Eren Jaeger (Anime)

"If people knew it would come to this, nobody would go to war. But most people are pushed by something, forced to march into hell. That "something" wasn't their choice. Their situation or others made them do it. But people who push their own backs see a different kind of hell. They can see something beyond the hell. It might be hope. It may even be another hell. Only those who keep moving forward will ever know."

- Eren expresses his will to keep moving forward

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, the adoptive brother of Mikasa Ackermann, the younger paternal half brother of Zeke Jaeger and the current holder of the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan.

Eren was born and raised in Shiganshina District, which is located on the southern edge of Wall Maria. He lived there 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 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.

Soon afterward, his father, Grisha Jaeger, found him and gave him the key to his basement, instructing Eren to find it at all costs and retake Wall Maria. He then injected Eren with a Titan injection.

Two years later, Eren along with his adoptive sister 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.

After finding the basement and unlocking his father's memories, Eren learned about the truth of what the Titans are, as well as the history of Eldia and Marley. Eren then vowed to free his home from their true enemy: the rest of humanity that lives across the sea.

Human form
Eren is a young man of average height and muscular 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. Eren's hair is short and dark brown, with his bangs falling naturally into a middle-parted, curtain-type style. His complexion also seems somewhat tan. After his training and during his time as a soldier, he became very physically fit and muscular.

Eren 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. Eren 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) that is worn with a maroon sash about his waist, brown trousers, and brown shoes. He always keeps the key that was given to him by his father around his neck on a string.

By the time Eren infiltrates Marley in the year 854, Eren has grown visibly taller, and his hair has grown down to shoulder length. He has a slight mustache and goatee, as well as bandages that cover his forehead and left eye. To maintain his cover, he wears the Eldian armband around his left arm, though he had initially worn the armband around his right arm before it got corrected by Falco Grice.

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 when expressing his exhaustion and anger. He also lacks lips and flesh on his cheeks, exposing all his teeth. A third transparent eyelid can also be seen on both of his eyes.

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

In its burning state seen when it lifted the boulder in Trost and when it fought the Female Titan, the Titan was deep black, had burning marks all over his Titan, and had sharp teeth instead of straight teeth.

Pure Titan form
Eren's Pure Titan form was much shorter than his current Titan form. It had short, rugged hair and a jagged, lipless mouth that exposed his teeth. The Pure Titan form also had a stocky build, a big head, and elongated ears.

Personality
Eren is best described as hardheaded, strong-willed, passionate, and impulsive, which are 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 his adoptive sister, 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; more tragically when he desperately attempted to lift the rubble crushing his mother during the Titans' 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 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 confines of the Walls 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 their ranks 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 about 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.

These 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 rid the world of Titans one day. 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 by his hatred that he seems not to fear them at all, earning him the nickname "suicidal bastard" from the other cadets.

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 restraint, 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 and blame his incompetence when confronted with how he could do little to nothing whenever something went wrong, believing a course of action he took - or failed to take - was the reason for the disastrous results. This includes when Eren put his trust in the Special Operations Squad when he could have fought the Female Titan himself, resulting in the deaths of all of his squadmates save for Levi.

Eren's ordeals since the coup d'état have mellowed his personality considerably. When he discovered the truth about his father the night Wall Maria fell, he was willing to ask Historia Reiss to eat him for the good of humanity. He admitted that he viewed himself as weak, and that his reliance on the Attack Titan proved it. It took a lot of encouragement from his friends for him to overcome this state of despair and regain his passion.

By the time he finds out from his father's books that Titans are actually humans who were forced to transform by the Marleyan Government, he seems to have let go of his hatred against them. When passing by a slow-moving Titan en route to the ocean, he shows no signs of anger or unrest, and instead calmly calls the Titan a "fellow patriot."

Whilst assuming his Titan form, Eren seems to become more savage, bloodthirsty, and all-around 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, smiling as he prepares to torture or kill them, and indulging in thoughts so brutal he gives the impression of being insane.

History
Eren was born in Shiganshina District in the southern region of Wall Maria to Carla Jaeger and Grisha Jaeger. He had a 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 bandits. 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 wait at the foot of the mountain while he got the Military Police Regiment to conduct a search. However, Eren, wanting to rescue the missing girl as soon as possible, managed to track the bandits' 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 bandits keeping watch. Feigning distress and saying that he was lost, Eren 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 at 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 bandit, 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 bandits. 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
After waking up from a nightmare interrupted by Mikasa, they stroll through the city and Eren expresses anger at being kept like cattle within the Walls, revealing his intentions in joining the Scout Regiment. Mikasa scolds him, not taking his words seriously, and later reveals what he said to their parents.

Carla is shocked and angered, saying she will not let him join the Scouts due to their high mortality rate. She begs Grisha to talk some sense into Eren, but Grisha ignores her objections and instead announces 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 argument before he runs off.

Eren and Mikasa scare off bullies harassing their neighborhood friend Armin Arlelt. Eren 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 of joining the Scout Regiment to Armin.

Suddenly, lightning strikes, and an earthquake breaks out. The three gather in the center of the district with other civilians, where they all gawk in horror at the sight of a Titan larger than Wall Maria. The Titan kicks a hole through Wall Maria's gate, sending massive pieces of debris throughout the town.

Eren and Mikasa hurry home as Titans begin entering the district, arriving to find their house crushed by a large rock and his mother trapped beneath the rubble. She says that the rubble crushed her legs and she can not move, but Eren insists that he will carry her to safety. As they argue, a Titan begins approaching the collapsed house. A Garrison member, Hannes, arrives and Carla begs that he takes the kids and run. Hannes rushes to kill the Titan and save Carla, but quickly changes his mind and takes Eren and Mikasa away. As Hannes carries the two on his shoulders and retreats, Eren witnesses as the Titan eats his mother.

As the evacuation of Shiganshina is underway, Eren, Mikasa, and Hannes arrive in an alley and Eren starts attacking Hannes with leaving his mother. Hannes says that the reason Eren could not save her was that 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.

After the fall of Wall Maria, Grisha finds Eren and takes him into a nearby forest. Grisha instructs Eren to retake Wall Maria and gives him the key to the basement, before giving him a Titan injection that turns him into a Pure Titan. Eren instinctively eats his father, granting him the Power of the Titans.

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 commandant Keith Sadies grills the fresh recruits as part of their "Rite of Passage." 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 cadets at dinnertime, describing the fall of Wall Maria to them. He becomes sick as he remembers his mother being eaten, but when questioned attributes it to eagerness to begin his training and join the Scouts. Jean Kirschtein interrupts Eren and mocks his decision, nearly leading to a fight between them. 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 cadets mock his performance.

