHANGED BUT IT WAS US AND HOW WE PERCEIVE HIM " that sent shivers down my spine
My favorite part about Eren and Armin difference is their lines in Return to Shiganshina:
"When I thought about (taking back freedom/seeing the outside world), (strength/courage) flows through me"
Such a beautiful dynamic
Loool everyone was waiting for the anime to end so they could watch this vid 😂. It did not disappoint at all too. Well done 👍🏾
Dunno if anyone commented this but I read it somewhere: 140 represents freedom.
"In numerology the 139 symbolizes the end of something and the beginning of something else. In other words, the “death” of one thing and the rebirth of another.
The 139 symbolizes an important change, which can be in the right or wrong direction."
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"The numerology energy represented by the number 140 resonates with expression of a personal sense of freedom and self‑reliance.
There is a resonance of independence, curiosity, and wit. "
And maybe this is why Isayama ended the manga w Chapter 139. Eren the MC himself never did experience freedom.
Well let‘s hope part 3 releases september 13
You're thinking waayy too into it at this point...
@@Rust_Rust_Rust as a manga reader myself its quite odd that it ended at ch 139, actually a lot of people waited for ch 140. So it may just be a coincidence. Anyways I just shared what I also saw based from other people's discussion :)
Interesting, I didn't know about the numerology stuff.
The author is ISAYA(138)ma HAJIME(one). So, maybe not a coincidence😊
@@rantipoleice292 sounds like bs tbh I can't imagine an author figuring out how to end their Manga and the exact chapter to end it at as a hint towards numerology.
It really puts into perspective the interview with Isayama where he said something along the lines of "I would like to say I'm the most like Armin, but I came to a realisation that I have much more of Eren in me than I would like to admit."
People seem to forgot that he killed 2 men by slitting one's throat and stabbing the other in the chest multiple time with a literal straight face showing absolutely no sign of remorse or horror, at NINE years old. Eren was still that same person from season one, from episode one, it's just that now we've finally realized it, it's already too late. The more you think about it the more terribly realistic the characters in this show can be. What a fucking story.
ikr. In hindsight him killing those men as a child should have is a clear sign he is a sociopath. Both Eren's allies and us the audience didn't see it cause they were focused on the war.
That's why it's a shame he end up crying in a puddle of his own urine.
Erens just the most broken character ever, i don’t think anyone understand him
@@JB-pk8gd I don't think that even the author understand him
Why do you losers always cite this as a bad thing? Why would he show remorse to people who were going to enslave the orphan of the people they just killed?
Jesus Christ
This is the best pro ending video I've seen. I loved the ending but was very thrown off when I found out the reasons people hated it, and I was starting to see their points without being able to properly say why I loved. You laid it out perfectly. Thank you. Eren was always Eren.
Sidenote: thanks for explaining what info Eren learned at what moment, it got a bit confusing but knowing that and correlating to his actions and motivations was toptier 💯
So much of the discourse would be way better the moment people realize that Eren and Mikasa’s shared vision in 138 happens after his conversation with Armin in 139.
It surprises me how little people actually understand the chronology. Most people actually forget that the conversation of Eren and Armin happened in 131
@@evanpowers6045 It does , I have legit seen people say "at first he asks Mikasa to be free , and the very next thing he does was not want Mikasa to find another man" , totally ignoring the fact that he at first he selfishly didn't want to find Mikasa another man and remember him, but he later buries his feelings and tells Mikasa to forget him and be free , as much as he would like her to remember him , he ultimately requested her to move on and forget him , that was his last words. What he finally does is more important than what he initially feels. Chronology makes a huge difference.
@@evanpowers6045 anyone can have a selfish desire, even corrupt & dark so long as they don’t act on it. Seeing as Eren didn’t act on his inner desires means he chose HER best interest over his deepest darkest selfish desires because he cares for her & loves her.
Even Carla tried to whisper: Don’t go to her SON as she was dying knowing she will be devoured by Dinah.. does that mean she hates her son or was willing for him to die with her?
@@evanpowers6045 Eren’s last words are in 138 which are “Forget me”. I don’t need to explain the implications of this.
@@karma6761 And Mikasa answered "I can't" + ton of other proofs that Mikasa didn't marry anyone else and that the child is adopted
At the end, Mikasa didn't forget him and didn't marry someone else
This video only makes Attack on Titan more of a masterpiece in my eyes.
Sad
People don't respect Aot subtextual writing enough. Espially in the manga community which you think should be the biggest aot nerds. I really like that this video dove deep into those layers. Plus also with the way the video framed information it's clear to see Iseyama was trying to create a negative character arc out of Eren.
It seemed like a lot in the fandom either didn't see it that way or didn't want to believe it was the case, because many wouldn't often get lost in the weeds of trying to post hawk justify Eren motivation and play moral defense while seemingly not caring that that's missing the point.
Eren actions can be justified up until a point but under enough scrutiny his logic break down and ultimately reveal how petite it truly is. And That's The Best Part about it.
People are coming around to it nowadays but took a while. Luckily for deathnote it was more able to convey these morality themes with it's main character in a more easy to spot way.
@@bm4604 to be fair I think it's fairly easy to not understand a lot in terms of Erin's powers and seeing the future. Reading the manga I carried a lot of misconceptions from the point that eren explained that he had seen the future and it stayed with me throughout the story and I tried to make up why eren actions made sense but by the end I was just left confused. This video was amazing in locating all the points at which confusion could arise and does a really good job at explaining and I don't think I would have put the effort to truly understand the series so I'm externally grateful for all the effort put into this vid.
@@zorezakbar9892 ohh no no don't get me wrong the timeline explanation and the spoon feeding of how the attack titan memory transfer thing is truly kino and if the anime doesn't do a good enough job of clearing it up a video like this would be required viewing almost. I'm talking about how people on impulse after the ending assume that Iseyama harsh tear down of his protagonist, revealing his motives to be ultimately petite was a character assassination. When in reality it was the glue that holds Eren whole character together.
@@bm4604
Eren was truly pathetic, but that was still in-character, because it made sense...
What truly made no sense was that Armin and co completely ignored how Eren really screwed them over by making the world fearing and hating Eldians even more and turning the nation of Paradis into a xenophobic fascist state that cared not for peace...
Ch.139 tried to be way too hopeful despite the fact that it was literally a post-apocalyptic setting caused by some unhinged idiot...
The original ending should've been more somber to reflect the severity of Eren's actions...
Luckily, we got the added pages...
This is the best way to interpret the ending imo. A lot of fans thought 139 retconned everything "Chad" Eren did but that's not really true. Eren was truly a half hearted bastard that did want the best for his friends, but also couldn't let go of his innate desire to restart the world with the Rumbling.
What makes me think Eren is a masterpiece of a character is that he really did have the same goals from the beginning to the end of aot. He wanted to travel a free world with his friends but throughout his tortured life his dream slowly became more and more demented as Eren began to realize humanity outside of the walls is what's stealing his freedom and not the Titans.