Eren Jaeger (Anime)

Eren Jaeger (エレン・イェーガー) is a member of the Scout Regiment and the main protagonist of Attack on Titan. He is the only son of Grisha and Carla Jaeger and the adoptive brother of Mikasa Ackermann, as well as the current holder of the Mysterious Titan.

He was born and raised in the Shiganshina District located on the southern edge of Wall Maria until the year 845, when the Colossal and Armored Titans breached the Wall, allowing a flood of Titans to invade and destroy the city. During the incident, Eren impotently witnessed his mother being murdered and eaten by a smiling Titan. This event aroused in Eren an intense hatred towards the Titans, and he swore to wipe all of them off the face of the earth.

Two years later, he along with Mikasa Ackermann and his best friend Armin Arlelt joined the 104th Cadet Corps. The three successfully graduated, with Eren ranking as the 5th best cadet, and they joined the Scout Regiment following the struggle for Trost.

Human Form
Eren is a young man of average height and build. He has a fairly long, yet rounded face, and sizable, expressive teal-green eyes. His eyebrows are sparse and often furrowed, making him seem troubled or annoyed. His hair is short and dark brown, with his bangs falling naturally into a middle-parted curtain-type style. His complexion also seems somewhat tan.

He is first seen wearing regular townsfolk attire, which consisted of brown trousers, a green shirt with string tassels at the collar, a maroon coat, and simple brown shoes. A few years before the fall of Wall Maria, he also wore a red scarf, which he gave to Mikasa the day they met. As a teenager, he is often seen in the typical Scout Regiment uniform when training. His casual attire consists of a long beige shirt (identical to that which he wore on his first appearance) worn with a maroon sash about his waist, brown trousers, and brown shoes. He always keeps the key given to him by his father dangling around his neck on a string.

Titan Form
As a Titan, Eren's appearance changes quite drastically. Along with a massive increase in height (to ), his hair grows long enough to graze his shoulders, with his tongue and ears becoming elongated. His facial features also undergo a transformation. Along with a prominent, hooked nose, his eyes are deeply sunken within their sockets, and his mouth takes on an unusual, jagged shape that is unsuited for intelligible speech, though he is capable of howling and roaring, expressing his exhaustion and anger. He also lacks lips and flesh on his cheeks, exposing all his teeth. His Titan holds some resemblance to his father's Titan form, due to a lean, muscular build, short, dark hair, elongated ears, and a skinless jaw.

Similar to other Titan shifters, Eren's Titan form is well-proportioned and physically fit, sporting a well-defined, lean, muscle appearance in lieu of the more common pot-bellied or emaciated appearance of regular Titans.

Personality
Eren is best described as hardheaded, strong-willed, passionate and impulsive, which are both attributes of his strong determination to protect mankind and eventually escape the Walls. As a young child, he was so intent on joining the Scout Regiment that he argued with and shouted at his mother, referring to the people in the village as "silly" and compared them to complacent livestock.

As a child, Eren cared deeply for Armin, his best and only friend before he met Mikasa, and most importantly his family, risking harm and even death in order to help them. This quality was most often demonstrated in the form of Eren taking on the larger boys who would bully Armin without hesitation; and more tragically when he desperately attempted to lift the rubble crushing his mother during the Titan's assault in Shiganshina. In contrast, Eren is also capable of displaying very violent behavior in the defense of people he does not even know. This is highlighted when he brutally slaughtered two of the human traffickers who captured Mikasa in order to rescue her, despite the fact that they were total strangers at the time. Since witnessing his mother's gruesome demise and losing contact with his father, his fierce protectiveness to those he has left has only intensified.

Eren has a number of defining traits that date back to his childhood. He came to share his friend Armin's awe of the lands beyond the Walls after the latter showed him a book depicting the wonders of the outside world, and decided to see it all for himself. This led him to develop a scornful attitude to anyone content to live and die within the Wall's confines without ever setting foot outside. This very contempt may have been the reason he did not easily make friends with his peers. He resented both the Walls that "caged" them in like cattle, and the Titans that had driven humanity to erect them in the first place. As a result of this, he greatly admired the soldiers of the Scout Regiment, regarding them as "heroes", and wishing to join their ranks as soon as he became eligible for enrollment. He easily took offense when anyone spoke badly of the Scout Regiment, and his determination to join caused friction between himself and his mother, as well as to Mikasa.

Eren had a marked lack of self-restraint that often led him into trouble, causing both his friends and family to worry over him. His limited self-control extended to his temper, and as a result it was short at best and murderous at the very worst. When sufficiently provoked, his anger could drive him into a frenzy, accompanied by horrific levels of violence. Like many children, he tended to view the world in terms of black-and-white, having great compassion for humanity and its plight, but deeming those individuals who deny others their freedom as worthless scum unfit to be left alive. He also had the habit of thinking with his heart rather than his head, even in situations where his own life was in danger.

