Attack on Titan’s Big Twist Actually Saved Eren Yeager

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Attack on Titan chapter 139!

Many, if not all, fans were shocked at the massive twist in Attack on Titan‘s final chapter when Eren Yeager reveals he went back in time to the day Wall Maria fell and used his Founding Titan power to send the Smiling Titan after his mother instead of Bertholdt Hoover to ensure a better future. This epiphany only further cemented everyone’s belief that Eren was a cold-hearted villain, especially after all of his many transgressions against humanity. And yet, this is what actually saves Eren, proving that he didn’t sacrifice his morality for vengeance.

It’s easy to assume that the need for revenge drives Eren. When the Smiling Titan devours his mother on Paradis Island, he dedicates his life towards eliminating all Titans, hence why he joins the Scout Regiment. And when he learns that the Titans who breached the wall were actually fellow Titan-transforming Eldians from the nation of Marley who wanted to free themselves of subjugation from the Marleyans, his anger doesn’t dissipate. It’s natural to assume he now endeavored to rid the world of the people of Marley – both Eldians and Marleyans – to ensure Paradis Island’s survival. The Marleyans would always distrust and despise any Eldian because they can transform into Titans and the Eldians of Marley would do anything to prove themselves to the Marleyans so they could live a normal life – even slaughter their kin on Paradis Island.

But if Eren is the root cause behind his mother’s death then the only person he can seek vengeance on is himself. He can’t blame the Smiling Titan for eating his mother or the Eldians from Marley for breaching the wall. Eren’s mother would have survived the attack if not for him, so he is to blame for her death. That partially explains why he doesn’t use his Titan powers to prevent his Eldian friends from stopping the Rumbling he initiated, which ended up killing 80% of the world population. Eren knew he needed to die for his sins and allowed them to attack and eventually kill him.

In addition to disproving his need for revenge, the final chapter reveals that Eren never sought the destruction of everyone beyond Paradis Island, contrary to popular belief. He saw that the hate and distrust between Eldians and Marleyans was so strong that the only way they would unite was if they had a common enemy. So Eren decided to make himself that villain by initiating the Rumbling. This is similar to how Watchmen‘s Adrian Veidt prevents a nuclear war by having the world unite against the giant squid he unleashes on New York. The difference, however, is that Adrian doesn’t sacrifice himself. He creates a random entity to take the blame. Meanwhile, Eren makes himself the scapegoat, most likely as a way to atone for his mother’s death. By vilifying himself, Eren’s efforts are almost noble. What Eren does is wrong, and he’s more than aware of this. But this is the only way he feels he can end the cycle of hatred and killing.

In what only further justifies Eren’s actions in Attack on Titan, his attempt to unite the world by making his friends into the heroes who vanquished the Rumbling fails. Peace is still evasive years later. Even during the Rumbling, the hatred and distrust between the Eldians and Marleyans was so great that members of both parties almost killed each other, even when Titans were on the brink of trampling them all death. Eren knew that something massive needed to be done to unite the Eldians and Marleyans together. And apparently destroying 80% of the world’s population was not enough. If Eren actually sought to kill everyone outside of Paradis Island so that the Eldians – including himself – could live in peace, then he would have been a villain. But his hatred for the outside world wasn’t great enough for this to be the case because there was no one else he hated more than himself. Eren Yeager is not a villain. He’s a tragic antihero.

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