There are no spoilers for anime onlies up until 37:32 so don't worry about getting spoiled. And for the rest of the cool kids who've read the manga, feel free to watch the entire thing lol. I've seriously put my all into this so hope y'all enjoy! Also, something I want to mention that I didn't in the video (only click read-more if you've read the manga) MAIN POINT: I've seen a good amount of people who've failed to understand the point of this video. So I'll explicitly state it here. In the video, I stated that Eren was a just slave to the paths. HOWEVER, I also stated that through his own free will, he fought and continued on fighting for those he loved. He sacrificed his own freedom for the freedom of his people and most importantly, his friends. Now let me elaborate on that point. You see, the reason this video is titled (not) a SLAVE is because to me, Eren is, in a sense, both a slave and not a slave. How? Well, he's a slave because he has no control over all the key events that would occur. BUT what he does have control over is his will to choose the path he would follow. And so, through his own choices, through his own free will, Eren chose to fight. Although he couldn't change the key events that would occur, it was his decision to fight at every pivotal event that made his desired future come true. He chose to attack Marley. He chose to free Ymir. He chose to activate the Rumbling. All these actions were of his own free will and these exact choices were what lead to everything that happened. Had he not done this, then, the ENTIRE story of AOT would've played out differently. Thus, Eren is a slave because everything (within his desired future) was pre-determined. However, he is also not a slave because his free will, his own choices, and his resolve to fight were what made said future come true.
@@O2H3 I think eren's situation and lelouch situations are very different considering the fact that eren had his whole eldian race fate in his hands and on the other hand lelouch become the monster of his world to unite the world only against him not his race and after lelouch died people seeked peace and alliance. but now eren with his ancentral sins the world can't forgive thier race the world is not a place to show mercy to them for thier tyrannyof 1800 years! So eren didn't have a choice he did wanted to change his fate and future at times like sasha death, ramzi death he lost in thoughts and he regretted that the future cannot be changed! So yeah eren and lelouch are the greatest examples of scarifices for greater good but aot theme tried its own dark theme by putting it in own realistic way by concluding that the war won't stop until eldians vs world but some nations and marley also coming for peace treaty👍
i just realized something, i think the armin vs erwin decision foreshadowed a lot regarding eren and mikasa's eventual arcs mikasa was eventually convinced by hange to let armin die for the good of paradis. she hesitantly was about to let someone close to her die for the greater good. while eren still never accepted this and still never was willing to let his friend die, even if it's for the greater good like how eren destroyed the world for the sake of the people close to him, and mikasa stopped eren despite knowing it'd be risking her and her friend's lives. but she did it anyway for the greater good, like she did in the armin v erwin decision
Thank you for this. I don’t watch a lot of AoT but I did kept up with the story here and there. I think it’s beautiful that Isayama was able to create such a complex character like Eren. I also appreciate how Isayama also painted the complex and grim reality of the world, both in AoT and in real life through Eren, especially how you highlight in your video - it wasn’t easy to make the decision he did. It wasn’t easy to come upon that result, especially when he saw his enemy as someone who isn’t just evil or mindless but have a family and their own freedom they wish to achieve. He wasn’t this doing just for fun. He wasn’t doing it just b/c he’s the “bad guy”. I really pitied Eren when he cried about Mikasa potentially forgetting him. With that chapter where Eren and Mikasa running away together kinda shows how special she was to him. If the Ackerman bond wasn’t there, will Mikasa still be willing to follow somebody as “cruel” as Eren? And when he’s gone, will Mikasa and his friends be relieved or will they be sad? Especially when he did all that he could to give everyone their own freedom and he saw that this was the only way to achieve it. Perhaps that is something that crosses his mind when he mentioned about Mikasa to Armin and perhaps that’s why he reverts to that almost desperate plea that she wouldn’t forget him. It’s not easy to love someone “evil” and it’s definitely not easy to understand them or to want to understand them but that’s just a random thought I have. Great analysis, I throughly enjoyed your video. With the idea and the reality behind the message and meanings that AoT portrayed, I don’t see how the story could be a “happy ending” or any other ending than the one Isayama wrote. Not all good stories have happy endings, and not all “happy endings” are good endings. Personally, I prefer one that is willing to make me think and understand the world a little better.
Eren was not a complete slave that's for sure, but he was a victim to a poor underdeveloped relationship with mikasa. I love eren's character from until Paths he wasn't just a hothead who talks loud, he's a man that shows results and even declares it. We already expected Eren to show signs of strong emotion because that's just how he is. But he cried because he doesn't want to die? Because she doesn't want Mikasa to be with someone else? If that's the case then why didn't he do anything about it and show he cared about her? Ending was okay but there is a lot to be desired especially narrative-wise.
People who interpret him hating slaves yet being one as bad writing make me facepalm. A character being a hypocrite is not bad writing. It is human nature. Eren is a human.
If you know youre enslaved, you will hate seeing others going through the same, thats like saying someone being a drug addict while hating that young people go down the same path as him doesnt align with who he is. Thats not even being hypocritical thats just empathy.
@@sekijokes451 yes and no , the last chapter kinda countered most of what eren did, and then in the future they all end up dying including paradise and the cycle starts all over again resulting in temporary freedom and peace , like in aot requiem erens plan makes sense and what he did throughout the manga but in what isayama did it made sense on the main point but the everything around it and the final idea to make it whole kinda made no sense
@@Requiem0139 I disagree 1. It's true that Paradis does gets carpet bombed in a war but we don't actually know the full context of what this war was about. The fact that Paradis advanced to the point that it had a modern society with Anti aircraft defense systems, very strongly implies a long era of peace and trade with the outside world. This means that the alliance crew very likely succeeded in Talk no Jutsuing the Jaegerists during their negotiations as trading in and of itself requires a degree of trust, cooperation and understanding in order to occur. Hence, when some people blame Eren and the alliance crew for not properly protecting Paradis, this would pratically be the equivalent of blaming the Founding Fathers of America for Pearl Harbor because they didn't adequately prepare for World War 2. Chances are that Paradis was involved in a World War that largely had little to do with prejudice against them. They likely had allies that fought with them and in turn the rest of the world may well be in a similar state as Paradis. Giving the potential sequel to AOT a post apocalyptic setting. 2. The boy and his dog. I think you missed out on the potential of this boy because while he does find the Titan tree, hinting that the power of the titans will return, the way he finds it is in a manner that's the complete opposite of how Ymir found it. The boy for instance appears to be exploring the ruins with his canine companion while by contrast Ymir stumbled across it as she was being hunted down by hounds and their masters. In short, the boy is free in contrast to how Ymir was a slave. The main reason why the Titan powers manifested themselves in the way they did was due to it reflecting Ymir's damaged and traumatised Psyche, not to mention her subsequent cannibalisation giving birth to shifters, the 13 year curse and the scourge of Pure Titans. Hence the power of the Titans falling into the hands of a being that's physically and psychologically free, will give it a chance to take on a new form. Whether this would be good or bad for mankind, we don't know as it would all depend upon the choices this boy makes. The new founder and, who is technically, the next inheritor of the Attack Titan.
I love Eren as a character, he has such a 1 dimensional view in the beginning but he has so many complex changes that turn him into such a unique character
That "1 dimensional view" was what made him so unique, and so pure. People who hate such characters often do so because it arouses guilt inside them that they don't have such pure motives. I'm sorry you felt that way, but that doesn't mean a pure singular motive is wrong or bad writing. It's actually rare to see this in media and it's very refreshing. Authors don't like writing such characters because they know people will not like it, and they often don't like it themselves. Regardless, there are people like Eren out there. The Season 4 arcs completely assassinated his character and destroyed all of his character development he had gained in Season 3. He turned from an individualistic freedom-fighter who was humble in his approach to the world, to a collectivist slave to pride and the belief that the world was his to fix according to his will.
I am just disappointed at the people who disliked without even watching the full video, because I don't see how you can dislike this after watching the full video.
@@justsomeguyontheinternet.4398 they all seem like young age kids who like aot bc it cool and look mature than other shonen and think it make them more adult if follow this story but when story end those who like aot bc it more mature for them turn out be childish person and blame everything around it bc it not end up to be "good" enough for them how irony they seem never learn something deeply in this story if they act so childish like that
Same here. But still the dina page really could have been cut out and mikasa sayin that she gonna marry jean could have made the chapter better tho in my opinion. Other than that I love this chapter, even if it could have benifited from it being shown in 2 chapters, so that we would be able to process the revaltions and the ending of the story would have felt more natural.
@@exhileris4k857 i agree with all your points!! i really liked the last chapter too but like u said, it could've used another chapter to make things clearer.
I think the best theme Isayama explained was the slave to anything. Slave is just one word, you could say attachment, addiction or liking something. Being a slave to something is your passion to find meaning in your life. It’s pretty cool to think about
Isayama has shown how even when you're not necessarily enslaved, people enslave themselves by fixing boundaries. That's the fundamental issue. This is something that a man called Sadhguru has many videos about. He has so many interesting, great videos.
I think it's important for anime characters to find the perfect balance of developmental growth being relatable and not boring Op while also not being a little bitch. People that do that really well in my opinion are Edward Elric, Eren Yeager, Ken Kaneki, Thorfinn, Kei Nagai, Johnny Joestar and Guts
Finally a real analysis and not "boohoo eren cringe!!". I loved this video, Eren is one of my favorite protagonists of all anime. In my opinion he is not a slave to his destiny, but the destiny is like it is because of Eren. He saw his future when he kissed Historia's hand, but he still made the decision to follow that path, and all the suffering he went through was real. But people forget Eren is still a human, who just wanted freedom and had to sacrifice that dream to give hope to Paradis. Sorry i dont know how to explain my thoughts very well, just know i loved the video.
Don't worry about ur wording, I basically feel the same way. The future may have been predestined; however, that future only came true because Eren made the choice to pursue it. It was his choice to fight that set everything in motion.
@@Yatoru1 yes people seem misunderstanding a lot by think eren fully control by ymir in 139 scene i feel like reading different manga from them lol a lot of misunderstading in 139 and extra page in this fandom is unbelievable
i couldn't care less about the slave to destiny thing, my problem with 139 is quite literally everything else. historias absence from the plot, the child meaning absolutely nothing, armin not living up to his replacing erwin, the retcon of mikasas character suddenly being of great importance and the implication that all of this was just fabricated by ymir makes it all so underwhelming.
I really appreciate this analysis for seeing the beauty of how war continues after Eren's sacrifice, human conflict doesn't end, and violence continuing after Eren's efforts is in line with the realistic themes of AOT
well until now i still confused....and still will be confused from people... after the extra pages and the destruction of paradise i was like... well ok thats realistic *humans* what did i expected... i found it solid and normal after that i saw the internet breaking ... i was confused i mean nothing stay the same eren has achived his goals and saved his friends and gave them freedom they die the island destroyed... it wasn't that perfect but also not that bad as people described it... that mde me confused really.... Humans what did i expected (XD).....
We can really see all the effort that was put into this video! It helped me understand erens character a lot better. I had a interesting dream I wanna share because it was really scary how eye opening it was. So I didn’t understand why Eren became a mass murderer and why he committed global genocide. It felt so out of character for someone who’s whole purpose of freedom and saving humanity. It was a few days after I read chapter 139 I think. One night I had a dream (i wasn’t aware it had anything to do with aot when it started, it was just any other dream) where I had the power and ability to choose to keep my family and friends safe in a world where they would be in danger. I saw the future outcome of what would happen if I wiped out the whole world, and I chose to do that, saving everyone I loved. I felt so strongly about my passion to save people, feeling like everything I’ve done until then would go to waste if I let others do what they wanted to my loved ones. It was a lot longer and there was a lot of fighting and hardships involved, but I’ll cut that short since this comment is already long. People hated me, my loved ones hated me for doing this, but I had to keep fighting. After I saved them and the fighting was over, as corny as it sounds, I was near a body of water and looked in the reflection. I saw Erens face and I absolutely understood him. I saw his tired eyes in my reflection and it gave me chills. Weirdest dream I’ve had in a while. I was surprised my subconscious could give me such a deep understanding of a character because I was in his shoes. So weird because I was honestly kind of unsatisfied with Erens motives when the manga ended, but after this dream I’ve got so much more sympathy for him.
Eren’s character broke me. When I first watched season 1 I never would have imagined this is what he would become and yet, it makes complete sense. No other character has ever broken my heart as much as eren did, and no other show has destroyed me as much as aot. So in the end all I can say is to give a round of applause and a thankyou to Isayama,
Ive read the manga and watched the anime multiple times, even so this video has really helped me understand Eren more fully as a character. Thank you for making this video.
I feel Eren was always free. Indeed, Eren chose this path because is the one he wanted. Who manipulates all the attack titan trajectory? Who manipulated his dad to get the founder titan? Who gave to himself those two abilities to keep moving forward with his plan? The one and only Eren Jaeger. he could change his future, but why he gotta do something like that when the future he chose was the one he wanted? Of course he died with regrets, but Eren was the freest person in the world, Eren could complete the rumbling, Eren could confess his feelings to Mikasa and expend with her his remaining years, but Eren rather the freedom of Eldia and his friends even over his deepest wishes. If he was a "slave" of something he was a slave of freedom. Also about his "chad" phase, I don't think that was fake, he stated that past present a future were one in his mind, just imagine he seeing everyday all those he will kill and all the things he manipulated to achieve his plan was such a mental burden to him. But deep inside of him the Eren he was still there. Maybe people will not agree with what I said, but that's how I see Eren, such a brilliant, deep and complex character.
Bro you are dumb, Eren as a character isn't complex he is a Mass murderer Who killed millions just to save his "Friends" because he didnt do It for anything else he knew Eldia would get destroyed lol so anytime Eren said he would save his people he was lying?? Isayama ruined the story completely Eren kills his own mother for what??? To save Mikasa and armin? Lmao and then he turns into a fucking Bird what a meme
The pannel where Eren is grounded in chapter 139 with the footsteps is amazing it reminds me of the freedom pannel Eren freedom was deluded when he held himself in the sky when people were getting killed now with the grounded pannel he’s not deluded he accepts reality he’s on the ground . And nice character analysis keep it up
it brings me joy and reassurance to hear someone else say they understood, even though the ending was "rushed" it was not ruined. it pained me to see the fandom practically die over night due to the mixed feelings people had over this Masterpiece's ending but you gave me my hope back that there are still those that "got it".
Honestly that scene where he confessed his love for Mikasa and what he wanted. Didn’t make me cringe at all. Honestly it made me smile but feel somber inside. It showed his true humanity. It honestly showed who he was as a person. The reason it also felt somber was because no matter what he did he would never get that future. It’s kinda like when you go through a break up with someone and you sit there and you think “FUCK I’m never gonna be together with them like that again.” That’s genuinely what it made me feel. It showed me that Eren truly was a person who had thoughts and feelings like everybody else.
I hate it whenever they try to excuse his crimes by labeling him as a kid . Bruh this dude killed 2 people when he was 9 or 10. Dude was already a psycho . And he did the Rumbling when he was 19. That's a full grown man and definitely more older than most dudes who are defending him . He IS just an EmOtlonAl 19 TeEnAgeR ! HE iS a hUmAn BelNg wHo cAn cRy For Not GeTting sTep SIS Pussy
I thought I’d update my comment as it really was the best analysis. Ok here’s my most recent take on the ending. This show has always been a commentary and allegory for the flaws of humanity and it’s nature. Ultimately I think it stays true to the theme by showing that no matter what we do true freedom is simply unattainable. I don’t think Eren being a clueless slave to fate was outta nowhere. Call me arrogant but I think it was pretty obvious that Eren was a unwilling slave to fate since the time travel reveal. Even his founding titan design is a hint at this, he’s literally being strung up and hanged by strings like a puppet does that look free to you? (It’s also a reference to the Norse god Odin when he hanged himself on a tree and sacrificed a eye for enlightenment. Aot has a lot of Norse symbolism) Not to mention I believe there’s a possible explanation for Eren’s behavior and that’s that he developed some extreme fiction version of multiple personality disorder disorder to cope with the atrocities he’s committed. This hypothesis is not without basis either. Because of Paths Eren experience time all at once past, present and future thus splintering his psyche. He was shown to have always been screwed up in the head since childhood he killed two men without remorse so likely a form of anti-social personality disorder. Couple that with repeated trauma and excessive stress in his adolescence it was only a matter of time before his mental state snapped. I guess ultimately it’s like Kenny Ackerman once said “everyone’s a slave to something”. The cycle of violence wasn’t broken and history will only repeat itself. I don’t even think Eren could’ve succeeded in completing the rumbling. As far as I can piece together from the little explanation and exposition we got it looks like time travel in Aot works fairly deterministically. (Eren says time in path exists all at once and we saw Eren try to deny his visions by testing the accuracy of them) That’s the tragedy of Eren Yeager, he wanted freedom and free will but you can’t exactly have that when you know what’s gonna happen anyways. Ironically in his pursuit of freedom Eren lost his free will and individuality. Eren even denied this fact and kept trying to convince himself he was free but the moment Sasha died that was the breaking point. Eren asking Mikasa what she was to him and her answer really wasn’t that important it’s the implications of her answer. Eren didn’t start the rumbling cause he was “friend zoned” it was cause if Mikasa had answered differently it would’ve meant Eren’s visions of the future are just possibilities but since she answered exactly as he saw that proved to him he really was trapped and that he had no freedom. Even the fact that Eren could only kill 80% of the world is more proof of this. If he could’ve just killed a few more people that’d be enough to prove to himself he really was free but alas he couldn’t even do that. Eren ultimately trapped himself in a self induced time loop, in the end Eren lost and determinism and fate won. Eren was always a flawed character I think the fault was with us, we idolize and got attached to Eren when we shouldn’t of. Isayama wrote Eren not as a noble character but one driven by his wrath, rage, fear and obsession. Aot was never a story about freedom and ideology it was always a story of humanity in all it’s beauty and complexity yet also how twisted, immoral and corrupt it can be. I also think that chapter was pretty good in concept just not in execution. I think a good deal of the problem was just bad dialogue and even than it isn’t Isayama fault. Japanese fans are saying that even the official translation was botched so we have the publishers to blame for the awkward dialogue. The dialogue was certainly on the nose but I think that they aren’t supposed to be taken at face value in the first place. Eren’s line about not knowing why he started the rumbling wasn’t really the reason he started the rumbling but more so how he feels about it. It was already established in chapter 131 that Eren wanted the rumbling and to wipe everything away cause he was disappointed with what he discovered beyond the walls, but he was still remorseful for the way he felt especially once he realized the costs. It can even be argued he’s in a sort of disbelief at his actions, it’s also the reason I think Eren was shown as a child in the paths a important thematic detail many seem to forget. The atrocities he committed took such a toll on him he reverted to a child like state back when Eren had a very one dimensional world view of the all the enemies being evil just to prove to himself what he was doing was right and justified, but deep down Eren knew how rotten and selfish his actions were however he refused to accept that. I also think that Armin thanking Eren had far more depth to it but was just badly worded. I doubt Armin actually agreed with Eren’s actions but it was more so to comfort or sympathize with Eren in his dying moments, remember this is the last interaction between the two before Eren’s death. In the Japanese version apparently Armin’s line went something closer to “thank you for bearing the burdens you had to we won’t let the opportunity go to waste” see how much better that is? I think it’d be even better if it’d simply been changed to “I’m sorry you had to do this, I’m sorry you were pushed to bear this burden”. It would’ve accomplished the same thing without being misinterpreted as Armin suddenly agreeing with Eren while simultaneously being a lot less on the nose. I honestly think that Armin is one of the most important characters in Aot possibly even more so than even Mikasa not necessarily cause of his achievements but what he represents. The only thing Eren ever truly did out of his own free will is befriend Armin. Ever since time travel was introduced the range of possibilities and what paths Eren influenced was almost endless however even if paths Eren setup child Eren to meet Armin, Eren would’ve still had to been the one to make the choice to befriend Armin. Ultimately with what little free will Eren ever had the one choice that was made without any possible influence was to befriend Armin so by freeing Armin he is by extension freeing himself as Armin could arguably be the literal and metaphorical symbol of Eren’s freedom. Now that I think about it even if the ending was better written it’d still be a incredibly controversial ending. I see many complain that the ending has no message but ironically that’s kinda the message. Which ever way you interpret the ending it’s alway the same message: nihilism. The literal message is nothing matters and history will only repeat itself, essentially the futility of human life so even if changes were made and the writing better it’d still leave many unhappy as the idea of nihilism just isn’t for everyone. I personally quite like the idea as it’s the first time I’ve seen a work of fiction have such a obviously hopeless and nihilistic ending. Even the most depressing and dark endings I’ve seen usually have a silver lining, but Aot has the opposite approach. The ending is presented as hopeful but if you look at the actual implications and if the leaks are true than the message is clearly nihilism and it’s not even the optimistic kind it’s just straight up “nothing matters and life is ultimately pointless”. Hell for all we know our characters might not even be in the first titan loop. Maybe it’s already repeated multiple times now and every time it ends the same with humanity’s destruction and the recreation of the Titans. It’s a incredibly cynical message, those who acted selfishly like Annie got everything they’ve ever wanted and those who selflessly sacrificed themselves were punished and lost everything they’ve ever loved and fought for. A second theory of mine that I’d like to add is that I have is that Eren like Reiner developed Disassociative Personality Disorder caused by the attack and Titans ability to see the future and past. If you think about it are you ever the same person? Our psyche and consciousness is in a constant and perpetual state of change you are a different person than you were a minute ago. Eren on the other hand could see the past present and future all simultaneously he is in other words omniscient but that omniscience came at the cost of splintering Eren’s psyche. One could only imagine what a mental toll that’d take on Eren especially since he valued freedom and free will so much. Ironically the attack titan who supposedly the freest of all titans and strives for freedom is the least free of all the Titans thanks to it’s own ability. I thus believe there were 3 separate Eren’s post time skip. Whiny og Eren who was the one we follow for the majority of the series, godlike paths Eren and the metaphorical child Eren. The og Eren as I call him denied the rumbling, he knew what would happen but for the longest time he was in denial until he realized he no longer could. Ultimately his mental state snapped and in came paths or god Eren. God Eren is hardly human and isn’t really even Eren. He’s the physical personification of fate in the Aot world he is essentially god. Who knows what his goals are? He’s omniscient his goals are beyond our understanding and human comprehension. We don’t know why he’s doing what he’s doing but we know what he’s doing and that’s carrying out fate as a sort of angel of the apocalypse. Look point is it’s a conflicting ending. I originally hated the ending and even went as far as to rant about it online, but thinking back it actually had a lot of depth. This was a controversial ending but love or hate it I think at the end of the day the end is the end and it’s about time we all made our peace with it. Just my two cent
Look at what Eren says in 131. He says the outside world was nothing like he thought it was, it was nothing like Armin's books. I loved this scene for multiple reasons such as illustrating how as humans we always have an idealized version of the world that at some point or another we realize isn't reality. Eren thought that beyond the walls was freedom when he was a child. Think about how real-life children think, always wanting to be older and get to adulthood for a variety of reasons, the biggest being freedom. I think about myself as a child and countless others in the world, always striving for that next school year, to be older and do more things, to eventually be free from school and free from our parents, only to realize more shackles lie on the other side. After achieving freedom from school, we are facing even bigger issues, jobs, financial problems, relationship problems, depression, or countless others. Realizing eventually that true freedom can never be achieved. Eren's is an exact parallel to real-life. As children, we strive for perfection in the future, an idealized and overly optimistic, and frankly ignorant view of the world. But in 131 Eren admits like many people in the real world, that the world was nothing as he thought it would be just as adulthood was nothing we thought it would be. As Mikasa says "The world is cruel, but it is also very beautiful". In the end, eren realized that all of his goals could never co-exist. As Erwin says in season 3 "Humanity will never stop fighting itself.. until it shrinks to a size of one or fewer". The basis of human nature revolves around conflict, even in the AOT universe when only Eldia existed and dominated the world, it split into 9 houses that constantly fought. Eren realized that the cycle of conflict and hate could never be stopped unless free-will itself was erased so he had to choose one and he chose freedom. While eren never was able to attain freedom from conflict and violence, he did break the cycle of titans. He said he would annihilate every last one of them and he did. He removed the basis for discrimination against the eldians, many hated them in fear of what they were and now they no longer have to worry. Many people seem to have the unrealistic idea that now that the rumbling is over, the world will turn against eldians immediately without realizing the many that saw the error of their actions during the rumbling. To give a real-life anecdote, the allies killed millions upon millions of civilians in the firebombing campaigns of the axis and in the atomic bombings yet we don't see modern-day Germany and Japan trying to get revenge. There will always be hatred towards the eldians but the titans that kept both the eldians and world slaves to fear are gone. Its a second chance at forming a better world whether it actually happens or not. Frankly, anyone that thinks Eren would single-handedly remove hatred and violence from the world are just as ignorant as children and Eren as a child. And somehow many think Eren did not achieve victory since wars and conflict would happen in the future. Again how idealistic and unrealistic is that standard, it's the mindset of a child and the entire point of AOT is how "reality is often disappointing" as Thanos puts it. Was the Victory of the American Civil war pointless because America got into conflict just a couple decades later? Did winning WW1 mean nothing because WW2 came along a couple decades later? Was defeating Hitler pointless because Mao came along and did similar atrocities and because conflict would spread later? No, absolutely ridicoulous. The entire premise of Aot is how the world often disappoints, how all of ours goals something cannot co-exist together, how sometimes dreams don't come true as a result of being ignorant of the real world. The parallels to real-life are outstanding and I could write thousands of worlds more just on how AOT connects to the real world. I'm going to wrap it up with one last point. Many seem to be conflicted on if Eren was truly a slave or not. I myself, am not entirely convinced I got this one figured out. But from the many explanations I've seen and the pondering I've done, I think I can answer the question "Is Eren a slave". And the answer is yes.... but actually no. The Eren we see in the anime is constrained by his future self. Since everything is driven by future eren, any past version of Eren is a slave to his future self. But is that actually a slave, if it's to his own free will and desires? Additionally, and most importantly, he is bonded by his knowledge of the future. While Eren had memories of the future, he wasn't some doctor strange type that saw some millions of outcomes down to every tiny detail. Rather he saw the future result of his current path in a fragmented form. He could have wandered off from the path at any point, but he doesn't in fear that the outcome could be worse. Think back to season one when Levi gives Eren a choice. "“Believe in yourself... or believe in me and them... the Survey Corps. I don't know the answer. I never have. Whether you trust in your own strength... or trust in the choices made by reliable comrades. No one knows what the outcome will be. So as much as you can... choose whatever you'll regret the least.” Eren knew what the outcome would be of his particular path but he didn't know what it would be if he deviated from it, so he chose what he would regret the least. Unlike in season one when he didn't believe in himself to change into a titan and got the entire Squad Levi massacred, this time he has the means to avoid it and does what he regrets the least. At any point Eren could have formed a different future, that's just the way the timeline works in AOT (Which I wont get into here, already super long) but he didn't know the outcome of deviating unlike he knows his current path. As Erwin says ""If You Begin To Regret, You'll Dull Your Future Decisions And Let Others Make Your Choices For You."" therefore Eren just keeps moving forward to achieve his outcome that includes his original goal of breaking the cycle and annihilating the titans as well as saving his friends. The outcome he saw wasn't perfect, never re-living the good days of being together with armin and mikasa, never being with mikasa, however, he did destroy every last titan, obliterate the fear and slavery to titans the entire world faced, freed Ymir, saved his friends, saved Eldia at least for some time,and make his friends the heroes and Armin the one to save the world as he always said he would. As while I left out so many details, and countless foreshadowing, this is already practically an essay so thanks if you read to the end. Closing thoughts, Eren always had the free will to dictate his own future but was constrained to the fear of deviate from the known outcome to an unknown outcome. He was always constrained by the fragmented memories he had of the future and the will of his future self. He was a slave in a sense, to his passion of being truly free which turned out to be nothing more than a childish ignorant dream, parallel, to what many people experience in the real world. As Kenny said "Everyone is a slave to something" even if its a slave to a passion or goal. So no Eren wasn't constrained to following a set path, he always had the ability to change it but rather didn't because of the fear it would lead to an unknown outcome he could have regretted more. As he says to his friends in the infamous table scene, "I am free, no matter what I do or how I do it, I'm acting of my own free will", however, he was in a sense a slave to his dream that could never come true. The world wasn't like he saw it in the books as a child, it was cruel and nothing could change that, and he could never truly save paradis for eternity unless he removed the free will from all of humanity, including his friends and himself. Hatred and violence is ingrained in humanity and nothing could change that without removing free will. Aot is a story of eren realizing his childish and ignorant dreams could never come true as a result of his adulthood and discovering the cold hard truth of the world like many in real life do. It really is a true coming-of-age story. But he did accomplish many of his goals including his primary goal of destroying all the titans and saving his friends. As Eren said in 131, "The world was nothing like I thought it was"
This is the entire problem. The execution was a disaster. I was ready to accept Eren being a slave to Ymir or even a slave to fate. I was ready to accept anything. But the way Isayama wrote it is just a mess.