His characteristic qualities have become more highly pronounced since his mother's death. He now focuses his destructive rage on the Titans, holding a virulent hatred for them, with the goal to one day rid the world of Titans. Fueled by vengeance, he vowed to personally wipe every single one of them out and restore mankind to its rightful place. Though he feels great remorse for quarreling with his mother till the very end, he still continues to go against her wishes by seeking entry to the Scout Regiment. So strong is his desire to exterminate the Titans, he was plunged into despair when it seemed he could not even master the basics of the omni-directional mobility gear during training, when his failure was in fact due to faulty equipment. He is unafraid to voice his intentions of leaving the Walls to eliminate the Titans, and is so consumed in his hatred that he seems not to fear them at all, earning him the nickname "suicidal bastard" from the other Trainees.

He possesses great amounts of selflessness, perseverance, fortitude, and a vigorous determination; managing to graduate fifth in his class despite his lack of natural talent. He greatly appreciates and/or admires his comrades, and will swiftly fly into a rage if one of them is injured or killed in front of him. He prizes human life, but his personal sense of justice dictates that anyone who steals away the freedom and dreams of others deserves to die. Though his ordeals since the struggle for Trost have taught him to conduct himself a bit more carefully, Eren still tends to behave quite rashly, and speaks his mind even when he knows he should not. This has put him in grave danger on numerous occasions, and he often finds himself having to be rescued.

Eren however tends to lose confidence in himself when confronted with how he could do little to nothing in situations. This includes when Eren put his trust in the Special Operations Squad when he could have fought the Female Titan himself and they all ended up dying.

Whilst assuming his Titan form, Eren seems to become more savage, bloodthirsty, and all-round uncontrollable. Though he is able to consciously control his Titan body after the struggle for Trost, he can very easily become caught up in the pleasure of slaughtering his enemies, indulging in thoughts so brutal he gives the impression of being insane.

Year 844
"I exterminated some dangerous beasts. Beasts like that just happen to look like people sometimes!"

- Eren commenting about Mikasa's kidnappers

Eren was born in Shiganshina District in the southern region of Wall Maria to Carla Jaeger and Grisha Jaeger. He had few friends, though his best friend was Armin Arlelt, who he often defended from the neighborhood bullies. Armin inspired his passion to leave the Walls and travel by showing him a hidden book about the outside world. He dreamed of joining the Scout Regiment as soon as he reached the enlistment age, in order to see the outside world. Because of this dream, Eren and Armin were regarded as heretics and harassed.

When Eren was nine years old, he saved Mikasa Ackermann from being sold into slavery by human traffickers. On a visit to the Ackermanns' home, he and his father discovered both parents murdered and their daughter missing. Fearing the worst, Dr. Jaeger instructed Eren to stay within the house while he fetched the Military Police Regiment. However Eren, wanting to rescue the missing girl as soon as possible, managed to track the kidnappers' trail to a small cabin in the forest behind the house. Opening the door to the room where Mikasa was being held captive, he found her laying on the floor with two of the kidnappers keeping watch. Feigning distress and saying that he was lost, he got them to drop their guard. As one of them closed in to pat his head, Eren slit his throat with a knife he had hidden behind his back and quickly ducked back out of the room. As the second man went after him with an axe, Eren charged him with a makeshift spear, piercing him in the shoulder. Once he was down, Eren proceeded to stab him to death in a wild frenzy while Mikasa looked on in horror.

As Eren untied her in the aftermath, he was caught off-guard by the third kidnapper, who proceeded to strangle him. Mikasa picked up the knife Eren used, but balked at the thought of using it to kill someone. Eren urged her to fight back, warning her that they would both be killed if she did nothing. As Eren began to lose consciousness, Mikasa finally lost all inhibition and lunged at their attacker, stabbing him through the heart and killing him instantly. When Dr. Jaeger eventually returned with the police in tow, he took Eren aside scolded him angrily for his reckless behavior. While Eren was genuinely sorry for upsetting his father, he expressed no remorse whatsoever for killing the kidnappers. When Mikasa remarked that she was cold, Eren gave her the scarf from his own neck; and when Dr. Jaeger invited Mikasa to live with their family from then on, Eren accepted her with no hesitation, tugging on her sleeve and shyly insisting that they return home.

The Fall of Shiganshina arc
In the year 845, Eren lives with his adoptive sister Mikasa, his mother Carla, and his father Grisha in Shiganshina District. After waking up from a nightmare interrupted by Mikasa they stroll through the city and Eren expresses anger in being kept like cattle within the Walls, and reveals his intentions in joining the Scout Regiment. Mikasa scolds him, not taking his words seriously, and later reveals what he said to their parents. Eren berates Mikasa for revealing this, but Carla is frightened, shocked and angered, expressing that the Scout Regiment has a high body count, and that she will not let him join. She asks him why he wants to and he says that he wants to visit the outside world one day and is tired of living within the Walls like cattle. She begs her husband Grisha to talk some sense into his son, but Grisha says that nothing can surpass a human's curiosity. Grisha says that he will be leaving for a few days on a trip and that when he comes back, he will show Eren what he has hidden in the basement of their home. Enthralled, Eren joins his mother and Mikasa in waving him off. Carla reminds him that she will not allow him to join the Scout Regiment, and they exchange a heated but short-lived argument before he bolts off. Carla turns to Mikasa and begs her to look after him.

