Analyzing Evil: Eren Yeager From Attack On Titan

Thanks to Keeps for sponsoring this
video! Head to keeps.com/VILE to get a special offer.
Hello everyone and welcome to the one hundred sixty-second episode of Analyzing Evil! Our feature topics for this video is Eren Yeager from Attack on Titan. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for watching. If you have any feedback or questions feel free to let me know below!
Merch Store: thevilestore.com
Cameo: v.cameo.com/e/...
Patreon: / thevileeye
Reddit: / thevileeye
Discord: / discord
Twitter: / thevileeye
​Instagram: / thevileeye​
Video Edited by Stujthevamp. Check him out here: / stujthevamp
Merchandise by Christian Kohn. Check him out here: www.instagram....
Channel Artwork by Dicky Candra Irawan. You can find more of his work on his instagram here: / dickyartwork
The songs in this video are from an album called Call to the Deep by Kurotokage
#attackontitan #anime #manga

[@TheVileEye]

Big thanks to Keeps for supporting the channel! Here’s the site if you want to check them out! > keeps.com/VILE

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your work vile! Happy holidays! You're amazing! Please do father from fmab 🎅🎅🎅🎄🎄🎄❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@newbornviking9721]

Analyzing evil; Stan Edgar from The boys

[@carriekube7357]

Happy Holidays TVE. Here's hoping that we get to see an episode on Sideshow Bob.

[@xavenstelmack1411]

Hey Vile, I would like to see you cover more cartoon villains. Here are some suggestions. Horde Prime from She-Ra and The Princesses of Power. King Andrias and The Core from Amphibia. Slade from Teen Titans Aku from Samurai Jack. Emperor Belos from The Owl House.

[@spawnofragnarok9267]

Please do the Analyzing EViL video on Aries from God of war

[@LordMogatron]

A little known fact about The Vile Eye is that he's actually the funniest person on KZbin. Proof: "Hello, everyone," syncing up to the characters in question

[@johnnybensonitis7853]

Haha no doubt!! I remember learning about the funny man behind the channel back during April Fool's, too. Shit threw me for a loop, it was literally the last thing I expected but goddamn was it funny.

[@chonkyseal7164]

His april fools are goated.

[@joshwelker3507]

Best type of intro imo

[@xemyk359]

2+ years watching this channel and i never noticed! Excuse me while i rewatch the entire catalog for confirmation

[@vojtaliska1430]

He subtly hints at the fact that he is behind all the evil in this and other worlds.

[@Dutchman451]

One caveat I think is significant to this thought process is that Eren did not just see the future, he became untethered to localization in time. It wasn't just that he knew what Yimir's end plan was, it was that he was simultaneously living through every moment of the plan. He may have been misrepresenting his condition, but his experience of it was that the rumbling was already happening, just as Mikasa was already killing him, just as he was already apologizing to his friends, just as he was already sending Dina to eat his mother, just as he was already fighting Reiner and Bert at the wall, just as he was already convincing his dad to steal the founder's power. There wasn't, in his explanation, a point to make a decision as he was reduced to a role with the appearance of personhood upon gaining such immense, godly power. The titan's possessed him, not the other way around, hence his inability to use their power, as shown in the first season, unless his personal "will" aligned with the nature of the attack titan and the founder's intentions. Much of human ethics comes from the impossibility of some of our wishes and the natural inequality of human individuals' capacities moderated by the equality of human dignity. We have to contend with metaphysical limits and necessities. Eren, being possessed by the source of all living matter as it's called, had no limits and therefore no obstacles. Could it really be said, if that's true, that he was even the same person anymore? Or was Eren Yeager now the host of a war-waging god that used the Eldian people as a stock of living weaponry to execute its inevitable attempt at simply exerting its power over life and death? Then again, as he said to Armin, he could've just been an idiot with too much power. But there's a non-zero possibility that that's just how it feels to be a human person living with a god in your soul. Excellent analysis, Vile Eye

[@azazel166]

Which is why no human should wield such power.

[@conwaytwittyer2667]

That was only after he touched Ymir in the paths and absorbed the founding titan. Ymir used Eren, Armin, and Mikasa as vessels to overcome her trauma and attain her own freedom from the true villain of AOT King Fritz, in that way he was used. However, the Rumbling was all Erin, that was his wish, his twisted vision of the things Armin showed him in that book seeded a deep disappointment in the freedom or lack thereof beyond the walls. In the end, the freedom Erin envisioned was ingrained into him the moment he touched Historia’s hand, and inherited the vision of the future from his father’s memory that had been planted by his his future self. Erin was trapped in his own freedom, everything was already predetermined, including the rise of an entirely new power in the future, this time not derived from the fear and pain experienced by Ymir.

[@jacobevans1970]

This point is often overlooked, I feel. Eren is similar to Dr Manhatten from Watchmen in that regard- if you are experiencing past, future, and present simultaneously you are helpless to change your future actions even with prescience. After all, they have already happened! Good comment, man!

[@merdufer]

Power should only be wielded with wisdom. The human race had to wise up real quick when nuclear weapons were invented, and we narrowly escaped extinction.

[@Tupadre97]

ymir had no plan it was all eren you and vile eye are misinterpreting the story

[@TheAzuregreen]

The fact eren didnt discuss this with his friends before and worked together is a callback to the forrest with levi squad. He had a choice between trusting his friends or his own power and last time he chose the friends they all died. Maybe thats why he never told them.

[@crumpscrumbs]

Oh my god dude, I totally forgot about that. I don't think that's the case though because he must've seen that timeline and saw it fail, hence why he didn't go through with it.

[@locool100]

I was just thinking about saying this in my own comment!

[@mariocristogoat4931]

Not only that, but when he’s in the cave and Rod is about to crush them Levi gives him the same choice and he chooses himself and saves everyone.

[@goofygrandlouis6296]

Eren is basically a Japanese "Ozymandias" (Watchmen)

[@paperpersona1243]

Same when theyre all under in the crystal cavern about to be crushed by rob reiss. His friends were planning on trying to charge out with their ODM Gear, a decision we saw would end in death since Keny's squad tried to do the same. Instead of trusting in his friends he sees the armor bottle and says something like "for once I want to believe in myself." And it works! He saves his friends with his own strength! That scene really was a character building moment for Eren, it showed he doesnt have to rely on his friends to accomplish his goals!

[@Azvier]

"Even so, its the little things that make life worth living: a mothers smile, a game of catch with your father, the laughs you share with your friends, and everything else in between. the world is not ugly because of the misery that can be found within it, its beautiful despite it all." this resonated with me quite profoundly and was such a beautiful line of words. love your videos man, keep doin what you do.

[@anitaremenarova6662]

It's pretty much directly taken from the show, do yourself the favor of watching it if you ever have the time.

[@LuckyKlvrSyx]

Good for you!​@@anitaremenarova6662

[@IamWone]

For our sins we deserve eternity in hell, but God loves us so much he came as Jesus to pay the price of our sins through living a perfect life for us, his death and his resurrection so we can be forgiven and receive eternal life if we follow and obey him in faith FOR LIFE , Jesus loves u and desires to have a personal relationship with you of love, peace, redemption and obedience ✝️ May Jesus bless you, repent of your sins and turn to Christ before it's too late 🙏🏿❤️l

[@LucasDimoveo]

This series had endless Analyzing Evil potential

[@breathyy5963]

Eren, zeke, Fritz, Fritz, ymir, reiss

[@NvrchFotia]

Which two Fritzes? The rest are probably/certainly evil.

[@monkey39128]

@@NvrchFotia The first king Fritz and the last King Fritz. One was an abusive cretin, the other was an idealist who couldn't protect his people. Could easily add Rod Reiss in there as well.

[@iaamara8434]

@@breathyy5963 Zeke is not evil ?

[@pamelqtaylor8335]

Annie

[@2DImpersonator]

Eren Yeager is one of the most intriguing characters from the last decades and it's so cool to see you finally cover him. Bravo!

[@lornm1856]

If you don’t have media literacy so you ignore the insane inconsistencies and retcons that were written to let that ending happen, still not. A guy doing a genocide because he thinks it’s the only way and that he can’t stop only to be okay with stopping and dying. He’s a joke

[@AM17titan]

@@lornm1856the guy did the genocide because he wanted to replicate the view he saw in armin’s book First understand him ffs and have media literacy lol

[@lornm1856]

@@AM17titan 4 years before All this, he said he forgot armin's book. All of the ending is based on a retcon. First understand him and then talk. Also even if it wasn't a retcon he would still be the worst character

[@avalokiteshvara113]

Love the incels defending eren

[@AM17titan]

@@lornm1856 but why during ramzi’s conversation He says the outside world was nothing like he imagined from armin’s book and he was disappointed 😂😂🤣 and here you saying he forgot I suggest you to watch the story AGAIN lol And could you stop with the retcon stuff ? It’s not retcon Understand the story dumbass 🤦🏻‍♂️💀

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Eren is a great example of " You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain" going from vowing to kill every titan to beign the one who ordered the rumbling was so chilling but so well written. One of the best anime characters of the last decade. You're amazing vile. Keep up the Great work

[@ugoeze7360]

King Fritz is a great example of, “if you come at the King, you best not miss.”