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 bonds over their similar experiences during the fall of Wall Maria. The three exchange tips and depart as friends.

Sadies gives Eren one last chance to pass his ODM test before he will be shipped to the landfills. At first, it appears Eren can maintain his balance but Eren quickly loses control and falls over. Sadies has Eren switch equipment with Thomas Wagner and Eren finds that he is able to easily balance himself and Sadies reveals that the equipment he had been training with was defective.

During hand-to-hand combat training, Eren admits to Reiner that he finds it unnecessary, claiming that it would be much wiser to run away when attacked by another human than to engage them. Reiner reprimands him for his attitude and points Eren to Annie, who is also slacking off. Egged on by Reiner, Eren tries to attack Annie with his mock knife to punish her for slacking off and is quickly disarmed by her unconventional fighting style. She makes short work of Reiner and Eren, enthralled by Annie's proficiency, asks to know who trained her. He is taken aback when she begins to lecture him on the military's flaws, pointing out that it awards its most talented cadets with positions far away from the Titans, where their skills would be most useful.

Annie's words continue to bother Eren, who becomes annoyed at the idea of cadets trying to improve their skills just to stay away from the Titans. Eren confronts Jean for possessing such a mentality, which leads to a physical altercation between the two. Eren easily ends the fight by replicating Annie's moves and proceeds to lecture Jean for slacking off during his training.

The graduation of the cadets draws closer until Eren finally graduates in the top 10 of the 104th Cadet Corps. 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.

Distress
In the year 848, Eren and his fellow cadets embark on a navigation training exercise to learn how to sustain themselves in times of peace, during which he and Jean continually get at each other's throats.

During the night, the group is ambushed while they sleep. Held at gunpoint, they are unable to do anything as the thieves carry off their ODM gear and Christa Lenz. Marco Bodt suggests abandoning the mission and getting help from Sadies, but Eren convinces the group to help him chase down the thieves before they can get away. Sasha suggests using a higher vantage point to look for the bandits, and the group is able to successfully locate where the thieves are camping for the night.

The group devises a plan to confront the bandits. After Conny and Sasha successfully block off the bandits' route out of the forest, Marco is able to determine which of their carriages they are carrying the cadets' stolen goods in, and alerts Eren and Jean so that they can attack. When Eren and Jean are able to recover the cadets' ODM gear, but not Christa, they use their gear to continue their pursuit. The group confronts the bandits again, but are left unable to fight when the men begin threatening Christa's life. Helpless, they are forced to hand over their gear again, only to be saved by the timely arrival of Thomas' group, who successfully ambush and capture the attackers.

Following the incident, Marco has a conversation with Eren, stating his belief that Jean would have made a much better choice to lead the mission, to which Eren vehemently disagrees.

A Sudden Visitor: The Torturous Curse of Adolescence
In the year 849, Eren and Mikasa confusedly watch a brewing fight between Sasha and Jean. Afterward, he attempts to unload a crate from a wagon but was unable to due to its weight. Meanwhile, he looks over at Mikasa, who is carrying three without any trouble. She offers to help him with his, but he angrily refuses. Later in the dining hall, Eren advises Jean to be nicer to his mother.

The Struggle for Trost arc
When the newly graduated recruits of the 104th are assigned to clean the cannons on top of Wall Rose, the Colossal Titan appears for the first time in five years. Eren faces the Titan alone, but despite getting close enough to the Titan to nearly slice the nape of its neck, it vanishes into thin air after kicking down Trost's outer gate and dismantling the cannons atop the Wall.

In response to the crisis, the new recruits are split into squads in charge of defending different parts of the city. Despite their nerves, Eren's squad enters the battle in high spirits, viewing the upcoming battle as an opportunity to prove their mettle as soldiers before they enter the Scouts. However, things immediately take a turn for the worst when Thomas Wagner is devoured. Enraged, Eren tries to kill the Titan, only to be incapacitated by a second Titan biting off his leg. Eren regains consciousness just in time to save Armin from being eaten, being swallowed himself in the process.

In the stomach of the Titan, Eren comes across the dead or dying soldiers who were devoured by the Titan. As he remembers his goal to kill every last Titan alive, his anguish triggers his first transformation into his Attack Titan form. Bursting out of the Titan that devoured him, proceeds to wreak havoc on all the Titans he finds. In the process, he unknowingly saves Mikasa’s life from another Titan and is baited by Armin, Conny, and Mikasa to help fend off a procession of Titans from a storage headquarters for the compressed gas used to power their ODM gear.

Eventually, Eren appears to run out of energy and begins to be overwhelmed by the Titans. The sight of the Titan that killed Thomas proves to be enough to drive Eren to throw off the Titans holding him down and kill the Titan by biting its nape off. 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, to the shock of all the onlookers. He is retrieved by an overwhelmed Mikasa.

When he regains consciousness, Eren finds himself cornered with Armin and Mikasa by a hostile military force which has decided to execute him as a possible threat due to his powers. Due to his hazy memories of what happened during the battle Eren is unable to answer their questions satisfactorily and they fire a cannon at him and his friends. Eren instinctively grabs onto his two friends and bites his own hand, partially transforming into a Titan and blocking the cannonball with the Titan's hand. While the cannon is being reloaded, Eren reveals to Mikasa and Armin that he intends to use his power to go over the wall and try to reach his father's basement on his own. Mikasa and Armin both protest the decision and Eren tells them that he will stay behind if Armin can convince the amassed soldiers not to kill him.

Armin's plea falls on deaf ears among the soldiers who have cornered them, but the trio is saved by the arrival of Commander Dot Pyxis, who intervenes on their behalf. Pyxis takes the three to the top of Wall Rose and questions Eren personally. Eren's answers satisfy Pyxis and the man calls his subordinates to help devise a plan to retake Trost with Eren's powers. A plan is made for Eren to use his Titan form to reseal Trost's gate with a boulder that is in the middle of the district.

Upon his transformation to execute the plan, Eren loses control and attacks Mikasa before inadvertently rendering himself unconscious. When his body fails to regenerate, the mission is declared a failure. Armin arrives on the scene and convinces Mikasa to go help fend off the Titans while he tries to get through to Eren. Armin manages to rouse Eren slightly by stabbing into his Titan's nape and piercing his human body. Armin manages to bring Eren back by reminding him of their desire 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. His strength expended, Eren emerges from his Titan and his group is attacked from behind by two Titans. They are saved by the timely arrival of Captain Levi, who has arrived ahead of the returning Scout Regiment.