Eren, attempting to scare off bullies harassing their neighborhood friend Armin Arlelt, initially believes he is the one who scared them away when in fact it was Mikasa. He offers Armin a hand but Armin rejects, expressing discontent with his abilities to protect himself and admits he is weak. The three stroll through Shiganshina and settle by the riverbank, where Eren reveals his intentions in joining the Scout Regiment to Armin. Armin asks how telling his parents went, and Eren says not well. Armin then contemplates who really believes staying in the Walls will protect them forever, and that they could be breached at any time.

Suddenly lightning strikes and the ground shakes. The civilians gather around the center of town and look up in wonder at the sight of a giant hand. Eren catches up with Armin and Mikasa and they all gawk in horror at the sight. The Colossal Titan kicks a hole through Wall Maria's gate, sending massive pieces of debris throughout the town. This forces Eren and Mikasa to search through the panic-stricken town to find their own home. Eren repeats to himself that his home will be there like it always has been, and when they reach the corner, his mother is trapped beneath the rubble and is helpless to arise. She says that the rubble crushed her legs and she can not move, but Eren retorts back that he will carry her then, and she yells at him, saying he never listens to her. A Titan is approaching the leveled house, targeting Carla. The Garrison member, Hannes, arrives right in time, and Carla begs that he takes the kids and run. Wanting to repay Dr. Jaeger for all he has helped the village with, Hannes attempts to kill the Titan and save Carla as well, but the massive height and frightening appearance of the Titan forces him to take Eren and Mikasa and leave Carla behind. As Hannes carries the two on his shoulders and runs the other way, Carla begs for her children to survive and silently cries for their return, however it is too late. Eren witnesses as the Titan lifts Carla up, breaks her back, and eats her alive, with a loud crunch.

As the evacuation of Shiganshina is underway, Eren, Mikasa and Hannes arrive in an alley and Eren starts attacking Hannes, crying and asking why he did not save her. Hannes says that the reason Eren could not save her was because even though he had the courage, he lacked the strength, and Hannes himself lacked the courage even though he had the strength.

Hannes leaves Eren and Mikasa on the boat leaving the Titan-infested city. There, Eren and Mikasa witness an Armored Titan destroy the back gate of Shiganshina. Eren, Armin, and Mikasa are forced to depart on the boat as Eren realizes that he can never return home, and vows to kill every Titan in existence.

Humanity's Comeback arc
After the fall of Wall Maria, Eren, Mikasa and Armin briefly stay in a landfill working on a farm before reaching the proper age to enroll in the military. After these two years, they begin their first day on the training grounds in the 104th Cadet Corps as instructor Keith Sadies grills them all on whether or not they will be Titan food. Eren restores his vow to kill all Titans, and that next time around, they will be the ones who will be devoured.

Before training, Eren draws a crowd of trainees at dinnertime and upon questioning, describes the appearance of the Colossal and Armored Titans. He becomes sick as he remembers his mother being eaten, at which point Marco suggests they no longer question Eren about things he would rather not bring back. However, Eren attributes this to eagerness to begin his training and kill all the Titans with the Scout Regiment. Jean Kirschtein interrupts Eren and mocks his decision. Eren does not admire Jean's desire to join the Military Police simply to live in the interior Walls and the two prepare to fight each other. The bell signaling the end of dinner rings breaking the tension and the two drop their disagreement with each other.

The next day, the cadets begin practicing with omni-directional mobility gear. Eren utterly fails to keep himself steady and takes extra tutoring from Armin and Mikasa. He knocks himself out and at dinner, other trainees mock his performance especially after his pledge to kill all Titans.

Back at the dorm, Conny and Jean do not offer any suggestions and Eren visits Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover for help. Although they are reluctant at first, the group exchange their stories of how they first encountered the Titans. The three exchange tips and later, depart as friends. Eren is back at the practice rigging as Sadies lets him try to balance himself on ODM gear one last time before he will be shipped to the landfills. At first, it appears Eren can maintain his balance and his peers begin cheering, but just as quickly, Eren flips upside down. Sadies has him put back on the ground and after a few moments of contemplation, has Eren switch equipment with Thomas Wagner. Eren easily keeps his balance and Sadies reveals his equipment was defective, impressing everyone as Eren could keep his balance, even for a while, with the broken equipment. Sadies mentally notes to Eren's father, Grisha Jaeger, that his son is finally becoming a soldier.

A Sudden Visitor: The Torturous Curse of Adolescence
Some time later in the same year, Eren and Mikasa confusedly watch a brewing fight between Sasha and Jean. Afterwards, he attempts unloading a crate from a wagon however is unable to. Meanwhile, he looks over at Mikasa and she manages to lift three without trouble. Later in the dining hall, Eren advises Jean to be nicer to his mother.

Distress
In the year 848, two years before graduation, Eren accompanies the other trainees on a wilderness hunt to sustain themselves in times of peace, where he and Jean continually get at each other's throats. During this trip, Christa Lenz is kidnapped by thieves and Eren assists in rescuing her, helping lead to the criminals' arrest. He is also seen with Marco as they contemplate on which military branch they will join.