[@merdufer]

Isayama took the edgy manga protagonist archetype to its logical conclusion: A protagonist filled with angst, pain, and determination is admirable. A protagonist filled with angst, pain, determination, and ultimate power, is terrifying.

[@hesusmariajosef]

⁠@@merdufer Eren is a masterclass on “relatively good main character to mass murdering villain” development done right by highlighting how his already established character traits can be taken down a darker turn. He was able to write convincingly, what DnD tried and failed to accomplish with Daenerys in the final season of Game of Thrones. It’s also funny that Isayama is a fan of GRRM and his “the human heart in conflict with itself” idea. So it makes sense that Isayama would have an understanding on how to execute a character barreling down a darker path similar to how George must have had in mind. DnD could not fundamentally grasp it.

[@MrAsus4870]

Can you recommend some other good anime shows?

[@EATMAN888]

Eren is a cataclysmic anti villain not a villain !

[@diegorojas8959]

We did Johan, we did Eren and now we need Char. The world needs to know the evils born from mommy issues.

[@MrTheHawk]

Who’s Char?

[@diegorojas8959]

@@MrTheHawk Char Aznable from Mobile Suit Gundam.

[@MrTheHawk]

@@diegorojas8959 ahhh never seen it. Since your into anime, it would be sick if he did Funny Valentine and Punpun from Goodnight Punpun

[@I_am-lost.]

Char ain't evil, he's just um misunderstood

[@geassmanleon]

Char did nothing wrong

[@pong_it7459]

Eren answers the ancient question of: “Would you destroy the world to save your family?”

[@seekingabsolution1907]

It was never his choice to make. The idea that such things should be left to the decision of one person is both spurious, ridiculous and evil.

[@EATMAN888]

when the world is tryna destroy you ...

[@henriettebopda5895]

If the world is civilians then no, i won't

[@EATMAN888]

@@seekingabsolution1907 yes it was because he made it. Also he let his only real threats keep their free will if they wanted to stop him...not evil just an antivillain.

[@tragnark5602]

​@@henriettebopda5895i feel sorry for your family

[@waltuh979]

From what I understood, Eren went along with the future that he saw because deep down it's what he wanted. He says to Ramzi that he "Was disappointed" when he learned that Humanity outside the walls hadn't perished. and that he "Wanted to wipe it all away". He even admits to Armin at the end in both the Anime and Manga versions that he wanted to do it. Yes he didn't have real free will, not because Ymir or his Titans were controlling his actions, t because him seeing his own future determined that it would happen. Which is why he says to Armin in the Anime "20% is all you manage to save, it's already been determined." He began living through the Future that he saw, and because it aligned with his desires he couldn't bring himself to change it. He says "It's true that the death toll on Paradis would be a fraction of the world" whilst he's contemplating whether he's right or wrong, but then comes to the conclusion "I just couldn't accept an end like that". Destroying the World, Seeing "that sight", saving his friends and saving his people. The reason he couldn't change the future is that he couldn't bring himself to go against his own Nature. "I've been this way since birth", "If someone tries to take my Freedom, I won't hesitate to steal theirs." I think this does make him genuinely evil, just because he didn't have true free will doesn't absolve him of his sins, especially when he has expressed multiple times that it's what he wants.

[@yuukichan12]

This exactly.

[@FiendMatadorSlayerOfNoobs]

It essentialy boils down to what is-at it's core- a rebranded "I just followed orders, I had no choice." excuse. Which was a defense that didn't fly during the Nuremberg Trials and the ones who tried to pull it still got hanged.

[@waltuh979]

@@FiendMatadorSlayerOfNoobs yep

[@kevintanza6968]

I think that's why I hate his character so much. I always found him extremely selfish.

[@waltuh979]

@@kevintanza6968 that's very fair. personally I love his character because I find him to be well written, even if I don't agree with or like what he does. I think his flaws are what make him interesting.

[@jrgenvellesen7800]

"If we kill all our enemies, will we be free?" A very interesting character and villain. Would love to see you cover Schneizel from Code Geass. A man who decided to rule like a God by using weapons of mass-destruction to control the whole world with absolute authority.

[@Eccentric_Charlie]

Yes, free of your enemies unless they can come back as ghosts.

[@WoodenChurch_041]

For sure! It'll be good for awhile, though eventually the cycle shall begin again. Conflict will always occur, peace is actually a lie, it never lasts long (not to quote star wars stuff there lol).

[@paperpersona1243]

I'd be curious to hear what he has to say about lelouch's parents as well!

[@TetsuShima]

Eren is a great example of how to write a protagonist who, as the plot progresses more and more, becomes a villain. Watch and learn, Guilty Crown!

[@ramunebradfordtake2710]

Idk, in comparison, to say Griffith. Eren is ok. Wanted to add. The only reason I am saying this is because with Griffith's goals, there is a sense that anyone can fall into the trappings of it. We see it Griffiths every day in society. With Erin....it's just more of fascist, hitlerapologic leaning garbldygook that is a bit disturbing. Does not a great character make. Especially his response towards Mikasa (I don't want her to have anyone else just me?! I want her to cry only for me). Wut?! Maybe that was the point.....I just didn't see it. I would like to see Vile do a piece on Kazuho Yoshii (Technolyze). I think he was a character who had a bit more depth than Eren. Oh, or the Green Knight.

[@Xijor]

If you ignore the ending Eren is a great hero turned villain.

[@finlaytemple1744]

​​@@Xijor How did the ending change his character?

[@chancerichards9176]

​​@@finlaytemple1744no one spoil it for this guy, let him watch it. Watch it bro its really good and suprising... kinda surprising lol

[@soraceant]

It made him an idiot/Not in control of his actions@@finlaytemple1744

[@superenderguy2346]

Eren was definitely the last character I would’ve thought of when thinking about villains for you to cover on Christmas Eve but a welcome surprise nonetheless.

[@EATMAN888]

naaa cataclysm anti villain not a villain.

[@kayden2119]

Bro he is like the textbook definition of a villain. Eren is also kinda the opposite of an anti hero. Anti hero is a character whos' actions are heroic but their motives are not necessarily heroic. I get the definition of anti hero has kinda been watered down to just mean "not completely evil villain" but still.@@EATMAN888

[@EATMAN888]

@@kayden2119 thats why he is an anti villain if anything but not a villain. What true villain you know would still let his biggest threats keep their Free will?

[@lucasbrenner2916]

​@@EATMAN888Griffith

[@nathanpierce7681]

have a holly jolly rumbling

[@alextaylor1425]

I love this character and I'm so glad you covered him, Eren is so interesting and portrays the cycle of violence and the power of perspective in ways some characters can only dream of, keep up the great work king

[@lifeofasalesman01]

The thing about eren is that what he does always makes sense. The reason he doesn’t consult with his friends/comrades about what to do with the founding titan could lead back to season 1 when he trusted his allies (the Levi squad) and it backfired horribly. Eren was taught early on that taking matters into your own hands is the best way to move forward.

[@AM17titan]

no? lol that whole scene was literally just having 'no regrets' lol which levi says and he has an whole ova dedicated to 'no regrets'

[@queenberuthiel5469]

Not really. I mean, when he decided to transform and fight Annie instead, he ended up inside Annies mouth anyway😅Levi (and Mikasa) saved him after that.

[@LeftyLord1104]

I also like to think about how much of a role future Eren had in influencing that. He could have manipulated his past self to not use his titan form back then to instill that lesson in himself. After all, he did kill his own mother to influence the path he would take in life.

[@blazeking52]

I always thought attack on titan represented growing up in the world. Eren character goes from woefully ignorant, to passionately Dedicated, to realizing heart only goes so far, and there are those that are already at the finish line when your just starting, and they can beat you unless you do what many of us aren’t capable of…. The unthinkable

[@josesosa3337]

This.

[@josesosa3337]

Aside from an anti war story, I always felt attack on titan was about taking the steps to become an adult. Becoming an adult entails learning about human cruelty, people manipulating eachother, not having each others best interest in mind, being talked out of bad decisions, ect

[@Infamous1892]

It felt like a War Story about how we raise our children to continue fighting the wars that were waged yesteryear. But everyone has their own interpretation. No one is indefinitely wrong on this subject matter.

[@ptolemeeselenion1542]

Hm.

[@coletrain41]

​@@josesosa3337the commander's speech before marley tries to bomb eren with blimps remind me of this

[@ugoeze7360]

King Fritz is a great example of, “if you come at the King, you best not miss.”

[@alilweeb7684]

What?

[@BoyKagome]

@@alilweeb7684 Don't tug on supermans cape.

[@jugginnfinessing862]

s/o Omar frm the wire

[@RedFloyd469]

@@alilweeb7684 I don't know where the reference comes from, but in AoT, a subjugated soldier hid a javelin in the sand in front of King Fritz's throne, likely aided by conspirators in doing so. He threw the javelin, and unfortunately, Ymir jumped in front of King Fritz to catch the blow. For some unknown reason, ymir did not recover from her wounds (possibly from her own choice, but I don't know the reasoning behind that choice.), which resulted in her children being forced to eath their mother to inheret her titan powers. This resulted in the titan powers being split across multiple bloodlines throughout time. Had Ymir not jumped in front of the spear, it's unclear what exactly would have been the fate of the titans and the eldians in general.