Eve of the Counterattack arc
After the events of Trost, Eren is placed in the custody of the Military Police and kept chained in a dungeon prison cell in the Royal Capital beneath a courtroom. While he is there, he is paid a visit by Commander Erwin Smith and Captain Levi. Upon hearing his motive to kill Titans, Levi says he will accept him into the Scout Regiment. Eren is left there for some time before being escorted by Scout Regiment members to the courtroom where he was tried, with Premier Dhalis Zachary preceding over events.

During his trial, the Military Police and Order of the Walls call for his dissection and execution while the Scout Regiment, argues in favor of using his power to their advantage in scouting missions. After an outburst by Eren, Levi savagely beats him to prove that Eren will not pose a threat to him. It is decided his fate will be decided after a “test” mission with the Scout Regiment. Afterward, Erwin thanks him for his cooperation.

After joining the Scout Regiment, Eren is assigned to Levi's Special Operations Squad and sent to an abandoned castle which had formerly served as the base of operations for the Scout Regiment. While there, he is tasked with cleaning duty by Levi while also helping Squad Leader Hange Zoë with their Titan experiments.

During one of the experiments with his Titan abilities, Eren is lowered into a well before being told to transform into a Titan, in case he loses control. However, Eren is unable to activate his Titan abilities. He is eventually brought back to the surface and have his wounds tended to by Levi's squad, who express their relief at his inability to turn into a Titan. However, whilst bending over to pick up a dropped spoon with his injured hand, Eren accidentally triggers his Titan ability in a partial transformation, creating a Titan hand in a small explosion.

Levi's squad surrounds Eren, demanding that he prove he is not a threat to them, and the situation has to be defused by Levi and Hange. After the incident, with the help of Hange's deductions, Eren learns that a Titan transformation requires him to have a clear goal in mind in addition to self-injury.

While he is with Levi's squad, Eren meets some of his classmates from the 104th Cadet Corps who have opted to join the Scout Regiment. Eren is surprised to see Jean among them and is given a lecture by Jean about his responsibilities to humanity.

The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission arc
After a month of training, Eren and the Scout Regiment embark on the 57th Exterior Scouting Mission. After leaving the safety of the Walls, the Scouts assume the Long-Distance Enemy Scouting Formation with Eren positioned at the center of the formation, where it is the safest.

It soon becomes apparent to Eren that something is going wrong with the expedition as his squad receives the news of the decimation of the right wing of the formation and notice black flares, despite the fact that they are in the safest position in the formation. Soon after, the Scouts head toward a Forest of Giant Trees. The central column of the scouting force, including Eren and Levi's squad, are told to enter the forest, while the rest of the soldiers were to stand guard at the perimeter of the forest to prevent any Titans from entering.

Soon after entering the forest, Squad Levi is set upon by a seemingly intelligent Female Titan, who is able to dispatch pursuing soldiers with ease. Seeing the soldiers perish one by one, Eren is tempted to use his Titan power to fight the Female Titan. Levi allows this choice, but recalling Levi and his squad's trust in him when he accidentally used his Titan powers, Eren decides to trust in his team instead.

As the Female Titan is inches from grabbing Eren, it is ambushed by a trap set by the Scouts. 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 attack the Female Titan. Eren expressed his desire to stay and fight with them, but again, is convinced otherwise and begins to retreat. Although the three soldiers manage to blind the Female Titan and cripple her arms, they were caught off guard when the Female Titan regenerates an eye much faster than they had expected, resulting in their deaths. Upon seeing this, Eren, filled with regret, finally transforms into a Titan and engages the Female Titan.

Even though he initially had the upper hand against the crippled Female Titan, Eren quickly spends all of his energy and ultimately loses the fight. Mikasa pursues the Female Titan as it flees with Eren and is able to save him with Levi's help.

The Scout Regiment returns to Wall Rose in defeat, with the failure of the mission to capture the Female Titan and the loss of the lives of many soldiers. Due to the mission's failure, Eren is ordered to be handed over to the Military in Wall Sina.

Assault on Stohess arc
Before Eren can be handed over to the Military, he is let in on a plan by Commander Erwin to capture the Female Titan, whom Armin has deduced to be Annie Leonhart. Eren is initially shocked and angry at the accusation, refusing to believe that such a betrayal by one of his fellow cadets is possible. However, after Mikasa tells him to think back to when he was fighting against the Female Titan in the forest, he realizes that the fighting style the Female Titan exhibited was exactly the same as Annie's, forcing him to come to terms with Annie's betrayal. He agrees to participate in the plan to capture her.

After Armin convinces Annie to join them in escorting Eren out of the city, they lead her to the entrance to an underground tunnel, where she refuses to continue following them. Despite Eren's continued pleas for her to join them and prove her innocence, Annie transforms and he, Mikasa, and Armin are forced into the underground tunnel to escape from her Titan. As per the plan, Eren tries to transform but can not because of his disbelief at Annie's betrayal. As the Scout Regiment tries in vain to capture the Female Titan, Eren is reminded of the lives Annie took as the Female Titan as well as his vow to exterminate the Titans, allowing him to finally overcome his inhibitions, transform into his Titan form, and engage the Female Titan for the second time.

Even though Eren is in better control of his Titan and is equipped with knowledge of his opponent this time round, he is ultimately no match for Annie's superior fighting technique and hardening ability. He manages to throw Annie into some buildings, but gets his right leg taken off by a hardened kick from Annie, who proceeds to slam him into a building and pummel his head repeatedly with her hardened fist.

Unexpectedly, Annie stops her assault on Eren and flees toward the wall, giving him the opportunity to drive himself into a rage, chasing after the Female Titan. She is able to kick him aside and attempt to climb up the Wall with her hardened fingers, but Eren grabs hold of one of her legs. He is kicked off by Annie, but Mikasa slices her Titan's fingers off, causing her to fall back to the ground where Eren can restrain her. He tears her head off and bites her nape clean off of her body, exposing Annie's human form inside. However, upon seeing Annie crying, Eren stops himself. This gives Annie a chance to use her hardening ability, encasing herself in a crystal, which causes her Titan body to start merging with Eren as well. Eren is saved by Levi, who cuts him out of his Titan before he can be encased.

Some time later, Eren wakes up in his bed, having recovered from his injuries. He is aware of Annie being frozen, with Jean confirming that they got nothing from the operation. Unexpectedly, Armin states that Eren is the one who let that happen. After a short hesitation, Eren confirms that upon seeing Annie, he could not move. After Armin and Jean leave, Eren confides to Mikasa about his feelings during the battle. Mikasa expresses herself to be happy that he returned alive.

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. While en route to Ehrmich District, Eren is appalled to learn that Pastor Nick helped keep the Colossal Titans inside of the Walls a secret and begs him to tell them anything else he might know. Nick proves to be tight-lipped and Hange instead decides to inform Eren of their plan to try to replicate the Female Titan's hardening ability in Eren so that he can use his own Titan's body to seal Wall Rose.

