Attack on Titan: A Complete Timeline of Eren Yeager's Life (2024)

Eren Yeager is one of the most complex and impressively written anime protagonists of all time. While many fans have formed a divisive opinion about Eren’s anti-hero persona, it’s safe to say that his character development deserves credit. Attack on Titan’s controversial ending might have caused the audience to question the integrity of his character, but the truth is that his story was phenomenal. The way he evolved from an innocent and lively 10-year-old boy to a person who willingly committed genocide did not happen overnight.

It took many years of hardships, cruelty, and trauma for Eren’s mind to shape and cause him to become a person who had to make impossible decisions. Eren Yeager may have destroyed the world, but there’s complicated reasoning behind his slow descent to madness. Here’s how AoT’s protagonist evolved from a boy to a soldier to a mass murderer.

Eren Yeager is Born To Grisha and Carla

March 30, Year 835 – 844

Eren Yeager’s backstory isn’t revealed until quite late in the anime. He only got to know the truth about his real heritage when he went into his father’s basem*nt after the retaking of Wall Maria. Eren was born to Carla and Grish Yeager in the Shiganshina District. His father was a doctor who came from another country – a detail also revealed through the basem*nt's contents. Eren had a fairly normal childhood, and when he was nine years old, his father took him to meet the Ackerman family. This is the first time the audience witnesses the potential inside Eren as he defied his father’s orders and went on his own to look for the Ackerman’s missing daughter, Mikasa.

After tracking the kidnappers, Eren saves Mikasa by repeatedly stabbing the culprit with his makeshift spear, revealing a very dark side of his personality. This event may not be of great importance as a whole, but it is a crucial moment in Eren’s eyes. He later used the event to convince himself and Zeke that “madness” was always a part of him and that this is who he is. After the gruesome event, the Yeagers took Mikasa in, and the two became friends.

Eren Yeager is Introduced As A Ten-Year-Old Boy At the Start of Attack on Titan

Year 845 – The Fall of Wall Maria

This is where the story begins in the anime timeline, as Eren is introduced as a ten-year-old boy living in the Shiganshina District with his parents and friends. By this time, Eren has developed a strong sense of freedom, which he wants to attain by going beyond the walls that have kept him inside like a prisoner. This is also the fateful day when everything begins as the outermost wall is breached by the Colossal Titan. Destruction befell the innocent people inside the walls, and soon tragedy struck the Yeager family as Eren saw the Smiling Titan eat his mother right in front of his eyes.

Witnessing Carla's death is the key moment that changes everything for Eren, who is eventually pushed towards a path that would lead to an inevitable conclusion. This single moment is responsible for everything that happened in Eren Yeager’s life from then on. Fortunately, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin are saved by Hannes, and the remaining humans retreat to Wall Rose. Devastated by his mother’s death and deprived of his home, Eren vows to destroy every Titan alive.

Eren Begins Training As A Survey Corp Member

Year 847 – The 104th Training Corps

After the destruction of Wall Maria, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin joined the military and began their training to become Survey Corps. During his training days, Eren meets all the people, including Jean, Sasha, Reiner, and Bertholdt, who will go on to become the most important people in his life. This is where AoT strictly sways away from popular shonen tropes and depicts its protagonist as someone struggling to become the best.

Eren isn’t as naturally talented as Mikasa, nor does he have the training stamina of Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt. Fortunately, with his will to fulfill his goal no matter what, Eren overcomes all odds and passes all the basic tests to avoid being shipped to the landfills. By 850, Eren and the rest of the gang graduate as the top 10 cadets of the 104th Training Corps.

Eren is “Dead” For The First Time and Becomes the Attack Titan

Year 850 – Battle of Trost District

After graduation, the Training Corps was disbanded to make the crucial decision of joining one of the three military branches. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin decide to join the Survey Corps, but before anyone can get a chance to celebrate, the Trost District is breached by the Colossal Titan once again. Experiencing a breach after almost five years, the cadets are overwhelmed by the sheer number of Titans invading the district and their lack of experience for such an event. Despite trying their best, the cadets were eaten one by one, and when Armin was consumed, Eren pushed him out of a Titan’s mouth and got swallowed instead.

