Attack On Titan: Eren’s 23 Best Quotes, Ranked

Highlights

• Eren’s transformation from a typical shonen protagonist to a complex character showcases the depth of his journey.
• The series delves into heavy themes like xenophobia, presenting a thought-provoking narrative.
• Eren’s unwavering determination and willingness to sacrifice define him as a compelling and morally ambiguous figure.

The trajectory that Eren’s character has taken throughout Attack on Titan is easily one of the most fascinating aspects of the series. For the longest time, viewers thought that this character was nothing more than a run-of-the-mill shonen protagonist… before Season 4 came around and showed just how wrong fans were. His amazing and well-written dialogue is one of the major reasons why he’s become such a popular figure within the fanbase.

The plot starts as a war between humanity and Titans, only for several revelations to come to light that has completely changed the scope of the series itself, showing the human race at its absolute lowest as xenophobia, bigotry, and blind hatred end up being addressed in a truly brilliant manner. Eren serves as the perfect protagonist to show humanity’s plight and how a person with good intentions can change and become someone truly villainous.

Updated March 10, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Attack on Titan is one of the greatest shows ever made. A series about Titans eating humanity to extinction takes on so many layers by the fourth season that it becomes challenging to describe the title. Viewers who want to check out a complex series that prudently deals with many heavy things will find Eren to be one of the most fascinating characters in the show.

Despite seeming like a run-of-the-mill shonen protagonist, the true depth of his character is explored in the latter half of the story, where he makes a sacrifice that not many people would be willing to make.

23 “I Believe My Squad Will Be Victorious! Fight Well!”

Season 1, Episode 21: Crushing Blow: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, Part 5

• Placing his faith in his squad members, which turns out to be horribly misplaced

Eren’s determination to join the Survey Corps finally proves to be fruitful once he goes through a grueling military induction. After receiving the power of the Attack Titan, he takes part in a mission to draw out the Female Titan and capture her.

He places his faith in Levi and the other members of the squad after an eye-opening speech, but his decision turns out to be the wrong one. After watching too many people die to protect him, he changes his mind and takes on Annie in a fight for the ages.

22 “How Could Anything Be More Important Than Keeping Humanity From Being Wiped Out?”

Season 2, Episode 2: I’m Home

• Shows how unfathomable it is in Eren’s mind that people thought about other things that jeopardized humanity’s survival

Eren has witnessed firsthand just how much humans have suffered under the unending threat of the Titans, and the destruction of his district was a major turning point in his life. After suffering so many atrocities, it’s easy to understand his one-track goal to save humanity from the Titans and help them survive in this accursed world once and for all.

So, when Eren decides to figure out the truth behind the Titans and their nature, he is stopped in his tracks by people who are unwilling to disclose precious information for a wide variety of reasons. This infuriates him, who just can’t understand why humans would be so selfish that they’d only care for themselves and not try and take out the bigger threat that is staring them right in the face!

21 “How Can You Call Yourself A Soldier?”

Season 1, Episode 4: The Night of the Closing Ceremony: Humanity’s Comeback, Part 2

• Spoken around the time when Jean and Eren’s rivalry was boiling over

Eren and Jean’s friendship took a long while to materialize, with the latter not really a huge fan of Eren’s righteousness and how Mikasa was seemingly attracted to him. Meanwhile, Eren criticized Jean’s lack of motivation, preferring to sit back and not do anything to stop the threat of the Titans. The fact that this man just wanted to join the Military Police to lead an easy life rubbed Eren the wrong way.

As a result, both characters get into a ton of conflicts early on in the series, to the point where Eren even questions his motivations and wonders how he can even try to call himself a soldier. Over time, Jean’s hatred of Eren subsides, and they grow to respect each other’s differences while striving to grow together as valuable members of the Survey Corps.

20 “I Have To Be The One To Do This! I’ve Got To Settle This!”

Season 2, Episode 12: Scream

• Gathering the resolve to take out the Titans who were about to eat his friends

The one thing that Eren absolutely hates is being useless. After being abducted by Reiner and Bertholdt and being bled out over and over again to prevent his Titan powers from being accessible, he is rendered helpless as the Survey Corps who came to save him are mowed down in an open field by a wealth of despicable Titans.

After seeing Hannes put down his life for him and Mikasa trying to protect him once and for all, Eren decides to stop being so helpless in this situation. He rushes at the Titan who ate his mother and punches her, unknowingly activating the Coordinate by temporarily establishing contact with a royal member of the family and saving his friends from becoming a snack for the Titans.

19 “You’re Not Soldiers. You’re Not Warriors. You’re Just Murderers.”

