Am I wrong for feeling sympathy for Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan?

Elliot Reed · 2026-03-04T00:56:24.542157+00:00

I just finished the show and I CAN'T stop thinking about his choices. On one side, he's fighting to protect his friends and home from being wiped out. But on the other side, his plans hurt SO many innocent lives across the world. It feels like a huge moral puzzle where both sides have a point. I see online debates where people call him a needed savior or just a bad guy. What's your view on this? Is there a right answer here?

jenny_robinson7mo ago

His story is a real tragedy, isn't it.

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hayden_rivera7mo ago

That real tragedy makes you think about all the missed chances.

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knight.dylan7mo ago

You hit the nail on the head with the moral puzzle thing. In my view, feeling sympathy for Eren makes sense because he's stuck in a cycle of violence, like when he starts the Rumbling to save Paradis. But as hayden_rivera pointed out about missed chances, Eren had options, like trying harder with diplomacy instead of going straight to genocide. I've been in tough spots where every choice seems bad, and sometimes you have to pick the least worst one, but Eren's choice cost too many lives. Look at how he treats his friends, like when he pushes them away to protect them, but ends up hurting them more. So yeah, sympathy is okay, but don't forget the weight of his actions.

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reed.skyler7mo ago

Yeah, the whole thing with his friends is what gets me. He says he's doing it for them, but then he hurts Mikasa and Armin on purpose to push them away. Like when he tells Mikasa he hates her, knowing how much that would wreck her. If his goal was to keep them safe, why cause them that kind of pain? Does that part of his plan ever make his sympathy feel less earned for you?

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