After learning from Nick that Christa Lenz will be able to divulge more secrets about the Walls, Eren accompanies Hange's squad to Utgard Castle to save the soldiers trapped there. The soldiers arrive just in time to save their comrades, excluding the members of Squad Miche who have already died. During the rescue Eren kills his first Titan while in human form but is scolded for breaking cover and endangering himself.

In the aftermath, Eren is among the soldiers on top the Wall recovering from the ordeal at Utgard. He questions Ymir's condition and gives Reiner a hand up the Wall as Historia explains her true parentage. Helping Armin up as well, Eren checks on Reiner after hearing about how his arm was injured in Utgard Castle; this, along with the moment he was almost killed by the Female Titan, causes Reiner to comment that he does not expect to live much longer and that they should keep fighting until the breach in Wall Maria is covered. Bertholdt reassures Reiner that they do not have to wait much longer and can return home soon. Hannes arrives with news that there is no hole or breach in the Wall, confusing everyone and prompting Eren to question if Hannes is drunk. As Hange orders them to stay on standby in Trost District, Reiner wishes to speak with Eren in private.

Reiner reveals that he and Bertholdt are the Armored and Colossal Titans respectively, and tells Eren that they will cease their attack on the Walls if Eren returns to their homeland with them. Eren recalls Hange inquiring about Reiner and Bertholdt potentially being accomplices to Annie and tries to persuade Reiner that he is tired and simply not thinking straight. In response to Eren's disbelief, Reiner removes the bandage on his arm and reveals that his wounds are regenerating. Mikasa attempts to intervene and protect Eren but Reiner and Bertholdt transform into their Titan forms and attack. Reiner grabs Eren while Bertholdt kidnaps Ymir and Eren, disgusted by his former friends, transforms himself.

Eren and Reiner grapple with one another while Hange's squad attempts to take Bertholdt down. Eren grows increasingly angry as he remembers all of the pain Reiner and Bertholdt have inflicted but he is unable to do any damage to Reiner with brute force due to the latter's armor. Instead, he opts to uses Annie's fighting techniques, grappling with Reiner until he locks his foe in a submission hold. As Eren holds Reiner, he focuses pressure on one of Reiner's arms, breaking the armor around the joints and tearing the arm off completely.

With Reiner crippled, Eren falls back to the Wall where Hange orders him to find a way to destroy Reiner's legs so that he can flee without being pursued. Eren is caught off guard by Reiner attacking him head on, but he manages to lock Reiner in another submission hold. As Mikasa slashes Reiner's legs, Eren begins applying pressure to his nape, causing its armor to crack. However, before he can break Reiner out of his Titan Reiner begins roaring, causing Bertholdt's Titan to roll off the top of the wall, landing atop both of them.

Eren and Ymir are taken to the Forest of Giant Trees by Reiner and Bertholdt. He attempts to transform into his Titan form in spite of losing his arms, but Ymir tells him his body is already expending too much energy to transform. While she questions Reiner and Bertholdt about the Beast Titan they are after, Eren broods in silence as Reiner reveals that humanity has no hope in fighting against the Titans. He and Bertholdt offer both him and Ymir a chance to join them in order to protect their loved ones. Eren furiously refuses and blames both Reiner and Bertholdt for causing the hardship he has had to endure. Eren continues to violently resist his captors, causing Reiner to knock him out. His unconscious form is strapped to Bertholdt's back to be carried.

Eren awakes in the midst of an attempt by the Scouts to rescue him and immediately begins resisting his captors again. In an attempt to free himself from Pure Titans which have begun to attack him, Reiner is forced to stop using his hands to cover Eren and Bertholdt, exposing them and giving Mikasa the opportunity to attack Bertholdt. As she rushes forward, Bertholdt dodges and Eren tries in vain to warn Mikasa of a Titan behind her.

Armin distracts Bertholdt, giving Erwin enough time to cut Eren free from his captors. Mikasa then grabs him before landing on their horses. As they flee, a large Titan is sent flying and creates a large explosion of dust. This causes some soldiers to fall off their horses including Eren and Mikasa. As the two pick themselves up, they are horrified to see the Titan which ate Carla approaching them.

Hannes steps forward to protect Eren and Mikasa. While he distracts the Titan, Eren shouts for Mikasa to free him, believing that he is the only one who can stop this now. But when he tries to transform into a Titan, nothing happens because he is still recovering from his injuries.

He is devastated when Hannes gets eaten, devastated at the thought that nothing has changed from when he was 10 and was powerless to save either his mother or Hannes. Mikasa attempts to reassure him, telling Eren that she wants to thank him for teaching her how to live, and for wrapping his muffler on her which she always wears. Filled with newfound conviction, Eren vows to Mikasa that he will wrap the muffler around her as many times as he needs to. In a desperate attempt, Eren punches the Smiling Titan in the hand as it reaches for him. Eren screams and another Titan attacks the Smiling Titan. Elsewhere around them, the Titans that were fighting the soldiers turn and start running to the Smiling Titan, surrounding and devouring it. Eren takes advantage of the situation and flees, carrying Mikasa on his back. When Reiner and Bertholdt pursue him, he screams again, and the Titans turn to attack them.

Eren escapes with the rest of the surviving soldiers and they return to Trost District, where he learns that the Scout Regiment lost more than half its veteran soldiers in rescuing him. No casualties were incurred on the way back, and Armin and Jean theorize that it is because Eren was somehow able to control them. Eren resolves to learn how to control the Titans, seal Wall Maria, and make Reiner pay as a way to atone for all the lives lost.

The Uprising arc
Some time afterward, Eren and Historia are sent away with the new Squad Levi to be safeguarded in an isolated cabin in the forest. Eren frantically attempts to clean their hideout before Levi's arrival, scolding Jean for the lackluster cleaning on his part. When Levi arrives, he is dissatisfied with their cleaning, much to Eren's dismay. Holding off on that discussion for later, Levi takes his squad out to assist in Hange's experiments on Eren's Titan abilities.

Eren participates in Hange's experiments without much success. He fails to show any signs of hardening, and upon a later transformation collapses in a smaller, malformed Titan body. Hange and Mikasa remove Eren from his Titan, and notice his disfigured face from where he had begun fusing to the body.