[@lucasbrenner2916]

​@@RedFloyd469before Ymir died, she had a flashback of when she was being chased as a kid, showing the daisy flower (it represents love, purity, kindness and affection) covered in blood as she cries. I think it shows her search for affection and how she just wanted to die in that moment, being neglected like that. sorry if my english is a little messy

[@user-qq4ii3xl4k]

One of the best anime characters ever, thank you Vile Eye

[@SheBPadfoot]

This story was so brilliant from start to finish, and the voice acting always gave me chills. The entire acting team was absolutely incredible in every single line uttered, but a special shout out to Yūki Kaji, whose voice is… I have no words, but we all felt it watching each episode. I enjoy every episode of The Vile Eye and am stoked with each villain analyzed. Personal favorite I hope to see an episode on is Jareth from Labyrinth 🙏 thank you for your work on this channel!

[@a.jthomas6132]

Eren Yeager is one complex anime character that is both victim of the world and a mass murder. Free yet not free. And he is neither good nor evil. But keeps moving forward.

[@Plupert]

He said it himself. He’s a slave to freedom

[@gabox17da88]

Saying that someone who killed billions is not evil might be the dumbest take I've ever seen.

[@a.jthomas6132]

@@gabox17da88 I am stating out fact. Eren Yeager is all of these things. So don’t called me dumb.

[@juanpena2567]

@@gabox17da88was literally fated to kill those billions and could do nothing to change that

[@Dan_Kanerva]

@@gabox17da88 you are seeing the act throught the lense of an inmature person . Ask yourself , are you evil? Probably no. Now ask this: would i have become evil if i went throught THE EXACT SAME events that traumatized Eren? Yeah, human psychology is not as easy as cartoon villains vs heros huh?

[@leveragebeverage566]

Eren's such a tragic character, the entire story is heartbreaking

[@EATMAN888]

not even dude is still a hero! a war hero. to his enemies an anti villain at the most.

[@geraltrivia9565]

@@EATMAN888he is not a hero

[@EATMAN888]

@@geraltrivia9565 ask the people of Paradis that. Villain to the world but not his people. Antivillain if you wanna be fair.

[@bigdadybojangls9219]

⁠@@EATMAN888you realize this is essentially exactly like saying that Hitler wasn’t a villain because he was a hero to Germany, right? Do you think it’s a coincidence that so many characters in this series have German names and that a lot of the history in the show is clearly inspired by German history?

[@music79075]

​@geraltrivia9565 "Erens a hero" Floch "Erens a hero" Eren "I'm a mass murdering idiot who had too much power. I'm a fucking mistake."

[@theCommentDevil]

I both hate what Eren did and love him at the same time. He's very relatable in many ways to many people. Not his actions, but his loneliness, his trauma, his desire for some type of purpose and meaning to his life. He was lost and broken, just like many of us. 💔

[@troy6646]

I do think ultimately this is a story a trauma and hope it can effect others. Someone like mikasa and armin can overlook or push through their trauma because they realize the love they feel is stronger than the sadness they've experienced. Eren, gabi or zeke for example, couldn't let go of what happened to them, but unlike gabi and zeke, eren won't listen to anything other than how he precieves their situation because of his trauma. Gabi has a relatively quick turn around and it's too late but even zeke realizes he's been missing out and even tho it's too late, he still offers his help in the end

[@Clown_the_Clown]

Eren did nothing wrong.

[@daniaaal]

@@Clown_the_Clown clown comment

[@Yuh_zhimmy]

@@Clown_the_Clown He did a good amount wrong

[@seekingabsolution1907]

​@@Clown_the_Clownyou spent a lot of time watching Carl Benjamin's complaints about feminism in the 2010s didn't you.

[@Isaac-kl6zg]

Please do Askeladd from Vinland Saga, he's one of the greatest antagonists ever.

[@anitaremenarova6662]

Definitely. He's a very unique kind of evil.

[@maffhama872]

Very true

[@Lol_mud]

Yes he's so well written!

[@DrewLSsix]

Something people dont seem to be discussing is how Erins actions and reactions are consistent throughout the story, and our take on those reactions are colored by our perspective. He reacts with murderous rage at every point, and at first we wholeheartedly support that. He lost his mother to mindless monsters, of course rage is the appropriate response, but going forward we are forced to consider if this response is appropriate after all. If its ok to destroy monsters, and its ok to destroy people who look like monsters, and its ok to destroy people who oppressed said monsters etc etc.

[@CHRISCAMPO-wq8bi]

except he was never okay with what he had to do after the time skip, and hell, he wasn't even happy about killing titans after learning for a fact that they were originally people.

[@dariotoska]

He didn't react with murderous' rage on Marley. He went over, experienced life there and also the sheer oppression Eldians faced, understood being attacked was inevitable and explored possible solutions that wasn't self-euthanasia, and finally attacked Marley after being declared war on. personally, how do you think you would have handled the situation.

[@santinopaone-hoyland]

​@@dariotoskaWell, the Eldian euthanasia plan is clearly better from a utilitarian perspective.

[@santinopaone-hoyland]

This is also the case before the series starts. When he saves Mikasa, he dehumanises the men he kills and doesn't seem particularly traumatised by the event. Killing is always the solution for Eren. It's so much easier for him to reach this solution than a psychologically healthy person.

[@dariotoska]

Yes, which is why utilitarianism is looked down upon. If a much larger group of people are after you for revenge and you defend yourself however you can that is fully justified.@@santinopaone-hoyland

[@MarcellusMaize]

I believe the final thing that pushed Eren to proceed with the Rumbling was his desire to make the outside world more like the one he saw in Armin’s book. As he explains in 131, the outside world couldn’t have been more different than the one he had hoped for. A world full of grey, conflict, and suffering as opposed to a blank plain free for him and his friends to explore and discover. It adds a layer of childishness to his motivations that I believe elevates his character and the series overall. Attack on Titan at it’s core is a story about growing up and maturing, so it’s fitting that Eren’s child like nature and inability to truly grow up is the thing that turned him into a monster. It also makes his foil to Armin even more apparent. I could go on and on talking about Aot forever, props to Isayama for writing such a mature and complex story that portrays human nature more accurately than nearly any other anime/manga I’ve seen in the medium.

[@Jonas-ob2sh]

Yeah, growing up is certainly a core theme and the scout regiment embody that theme by their desire to expand their understanding of the world and people. Like Hange and Erwin said: "If you don't understand something figure it out, isn't that what the scouts are about?"

[@Bilbologna]

Well said. His immaturity became fully transparent during his outburst about mikasa at the end. Classic story of power falling into the wrong hands.

[@SuperBadadan]

@@Jonas-ob2sh And all they figured out is that the world wants to kill them. Is it more mature to let yourself be killed so as to keep the moral high ground, I wonder?

[@emilchaos1489]

Probably my favorite character of all time. This show is a masterpiece

[@emilchaos1489]

@@Darius-_ i have read books and watch a ton of movies

[@emilchaos1489]

@@Darius-_ i doubt you did

[@pope4510]

@@Darius-_ Tell me one character who is more deep and complex as a villain than Eren

[@anitaremenarova6662]

@@Darius-_ Bro didn't get the memo, it's 2023 hating on anime just ain't in anymore.

[@anitaremenarova6662]

@@Darius-_ Ah sorry, I forgot you must be like 10 to still find things cringe. Let me put it in a language you can understand: Shitting on anime ain't it in the year of our lord 2023, fr fr no cap.

[@allenjlap]

Incredibly written character. Hard to make someone simultaneously sympathetic and relatable, and irredeemably evil

[@theCommentDevil]

Exactly my feeling.

[@keithfilibeck2390]

His future and his actions are deterministic, he's as evil as knowing a comet is going to wipe out your people, but also knowing you are going to do it, and you can't change it

[@rafaelmartinelli9377]

"Incredibly written character" you sure? All he do is scream and be annoying on the first half, then he stay looking serious and annoying on the second half.

[@skateplays8880]

He was an amazing character until the garbage ass ending turned him into a soyboy bitchless and had people thanking him for committing genocide

[@thesnowmiser6728]

​@@rafaelmartinelli9377ok buddy

[@CougheePls]

Now that you've done Eren, you've got to do Zeke next! I think he's a very interesting kind of evil.

[@lisboah]

While Eren's body count was far higher, Zeke had two traits that made me despise him more than Eren. Zeke was arrogant and even sadistic, as he was clearly enjoying killing the Survey Corps, his own people that he wanted to "save". And he actually believed that sterelizing the entire Eldian race was a mercy and that they should be grateful.

[@anitaremenarova6662]

@@lisboah I think that's an incorrect reading of his character. He was gleeful about murdering people but not because he enjoyed it, he just thought he was liberating them from their awful, misery-filled existence. Still fucked up but not sadism. Well it was a much better plan compared to the alternative.

[@seg162]

@@anitaremenarova6662 I mean, it was still genocide. Just a different kind, only "better" in that it wouldn't immediately annihilate an entire society, but instead cause it to die an increasingly labored death they never elected.

[@SimonNissen94]

@@anitaremenarova6662 not if you are eldian, which Eren is

[@anitaremenarova6662]

@@SimonNissen94 Even if you're eldian.

