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Fear is freedom, subjugation is liberation! Those words practically define Attack on Titan, even if they were spoken by Satsuki Kiriyuin in Kill la Kill. To put it more generously, Eren Yeager seems to see the idea of oppression as freedom and is very much channeling Lelouch that way. The situation might be more complicated than that, but that's Eren's whole deal as of Attack on Titan's final season.
To put it simply, Eren Yeager has gone off the deep end as of Attack on Titan's final season. Many have questioned why, and the manga's answers don't really placate everyone that's soured on Eren's change from fighter to destroyer. This article will attempt to grapple with these questions and why exactly Attack on Titan's Eren Yeager became someone who believes oppression is freedom.
Disclaimer: The following article will contain massive spoilers for Attack on Titan's manga and anime. The opinions included therein are solely those of the author.
Examining Attack on Titan's Eren Yeager's philosophy and descent
Part one: War and trauma
After surviving the fall of Wall Maria and witnessing his mother's death in the premiere of Attack on Titan, young Eren Yeager vowed to destroy every single Titan he came across. This held true until the immurable discoveries as a result of interaction with Historia Reiss and the long forgotten Eldian memories shattered his mind and made him depressed and morose.
Before that, however, Eren was already damaged and traumatized by the fear and hatred of the Titans. He seemed to have a death wish, constantly throwing himself into danger out of rage and gaining his Attack Titan form did little to quell that anger. He proved himself stuck in that anger when he decided to attack Marley directly in Attack Titan form, causing immense civilian casualties and not caring one iota about them.
His temper, insecurities, and a massive helping of trauma led him to continue his crusade against his people's enemies on a grand scale. Driven mad by depression and grief, he started the Rumbling and caused a global war with him at the center. His only goal was the freedom of Paradis, which he figured needed to be taken by force, the rest of the world be damned.
Part two: Knowledge bringing madness and slavery
When did Attack on Titan's main protagonist go from a kid wanting freedom from the massive threat of death to a broken man wanting it all to stop? Simple. When he and Historia shared the memories of Ymir. Having all that knowledge, every truth, every past and present event pounded into his skull effectively making him omniscent.
Though Eren pretends he's this conquering villain, and fans pretend he's comparable to Lelouch vi Britannia of Code Geass fame, the fact is he isn't. they may both be defined by a lack of control over their situation, but their results differ largely. Eren left 80% of the world's population dead, Lelouch may have used nukes but never to that scale. Eren's fate was was quite pitiable in the end, when all he ever wanted was to be with the girl he loved: Mikasa.
This meant everything he did was never his choice. Things escalated from when they drove Pure Titans off Paradis to the point of his death. So, to showcase this, the next part will showcase how Eren decided to take power and do everything the only way he really knew how: through sound and fury.
Part three: Screaming Rage and The Rumbling of Earth
All Eren knew was sound and fury ever since his mother's death. Eren fought until he was faced with problems that couldn't simply be slashed or crushed like gaining allies, resource management, coups, and dealing with other nations. He made it so those problems could be dealt with by force by showcasing how ruthless he could be, caring not for anyone outside his island. Why should he, when nobody else seemed to care about them?
Whether it was slaughtering many Eldians upon his surprise attack on Liberio, his cold and unfeeling mask he put on to distance himself from his friends, or the message to the world, Eren Yeager sent out an emphatic statement: that he will take his people's freedom through power, viciousness, and absolute all-consuming fear and despair by using The Rumbling. Make himself a monster to secure freedom.
After all, if the rest of the world seeks Paradis' destruction, then Eren's logic dictates that he and his loved ones could only be freed once the world was destroyed. To any sane mind, that sort of logic is folly and evil. For Eren, it's simply the way things are, especially since he has no real control over events. It's ironic that a fighter becomes a slave, especially one as passionate as Eren.
In the end, Eren's downfall into villainy wasn't cut and dry. The Attack on Titan protagonist had every good intention under the sun, but everything worked against him in the end. Eren serves as a good cautionary tale on the folly of seeking oppression and subjugation of one's enemies, and how sound and fury yield nothing but death and bloodshed. Leave the forest, to quote Sasha's father.