After spending a whole day resting, Eren comes into the kitchen of the cabin and expresses disappointment that the plan to repair the Wall has been shelved because of him. Soon after, Historia tells him that it must be nice to have a goal in mind, even if it is difficult to achieve, whereas she has no idea what she wants now that Ymir is gone. Eren is glad that Historia has started speaking again, but she apologizes that the good-girl Christa that everyone knew is gone. Eren admits that he never liked her previous self, finding it forced and unnatural. He prefers her now that she is a normal, honest girl. As he also remembers Ymir, a memory of her talking to Bertholdt comes back to him.

After hearing of Pastor Nick's murder, Levi reads a message from Erwin and orders everybody out of the cabin. Outside, Levi reveals that the government is freezing all Scout Regiment activity outside the Walls and demanding custody of Eren and Historia. Before heading for Trost, Eren hands Hange a message detailing the conversation he had remembered between Ymir and Bertholdt.

Eren rides alongside Historia in an enclosed wagon driven by Keiji, while Levi runs a decoy strategy with Jean and Armin posing as the two. The wagon is attacked by members of the Military Police, who manage to tear the roof from the wagon using their mobility gear. Eren picks up a musket to fire on the attackers, but is tranquilized alongside Historia. Despite an effort from Levi Squad to recover them, the two are ultimately kidnapped successfully.

Eren awakes in a large crystalline cavern, gagged and restrained by chains atop a raised platform. As he struggles to break free, he spots Historia approaching below him. He is glad to see she is safe and Historia assures him that her father has been misunderstood, having only acted in ways that are beneficial for humanity. Eren finds the cavern they are in familiar and Rod suggests that he and Historia lay their hands on Eren's back to help him remember. When they do, Eren begins seeing his father Grisha's memories and is stunned to learn that he ate his own father.

Once the three of them are alone, Rod opens a satchel and reveals a syringe, which Eren recognizes as the same kind his father had used on him. Rod explains that the Founding Titan's powers can only be fully utilized by a member of the Reiss family. Kenny, overhearing Rod's words as he returns, is distraught to learn he will not be able to use Frieda's power if he devours Eren. Intending to force Eren and Historia to battle each other over possession of Frieda's power, Kenny cuts open Eren's forehead so that he will be able to transform, before retreating to a safe distance.

However, Eren refuses to transform. Heartbroken to learn that Frieda could have put an end to the Titans and prevented so many of the deaths that had occurred since the fall of Wall Maria, Eren begs Historia to eat him so that she can use the power that his father stole to save humanity. Moved by Eren's words, Historia incapacitates her father and begins freeing Eren from the restraints that still hold him, to Eren's shock and despair.

As Rod transforms himself into a Titan, Eren begs Historia to allow her father to eat him. Historia refuses, explaining that even if she is an enemy to humanity, she is still Eren's friend. She is blown back by the winds created from Rod's transformation, but Levi and his squad arrive in time to save her and get the keys to Eren's chains. The ceiling begins caving in due to the sheer size of Rod's Titan and the squad's escape is blocked. Eren realizes that everyone with him is going to die.

As the squad considers ways to escape, Eren apologizes for being useless and Levi tells him that he has a choice to make. Spurred by Levi's words, Eren grabs a bottle labeled "Armor" that had fallen out of Rod's satchel and bites into it. After transforming into a Titan, Eren is able to harden it and reinforce the structural integrity of the cavern around it.

The squad climbs out of the ruined cavern and regroups to chase after Rod, who has become an Abnormal Titan twice the size of the Colossal Titan. Eren still considers being eaten by Rod to save humanity but Historia argues that the Reiss family has already tried undoing the brainwashing and once Rod has the Founding Titan's power, he can alter everyone's memories so they have no interest in restraining him.

Historia argues that taking away the Reiss family's ability to alter memories was the only way to save humanity, prompting Eren to remember his father's words from right before he injected him. His father asked him to learn to control this power to save Mikasa, Armin, and everyone else. They meet up with Erwin and his forces, and the Scouts all proceed to Orvud District to intercept Rod's Titan. While en route, Eren screams at Rod and punches the air in a vain attempt to activate the Founding Titan and control the giant Titan the same way he had controlled the other Pure Titans.

Eren helps the scouts stack barrels of gunpowder together on a net of rope. He watches Historia stand up to Erwin and admires how strong she has become compared to him. Feeling melancholy that humanity has to depend on someone like him, he spots children in Orvud who remind him of himself as a child and thinks back to when the Colossal Titan first appeared. Armin tells him that it will be different from before, because this time the soldiers on the Wall can fight back. Eren punches himself, to try beating out his feelings of uselessness.

When Rod's Titan arrives and pulls itself up to the Wall, Eren transforms into his Titan form. He takes the net stuffed with barrels and shoves it into the open mouth of the Titan, which is hot enough to make the gunpowder ignite. This causes the Titan's head and neck to explode and enables the scouts to attack the flying chunks of meat in hope of destroying the nape.

After Historia is crowned as the new queen, Eren tries to talk her down as she goes to punch Levi. Historia refuses to back down and punches Levi, but Eren and his comrades are all surprised when Levi reacts by smiling and thanking them.

Two months after Historia becomes queen, Eren and the other members of the 104th volunteer at an orphanage that she has started. As Eren helps Historia, she asks about the progress of his hardening experiments. Eren says they are going well, but wants to speed up the training before Reiner and Bertholdt come back. She asks what he would do if they meet up again, and Eren says he will have to kill them. Eren compliments Historia for the work she has done, prompting Mikasa to abruptly interrupt the conversation and take Eren's load away from him.

Thanks to Eren's hardening experiments, a Titan guillotine is developed, giving soldiers a reusable weapon to safely kill Titans without risking their lives. However, creating the materials for one puts a strain on Eren's body.

As Eren and his friends eat dinner in the mess hall, Eren recalls Ymir's claim that her life was like a nightmare when she was a Titan outside of the Walls. He wonders if there was a time when he was like that too, but all he remembers is what his father saw when Eren ate him. Jean jokes that a headbutt from their commandant would bring the memory back and Eren realizes that the man his father had seen before his death was Commandant Keith Sadies.

The next morning, Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Levi, Hange and Sasha visit Keith. Eren asks him to tell them all that he knows and Keith tells him how he met Grisha and everything he knows about him. Keith confesses that he is nothing more than a bystander and that he has no power to change things.

The day before the operation to retake Wall Maria, the soldiers have a feast in celebration. As Eren and Conny restrain Sasha to keep her from eating everything, the two reflect on how much things have changed in three months since the battle of Trost. Jean starts a fight with Eren by insulting him and their fight is eventually stopped by Levi.

After the fight, Eren, Armin and Mikasa have a conversation about their future. They talk about how strong and weak people need to combine their abilities in order to succeed. After mistaking a Garrison soldier with Hannes, Mikasa wonders if they will be able to go back to easier times when they retake Wall Maria. Eren answers that it may not be possible, but that is the reason why they must make them pay.