Season 2, Episode 9: Opening

• Eren’s anger boils over after the reveal that Reiner and Bertholdt were the Titans who destroyed the walls of Shiganshina

The moment when Reiner and Bertholdt are revealed to be the Armored and Colossal Titan respectively continues to be one of the most mind-blowing sequences in Attack on Titan. The emotions are high and the soundtrack makes this event stand out as a highlight of the series.

After getting over his emotions, Eren channels his rage in a bid to take out the Titans once and for all. His hate for both of them is palpable in every line of dialogue he utters, including this one.

18 “NOTHING CHANGED!”

Season 2, Episode 12: Scream

• “NOTHING CHANGED! YOU HAVEN’T CHANGED ONE BIT, DAMMIT! YOU’RE STILL AS USELESS AS YOU EVER WERE! NOTHING CHANGED!”
• Eren’s helplessness to save his friends is palpable here, with his emotions boiling over after Hannes’ death

Eren’s frustrations at being unable to change after gaining the powers of the Attack Titan weighed heavily on his mind after the Scouts were assaulted by several Titans. His injuries prevented him from transforming to save his friends.

However, this frustration led to him getting a pep talk from Mikasa before invoking the power of the Coordinate. It was a great moment that added more mystery to the events of Attack on Titan.

17 “Reiner… I’m The Same As You.”

Season 4, Episode 5: Declaration Of War

• Spoken during his chilling encounter with Reiner in Liberio

For the longest time, Eren just hated the Titans and couldn’t understand why other people would unleash this hell on them. However, over time, Eren realized that people were the same and it was the circumstances around them that shaped them to perform truly heinous acts.

After meeting Reiner in Paradis, Eren outright said that both of them were the same people even if they were on opposing sides of the conflict. Despite being so mature with his opinions, it’s Eren’s senseless rampage that he embarks upon which makes for a truly shocking development in every way.

16 “I Am Free. Whatever I Do. Whatever I Choose. I Do It Out Of My Own Free Will.”

Season 4, Episode 14: Savagery

• Dispelling all doubts in his friends’ minds that he was being manipulated by forces unknown

After performing a series of heinous actions, Armin has genuine doubts about whether Eren is even in control of his actions. After all, the powers of the Attack Titan are still a mystery, and Armin genuinely believes that Eren was being manipulated by these powers to commit such atrocities.

So, it’s rather jarring to hear Eren say that he’s totally in control of his own actions. This doesn’t sit well with Armin, but Eren decides to make things even worse by chastizing and beating his friends later on.

15 “Keep Moving Forward…”

Season 4, Episode 20: Memories Of The Future

• “Keep moving forward. Even if you die. Even after you die. And after all, this whole ugly story… started with you.”
• A chilling line where Eren convinces Grisha to kill the Reiss Family and devour the Founding Titan

The revelation that Eren manipulated Grisha into killing the royal family was pretty shocking and showed just how far this character would go to accomplish his goals. It was the manner in which he spoke down to Grisha that was particularly chilling.

He reminded his father of how her sister was fed to the dogs while also mentioning the many sacrifices his friends and family made along the way. Grisha was worn down mentally by Eren, causing him to fly into a state of pure rage and kill innocents without a care in the world.

14 “IT ENDS NOW! I’LL PUT AN END TO THIS WORLD!”

Season 4, Episode 21: From You, 2,000 Years Ago

• Helping Ymir finally think for herself led to the start of the infamous Rumbling

Ymir’s backstory is a sad one, with this character living in servitude to a horrible king throughout her life after gaining the Titan powers. She believes that her role is simply to adhere to the demands of King Fritz.

However, Eren reminds her that she’s just a human who was manipulated and gives her the means to direct her fate. This leads to Ymir fighting back against the royal family and helping Eren out instead.

13 “If You Win, You Live. If You Lose, You Die. If You Don’t Fight, You Can’t Win!”

Season 4, Episode 9: Brave Volunteers

• Eren’s will to fight remains intact, even after his heel turn

Eren’s insistence to fight back against the powers that are taking his freedom away from him is a thought process that stays constant throughout the series. It’s one of the reasons why everyone loves his character despite his sudden shift in allegiance after the time skip.

Without a fight, people pretty much accept their fate. Eren hates this and motivates the people around him to fight at all costs, even jeopardizing the safety of himself and his comrades if it helps him reach this end goal.

12 “I Want To See And Understand The World Outside…”

Season 4, Episode 20: Memories Of The Future

• “I want to see and understand the world outside. I don’t want to die inside these walls without knowing what’s out there!”
• The Walls that prevented the Eldians from knowing of the outside world are something that Eren hated for the longest time

Both Eren and Armin were fascinated with the idea of what was present outside the walls. They were going to fight until their last breath to see what was life outside the Walls that had cornered them for the longest time.

Even after getting eaten by a Titan, Eren doesn’t give up on his will to live. His determination is one of the major reasons why humanity manages to fight back and win against these looming Titans.

