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Once Eren initiated the rumbling inAttack on Titan, there was no way to redeem his character. His decision wiped the majority of humanity and where does a person even go from that? Contrarily, Reiner, who was portrayed as Eren’s parallel was able to have one of the best redemption arc in the history of anime. One difference in how the two characters were written changed their fate and perception.
The character arcs of Eren and Reiner were similar. From a young age, they had dreams that they didn’t completely understand. They had an idea of what these dreams would look like, once fulfilled, but the end result was vastly different from their expectations. While this clash between what he expected and what came to be forced Reiner to retrospect, it didn’t do much for Eren.
The Lives of Eren and Reiner
Both Eren and Reiner had similar character arcs inAttack on Titan. Where they got to live among those they had sworn to destroy. At a young age, Reiner was given the responsibility to fight for his people and eventually save them. There was no one to guide him and he assumed that doing what everyone expected of him will make him a hero. Achieving that goal led to the loss of numerous lives including his own friends’.
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The guilt, regret, and the awareness of the magnitude of his actions pushed him to live for others. To look over those who find themselves in the same position he was in at the beginning. Similarly, Eren wanted to see the world beyond the walls. When it didn’t turn out to be the way he expected it, his selfish desire to achieve his dream somewhere drove him to kill millions.
A Difference That Changed Everything
In chapter 96 and chapter 131 of the manga, Eren claims that Reiner and him are the same. But he is worse, because of his selfishness. The gravity of his actions or the suffering it caused wasn’t enough to stop him. He started the rumbling because that’s what he wanted. Reiner had the same constraints as him, a dearth of choices and an inevitable future that awaits him. The knowledge both the characters gained was the same, but their reactions to it was not.
Reflecting on Eren’s apology in Chapter 131, some fans analyzed the parallelsHajime Isayamadrew between Eren and Reiner inAttack on Titan. These comments coherently explain why there was nothing more for Eren to discover. The cruelty he committed was driven by selfishness.
Reiner grew remorseful after learning the whole truth, but the same information didn’t even budge Eren. The regret pushed Reiner to nearly take his own life. He attempted to do the morally right thing after he realised the gravity of his actions. But Eren just accepted things for what they were with no aspiration to strive for a better future. Not to diminish the pressure and the weight of responsibilities he was bearing, but nothing can justify what he eventually ended up doing.
Attack on Titanis available for streaming on Crunchyroll.
Laveena Joshi
Anime Writer
Articles Published :925
Laveena is an anime content writer at FandomWire. Having written more than 800 articles, she’s an expert in mainstream shonen series, ranging from the bizarre world of JoJo’s to the expansive worldbuilding of One Piece.With her formal education in Journalism and Mass Communication, she explores entertainment journalism through the lens of anime and manga, from mainstream and classic titles to niche and obscure ones.
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Attack On TitanAttack on Titan ending