[@Vlad_-_-_]

I don't think there can be any doubt that he is evil. If you have so many possibilities and literal god like power and you choose THIS, then its clear. And being abused, suffering, going through a lot is no excuse. A lot of people suffer this and do not turn genocidal.

[@wiswc]

He's not a god, he had no reasonable alternatives

[@Atem1995]

​@@wiswc With the power he had he had a gazillion different ways to solve this. He didn't even try to use his overwhelming power to force diplomatic talks.

[@SonnySantana2099]

@@Atem1995no he didn’t dummy. It would have all ended the same way. If he tried anything else his friends could die. So he went the worse route ( which he secretly wanted the whole time” and enacted it. But he couldn’t go a peaceful route that wasn’t gonna happen it’s all predetermined

[@ChaosAngel9151]

AOT fans not justifying genocide challenge (impossible)

[@kevintanza6968]

Yeah, they are creepy as hell with that. No dig at Vile Eye. But AOT fans, for the most part, are weird.

[@justaguy7732]

Says the one justifying the genocide of eldia by Marley lmfao

[@gabbyjunie8842]

@@justaguy7732girl what

[@justaguy7732]

@@gabbyjunie8842 to oppose the rumbling is to accept the genocide of a historically persecuted people (Eldians) by the marleyans

[@theopulentone1650]

Zeke's euthanasia plan was pretty dope, though.

[@SaurianStudios1207]

I read the manga for the first time, it is a great read that’s exhilarating and very dynamic, but also intrigal in how Eren Yeager interacts with Armin, Mikasa, and everyone else around him, especially with how he eventually turns bad. The world building of Attack on titan is also incredibly interesting too.

[@paulellington1505]

To me it seems like the whole story of the Titans and Eren was very prophetic in the biblical sense. And most prophecies in most religions all come with a person who has to enact the plans of a greater power to make a better world but the foundations of the better world is built with the pain and death of a great deal of people so the remaining people will remember the price for their better world. A great video again. I loved the anime good characters and a fascinating story in a unique world.

[@daniel8181]

When these people all die and see, they would beg for a world where 20% of humanity made it out of hell. The church is the Lord's kingdom, and those outside of it will perish for failure to seek it, whether by the stiffness of their necks or the condition of their birth, To see Eren as the bad guy is to understand nothing of the consequences of a hatred so powerful that you would want to destroy someone just like you, but that you would not seek to understand. Atheists commonly criticize Catholicism for this, and protestants literally started bloody wars and committed mass murders to create a more gentle consequence for their hatred...but they are all wrong, and that is why AoT is a compelling metric for a person's willingness to accept a truth despite its horror. When I see someone say something stupid like "You know he's a piece of shit when he has an adult eren profile pic" I know that this person could die today, or die 100 years from now and their heart would not be changed by a million pleading voices. They have chosen to hate without knowing, and that means anyone can manipulate their "memory" and use them for evil. No one was there to see the wars of the past that is still talking of them, so you can forgive them for thinking they "know" what they were about, how they began, and how they ended...but even when given EVERY possible angle of such a scenario they still choose to default to "badguy is whoever I'm told" then you know they have not the capacity for free thought. they will ask for the annihilation of eldians in a fictional setting just as they in real life will ask for the annihilation of germans, spaniards, italians, the irish, the japanese, the russians, Catholics and the palestinians, because they dared to oppose the wicked regime that has wrapped its wicked vine around the hearts and souls of everyone who does not understand.

[@clone3_7]

Its not really, that the foundations of a better world is built with pain and death... That is only with the Son of the Almighty and "death" (soon followed by resurrection) is only true in His case... The trope usually goes, that the founders of a new world/empire are often unfit to enter into the civilization they are creating (or have created), because they are no longer civilised, they are basically semi-barbarians now or have very much served their purpose. Historically I would say the trope is not totally wrong, some leaders make fine founders, but otherwise they might have had faced further trouble down the line, maybe they would have a hard time expanding or maintaining their creations. My problem with your comment is, that the world for AoT is not really made better at all. Eren managed to save (or delay the destruction) of the Island and his friends, this is a more or less personal goal and he is not really trying to bring about a better world. For the survivors on the continent, it is a net negative, they are even hindered in technological progress, because of the events (although why Eldia could not catch-up otherwise is a mystery to me, unless they do not happen to die-out to fast, because of outside pressue).

[@clone3_7]

@@daniel8181 But, they do not make it out of hell in AoT! Their hell only gets worse! Eren is the bad guy, I am not sure how or why this concept is hard to grasp. Destroying most humans, just to save a few, because those few happen to be your nation and your friends is simply not good enough of an excuse (deep down Eren knows this too). Also there was no need to annihilate the Eldians, Eren could have had other options like using Historia (which he dismissed) or maybe even recreating the Eldian Empire or a different Empire while aiming to keep losses at a minimum. And I am sure, that if they sat down and considered their options carefully, they could have found a different path.

[@daniel8181]

@@clone3_7 Firstly, It is established canon that Eren could see every single outcome, and he chose the one that benefited his people the most while also getting his friends out alive. But from a philosophical point of view, you sound like an actual maniac. The eldians didnt need to be annihilated, you are correct, but marley disagreed, every single other race was interested in their utter destruction because they feared that people who didnt even know they existed were going to suddenly up and take over the world. Marley created a propaganda campaign to convince everyone that eldia had to be destroyed immediately, DESPITE the fact that they were developing incredibly effective anti-titan weapons, and so eldians should not have been a problem. The ending chapter was clearly a politically motivated cop-out because because just before it occurred, we had a marleyan give a big speech to God and everyone about how senseless the killing was and how he would change if spared, but LITERALLY THE NEXT SCENE OF HIM was his attempt to kill eldians "just in case". He is the exact kind of person Christ describes who says "Lord, Lord!" but who will be turned away for he never knew him. The man did not change his ways as he promised when faced with death, which is a narrative way of showing you that Erin failed because he did not complete the rumbling, something he only stopped because he was scared of hurting his friends, at the cost of his people. Eren is only the "bad guy" because he chose his lame ass traitorous friends (except for jean) over the good of his people (by eliminating the monsters outside the walls). What you are telling me is that you as a person believe you would rather have your entire race go extinct by genocide than to allow your own race to fight back, that when presented with the choice between saving your own family and letting their would-be murderers die, you would happily grant your home to whoever wanted to slay each and every person in it.

[@clone3_7]

@@daniel8181 Not sure how you are going against what I said, in the first part. My entire reasoning is: that Eren is being evil by saving his Island and friends, but exterminating the rest of the world, regardless how we put it, the morally sound choice was there to bow his head and accept fate. As for it being canon that he sees all outcomes, it is fiction, I am not sure we should give fiction that much weight, it is far more logical to assume he could not see and properly comprehend most paths. I am sure he could have found a better way. I have rarely heard such a ridiculous statement, that someone sounds like a maniac from a philosophical point of view... From a relative point of view, from a psychiatric point of view, from your point of view it would be accurate, but philosophical?! How does one seem like a maniac in philosophy? If you want to call me a maniac, then do so, but do not make up stuff! Marley is in an interesting position, because it owes its hegemon power and its great power thanks to its Titans, I think it is the last thing, that they would want is to completely destroy all Eldians. Still they understand, that there is a danger and they want to ensure, that Eldia will not act or do the rumbling. And to be fair the moment the Titan pressure is lifted from the shoulders of Eldia they strike Marley, so it was not a terrible idea in the first place. If they reach the ocean/sea faster, they would have struck earlier or have gained vital information. Those incredibly effective anti-titan weapons could still be a decade or decades away, there was zero guarantee for Marley (who had not much info on Eldia) whether they still had enough time left or not. Marley had a propaganda campaign, but was there not a large amount of truth in it? Eldia enslaved the world before and the anticipation was, that they would return (and return they did!). The propaganda turned out to be mostly true. The way I understood the "air force commander" is, that he was genuine at first, he did really meant what he said, he even stopped the Eldians from being killed if you remember! He changes, not just because he is being killed, but because he realises that the Eldians truly are a threat, they turned into Titans in a moment's notice and started fighting them. He realised, then that their hatred was not just pure malice, but a genuine fear. Also if you remember in the end he has the authority and power to kill them all, but decides not to do so, sure Annie was convincing, but in the end it was his decision to leave them alive. No, Eren is the bad guy, because he chose the survival of his people at the expense of nearly the entire world and setting the progress of the rest of the world back, while locking them into a cold war. He lied and manipulated nearly everyone. He chose Berthold an enemy, over his mother! What do you call this type of person? If I were given the choice between sacrificing Europe to maintain the rest of the world or killing 80% or all of the rest to save Europe... then I do not know what choice I would make yet. However I can tell you right now, that if I would sacrifice the rest of the world, I would consider myself evil yes! However I do not always act according to my morals, so I do not know yet, which choice I would make. There is an exception: if Europe had a larger population, than the rest of the combined world, I would pick it. If it had a larger population, than 80% of the rest of the world, but not bigger, than 100% I would roll with the 80% solution. I think, that if we do not know the people we are judging it is best to save the larger quantity. In any case, in AoT the world was collectively punished for the crimes of a few. It is life like, but it is not fair. I am sure, not all wanted Eldia gone and not all wanted Marley gone. In any case, I still think that a possible solution would have been for Eren to conquer (not devastate!) the world with his rumbling, then essentially make a "Susa weddings" scenario and force non-Eldians to marry Eldians and vice versa, that way everyone would end up with Eldian blood and there would be no reason for anyone to kill of Eldians... I do not know how realistic of a solution this is, but I think it could work. Of course I have no delusions, that conflict and war would have still existed, as in the future interests would have collided!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Eren was willing to destroy the world to keep his loved ones safe. The goal is admirable, but the method is just plain horrific Though I highly respect Eren for being fully aware that his goal was evil and beyond redemption, unlike others that would see it as the greater good like Light from Death Note. Loved the video Vile! Merry christmas and please leave a hearth to a huge fan!