@@titan-framboise3126 if your interpretation of the ending is something as naive as 'Eren was a slave to Ymir'. I don't know what to say. Both Eren And Ymir were a slave to their innate, unchangeable nature; Eren's was this visceral thurst for absolute freedom that can never exist and Ymir's was a notion of love too idealistic to be. There's a reason both of them have their eyes heavily shaded in 133 or they appear as children in Paths. AoT calls for a way deeper understanding of what freedom or slavery may mean. Eren's fight for freedom was always internal, he could lash out on the world, try to wipe it out all he wants but what he desires is delusional-just like the freedom spread of 131. It is the liveliest we have seen Eren be but it is not real. His reality is in 139. Stomped, bloodied landscape. A struggle of freedom ensnared by foreknowledge of future and a sense of responsibility towards his friends that won't allow him to kill them.
Finally someone who gets it!!! In all honesty the end could of been executed a bit better but the ideas are there and the ending is beautifully sad and amazing for the true fans that understood the tone and ideas that Aot brings out beautiful analysis. Subbed and saved this for when my anime friends see the ending
I noticed that in a comment thread you expressed dissatisfaction with the new leaked additional pages. As such I'd like to put my thoughts across as to why I personally think they made things better. 1. It's true that Paradis does gets carpet bombed in a war but we don't actually know the full context of what this war was about. The fact that Paradis advanced to the point that it had a modern society with Anti aircraft defense systems, very strongly implies a long era of peace and trade with the outside world. This means that the alliance crew very likely succeeded in Talk no Jutsuing the Jaegerists during their negotiations as trading in and of itself requires a degree of trust, cooperation and understanding in order to occur. Hence, when some people blame Eren and the alliance crew for not properly protecting Paradis, this would pratically be the equivalent of blaming the Founding Fathers of America for Pearl Harbor because they didn't adequately prepare for World War 2. Chances are that Paradis was involved in a World War that largely had little to do with prejudice against them. They likely had allies that fought with them and in turn the rest of the world may well be in a similar state as Paradis. Giving the potential sequel to AOT a post apocalyptic setting. 2. The boy and his dog. I think you missed out on the potential of this boy because while he does find the Titan tree, hinting that the power of the titans will return, the way he finds it is in a manner that's the complete opposite of how Ymir found it. The boy for instance appears to be exploring the ruins with his canine companion while by contrast Ymir stumbled across it as she was being hunted down by hounds and their masters. In short, the boy is free in contrast to how Ymir was a slave. The main reason why the Titan powers manifested themselves in the way they did was due to it reflecting Ymir's damaged and traumatised Psyche, not to mention her subsequent cannibalisation giving birth to shifters, the 13 year curse and the scourge of Pure Titans. Hence the power of the Titans falling into the hands of a being that's physically and psychologically free, will give it a chance to take on a new form. Whether this would be good or bad for mankind, we don't know as it would all depend upon the choices this boy makes. The new founder and, who is technically, the next inheritor of the Attack Titan.
Comments like yours have seriously helped me appreciate the new ending much more so thank you. Initially, I didn't like the additional pages at all, but I've really warmed up to it having gotten more insight!
@@Yatoru1 Thanks! I mean I get people's frustrations with the ending and personally I think that the finale for AOT would've really benefitted from a FMA 100 + pages final chapter type of treatment. Either that or a 2 to 3 chapter epilogue just to really flesh everything out but it is what it is I guess. That said the potential for a post apocalyptic AOT sequel had my noggin joggin because I remember the interview Isayama did way back in 2011. This interview was included in the manga's first volume and in it Isayama is asked if he had another story in mind after AOT. Isayama stated that he did have another story that he'd like to try and draw so maybe just maybe Fallout with Titans is where this story takes place. Maybe other powers may even come into the mix? Chances are he'd maked a stand alone sequel to AOT and I've talked before about the potential of the boy and his dog. Maybe in this rendition of the Titan powers it'll be the key to humanity's salvation as opposed to it's destruction especially since the bloody History of the Marleyans and Eldians appears to be well and truly "buried", if what I think about the state of the world in AOT is true.
The kid stumbling into the tree marks a new beginning. It's a cyclical view of history. However, it doesn't mean that everything was pointless. It can also mean that there's hope that this time things might be different, as you pointed out. Things can be better. The carpet bombing is similar. It points at the cyclical nature of history, conflict and war. Armin had already said it: conflict is unavoidable. If Isayama had went with the "Eren wins" route, this would've still happened one way or another. Time and time again, the story went and told us that no matter how much the world shrinks, people will find a way to kill each other. It's pessimistic, yes, but also optimistic in that the present belongs to us. Just as Armin was able to make peace in his time, we can work for peace in our time, etc. But that peace shouldn't be taken for granted. It's an interesting take, to say the least.
@@matilozano96 I think it was Ronald Regan who said that freedom is not a gift that was handed down but a responsibility that we must vigilantly safeguard till it's time to pass it on. I've paraphrased what he said and I've no doubt that he and his presidency were incredibley flawed but it's still a great quote.
Now I'm not one of the cool kids but man you really put Eren under a different light huh? I didn't hate him or anything but I just kind of dismissed him as annoying. This is one of the few times where my perspective on a character has largely changed because of a analysis video. It's very well narrated, analyzed, edited, background score and everything. Once I see the anime's finale next year I'll return to see the rest of the video!
@@Yatoru1 Have you seen the new ending of 139.5? Where Paradis was destroyed anyway in ~50-100 years after Mikasa's death? And that the cycle begins again with Mikasa's grandchildren founding Eren's grave that has become the same tree as Ymir found? 0_o
Finally positive opinion, TH-cam is literally filled with Eren hate after the 139. This is really sad that so many people are ready to give up on such an astonishing character because he said he loved Mikasa 💀
50:01 this scene is not cringe but truly well done. eren's burst of feelings spilling out of his mouth after so much of acting were very well written and no one can tell me otherwise
Imo it's cringe, but a good kind of cringe. It's the same cringe we feel when we think about our own emotions, or when we see someone being too honest and open about themselves. It isn't the "oh this is bad" type of cringe, it's the "god this is a pathetic man" kind, which comes from being able to show just how much of a miserable and emotionally destroyed man Eren truly is.
WHAT A GREAT JOB MAN. I cannot imagine how long a 54 min video took to make. The quality is super nice and smooth. Also, great analysis on AOT. P.S *if it wasn't clear before* AMAZING FKIN VIDEO
Thanks man. Shit was aids to edit, but so damn fun and worthwhile at the same time. Actually had to go a couple sleepless nights to get this out when I did lol. But man, I'm so happy with how it turned out. Glad you enjoyed it too :)
So I discovered this thread on Twitter and along with your video it probably gives the best explanation that I have read so far regarding Eren's motivations. "My interpretation of the beauty and tragedy surrounding eren jaeger's character and also explaining the newfound meaning behind his 139 & rumbling arc appearances and why aot's final message is that eren's birth is the embodiment of freedom itself."" For easier understanding, i'll start with eren's motivations first: adult eren didn't want to finish the rumbling and live with guilt afterwards neither did he want to give paradis freedom through a worldwide genocide. He wanted what his child & teen self always wished for and that was to eradicate all titans in this world by ensuring to break the curse. It was his strongest desire until the day he died which makes his character consistent, but in an unexpected way. it was assumed that eren moved on from that goal as the world's problems increased but Eren's interaction with Ymir in chapter 122 at paths disproves this completely. Eren always stayed the same, following his desire to end the titans, which is why his answer to king fritz's "so long as MY world exists" is "i'll put an end to THIS world" AKA the world in which titans exist, not humans. And this line, that talks about eradicating all titans, was used to remind the reader of eren's very first motivations and was never aimed at humanity as a whole. All of his child appearances in the rumbling arc happened to foreshadow the final motivation of our current eren. With this knowledge in mind, we should look at his emotional outbursts in 131 & 139 and how they are tightly linked to the core beliefs of teen eren; Someone who always loathed mass murderers which explains why eren was so disappointed of humanities' existence outside paradis. He didn't want to fight more people as they will only be another obstacle in the way of 1. finishing his mission to end the curse and 2. his desire to turn the world of armin's book into reality A childhood dream that eren wasn't willing to let go. He refused to grow up was still a child at heart amongst the cruelty of war which forced him to grow up way too quickly. This is why the line at the final panel of chapter 138 says: "To the *boy* who sought freedom ... goodbye" Eren's soul was always boyish and led by a will, stubborn and determined. He wasn't sorry about his morality being corrupt and therefore being his reason to move forward and kill humanity. He was sorry because it became corrupt due to his childish stubbornness of wanting to break the curse no matter what and forcing him to become the monster he despised. 139 reconfirmed how eren was never a cold-blooded selfish monster who thought the ends justify the means or saw any noble motives behind what he did which is why he refuses to be redeemed or get a second chance, as he is facing death. 133 takes a look at this conflict as well, where the alliance tries to reach eren wanting him to "come back" and "always stay together" due to their emotional attachement when eren was aware of how he reached the point of no return a long time ago. He followed the path of taking away the freedom from the ones who do the same to him and the "ones" only being the titans and the people who prevent him from breaking the curse. It was never about his friends who want to stop the rumbling which is why giving them freedom makes sense since eren saw the future in which all of their choices lead to fulfilling his mission as well. Eren's innocent idealism of a titan-free world never vanished completely and i think that's beautiful. He carried out the will of the survey corps members as he always had a part of their dreams in his heart let's move on to 97 which explores this further. When talking about "pushing yourself into hell" eren was referring to the day he led dina's titan to his mom so her death can activate his rage. The panelling making it obvious that this was a direct callback as well. Eren did this for what he saw "beyond that hell" which was the final result that promised him to free the world from the titans. Therefore being one step closer to the world he saw in armin's book but eren questions what's beyond & whether it's tied to "hope" or "another hell". This indicates that eren knew he won't be alive to witness the aftermath way before he talked about this in 139 since if he was, he would be aware of the outcome in his future memories. Eren walked on this path despite knowing that he won't be alive in the titan-free world he always desired. He had to sacrifice his humanity and defeat his enemy only to be united with him in death. This makes his fate a tragic but also beautiful one. but how? Eren died and suffered from the powers of the AT and FT while living under the oppression of the titans for the majority of his life, so what part about him was free? Why was grisha the one to say this to him when he wasn't free either? The answer is that the "you're free" quote was never supposed to consider the world eren lived in neither was it about eldians as a whole who weren't free yet. It was about the one person whose destiny was to save humanity from the terror of the titans since the day he was born; about eren jaeger who was that one glimpse of hope amongst all the people trapped in this birdcage as he was the one who chose to walk on the path of freedom that his AT represents. Eren pushed himself into hell to end titan history and therefore free the founder and humanity Since the day eren kissed historia's hand, he had to align his actions to what he saw in his future while experiencing his past, present & future as well. This took a toll on his mental health which is why he wished for things to change but he knew they can't since he wanted this doing anything for that one result as it was out of his own free will; making eren the freest of them all as his fate was in his favour like no one else's being promised to achieve what you've always wished for since the day you were born. Eren was born to eradicate the titans and free the world that way not to end the conflicts between humanity as a whole. His birth was also the birth of the end memory that would free everyone as he was the only AT who's able to meet mikasa. It's why he kept mentioning his birth whenever he faced people who couldn't understand his life story. "because i was born into this world" being a quote which reminds eren of his freedom, his reason and his mission. From the day we're born, we have a purpose. This new perspective on things makes child & teen eren's journey much more hopeful and emotional, since future eren desperately wanted to show the end memory he saw to everyone else as well. Eren was the first one to see the meaning of freedom. His innocent dream to show his friends a world without titans always remained and it's why he wanted them to survive so badly all this time. His will was so strong that the message of saving mikasa and armin reached previous attack titan's as well Thanks to 139 being the final puzzle piece, it was revealed that eren was always one step ahead therefore the titans never truly trapped him in a birdcage or overpowered him since all of this was planned by him to reach the end memory, which ultimately destroys his enemy. Eren's statements shown in the paths chapters get a new precious meaning as well because he was being simply straightforward. He was always like this because he was born into this world and his mission was to prevent the continuation of titan history and nothing else. It also feels like eren's answer to armin's question about why he did all of this is him being connected to the very first conscious memory he had as a baby, considering the panelling as well but a look at his eyes at both ages is enough proof; they're shining out of curiosity. That panel in 139 just screams "because i was born into this world" to me. Eren isn't saying these exact words because there's no need to as we are literally witnessing his birth right before our eyes. This scene in whole scene is also another parallel to trost where armin asks about the "why?". Eren expresses the unexplained desire to go down this path which was his destiny & freedom since day 1, connecting eren's birth with his death to the point he can't seperate his feelings/thoughts shows how his journey came full circle. This context makes his answer beautiful. At last, i wanna discuss the final question which is what's the meaning behind grisha saying "you're free" to baby eren? It could simply mean that grisha listened to krugers words of loving your child and not repeating the same mistakes again, which he didn't do with zeke before not putting the burdens of the past on eren this time since he's a special case but why? and how did grisha know this? Through eren's birth and his inheritage of the AT, grisha was shown memories of the future; the key memory being that it will all go eren's way, which he probably saw way before eren was even born. Just like it happened to kruger and if the AT carries out his will, it means that he walked on the path of freedom. The moment the final attack titan is born, he is free. i hope this interpretation allows the fandom to see eren in a different light as it turns out that he had an inspiring dream and died fulfilling it. The moment he was born, eren was the embodiment of freedom and the enemy which was supposed to destroy him ultimately freed him at the same time. This only being possible because eren moved forward and overcame his biggest fear by facing it with a brave heart. His determination led him towards a future in which his wishes will be fulfilled
This prime essay is the most complete, fully-realized, accurate, profound, and meaningful Eren character analysis I've seen yet. Thank you for crafting this beautiful piece that so flawlessly depicts and captures all the aspects that make Eren's character and story so compelling, and for properly understanding what makes Eren such a phenomenal character. You've pointed out all the stunning themes, parallels, and symbolism present in his story, and his insane character growth paths that led to his drastic evolutions.
Bro you were absolute spot on with eren's character. For a minute I thought you wrote attack on titan😂. I'm so glad we have people like you in the aot fanbase that are not simple minded and understand the complexity's and greatness of eren's character. 10/10 video👍
We need more TH-camr reviewers like you who rather than calling everything trash just because they don't like it (Anime balls deep and many others who are immature as hell) try to be objective as much as possible. I really enjoyed your analysis of Eren.
Thank you for making this video, my friend. I am severely disappointed with how people seem to think his character development was just an act just because he cried about never being able to be with any of his friends again, right before he was about to DIE.
Wow, incredible. Thanks for making this video. I’m the kind of person who needs many viewings and readings about a complicated series like this, to feel like I have a grasp on it. This was exactly what I was looking for. Your analysis of Eren’s character made so much sense and helped me understand his motivations. It’s funny to me that everyone apparently hates his Mikasa outburst and finds it “cringe”...when I read that, it made me so happy. It was a gift of one last rare and awkward comedic AoT moment. I loved it.
I am glad that there are still people out there who get it, i won't lie tho, i hope Isayama further fleshes out the ending in the anime, as it's clear he couldn't properly convey all his points (the new pages improves it tho)
This is an incredible video. The script managed to make me laugh and cry all the while giving an incredible look at one of if not my favorite character of all time. Thank you!!