11 “I Don’t Have Time To Worry If It’s Right Or Wrong…”

Season 1, Episode 24: Mercy – Assault On Stohess, Part 2

• “I don’t have time to worry if it’s right or wrong, you can’t hope for a horror story with a happy ending!”
• Willing himself to fight back against a comrade who turned out to be the Female Titan

After Annie is revealed to be the Female Titan, the Survey Corps engages in a massive battle against this threat. However, in the anime, Eren takes some time to get used to the fact that his friend is actually one of the Titans who’s fighting against humanity.

It takes a while, but Eren soon realizes that he doesn’t have time to figure out what’s right and wrong. All he had to do at that point was capture Annie, and he did exactly that.

10 “At The Very Least… Let It End At Your Hand…”

Season 3, Episode 7: Wish

• “At the very least… let it end at your hand. Historia… eat me… and save humanity. It’s all… up to you.”
• On the verge of giving up after finding out what his father did to acquire the Founding Titan

After finding out the truth about the Founder Titan, Eren was devastated. He assumed that his father was the villain in the entire story and that his Titan belonged to the Royal Family.

This prompted him to go on a lecture rife with self-pity. Thankfully, Historia was smart enough to see the truth behind her father’s manipulative actions and smacked some sense into Eren.

9 “I’ll Wrap It Around You Again…”

Season 2, Episode 12: Scream

• “I’ll wrap it around you again… as many times as you want. Now and forever. That’s a promise!”
• A resounding promise to Mikasa that they’d survive, no matter what

During a tense moment in the series where everyone thought they were going to meet their end, Mikasa told Eren about how glad she was to share her memories with him. This prompted a despondent Eren to snap out of his reverie and fight against the Titans, no matter what.

By punching Dina Fritz’s Titan, he unwittingly activated the coordinate and saved everyone from the brink of death. It was an amazing moment in the series that indicated that Attack on Titan‘s mystery was far from being uncovered.

8 “We’re Born Free. All Of Us. Free…”

Season 1, Episode 12: Wound: The Struggle for Trost, Part 8

• “We’re born free. All of us. Free. Some don’t believe it, some try to take it away. To hell with them!”
• Freedom is something that Eren craves, and understandably so

Freedom is not something that can or should be controlled. Unfortunately, the enemies of Paradis Island thought otherwise.

This didn’t sit well with Eren Yeager, who channeled all his power into plugging Trost’s gate and attaining humanity’s first victory against the Titans. It was an amazing moment that cemented his stature as a powerful and determined protagonist for what was bound to be an exciting tale.

7 “You’ll Never Know…”

Season 4, Episode 3: The Door Of Hope

• “You’ll never know. If you’re not the one who’s continuing to take that path… unless you keep moving forward.”
• During a conversation with Falco where his identity is revealed

In one of Eren’s recent speeches, he talks about the importance of traveling the tough path to stand for what one believes in. It’s a great line that applies to real life as well. Moments like these leave fans split down the middle when it comes to Eren. He might be doing what seems like a bad thing… but is he really?

6 “If Someone Is Willing To Take My Freedom… I Won’t Hesitate To Take Theirs.”

Season 4, Episode 20: Memories Of The Future

• Shows the savagery of Eren and how he was willing to fight back at all costs

Eren’s motivation has become to survive at all costs. Given the injustices he’s gone through, it’s easy to see why he’s developed such a warped and twisted mentality against his enemies.

At the end of the day, Eren’s freedom takes precedence over everything else. The fight might be against people who are the same as him… but if they try to take his freedom, then they’ll pay.

5 “Ever Since I Was A Kid… Mikasa. I’ve Always Hated You.”

Season 4, Episode 14: Savagery

• Trying to convince Mikasa that he never really liked her

This is easily one of the most chilling lines delivered by Eren in the entire series. It’s especially shocking when people know that Eren and Mikasa share such a rich history together as well!

If people weren’t sure whether Eren was the bad guy or not, this line made it pretty clear that he had cut off all his past ties. Of course, the end of the series adds yet another twist to this interaction that fans will have to see for themselves.

4 “You Were Ignorant Children…”

Season 4, Episode 5: Declaration Of War

• “You were ignorant children. And all of that was beaten into you by ignorant adults… What could you have done to fight back against that?”
• A telling statement that shows how the cycle of hatred infects young children who are taught to hate from an early age

Propaganda is a powerful tool that can manipulate people with even the nicest hearts around to fight for something truly diabolical. This is precisely what Marley does to convince its citizens that Eldians are truly the scum of the earth.

This is precisely what Eren tells Reiner, presumably absolving the latter of his sins. However, it didn’t take long to realize that this wasn’t even remotely the case…