In 850, Eren graduates in the top 10 of the 104th Cadet Corps, along with Mikasa, Reiner, Conny, Sasha, Christa, Armin, Ymir, Jean, and Bertholdt. After graduation, he is assigned to clean the cannons atop Wall Rose with Sasha, Conny and a few others. There they witness the return of the Colossal Titan, who has not been seen in the last five years, and Eren is forced to face the Titan alone in combat as his fellow trainees can all but look on in horror.

The Struggle for Trost arc
The Colossal Titan has appeared for the first time in five years, and most trainees are paralyzed with fear; however, Eren attempts to kill it. Despite getting close enough to the Titan to nearly slice the nape of its neck, it vanishes into thin air and the soldiers are forced to create a Colossal Titan contingency plan, placing Eren and his squad in the middle guard of Trost, which the Titan itself has breached.

In response to the crisis, the new recruits were split into squads in charge of defending different parts of the city. Eren is grouped with Armin. Enraged upon seeing Thomas devoured by a Titan, Eren leaps into battle after the Titan, only to have his leg bitten off below the knee, incapacitating him. The rest of his group attacks and dies as a result. Just as Armin is about to get eaten, Eren pulls his friend out of a Bearded Titan's mouth, switching places with him. Eren is swallowed, his left arm being severed as the Titan shut its mouth. It is later revealed that in the stomach of the Bearded Titan, Eren saw all the dead/dying soldiers, one wanting her mother before sinking inside stomach acid. Upon this, he remembers his goal, which was to kill every last Titan alive. He thrusts his severed limb up with his goal, getting more and more desperate. Suddenly, a Titan's arm bursts from the Bearded Titan's throat, and out steps Eren from the Titan's back, transformed into a Titan himself. He then proceeded to wreak havoc on all the Titans he could get his hands on. In the process, he unknowingly saves the mourning Mikasa’s life and is baited by his classmates to help fend off a procession of Titans from a storage headquarters for the compressed gas used to power their ODM gear.

As the Titans seem to overwhelm him and Mikasa’s group is about to intervene, the Titan that killed Thomas appears and Eren’s rage powers him to throw off the percussion and kill the Titan. As soon as the massacre is over, Eren falls to the ground and his human form emerges from the back of his Titan form’s neck (with both lost limbs back) to the shock of all the onlookers. He is retrieved by an overwhelmed Mikasa. Upon his awakening, Eren seems to only have a faint dream-like memory of his time as a Titan and finds himself cornered by the military, under the command of Kitz Woerman, with only Mikasa and Armin as his support. The military intends to kill Eren, thinking him an enemy. A cannon is fired at the three of them and Eren grabs onto his two friends and bites his own hand, wounding himself and partially transforming into a Titan, blocking the cannon ball before emerging from the skeleton. Eren allows Armin to try and talk them out of their tight spot with limited success until Commander Dot Pyxis intervenes and orders Weilman to stand down.

A plan is made for Eren to use his Titan form to move a huge boulder they had planned to use to reseal Trost's gate to prevent Titans from further entering, but were unable to move. Eren is assigned with a team including Mikasa to defend him while he carries the boulder. Upon his transformation to execute the plan, though, he attacks Mikasa, who tries to communicate with him to snap out of it, unsuccessfully. Eren ends up wounding himself and his body fails to regenerate, the mission is declared a failure. Despite this, the leader of the group, with some non-verbal convincing by Mikasa, decides they must stay and guard Eren.

Armin arrives on the scene and convinces Mikasa to go help fend off the Titans while he tries to get through to Eren. Eventually he is able to do so, by reminding Eren that they wanted to see the world together, causing Eren to remember how he wanted to join the Scout Regiment, and destroy all the Titans. Eren moves the stone and is able to plug the hole in the Wall at the sacrifice of the rest of the team members (with the exception of Rico, Armin, and Mikasa). They are saved from the desperate situation after Eren’s transformation back to human by Levi.

Eve of the Counterattack arc
Eren again woke up, this time in a dungeon prison cell chained. Levi was there and upon hearing his motive to kill Titans says he will accept him into the Survey Corps. Eren was left there for some time before he was escorted by Scout Regiment members to the court room where he was tried with the Military Police and Church of the Walls calling for his dissection and execution and the opposing side, the Scout Regiment, arguing to use his power to their advantage in scouting missions. After an outburst by Eren, Levi beats him accrediting his dominance over Eren’s threat and it is decided his fate will be decided after a “test” mission with the Scout Regiment.

The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission arc
Eren, along with some of his old classmates who also joined the Scout Regiment, trained for a month, learning long distance communication formation, before they had to depart outside Wall Rose to a ruined castle in the region once protected by Wall Maria. Eren along with most of the group were not told the goal of the 57th expedition but were simply expected to follow orders. Eventually, an Abnormal “intelligent” Titan known as the “Female Titan” caught up with Eren’s team and pursued them into a huge forest. Upon it is closer approach and the death of some comrades from behind as Eren and his team (Levi and his Special Operations Squad) simply keep running, Eren is tempted to use his Titan power and save his comrades and fight the Female Titan. Levi allows this choice, but Eren eventually decides to trust in his team, sacrificing the last remaining member of the rear guard. The Female Titan, suspected to be the same as Eren and merely a “human in Titan skin”, nearly captured Eren before being ambushed and captured herself. Eren and the rest of his team excluding Levi ride out of the forest firm in the belief that the Titan was captured and her human self apprehended. This is proved false as the unidentifiable human form of the Female Titan kills Gunther before re-transforming into a Titan. The remaining three team members tell Eren to go on while they kill the Female Titan. Eren wishes to stay and fight with them, but again, is convinced otherwise and retreats. The three are promptly slaughtered and a regretful Eren transformed into a Titan and engaged the Female Titan.

