If you look back at the past of the Attack On Titan series, you’ll understand that Eren turning into a villain was planned since season 1.
Season 4 of Attack On Titan went a lot different than what we expected it to. The ending of the third season of Attack On Titan made it quite clear that a war between Marley and Eldia was on its way. Our hero who was obsessed with freedom discovered that there exists an enemy outside the island and as long as they exist, the people of the island will never truly be free. Season 4, being the finale season, was going to feature this grand battle between the two empires, however, everyone thought that this battle would be fought between the warriors of the Marleyan and Eldian empire i.e. between the army and the Warrior unit of Marley and the Scout regiment and Eren & Armin’s titans.
But the way season 4 started to unfold, everyone thought that Eldia was going with a sneak attack rather than an all-out war but as soon when the fight actual fight began, we learned that Eren was acting on his own will and wasn’t hesitating to kill women or even children of Marley which is quite villainous. So, when did Eren his sense of morality? If you look back carefully, Eren’s transition into an antagonist was hinted at since the first season, in episode 6 to be exact.
Hints Of Eren’s Morality Switch
Eren was every bit of a hero who wanted to end the reign of terror of the Titans since season 1. He displayed heroic traits such as determination, courage, and sheer will and his goal of slicing down all the titans would have definitely made him a hero in the eyes of his people. Even before he joined the Scouts, he was never hesitant to fight for his friend Armin who was picked on by other stronger kids. It was those small fights that made both of them realize how the world works. Armin even stated it clearly in episode 6 of season 1 during the titan attack on Trost district, when he is saved by Eren who is unfortunately eaten in the process.
Consumed by the shock, Armin states, “The strong devour the weak… it’s almost as if the world is doing us a favor by making it easy to understand.”Based on Armin’s statement, Eren needed to go bad in order to gain the necessary strength required to assert dominance over the whole world and end its suffering. He was already the strongest being on Paradis island thanks to his Attack and Founding titan but in order to bent the whole world to his own will, he needed more which he accomplished by taking the War Hammer Titan, and as soon as he was the strongest in the world, he set his plan into motion. He started by launching a coupon Paradis and taking control over it by force with the help of his followers.
Ever since he took control, he bought suffering over the weak including his best friends Armin and Mikasa and his other comrades in the Scouts and that confirmed Armin’s theory. Too much power definitely brings in arrogance which often ends up corrupting the wielder of that strength. There are some things based on the final chapter of the manga which justifies Eren’s action but they would spoil the fun for the anime-only fans, so just wait till next year to understand where Eren’s power and his quest leads.