Amazing analysis but I do believe Eren’s character got slapped with 139 I kind of just ignore it and appreciate the character work prior to 139. Like 139 doesn't ruin Eren’s core and message all too much, it kinda just made the picture ugly yk what I'm saying.
he’s just a slave to the founding titan (That’s why his arms and body are being held up by strings in his founding titan hes just a slave to the founder
I think the ending is a 7/10 in execution. I love the ideas and themes and everything done, but it’s left a ton of people who misinterpreted the dialogue and themes and Jesus the amount of people I’ve had arguments with defending this amazing character is insane. But I have to keep moving forward. I felt the ending needed 2 or 3 more chapters and some easier to interpret dialogue but I’m still satisfied with what happened
This is kind of a play on words and I did read your little note about him being a slave/not but I also think like stated in the manga, he is a slave to FREEDOM. He is of course literally all of those things you mentioned in the note but like one man said everyone was a slave to something, Eren was a slave to Freedom.
After a lot of thinking and analyzing. I've come to the realisation that Eren, is not only a great written character but also extremely relatable on so many levels. Of course, we are real people and we don't fight titans or shapeshift. But I think many of us have found ourselves in a position where you feel as if you have a big burden or responsibility placed on your shoulders, to the point where it is overwhelming and you don't really know how to handle it so we break down sometimes. I feel like many of us have felt like everything's our fault or that we are failing in what's expected from us. I just really like Eren, Isayama nailed his protagonist.
Thank you for such a brilliant analysis Eren will always be one of my favourite anime characters ever even with my issues with the ending Your analysis has helped me remember why I love this character so much
The one thing I will say is that Eren didn't know Sasha was gonna die. It's said many times that when he saw the future, he couldn't see everything. Only everything his future self needed him to see. He's laughing at her death because he was doing it all of them. Because he dragged them into his mess, and while knowing the future and being all powerful, he still couldn't prevent or predict what happened to Sasha. And so at laughs at how pathetic he is. He said it directly to Armin, "I dragged my precious friends into combat, without even knowing if they'd survive."
A lot of people approach Eren's character in the final arcs with the perspective that, "genocide can never be justified" however in the world of attack on titan we are repeatedly shown that things are not that black and white in this story. While I myself do not agree with Eren's genocidal plan, you can evidently see he was left with no choice. He begged for an alternstive solution, and was the only one capable of influencing anything at that moment; so he did what he had to do for his people. Every alternative approach has been tried and this was simply war. Any character who would sacrifice their humanity for others, is a hero in my book; Not a "monster."
Absolutely amazing analysis my dude. I feel like alot of people choose to ignore that Eren is kinda a pathetic person and would rather belive in the eren that fights. Ever since eren called armin out for having bertolts memories I knew he was a hypocrite. I feel like alot of erens personality (after touching historias hand) was influenced by the attack titan's power. Knowing the full truth of his future broke him completely and he became nothing more then a slave to himself. I liked that eren had time to be human again at end and show us who he really was.
The eren that fights had a pair and when he broke down in 139 that was cringe. All because she doesn't want mikasa to be with another man? Wtf? That is some incel shit and not genuine humanity that is more of his personal ego. True humanity happened in 131 when he was talking to Ramsey and apologized for destroying billions of innocent people all so his own people could have true freedom and blessed with a choice beyond the walls. When he wondered what his mother might think of him now that shit was sad and it almost made me tear up. Armin even said those who are not willing to sacrifice their own humanity cannot change anything. To me as a writer as well this felt believable and lined up with the preset themes of the story. 139 caught me off guard in a bad way it felt unrealistic to his character and what he had been fighting for. Also as a reader we will root for characters who generally show fighting spirit and inner strength , determination,etc. Pathetic moments happen to all humans but we really thought Eren had grown from his past self. Historia actually dragged him out of that pathetic wanting to die state of being. He had to be drunk on freedom to keep on pushing. All of those themes were set in motion only to be ignored and set to the wayside for cheese romance ugh.... S4 was a more calculated cold eren who had matured and kept moving forward despite his trauma. Pushing himself into the hell and eventually beyond it for his ultimate goal. It is a cruel world yet none of his characters die they all live. Realistically they all should have died.... Isayama wanted to bake his cake and eat it too...
@@sourcesymbiosismetamorphis2228 You overlook the fact what the founders influence brought upon him and he also told armin that don't tell mikasa what he have said. He acted on impulse because armin provoked him in the first place.
@@sourcesymbiosismetamorphis2228 His development was understanding the bigger picture. Remember his conversation with reiner? Where he turned into a morally grey character? By telling reiner he came to understand the world even more, that humans outside and inside the walls are all the same. Erens determination was always there. Eren didn't stop at 80% but he was "stopped" at 80%, which means he just failed. Killing his friends including mikasa would've contradicted his character more.
This honestly was an amazing watch, and I hope that this video reaches the AoT fans that deserve to watch this. People are free to dislike the ending all they want, but first they have to stop misinterpreting this series for what it isn't meant to be. I feel that especially with the newer fans, they tend to ignore Eren before the time skip, completely disregarding it as part of his character and see him purely as the monster in the story without anything else to his character.
Wow, beautiful well made video. ❤️❤️❤️ Finally another positive video about Eren. If I think about it we don't quite see anime characters contradict themselves much. As human beings, we contradict ourselves. Eren contradicting himself doesn't mean he's a bad character.
Eren is a slave to freedom. (According to what Kenny said. That everyone had to be drunk on smthg to keep pushing forward, to be a slave to smthg..What pushes Eren forward is freedom).
People think Eren changed, but it’s our own perception of him that made us see him in a way that made us think he had changed. Eren has always been a slave to freedom and the freedom that he wanted so badly enslaved him, even when he altered the timeline to make sure the rumbling would happen, which is the closest he was able to get to his freedom, there was no possible way of Eren to ever be able to reach the freedom that he wanted. No matter what Eren does, no matter how powerful he becomes, he will always be a slave to freedom, and the need to understand the philosophy of why is why I am grateful for videos like these.
"Eren cares for his Friends" said trash ending defenders. Well, I do not think he cares at all. First, He started the attack on Marley on his owns and put his Friends in an awark position. As a result, Sasha died. Second, they argue bit at least they get to live. See this is where plot logic started to crumble. Has Eren ever thought that if he let his friends defeat him, then his followers in paradis would execute them for treachery? Or Marley soldiers can shoot them right on the spot and tell the world they are the real hero. You see he did not give a shit if they are killed. Third, if the above senarias would not happen, there still the threat of 20% of angry people want to destroy Paradis. There no fucking way Paradis could last 10 years. The world only need 1 or two years to regroup. Plus, Paradis fall behind 50 years in terms of technoly, knowledge, economy, politcal system, population,...... They have no more ally. All alone. So you see Eren did not give a damn what his friends think, feel, or what happens to them after his mess
You forgot one thing. Eren knew the future. Until he died and the titans disappeared, at least. What he did in his opinion was the only chance for Eldian and his friends. In an alternate timeline, when he decided to run away with Mikasa, he says that Marley is about to attack Paradise. Sasha's death hit Eren but he said somewhere that it could not be avoided. Also, all he could do was destroy a large part of the world, remove the specter of invasion, and destroy the Titans. Eren was not a miracle worker. He tried to find another way but he just couldn't find it. You can say that Eren didn't know what was going to happen next. Won't his friends die. And it may be true. It was some unknown. But he knew they would most definitely die if he didn't do what he did.
Great video! Finally a good character analysis about Eren. He is my favourite AOT character and one of my favourite anime protagonists. Many people started liking him only because of his chad persona and failed to see beyond it.
i honestly sympathize w erens character so much and thought the ending was fitting. people will always complain about things as enormous as attack is. they say the ending sucks but also cant come up w a better ending themselves that doesnt reflect the whole message of attack. good anime endings cant always be satisfying, ESPECIALLY for a story like aot.
I didn't think the whole message of attack was overcoming the shackles of love (Ymir needing to see mikasa kill Eren), I more so took it to be a lesson on war and moral ambiguity. That things arent black and white. I honestly wouldn't mind this ending if Eren didn't plan to lose and was just beaten by his close friends who held an opposing point of veiw (and he didnt kill his mom, honestly the time manipulation just fucks with things imo).
@@enricodolci7560 yeah if they hadnt tried to stop him he would have finished the rumbling, but they did come to stop him. He allowed them to defeat him when that happened, that's why they have memories from before that battle that only unlocked after he was defeated. Eren or Ymir could have controlled their bodies so they couldn't resist at any point.
@@jelloistasty yeah but he didn't plan to lose, he planned to flatten the earth full stop. Only when he learned that he would eventually be stopped he starts to think about that
It takes shallow comprehension and surface level viewing to want Eren to remain a stoic badass and accept his death with no insight into what could be a deeper depth of his own personal feelings. I used to browse the Titanfolk subreddit a lot and so MANY people just wanted Eren to wipe out the world and go home to Historia with their "child". I won't lie...I did want to see Eren wipe out the whole world except for Paradis but it was due to a desire to see if Isayama could create some new form of archetype -- but alas, archetypes are archetypes for a reason. What the fuck were we seeing? Just because Eren's moments with Armin were him having a breakdown doesn't take away the fact that he's a magnificent character. People are just looking at the series as "just a cartoon" and by viewing everything episodically -- you don't see the continuity. The key thing to realize is that when Eren entered Paths -- THAT'S when he began to influence history. He HAD to do it because the whole meeting with Krueger and Grisha and The Owl mentioning Armin and Mikasa was a byproduct of Eren ALREADY being in PATHS at that very moment despite the fact that chronologically it was in the past! -- it was etched in stone but he WANTED to do it so he still has the perception of his own personal agency. Thanks for the video, man.
you telling us to overlook the fact that he has no coherent explanation to why he wanted to flatten the world? other than the implied “I am free”? the rumbling has been hinted we saw his struggles and will to push we saw him begging for another way, in the end why did he bother ask? majority of his monologues was also lies, the behavior he’s been showing since he saw the memories was apparently just an emo phase because he’ll turn back into a crying bi+ch in the end, we thought he’s grown, no one would complain if Eren ever shows emotion specially guilt for killing billions in fact it is what people wanted the most as the aftermath of his rampage, one that is consistent to what people thought was a mature Eren, not full on loathing and childish tantrums.
@@f.b.lagent1113 What you're telling me is that you never understood Eren's character. That's okay. For a while, I didn't either. Eren is a SELFISH human being. That's one of the keys to understanding him. Metaphorically, prior to the basement reveal, and Historia's hand kissing scene -- Eren viewed himself as being in a Shounen world (LOOK AT WHAT I'M SAYING IN A METAPHORICAL VIEWPOINT NOT LITERALLY) -- Freedom is essential to who he is. Once it was revealed that other human beings lived outside of the walls, it broke Eren. He is a deconstruction of the shounen male protagonist (What are most male shounen protagonists like? They are brash, loud, and typically chasing after a near impossible dream). Eren is the shounen protagonist who learned that he was living in a seinen reality and he could not take it. He dreamed to explore the lands beyond the world freely without having anyone there; discovering the world for the first time. After the basement reveal, in light of how big the world really was -- his dream that he had chased after and desired all of his life all of a sudden became childish and insignificant. He realized how much he TRULY did not matter and it destroyed him. He thought he was unique, but realized he was just another human being...and he wasn't okay with it. Sure, Eren supposedly was okay with not being "special" prior to the basement reveal -- except THIS time, this revelation about other people existing outside of the walls attacked the essence of who he was -- he realized he wasn't free at all. Eren is arguably my favorite character of all time...but make no mistake, he was a monster.
@@makomajin6592 What exactly am I not understanding here? that has been the argument of people like you since the end, it tantamounts to “you just don’t see Eren the way I do” which lacks considerable tangible factors essential to the entirety of the story to even be considered an actual defense for that character even with that long comment You fail to address even a single point about his actions and behavior in the ending, the things people complain about which is again integral to his character because he was a major part of the story, you’re making this case out to be pure subjective while you have the manga itself as the proof we present(along with Isayama interviews, which are also of course incoherent and contradicting), actual physical evidence not: “this is my feeling and understanding about Eren(where similar conclusions can happen independently as I’ll show later) you should feel and “understand” it the same way we do” your explanation about Eren is actually pretty similar to what we thought he was; but accompanied with coherent goals that is consistent with the apparent character growth, genuine dialogues, realistic/relatable reactions and a promise of unique storytelling which(we hoped) Eren orchestrates... all of which are destroyed by the last chapter, most of it can be summarized as “Only Ymir knows” and “I don’t know, I just felt like I want to do it(doing rumbling)” I have no time to articulate more than that, semester just started here yesterday. just check this out in r/shingekinokyojin for substance: “Why CH139 doesn't work: A respectful critic” exact title.
@@f.b.lagent1113 I've seen that one before. Honestly, man. I don't care to go back and forth with you either. You used a lot of big words there -- that was cool. You probably don't understand PATHS. 🤷🏾♂️ It is what it is.
"Eren was a slave to freedom" is the biggest "I'm 12 and this is deep" bullshit. The ending was complete dogshit and nothing but character assassination
@@SuperXrayDoc and it's kinda ridiculous. I mean, saying a phrase is stupid and then not elaborating any further is just childish, don't you think? Eren was a slave to freedom, because he was born craving it. So in a sense he was a slave to himself. You're never gonna be totally free, because when there isn't any enemy to fight against, you're still going on driven by something you didn't choose to pursue. Just like Kenny said, everyone is just drunk of something, and everyone keeps on living just to achieve their unreachable goals, even though they don't actually know what the outcome of their desires will be. Now, you can say the phrase is stupid, but not elaborating _why_ just makes you sound like you don't have any actual argument against the video itself, and you just wanted to insult something at face value
@@SuperXrayDoc And that makes you a clown whose opinion has no weight whatsoever, since you provided no arguments to back it up. Let me spoon fed you what that sentence means. Eren was a slave to his unrealistic ideal of freedom, which he formed from the images in Armin's book, the images of an outside world without titans, and without humans, he was obssesed with what he thought freedom was, which is why he told Ramzi he was so dissapointed that humanity still existed beyond the walls. He wanted absolute freedom by reaching 'that sight'.
Imo the ending was fucking great. Not 10/10 execution but the themes and the story was spot on. It certainly doesn't ruin the rest of the show... The fact that some people think that the ending is as bad as the one game of thrones had is just laughable...
I truly dont understand how people didnt like the ending, even hated it. It's beautiful, it comes full circle, it shows the flaws in Eren , his humanity, and it has a defenite sense of closure. Great video and keep it up :)
Great analysis !! Thank you I love the character of Eren (his evolution, his struggles and his humanity), I love the beautiful ending and I love and respect the whole incredible story that Hajime Isayama gave up.
That was a great video! You underlined good points i hadn't seen this way (like for 131/139). But don't you think that the 8 additional pages with paradis being nuked destroys the whole point of this video? Eren wasn't knowing what he was doing, he let his country being destroyed because doesn't assume entierly the rumbling. And his POV isnt childish, it's armin's and the alliance's one that was idealistic and idiot they fight to destroy their nation
Thanks man, glad you got something out of it. Personally, I didn't like the 8 extra pages. It did flesh some things out, but overall, those extra pages were, in my op, terrible. That being said, I do think the majority of this vid still holds true. Except for my final words/lines. You know, I was fine with original 139 because it conveyed how conflict would still exist, but it also had a sense of hopeful optimism. Maybe, peace could be attained too. There was potential for hope. But the new ending, essentially ruins that and changes the tone of the entire chap. Simplicifying the message to just "conflict is inevitable." To me, old 139 was ambiguous and nuanced, and new 139 is linear and concrete. Which is why I much prefer old 139 cuz it stays true to the stories themes of nuance, perspective, and shades of grey. There was no one guaranteed path or right answer. But, the new 139, didn't give me that feeling. Regardless, while it does sadden me that Isayama did what he did and made my final words/interpretation to be invalid, I won't forget everything that preceded that, because Eren's journey and character is still one of my favorites. For the most part, even though that new end puts a bitter aftertaste, I'm still extremely proud of this video. I don't necessarily think Eren's ideals/POV were childish. My point was that he had childlike traits to him, much like how many human beings do. Not everyone is perfect, sometimes people just act immaturely. Say what you will about Armin's ideals. Genocide, killings billions is not a path Armin and the alliance team desired to partake in. It's simply wrong. Even if it would lead to their destruction, they were resolved to fight for their own moral standards and I can respect that. Same as I can respect Eren's resolve to fight.
@@Yatoru1Thanks for answering! I personaly like a lot the pages, those characters had all been making the same mistakes over and over again, leading to their destruction. I agree yeah, all the things you said about Eren pre timeskip was a great and still relevant analisis! And you had no way to predict that isayama would be adding pages that modifies the whole point of the story. And what I don't like about the Alliance i's that they hide behind moral, to justify their actions that led to another genocide
@@lexplorateurdelespacecomme3883 yea I do see where you're coming from. Maybe I'll appreciate new 139 as time passes. Nonetheless, hopefully, I did justice to Eren's character and glad you enjoyed the video!
@@Yatoru1 i love video but i kinda want to say i like extra page a lot it something i kinda want from iasayama writing and theme of Aot about. the cycle still continue that the truth that human cant be avoid but it not ruin armin and eren action it already success long before the age of new war begun also final scene is only for interpretention and open end show that in the far far from future the tree just appear again we not know what gonna happen next but the nature(the tree) still continue no matter what
After watching this video I was amazed how the hell someone can describe it so perfectly... I can't even imagine myself doing this type of content... You are on another level... The level i can just imagine... Love ur video from my bottom of heart❤ (A small req can we frnds ?)
Eren chased an illusion of freedom and destroyed everything by his own actions. He willingly became the greatest of tyrants for the sake of his delusion. Deciding for himself what was good and evil, uncaring of the consequences of his action will harm others as long as he obtained his preferred outcome. A slave to freedom rather than the embodiment of it. Very well written character, I deeply despise him. Especially because I am just like him at my worst.
As well put this video is especially how he discusses this part at 43:15, it’s tragic how somewhat wrong this is since Eren calls himself a slave to freedom. Did not age well sadly lol
Your video genuinely is like a breath of fresh air after looking at all the video thumbnails which literally shit on Eren's character as a whole after the final chapter. As one of the few Eren fans who loved his character since the very beginning of the series, I genuinely find it amazing how beautifully Eren's character was crafted and how he embodies the definition of a "tragic hero" imo. Whether we talk about his determined yet kinda pathetic personality, his philosophy of freedom, him becoming a slave to his very own actions and desires or his very broken mind and soul which are constantly battling themselves while at the same time does not budge from his saying of "I keep moving forward", his end broke me while I literally kept on thinking that he deserved so much more. Many people are calling him walmart Lelouch and as much as I love Lelouch, I cannot help but disagree with them because Lelouch at the end of the story was actually a hero to us viewers. He plays the role of a villain while having a very modest wish, to reunite the world and bring peace. However Eren's character cannot be called a martyr because he did not "play" the role of the Devil, he legit "became" that. Because this guy, no matter how shattered and broken he became with the passage of time, carried out the mission that he knew he was supposed to fulfil. On the surface level, sure these two characters had similar motives, to protect their loved ones. But the execution of their plans are as well as their characterization are what make these two characters so different from each other. If there is any character that I kinda find similar to Eren, it would be Kaneki from TG and Sufferants has made an incredible video on these two. I think thats what makes characters like Kaneki, Eren, Guts, Musashi, Thorfinn, Punpun, Kenzo Tenma, Edward and Johnny Joestar so compelling to me because they are not just a product of their environment but we also see them question their own morals and flawed actions. Eren's desires were selfish but at the same time, they were selfless. His plan was never to unite the world and bring peace or remove hatred BY COMMITTING GENOCIDE but rather to ensure the safety of his friends and his people who were not even considered humans due to the titan curse. It's ironic but at the same time it makes sense because everything that Eren does is on his own free will but at the same time, he is a slave to his own desires, to his own future. Him asking for forgiveness in front of Ramzi while he cries like a pathetic man shows that. The freedom panel is literally the part where it shows that Eren, no matter how much he screams and pushes himself to "that" scenery, has now completely shattered from the inside because he just cannot come in terms with the atrocities that he is committing. He became a monster willingly but at the same time when it came to head on face the actions that he is committing, he turns a blind eye to it and becomes the delusional child that he once was. He pushed away his friends and threw away his humanity and I think that's where his character becomes more interesting because Eren, even after willingly becoming a monster, still wishes to be seen as human, wants to remain human, at least to those "for whom" he kept pushing forward. His friends represent the humanity that is left within him, as if they are now the only "valid" reason for Eren to keep moving forward. Can one say that he in now making excuses for his actions by saying he is doing it for Mikasa and Armin and everyone? Well of course! But can he excuse himself by straight out confessing it in front of them? Hell no! That's why he doesn't answer Armin when he first asks him did he really have to go that far for them. And the next time when he again asks, Eren says "I don't know" while the you're free panel is shown. It's as if Eren knows he desires to be free but at the same time he is afraid to be judged by his best friend because his vision of freedom is flawed. He deep down inside is aware of the fact that his actions are very much similar to that of a monster but at the same time, he still remains human because we can see and understand his conflicted mind. Had he killed his friends in the process, the very "valid" reason for his horrible actions, it would have become pointless because consequently, he would have lost all "his humanity" which he was so desperately clinging onto. Another thing that I want to say is how many people are saying that the conversation between Eren and Reinar in Marley has now become pointless because Eren was the one who killed his mother. First, that was a translation error and second, the Eren we saw in Marley still hadn't received the power of the founder which means here he had no idea that his own actions would indirectly lead to his mother's death in the past. As Zeke says in ch 121, Eren back then hasn't still seen the whole future and that's why he was so desperate to come in contact with Zeke during the battle in Shiganshina. It was AFTER he freed Ymir that he received the power of the founder and saw the past present and future existing at once which completely destroyed his mind. This chapter sure has it's flaws with it's pacing and execution could have been a lot more better if we had gotten atleast 30 more pages but I don't think that Eren's character was ruined in any manner. I remember reading one of Isayama's interviews where he said that people show their true colors when they are dying and we've seen this countless times in the series starting with Carla, Mike, Marlo and especially Erwin. In Erwin's case, he confesses in front of Levi that he wants to go to the basement (just like a kid) which has always been his SELFISH desire. That's why he made such honorable speeches to his soldiers and led them all to death, only so he could reach there. He showed his true colors during his final moments and it was the same with Eren who had a mental breakdown during his last moments. The only difference here in that Erwin acts like the 30+ year old adult that he is while Eren acts like the emotional and broken 19 year old guy. Even though he was flawed and did horrible things, one thing that makes him stand out as a great protagonist to me is his will power. He DID NOT stop at 80% but WAS STOPPED at 80% because the only thing he couldn't do was kill his very own friends. Till the very end, Eren did keep moving forward but quietly accepted his death by the hands of Mikasa because he knew after everything he had done, he had no right to live. I'm so sorry for making this so long but I really wanted to share my views after watching this video. And thank you so much for making this video it was amazing!