He ultimately loses the fight and his human self was captured by the Female Titan. Mikasa arrived on the scene in time to observe this and pursued to retrieve him, closely followed by Levi. The two teamed up to retrieve Eren, leaving the Female Titan alive and whilst they departed back to Wall Rose, the mission failed and many soldiers were lost. Due to the mission's failure, Eren was to be handed over to the Military in Wall Sina.

Assault on Stohess arc
Before Eren can be handed over to the Military, Erwin instead makes a plan to capture the Female Titan, Armin has deduced to be Annie Leonhart. Eren is shocked and angry at her accusation he disbelieves such a betrayal by one of his fellow trainees is possible. When Annie's capture failed and she transformed, he tried to go into Titan form by injuring himself but could not because of his shock and his mind was clouded. When Mikasa and Armin prepare themselves to take on Annie by themselves, Eren eventually overcame his shock and transformed into his Titan form and helps capturing her.

Clash of the Titans arc
When Wall Rose is supposedly breached, Eren is among one of the teams within the area to survey the Wall for the breach. He makes his way to Utgard Castle under squad leader Hange to save his comrades stranded there. Eren and the rest of the scouts arrive just in time to save Reiner and the others. Eren kills a 7 meter Titan and celebrates his first kill as a scout in human form.

In the aftermath, Eren is among the soldiers on top the Wall recovering from the ordeal at Utgard. Eren questions Ymir's condition and gives Reiner a hand up the Wall as Histroria explains her true parentage. Helping Armin up as well, Eren checks on Reiner, hearing about how his arm was injured in Utgard Castle, and the moment he was almost killed by the Female Titan, noting that he does not expect to live much longer and that they should keep fighting until the breach in Wall Maria is covered. Bertolt reassures Reiner that they do not have to wait much longer and can return home soon. Hannes arrives with news that the Wall has not been breached, confusing everyone and prompting Eren to question if Hannes is drunk, leading him to deny it. As Hange orders them to stay on standby in Trost District, Reiner wishes to speak with Eren.

Reiner reveals that five years ago, he and Bertolt breached the Wall and launched their attack on humanity. He reveals their respective identities as the Armored and Colossus Titans, going on to say that their objective was to wipe out all the humans living in the Walls, but that there is no longer any need and says that if Eren comes with them, they will not attack the Wall again and they will go to their Hometown. Mikasa notices the three discussing and Armin beckons them.

Eren briefly remembers a past discussion with Hange, who confronted Mikasa, Armin and him about Reiner and Bertolt potentially being accomplices to Annie. Armin slowly puts together that Reiner attempted to usher Eren's location out of Armin, and cut the information into Annie's palm. Hange warns the three to act carefully around Reiner and Bertolt, and tells them not to mention anything to do with Annie. She says that they must play it safe until the two end up in confinement deep underground.

In the present, Eren tries to persuade Reiner that he is tired and not thinking straight. Bertolt plays along, and Eren says that even if the two are responsible for the mass murder of humankind, they could not expect him to go with them willingly anyway. This surprises them, and Reiner admits he must have gone mad, but then claims that he is been surrounded by fools for too long and explains that he no longer knows what is right or wrong, but what he does know is that he must complete his mission. Reiner removes the bandage on his arm and reveals the rapidly healing wound, discharging steam. Just then, Mikasa attacks them, chopping off Reiner's hand and nearly decapitating Bertolt. Reiner tackles Mikasa and prevents her from killing Bertolt. Reiner arises beside his friend, bloodied, and the two transform. This throws the soldiers back, with Reiner grabbing Eren and Bertolt taking Ymir. Eren reminisces the times they spent together, calling them traitors as he bites his hand to transform.

Martial Arts
Originally, Eren's only noteworthy trait was his natural physical strength, which stemmed from having to defend his friend Armin from bullies who were bigger and stronger. As he grew and joined the 104th squad, he trained extensively in hand-to-hand combat. While hand-to-hand fighting would appear useless due to the massive physical differences between humans and Titans, these skills gave Eren a powerful edge when fighting other Titans in his own Titan form.

Omni-Directional Mobility Gear
At first, it is shown that Eren is not very skilled with the ODM gear. During the initial balancing tests, he kept tripping and smacking his head on the floor. People mocked him for this. Eren pleaded for help from everyone but the only advice they could give Eren was that he needed to clear his mind and focus. On his last attempt, Eren did just that and stayed upright for a short period of time before tipping over and hitting his head. Seeing this, the instructor, Keith Sadies told Thomas Wagner to swap equipment with Eren and for Eren to try again. Eren did so and balanced with ease. The instructor then told Eren that his equipment was damaged and that it was a miracle that he managed to stay up right at all. He is not shown using the equipment much but was able to hold his own against the Colossal Titan for a short period of time until the Titan disappeared..