[@WoodenChurch_041]

Real talk i think if fate (the author) wasn't against eren, he shoulda went on through it. i just don't think the world will leave his tribe alone at all or ever and they just see all subjects of Ymir as spawn of satan anyways. I can't think of anything else they can even do to get the world to stop overreacting.

[@arthurskye]

Yeah Light and Eren are different. light was selfish as hell

[@CHRISCAMPO-wq8bi]

@@WoodenChurch_041 isayama wasn't against Eren, and his death was one of the many things that made the ending bittersweet. Factor in how Eren was treated as a selfless hero in the end...yeah there's a reason why the entire anti-eren crowd HATED the ending

[@WoodenChurch_041]

@@CHRISCAMPO-wq8bi Hmm maybe your right then, I stopped watching/reading after Marley failed to destroy the walls the 2nd time (Eren's brother and Reiner failed and retreated). Ever since just seen clips and such that basically gave me the gist of where the story was ending up as. I hate the ending btw but it was really up to the author how he wanted to end his story I figured despite my opinions, though it did felt like Eren was set against as his fate seems as if he was destined to "fail" yet I do starting to think didn't entirely have the full context. wait the anti-eren crowd hated the ending? sheesh guess they wanted just see him as a monster then what Eren (I don't agree at all, he should've tried to deny his fate, war is war I say, even if it meant killing his friends) deep down wanted his friends to stop him.

[@santinopaone-hoyland]

​@@CHRISCAMPO-wq8biImagine placing yourself in opposition to the "anti-Eren crowd", when the dude tried to genocide 99% of the world 😂 The writer himself said he didn't like the ending and altered it in the anime to more clearly condemn Eren.

[@lorelorena5428]

I very rarely comment on here but I must say I loved your interpretation of this character and I'm glad you took the time to analyze his story because it's a fantastic one. Great job and don't stop doing what you're doing

[@urogiurogi9299]

I don't understand why people say Eren did the Rumbling for his friends or to protect his homeland when he literally tells Armin the truth in the last episode and verbatim tells him that he did it because he wanted to see a flattened landscape. Armin: You're saying you did all this for us? Eren: No... That's not it. I wanted to level everything. I wanted to see this sight. I'm wondering if some of you guys even watched the last episode.

[@Bridge2110]

Because the ending is a huge retcon. It retcons itself multiple times in the ending. Eren wants to see a flattened landscape, but also he doesn't know why he did it. The fact that he repeatedly searches for a way to avoid doing the rumbling is clear proof he doesn't want to do it.

[@tayore2200]

Eren is a prime example of "Nah! Imma do my own thang." 😂😂

[@xblade149]

Eren wasn't truly free

[@Tupadre97]

@@xblade149 he was

[@MrKingJson]

​@@Tupadre97 he was, but he was a slave to it. So much so that he did what he did and inadvertently condemned himself to his fate.

[@Predatorwarrior18]

Eren had issues even before his mother was eaten. The kid had an uncontrollable anger and temper. We’ve seen it when he fought against bullies that picked on Armin where even after the bullies ran away and the adults restrained him Eren tried to continue fighting them like a wild animal. He never knew when to stop and while he grew more calculating and calm over time his bloodlust only continued to grow and his mercy less so.

[@legendgarc8223]

This is fax. But at the same time people can’t blame him because that’s how some people are, if someone punches you, you punch them back 10 times harder.

[@mappingshaman5280]

And then he keeps stabbing the guy who tried to kidnap mikasa after he was already dead. It went beyond self defence and at that point was just enjoyment.

[@lmaolmao9713]

"Armin, look! I scared them off!" "Actually, Eren. I think it was Mikasa that scared them off." Are we watching the same show? He celebrates when the bullies leave Armin alone; he doesn't chase them down. Slandering someone better than you is a great way to feel better about yourself, isn't it? Asshole.

[@papaxota4725]

He also hit someone, like a random man with a stick just for simply complaining about the scouts

[@dcryptikz83]

I think I came up with a potential reason why Eren refused to tell his friends about the rumbling and his future sight: The last time he trusted his friends, the Levi squad, to survive, they all got killed by Annie. Therefore, he thought he must be the only one who can bear the responsibility of the future. Yes he is a twisted person who absolutely wanted to destroy the world, but at the same time it comes from an intense devotion to his friends’ well being, even if his lack of trust is what literally killed people.

[@lachlanle7940]

I think your point about the death of Levi's squad reveals a flaw in Eren as a person. To me, Eren can't accept the fact that his choices can't guarantee the outcome he wants. There are many things in this world that are genuinely out of his control and yet he can't accept it. That is what Levi was trying to teach to Eren about making a choice with "no regrets" (yet Eren doesn't learn from this) because Levi himself experienced it so many times. Even if Levi was humanity's strongest soldier, he's not immune to losing something.

[@SuperBadadan]

@@lachlanle7940 Levi is a dumb bitch who only knows how to get his friends killed. If Eren followed his own path in the forest his squad and girlfriend would've still been alive.

[@yup7380]

That's kind of my interpetration as well. Eren should have never keep his future insight a secret from his closest people which is Armin and Mikasa. Bro took everything and bear it all himself. No human can bear everything alone. If they do, their mind will crumble which is sadly what happened with Eren.

[@randomusername3873]

He didn't because he has no agency and was "forced to do so"

[@iantaakalla8180]

You can also see it before the rumbling but after Annie’s forest battle as well; at some point, they talk about sacrifices and who would have to die to make Eldian integration happen. Eren just denies all of that and says that he wishes to protect all his friends. It is sweet, but you can see how quickly that leads into “I alone must do the drastic action to save Eldians and Paradisians and my friends”. He may want peace in a very warped sense, but he first wants to guarantee he effectively did something.

[@Potato98765]

I think the hardest part of the ending for me that even though he did all of this for his friends they were still all miseralbe. Misaka built a family and a new life but still never stopped going to Erens grave because she was still in so much pain. Levi is crippled and completely alone. The scouts he dedicated his life to are now all dead. The cadets were never friends with him they just respected him. His only family is Misaka and she is crying under a tree. Conny and John lost their friend and they have to suffer trauma from killing fellow scouts. They all live in pain from what he did to them.

[@NYCParkourAddict]

The thing is, didn’t Eren while speaking to Armin in the Paths, I believe, stated that he tried and view countless ways to find an alternative approach? Also, I think Eren’s life was like driving down a highway with no other exits existing, except the one at the very end. He can change lanes, but eventually he’s met with that exit.

[@AM17titan]

Actually I think he tried but at the same time didn’t tried He literally says in the end that he wanted a plain field so I think he is somewhat lying at that point and you could see that he is not even talking eye to eye to armin

[@CrimsonCharan]

He tried to change everything but his own nature: that of an impulsive moron who tries to solve every problem with violence and rage. He grew up, but he never grew out of it. Combine that with his twisted dream of freedom, and it was little wonder he initiated the Rumbling.

[@buckyhurdle4776]

@@AM17titan You can't really take anything Eren says at face value. Eren isn't normal, he is barely human anymore. He manipulated himself into existence from the end of the timeline by speaking to his own father through Krueger. He spent his entire life chasing revenge on himself, being the one who sent the smiling titan to his mother. Eren never had a choice, because he had every choice, he chose to be born. It literally is all his fault, all his design, marching towards a future that he didn't even know he created until it was too late. "From here on, only Eren will get what he wants. I just never imagined it could be so horrible." Not even Eren could have imagined what it would mean to get what he wants. He was absolutely, 100% fucked from the very beginning. He didn't have a chance, because he purposefully didn't give himself a chance, and he holds all the cards.

[@erikvaldes4293]

Yeah literally ruined his whole character, biggest copout ever. Like bro after all the things that happened to him and all the batshit insane shit Marley did to Eldia its perfectly acceptable to have him go crazy and want revenge regardless of the cost but no they half ass it and say it was bc he had no other choice even though its was so painfully obvious the Marley plan would be the most successful especially considering all the allies they would have made after freeing the colonies. Dont even get me started on him killing his own mom literally completely ruins his origin story. I mean whats more likely that he had no other choice or that he was not letting the world get away with all the evil inflicted on eldia?

[@buckyhurdle4776]

@@erikvaldes4293 Its a good thing you're not a writer.

[@Exerillo]

I knew this video was gonna come. Thanks Vile. Merry Christmas.

[@brianduong8836]

I haven’t watched AoT since high school and waited till it all finished. I delayed watching it until I saw this vid pop up last week, binged all of AoT in 6 days 😂 do not regret it at all, 9/10 had me on the edge of my seat

[@blove88]

Would love to see your takes on other anime villains like Dio Brando, Makima, Frieza, Doflamingo, Yoshikage Kira, Pain, etc.