That is one long ass comment and I'm kinda not sure what to reply, so I'll just say thank you for watching this video. I'm happy you enjoyed it and also thank for providing me with some of your thoughts on the series/Eren as well :)
@@Yatoru1 Thank you so much for the heart and your reply! And sorry once again for making that comment soo long. I'm glad that you at least decided to read all of it, it means a lot to me ^_^
I really love this analysis, and I already shared many of these points but thank you for bringing an even more in depth analysis of the character If I can ask you a technicality I was wondering about, if (exactly as I understood it too) Eren received full vision of the future (and past) after taking control of the Founder, why does he tell Armin he didn't know if his friends would survive his doing? Does he perhaps mean in the years after the Historia's hand kiss and before starting the Rumbling?
@@giuseppepiuma1965 from what I can understand, I think Eren was referring to how he dragged his friends in this mess before coming in contact with Zeke coz back then he had no idea how his plan was going to pay off. Eren's plan was more or less a huge gamble which paid off at the very end but that doesn't mean that he wasn't worried about how his actions also put his friends lives on line.
Your analysis was 10/10, I've always understood eren's character but this made me feel like the ending was a good ending but it feels a little rushed hopefully in the anime they fix that, you deserve more views keep it up :)
Eren is a slave he was a slave to his ideal of freedom. Armin is free, because unlike erens curse to constantly chase freedom, Armin always saw the freedom in every moment.
Again, it doesn't make sense. If Eren thinks the rumbling is the best choice why would he go for the rumbling plan? Because other plans were offered to him and he didn't accept him as well. Saying he is a slave to the story is just Isayama skipping charachter development and hoping nobody finds out. And the whole freedom stuff and all that, we know that. It is nothing new. Doesn't change how bad the ending was written. And I can't hear it anymore when peopel tell me he was just a boy. About a guy commiting genocide and talking about his humanity just doesn't add upp.
MANGA SPOILERS Will you be making a video on the additional pages? I think it really does complete the story very well. Along with the message "Conflict will always be there", the message that humans will also keep searching for solutions to the conflict of their times which will in turn lead to progress (another theme AoT has shown throughout very well) and that is Humanity's struggle. We will keep moving forward despite all the conflict and we will cherish all the small, "insignificant" things as well even during tough times, looking for solutions
I've thought of discussing it, but I don't think I will be anytime soon. Truth be told, I, personally, didn't like the additional chapters. But after replying to some comments and analyzing the chapter more, I'm coming to appreciate it more and more. I really like how you interpreted/described Isayama's vision. Definitely gives me feel more closure than before. But regardless, although I could talk about the additional pages, I think I'm going to wait on when the anime fully aires so that I give a more complete analysis (like my other AOT video going over s1-3).
@@Yatoru1 That's really cool then. Can't wait for the anime. I recommend you to read some of the threads by @ColdCriti on Twitter. They're interesting. At surface level, I thought there was gonna be a sequel thx to the last page. But after spending a bunch of time, I realised that the Titans won't be born again. As explained in 137,Ymir manifested the Titans out of the specific desires within her. Similarly, the boy will manifest whatever he sees as the solution to his conflict. All this is assuming that the hallucigenia survived. If it didn't, then the last page still does serve to show the memories of past times persisting through times of war. That tree is where Eren and Mikasa are buried after alll
@@richiknair9036 wow that's actually super interesting. I didn't really catch that (the fact that their ymir's desires and the boy's desire may lead to completely different ends). I'll try to read up on it sometime in the future.
the fact that this was all predestined just makes me feel like i spent all these years reading aot for nothing.this means that no character in the aot universe had any will of their own,so they didn't really take any responsability for their actions.writing a story where the plot is predestined is an extremely difficult thing to do, since just like in real life,this concept is still confusing for the human mind and experience.i don't hate isayama for what he did nor do i hate the whole manga in general,but he could've easily written more chapters to flesh out his ideas and execute them in a more suitable fashion.but it is what it is and i will move forward to another masterpieces.
From my interpretation, It's more like there are several potential futures that could come true. And the one Eren choose to follow was one in which Ymir is freed and his friends could potentially be free. Within this path, the key events and consequences are already set it stone; however, as an individual, Eren choose to go down such a path. This entire time, he made the choice to attack Marley, to betray the survey corps, to activate the rumbling. While the consequences were already set in stone, Eren's choice is what set them down that route. So in some ways, everyone was a slave, but at the same time, everyone also had a degree of free will. The will to choose. I highly suggest Totally Not Mark's final chap review cuz he explains this much better than I can within this comment.
@@Yatoru1 From my personal interpretation; I feel the Eren that kissed Historia saw pieces of the future (not all of it) and decided to follow that rumbling path which was the only path that he could accept that most likely will guarantee the freedom of eldia. Realistically speaking this path was chosen for him by future Eren. I believe it wasn't until he reached the paths and had control that he truly understood why things had to play out this way. He witnessed all of time happening concurrently and could also influence events as well e.g. letting the titan go towards his mum. Just like you stated there are potential futures that could come true; I'd like to believe he influenced and witnessed other potential futures (e.g. where he saved his mum) to come to the conclusion that this certain route is the only path he could accept and understands why future Eren chose this path for him. Eren had the free will to do anything but chose to follow this precise path, chose to sacrifice his life, freedom and countless others for the possible freedom of eldia. He didn't want to be monster but he couldn’t accept his friends and people had to die for the sins they didn't commit so he chose to put aside his true feelings to carry that burden alone. Whether he was good or bad is left for personal interpretation. The same way he is both viewed as savior by the people of paradis and a monster by the world.
What is predestined is the characters taking the decisions they did. All of these decisions are character driven. Predestination doesn't mean characters are lifeless characterless puppets that are remote controlled by fate lol
problem not in Eren, problem in final plot twist that it was solely Mikasas choice and that plot twist was without any premise. Why always serious topics in many books, films and mangas boil down to fucking love.
Beautiful Analysis. Despite my disappointment for how the story was concluded and how the characters were handled in ch 139, I can absolutely appreciate the themes and ideas Isayama tried to convey.
Eren is a slave to freedom Not only is he a slave to his idea of freedom It’s a freedom he can never obtain And that obsession consumes him completely That fire destroys everything even eren in the end Bc that’s all destruction does Destroys He has a chance to be free Even looks for anything to save him including mikasas love But like his idea of freedom it’s never enough
There was absolutely no reason at all for Eren to kill 80% of humanity if all he actually wanted is only for his friends to live long, happy lives in true freedom (even though it is incredibly conveniant and VERY unreasonable that they would be able to be at such peace when they literally helped Eren in attacking Liberio, which resulted in them bringing Zeke for Eren to start the rumbling while also helping them come into contact during the invasion battle) all he needed for that is to simply follow a part of Yelenas plan. He just needed to destroy all of the allied forces militaries and to push all of them back away from Paradis, whiping like 40% of people and scaring them in the process. Then they could send people from the island to try to establish diplomatic relationships with the world so they wouldn't be so aggressive towards them. All of that would surely slow all the tension down in order to buy just enough time for Armin and the others to live and die peacefully before everyone beyond the island gathers enough power to attempt to get revenge. If that is all that Eren actually wanted, then there are literally so many diffrent ways he could have tried to achieve his goal without slaughtering like a billion people..But he chose to just follow the path that Ymir showed him without even thinking of defying that which is supposed to be destined like he was always doing before. Eren chose to give up in this case and let fate dictate itself, which goes directly against everything that was established about him before in the story. It's also just ridiculous that THAT would be his end goal all along anyway...He wants Mikasa to live a free, happy life, but not her children that shall be innevitably plunged to another terrible war, having their freedom threatened in a world that would remain just as it was before? His motivations are simply foolish, but if he , as you say, was always supposed to be just a cofused, flawed kid, that doesn't belong in the world of aot and that was wrong in his decisions and regrets everything he's done because he is simply 'human', then the tone of the ending should've portrayed him as such. Instead, he was portrayed as a hero for caring about his friends over himself..Armin thanking him for commiting mass murder for his sake and not suffering from any guilt because of it is just completely fucking stupid when you remember all those times he was willing to sacrifice himself so that everyone else could live and be more successful without having to drag him along, because he always felt inferior..The ending ruined more than Erens character.
Alright, I'll try to tackle your comment point by point. Eren's actions aren't right, but it makes sense as to how he got to make his decision. He didn't just want his friends to live long happy lives. He wanted freedom. Freedom for his friends. Freedom for Armin and Mikasa. And freedom for his people. In order to do that, the conclusion he came to is the rumbling. I don't see why Eren's actions and the aftermath are unreasonable when taking in the context. Yes, Armin's group helped Eren attack Liberio and also helped him make contact with Zeke. But in the rumbling, the entire time, they actively fought against him. And through Armin acting as Paradis' head, he tells the opposition that he killed Eren, making it explicitly clear to said opposite that they were against Eren's actions and the rumbling. Is it too optimistic to show the opposite side simply accepting those words? Yes. But it's not completely unbelievable. I mean, even after that point, conflict still existed so it's not like it was all sunshine and rainbows after Eren's death. The example with Yelena's plan you gave is somewhat misguided. As I said, Eren's goal isn't just freedom for his friends, but for his people. Both the present and future generations. If he just wanted to protect his friends, Zeke's plan literally would've sufficed. But his intended goal was freedom for all of Paradis. For all those who would one day be born. And so, he took on that extremist route because that route had the potential for "true freedom." His outlook wasn't perfect, but he only got to that point after going through heavy mental trauma and overcoming countless burdens. Also, your given scenario may allow Armin and Mikasa to live, but what about the future? You, yourself made the point of Mikasa's children. Hopefully, you see now that Eren went through with the rumbling because he wanted a future for his friends as well as every other eldian and future newborn of Paradis. To him, the rumbling was the only solution available (because this route entailed a future of potential. Nothing was set in stone past his death and there was just as much chance for hope as there was for despair). And even in your scenario, resentment and fear would still exist so it wouldn't be a perfect solution regardless. I don't really get your point of Eren giving up. He came to the conclusion that the rumbling was the only option and so, he made the choice to pursue that future. Now, within said path, the key events can't be changed. But in the first place, Eren, himself, made the choice to go down that path. Had he not things would have played a lot differently. But it's because he made the choice to do so that what occurred happened. That's why I personally view him as a "slave" but in the same sense, he still has a degree of free will. The will to choose if that makes sense. I agree with you that Armin shouldn't have used the words thank you. Personally, I would've removed that line and kept the, "You became a mass murderer for our sake. I won't let this error go to waste." Because it keeps the core idea, but the scene is a lot less heroic. However, I don't think that scene takes anything away from the other scenes I discussed in the video. After all, those scenes were Eren's final moments before his eventual end and so, a rush of emotions overcame Eren. Emotions that depicted his human side. I think it's worth note that the 139's conversation occurs chronologically during 131. And so, even though he's being all childish in 139, chronologically, in his final scene, he tells Mikasa to forget. Even though in the past, he wished for the opposite. Thus ending with his death. (Suggest reading my pinned comment). On a final note, I don't think 139 was perfect, but I definitely don't believe it committed character assassination as so many claim. If you've read all this and, still disagree, that's fine. You'll completely free to do so. But I hope I conveyed my thoughts/interpretation properly and maybe you got something out of it.
@@Yatoru1 Thanks for the reply! I believe I understand all of your points quite well, but here's what I think I should clarify to explain my points a little better: If Eren wanted to succeed in creating true, secure, LASTING freedom for the eldian people of Paradis, then he would have strived to actually complete the rumbling and annihilate every last bit of humanity that was left beyond the walls, rather than sparing it at 20%. If that was his true goal, which I always thought it was up until the ending, then it does not make sense that he would allow the VERY possible chance of Paradis getting destroyed in another war that would happen in the near future, resulting in SO MANY children of his people once again being born in a world where their freedom is endangered by people from across the ocean who are out for revenge because of all that Eren and his comrades had done. That's why that COULD NOT have been his end goal as I see it, as it doesn't make sense. It's just way too goofy to think that all that is left of humanity would not IMMEDIATELY start planning and organising their forces to go out and EASILY take out Paradis because they do not have any titan powers anymore and they are also incredibly outnumbered lol (also according to the newest leaks, that is exactly what happens). So either he was actually just a fool who didn't know any better or his motivations weren't to achieve a free world for the children of his people, because following a path in which the rumbling is stopped before it genocides everyone will never accomplish that, which is why it just seems like Eren was a slave to Ymirs path, not trying to defy it all to solve the problem of the cycle of hatred in his own way, which simply could not have alligned with that path, because as you say, he wanted to ensure absolute freedom..He failed to do that, as he knew he would, because he knew the future of this path he went along with. He claimed before that he would NEVER let fate dictate the future of Paradis, but that can't be the case because of chapter 139.
@@chigonbaron7681 Actually Eren did claim in the last chapter to Armin that he was willing to complete the rumbling and eradicate all of humanity outside the walls. It's just that Armin and the others stopped him before he was able to do so.
I do get where you're coming from. I think Eren straight up commuting genocide was a real possibility, but I think what we got is just as true to his character (it's just that the execution could've been better). Because with the first option, freedom is attained, but only at the cost of literally wiping the world of every other race. Thus, through striping the world of it's freedom, society is able to be rebuilt with the remaining people being free. However, with the second option, it's more ambiguous and I think it's this ambiguity, this idea of potential (for both good and bad) that Isayama was trying to play upon. You see with the 2nd option (20% being left alive), Eren essentially leaves the fate of Eldians to his people. He creates momentary stillness and what his people do with it is up to them. In this scenario, the possibility for peace between both sides exist, but the possibility for war also exists. That's why we're shown both Paradis preparing for war, and also shown, Armin and the main cast venturing out into the outside world. Because by telling their stories and by showing people that they aren't monsters, there's that sense of hopeful optimism. Maybe people will understand. Maybe they won't. But they have to try. And so, in this second option, rather than choosing "guaranteed freedom" (the one you described), Eren instead walks down the path of "potential." In the end, leaving everyone's fates in their own hands, but only after creating an environment/specific scenario in which peace could be attained. It's now up to Armin and everyone else to carve their own paths, their own future. A future that's extremely uncertain and ambiguous, but nonetheless, a future filled with the potential for hope. Eren pushed them onto a path. Where that path leads them is dependent on them. Now, again, I wanna reiterate that the genocide route was completely possible, but rather than throwing what we got aside, I tried my best to understand the intention and core ideas all these scenes and final chapter as a whole served to tell. And, well... these were the conclusions I came to.
@@neilselgi8581 And yet he told Armin in the very begining of the chapter that he KNEW that they will stop him from doing it and that only 80% will be destroyed, which means he saw the future all the way up to his death. So he chose not to stop them and not to ensure the successs of his mission to esnure the creation of a free world for all future generations of humanity, because as he told them himself when he contacted them via the paths, he does not wish to take their freedom away, because they are his friends and he wants them to be a part of his free world..Well then in that case, he made the decision to let his close friends kill him, resulting in the future of all the people of Paradis being left at the hands of fate..And that means that his final goal ACTUALLY WAS THE ONE THAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT IN MY ORIGINAL COMMENT. Eren gave up on his desire for freedom, because he couldn't force himself to take away the freedom of his loved ones, which automatically means that he indeed chose to go along with the path that he saw in his vision, because he was fine with just his friends being free and living out their final days in peace. He did not choose to sacrifice them in order to finally make his dream of freedom come into fruition, so the freedom of the children of all the coming generations of eldians, including the ones of his own comrades aswell, did not matter to him as much, hence why he settled with the result of the path that he saw and did not choose to oppose it..I already explained how that makes the whole story remarkably silly, because there are various diffrent ways that Eren could have protected the freedom of only his friends without having to squash like a billion children in the proccess. Eren just accepted fate and did nothing to defy it. If he truly yearned for worldwide freedom, he would have stopped the alliance.
Well about 30% of the population has an IQ below 80. So if something isn't explicit, 30% of people probably won't get it sadly... And then they rant on Twitter
@@jakobrenner2230 yeah me too **SPOILERS** for 8 pages The mikasa stuff isn't too bad. It works thematically and it's what eren told her to do so i get it, although i don't think i like it as much. The other leaks do seem kinda bad. hope they're fake our super out of context
@@bastienbongers8036 I love how you guys are quite similar in calling out each other's have low IQs just because you guys have different opinions. But everyone is self righteous to their own opinions, and looking into the others who have different opinions as having low IQ and below of them. Which the reasons why I hate EM and EH pointing out at each others. As someone who started seeing the ending as a neutral, though turned out against it in the end after it confirmed to glorify genocide, it is kinda funny how you guys are actually very similar. And when everyone finding someone who have the similarities with their ideology and opinion they started svcking on that person while bashing the others without looking much deeper into other's opinion. Each sides of opinions is actually very valid (as I have watched and reading a lot of people's opinions from different pov). Everyone have their own views and how they are looking into things. What made it toxics is when one part of the groups start acting so righteous and calling out each others. Wasnt it is also the reason why Eldians and The World's conflict ended up in the genocide? People dont want to talk it out first. Dont want to understand each others first. Because their own belief, ideology and thought is always coming first. Sheesh. Some things in AoT is very true when it is about human nature lol.
1. That's not an answer. 2. You put a link to a video in another comment, something really immature for someone who should be old enough to be able to elaborate an argument on their own 3. You gave a like to both of your own comment, and it's kinda childish
There are no spoilers for anime onlies up until 37:32 so don't worry about getting spoiled. And for the rest of the cool kids who've read the manga, feel free to watch the entire thing lol. I've seriously put my all into this so hope y'all enjoy!
Also, something I want to mention that I didn't in the video (only click read-more if you've read the manga)
MAIN POINT: I've seen a good amount of people who've failed to understand the point of this video. So I'll explicitly state it here. In the video, I stated that Eren was a just slave to the paths. HOWEVER, I also stated that through his own free will, he fought and continued on fighting for those he loved. He sacrificed his own freedom for the freedom of his people and most importantly, his friends.
Now let me elaborate on that point. You see, the reason this video is titled (not) a SLAVE is because to me, Eren is, in a sense, both a slave and not a slave. How? Well, he's a slave because he has no control over all the key events that would occur. BUT what he does have control over is his will to choose the path he would follow. And so, through his own choices, through his own free will, Eren chose to fight.
Although he couldn't change the key events that would occur, it was his decision to fight at every pivotal event that made his desired future come true.
He chose to attack Marley. He chose to free Ymir. He chose to activate the Rumbling. All these actions were of his own free will and these exact choices were what lead to everything that happened. Had he not done this, then, the ENTIRE story of AOT would've played out differently.
Thus, Eren is a slave because everything (within his desired future) was pre-determined. However, he is also not a slave because his free will, his own choices, and his resolve to fight were what made said future come true.
Haters need no reason to hate
They will still say Eren a copy of lelouch 🤡
@@O2H3 I think eren's situation and lelouch situations are very different considering the fact that eren had his whole eldian race fate in his hands and on the other hand lelouch become the monster of his world to unite the world only against him not his race and after lelouch died people seeked peace and alliance. but now eren with his ancentral sins the world can't forgive thier race the world is not a place to show mercy to them for thier tyrannyof 1800 years! So eren didn't have a choice he did wanted to change his fate and future at times like sasha death, ramzi death he lost in thoughts and he regretted that the future cannot be changed! So yeah eren and lelouch are the greatest examples of scarifices for greater good but aot theme tried its own dark theme by putting it in own realistic way by concluding that the war won't stop until eldians vs world but some nations and marley also coming for peace treaty👍
i just realized something, i think the armin vs erwin decision foreshadowed a lot regarding eren and mikasa's eventual arcs
mikasa was eventually convinced by hange to let armin die for the good of paradis. she hesitantly was about to let someone close to her die for the greater good. while eren still never accepted this and still never was willing to let his friend die, even if it's for the greater good
like how eren destroyed the world for the sake of the people close to him, and mikasa stopped eren despite knowing it'd be risking her and her friend's lives. but she did it anyway for the greater good, like she did in the armin v erwin decision
Thank you for this. I don’t watch a lot of AoT but I did kept up with the story here and there. I think it’s beautiful that Isayama was able to create such a complex character like Eren. I also appreciate how Isayama also painted the complex and grim reality of the world, both in AoT and in real life through Eren, especially how you highlight in your video - it wasn’t easy to make the decision he did. It wasn’t easy to come upon that result, especially when he saw his enemy as someone who isn’t just evil or mindless but have a family and their own freedom they wish to achieve. He wasn’t this doing just for fun. He wasn’t doing it just b/c he’s the “bad guy”. I really pitied Eren when he cried about Mikasa potentially forgetting him. With that chapter where Eren and Mikasa running away together kinda shows how special she was to him. If the Ackerman bond wasn’t there, will Mikasa still be willing to follow somebody as “cruel” as Eren? And when he’s gone, will Mikasa and his friends be relieved or will they be sad? Especially when he did all that he could to give everyone their own freedom and he saw that this was the only way to achieve it. Perhaps that is something that crosses his mind when he mentioned about Mikasa to Armin and perhaps that’s why he reverts to that almost desperate plea that she wouldn’t forget him. It’s not easy to love someone “evil” and it’s definitely not easy to understand them or to want to understand them but that’s just a random thought I have.
Great analysis, I throughly enjoyed your video. With the idea and the reality behind the message and meanings that AoT portrayed, I don’t see how the story could be a “happy ending” or any other ending than the one Isayama wrote. Not all good stories have happy endings, and not all “happy endings” are good endings. Personally, I prefer one that is willing to make me think and understand the world a little better.
Eren was not a complete slave that's for sure, but he was a victim to a poor underdeveloped relationship with mikasa. I love eren's character from until Paths he wasn't just a hothead who talks loud, he's a man that shows results and even declares it. We already expected Eren to show signs of strong emotion because that's just how he is.
But he cried because he doesn't want to die? Because she doesn't want Mikasa to be with someone else? If that's the case then why didn't he do anything about it and show he cared about her? Ending was okay but there is a lot to be desired especially narrative-wise.
"The ocean was just another wall" Dear god that was beautifully said.
exactly It hit me hard as well! I never thought of it.
yeah :(
Shit hits like a mf :(
exactlyyyy...
That line hurt so bad
People who interpret him hating slaves yet being one as bad writing make me facepalm. A character being a hypocrite is not bad writing. It is human nature. Eren is a human.