Titan shifting
During the first Battle of Trost, Eren was swallowed whole by a Titan, and inside the stomach-like cavity saw other fellow recruits lying dead/dying, one wanting her mother before sinking in stomach acid. This sight combined with intense feelings of desperation and his drive to exterminate all Titans awoke his ability to transform into a Titan. In this form, he is a 15 meter tall Titan, with shoulder-length black hair, pointed ears, a long nose, and a gaping, skeleton like maw lacking lips. Unlike most other Titans, Eren's Titan form is considerably more muscular and defined; making him much stronger than even similar-sized Titans while his intelligence and military training, allow him to out-maneuver and dispatch entire groups of Titans with ease. A transformation takes a heavy toll on Eren’s body and requires large amounts of stamina. As a result, he has displayed several symptoms when he over-exerts himself such as a nosebleed, pale skin, and labored breathing. In some cases, Eren is rendered unconscious for a short period of time after a Titan transformation.

Initially, Eren has no control over his actions when he first transforms into a Titan and is unable to remember any actions that occurred during the first Battle of Trost. He is in a “dream-like state” and fails to remember how to transform in the first place. However, Eren recalls fragmented memories of his father by seeing the key to the basement of his old home and is able to successfully transform to protect Armin and Mikasa from certain death. It has been shown that with more transformations, Eren retains more of is intelligence being able to form rational thoughts. At the beginning, during the second Battle of Trost, Eren in his Titan form attacks Mikasa but ultimately plugs the hole in Trost's gate after Armin forces him to wake up. His Titan form, combined with his growing experience and his hand-to-hand combat skills, allowed him to kill over 20 Titans in his first transformation.

Eren, like all other Titan shifters, must physically harm himself in order to transform into his Titan form. However, lack of a determined goal and resolution for it inhibit his ability to transform as shown when he cannot transform at first to confront Annie Leonhart. Within Titan transformations, he has displayed the ability to partially transform, as shown when he protected Mikasa and Armin from a cannonball by forming the upper torso skeleton, complete with arms and a skull with some muscle tissue. From his suppressed memories, Eren believes that the full truth of his Titan powers, as well as a way to defeat the Titans once and for all, is located in the basement beneath the ruins of his family home.


 * Regeneration: Eren’s Titan form has demonstrated the ability to automatically heal any injury sustained in battle and also to regenerate entire limbs. Unlike Annie Leonhart, Eren has not shown the advanced ability to focus regeneration to one wounded area of his Titan form. His healing factor was fast enough to heal an entire lost hand in mere seconds to an entire arm in minutes. This ability is useful to Eren as, when he fights, he often loses entire limbs in his Titan form. While in his human state, Eren can also regenerate entire lost limbs, as seen after he lost his arm and leg to a Titan, he regrew them.


 * Enhanced Strength: As a result of Eren’s Titan form being much more muscular than other Titans, he is much stronger in terms of physical strength. During his first transformation, Eren was able to decapitate a 15m Titan with a single punch and kill a 7m Titan with little effort. With both arms lost, he was also strong enough to bite into the neck of a large, abnormal Titan that ate Thomas and lift it up above his head. With enough force, Eren was able to throw the abnormal into another Titan hard enough to knock them both into a building. Against the Female Titan in the Titan Forest, Eren’s Titan form had enough physical force to leave large craters in the ground, as well as lift the Female Titan into the air with a punch. Ultimately, Eren’s greatest display of strength was when he lifted a giant boulder, albeit with difficulty, carry it across a large distance, and slam it down to seal the hole in Trost's gate, producing a large shock wave.


 * Enhanced Endurance: Perhaps Eren's most notable trait of all is his ability to maintain levels of activity for an extended period of time. Eren’s first transformation carried on long enough to incapacitate 20 Titans in total. In battle, even after receiving massive amounts of damage from the Female Titan, Eren can carry on fighting, despite the handicaps that he suffers. He was also able to fight against the Armored Titan for a period of time and gain the upper hand. Eren’s endurance in his Titan form was enough to allow him to sustain the effort of hoisting a huge rock on his back, carry it over a large distance, and seal the hole in Trost's gate shortly before collapsing.