[@qkomodo9098]

The fact that Pain was only in a handful of episodes but has left an impression on the world that lasts to this day needs to be researched

[@blove88]

@@qkomodo9098 Yup. Madara was the coolest villain in Naruto but Pain was the most complex and compelling.

[@worminaround]

You got Makima and Frieza now

[@blove88]

@@worminaround 2 down. 4 more to go.

[@ThePaahchan]

Doflamingo is like the most interesting villain for me because he is evil through and through. His reasonings are also evils. Just because he thinks his blood is superior. Like Zio nists.

[@a.jthomas6132]

The two main characters on Attack on Titan fits perfectly on the two concepts of freedom from Russian-British philosopher Isaiah Berlin: Armin Arlert is the embodiment of positive freedom, and Eren Yeager is negative freedom.

[@TheJjMahoney]

IS THIS TRUE.

[@a.jthomas6132]

@@TheJjMahoney It’s obvious it is true

[@TheJjMahoney]

@@a.jthomas6132 shut up

[@sragonlast5723]

Armin is dumb pacifist the rumbling is the only way end cycle of hatred/racism he rather kill his best friend was try save eldia from in coming doom eren did what he did you cant negotiate people born hatred form eldian people. I ask you this if ramsy knows that eren and his friend's are eldians they well throw rocks at them There is no black and white there is only gray area in this story.

[@edima]

there's a line in the anime that i dont think is in the manga where eren says "no matter how many times ive tested, this is how it ends". Considering that eren admits that he wanted to commit genocide by the end of his conversation with Armin, my interpretation is that he is caught in a loop by the powers of the Founder and the Attack titan, and that he realized that in his first Cycle he did indeed choose to cause the rumbling and kill the rest of the world. It would explain why he has moments of both remorse and relief(his whole "I'm Free" moment) and is kind of backed up with him saying that he is confused because he began to perceive the past and future all at once. Which to me, i believe that Eren, at his core committed and evil act, for his own selfish reasons. even his justifications are rooted in his own Nihilsm.

[@Jonas-ob2sh]

There are no "cycles" or "alternate timelines" in attack on titan. What Eren meant was when he said that line is that he was trying to deviate from the pre-determined future multiple times in the past (like when he was about to leave Ramzi behind but didn't because he saw that he would save him in his future memory and because it's in Eren's nature to not leave innocent boy behind like that, just like with Mikasa) but he can't due to him being a slave to freedom (his desires) and circumstances.

[@Fleshi_Guy615]

Seeing an Analyzing Evil video about Eren Jaeger is so surreal. It feels like Eren changed so much, even though he never really did.

[@jromero9795]

"He was the best guy aroooooound" "What about the people he murdered?" "What murdah??"

[@Eccentric_Charlie]

The baby chipmunks and puppies too!

[@chriscannon8144]

When I first started this series around 11 years old, I never would’ve thought or believe Eren would turn out to be the villain later in series. Even though there were a few signs of it early on to me.

[@reidsjackson6870]

This video has really opened my eyes to some of the more ambiguous elements of AOT's story. Ymir and the source of all living matter are given such little on screen information despite their immense gravity in the story, and I always love to hear your interpretations on these things because of the perspective you bring compared to when these stories are coming out it feels like other fans and I are stumbling around in the dark. Please keep up the good work.

[@PeacE-pj8gv]

Mikasa really just an "I can fix him" girl lol

[@lisboah]

Eren was willing to destroy the world to keep his loved ones safe. The goal is admirable, but the method was downright atrocious. Though I highly respect Eren for being fully aware that his goal was evil and beyond redemption, unlike others that woulf see it as the greater good.

[@theCommentDevil]

So true. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

[@NK-22]

I think it adds towards his character even more. Lot of villians lie to themselves justifying atrocities, Eren though doesn't which I respect owning those consequences. Hes a villian but a villian who doesn't hide behind "greater good" to justify it.

[@approximated_nerd]

Eren’s recognition of his wrongdoing means very little to the hundreds of millions he wiped out. i’m really sick of Eren apologia. he committed genocide. full stop.

[@christiansanders1]

@@approximated_nerdthis. When I finished the anime I was FLOORED by how much support there was for Eren’s actions among fans. It’s like they missed the entire message of the story.

[@approximated_nerd]

@@christiansanders1 agreed, though - unfortunately - it took me some time to understand AoT, and its extremely suspect messaging in regards to pro-militarism and pro-nationalism. some may believe, as i did, that the show was against said beliefs, but as they come to know some of the things Isayama has said on twitter, it’s clear how much influence right-wing politics have on him. i have seen people in yt comment sections make connections between AoT and Imperial Japan’s style of fascism. very thought provoking.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Amazing work as always! I’m always in the lookout! I love both your content AND your delivery, and thank you so much for the time and attention you give towards making your videos so great to watch. Tywin's my all time favorite video of yours! Please do more ASOIAF villains like roose and Euron!

[@lisacastro3899]

I love Eren ❤ I feel like he's a perfect example of "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Such a great character and one of my favorites in anime. Thanks, Vile, and Merry Christmas 🎄🎁❤

[@Freshprince330]

Eren does try to get help from Armin in the paths before erasing his memory so things can play out, but he didn’t have a better idea. By the time it got to him, things were so messed up that he was only left with the path Ymir set out. And he says he was basically too stupid to figure out another way. I don’t think Eren was evil any more than any other soldier following orders in a war scenario. Which you can argue those guys are evil too. But still, i think Eren ultimately just wanted to help his friends have good lives and sacrificed himself for that goal. It’s tragic, not malevolent.

[@completefilmania]

No he explicitly states that he wanted to wipe out the world for his own selfish desire of seeing the empty flat world. He wanted this for himself not for his friends. That’s why he’s a villain.

[@huseyindemirci9113]

i don't think Ymir was that smart. For me she didn't planned this from the beggining she planned it when Eren convinced her. There are few reasons why i think this is the case: First of all she is in love with King Fritz who was trying to conquer the world and was a tyrannical ruler so trying to make peace using the Rumbling is not a thing her lover would do. Secondly she all the time in the world litteraly she was in a dimension where times flow much slower, she had more than 10 thousand year to make a plan and she waited Eren to be born. And Finally in the anime and the manga when Zeke gave her the order to sterilize all the Eldians she started walking to life tree to fullfil his order. She would have done it if Eren hadn't catch up to her. And when Eren convinced her she cried, I mean if she sees the future and planned this from the beginning why would she gize such a reaction. I think if Zeke had treated her the way Eren did, she would have done what Zeke wanted. I think she is so naive and gullable that this makes her a villan like Misa from Death Note. Thank you if you read all this and if i made any vocab or grammar mistake sorry for my bad english :P Edit: I also think she was a good hearted person when she was a child but after she fell in love with King Fritz she becacme corrupted by him. I mean she lived with this made kids with him and sacrificed her life for him so she must have look up to his way of thinking or atlest got manipulated by him to feel no remorse whatsoever.

[@Tupadre97]

ymir didn't even plan anything lol. even after eren frees her from royal family she just follows erens rumbling without any deviation until armins speech to zeke which she was also present for where she doesn't stop them from turning some of the shifters to their side and even after that she still fights them until she sees mikasa kill eren and the end the titan curse. so realistically the only time her character fully changes is after she sees mikasa kill eren and then goes back to watch her memories through the paths and causing her headaches in the past. seeing that there's clearly no point at which she could have possibly formulated any plan since she was a mindless husk for 2000 years before eren saved her then all that other stuff happened.

[@mappingshaman5280]

Ymir has the strongest case of Stockholm syndrome ever. For 2000 years the fritz family was unable to sympathise with her because the power of the titans was too tempting. Eren was the first and only one to break the cycle because he's the only one whom wasn't so corrupted by the power of the titans that he couldn't see this woman was deeply traumatised.

[@huseyindemirci9113]

@@mappingshaman5280 yeah but stockholm syndrome isn't real you can do a research on it. Also just because Eren sympathized with her doesn't justify the fact that she literally helped Eren begin a genocide.

[@SonnySantana2099]

Ur definitely correct. She chose Eren bc he understood her and gave her a choice. Not an order. She cried bc she finally got what she always wanted

[@taipansghost]

I would love to see more of these. Punisher, Billy Butcher, Red Hood, Yuno Gasai, Kratos (pre-GOW4). characters who aren't necessarily evil, but do evil things or become more morally corrupt as their respective stories continue.

[@anitaremenarova6662]

You're grouping in a ton of characters that range from "anti-hero" to "genocidal maniac". I've not seen the rest of those properties but the show Billy Butcher and Kratos couldn't be more apart considering one toys with evil but never quite ends up doing it and the other murders millions of innocents in cold blood.

[@taipansghost]

@@anitaremenarova6662 you are indeed correct. all the characters I mentioned are all over the scale. The point I was making is that I wouldn't mind seeing more videos around protagonists. Obviously someone like The Punisher or Michael from GTA5 do not scale to Yuno or Kratos, but a video on them would be fun nonetheless

[@anitaremenarova6662]

@@taipansghost Fair, it was simply jarring seeing those 2 in the same sentence and especially "aren't necessarily evil" in reference to Kratos. I'm pretty sure that guy was doing horrendous shit even in the first game. Do agree more evil protagonists being broken down would be fun on the channel.

