Eren Yeager is one of the rare shonen protagonists who turned into an antagonist by the end of it all. His descent into madness in Attack on Titan was fascinating to watch and made him an incredible character, no matter how lackluster the ending may have felt. He could be a template for how to properly pull a heel turn rather than the preferred method of having bad guys become good.
What makes Eren even more unique is he doesn't have a massive kill count. He killed a lot of nameless people with his Rumbling plan, but didn't take out many named ones. Even some of the ones he did were killed via indirect methods rather than right at his hands. Given that he was a master manipulator, that feels fitting.
10 Two Robbers Who Kidnapped Mikasa Were Eren's First Real Kills
The strong bond that both Eren and Mikasa share is traced back to chapter six of Attack on Titan when a glimpse into Mikasa's childhood is shown. After her parents' murder, she's taken prisoner by a group of three robbers, who intend to sell her into slavery. Thankfully, Eren arrives and kills two of the three men in a rather brutal fashion. It's one of the few instances where Eren's anger is completely justified. The robbers deserved even worse than what he did to them.
9 Eren Manipulated The Smiling Titan Into Killing His Own Mother
By the end of the series, it's revealed just how far Eren was willing to go for his schemes. Not only did he manipulate his father, but he also played a hand in the awful death of his mother. He manipulated the Smiling Titan to eat Carla Yeager because the alternative would have been detrimental to his plans: he needed Bertolt alive, knowing he'd be key in the final battle.
The fact Eren was so willing to toss aside his family for his goals is sickening. Even if he felt his aims were just, there's no excuse for what he did to them.
8 Grisha Yeager Was Devoured So He Could Pass On The Founding Titan To Eren
The manipulations that Grisha underwent thanks to Eren's use of the timeless paths were awful. Eren got him to do things that Grisha never wanted to do, including killing children.
Despite this, Grisha still willingly went along with everything, eventually ceding the Founding Titan and the Attack Titan to Eren by getting devoured. It's hard not to feel bad for him, and his character arc established Eren's turn into a villainous protagonist who nobody should root for.
7 Willy Tybur Was Smashed Beneath Eren's Fist While He Tried To Rally His People
The imagery in the panel depicting Willy's death was pretty incredible. The sense of scale used as Eren burst through the wall was on the levels of the Godzilla movies, and Willy's death felt so sudden as well. He was giving a speech that was unceremoniously interrupted by Eren and died soon after.
There were no final words or anything, just a quick death. It's a rarity in manga, where deaths always tend to get dragged out to enhance the drama. It also helped show how far Eren was willing to go for his goals.
6 Zofia Is Crushed Beneath A Boulder Of Debris Courtesy Of Eren
Zofia was one of the Warrior candidates in the Marley military, alongside Falco, Gabi, Udo, and Colt. While she wasn't built up as much as Falco or Gabi was, her death was still rather shocking. As with Willy, it comes at the viewer fast and doesn't linger too long. There's no ceremony or large fight in store for her; instead, when Eren bursts through the walls behind Willy, she's struck with one of the flying pieces of debris. The boulder crushes her instantly, leaving only her legs visible.
5 Udo Gets Trampled By The Crowd Fleeing From Eren
After Zofia was crushed, Udo ran to her aid, trying to free her from the boulder. It ends up being a massive mistake, as panic overtakes the crowd after Eren's actions.
Udo stood no chance at surviving the coming onslaught: the crowd knocking him over and eventually trampling him to death beneath their feet. While Eren isn't directly involved in his death, his appearance is the cause of the panic, making him just as culpable as anyone else present.
4 Calvi Could Only Stare On In Horror As His Death Approached
Eren's assault on Marley started with a bang. Not only did he take out Willy, but he also managed to slay a majority of the Marleyan higher-ups in one fell swoop. With Willy squashed like a bug, Eren's attention turned toward Calvi and the other military leaders. He quickly lunged into the crowd, squashing most of them instantly. Calvi could only stare on in horror as his doom approached him. It's part of what makes the scene so fantastic.
3 Lara Tybur Was Devoured While In Her Crystal From By Eren
Unlike many others in Eren's initial assault, Lara managed to put up a good fight against Eren. She inherited the War Hammer Titan's powers and used them to fight not only Eren, but Mikasa and others as well. She did so well that Eren would have died if Mikasa hadn't interfered in the battle.
Their combined might ended up too much, forcing Lara into a crystallized state that at first seemed impenetrable — until Eren used the Jaw Titan to shatter the crystal, devouring Lara and gaining the Titan's power for himself.
2 Ramzi And Halil Were Casualties Of Eren's War On The World
The entire purpose of the characters Ramzi and Halil was to show how the horrors of war affected those who weren't even involved in it. They were just two kids trying to do what was best for themselves and their family. When the Titans began marching on the city, they were caught in the crossfire. Debris struck Halil in the face, killing him instantly, and crippled Ramzi so he couldn't flee. It left him pleading for help as a Titan's foot came crashing down onto him.
1 Eren's Rumbling Cost The Life Of Hange Zoe
The demise of Hange Zoe was one of the more well-done deaths in the entire manga. With the Titans of the Rumbling advancing on them, both Armin and Reiner argued over who should stay behind to delay them. Hange stepped in, stating neither could afford to use any more of their Titans' powers.
Hange was allowed to go out in a blaze of glory against the Rumbling, taking out more than a few Wall Titans before succumbing to their wounds. They even got a postmortem moment to speak with their fallen comrades.
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