Relationships

 * Mikasa Ackermann - Eren has a complex relationship with his adoptive sister. He often displays a brusque, casual attitude with her, which belies their deep bond and care for each other. While Mikasa is more open with showing concern for him, Eren only does so when she is injured or in distress. Despite his blunt exterior, he is always looking out for her, and will not hesitate to comfort or reassure her when he senses that she needs him to. He would even go as far as to call himself a monster to ensure that she would not be targeted by the prosecution. Like typical siblings, they do not always agree, but Eren will usually not stop Mikasa from doing what she wants, so long as it is within reason. He also seems to harbor somewhat of an inferiority complex towards her, due to her outstripping him in both strength and battle skill. This is further compounded by her desire to constantly keep tabs on him and keep him out of trouble - a habit he generally views as annoying. At times, he feels so stifled by her protectiveness that he openly lashes out at her, telling her not treat him like her "little brother".
 * Armin Arlelt - Armin is Eren's closest friend, who inspired him to dream of the world beyond the Walls (and in doing so, became partially responsible for motivating him to join the Scout Regiment). During their childhood, they were snubbed by other children as well as adults for their "heretical" ideas. Armin himself is frequently targeted by bullies, whom Eren (sometimes with Mikasa in tow) would constantly try to fend off. This pattern would continue into their teenage years, with Eren leaping into action to save Armin from danger, not caring if he himself is harmed in the process; the most memorable occasion being the day Eren (sans his left leg) snatched Armin from a Titan's jaws and got swallowed in his place (losing his left arm in the process). Despite Armin considering himself as burdensome, Eren greatly appreciates his quick-wittiness and brilliant judgment (it also did not miss him that Armin's quick thinking had saved his and Mikasa's lives in 845). Eren's confidence in Armin is so great that he would entrust him with his life with no hesitation if asked to do so.
 * Jean Kirschtein - As Eren's main rival, his temperament is the very antithesis of Eren's. Where Eren is hotheaded, he is collected; and Jean is pessimistically pragmatic as Eren is idealistic. Jean believed anyone who wished to join the Scout Regiment was a suicidal fool, while Eren regarded those who looked down on the people who wanted to fight the Titans with contempt. Initially, they were able to resolve their differences in a civil manner despite starting off on the wrong foot. However, this friendliness was short-lived, as Jean became jealous when he saw how familiar Eren was with Mikasa. A fierce rivalry soon budded between them, with the two constantly provoking each other and getting into fistfights. In addition to insulting Jean to his face, Eren also seems to be fond of saying Jean has a "horse-face" behind his back. In the wake of the Battle of Trost however, Eren and Jean seem to have set their differences aside and stopped antagonizing each other. Though they still quarrel as much as before, their animosity has noticeably lessened.
 * Levi - As humanity's most formidable soldier and Eren's superior officer, Levi commands great respect and admiration from him. Eren bore no grudge against Levi for brutally beating him before the entire court during his trial, recognizing that it had been a necessary measure to secure his life (though he did still flinch the next time Levi sat down next to him and becomes very stressed in situations that could result in physical punishment). Aware of the vast gap in experience between them, Eren strives to learn as much as he can from Levi, heeding his advice with little hesitation and trusting his judgment. During the thirty days he shared living space with Levi's squad, he also seems to have learned the standard of cleanliness Levi demands very well.
 * Annie Leonhart - Eren greatly admired Annie, and was trained in her unique fighting style during their years as trainees. He considered her to be a kind person beneath her cold exterior and credited her with making him aware of the contradictions within the military system. However, he was eventually horrified to learn of her identity as the Female Titan. Even as Annie herself transformed in front of him, a part of Eren refused to accept her betrayal; and he became so conflicted that he was initially unable to summon the will to fight her (Mikasa even went so far as to suggest that his hesitation was due to him harboring "special feelings" for her). Even as he went toe-to-toe with Annie, he continued to brood over what had driven her to slaughter their comrades.
 * Reiner Braun - Eren once described Reiner as being like an older brother to him, and admired him as a "strong, capable guy". The two were shown to have trained together, and Reiner taught him the importance of the duty soldiers have to protect the weak. It can be said that he was the one Eren looked up to the most in his career as a soldier.
 * Conny Springer - As members of the same trainee squad, Eren and Conny shared many experiences together and get on well with each other. In the early days of their training, Conny was among the trainees who eagerly questioned Eren about the Titans' invasion in 845. Though he only enlisted in order to have a good reputation in his home village and initially wished to join the Military Police Brigade, Conny was so moved by Eren's passionate conviction to defeat the Titans that in the end, he decided to join the Scout Regiment instead.
 * Hange Zoë - When Eren first met Hange, he was put off by her obsession with him, finding it creepy. After learning about her work on Sawney and Beane, however, and her reason for being so obsessed with Titans and change (which he could relate to), he became one of the first people to be interested in Hange's work and was saddened by the deaths of the Titan test subjects (although he still finds her weird, especially after she kept him up the entirety of one night).
 * Grisha Jaeger - Much like his late wife, Grisha was shown to be a very caring parent towards Eren, greatly concerned with his personal development and general well-being. He understood his son's nature very well, and though he would reprimand Eren when he stepped out of line, he was more likely to simply listen to and guide him. Eren seemed to appreciate Grisha for this, and as a result was greatly frustrated and saddened by his sudden disappearance after Wall Maria fell. Upon remembering the mission his father left him before he vanished, Eren expressed anger and bitterness at the fact that Grisha had kept secrets from them, on top of abandoning himself and Mikasa. He also seems to hold to the belief that his father is still alive, at times pondering over his whereabouts and what he had been doing since the fall of Wall Maria.
 * Carla Jaeger - Carla cared for her son deeply and seemed to want the best for him. Not surprisingly, she was against the idea of Eren enlisting in the Survey Corps when he got older, as many people died outside the Walls. Though Eren never listened to her warnings or advice and insisted on pursuing his dream, he loved her very much. During the fall of Shiganshina, he struggled in vain to rescue her from the rubble of their demolished home despite being surrounded by Titans and wanting to run away from the danger. Unfortunately, he was ultimately forced to watch a Titan devour her as he was hauled to safety. Her brutal demise and his own powerlessness to prevent it severely traumatized Eren. In his grief, he expressed remorse for continuing to disobey and argue with her in their last moments together, and her loss fueled his virulent hatred of all Titans.
 * Hannes - Prior to the fall of Wall Maria, Eren was constantly frustrated by Hannes being a habitual drunkard in the line of duty. Despite not having saved Carla from the hands of the Titan, Eren bears no ill will towards him, and instead he looks upon him with respect and understanding.
 * Marco Bodt - Eren had great respect for him, and recognized his tendency to think of the group before himself. He also stated he would have liked to be on his squad, and considered him a good leader. Upon learning of Marco's death, Eren was initially in a state of disbelief and was visibly stricken when Jean reaffirmed that the news was true.
 * Petra Rall - Among the members of the squad assigned to protect Eren, Petra seemed to be the one closest to him. She was among the least eccentric and most friendly of the members, and Eren admired her not only for her skill but for her open acceptance of him as a comrade as well. Witnessing her demise at the hands of the Female Titan was a devastating blow to him, and he remains remorseful of making the decision that led to her death.
 * Oruo Bozad - Of all the members of Levi's squad, Oruo gave Eren the toughest time, often badmouthing and blustering at him. Despite his senior's somewhat obnoxious and boastful demeanor, Eren still respected Oruo as a top-tier soldier. His violent death was perhaps the trigger event that caused Eren to finally shift to his Titan form to stop the Female Titan in its tracks. Along with the other member's of Levi's special squad, his death still haunts Eren.
 * Eld Gin & Gunther Schultz - Eren admired the two soldiers; both in their skills, serious attitude and devotion to humanity by facing the Titans. Their deaths partly fueled Eren's rampage against the Female Titan, and he is still filled with regret over not choosing to fight while they were still alive.

