Eren Yeager – The Best Protagonist And Antagonist

Hajime Isayama‘s Attack on Titan manga series stars a fictional character named Eren Yeager as the lead. Teenager Eren vows vengeance against the monstrous humanoids known as Titans that devastated his town and ate his mother in Wall Maria’s Shiganshina area. Eren joins the Survey Corps, an elite organization of troops that battle Titans outside the walls and also research the physiology of Titans to understand what they are fighting, after enlisting in the military in order to combat the Titans.

As the plot develops, Eren acquires the abilities necessary to transform into a Titan known as “Attack Titan.” In addition, he has made appearances in anime and video games that are linked.

Eren was designed by Isayama with the intention of being a personable character whose anxieties and aspirations frequently collided with his inner darkness, leading to numerous shifts in his persona. Eren was voiced by Yūki Kaji in the anime version of the series, and by Bryce Papenbrook in the English version.

Based on how Eren develops throughout the story, both of these performers had trouble using various voices. He is portrayed by Haruma Miura and Ryota Ozawa in the live-action film adaptations.

Eren received mixed reviews from critics who thought he was too aggressive and harsh for his age. Positive reviews emphasized the character’s morals, newly discovered Titan powers, and character growth.

Eren was nominated for “Best Protagonist” and “Best Antagonist” concurrently at the 2021 Crunchyroll Anime Awards and went on to win in the latter category, showing that reactions have improved as he develops into a less heroic and more ambiguous figure. However, the Attack on Titan fandom has generally found the character to be popular. His voice performers received accolades for how well they captured the role.

Article Shared About Attack On Titan With “Attack On Titan – The Best New-generation Anime.“

Creation Of A Wonderful Protagonist/ Antagonist.

Eren was not intended to be the usual hotheaded protagonist common in shonen manga, but rather “an average adolescent who goes paralyzed with dread” when meeting a titan, according to author Hajime Isayama. In contrast to other cast members, he did not receive the unit warrior talent.

Eren’s name was chosen for the character in part because, according to Isayama, it sounds feminine and is therefore simpler to recall. Isayama has acknowledged that he has previously struggled to write Eren so that he feels “alive” and has referred to the character as “a slave to the story.”

Isayama claimed that he shared Eren’s desire to leave the city’s walls. When he was young, he resided in a mountainous rural Japanese village. He dreamed of leaving the mountains behind one day, much like Eren did in the manga’s walled-off town where he first lived.

Isayama now thinks Eren is a good fit for the kind of story he wrote for Attack on Titan since he could relate to Eren.

Eren’s eyes were given special consideration in Isayama’s design in order to set him apart from the rest of the cast, according to Isayama. He deliberately gave Eren thin eyebrows rather than thick ones because he believed it would be “artificial” to use thicker eyebrows to emphasize Eren’s irate demeanor.

Isayama decided to give Eren black hair since he is an active character so that it would be simpler to draw speed lines around him when he is moving. The body of the character’s Titan form was based on Yushin Okami, a middleweight MMA fighter.

The fighting style of Takanori Gomi, a southpaw, was also cited by Isayama as a basis for Eren’s Titan. Eren was supposed to have known he was a Titan all along, according to Isayama. Isayama said that one of his favorite moments in the manga was when Eren battled the Warhammer as he read through earlier chapters.

Eren Yeager’ Characterization And Themes.

As a result of his frailty and inability to save his mother from the Titans, Isayama compares Eren’s personality to that of a little child who utilizes wrath as his drive. All of this rage was brought on by his response to these stresses, which provided a significant introduction to his essential characteristics. He was often depicted in a cruel manner because of his ongoing battle with his harsh circumstances.

However, his lack of expertise and his hostility led him to act carelessly and foolishly as he charged on. Isayama believes he wrote Eren calmer than his initial portrayal when it is first revealed that he is a Titan shifter early in the series. Eren depended on Armin, a fellow character, to clear him of the military’s charge that he was an enemy of humanity, therefore he did so to give Armin more resolve.

Isayama’s editor initially questioned him about Eren’s manga competition. Isayama noticed that there was no rivalry between them at first, and instead believed that Eren needed to overcome something in order to grow stronger. Eren was difficult for Isayama to write despite the character eventually reminding him more and more of himself despite his initial difficulties comprehending him.

Isayama sought to make Eren more accountable by making him witness the helplessness of his companions being murdered by the traitor in later chapters when confronting Annie. Another pivotal moment in Eren’s storyline was when he recognized that his abilities were bad because of the way his father, Grisha, had exploited him, and he felt like he shouldn’t live because of this guilt – especially after learning that he had slain his own father when he was a youngster.

Isayama linked Eren with Luke Skywalker from Star Wars when discussing Eren’s conflicts because he thought it was appropriate given how both characters struggle with their darker selves. Isayama characterizes Eren as having an emotional complex; as his preexisting views are subtly eroded, Eren begins to conceive of merely maintaining himself as a new standard and behaves in accordance with that thought.

In the manga’s 22nd volume, Isayama depicted Eren gazing at the water, which inspired him as a little boy. Isayama, however, claimed that from this point forward, Eren and his buddies started to develop and take over the roles that their military superiors had vacated. Isayama claimed that Mikasa and Armin had formed a habitual mindset of circling around Eren and wanting to assist him. Eren had come to be seen as being “dragged along by the story,” according to Isayama.

Isayama claims that initially, they had an attitude of favoritism and compared Eren’s connections with Mikasa and Armin to supporting one’s family or brothers who are struggling, even if others don’t understand it. He claimed that while having similar ages, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin had different mental states, and that as they matured, they might even become antagonistic to one another.

He further explores a personal writing style that rejects the idea of a fated soulmate regarding Eren and Mikasa, frequently writing ideas about how the two would separate and respectively go through subsequent development and independence, although he did not think it was necessarily a good thing to portray. He states that he did not see Armin and Eren being best friends forever.

Isayama pointed out that Eren’s persona is different from how the fans initially perceived her; in reality, Eren never showed much interest in the sea despite her initial desire to see it as a fantasy she shared with Armin. The difference between Eren’s self-focused outrage at mankind’s lack of access to the natural world and Armin’s global-focused interest made Eren wonder whether he was empty-headed. Armin daydreamed about the world outside the walls.

Their differing viewpoints gradually became clearer as a result, and as Eren’s control over the sea later waned. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were further compared by Isayama to high school students who mature throughout childhood and graduate. He saw the group’s encounter with the ocean as an alternative manga ending.

Following the reveal of his plot to eradicate all life outside of his island, Eren’s character arc undergoes a markedly dark twist at the series’ climax. In the manga’s final chapter, Eren tells Armin that he killed people in order to turn his friends into heroes, and Armin praises him.

In an interview about this moment, Isayama made it clear that Armin was admitting that he was Eren’s accomplice rather than approving of Eren’s conduct. Isayama acknowledged that the final manga arc and last chapter received a mixed response and that he regrets not being able to fully express the themes in the manga. He also acknowledged that it was challenging to depict Eren’s motivations and the story themes he had intended to portray during the arc.