[@ArkhamKnightChannel]

Would be interested in analysis on Heihachi and Kazuya Mishima (perhaps post Tekken 8)

[@zashgekido5616]

@@anitaremenarova6662 I mean, Billy Butcher is in fact a genocidal maniac, at least in the comics

[@FifthGearGod]

I have a suggestion for analyzing evil. Franklin from GTA 5. Would love to see how you talk about the three endings at the end of the game when analyzing him.

[@julianmarco4185]

Alternative to the Rumbling: 1) Make all the Eldians forget that they are Eldians; 2) Make all the Eldians go into every direction and mingle with the population. 3) Remove all the 9 titans and make one single Titan. And make the Eldians unable to be transformed into Titans. This way, the world would only have one single person to worry about every generation instead of a whole race of people that can manifest Titan powers and be used as monsters.

[@trompette4485]

Blood testing kits : "I'm about to destroy this man's whole career"

[@julianmarco4185]

@trompette4485 LOL, if you remove pure titan transformation, then the Eldians are basically as useful as any humans. If you make Eldians go everywhere, then anyone could use pure titans. It would be mutually assured destruction because no one could control them. If neither of those is possible then you can turn all the Eldians into Akermans. Then no one would be able to stand in their way of world dominance...

[@israelwoodring160]

Eren even said he chose this path because it had the best outcome for his friends he was just trying to save his friends while trying to free the eldiens from their oppressers and in this whole show is showing how there is loss on all sides and that this show goes beyoned good and evil and works on the understanding of how war effects the whole planet and not just the people but in the end people in suffering will cause more suffering

[@julianmarco4185]

Here are 10 better alternatives to Eren's Genocide: 1) Use the Founding Titan to make Eldians immune to that forced titanification; 2) Use the Founding Titan to erase the 9 titans and make 1 single titan; 3) Use the Founding titan to make all the Eldians elite warriors like Akermans; 4) Use the Founding Titan to make the Eldians forget that they are Eldians and to go in the world and mingle; 5) Tell the Eldians the truth about the Rumbling, decide with his friends what to do. 6) Use The Founding titan to Erase or bound Ymir for all Eternity by the people in the paths; 7) Use the Founding titan to make forced titanship reversible. 8) Use the Founding titan to give all the Eldians controlable titan powers. That way they can defend themselves. 9) Zeke's plan. Sterilization isn't as bad as you think: Eren Steralized 80% of the population, thousands of cultures, societies, even races were steralized. 10) Use the Founding titan to make the Eldians incredibly Fertile. That way in 1000 years they could be so many that the Marley can't even control them. They would outnumber the population of the world.

[@tonyreyes3780]

You’re video choices have been 🔥. Kenny Ackerman and Zeke should get their own episodes down the road!

[@diegolucioo7622]

great video! eren really is one of the most complex characters ever

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Perfect Christmas gift vile! Thanks! Hope you have a great christmas!🎁🎁🎁🎁 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🎄🎄🎄🎅🎅🎅🎅

[@Megaman.ExE7]

I love this so much. The greatest thing about this mangaka/anime is the sheer horror of the first episode. Very few forms if media are able invoke such a feeling of dread and terror in the way that the first chapter of AoT did

[@mariocristogoat4931]

Eren did confess to Armin that he used protecting his friends as an excuse to enact the rumbling in order to see the unpopulated outside world he always dreamed of. He also confessed to Armin that he didn’t know for sure if his friends would even survive if they tried to stop him, which is ultimately what got Sasha and Hanji killed. Ultimately Eren always wanted to enact the rumbling in order to see the empty world he always dreamed of, but he knew it was wrong so he tried to fight against his dark desires only to eventually give into them.

[@tinashe6876]

Tbf to Eren him not relying on his friends to make a different plan makes sense as in season 1 he relied on Levi Squad and they all ended up dying.

[@dextoppable]

The rumbling wasn't Ymir's plan, it was all Eren's will and choice, Eren intended on leaving the outside world a blank plain but was stopped at 80% by the alliance. It's not that he gave up to the future he saw, it's that the future he saw aligned with his deepest desires, and when he finally accepted that during his visit to Marley was the point at which he fully committed to doing the rumbling. You make it sound like he had no will of his own and no agency, when that's far from what was portrayed. How could anything that happened have been Ymir's plan when she had no will of her own until Eren met her and woke her from her 2000-year-long trance?

[@SuperBadadan]

If Eren didn't want to be stopped then Eren could not have been stopped. He was simply too powerful for the the rest of the characters.

[@samwizgamgie3rd828]

Bro the author literally gave him a plot he could not alter the moment Erin made contact with Historia. The plot compelled him. I dont how much the titan powers influence is user but man Ymir wanted to be free and she already picked Erin.

[@AM17titan]

@@samwizgamgie3rd828no she didn’t lol When eren saw historia’s memories he literally saw future himself doing the atrocities and the present pre time skip couldn’t stop it because what will happen will happen in Aot ‘s world it’s because it was in his nature and is confirmed in the finale

[@samwizgamgie3rd828]

@@AM17titan oh thanks for clarifying but i still think the attack plot is strong in Erin, The plot compels him!!!

[@AM17titan]

@@samwizgamgie3rd828 but it’s post time skip HIMSELF doing those things which pre skip was experiencing when he kissed historia’s hand It’s in his nature basically

[@johmami4825]

I'd love to see an Analyzing Evil on Funny Valentine. Seeing people argue about his morality makes him an especially interesting villain.

[@mappingshaman5280]

Funny valentine is absolutely a villain. He wants america to be free from misfortune but all that misfortune gets redirected onto other nations, many of which are probably less capable of dealing with said misfortune. Not to mention he tries to have sex with Lucy steel, a 14 year old girl.

[@johmami4825]

@@mappingshaman5280 I completely agree with you, yet some still question it

[@CartoonSociety-in9ci]

Eren is one of the best Protagonist of all time. His journey of being the hero who sworn to destroy all of the Titans in order to save Humanity to Leading a Titan Army in order to Destroy all of Humanity.

[@GundamnWing]

Great video Vile. Can you do Lelouch Vi Britannia from Code Geass. He's an anti-hero who's done a lot of arguably "evil" things in his pursuit of justice. I think it would be interesting to know just how far one can push the moral boundary when championing a just cause.

[@JTDL7541]

Please sometime do an episode of analyzing evil on Zeke Jager, I think it would be a very intresting one as he wants to save the world from the terror of titans, yet he plays with the eldian peoples lifes like if they are nothing, taking joy from mercilessly killing people as if it were just a game. I think seeing the insight of his views of the world and psychology would be really interesting. Anyway loved your video like always!

[@rnldivory14]

Could you do homelander? I appreciate this upload as well as your others, GrandMaster Vile

[@alanburnsstuff9319]

do eric cartman please

[@thesilentobserver93]

This is indeed one of my all time favorite animes. I'm not huge into anime, but there's a few shows that have stood out to me in the past few years, AoT being right up there towards the top.

[@swooshblade3204]

When i saw eren yeager, i knew this episode would be good.

[@jasongreathouse6661]

Another great one Vile! But again I must request Nina Meyers from “24.” She to me is the greatest and most wicked of tv villains.

[@jameslough6329]

I think the main thing that keeps Eren from being truly evil in my eyes is that it is heavily implied that he never intended to actually complete the Rumbling. He always intended to have his friends stop and kill him. This is why he sends Mikasa a vision in the Paths encouraging her to kill him when she herself cannot find the resolve to do so. His manipulation of his father and the Titan that killed his mother can also be explained as Eren viewing those events as inevitable due to them being in the past and Eren thinking that he needs to ensure that those events happen so that the Eldians do not end up with a worse future than the one they already have. At the end of the day, Eren is an extremely complex and morally ambiguous character. Whether you find him evil really comes down to your own personal interpretation of the inevitability of his actions (as Vile Eye pointed out in the video). Many are quick to say that genocide can never be justifiable. But what those people don’t consider is the effect that Eren’s visions of the past and future had on his outlook of the world as well as Ymir’s control and manipulation of the users of the Founding Titan. Eren literally saw the future where the Rumbling occurred. I don’t think it is unreasonable for him to view that future as inevitable. Especially when you consider that it is heavily implied that the only other futures he saw were futures where his people were wiped out by the Marleyans. Eren definitely committed evil actions. But that doesn’t mean he is an evil person in my opinion.

[@Setherina]

Wild to read genocide apologia like this lol. ‘Many would say genocide is evil BUT’

[@TheGuardianssorrow]

@@SetherinaHard to avoid when all sides are genocidal. Its why I when i see people side with palestine because they are "anti-genocide", i just laugh. Palestine wants genocide too. Not just Israel. Yet people pick a side believing theyre believing the the anti genocide side.

[@Jonas-ob2sh]

What made Eren truly evil for me is when he admitted to Ramzi and Armin that he did this partially because he wanted to flatten everything in order to see the empty unoccupied world he saw in Armin's book. Other characters like Reiner have done similarly evil actions to achieve their selfish dreams but the difference between them and Eren is that Eren doubled down on his beliefs and took things to the absolute extreme whereas Reiner knew when to stop.