People Killed

 * Two unnamed kidnappers

Failed attempts

 * Mikasa Ackermann (unintentional)

Trivia

 * Eren ranked second in the Characters Popularity Poll, right after Levi.
 * Eren was known for fighting with local bullies before Shiganshina fell.
 * In a flashback, his father notes that he does not make friends easily.
 * The name Eren is of Cultural Ethnic Turkish origin. Its exact meaning and description is "He who progresses/has reached towards divine maturity and sacred wisdom". It can also be interpreted as a "saint" or "holy person". "Eren" could also stand for the German word "Ehre" (plural "Ehren"), which means honor.
 * Eren's surname, Jaeger, is common amongst German-American migrants.
 * Eren Jaeger sounds similar to the German word "Ehrenjäger", which means "titular hunter".
 * According to Armin Arlelt, the 104th Trainee Squad nicknamed him the "Suicidal Bastard" (死に急ぎ野郎).
 * When speaking about Titans, Eren has a habit of using -hiki (the counter suffix for small animals) instead of -tai (the counter for large animals), signifying his deep contempt for them.
 * He has the highest Titan kill record by far of all the former graduates of the 104th Cadet Corps, though he has killed only one Titan in human form with his vertical equipment abilities, and the rest have been killed using his Titan shifting abilities. In human form, the most kills belong to Mikasa.
 * Hajime Isayama stated in an interview that he based Eren's Titan form off of the Japanese martial artist Yūshin Okami, paraphrasing it to be the "ideal physique of a middleweight mixed martial artist".
 * Whilst lifting the giant boulder in his Titan form to block the breach in Wall Rose, Eren bore a striking resemblance to the Ancient Greek Titan, who supported the on his shoulders.
 * An interview with Isayama's editor in Otomedia's October 2013 issue revealed Isayama originally intended for Eren to have known all along that he was a Titan, but scratched the idea.
 * Feuerroter Pfeil und Bogen is Eren's theme song in the anime. The song alludes to his name multiple times.
 * It had been stated by Carla in the anime that Eren's ears blush when he is lying.
 * In the anime adaptation, there are few instances of foreshadowing Eren's Titan-shifting ability before it is fully revealed.
 * Soon after Wall Maria falls, Eren dreams of his father injecting him with a mysterious serum.
 * When Eren fails basic balance training due to faulty equipment, he cracks his head against the ground. The steam that rises from his head is actually his unconscious ability to regenerate rather than embarrassment (and unlike the manga, his injuries fully heal by the very next day).
 * In the anime, Eren's Titan form has, (a third eyelid possessed by predatory species such as sharks, birds of prey, and reptiles), and can be observed blinking them several times in episode 8. it is unknown whether it possesses this trait in the manga.
 * In the game Age of Gunslingers Online, a special Titan Mode was made as a tribute to the series. It features Eln, an NPC modeled after Eren and voiced by Yūki Kaji. A trailer of this mode can be viewed here. There is also a special skin for the Dual Pistol class available for purchase.
 * Eren is one of the Attack on Titan characters that were made into Nendoroid figures, along with Mikasa, Levi, Armin, and the Colossal Titan.
 * Eren ranked first in the Akiba Souken Shingeki no Kyojin online character popularity poll.