Plus do people forget that he said all that to drive his friends down the path where they would kill him, ultimately saving them?
If you know youre enslaved, you will hate seeing others going through the same, thats like saying someone being a drug addict while hating that young people go down the same path as him doesnt align with who he is. Thats not even being hypocritical thats just empathy.
@@James-ft2bh right you can hate things that you are, otherwise you'd be a narcissist thinking everything about yourself is fine
@@sekijokes451 yes and no , the last chapter kinda countered most of what eren did, and then in the future they all end up dying including paradise and the cycle starts all over again resulting in temporary freedom and peace , like in aot requiem erens plan makes sense and what he did throughout the manga but in what isayama did it made sense on the main point but the everything around it and the final idea to make it whole kinda made no sense
@@Requiem0139 I disagree
1. It's true that Paradis does gets carpet bombed in a war but we don't actually know the full context of what this war was about.
The fact that Paradis advanced to the point that it had a modern society with Anti aircraft defense systems, very strongly implies a long era of peace and trade with the outside world.
This means that the alliance crew very likely succeeded in Talk no Jutsuing the Jaegerists during their negotiations as trading in and of itself requires a degree of trust, cooperation and understanding in order to occur.
Hence, when some people blame Eren and the alliance crew for not properly protecting Paradis, this would pratically be the equivalent of blaming the Founding Fathers of America for Pearl Harbor because they didn't adequately prepare for World War 2.
Chances are that Paradis was involved in a World War that largely had little to do with prejudice against them.
They likely had allies that fought with them and in turn the rest of the world may well be in a similar state as Paradis.
Giving the potential sequel to AOT a post apocalyptic setting.
2. The boy and his dog.
I think you missed out on the potential of this boy because while he does find the Titan tree, hinting that the power of the titans will return, the way he finds it is in a manner that's the complete opposite of how Ymir found it.
The boy for instance appears to be exploring the ruins with his canine companion while by contrast Ymir stumbled across it as she was being hunted down by hounds and their masters.
In short, the boy is free in contrast to how Ymir was a slave.
The main reason why the Titan powers manifested themselves in the way they did was due to it reflecting Ymir's damaged and traumatised Psyche, not to mention her subsequent cannibalisation giving birth to shifters, the 13 year curse and the scourge of Pure Titans.
Hence the power of the Titans falling into the hands of a being that's physically and psychologically free, will give it a chance to take on a new form.
Whether this would be good or bad for mankind, we don't know as it would all depend upon the choices this boy makes.
The new founder and, who is technically, the next inheritor of the Attack Titan.
I love Eren as a character, he has such a 1 dimensional view in the beginning but he has so many complex changes that turn him into such a unique character
Exactly his transition is so damn fascinating.
@@mightyjoykiller and finish, tragic hero
this ending was very bittersweet
That "1 dimensional view" was what made him so unique, and so pure. People who hate such characters often do so because it arouses guilt inside them that they don't have such pure motives. I'm sorry you felt that way, but that doesn't mean a pure singular motive is wrong or bad writing. It's actually rare to see this in media and it's very refreshing. Authors don't like writing such characters because they know people will not like it, and they often don't like it themselves. Regardless, there are people like Eren out there.
The Season 4 arcs completely assassinated his character and destroyed all of his character development he had gained in Season 3. He turned from an individualistic freedom-fighter who was humble in his approach to the world, to a collectivist slave to pride and the belief that the world was his to fix according to his will.
@@valthiriansunstrider2540 and then he turned into a mikasa simping useless bird, wow nice development
I am just disappointed at the people who disliked without even watching the full video, because I don't see how you can dislike this after watching the full video.
It happens. Especially with all the backlash 139 has gotten. But I'm just happy people like you enjoyed it :)
@@Yatoru1 yeah, and tbh I don't even care about the fandom seriously anymore, half of them are stupid 12 y.o who are upset at literally everything.
fr
@@justsomeguyontheinternet.4398 they all seem like young age kids who like aot bc it cool and look mature than other shonen and think it make them more adult if follow this story
but when story end those who like aot bc it more mature for them turn out be childish person and blame everything around it bc it not end up to be "good" enough for them
how irony
they seem never learn something deeply in this story if they act so childish like that
@@warm-heartedreaction6191 i dont know how right it is to automatically call people who dont like the ending "childish"
finally, someone who understands eren’s character
saying that the character is good does not mean that he understood it xd
@@10000000simones true, there are some people who don't like eren but understand his character. respect to them as well
Same here. But still the dina page really could have been cut out and mikasa sayin that she gonna marry jean could have made the chapter better tho in my opinion. Other than that I love this chapter, even if it could have benifited from it being shown in 2 chapters, so that we would be able to process the revaltions and the ending of the story would have felt more natural.
@@exhileris4k857 i agree with all your points!! i really liked the last chapter too but like u said, it could've used another chapter to make things clearer.
@@exhileris4k857 mikajean shippers
I think the best theme Isayama explained was the slave to anything. Slave is just one word, you could say attachment, addiction or liking something. Being a slave to something is your passion to find meaning in your life. It’s pretty cool to think about
Agree completely, it's such a cool concept and how it plays into the ending and Eren's journey throughout makes it all the more resonant.
Kenny Ackerman was excellent character and he embodies this theme perfectly
Isayama has shown how even when you're not necessarily enslaved, people enslave themselves by fixing boundaries. That's the fundamental issue. This is something that a man called Sadhguru has many videos about. He has so many interesting, great videos.
Askellad did it better.
U guys totally know what tha fok is slave.. hugeeee different
I think it's important for anime characters to find the perfect balance of developmental growth being relatable and not boring Op while also not being a little bitch. People that do that really well in my opinion are Edward Elric, Eren Yeager, Ken Kaneki, Thorfinn, Kei Nagai, Johnny Joestar and Guts
Completely agree u literally named some of my favorite chars and they're all chars who feel human and to an extent I can relate to.
I think "being a little bitch" can also be good for character development. Just take a look at Natsuki Subaru from Re:Zero.
@@staticchimera44 Exactly who I was gonna mention, his character development is astounding
Gintoki from gintama
@Eric Choi Did you finish only the anime if yes then you don’t understand yet his amazing development
Finally a real analysis and not "boohoo eren cringe!!". I loved this video, Eren is one of my favorite protagonists of all anime. In my opinion he is not a slave to his destiny, but the destiny is like it is because of Eren. He saw his future when he kissed Historia's hand, but he still made the decision to follow that path, and all the suffering he went through was real. But people forget Eren is still a human, who just wanted freedom and had to sacrifice that dream to give hope to Paradis. Sorry i dont know how to explain my thoughts very well, just know i loved the video.
Don't worry about ur wording, I basically feel the same way. The future may have been predestined; however, that future only came true because Eren made the choice to pursue it. It was his choice to fight that set everything in motion.
anti hero. not a protagonist
@@erenyeager6668 he's both
@@Yatoru1 yes people seem misunderstanding a lot by think eren fully control by ymir in 139 scene
i feel like reading different manga from them lol a lot of misunderstading in 139 and extra page in this fandom is unbelievable
i couldn't care less about the slave to destiny thing, my problem with 139 is quite literally everything else. historias absence from the plot, the child meaning absolutely nothing, armin not living up to his replacing erwin, the retcon of mikasas character suddenly being of great importance and the implication that all of this was just fabricated by ymir makes it all so underwhelming.
I really appreciate this analysis for seeing the beauty of how war continues after Eren's sacrifice, human conflict doesn't end, and violence continuing after Eren's efforts is in line with the realistic themes of AOT
Although it didn’t result in a satisfying end to everything he did
I do agree with this comment
Not necessarily, our world conflict hasn't ended sure, but it's not worldwide like WW2 is it? Smaller scale
well until now i still confused....and still will be confused from people... after the extra pages and the destruction of paradise i was like... well ok thats realistic *humans* what did i expected... i found it solid and normal after that i saw the internet breaking ... i was confused i mean nothing stay the same eren has achived his goals and saved his friends and gave them freedom they die the island destroyed... it wasn't that perfect but also not that bad as people described it... that mde me confused really.... Humans what did i expected (XD).....
if only he actually finished what he started
@@ajaysidhu471 all big problems start small.
We can really see all the effort that was put into this video! It helped me understand erens character a lot better. I had a interesting dream I wanna share because it was really scary how eye opening it was. So I didn’t understand why Eren became a mass murderer and why he committed global genocide. It felt so out of character for someone who’s whole purpose of freedom and saving humanity. It was a few days after I read chapter 139 I think. One night I had a dream (i wasn’t aware it had anything to do with aot when it started, it was just any other dream) where I had the power and ability to choose to keep my family and friends safe in a world where they would be in danger. I saw the future outcome of what would happen if I wiped out the whole world, and I chose to do that, saving everyone I loved. I felt so strongly about my passion to save people, feeling like everything I’ve done until then would go to waste if I let others do what they wanted to my loved ones. It was a lot longer and there was a lot of fighting and hardships involved, but I’ll cut that short since this comment is already long. People hated me, my loved ones hated me for doing this, but I had to keep fighting. After I saved them and the fighting was over, as corny as it sounds, I was near a body of water and looked in the reflection. I saw Erens face and I absolutely understood him. I saw his tired eyes in my reflection and it gave me chills. Weirdest dream I’ve had in a while. I was surprised my subconscious could give me such a deep understanding of a character because I was in his shoes. So weird because I was honestly kind of unsatisfied with Erens motives when the manga ended, but after this dream I’ve got so much more sympathy for him.
Dang, and I can't even remember my dreams LMAO. Good stuff tho might be an interesting story to write if you feel like it.
Eren’s character broke me.
When I first watched season 1 I never would have imagined this is what he would become and yet, it makes complete sense. No other character has ever broken my heart as much as eren did, and no other show has destroyed me as much as aot. So in the end all I can say is to give a round of applause and a thankyou to Isayama,
Ive read the manga and watched the anime multiple times, even so this video has really helped me understand Eren more fully as a character. Thank you for making this video.
Happy my words got across!
I feel Eren was always free. Indeed, Eren chose this path because is the one he wanted. Who manipulates all the attack titan trajectory? Who manipulated his dad to get the founder titan? Who gave to himself those two abilities to keep moving forward with his plan? The one and only Eren Jaeger. he could change his future, but why he gotta do something like that when the future he chose was the one he wanted? Of course he died with regrets, but Eren was the freest person in the world, Eren could complete the rumbling, Eren could confess his feelings to Mikasa and expend with her his remaining years, but Eren rather the freedom of Eldia and his friends even over his deepest wishes. If he was a "slave" of something he was a slave of freedom. Also about his "chad" phase, I don't think that was fake, he stated that past present a future were one in his mind, just imagine he seeing everyday all those he will kill and all the things he manipulated to achieve his plan was such a mental burden to him. But deep inside of him the Eren he was still there. Maybe people will not agree with what I said, but that's how I see Eren, such a brilliant, deep and complex character.
Eren as a slave to freedom is an amazing way to put it.
@@anonybelleyou're right; that's poetic
@@anonybelle Yeah. I think that's been on a lot of people's minds since Kenny had said what he did when he was bout to die
Holy shit
Bro you are dumb, Eren as a character isn't complex he is a Mass murderer Who killed millions just to save his "Friends" because he didnt do It for anything else he knew Eldia would get destroyed lol so anytime Eren said he would save his people he was lying?? Isayama ruined the story completely Eren kills his own mother for what??? To save Mikasa and armin? Lmao and then he turns into a fucking Bird what a meme
The pannel where Eren is grounded in chapter 139 with the footsteps is amazing it reminds me of the freedom pannel Eren freedom was deluded when he held himself in the sky when people were getting killed now with the grounded pannel he’s not deluded he accepts reality he’s on the ground . And nice character analysis keep it up
I can’t even imagine how long this took to make, keep it up bro
I honestly dk myself lol. Lost all sense of time making it, but it all came together in the end so I'm really happy with it.
@@Yatoru1 when you enjoy to do something time pass by really fast
it brings me joy and reassurance to hear someone else say they understood, even though the ending was "rushed" it was not ruined. it pained me to see the fandom practically die over night due to the mixed feelings people had over this Masterpiece's ending but you gave me my hope back that there are still those that "got it".
Honestly that scene where he confessed his love for Mikasa and what he wanted. Didn’t make me cringe at all. Honestly it made me smile but feel somber inside. It showed his true humanity. It honestly showed who he was as a person. The reason it also felt somber was because no matter what he did he would never get that future. It’s kinda like when you go through a break up with someone and you sit there and you think “FUCK I’m never gonna be together with them like that again.” That’s genuinely what it made me feel. It showed me that Eren truly was a person who had thoughts and feelings like everybody else.
Same
I hate it whenever they try to excuse his crimes by labeling him as a kid . Bruh this dude killed 2 people when he was 9 or 10. Dude was already a psycho . And he did the Rumbling when he was 19. That's a full grown man and definitely more older than most dudes who are defending him . He IS just an EmOtlonAl 19 TeEnAgeR ! HE iS a hUmAn BelNg wHo cAn cRy For Not GeTting sTep SIS Pussy
I thought I’d update my comment as it really was the best analysis. Ok here’s my most recent take on the ending. This show has always been a commentary and allegory for the flaws of humanity and it’s nature. Ultimately I think it stays true to the theme by showing that no matter what we do true freedom is simply unattainable. I don’t think Eren being a clueless slave to fate was outta nowhere. Call me arrogant but I think it was pretty obvious that Eren was a unwilling slave to fate since the time travel reveal. Even his founding titan design is a hint at this, he’s literally being strung up and hanged by strings like a puppet does that look free to you? (It’s also a reference to the Norse god Odin when he hanged himself on a tree and sacrificed a eye for enlightenment. Aot has a lot of Norse symbolism) Not to mention I believe there’s a possible explanation for Eren’s behavior and that’s that he developed some extreme fiction version of multiple personality disorder disorder to cope with the atrocities he’s committed. This hypothesis is not without basis either. Because of Paths Eren experience time all at once past, present and future thus splintering his psyche. He was shown to have always been screwed up in the head since childhood he killed two men without remorse so likely a form of anti-social personality disorder. Couple that with repeated trauma and excessive stress in his adolescence it was only a matter of time before his mental state snapped.
I guess ultimately it’s like Kenny Ackerman once said “everyone’s a slave to something”. The cycle of violence wasn’t broken and history will only repeat itself. I don’t even think Eren could’ve succeeded in completing the rumbling. As far as I can piece together from the little explanation and exposition we got it looks like time travel in Aot works fairly deterministically. (Eren says time in path exists all at once and we saw Eren try to deny his visions by testing the accuracy of them) That’s the tragedy of Eren Yeager, he wanted freedom and free will but you can’t exactly have that when you know what’s gonna happen anyways. Ironically in his pursuit of freedom Eren lost his free will and individuality. Eren even denied this fact and kept trying to convince himself he was free but the moment Sasha died that was the breaking point. Eren asking Mikasa what she was to him and her answer really wasn’t that important it’s the implications of her answer. Eren didn’t start the rumbling cause he was “friend zoned” it was cause if Mikasa had answered differently it would’ve meant Eren’s visions of the future are just possibilities but since she answered exactly as he saw that proved to him he really was trapped and that he had no freedom. Even the fact that Eren could only kill 80% of the world is more proof of this. If he could’ve just killed a few more people that’d be enough to prove to himself he really was free but alas he couldn’t even do that.
Eren ultimately trapped himself in a self induced time loop, in the end Eren lost and determinism and fate won. Eren was always a flawed character I think the fault was with us, we idolize and got attached to Eren when we shouldn’t of. Isayama wrote Eren not as a noble character but one driven by his wrath, rage, fear and obsession. Aot was never a story about freedom and ideology it was always a story of humanity in all it’s beauty and complexity yet also how twisted, immoral and corrupt it can be.
I also think that chapter was pretty good in concept just not in execution. I think a good deal of the problem was just bad dialogue and even than it isn’t Isayama fault. Japanese fans are saying that even the official translation was botched so we have the publishers to blame for the awkward dialogue. The dialogue was certainly on the nose but I think that they aren’t supposed to be taken at face value in the first place. Eren’s line about not knowing why he started the rumbling wasn’t really the reason he started the rumbling but more so how he feels about it. It was already established in chapter 131 that Eren wanted the rumbling and to wipe everything away cause he was disappointed with what he discovered beyond the walls, but he was still remorseful for the way he felt especially once he realized the costs. It can even be argued he’s in a sort of disbelief at his actions, it’s also the reason I think Eren was shown as a child in the paths a important thematic detail many seem to forget. The atrocities he committed took such a toll on him he reverted to a child like state back when Eren had a very one dimensional world view of the all the enemies being evil just to prove to himself what he was doing was right and justified, but deep down Eren knew how rotten and selfish his actions were however he refused to accept that.
I also think that Armin thanking Eren had far more depth to it but was just badly worded. I doubt Armin actually agreed with Eren’s actions but it was more so to comfort or sympathize with Eren in his dying moments, remember this is the last interaction between the two before Eren’s death. In the Japanese version apparently Armin’s line went something closer to “thank you for bearing the burdens you had to we won’t let the opportunity go to waste” see how much better that is? I think it’d be even better if it’d simply been changed to “I’m sorry you had to do this, I’m sorry you were pushed to bear this burden”. It would’ve accomplished the same thing without being misinterpreted as Armin suddenly agreeing with Eren while simultaneously being a lot less on the nose. I honestly think that Armin is one of the most important characters in Aot possibly even more so than even Mikasa not necessarily cause of his achievements but what he represents. The only thing Eren ever truly did out of his own free will is befriend Armin. Ever since time travel was introduced the range of possibilities and what paths Eren influenced was almost endless however even if paths Eren setup child Eren to meet Armin, Eren would’ve still had to been the one to make the choice to befriend Armin. Ultimately with what little free will Eren ever had the one choice that was made without any possible influence was to befriend Armin so by freeing Armin he is by extension freeing himself as Armin could arguably be the literal and metaphorical symbol of Eren’s freedom.
Now that I think about it even if the ending was better written it’d still be a incredibly controversial ending. I see many complain that the ending has no message but ironically that’s kinda the message. Which ever way you interpret the ending it’s alway the same message: nihilism. The literal message is nothing matters and history will only repeat itself, essentially the futility of human life so even if changes were made and the writing better it’d still leave many unhappy as the idea of nihilism just isn’t for everyone. I personally quite like the idea as it’s the first time I’ve seen a work of fiction have such a obviously hopeless and nihilistic ending. Even the most depressing and dark endings I’ve seen usually have a silver lining, but Aot has the opposite approach. The ending is presented as hopeful but if you look at the actual implications and if the leaks are true than the message is clearly nihilism and it’s not even the optimistic kind it’s just straight up “nothing matters and life is ultimately pointless”. Hell for all we know our characters might not even be in the first titan loop. Maybe it’s already repeated multiple times now and every time it ends the same with humanity’s destruction and the recreation of the Titans. It’s a incredibly cynical message, those who acted selfishly like Annie got everything they’ve ever wanted and those who selflessly sacrificed themselves were punished and lost everything they’ve ever loved and fought for.
A second theory of mine that I’d like to add is that I have is that Eren like Reiner developed Disassociative Personality Disorder caused by the attack and Titans ability to see the future and past. If you think about it are you ever the same person? Our psyche and consciousness is in a constant and perpetual state of change you are a different person than you were a minute ago. Eren on the other hand could see the past present and future all simultaneously he is in other words omniscient but that omniscience came at the cost of splintering Eren’s psyche. One could only imagine what a mental toll that’d take on Eren especially since he valued freedom and free will so much. Ironically the attack titan who supposedly the freest of all titans and strives for freedom is the least free of all the Titans thanks to it’s own ability.
I thus believe there were 3 separate Eren’s post time skip. Whiny og Eren who was the one we follow for the majority of the series, godlike paths Eren and the metaphorical child Eren. The og Eren as I call him denied the rumbling, he knew what would happen but for the longest time he was in denial until he realized he no longer could. Ultimately his mental state snapped and in came paths or god Eren. God Eren is hardly human and isn’t really even Eren. He’s the physical personification of fate in the Aot world he is essentially god. Who knows what his goals are? He’s omniscient his goals are beyond our understanding and human comprehension. We don’t know why he’s doing what he’s doing but we know what he’s doing and that’s carrying out fate as a sort of angel of the apocalypse.
Look point is it’s a conflicting ending. I originally hated the ending and even went as far as to rant about it online, but thinking back it actually had a lot of depth. This was a controversial ending but love or hate it I think at the end of the day the end is the end and it’s about time we all made our peace with it. Just my two cent
I loved aot so much but I’ll say the ending was so bad and retconned so much things I’m still pissed
Look at what Eren says in 131. He says the outside world was nothing like he thought it was, it was nothing like Armin's books. I loved this scene for multiple reasons such as illustrating how as humans we always have an idealized version of the world that at some point or another we realize isn't reality. Eren thought that beyond the walls was freedom when he was a child.
Think about how real-life children think, always wanting to be older and get to adulthood for a variety of reasons, the biggest being freedom. I think about myself as a child and countless others in the world, always striving for that next school year, to be older and do more things, to eventually be free from school and free from our parents, only to realize more shackles lie on the other side. After achieving freedom from school, we are facing even bigger issues, jobs, financial problems, relationship problems, depression, or countless others. Realizing eventually that true freedom can never be achieved.
Eren's is an exact parallel to real-life. As children, we strive for perfection in the future, an idealized and overly optimistic, and frankly ignorant view of the world. But in 131 Eren admits like many people in the real world, that the world was nothing as he thought it would be just as adulthood was nothing we thought it would be. As Mikasa says "The world is cruel, but it is also very beautiful". In the end, eren realized that all of his goals could never co-exist.
As Erwin says in season 3 "Humanity will never stop fighting itself.. until it shrinks to a size of one or fewer". The basis of human nature revolves around conflict, even in the AOT universe when only Eldia existed and dominated the world, it split into 9 houses that constantly fought. Eren realized that the cycle of conflict and hate could never be stopped unless free-will itself was erased so he had to choose one and he chose freedom. While eren never was able to attain freedom from conflict and violence, he did break the cycle of titans. He said he would annihilate every last one of them and he did.
