EXACTLY… You summed it up perfectly b/c I don’t think many commenters understand what it meant for Eren to choose the path that he did! Albeit a painful and bloody one, he chose the path that would lead to his own friends’ happiness, even if it meant him sacrificing himself for the cause! (´; ︵ ;`) From the beginning, Eren thought the only way to be free was to forward was to “FIGHT” and he did… from his hometown bullies to killing Mikasa’s kidnappers to combating the titans and then to deciding to destroy whoever was not Eldian. That was the TRUE EREN JAEGER… angry, selfish, and determined… a fighter till the end!
I think people forget that they were only children when they were conscripted into the military b/c it seemed like so much time had passed. But in reality, they were just teenagers who never got to have a childhood after the age of 9 or 10 when the story began… where afterwards they didn’t experience what healthy relationships were b/c of the harsh environment they lived in after the titans first attacked and never really knew how to express their feelings for each other beyond filial love! The commenters make it seem as if saying, “I love you” ⁄(⁄ ⁄·⁄ω⁄·⁄ ⁄)⁄ happens as casually as saying, “Thank you!” LOL And then Eren felt like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders once he peered into the future, and then there was no room for his petty crush after that! At least that’s how he saw it b/c it would only hurt Mikasa more if he declared his love for her but still chose to sacrifice himself after that. She would have been stuck in perpetual heartbreak if he did that! (っ ^︿^;)っ
In the end, I also believe Eren had a lot of proven character development, even if commenters didn’t like it! He went from being an angry, selfish, and determined boy - who didn’t know how to express love - to a young man who learned how to show his love! His sacrifice was the epitome of LOVE… for his family (Mikasa and Armin), for his friends (the Survey corps), and for the people of Paradis! Maybe the way he did it was not the “right way” to bring about peace for them, but he was thinking like a 19 year old that was looking out for his people… basically with a one-track mind to save his loved ones! That was a lot of pressure, and he was just trying to make the world a better place for them to live in! The people of Paradis were caged birds all their lives, and they were targeted out of nowhere one day by people who sought to destroy them just because of their heritage. Eren and his friends wanted the same thing - FREEDOM, but he went to the extreme to make it happen! When he saw into the future, that’s when his personality drastically changed, and as a young man with a one-track mind, he began to isolate himself from his friends in order to steel himself for what he felt he had to do! He didn’t ask them to join him b/c he didn’t want them to bloody their hands with the lives of innocent people, but chose to take on the role of doing this atrocious deed so that his friends’ humanity remained intact. All in all, his actions came from a heart of love, irrespective of who else had to die for it to happen! Eren’s character will forever be remembered… even his scream as the Attack Titan! LOL
This was an awesome and bittersweet story indeed! Thank you Isayama for making it one of the best there is! Now, give us a few side stories for the remaining characters (Mikasa and Armin, even Jean) to soften the blow from Eren’s death! (〜￣△￣)〜
I loved it so much!! My favorite manga of all time, no plot holes, amazing foreshadowing since the beginning and realistic!! I’m so sad it ended,, so many characters were lost, I’ll never forget Sasha, Hange, Ymir and Eren!! For those saying it was a bad ending and you didn’t like Eren like this, did u really read it?? That was the TRUE EREN, angry, selfish, and determined! He, who wanted nothing more than freedom sacrificed its own in order for his loved ones and the people from Parados could have it. He made himself the enemy to bring to nations together, he has been carrying a burden since he kissed historia’s hand and saw the future, he saw himself become the ONE thing he hated the most. (I’m sorry this is long) After everything he’s done isn’t he allowed to be a little selfish? Don’t forget he’s only 19 and didn’t even have a childhood. Even though he wanted to live the rest of his life with Mikasa and have a kid he never told her his true feelings since he knew that way she wouldn’t be able to move on and find her happiness!! Above all he continues to sacrifice himself for his loved ones. Don’t forget the last thing he said was that he hated her, which is the contrary to how he feels. He hated himself for so long for what he was doing. In the end, he knew that only when he was done with his plan, his people would be able to find happiness and be free! This is what I call character development!! This is why his my favorite character, his by far one the best written characters!!! Goodbye Eren Jeager. Thank you Isayama for such a beautiful and bittersweet story!!!!