The next morning, the soldiers are ready to depart on their mission. They become very surprised when they see that the civilians are cheering them. Finally, Erwin orders the start of the operation and Eren travels towards Shiganshina along with Squad Levi.

Lost in the cruel world
Eren stands atop the Wall with Mikasa and Armin, as a guillotine-like device crushes the head of a Titan below. Mikasa thinks back at a time and place with the two, where they reminisced about the old days before the fall of Wall Maria.

Return to Shiganshina arc
While traveling on foot under the cover of night, Eren apologizes to Mikasa, who is escorting his horse in addition to her own, but she insists that he save his energy so that he can seal Wall Maria. Eren is surprised to find himself shaking in anticipation. He insists that he is just shaking from the cold, but Armin reassures him that it is normal to feel scared of the Titans and reminds Eren of when he was nearly eaten during the Battle for Trost. Eren reveals that he sacrificed himself to save Armin that day because he had remembered the first time Armin told him about the outside world, which had caused him to realize just how much the Titans had taken from the humans.

Arriving in Shiganshina, the Scouts quickly scale Wall Maria with their ODM gear. Soaring over Wall Maria, Eren transforms into his Titan form and uses his hardening abilities to seal its hole. Mikasa retrieves him and carries him back to the top of the Wall.

While going to meet up with the rest of Scouts, Hange orders Eren's squad to take up positions along the top of the Wall after observing a signal flare fired by Erwin. To Eren's shock, Reiner emerges from the inside of the Wall and kill a Scout before being attacked by Levi. As Reiner transforms into his Titan form, Eren is surprised again by the sudden appearance of an army of Titans on the outskirts of Shiganshina, with the Beast Titan leading them.

On Erwin's orders, Eren descends into Shiganshina where he changes into his Titan form and acts as bait to draw Reiner's attention. After leading Reiner away from Wall Maria, Eren begins to engage him, using his new hardening abilities to cover his fists in armor. Although he initially has the upper hand against Reiner, Eren is momentarily overpowered and pinned to the ground. He manages to regain control of the fight and throw Reiner off of him, and into an area where Hange's squad can attack. As Eren watches, Hange's squad blinds Reiner with their Thunder Spears before blowing open his Titan form's nape and apparently killing him.

After being informed that Bertholdt is approaching, Hange orders Eren and his comrades to retreat from Reiner's immediate vicinity to avoid the blast from Bertholdt's transformation. After Armin fails to negotiate with Bertholdt, Bertholdt transforms into his Titan form and Eren uses his Titan form to shield his comrades from the blast. Armin gives control of the squad to Jean and Eren begins to retreat from Bertholdt's position on Jean's orders, using a nearby building to keep himself hidden.

Eren attempts to draw Bertholdt's attention away from Wall Maria and the remaining Scouts. Bertholdt ignores him and Eren and his comrades are left with no choice but to engage him. As his comrades flank Bertholdt, Eren grabs one of Bertholdt's legs and attempts to push him back. Bertholdt simply kicks Eren into the side of Wall Maria, leaving him incapacitated.

After Armin wakes him up, Eren reluctantly goes along with Armin's plan, pretending to fall down to the ground and become immobile in front of the north gate while Armin pretends to act shocked. Escaping his Titan form after hardening it, Eren then grapples onto the nape of the Colossal Titan, slices it open, and yanks Bertholdt out. Once Bertholdt is incapacitated, Eren finds Armin's charred body.

Eren laments that he could not prevent Armin from being killed. He notices Zeke closing in on him and threatens to kill Bertholdt if Zeke comes any closer. To Eren's shock, Zeke claims that he has been enslaved by his father Grisha's ideology and promises to save him. Before Eren can question him Zeke retreats as Levi arrives. Noticing that Armin is still breathing, Eren begs Levi to use the Titan serum on him. Levi initially agrees before deciding to give it to Erwin upon learning that the commander is still alive. He tries reminding Levi of all that Armin accomplished as reasons that he should be spared. Levi ultimately chooses Armin. As Armin returns to his human form after devouring Bertholdt, Eren and the 104th reunite with him.

When Armin wakes up, Eren explains what has transpired to him, including Bertholdt's death. He, Hange, Levi, and Mikasa make their way to his basement. However, they discover that the key Grisha had given him does not fit the lock. Levi kicks down the door and they enter an office. It seems to be nondescript until Mikasa finds a keyhole in Grisha's desk. Eren tries the key on it and it opens to reveal a drawer that appears to be empty. They find a false bottom in the drawer and underneath it are preserved books. Eren, with Mikasa, opens one of them and finds a picture of a family. On the back of it is a message of Grisha that the picture is called a "photograph" and that humanity has not perished.

Upon returning victorious to the Walls, Eren and Mikasa are placed in detention for disobeying orders from Levi and Hange. While serving his sentence, he helps Armin verify the contents of Grisha's books regarding the outside world and the true nature of the Titans by comparing them with his memories that Grisha passed down to him. During one of his nightmares, he is startled awake with the realization that Dina, Grisha's first wife, was the Smiling Titan who had devoured his mother.

After spending a short time in detention, Eren and Mikasa were released by Levi and Hange ten days early, who informed them that their punishment was only to set an example to the public, and that their help is needed to chart a new course for the Scout Regiment after their losses at Shiganshina and in light of the new revelations about the outside world.

Eren and the survivors attend a meeting with the rest of the military, including the Queen, to discuss the results of the expedition to Shiganshina and the information about the outside world recovered from Grisha's books. During the meeting, Eren comes to the sudden realization that the reason he was able to activate the Founding Titan's powers in the past was because he had physical contact with Dina Fritz, a member of the royal family. Eren chooses to withhold the revelation, reasoning that it is not the proper occasion to discuss such a controversial idea, especially if it involves having Historia turn into a Titan so he can control the Founding Titan.

The surviving Scouts later attend a ceremony to be commemorated with medals for their bravery and success in Shiganshina. Before the ceremony begins, Floch confronts Armin about the decision to save him over Erwin, angering Eren. An argument begins but before it can escalate it was broken apart by Jean. Armin, agreeing with Floch's argument, is comforted by Eren who reminds Armin of his dream to see the ocean.

Eren contemplates the findings of the basement, whilst receiving his medal from Historia. When kissing her hand, he receives a memory from his father, desperately trying to reason with Freida Reiss as she becomes possessed by the First King's will.

In roughly a year the Titan Guillotine vanquishes all Titans within Wall Maria, Shiganshina District is repopulated, and the Scout Regiment holds its first expedition beyond the Walls in six years. The Scouts encounter a deformed Titan which has been crawling towards the Wall, and Eren identifies the Titan as a former compatriot. The Scouts follow the deformed Titan's trail until they reach the edge of Paradis Island.