He removed the basis for discrimination against the eldians, many hated them in fear of what they were and now they no longer have to worry. Many people seem to have the unrealistic idea that now that the rumbling is over, the world will turn against eldians immediately without realizing the many that saw the error of their actions during the rumbling. To give a real-life anecdote, the allies killed millions upon millions of civilians in the firebombing campaigns of the axis and in the atomic bombings yet we don't see modern-day Germany and Japan trying to get revenge. There will always be hatred towards the eldians but the titans that kept both the eldians and world slaves to fear are gone. Its a second chance at forming a better world whether it actually happens or not.
Frankly, anyone that thinks Eren would single-handedly remove hatred and violence from the world are just as ignorant as children and Eren as a child. And somehow many think Eren did not achieve victory since wars and conflict would happen in the future. Again how idealistic and unrealistic is that standard, it's the mindset of a child and the entire point of AOT is how "reality is often disappointing" as Thanos puts it. Was the Victory of the American Civil war pointless because America got into conflict just a couple decades later? Did winning WW1 mean nothing because WW2 came along a couple decades later? Was defeating Hitler pointless because Mao came along and did similar atrocities and because conflict would spread later? No, absolutely ridicoulous.
The entire premise of Aot is how the world often disappoints, how all of ours goals something cannot co-exist together, how sometimes dreams don't come true as a result of being ignorant of the real world. The parallels to real-life are outstanding and I could write thousands of worlds more just on how AOT connects to the real world.
I'm going to wrap it up with one last point. Many seem to be conflicted on if Eren was truly a slave or not. I myself, am not entirely convinced I got this one figured out. But from the many explanations I've seen and the pondering I've done, I think I can answer the question "Is Eren a slave". And the answer is yes.... but actually no. The Eren we see in the anime is constrained by his future self. Since everything is driven by future eren, any past version of Eren is a slave to his future self. But is that actually a slave, if it's to his own free will and desires? Additionally, and most importantly, he is bonded by his knowledge of the future. While Eren had memories of the future, he wasn't some doctor strange type that saw some millions of outcomes down to every tiny detail. Rather he saw the future result of his current path in a fragmented form. He could have wandered off from the path at any point, but he doesn't in fear that the outcome could be worse.
Think back to season one when Levi gives Eren a choice. "“Believe in yourself... or believe in me and them... the Survey Corps. I don't know the answer. I never have. Whether you trust in your own strength... or trust in the choices made by reliable comrades. No one knows what the outcome will be. So as much as you can... choose whatever you'll regret the least.” Eren knew what the outcome would be of his particular path but he didn't know what it would be if he deviated from it, so he chose what he would regret the least. Unlike in season one when he didn't believe in himself to change into a titan and got the entire Squad Levi massacred, this time he has the means to avoid it and does what he regrets the least. At any point Eren could have formed a different future, that's just the way the timeline works in AOT (Which I wont get into here, already super long) but he didn't know the outcome of deviating unlike he knows his current path. As Erwin says ""If You Begin To Regret, You'll Dull Your Future Decisions And Let Others Make Your Choices For You."" therefore Eren just keeps moving forward to achieve his outcome that includes his original goal of breaking the cycle and annihilating the titans as well as saving his friends. The outcome he saw wasn't perfect, never re-living the good days of being together with armin and mikasa, never being with mikasa, however, he did destroy every last titan, obliterate the fear and slavery to titans the entire world faced, freed Ymir, saved his friends, saved Eldia at least for some time,and make his friends the heroes and Armin the one to save the world as he always said he would.
As while I left out so many details, and countless foreshadowing, this is already practically an essay so thanks if you read to the end.
Closing thoughts, Eren always had the free will to dictate his own future but was constrained to the fear of deviate from the known outcome to an unknown outcome. He was always constrained by the fragmented memories he had of the future and the will of his future self. He was a slave in a sense, to his passion of being truly free which turned out to be nothing more than a childish ignorant dream, parallel, to what many people experience in the real world. As Kenny said "Everyone is a slave to something" even if its a slave to a passion or goal.
So no Eren wasn't constrained to following a set path, he always had the ability to change it but rather didn't because of the fear it would lead to an unknown outcome he could have regretted more. As he says to his friends in the infamous table scene, "I am free, no matter what I do or how I do it, I'm acting of my own free will", however, he was in a sense a slave to his dream that could never come true. The world wasn't like he saw it in the books as a child, it was cruel and nothing could change that, and he could never truly save paradis for eternity unless he removed the free will from all of humanity, including his friends and himself. Hatred and violence is ingrained in humanity and nothing could change that without removing free will.
Aot is a story of eren realizing his childish and ignorant dreams could never come true as a result of his adulthood and discovering the cold hard truth of the world like many in real life do. It really is a true coming-of-age story. But he did accomplish many of his goals including his primary goal of destroying all the titans and saving his friends. As Eren said in 131, "The world was nothing like I thought it was"
This is the entire problem. The execution was a disaster. I was ready to accept Eren being a slave to Ymir or even a slave to fate. I was ready to accept anything. But the way Isayama wrote it is just a mess.
@@titan-framboise3126 if your interpretation of the ending is something as naive as 'Eren was a slave to Ymir'. I don't know what to say. Both Eren And Ymir were a slave to their innate, unchangeable nature; Eren's was this visceral thurst for absolute freedom that can never exist and Ymir's was a notion of love too idealistic to be. There's a reason both of them have their eyes heavily shaded in 133 or they appear as children in Paths. AoT calls for a way deeper understanding of what freedom or slavery may mean. Eren's fight for freedom was always internal, he could lash out on the world, try to wipe it out all he wants but what he desires is delusional-just like the freedom spread of 131. It is the liveliest we have seen Eren be but it is not real. His reality is in 139. Stomped, bloodied landscape. A struggle of freedom ensnared by foreknowledge of future and a sense of responsibility towards his friends that won't allow him to kill them.
@@kritikasrivastava530 I've never say that. I just explained that I was ready to accept anything if the execution was not a mess.
10/10 analysis for a 10/10 protagonist.
Eren is 10/10 protagonist after that ending? are you kidding me? He is clown, nothing more
@@justfate15 cry
@@justfate15 did you watch the video properly or are you just here to troll lol
I won’t even argue cuz the video can do that for me
Well said
@@justfate15 I see only one clown here
Finally someone who gets it!!! In all honesty the end could of been executed a bit better but the ideas are there and the ending is beautifully sad and amazing for the true fans that understood the tone and ideas that Aot brings out beautiful analysis. Subbed and saved this for when my anime friends see the ending
I noticed that in a comment thread you expressed dissatisfaction with the new leaked additional pages. As such I'd like to put my thoughts across as to why I personally think they made things better.
1. It's true that Paradis does gets carpet bombed in a war but we don't actually know the full context of what this war was about.
The fact that Paradis advanced to the point that it had a modern society with Anti aircraft defense systems, very strongly implies a long era of peace and trade with the outside world.
This means that the alliance crew very likely succeeded in Talk no Jutsuing the Jaegerists during their negotiations as trading in and of itself requires a degree of trust, cooperation and understanding in order to occur.
Hence, when some people blame Eren and the alliance crew for not properly protecting Paradis, this would pratically be the equivalent of blaming the Founding Fathers of America for Pearl Harbor because they didn't adequately prepare for World War 2.
Chances are that Paradis was involved in a World War that largely had little to do with prejudice against them.
They likely had allies that fought with them and in turn the rest of the world may well be in a similar state as Paradis.
Giving the potential sequel to AOT a post apocalyptic setting.
2. The boy and his dog.
I think you missed out on the potential of this boy because while he does find the Titan tree, hinting that the power of the titans will return, the way he finds it is in a manner that's the complete opposite of how Ymir found it.
The boy for instance appears to be exploring the ruins with his canine companion while by contrast Ymir stumbled across it as she was being hunted down by hounds and their masters.
In short, the boy is free in contrast to how Ymir was a slave.
The main reason why the Titan powers manifested themselves in the way they did was due to it reflecting Ymir's damaged and traumatised Psyche, not to mention her subsequent cannibalisation giving birth to shifters, the 13 year curse and the scourge of Pure Titans.
Hence the power of the Titans falling into the hands of a being that's physically and psychologically free, will give it a chance to take on a new form.
Whether this would be good or bad for mankind, we don't know as it would all depend upon the choices this boy makes.
The new founder and, who is technically, the next inheritor of the Attack Titan.
Comments like yours have seriously helped me appreciate the new ending much more so thank you. Initially, I didn't like the additional pages at all, but I've really warmed up to it having gotten more insight!
@@Yatoru1 Thanks!
I mean I get people's frustrations with the ending and personally I think that the finale for AOT would've really benefitted from a FMA 100 + pages final chapter type of treatment.
Either that or a 2 to 3 chapter epilogue just to really flesh everything out but it is what it is I guess.
That said the potential for a post apocalyptic AOT sequel had my noggin joggin because I remember the interview Isayama did way back in 2011.
This interview was included in the manga's first volume and in it Isayama is asked if he had another story in mind after AOT.
Isayama stated that he did have another story that he'd like to try and draw so maybe just maybe Fallout with Titans is where this story takes place.
Maybe other powers may even come into the mix?
Chances are he'd maked a stand alone sequel to AOT and I've talked before about the potential of the boy and his dog.
Maybe in this rendition of the Titan powers it'll be the key to humanity's salvation as opposed to it's destruction especially since the bloody History of the Marleyans and Eldians appears to be well and truly "buried", if what I think about the state of the world in AOT is true.
The kid stumbling into the tree marks a new beginning. It's a cyclical view of history. However, it doesn't mean that everything was pointless. It can also mean that there's hope that this time things might be different, as you pointed out. Things can be better.
The carpet bombing is similar. It points at the cyclical nature of history, conflict and war. Armin had already said it: conflict is unavoidable. If Isayama had went with the "Eren wins" route, this would've still happened one way or another. Time and time again, the story went and told us that no matter how much the world shrinks, people will find a way to kill each other. It's pessimistic, yes, but also optimistic in that the present belongs to us. Just as Armin was able to make peace in his time, we can work for peace in our time, etc. But that peace shouldn't be taken for granted.
It's an interesting take, to say the least.
@@matilozano96 I think it was Ronald Regan who said that freedom is not a gift that was handed down but a responsibility that we must vigilantly safeguard till it's time to pass it on.
I've paraphrased what he said and I've no doubt that he and his presidency were incredibley flawed but it's still a great quote.
This is a great analysis!
Now I'm not one of the cool kids but man you really put Eren under a different light huh? I didn't hate him or anything but I just kind of dismissed him as annoying. This is one of the few times where my perspective on a character has largely changed because of a analysis video. It's very well narrated, analyzed, edited, background score and everything. Once I see the anime's finale next year I'll return to see the rest of the video!
Happy to hear that man! The manga ending is heavily controversial so hopefully, my analysis of the manga portion delivers!
@@Yatoru1 Have you seen the new ending of 139.5? Where Paradis was destroyed anyway in ~50-100 years after Mikasa's death? And that the cycle begins again with Mikasa's grandchildren founding Eren's grave that has become the same tree as Ymir found? 0_o
Finally positive opinion, TH-cam is literally filled with Eren hate after the 139. This is really sad that so many people are ready to give up on such an astonishing character because he said he loved Mikasa 💀
Excluding this and Totally Not Mark's two videos, all I've seen on TH-cam is negative reception, usually not of high quality
For real. I'm suprised and dissapointed at the toxicity and immaturity of the AOT fandom. And after the whole mappa cgi thing that's saying something.
if yall think its because mikasa you don't know what your talking about
@@IgboKing I feel like the most reason is basically him killing his own mother, like wtf
@@GaiusIntrepidus that’s part of it but it’s way more reasons , it doesn’t matter anymore cuz Isayama ruined the ending even more lol
Everything about this video is absolute perfection. Amazing vid my g and I hope this vid blows up as well, u deserve it for sure. Keep it up!
Thanks man. I really was aiming for this video to be as perfect as possible. Happy it turned out so well.
dude this vid is so perfekt. I feel like everyone of those dislikes is someone who doesnt exept that the final chapter didnt ruin anything LMAO
Hey man. Friendly advice, Perfect* not perfekt. Accept* not expet
50:01 this scene is not cringe but truly well done. eren's burst of feelings spilling out of his mouth after so much of acting were very well written and no one can tell me otherwise
Been waiting for that moment since Eren put that jacket on. In my eyes he is a heroic anti hero lol
It represents him being a human, who has flaws in his character.
@@main8824 No it represents his character being ruined by being turned into a crybaby bitch like he was in the earlier seasons.
Imo it's cringe, but a good kind of cringe. It's the same cringe we feel when we think about our own emotions, or when we see someone being too honest and open about themselves. It isn't the "oh this is bad" type of cringe, it's the "god this is a pathetic man" kind, which comes from being able to show just how much of a miserable and emotionally destroyed man Eren truly is.
Finally a someone who sees genius of Eren's character. 99% of fandom is now just crying "booo Eren is a simp", but you got it well. Good job.
Those shits bags don't even know the meaning of a simp......if the feelings are two sided how can it be called simping lol😂
True words said o7
@@otakubakasan666 He hardly showed feelings for Mikasa, though
@@godofwar234regi5 That's the point buddy
A place of comfort. This analysis is spot on. Ending was not perfect, but the themes illustrated are real. Thanks for this !!
WHAT A GREAT JOB MAN. I cannot imagine how long a 54 min video took to make. The quality is super nice and smooth.
Also, great analysis on AOT.
P.S *if it wasn't clear before*
AMAZING FKIN VIDEO
Thanks man. Shit was aids to edit, but so damn fun and worthwhile at the same time. Actually had to go a couple sleepless nights to get this out when I did lol. But man, I'm so happy with how it turned out. Glad you enjoyed it too :)
So I discovered this thread on Twitter and along with your video it probably gives the best explanation that I have read so far regarding Eren's motivations.
"My interpretation of the beauty and tragedy surrounding eren jaeger's character and also explaining the newfound meaning behind his 139 & rumbling arc appearances and why aot's final message is that eren's birth is the embodiment of freedom itself.""
For easier understanding, i'll start with eren's motivations first: adult eren didn't want to finish the rumbling and live with guilt afterwards neither did he want to give paradis freedom through a worldwide genocide. He wanted what his child & teen self always wished for and that was to eradicate all titans in this world by ensuring to break the curse. It was his strongest desire until the day he died which makes his character consistent, but in an unexpected way.
it was assumed that eren moved on from that goal as the world's problems increased but Eren's interaction with Ymir in chapter 122 at paths disproves this completely. Eren always stayed the same, following his desire to end the titans, which is why his answer to king fritz's "so long as MY world exists" is
"i'll put an end to THIS world" AKA the world in which titans exist, not humans.
And this line, that talks about eradicating all titans, was used to remind the reader of eren's very first motivations and was never aimed at humanity as a whole. All of his child appearances in the rumbling arc happened to foreshadow the final motivation of our current eren.
With this knowledge in mind, we should look at his emotional outbursts in 131 & 139 and how they are tightly linked to the core beliefs of teen eren; Someone who always loathed mass murderers which explains why eren was so disappointed of humanities' existence outside paradis. He didn't want to fight more people as they will only be another obstacle in the way of
1. finishing his mission to end the curse
and
2. his desire to turn the world of armin's book into reality
A childhood dream that eren wasn't willing to let go. He refused to grow up was still a child at heart amongst the cruelty of war which forced him to grow up way too quickly. This is why the line at the final panel of chapter 138 says:
"To the *boy* who sought freedom ... goodbye"
Eren's soul was always boyish and led by a will, stubborn and determined. He wasn't sorry about his morality being corrupt and therefore being his reason to move forward and kill humanity. He was sorry because it became corrupt due to his childish stubbornness of wanting to break the curse no matter what and forcing him to become the monster he despised. 139 reconfirmed how eren was never a cold-blooded selfish monster who thought the ends justify the means or saw any noble motives behind what he did which is why he refuses to be redeemed or get a second chance, as he is facing death.
133 takes a look at this conflict as well, where the alliance tries to reach eren wanting him to "come back" and "always stay together" due to their emotional attachement when eren was aware of how he reached the point of no return a long time ago. He followed the path of taking away the freedom from the ones who do the same to him and the "ones" only being the titans and the people who prevent him from breaking the curse. It was never about his friends who want to stop the rumbling which is why giving them freedom makes sense since eren saw the future in which all of their choices lead to fulfilling his mission as well. Eren's innocent idealism of a titan-free world never vanished completely and i think that's beautiful. He carried out the will of the survey corps members as he always had a part of their dreams in his heart
let's move on to 97 which explores this further. When talking about "pushing yourself into hell" eren was referring to the day he led dina's titan to his mom so her death can activate his rage. The panelling making it obvious that this was a direct callback as well.
Eren did this for what he saw "beyond that hell" which was the final result that promised him to free the world from the titans. Therefore being one step closer to the world he saw in armin's book but eren questions what's beyond & whether it's tied to "hope" or "another hell". This indicates that eren knew he won't be alive to witness the aftermath way before he talked about this in 139 since if he was, he would be aware of the outcome in his future memories.
Eren walked on this path despite knowing that he won't be alive in the titan-free world he always desired. He had to sacrifice his humanity and defeat his enemy only to be united with him in death. This makes his fate a tragic but also beautiful one.
but how?
Eren died and suffered from the powers of the AT and FT while living under the oppression of the titans for the majority of his life, so what part about him was free?
Why was grisha the one to say this to him when he wasn't free either?
The answer is that the "you're free" quote was never supposed to consider the world eren lived in neither was it about eldians as a whole who weren't free yet. It was about the one person whose destiny was to save humanity from the terror of the titans since the day he was born; about eren jaeger who was that one glimpse of hope amongst all the people trapped in this birdcage as he was the one who chose to walk on the path of freedom that his AT represents. Eren pushed himself into hell to end titan history and therefore free the founder and humanity
Since the day eren kissed historia's hand, he had to align his actions to what he saw in his future while experiencing his past, present & future as well. This took a toll on his mental health which is why he wished for things to change but he knew they can't since he wanted this doing anything for that one result as it was out of his own free will; making eren the freest of them all as his fate was in his favour like no one else's being promised to achieve what you've always wished for since the day you were born.
Eren was born to eradicate the titans and free the world that way not to end the conflicts between humanity as a whole. His birth was also the birth of the end memory that would free everyone as he was the only AT who's able to meet mikasa. It's why he kept mentioning his birth whenever he faced people who couldn't understand his life story. "because i was born into this world" being a quote which reminds eren of his freedom, his reason and his mission. From the day we're born, we have a purpose.
This new perspective on things makes child & teen eren's journey much more hopeful and emotional, since future eren desperately wanted to show the end memory he saw to everyone else as well. Eren was the first one to see the meaning of freedom. His innocent dream to show his friends a world without titans always remained and it's why he wanted them to survive so badly all this time. His will was so strong that the message of saving mikasa and armin reached previous attack titan's as well
Thanks to 139 being the final puzzle piece, it was revealed that eren was always one step ahead therefore the titans never truly trapped him in a birdcage or overpowered him since all of this was planned by him to reach the end memory, which ultimately destroys his enemy. Eren's statements shown in the paths chapters get a new precious meaning as well because he was being simply straightforward. He was always like this because he was born into this world and his mission was to prevent the continuation of titan history and nothing else.
It also feels like eren's answer to armin's question about why he did all of this is him being connected to the very first conscious memory he had as a baby, considering the panelling as well but a look at his eyes at both ages is enough proof; they're shining out of curiosity.
That panel in 139 just screams "because i was born into this world" to me. Eren isn't saying these exact words because there's no need to as we are literally witnessing his birth right before our eyes. This scene in whole scene is also another parallel to trost where armin asks about the "why?". Eren expresses the unexplained desire to go down this path which was his destiny & freedom since day 1, connecting eren's birth with his death to the point he can't seperate his feelings/thoughts shows how his journey came full circle. This context makes his answer beautiful.
At last, i wanna discuss the final question which is what's the meaning behind grisha saying "you're free" to baby eren? It could simply mean that grisha listened to krugers words of loving your child and not repeating the same mistakes again, which he didn't do with zeke before not putting the burdens of the past on eren this time since he's a special case but why? and how did grisha know this?
Through eren's birth and his inheritage of the AT, grisha was shown memories of the future; the key memory being that it will all go eren's way, which he probably saw way before eren was even born. Just like it happened to kruger and if the AT carries out his will, it means that he walked on the path of freedom. The moment the final attack titan is born, he is free.
i hope this interpretation allows the fandom to see eren in a different light as it turns out that he had an inspiring dream and died fulfilling it. The moment he was born, eren was the embodiment of freedom and the enemy which was supposed to destroy him ultimately freed him at the same time. This only being possible because eren moved forward and overcame his biggest fear by facing it with a brave heart. His determination led him towards a future in which his wishes will be fulfilled
I applaud you for this essay 👏👏👏This is really good.
Really interesting. It's different perspective of freedom Eren looked for.
This prime essay is the most complete, fully-realized, accurate, profound, and meaningful Eren character analysis I've seen yet. Thank you for crafting this beautiful piece that so flawlessly depicts and captures all the aspects that make Eren's character and story so compelling, and for properly understanding what makes Eren such a phenomenal character. You've pointed out all the stunning themes, parallels, and symbolism present in his story, and his insane character growth paths that led to his drastic evolutions.
Bro you were absolute spot on with eren's character. For a minute I thought you wrote attack on titan😂. I'm so glad we have people like you in the aot fanbase that are not simple minded and understand the complexity's and greatness of eren's character. 10/10 video👍
Appreciate you for taking time outta ur day to give this long ass vid a shot. Glad the stupid amount of time going into this paid off.
We need more TH-camr reviewers like you who rather than calling everything trash just because they don't like it (Anime balls deep and many others who are immature as hell) try to be objective as much as possible. I really enjoyed your analysis of Eren.
Thank you for making this video, my friend. I am severely disappointed with how people seem to think his character development was just an act just because he cried about never being able to be with any of his friends again, right before he was about to DIE.
i watched half yesterday and half today and all i can say is god tier vid man.
Eyyy thanks man. Vids been a long time coming, but happy it delivered.
An amazing video. Eren is my favorite character of all. Still, your analysis helped me understand him better, thanks man ✌🏽
This is a great analysis that illustrates erens character. Denying the development shown in front of you in this video is ignorant.
Wow, incredible. Thanks for making this video. I’m the kind of person who needs many viewings and readings about a complicated series like this, to feel like I have a grasp on it. This was exactly what I was looking for. Your analysis of Eren’s character made so much sense and helped me understand his motivations.
