Did Eren Just Become 'Attack on Titan's Newest Villain?
Attack on Titan knows how to keep its fans on their toes. If the series’ love of sudden deaths [...]
Attack on Titan knows how to keep its fans on their toes. If the series' love of sudden deaths was not enough to make readers wary, then it tendency to turn heroes into villains should do the trick. Over the years, Hajime Isayama has thrown fans for a loop with his plot twists, but no one really expected the creator to do with Eren Jaeger what he did.
After all, fans never thought they would have to decide whether Eren should be considered a villain or not.
If you are all caught up with Attack on Titan, then you know its latest chapter was a doozy. Kodansha saw chapter 105 go live not long ago, and the update let fans in on a secret. Eren may have brought the war to Marley but did so without any orders, leaving him responsible for a slew of unwarranted deaths.
When chapter 105 kicks off, fans are show a series of haunting spreads which lay out how off Eren is. After a tense reunion with Armin, Eren is kicked upside the face by Captain Levi who puts him under arrest. The Survey Corps superior says Eren's selfish actions in attacking the Marleyean camp cost the lives of his men — but that was just the start. By the end of the chapter, fans also learned Eren's action set of the chain of events leading to Sasha's murder, and Jean was plenty okay blaming Eren for their loss.
Not only did Eren bring about an unsanctioned fight that cost Paradis lives, but it created a monster of its own. His need to take down the War Hammer Titan led him to kill countless of Marleyean citizens along with the country's targeted higher-ups. The carnage led Gabi Braun to snap, causing her to sneak abroad the spacecraft Paradis prepared to escape Marley. The split decision helped Gabi get revenge against Eren as she is the one who shot Sasha point-blank, and the cycle of revenge has started anew yet again.
Attack on Titan is careful not to condemn Eren as a villain outright, but fans are certainly questioning his actions. Everything from his apathy to his disregard for human life is setting off red alarms for readers. So, if the boy is not careful, he will wind up no better than the Colossus Titan who wrecked his home all those years ago.
For those unfamiliar with Attack on Titan, the series was originally created by Hajime Isayama. Starting its run in Kondansha's Bessatsu Shonen Magazine in 2009, the series has been collected into 23 volumes as of 2017. It's set in a world where the last remnants of humanity live within a walled city in order to escape the danger of the Titans, a race of giants monsters that eats humans. Eren Yeager joins the military with his two childhood friends Mikasa and Armin after the Titans break through the wall and attack his hometown.
How are you feeling about Eren's heroism or lack of it these days? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!