[@kingslayer3647]

​@@TheGuardianssorrowit's true that when everyone is evil no one is evil, but still there were people he killed that don't even get the choice of being evil. There is no way of looking at this and saying Eren is anything but a monster

[@whiteeye9584]

@@kingslayer3647 those who did not done evil are minority and their mids don't matter in the end

[@SaiScribbles]

As someone who liked the ending from day one I have to say this is an excellent analysis of Eren's development.

[@Dtctr010]

Eren is the perfect example of someone who ultimately shouldn't have wielded the power he obtained. He was able to break through to Ymir and see her as a person, yet could not see the humanity of the rest of the world. While Marley deserved to be destroyed as an institution of power, his choice to eradicate all of humanity shows how much of a child he still was. (fitting that when Armin and Mikasa talk to him in the last moments, they are pictured as kids) He chose to continue the cycle of violence for his own people and the world over dismantling the oppressive system that Marley had created. I believe Eren had the power to choose a better outcome but simply chose not to over his desire to eradicate humanity. Eradication is easy, just let the titans destroy all in their path. But to consider where the evil comes from and how it can be dismantled methodically, that is much more difficult to do (for Eren)

[@CrimsonCharan]

Right on the money, except for one crucial thing: Eren did see the humanity of (most) everyone beyond the walls. His breakdown in front of Ramzi, as well as his conversations with Mikasa, Falco and Reiner, are proof of that. He learned it. And he massacred them all just the same.

[@fgkuv5232]

Eren was actually based. Paradise didn't have the strength to defend against their enemies in a conventional war, and eren had a weapon of mass destruction to save his motherland. There is no value in a world without paradise, so he moved forward until the enemies were destroyed (until isayama assassinated his character completely and the island nation was destroyed in the end)

[@realCharAznable]

I mean that just isn't true. He DID see the humanity of the rest of the world, he saw everything. Hence his multiple emotional breakdowns and his tears and apologies to the clueless refugee kids. That's the whole point, he didn't "want" any of that to be the way it is, but he was strong enough to not delude himself into pretending reality was other than what it was, and strong enough to not shirk the responsibility and the burden and offload it into the ether, unlike the Cringevengers.

[@architech02]

The problem is that there's no alternative outcome Eren saw the entirety of the 2000-year oppressive reign of the Eldian empire and that reign ended only a century ago the fear and hate of the world at that point in time is still fresh in their minds and Eren saw that the rest of the world can never be reasoned with and that one way or another no matter how costly they will do anything to destroy Paradis and everyone that Eren loves

[@arthurskye]

Honestly, he shouldve just destroyed Marley and stopped there, that wouldve been enough. The rest of the world would be too scared to retaliate.

[@greedyweeb8368]

As I have already asked before, I want a Zeke Yeager analysis

[@Danny-hm1ou]

Great video. I do think that everything that the Founding Titan sees in the future is predetermined. It would be a complete paradox if the events they saw in the future simply did not occur. While Eren cannot see the events that lead up to this future, it will inevitably occur. Everything that Eren does to attempt to prevent this future inadvertently makes it happen.

[@FerrisFlynn20]

petition for a Lelouch Vi Britannia analysing evil 🙏

[@kevintanza6968]

Lelouch wasn't evil.

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

@@kevintanza6968 lol yes he was. Or rather he DID do evil. Don’t start to deny this, he was an anti-hero to anti-villain.

[@MysteriousTomJenkins]

@@kevintanza6968 He was willing to use Euphemia to murder a bunch of innocent Japanese citizens just to further his plans. He was talked out of it, but he still was fully on board to murder innocents to further his own goals.

[@Silentwraith365]

Been waiting for this one. IMO the most complex and impactful MC of all time.

[@pimp22fly]

This anime was probably the top 5 best works of fiction ever created. It’s up there with Homer’s works. This was a great thought experiment, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Eren since the damn show ended

[@SaigoNoGetsugaTenshou]

Video starts at 3:30.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Happy christmas eve vile! Been waiting For this one so long! You're the Best! Please consider father from Full metal alchemist brotherhood

[@gamerstheater1187]

the most terrifying part about Eren is that technically he could get away with the insanity plead

[@anitaremenarova6662]

What? No he couldn't lol what are you on about

[@sircaballero]

Absolutely not. Regardless of whether he had freedom, he was the one who took action and he knew the outcome of his actions. Even worse, due to the Attack and Founding titans, he knew precisely what would happen rather than just a vague idea. Whether his actions were morally justified or not, he was absolutely not insane.

[@sragonlast5723]

Ya and he lie in his inner monologue he will not let paradise future up to chance look what the happen to the ending racist . people in the world win so the lesson of the story is racism and hate always win

[@anitaremenarova6662]

@@sragonlast5723 No they don't, that place isn't even Paradis anymore, that's some other unrelated conflict that was always bound to happen because people won't change. The lesson is that you can't change human nature but that doesn't mean you should give up. Being kind and empathetic + spreading that positivity will minimize human suffering.

[@gooby214]

No. He couldn't at all. No one would ever forgive the apocalypse. He'd get ripped apart. Even if we let him go, he'd never be left alone by thousands of humans, who would gang up on him to serve him justice.

[@luminen4051]

Been waiting for this one 🙏🙏🙏

[@luminen4051]

Unpaused the vid after posting this and you said ‘you’ve all been waiting for this’ 😂

[@davidpumpkinsjr.5108]

Here's a suggestion for a bit of a format-breaking episode: Michael from "The Good Place". The analysis could not only cover his nature as an evil demon, but also his ongoing arc to becoming a good man.

[@jaysanj152]

Eren is quite possibly one of the few most fleshed out modern shonen let alone anime protagonist out there and i appreciate the fact that he had actual character development,progression and growth rather than him having your typical single same shonen personality through out the entire story regardless of their age. and I like that he's not even the real villain,It's just the world is too cruel and beyond redeemable and he's fighting for the other sides like any soldiers and unfortunately his friends are now his enemies (when in reality all he's been doing and suffering is for them) wish we've gotten more anime characters like him. All i've been seeing nowadays are just too samey,safe,painfully cliched and generic

[@AM17titan]

Ah nope Genocide is bad lol even eren accepts to go to hell

[@aloveaffairwithself]

Yeah…he killed people in the billions. He was evil. But, there was also justification behind his deeds. He wasnt wrong. The other nations were going to never leave Paridis alone.

[@kevintanza6968]

@@aloveaffairwithself "Killing billions wasn't the wrong choice". Dude...

[@chasjetty8729]

Ah the Japanese Austrian painter, Eren Yeager.

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

He's not japanese at all, they make that a point in the story that VERY few characters are asian but I get what you mean and trying to say.

[@pain002]

@@Gadget-WalkmenLevi and misaka are Asian 100% that one lady who trades even says the ackermans are from their version of japan

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

@@pain002 lol no. I’m talking about EREN isn’t Japanese. Mikasa is Asian and so is Levi but that’s really it and maybe a few others but most of all the characters aren’t Asian AT ALL.

[@JayOhBreezy]

I love your videos, bro I really want you to do one on Jackson Teller from Sons of Anarchy

[@alexisault4444]

Eren a Slave to Freedom. The last episode had me crying so hard. 😢

[@starofscorpius4171]

I have honestly always wanted to hear you talk about Ganon from Zelda. I never thought he was anything but "evil" though now i don't know with recent stuff. Even past games show him as almost sympathetic while the evil you must defeat. Just a topic I've wanted to hear your opinion on. Love you work

[@darkesttknight]

his actions are undoubtedly evil, but there’s an argument that he’s a victim imo. when he saw the future after kissing historia’s hand he saw everything that would happen up until his death and events that occurred post timeskip confirmed that he really couldn’t change the future and had to see it through to the end for the freedom he longed for him and his loved ones to finally have

[@SonnySantana2099]

Right which is why it’s confusing when they say he wanted to do it and he was jus an idiot Like what? If there’s a symbolic reasoning for that I’d love to hear it. Otherwise r that changes everything lowkey

[@MoonRacerJay]

One of the well written characters in one of the greatest stories ever told,Neither Eren Nor the warriors are “evil” the world is just cruel

[@OsirisThaMystikal]

Genocide is evil. Eren is evil.

[@theCommentDevil]

​@@OsirisThaMystikalHe is both evil and good, like everybody. Genocide is absolutely evil though

[@vader1481]

​So is the world as well they are also trying to kill all of paradis so both Eren and the world are evil right ​@OsirisThaMystikal

[@decimal1156]

@@OsirisThaMystikal By that logic Eren's opps, Marley are also evil. The moral of the manga as a whole is that violence only breeds violence and that forgiveness is a requirement for peace in the end.

[@GenericProtagonist7]

​​​@@OsirisThaMystikalI love how you say that but then ONLY mention Eren, the Warrior Unit was *literally on Paradis to genocide the Eldians on it.* You people are so bad at hiding your bias that it's borderline comical.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

When eren said "its attack on titan time" i knew it was PEAK

[@bradyburick1367]

I'm loving your videos man❤👍I'm waiting patiently for your eventual analysis on Dracula form the Castlevania series and looking forward for future content.

[@MrCrazychristian86]

It'd be nice to see one of these done about Floch from Attack on Titan