It’s funny to me that everyone apparently hates his Mikasa outburst and finds it “cringe”...when I read that, it made me so happy. It was a gift of one last rare and awkward comedic AoT moment. I loved it.
I am glad that there are still people out there who get it, i won't lie tho, i hope Isayama further fleshes out the ending in the anime, as it's clear he couldn't properly convey all his points (the new pages improves it tho)
Eren was a slave man, just face it.
This is an incredible video. The script managed to make me laugh and cry all the while giving an incredible look at one of if not my favorite character of all time. Thank you!!
Ahaha, thanks for watching it and glad it was enjoyable.
Amazing analysis but I do believe Eren’s character got slapped with 139 I kind of just ignore it and appreciate the character work prior to 139. Like 139 doesn't ruin Eren’s core and message all too much, it kinda just made the picture ugly yk what I'm saying.
yeah it was rushed and Isayama himself admits it could have been better
he’s just a slave to the founding titan (That’s why his arms and body are being held up by strings in his founding titan hes just a slave to the founder
wow, someone who actually knows what they're talking about!
I think the ending is a 7/10 in execution. I love the ideas and themes and everything done, but it’s left a ton of people who misinterpreted the dialogue and themes and Jesus the amount of people I’ve had arguments with defending this amazing character is insane. But I have to keep moving forward. I felt the ending needed 2 or 3 more chapters and some easier to interpret dialogue but I’m still satisfied with what happened
Same
This is exactly me
Yeah, the themes and etc are super consistent, but the execution was rushed. I can only hope the anime allows a bit more time for things to breathe
This is kind of a play on words and I did read your little note about him being a slave/not but I also think like stated in the manga, he is a slave to FREEDOM. He is of course literally all of those things you mentioned in the note but like one man said everyone was a slave to something, Eren was a slave to Freedom.
Eren is a Slave for his future self. Meanwhile his future self is a slave to the repercussions of the past.
Literally summary of time travel/paths eren
God like analysis this is exactly why attack on titan and eren yaeger are a masterpiece
This analysis is just the place of comfort where everything I've always thought about Eren as a character is finally being stated out loud
After a lot of thinking and analyzing. I've come to the realisation that Eren, is not only a great written character but also extremely relatable on so many levels.
Of course, we are real people and we don't fight titans or shapeshift.
But I think many of us have found ourselves in a position where you feel as if you have a big burden or responsibility placed on your shoulders, to the point where it is overwhelming and you don't really know how to handle it so we break down sometimes.
I feel like many of us have felt like everything's our fault or that we are failing in what's expected from us.
I just really like Eren, Isayama nailed his protagonist.
Thank you for such a brilliant analysis
Eren will always be one of my favourite anime characters ever even with my issues with the ending
Your analysis has helped me remember why I love this character so much
Nice character analysis video.
Holy hell I'm saving this for when I finish catching up with the final season. Thank you for the video essay!
Woah that was close I too will wait these 8 months
Good luck, you guys a really in for a ride.
AOT was ruined with that ending , dont bother
@@comentariorandom1264 don't trust this guy, this guy's hella toxic and definitely didn't watch the full videos
@@emmslite6246 it wasnt just "one chapter" it was the ending lol , and the majority of the fandom knows it was trash.
The one thing I will say is that Eren didn't know Sasha was gonna die. It's said many times that when he saw the future, he couldn't see everything. Only everything his future self needed him to see. He's laughing at her death because he was doing it all of them. Because he dragged them into his mess, and while knowing the future and being all powerful, he still couldn't prevent or predict what happened to Sasha. And so at laughs at how pathetic he is. He said it directly to Armin, "I dragged my precious friends into combat, without even knowing if they'd survive."
"But but but eren simp lol poopy doopy you wrong!" -139 haters probably
A lot of people approach Eren's character in the final arcs with the perspective that, "genocide can never be justified" however in the world of attack on titan we are repeatedly shown that things are not that black and white in this story. While I myself do not agree with Eren's genocidal plan, you can evidently see he was left with no choice. He begged for an alternstive solution, and was the only one capable of influencing anything at that moment; so he did what he had to do for his people. Every alternative approach has been tried and this was simply war. Any character who would sacrifice their humanity for others, is a hero in my book; Not a "monster."
Eren's great, ultimate martyr, gave up everything to have it all - which in the end he could never have part of and he knew it.
Absolutely amazing analysis my dude. I feel like alot of people choose to ignore that Eren is kinda a pathetic person and would rather belive in the eren that fights. Ever since eren called armin out for having bertolts memories I knew he was a hypocrite. I feel like alot of erens personality (after touching historias hand) was influenced by the attack titan's power. Knowing the full truth of his future broke him completely and he became nothing more then a slave to himself. I liked that eren had time to be human again at end and show us who he really was.
how does one become a slave to himself? is that not just one following his own free will?
The eren that fights had a pair and when he broke down in 139 that was cringe. All because she doesn't want mikasa to be with another man? Wtf? That is some incel shit and not genuine humanity that is more of his personal ego. True humanity happened in 131 when he was talking to Ramsey and apologized for destroying billions of innocent people all so his own people could have true freedom and blessed with a choice beyond the walls. When he wondered what his mother might think of him now that shit was sad and it almost made me tear up. Armin even said those who are not willing to sacrifice their own humanity cannot change anything. To me as a writer as well this felt believable and lined up with the preset themes of the story. 139 caught me off guard in a bad way it felt unrealistic to his character and what he had been fighting for. Also as a reader we will root for characters who generally show fighting spirit and inner strength , determination,etc. Pathetic moments happen to all humans but we really thought Eren had grown from his past self. Historia actually dragged him out of that pathetic wanting to die state of being. He had to be drunk on freedom to keep on pushing. All of those themes were set in motion only to be ignored and set to the wayside for cheese romance ugh.... S4 was a more calculated cold eren who had matured and kept moving forward despite his trauma. Pushing himself into the hell and eventually beyond it for his ultimate goal. It is a cruel world yet none of his characters die they all live. Realistically they all should have died.... Isayama wanted to bake his cake and eat it too...
@@sourcesymbiosismetamorphis2228 You overlook the fact what the founders influence brought upon him and he also told armin that don't tell mikasa what he have said. He acted on impulse because armin provoked him in the first place.
@@sourcesymbiosismetamorphis2228 His development was understanding the bigger picture. Remember his conversation with reiner? Where he turned into a morally grey character? By telling reiner he came to understand the world even more, that humans outside and inside the walls are all the same. Erens determination was always there. Eren didn't stop at 80% but he was "stopped" at 80%, which means he just failed. Killing his friends including mikasa would've contradicted his character more.
Man, didn't think someone would submit an essay on my comment.
I feel bad for all the people who won’t be able to see this amazing video, this is something that should have millions of views.
Good video, worth noting corps it’s pronounced core not corpse
Damn you did hell of a good job in explaining everything bro💯❤
I LOVE IT!!!
Got approval from the man himself :D
@@Yatoru1 lmao I just like eren's whole personality that's why i changed my name and prof pic on yt to eren jaeger lol
This honestly was an amazing watch, and I hope that this video reaches the AoT fans that deserve to watch this. People are free to dislike the ending all they want, but first they have to stop misinterpreting this series for what it isn't meant to be. I feel that especially with the newer fans, they tend to ignore Eren before the time skip, completely disregarding it as part of his character and see him purely as the monster in the story without anything else to his character.
Wow, beautiful well made video. ❤️❤️❤️ Finally another positive video about Eren. If I think about it we don't quite see anime characters contradict themselves much. As human beings, we contradict ourselves. Eren contradicting himself doesn't mean he's a bad character.
I would recommend this video to anyone who have watch aot.
Eren is a slave to freedom. (According to what Kenny said. That everyone had to be drunk on smthg to keep pushing forward, to be a slave to smthg..What pushes Eren forward is freedom).
People think Eren changed, but it’s our own perception of him that made us see him in a way that made us think he had changed. Eren has always been a slave to freedom and the freedom that he wanted so badly enslaved him, even when he altered the timeline to make sure the rumbling would happen, which is the closest he was able to get to his freedom, there was no possible way of Eren to ever be able to reach the freedom that he wanted. No matter what Eren does, no matter how powerful he becomes, he will always be a slave to freedom, and the need to understand the philosophy of why is why I am grateful for videos like these.
You just gotta respect and love AOT ost..
“They deserve to be free”
Tell that to our world man cause nobody really is
Mfw Eren literally called himself a slave in the final ep.. Isayama really said “y’all are gonna LEARN today” 😂
"Eren cares for his Friends" said trash ending defenders. Well, I do not think he cares at all.
First, He started the attack on Marley on his owns and put his Friends in an awark position. As a result, Sasha died.
Second, they argue bit at least they get to live. See this is where plot logic started to crumble. Has Eren ever thought that if he let his friends defeat him, then his followers in paradis would execute them for treachery? Or Marley soldiers can shoot them right on the spot and tell the world they are the real hero. You see he did not give a shit if they are killed.
Third, if the above senarias would not happen, there still the threat of 20% of angry people want to destroy Paradis. There no fucking way Paradis could last 10 years. The world only need 1 or two years to regroup. Plus, Paradis fall behind 50 years in terms of technoly, knowledge, economy, politcal system, population,...... They have no more ally. All alone. So you see Eren did not give a damn what his friends think, feel, or what happens to them after his mess
You forgot one thing. Eren knew the future. Until he died and the titans disappeared, at least. What he did in his opinion was the only chance for Eldian and his friends. In an alternate timeline, when he decided to run away with Mikasa, he says that Marley is about to attack Paradise. Sasha's death hit Eren but he said somewhere that it could not be avoided. Also, all he could do was destroy a large part of the world, remove the specter of invasion, and destroy the Titans. Eren was not a miracle worker. He tried to find another way but he just couldn't find it. You can say that Eren didn't know what was going to happen next. Won't his friends die. And it may be true. It was some unknown. But he knew they would most definitely die if he didn't do what he did.
Great video! Finally a good character analysis about Eren. He is my favourite AOT character and one of my favourite anime protagonists. Many people started liking him only because of his chad persona and failed to see beyond it.
i honestly sympathize w erens character so much and thought the ending was fitting. people will always complain about things as enormous as attack is. they say the ending sucks but also cant come up w a better ending themselves that doesnt reflect the whole message of attack. good anime endings cant always be satisfying, ESPECIALLY for a story like aot.
I didn't think the whole message of attack was overcoming the shackles of love (Ymir needing to see mikasa kill Eren), I more so took it to be a lesson on war and moral ambiguity. That things arent black and white. I honestly wouldn't mind this ending if Eren didn't plan to lose and was just beaten by his close friends who held an opposing point of veiw (and he didnt kill his mom, honestly the time manipulation just fucks with things imo).
Terrible ending to an incredible story sadly. This is the truth no matter how you try to spin it.
@@jelloistastyhe didn't plan to lose, he says himself that if they wouldn't have stopped him, he would have done it completely
@@enricodolci7560 yeah if they hadnt tried to stop him he would have finished the rumbling, but they did come to stop him. He allowed them to defeat him when that happened, that's why they have memories from before that battle that only unlocked after he was defeated. Eren or Ymir could have controlled their bodies so they couldn't resist at any point.
@@jelloistasty yeah but he didn't plan to lose, he planned to flatten the earth full stop. Only when he learned that he would eventually be stopped he starts to think about that
It takes shallow comprehension and surface level viewing to want Eren to remain a stoic badass and accept his death with no insight into what could be a deeper depth of his own personal feelings.
I used to browse the Titanfolk subreddit a lot and so MANY people just wanted Eren to wipe out the world and go home to Historia with their "child". I won't lie...I did want to see Eren wipe out the whole world except for Paradis but it was due to a desire to see if Isayama could create some new form of archetype -- but alas, archetypes are archetypes for a reason.
What the fuck were we seeing? Just because Eren's moments with Armin were him having a breakdown doesn't take away the fact that he's a magnificent character. People are just looking at the series as "just a cartoon" and by viewing everything episodically -- you don't see the continuity. The key thing to realize is that when Eren entered Paths -- THAT'S when he began to influence history. He HAD to do it because the whole meeting with Krueger and Grisha and The Owl mentioning Armin and Mikasa was a byproduct of Eren ALREADY being in PATHS at that very moment despite the fact that chronologically it was in the past! -- it was etched in stone but he WANTED to do it so he still has the perception of his own personal agency.
Thanks for the video, man.
you telling us to overlook the fact that he has no coherent explanation to why he wanted to flatten the world? other than the implied “I am free”? the rumbling has been hinted we saw his struggles and will to push we saw him begging for another way, in the end why did he bother ask?
majority of his monologues was also lies, the behavior he’s been showing since he saw the memories was apparently just an emo phase because he’ll turn back into a crying bi+ch in the end, we thought he’s grown, no one would complain if Eren ever shows emotion specially guilt for killing billions in fact it is what people wanted the most as the aftermath of his rampage, one that is consistent to what people thought was a mature Eren, not full on loathing and childish tantrums.
@@f.b.lagent1113 What you're telling me is that you never understood Eren's character. That's okay. For a while, I didn't either. Eren is a SELFISH human being. That's one of the keys to understanding him. Metaphorically, prior to the basement reveal, and Historia's hand kissing scene -- Eren viewed himself as being in a Shounen world (LOOK AT WHAT I'M SAYING IN A METAPHORICAL VIEWPOINT NOT LITERALLY) -- Freedom is essential to who he is. Once it was revealed that other human beings lived outside of the walls, it broke Eren. He is a deconstruction of the shounen male protagonist (What are most male shounen protagonists like? They are brash, loud, and typically chasing after a near impossible dream). Eren is the shounen protagonist who learned that he was living in a seinen reality and he could not take it. He dreamed to explore the lands beyond the world freely without having anyone there; discovering the world for the first time. After the basement reveal, in light of how big the world really was -- his dream that he had chased after and desired all of his life all of a sudden became childish and insignificant. He realized how much he TRULY did not matter and it destroyed him. He thought he was unique, but realized he was just another human being...and he wasn't okay with it. Sure, Eren supposedly was okay with not being "special" prior to the basement reveal -- except THIS time, this revelation about other people existing outside of the walls attacked the essence of who he was -- he realized he wasn't free at all. Eren is arguably my favorite character of all time...but make no mistake, he was a monster.
@@makomajin6592 What exactly am I not understanding here? that has been the argument of people like you since the end, it tantamounts to “you just don’t see Eren the way I do” which lacks considerable tangible factors essential to the entirety of the story to even be considered an actual defense for that character
even with that long comment You fail to address even a single point about his actions and behavior in the ending, the things people complain about which is again integral to his character because he was a major part of the story, you’re making this case out to be pure subjective while you have the manga itself as the proof we present(along with Isayama interviews, which are also of course incoherent and contradicting), actual physical evidence not:
“this is my feeling and understanding about Eren(where similar conclusions can happen independently as I’ll show later) you should feel and “understand” it the same way we do”
your explanation about Eren is actually pretty similar to what we thought he was; but accompanied with coherent goals that is consistent with the apparent character growth, genuine dialogues, realistic/relatable reactions and a promise of unique storytelling which(we hoped) Eren orchestrates... all of which are destroyed by the last chapter, most of it can be summarized as “Only Ymir knows” and “I don’t know, I just felt like I want to do it(doing rumbling)”
I have no time to articulate more than that, semester just started here yesterday. just check this out in r/shingekinokyojin for substance: “Why CH139 doesn't work: A respectful critic” exact title.
@@f.b.lagent1113 I've seen that one before. Honestly, man. I don't care to go back and forth with you either. You used a lot of big words there -- that was cool. You probably don't understand PATHS. 🤷🏾♂️ It is what it is.
Dont visit titanfolk if you want to keep your sanity man
"Eren was a slave to freedom" is the biggest "I'm 12 and this is deep" bullshit. The ending was complete dogshit and nothing but character assassination
You literally didn't explain your reasoning, you just insulted one phrase out of the entire video and called it a day
@@mwndjddjdhdbbf8408 yes. And?
@@SuperXrayDoc and it's kinda ridiculous. I mean, saying a phrase is stupid and then not elaborating any further is just childish, don't you think?
Eren was a slave to freedom, because he was born craving it. So in a sense he was a slave to himself. You're never gonna be totally free, because when there isn't any enemy to fight against, you're still going on driven by something you didn't choose to pursue. Just like Kenny said, everyone is just drunk of something, and everyone keeps on living just to achieve their unreachable goals, even though they don't actually know what the outcome of their desires will be.
Now, you can say the phrase is stupid, but not elaborating _why_ just makes you sound like you don't have any actual argument against the video itself, and you just wanted to insult something at face value
@@SuperXrayDoc And that makes you a clown whose opinion has no weight whatsoever, since you provided no arguments to back it up.
Let me spoon fed you what that sentence means. Eren was a slave to his unrealistic ideal of freedom, which he formed from the images in Armin's book, the images of an outside world without titans, and without humans, he was obssesed with what he thought freedom was, which is why he told Ramzi he was so dissapointed that humanity still existed beyond the walls. He wanted absolute freedom by reaching 'that sight'.
This is by far the best character analysis of Eren, truly worthy of all praise. Such a masterful creator
Imo the ending was fucking great. Not 10/10 execution but the themes and the story was spot on. It certainly doesn't ruin the rest of the show... The fact that some people think that the ending is as bad as the one game of thrones had is just laughable...
Finay someone agreeing. I get when people feel it's rushed, but hell, the ending is completely in tune with the themes of shingeki..
I truly dont understand how people didnt like the ending, even hated it. It's beautiful, it comes full circle, it shows the flaws in Eren , his humanity, and it has a defenite sense of closure. Great video and keep it up :)
Great analysis !! Thank you
I love the character of Eren (his evolution, his struggles and his humanity), I love the beautiful ending and I love and respect the whole incredible story that Hajime Isayama gave up.
AOT is written so well that no one is a villain. Everyone is fighting for their right.
That was a great video! You underlined good points i hadn't seen this way (like for 131/139).
But don't you think that the 8 additional pages with paradis being nuked destroys the whole point of this video? Eren wasn't knowing what he was doing, he let his country being destroyed because doesn't assume entierly the rumbling.
And his POV isnt childish, it's armin's and the alliance's one that was idealistic and idiot they fight to destroy their nation
Thanks man, glad you got something out of it. Personally, I didn't like the 8 extra pages. It did flesh some things out, but overall, those extra pages were, in my op, terrible. That being said, I do think the majority of this vid still holds true. Except for my final words/lines.
You know, I was fine with original 139 because it conveyed how conflict would still exist, but it also had a sense of hopeful optimism. Maybe, peace could be attained too. There was potential for hope. But the new ending, essentially ruins that and changes the tone of the entire chap. Simplicifying the message to just "conflict is inevitable." To me, old 139 was ambiguous and nuanced, and new 139 is linear and concrete. Which is why I much prefer old 139 cuz it stays true to the stories themes of nuance, perspective, and shades of grey. There was no one guaranteed path or right answer. But, the new 139, didn't give me that feeling. Regardless, while it does sadden me that Isayama did what he did and made my final words/interpretation to be invalid, I won't forget everything that preceded that, because Eren's journey and character is still one of my favorites. For the most part, even though that new end puts a bitter aftertaste, I'm still extremely proud of this video.
I don't necessarily think Eren's ideals/POV were childish. My point was that he had childlike traits to him, much like how many human beings do. Not everyone is perfect, sometimes people just act immaturely.
Say what you will about Armin's ideals. Genocide, killings billions is not a path Armin and the alliance team desired to partake in. It's simply wrong. Even if it would lead to their destruction, they were resolved to fight for their own moral standards and I can respect that. Same as I can respect Eren's resolve to fight.
@@Yatoru1Thanks for answering! I personaly like a lot the pages, those characters had all been making the same mistakes over and over again, leading to their destruction.
I agree yeah, all the things you said about Eren pre timeskip was a great and still relevant analisis! And you had no way to predict that isayama would be adding pages that modifies the whole point of the story.
And what I don't like about the Alliance i's that they hide behind moral, to justify their actions that led to another genocide
@@lexplorateurdelespacecomme3883 yea I do see where you're coming from. Maybe I'll appreciate new 139 as time passes. Nonetheless, hopefully, I did justice to Eren's character and glad you enjoyed the video!
@@Yatoru1 i love video but i kinda want to say i like extra page a lot
it something i kinda want from iasayama writing and theme of Aot about. the cycle still continue that the truth that human cant be avoid
but it not ruin armin and eren action it already success long before the age of new war begun
also final scene is only for interpretention and open end show that in the far far from future the tree just appear again we not know what gonna happen next but the nature(the tree) still continue no matter what
After watching this video I was amazed how the hell someone can describe it so perfectly... I can't even imagine myself doing this type of content... You are on another level... The level i can just imagine... Love ur video from my bottom of heart❤ (A small req can we frnds ?)
Thanks man appreciate it. I don't really know you personally, but as one fan of aot to another, we cool :)
@@Yatoru1 😁😁
Eren chased an illusion of freedom and destroyed everything by his own actions. He willingly became the greatest of tyrants for the sake of his delusion. Deciding for himself what was good and evil, uncaring of the consequences of his action will harm others as long as he obtained his preferred outcome.
A slave to freedom rather than the embodiment of it.
Very well written character, I deeply despise him. Especially because I am just like him at my worst.
The Greatest Shounen Character, Eren Jaeger.
Nah it's more like a Seinen.
💯💯
As well put this video is especially how he discusses this part at 43:15, it’s tragic how somewhat wrong this is since Eren calls himself a slave to freedom. Did not age well sadly lol
How is it wrong? I just watched this now and I don't see anything that directly runs counter to the anime ending.
@@juicejoooshe is a slave to freedom when the video is about Eren not being a slave to freedom. Eren said himself. He is a slave to his ideals
eren is a slave to freedom.
Your video genuinely is like a breath of fresh air after looking at all the video thumbnails which literally shit on Eren's character as a whole after the final chapter. As one of the few Eren fans who loved his character since the very beginning of the series, I genuinely find it amazing how beautifully Eren's character was crafted and how he embodies the definition of a "tragic hero" imo. Whether we talk about his determined yet kinda pathetic personality, his philosophy of freedom, him becoming a slave to his very own actions and desires or his very broken mind and soul which are constantly battling themselves while at the same time does not budge from his saying of "I keep moving forward", his end broke me while I literally kept on thinking that he deserved so much more.