The Scout Regiment go down to the beach front, dismounting their horses and taking off their boots. Eren agrees with an overjoyed Armin that the ocean is big, but solemnly notes that the other side of the ocean does not hold freedom as he used to believe. Enemies exist on the other side of the ocean and Eren wonders if killing everybody across the ocean will bring the people of the Walls freedom.

Marley arc
At the end of the Marley Mid-East War in 854, Eren successfully infiltrates the Marleyan military's Eldian unit in Fort Slava, posing as a wounded soldier. He returns to Liberio as he watches Reiner and the Warrior canidates from a distance and is sent to the hospital along with the other wounded and traumatized Eldian soldiers. After being knocked to the floor by a terrified soldier, he is helped up by Falco Grice who points out that his armband is on the wrong arm.

While staying in a mental hospital, Eren spots Falco again and invites the youth to sit with him. He tells the boy that he is here for treatment of psychological wounds but his are fake. He stated that he cannot go home because he has memory loss but in reality does not want to go back. Noticing the boy's bruises, Eren deduces that he has been training to inherit one of the Nine Titans. Falco is upset, admitting that he likely will not score high enough to inherit a Titan, but Eren argues that Falco deserves to live a long life and not inherit the Curse of Ymir. Falco reveals that he wants to inherit the Titan to spare his friend's life, prompting Eren to begin pondering his experiences in Marley. Noting the crippled and mentally broken soldiers around him in the hospital, Eren muses to Falco that the people who push themselves into hell see a different hell from the rest of them and that anyone able to throw themselves into war must be able to see something beyond it, be it another hell or another hope, that keeps them motivated to move forward.

Eren continues to receive visits from Falco, who delivers more of his letters. During this time, Eren learns that Reiner is still alive and is Falco's superior. After Falco leaves, one of the hospital's doctors sits down next to Eren and introduces himself as Jaeger. The two talk about Falco, and Jaeger asks Eren to stop using Falco to run errands, so that there would be no risk of undoing the hard work that had returned peace to the Grice family. Eren asks Jaeger if he has any regrets about his family, causing the doctor to have a mental breakdown.

Just before the start of the Tybur festival, Eren leaves the hospital, runs into Falco, and asks the boy to bring Reiner to him. Eren waits in the basement of a building near the stage on which Willy Tybur is set to perform and Falco brings Reiner to him. Upon Reiner's arrival, he asks Eren why he is in Marley, and Eren responds that he is there for the same reason as Reiner; he has no choice. Revealing that he has already slit his hand in preparation to transform if need be, Eren insists that Reiner sit with him to listen to the play.

Eren regenerates his leg and apologizes to Falco for deceiving him, admitting that the letters Falco sent were not to his family but to his allies stationed in Marley. Overhearing Willy claim that he is a threat to Marley's peace, Eren admits that he is indeed the "bad guy," but argues that the Warriors were also the bad guys when they invaded Wall Maria. Eren asks why Reiner and the others broke the wall and Reiner says that it was so they could capture the Founder and save the world. Reiner asks if Eren has come to kill him and Eren admits that he has seen that there are both good and evil people in Marley. He admits that he understands the turmoil Reiner went through, causing the latter to break down and ask that Eren kill him.

Helping Reiner to his feet, Eren says that he now understands that they are the same and declares that he will continue until he wipes out his enemy. Transforming into the Attack Titan, Eren breaks out of the building and kills Willy.

Lost in the cruel world
In the year 844, Eren accompanies his father, Dr. Jaeger, to the Ackermanns during a medical visit. He is introduced to Mikasa and the two begin wandering the forest nearby. Eren tells Mikasa that he heard her mother is pregnant, to which she confirms and says her mother believes it to be a boy. Eren remarks that if the child is a boy, he hopes that he will become a soldier. He reveals to Mikasa his dream of joining the Scout Regiment and exploring the outside world.

Suddenly, the two hear howling in the distance. Mikasa becomes worried, saying that her father does not want her going deep into the forest, but Eren runs ahead on his own to investigate, prompting Mikasa to follow him. The two come across the ruins of a campsite overrun by rabid dogs that have killed a trio of travelers. The dogs spot Eren and Mikasa, then slowly approach them, but suddenly turn their tracks and leave. The two return home and inform their parents of the location of the corpses they saw.

Over the course of Dr. Jaeger's visits, Eren continues playing with Mikasa and the two quickly become friends. He tells her of his friend, Armin, who is intelligent and reads a lot of books, and is also the one who told him about the outside world. Eren mentions that they will one day explore the outside world together. During the next visit, he arrives with many injuries to his face. Eren talks to Mikasa about the outside world and describes the ocean as being a large amount of salt water that is big enough to the point merchants could never sell all of its salt.

He continues that the outside world also has fiery water, lands of ice, and land all covered in sand. Mentioning that the people who fought him are cowards who are content with living ignorant within the Walls, Eren reiterates his dream of joining the Scout Regiment to see the outside world.

When Mikasa is sent to Shiganshina District, Eren meets her upon arriving. Hearing the bell that signals the return of the Scout Regiment from an exterior scouting mission, Eren eagerly heads to see the Scouts, which return in shambles.

In front of them, two civilians comment on the scene, saying their taxes are being wasted on feeding the Titans. Eren strikes one of them in anger, and the man takes Eren into a nearby alley. The man begins to mercilessly beat Eren as Mikasa watches in shock. That night, Eren is taken to his home and his wounds are treated.

Eren stops going to Mikasa's house for sometime, and when the Ackermanns move into Shiganshina to be closer to Dr. Jaeger, Mikasa questions Eren on why he stopped visiting her. Eren tells her that the Scout Regiment has been disbanded for the lack of results, and the gate leading to the outside of the Wall has been sealed off.

Mikasa is relieved that Eren will not be able to leave the Walls, but he adds that he will be leaving with Armin using a hot air balloon they were building, and it is why he could not visit her. Mikasa asks Eren to take her with him, and he responds by wrapping his scarf around her and mentioning a path to a nearby forest, telling her that she can return it to him there in three days. At the time of their leaving, the balloon fails to gain enough altitude and Eren pushes Armin to safety, before it crashed into the Wall.

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 commandant, Keith Sadies told Thomas Wagner to swap equipment with Eren and for Eren to try again. Eren did so and balanced with ease. The commandant then told Eren that his equipment was damaged and that it was a miracle that he managed to stay upright at all.

Eren is not shown using the gear as much as other members of the Scout Regiment, but he was able to hold his own against the Colossal Titan for a short period of time when it reappeared for the first time in five years. He was also capable of killing a Titan on his own. His most significant use of the ODM gear was shown during the Battle of Shiganshina, where he was able to use it to cut Bertholdt Hoover out of the Colossal Titan's nape while he was distracted by his hardened Titan form, despite being clearly exhausted.

Attack Titan
After the fall of Wall Maria, Grisha found Eren in a refugee camp and brought him into a nearby forest. After giving him the key to the basement, Grisha injected Eren with a Titan injection, which transformed him into a Pure Titan with short rugged hair and a stocky body. This Titan ate Grisha, giving Eren the powers of the Founding Titan and Attack Titan.

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 others with the power of the Titans, 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. When captured by Reiner and Bertholdt in the Forest of Giant Trees, Eren was seen regenerating his lost arms after he lost a fight in his Titan form. During his infiltration mission in Marley, Eren has mastered this ability to the extent that he can restrain the regeneration of his left leg in order to disguise himself as an injured soldier.


 * 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.




 * Hardening: After consuming a bottle labeled "Armor" from Rod Reiss's bag, Eren's Titan form gained the ability to harden its body, as well as create a web of pillars that appear to originate from his Titan body. The hardened pillars are incredibly durable, capable of preventing a cave-in, as well as shielding Squad Levi from the heat of Rod Reiss's Titan form. The constructs, as well as Eren's Titan, also retain their durability and hardened state even after he has been separated from his Titan body. After two months of training with Hange Zoë, Eren is able to seal a cave with his hardening powers and reinforce the hole the Colossal Titan left in Trost and Shiganshina. However, constant use of this power can overwhelm Eren and make him weak. By focusing his hardening in one place, it gets even stronger. Focusing in his fists gives Eren a hardened punch, capable of easily breaking the Armored Titan's armor.

Founding Titan
Named the "Coordinate" by Bertholdt Hoover and Reiner Braun, the Founding Titan was given to Eren when his father Grisha stole it from the Reiss family. It possesses the power to control Pure Titans. However, this ability can only be used while Eren is in contact with a Titan of royal blood.

Eren first used this ability entirely by accident by punching the Smiling Titan, who was in fact a royal-blooded human turned Titan. This commanded the nearby Titans to viciously attack and consume the Smiling Titan, as well as attacking Reiner and Bertholdt. While it is shown that others with the power of the Titans can sense the activation of his power, it is unknown whether it is possible to use it to influence or control other human-controlled Titans.

Possession of the Founding Titan is the reason many groups have expressed an interest in Eren, being sought after by Marley's Warriors, and Rod Reiss, the former patriarch of the Reiss family.

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 military court 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 outranking him in both strength and battle skill. This is further affirmed by her desire to constantly keep tabs on him and keep him out of trouble - a habit he generally viewed as annoying. At times he feels so stifled by her protectiveness that he openly lashes out at her, telling her not to treat him like her "little brother." When they meet the Smiling Titan again and Eren is in despair he listens to Mikasa who thanks him for all that he has done for her, showing her gratitude and their close bond.
 * 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 snatched Armin from a Titan's jaws and got swallowed in his place. 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 Ackermann - 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 cadets. 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. However, once he and Bertholdt Hoover revealed their identities as the Armored and Colossal Titans, the friendship they had was destroyed. When they meet again four years later, Eren's contempt towards Reiner seems to have mellowed to some degree, expressing to Reiner that it is good that he had managed to return to his hometown. In return, Reiner was shocked by Eren's presence and could barely say a word to him. Eren expresses a newfound sympathy towards Reiner after learning the truth about Reiner's mission within the Walls and the world's hatred towards Eldians and experiencing the same infiltration mission within Marley that Reiner carried out years before. Eren even admits he and Reiner are the same, driven by freedom for their people and manipulated by corrupt leaders for the actions of their ancestors. Eren even admits his own anger towards Reiner and Bertolt (and that his promise to make their deaths as miserable and painful as possible) was rash due to him not knowing their reasons why. Despite this Eren still tries to kill him, although implies it is not out of malicious intent but because they are on opposing sides of the war.
 * Bertholdt Hoover - Though friendly, the two were not particularly close. Bertholdt expressed admiration for Eren's courage and the strength of his conviction to fight even after experiencing the horror of a Titan attack. After Bertholdt and Reiner revealed their true identities, Eren discarded the time they spent as friends in during training and viewed Bertholdt and Reiner as traitors, vowing to kill them slowly and painfully. Eren eventually made good on this vow, personally ripping Bertholdt out of the Colossal Titan and leaving him to be eaten by the Pure Titan form of Armin Arlelt.
 * Conny Springer - As members of the same cadet 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 cadets 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 their obsession with him, finding it creepy. After learning about Hange's work on Sawney and Beane, however, and their 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 Hange weird, especially after they 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 Scout Regiment 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 bore no ill will towards him, and instead, he looked up to him with respect and understanding. After Hannes was eaten by the Smiling Titan, Eren became enraged, showing that he had a deep friendship with him.
 * 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 transform into his Titan form to stop the Female Titan in its tracks. Along with the other members of Levi's special squad, his death still haunts Eren.
 * Eld Gin and 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

 * Grisha Jaeger (unintentional as a Pure Titan)
 * Willy Tybur
 * Two unnamed bandits
 * Numerous counts of Liberio citizens
 * Numerous Marleyan soldiers

Indirectly

 * Bertholdt Hoover
 * Numerous counts of Stohess District citizens (unintentional)

Failed attempts

 * Mikasa Ackermann (unintentional)
 * Annie Leonhart
 * Reiner Braun

Trivia

 * Eren ranked second in the First Character Popularity Poll, right after Levi.
 * Hajime Isayama has said that he does not see Eren and Armin being best friends forever.
 * 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 an anglacized form of the German surname "Jäger," meaning "hunter."
 * According to Armin Arlelt, the 104th Cadet Corps 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 ODM abilities, and the rest have been killed using his Titan abilities. In human form, the most kills belong to Mikasa.
 * According to Isayama, if the 104th Cadet Corps had an arm wrestling competition, Eren would be evenly matched with Jean Kirschtein.
 * 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."
 * 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 and Guren no Zahyou both have lyrics based on Eren, including using his name directly in the lyrics.
 * 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 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).
 * Eren's Titan form has (a third eyelid possessed by predatory species such as sharks, birds of prey, and reptiles); it can be observed blinking them several times in Episode 8.
 * 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.
 * Eren is one of eight characters to have his own character song. The others being Mikasa, Armin, Levi, Erwin, Jean, Reiner and Bertholdt. Eren's song is Helpless World.

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