Many people are calling him walmart Lelouch and as much as I love Lelouch, I cannot help but disagree with them because Lelouch at the end of the story was actually a hero to us viewers. He plays the role of a villain while having a very modest wish, to reunite the world and bring peace. However Eren's character cannot be called a martyr because he did not "play" the role of the Devil, he legit "became" that. Because this guy, no matter how shattered and broken he became with the passage of time, carried out the mission that he knew he was supposed to fulfil. On the surface level, sure these two characters had similar motives, to protect their loved ones. But the execution of their plans are as well as their characterization are what make these two characters so different from each other. If there is any character that I kinda find similar to Eren, it would be Kaneki from TG and Sufferants has made an incredible video on these two. I think thats what makes characters like Kaneki, Eren, Guts, Musashi, Thorfinn, Punpun, Kenzo Tenma, Edward and Johnny Joestar so compelling to me because they are not just a product of their environment but we also see them question their own morals and flawed actions. Eren's desires were selfish but at the same time, they were selfless. His plan was never to unite the world and bring peace or remove hatred BY COMMITTING GENOCIDE but rather to ensure the safety of his friends and his people who were not even considered humans due to the titan curse.
It's ironic but at the same time it makes sense because everything that Eren does is on his own free will but at the same time, he is a slave to his own desires, to his own future. Him asking for forgiveness in front of Ramzi while he cries like a pathetic man shows that. The freedom panel is literally the part where it shows that Eren, no matter how much he screams and pushes himself to "that" scenery, has now completely shattered from the inside because he just cannot come in terms with the atrocities that he is committing. He became a monster willingly but at the same time when it came to head on face the actions that he is committing, he turns a blind eye to it and becomes the delusional child that he once was. He pushed away his friends and threw away his humanity and I think that's where his character becomes more interesting because Eren, even after willingly becoming a monster, still wishes to be seen as human, wants to remain human, at least to those "for whom" he kept pushing forward. His friends represent the humanity that is left within him, as if they are now the only "valid" reason for Eren to keep moving forward. Can one say that he in now making excuses for his actions by saying he is doing it for Mikasa and Armin and everyone? Well of course! But can he excuse himself by straight out confessing it in front of them? Hell no! That's why he doesn't answer Armin when he first asks him did he really have to go that far for them. And the next time when he again asks, Eren says "I don't know" while the you're free panel is shown. It's as if Eren knows he desires to be free but at the same time he is afraid to be judged by his best friend because his vision of freedom is flawed. He deep down inside is aware of the fact that his actions are very much similar to that of a monster but at the same time, he still remains human because we can see and understand his conflicted mind. Had he killed his friends in the process, the very "valid" reason for his horrible actions, it would have become pointless because consequently, he would have lost all "his humanity" which he was so desperately clinging onto.
Another thing that I want to say is how many people are saying that the conversation between Eren and Reinar in Marley has now become pointless because Eren was the one who killed his mother. First, that was a translation error and second, the Eren we saw in Marley still hadn't received the power of the founder which means here he had no idea that his own actions would indirectly lead to his mother's death in the past. As Zeke says in ch 121, Eren back then hasn't still seen the whole future and that's why he was so desperate to come in contact with Zeke during the battle in Shiganshina. It was AFTER he freed Ymir that he received the power of the founder and saw the past present and future existing at once which completely destroyed his mind.
This chapter sure has it's flaws with it's pacing and execution could have been a lot more better if we had gotten atleast 30 more pages but I don't think that Eren's character was ruined in any manner. I remember reading one of Isayama's interviews where he said that people show their true colors when they are dying and we've seen this countless times in the series starting with Carla, Mike, Marlo and especially Erwin. In Erwin's case, he confesses in front of Levi that he wants to go to the basement (just like a kid) which has always been his SELFISH desire. That's why he made such honorable speeches to his soldiers and led them all to death, only so he could reach there. He showed his true colors during his final moments and it was the same with Eren who had a mental breakdown during his last moments. The only difference here in that Erwin acts like the 30+ year old adult that he is while Eren acts like the emotional and broken 19 year old guy. Even though he was flawed and did horrible things, one thing that makes him stand out as a great protagonist to me is his will power. He DID NOT stop at 80% but WAS STOPPED at 80% because the only thing he couldn't do was kill his very own friends. Till the very end, Eren did keep moving forward but quietly accepted his death by the hands of Mikasa because he knew after everything he had done, he had no right to live.
I'm so sorry for making this so long but I really wanted to share my views after watching this video. And thank you so much for making this video it was amazing!
That is one long ass comment and I'm kinda not sure what to reply, so I'll just say thank you for watching this video. I'm happy you enjoyed it and also thank for providing me with some of your thoughts on the series/Eren as well :)
@@Yatoru1 Thank you so much for the heart and your reply!
And sorry once again for making that comment soo long. I'm glad that you at least decided to read all of it, it means a lot to me ^_^
@@debotreelahiri2398 np it's the least I can do for people like you supporting these vids of mine.
I really love this analysis, and I already shared many of these points but thank you for bringing an even more in depth analysis of the character
If I can ask you a technicality I was wondering about, if (exactly as I understood it too) Eren received full vision of the future (and past) after taking control of the Founder, why does he tell Armin he didn't know if his friends would survive his doing? Does he perhaps mean in the years after the Historia's hand kiss and before starting the Rumbling?
@@giuseppepiuma1965 from what I can understand, I think Eren was referring to how he dragged his friends in this mess before coming in contact with Zeke coz back then he had no idea how his plan was going to pay off. Eren's plan was more or less a huge gamble which paid off at the very end but that doesn't mean that he wasn't worried about how his actions also put his friends lives on line.
Your analysis was 10/10, I've always understood eren's character but this made me feel like the ending was a good ending but it feels a little rushed hopefully in the anime they fix that, you deserve more views keep it up :)
His ass is not free when i had to buy the battlepass just to get his skin
Eren is a slave he was a slave to his ideal of freedom. Armin is free, because unlike erens curse to constantly chase freedom, Armin always saw the freedom in every moment.
Again, it doesn't make sense. If Eren thinks the rumbling is the best choice why would he go for the rumbling plan? Because other plans were offered to him and he didn't accept him as well.
Saying he is a slave to the story is just Isayama skipping charachter development and hoping nobody finds out.
And the whole freedom stuff and all that, we know that. It is nothing new. Doesn't change how bad the ending was written. And I can't hear it anymore when peopel tell me he was just a boy.
About a guy commiting genocide and talking about his humanity just doesn't add upp.
MANGA SPOILERS
Will you be making a video on the additional pages? I think it really does complete the story very well. Along with the message "Conflict will always be there", the message that humans will also keep searching for solutions to the conflict of their times which will in turn lead to progress (another theme AoT has shown throughout very well) and that is Humanity's struggle. We will keep moving forward despite all the conflict and we will cherish all the small, "insignificant" things as well even during tough times, looking for solutions
I've thought of discussing it, but I don't think I will be anytime soon. Truth be told, I, personally, didn't like the additional chapters. But after replying to some comments and analyzing the chapter more, I'm coming to appreciate it more and more. I really like how you interpreted/described Isayama's vision. Definitely gives me feel more closure than before. But regardless, although I could talk about the additional pages, I think I'm going to wait on when the anime fully aires so that I give a more complete analysis (like my other AOT video going over s1-3).
@@Yatoru1 That's really cool then. Can't wait for the anime. I recommend you to read some of the threads by @ColdCriti on Twitter. They're interesting.
At surface level, I thought there was gonna be a sequel thx to the last page. But after spending a bunch of time, I realised that the Titans won't be born again. As explained in 137,Ymir manifested the Titans out of the specific desires within her. Similarly, the boy will manifest whatever he sees as the solution to his conflict.
All this is assuming that the hallucigenia survived. If it didn't, then the last page still does serve to show the memories of past times persisting through times of war. That tree is where Eren and Mikasa are buried after alll
@@richiknair9036 wow that's actually super interesting. I didn't really catch that (the fact that their ymir's desires and the boy's desire may lead to completely different ends). I'll try to read up on it sometime in the future.
@@Yatoru1you read like a fifth grader.
"Jesus titan"?
That was clearly Santa titan.
the fact that this was all predestined just makes me feel like i spent all these years reading aot for nothing.this means that no character in the aot universe had any will of their own,so they didn't really take any responsability for their actions.writing a story where the plot is predestined is an extremely difficult thing to do, since just like in real life,this concept is still confusing for the human mind and experience.i don't hate isayama for what he did nor do i hate the whole manga in general,but he could've easily written more chapters to flesh out his ideas and execute them in a more suitable fashion.but it is what it is and i will move forward to another masterpieces.
From my interpretation, It's more like there are several potential futures that could come true. And the one Eren choose to follow was one in which Ymir is freed and his friends could potentially be free. Within this path, the key events and consequences are already set it stone; however, as an individual, Eren choose to go down such a path. This entire time, he made the choice to attack Marley, to betray the survey corps, to activate the rumbling. While the consequences were already set in stone, Eren's choice is what set them down that route. So in some ways, everyone was a slave, but at the same time, everyone also had a degree of free will. The will to choose.
I highly suggest Totally Not Mark's final chap review cuz he explains this much better than I can within this comment.
@@Yatoru1 From my personal interpretation; I feel the Eren that kissed Historia saw pieces of the future (not all of it) and decided to follow that rumbling path which was the only path that he could accept that most likely will guarantee the freedom of eldia. Realistically speaking this path was chosen for him by future Eren. I believe it wasn't until he reached the paths and had control that he truly understood why things had to play out this way. He witnessed all of time happening concurrently and could also influence events as well e.g. letting the titan go towards his mum. Just like you stated there are potential futures that could come true; I'd like to believe he influenced and witnessed other potential futures (e.g. where he saved his mum) to come to the conclusion that this certain route is the only path he could accept and understands why future Eren chose this path for him. Eren had the free will to do anything but chose to follow this precise path, chose to sacrifice his life, freedom and countless others for the possible freedom of eldia. He didn't want to be monster but he couldn’t accept his friends and people had to die for the sins they didn't commit so he chose to put aside his true feelings to carry that burden alone.
Whether he was good or bad is left for personal interpretation. The same way he is both viewed as savior by the people of paradis and a monster by the world.
What is predestined is the characters taking the decisions they did. All of these decisions are character driven. Predestination doesn't mean characters are lifeless characterless puppets that are remote controlled by fate lol
@@sreenivas6071 you don't even understand the concept of predeterminism
@@nicossbots ironic coming from you lol... have you even watched game of thrones time works the same way in aot too
problem not in Eren, problem in final plot twist that it was solely Mikasas choice and that plot twist was without any premise. Why always serious topics in many books, films and mangas boil down to fucking love.
Beautiful Analysis. Despite my disappointment for how the story was concluded and how the characters were handled in ch 139, I can absolutely appreciate the themes and ideas Isayama tried to convey.
Eren is a slave to freedom
Not only is he a slave to his idea of freedom
It’s a freedom he can never obtain
And that obsession consumes him completely
That fire destroys everything even eren in the end
Bc that’s all destruction does
Destroys
He has a chance to be free
Even looks for anything to save him including mikasas love
But like his idea of freedom it’s never enough
There was absolutely no reason at all for Eren to kill 80% of humanity if all he actually wanted is only for his friends to live long, happy lives in true freedom (even though it is incredibly conveniant and VERY unreasonable that they would be able to be at such peace when they literally helped Eren in attacking Liberio, which resulted in them bringing Zeke for Eren to start the rumbling while also helping them come into contact during the invasion battle) all he needed for that is to simply follow a part of Yelenas plan. He just needed to destroy all of the allied forces militaries and to push all of them back away from Paradis, whiping like 40% of people and scaring them in the process. Then they could send people from the island to try to establish diplomatic relationships with the world so they wouldn't be so aggressive towards them. All of that would surely slow all the tension down in order to buy just enough time for Armin and the others to live and die peacefully before everyone beyond the island gathers enough power to attempt to get revenge. If that is all that Eren actually wanted, then there are literally so many diffrent ways he could have tried to achieve his goal without slaughtering like a billion people..But he chose to just follow the path that Ymir showed him without even thinking of defying that which is supposed to be destined like he was always doing before. Eren chose to give up in this case and let fate dictate itself, which goes directly against everything that was established about him before in the story. It's also just ridiculous that THAT would be his end goal all along anyway...He wants Mikasa to live a free, happy life, but not her children that shall be innevitably plunged to another terrible war, having their freedom threatened in a world that would remain just as it was before? His motivations are simply foolish, but if he , as you say, was always supposed to be just a cofused, flawed kid, that doesn't belong in the world of aot and that was wrong in his decisions and regrets everything he's done because he is simply 'human', then the tone of the ending should've portrayed him as such. Instead, he was portrayed as a hero for caring about his friends over himself..Armin thanking him for commiting mass murder for his sake and not suffering from any guilt because of it is just completely fucking stupid when you remember all those times he was willing to sacrifice himself so that everyone else could live and be more successful without having to drag him along, because he always felt inferior..The ending ruined more than Erens character.
Alright, I'll try to tackle your comment point by point. Eren's actions aren't right, but it makes sense as to how he got to make his decision.
He didn't just want his friends to live long happy lives. He wanted freedom. Freedom for his friends. Freedom for Armin and Mikasa. And freedom for his people. In order to do that, the conclusion he came to is the rumbling.
I don't see why Eren's actions and the aftermath are unreasonable when taking in the context. Yes, Armin's group helped Eren attack Liberio and also helped him make contact with Zeke. But in the rumbling, the entire time, they actively fought against him. And through Armin acting as Paradis' head, he tells the opposition that he killed Eren, making it explicitly clear to said opposite that they were against Eren's actions and the rumbling. Is it too optimistic to show the opposite side simply accepting those words? Yes. But it's not completely unbelievable. I mean, even after that point, conflict still existed so it's not like it was all sunshine and rainbows after Eren's death.
The example with Yelena's plan you gave is somewhat misguided. As I said, Eren's goal isn't just freedom for his friends, but for his people. Both the present and future generations. If he just wanted to protect his friends, Zeke's plan literally would've sufficed. But his intended goal was freedom for all of Paradis. For all those who would one day be born. And so, he took on that extremist route because that route had the potential for "true freedom." His outlook wasn't perfect, but he only got to that point after going through heavy mental trauma and overcoming countless burdens. Also, your given scenario may allow Armin and Mikasa to live, but what about the future? You, yourself made the point of Mikasa's children. Hopefully, you see now that Eren went through with the rumbling because he wanted a future for his friends as well as every other eldian and future newborn of Paradis. To him, the rumbling was the only solution available (because this route entailed a future of potential. Nothing was set in stone past his death and there was just as much chance for hope as there was for despair). And even in your scenario, resentment and fear would still exist so it wouldn't be a perfect solution regardless.
I don't really get your point of Eren giving up. He came to the conclusion that the rumbling was the only option and so, he made the choice to pursue that future. Now, within said path, the key events can't be changed. But in the first place, Eren, himself, made the choice to go down that path. Had he not things would have played a lot differently. But it's because he made the choice to do so that what occurred happened. That's why I personally view him as a "slave" but in the same sense, he still has a degree of free will. The will to choose if that makes sense.
I agree with you that Armin shouldn't have used the words thank you. Personally, I would've removed that line and kept the, "You became a mass murderer for our sake. I won't let this error go to waste." Because it keeps the core idea, but the scene is a lot less heroic. However, I don't think that scene takes anything away from the other scenes I discussed in the video. After all, those scenes were Eren's final moments before his eventual end and so, a rush of emotions overcame Eren. Emotions that depicted his human side. I think it's worth note that the 139's conversation occurs chronologically during 131. And so, even though he's being all childish in 139, chronologically, in his final scene, he tells Mikasa to forget. Even though in the past, he wished for the opposite. Thus ending with his death. (Suggest reading my pinned comment).
On a final note, I don't think 139 was perfect, but I definitely don't believe it committed character assassination as so many claim. If you've read all this and, still disagree, that's fine. You'll completely free to do so. But I hope I conveyed my thoughts/interpretation properly and maybe you got something out of it.
@@Yatoru1 Thanks for the reply! I believe I understand all of your points quite well, but here's what I think I should clarify to explain my points a little better:
If Eren wanted to succeed in creating true, secure, LASTING freedom for the eldian people of Paradis, then he would have strived to actually complete the rumbling and annihilate every last bit of humanity that was left beyond the walls, rather than sparing it at 20%. If that was his true goal, which I always thought it was up until the ending, then it does not make sense that he would allow the VERY possible chance of Paradis getting destroyed in another war that would happen in the near future, resulting in SO MANY children of his people once again being born in a world where their freedom is endangered by people from across the ocean who are out for revenge because of all that Eren and his comrades had done. That's why that COULD NOT have been his end goal as I see it, as it doesn't make sense. It's just way too goofy to think that all that is left of humanity would not IMMEDIATELY start planning and organising their forces to go out and EASILY take out Paradis because they do not have any titan powers anymore and they are also incredibly outnumbered lol (also according to the newest leaks, that is exactly what happens). So either he was actually just a fool who didn't know any better or his motivations weren't to achieve a free world for the children of his people, because following a path in which the rumbling is stopped before it genocides everyone will never accomplish that, which is why it just seems like Eren was a slave to Ymirs path, not trying to defy it all to solve the problem of the cycle of hatred in his own way, which simply could not have alligned with that path, because as you say, he wanted to ensure absolute freedom..He failed to do that, as he knew he would, because he knew the future of this path he went along with. He claimed before that he would NEVER let fate dictate the future of Paradis, but that can't be the case because of chapter 139.
@@chigonbaron7681 Actually Eren did claim in the last chapter to Armin that he was willing to complete the rumbling and eradicate all of humanity outside the walls. It's just that Armin and the others stopped him before he was able to do so.
I do get where you're coming from. I think Eren straight up commuting genocide was a real possibility, but I think what we got is just as true to his character (it's just that the execution could've been better). Because with the first option, freedom is attained, but only at the cost of literally wiping the world of every other race. Thus, through striping the world of it's freedom, society is able to be rebuilt with the remaining people being free. However, with the second option, it's more ambiguous and I think it's this ambiguity, this idea of potential (for both good and bad) that Isayama was trying to play upon. You see with the 2nd option (20% being left alive), Eren essentially leaves the fate of Eldians to his people. He creates momentary stillness and what his people do with it is up to them. In this scenario, the possibility for peace between both sides exist, but the possibility for war also exists. That's why we're shown both Paradis preparing for war, and also shown, Armin and the main cast venturing out into the outside world. Because by telling their stories and by showing people that they aren't monsters, there's that sense of hopeful optimism. Maybe people will understand. Maybe they won't. But they have to try. And so, in this second option, rather than choosing "guaranteed freedom" (the one you described), Eren instead walks down the path of "potential." In the end, leaving everyone's fates in their own hands, but only after creating an environment/specific scenario in which peace could be attained. It's now up to Armin and everyone else to carve their own paths, their own future. A future that's extremely uncertain and ambiguous, but nonetheless, a future filled with the potential for hope.
Eren pushed them onto a path. Where that path leads them is dependent on them.
Now, again, I wanna reiterate that the genocide route was completely possible, but rather than throwing what we got aside, I tried my best to understand the intention and core ideas all these scenes and final chapter as a whole served to tell. And, well... these were the conclusions I came to.
@@neilselgi8581 And yet he told Armin in the very begining of the chapter that he KNEW that they will stop him from doing it and that only 80% will be destroyed, which means he saw the future all the way up to his death. So he chose not to stop them and not to ensure the successs of his mission to esnure the creation of a free world for all future generations of humanity, because as he told them himself when he contacted them via the paths, he does not wish to take their freedom away, because they are his friends and he wants them to be a part of his free world..Well then in that case, he made the decision to let his close friends kill him, resulting in the future of all the people of Paradis being left at the hands of fate..And that means that his final goal ACTUALLY WAS THE ONE THAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT IN MY ORIGINAL COMMENT. Eren gave up on his desire for freedom, because he couldn't force himself to take away the freedom of his loved ones, which automatically means that he indeed chose to go along with the path that he saw in his vision, because he was fine with just his friends being free and living out their final days in peace. He did not choose to sacrifice them in order to finally make his dream of freedom come into fruition, so the freedom of the children of all the coming generations of eldians, including the ones of his own comrades aswell, did not matter to him as much, hence why he settled with the result of the path that he saw and did not choose to oppose it..I already explained how that makes the whole story remarkably silly, because there are various diffrent ways that Eren could have protected the freedom of only his friends without having to squash like a billion children in the proccess. Eren just accepted fate and did nothing to defy it. If he truly yearned for worldwide freedom, he would have stopped the alliance.
Look man, I'm high as fuck, but this video was amazjng. Thank you. This was a surreal experience
Finally a good take about 139. I can’t believe people think it’s character assassination
Well about 30% of the population has an IQ below 80. So if something isn't explicit, 30% of people probably won't get it sadly... And then they rant on Twitter
Good God I really hope those supposed leaks about the extra 8 pages aren't true
@@jakobrenner2230 From the looks of it, only the "Mikasa visiting eren's grave" leak is true. The rest is edited panels from previous chapters.
@@jakobrenner2230 yeah me too **SPOILERS** for 8 pages
The mikasa stuff isn't too bad. It works thematically and it's what eren told her to do so i get it, although i don't think i like it as much. The other leaks do seem kinda bad. hope they're fake our super out of context
@@bastienbongers8036 I love how you guys are quite similar in calling out each other's have low IQs just because you guys have different opinions. But everyone is self righteous to their own opinions, and looking into the others who have different opinions as having low IQ and below of them. Which the reasons why I hate EM and EH pointing out at each others.
As someone who started seeing the ending as a neutral, though turned out against it in the end after it confirmed to glorify genocide, it is kinda funny how you guys are actually very similar. And when everyone finding someone who have the similarities with their ideology and opinion they started svcking on that person while bashing the others without looking much deeper into other's opinion. Each sides of opinions is actually very valid (as I have watched and reading a lot of people's opinions from different pov). Everyone have their own views and how they are looking into things. What made it toxics is when one part of the groups start acting so righteous and calling out each others. Wasnt it is also the reason why Eldians and The World's conflict ended up in the genocide? People dont want to talk it out first. Dont want to understand each others first. Because their own belief, ideology and thought is always coming first.
Sheesh.
Some things in AoT is very true when it is about human nature lol.
Watched the whole thing. I disagree. Still think the ending was terrible. Enough said.
1. That's not an answer.
2. You put a link to a video in another comment, something really immature for someone who should be old enough to be able to elaborate an argument on their own
3. You gave a like to both of your own comment, and it's kinda childish