The cadets, including Mikasa, continued to get overwhelmed by the Titans. However, on the brink of utter defeat, humanity is gifted with a savior — a strange Titan who fought the other Titans to protect the humans. When the dust finally settled after the battle, to everyone's surprise, the evaporating body of the new Titan revealed Eren, who was completely fine. From then on, it’s a difficult battle for Eren and the gang to convince the military that Eren isn’t a threat, despite being shocked by the big reveal. After Armin manages to convince the military, Eren is given a chance to plug the hole in the wall, salvaging the Trost district and making everyone realize that he’s humanity’s best chance at survival. After the battle, Eren is handed over to Erwin Smith and Levi Ackerman’s squad as a means to win back the Titan-infested lands.

Eren Confronts the Female Titan During the 57th Expedition Outside the Walls

A Few Months Later – The Female Titan Arc

Eren’s Titan form allowed Hange to learn a great deal about the Titan’s anatomy and his individual powers. Later, Eren departs with the Levi squad on the 57th expedition outside of the walls, but the sudden appearance of another Titan disrupts their mission. This is the first time Eren comes face-to-face with the Female Titan, which proves that there are more Titans like Eren – but why? The Female Titan devastated the Survey Corps to retrieve Eren, but with a group effort, they were able to escape her wrath for the time being.

However, Eren and the others soon learn that the Female Titan is none other than Annie Leonhart, and he half-heartedly participates in a plan to capture her. Just as Armin suspected, Annie turned into the Female Titan in the middle of the Stohess District and engaged in an intense fight with Eren. Overwhelmed by her, Eren somehow unlocks a new power, a Berserk State in which he manages to overpower an escaping Female Titan and save the District from further destruction.

Eren Yeager Learns the Truth About Reiner and Bertholdt

Year 850 – Clash of the Titans Arc

After his battle with the Female Titan, it’s revealed that the Walls are actually made up of thousands of Colossal Titans. This leads Eren and the rest to question their history and the truth about Paradis Island. However, the Survey Corps are deliberately engaged in various problems, including the rumors of another breach that led a team to Utgard Castle. After an intense battle with the Pure Titans surrounding the castle, the remaining corps head atop Wall Rose after discovering that Ymir is also one of the Titan Shifters. While everyone is still coming to terms with Ymir’s secret, Reiner corners Eren and, in the heat of the moment, tells him the truth.

In what is considered one of the biggest anime plot twists of all time, Reiner tells Eren that he and Bertholdt are actually the Armored and the Colossal Titan. This shocks Eren to the core, and it completely traumatizes him to know that his close friends betrayed him. However, the thing that disgusted him the most was the fact that his two great friends were the reason why his mother was dead, and when he told them about her, they acted as if they could feel his pain. Soon after, the two Titans engage in a battle with Eren’s Titan and the Survey Corps, but Reiner and Bertholdt manage to escape with Eren and Ymir.

Fortunately, the Survey Corps immediately launched a rescue mission and intercepted Reiner. However, they’re swarmed by Pure Titans, and Eren is again pushed through great pain when he sees Hannes being eaten by a Titan after saving him and Mikasa. With soldiers overwhelmed by Titans and Eren still recovering from his injuries, he and Mikasa have a tender moment to remember the time when Eren put the muffler around her neck and gave her hope to live. However, just when the Smiling Titan hovers over to eat them, Eren musters up the last of his energy, punches the beast, and screams. To his surprise, all the surrounding Titans suddenly start to attack and devour the Smiling Titan. Eren and the remaining soldiers escape, but the mystery of his Titan powers deepens.

Eren and Historia Are Faced With the Reiss Family Secret

Year 850 – The Royal Government Arc

Traumatized by the loss and betrayal of his close friends, something slowly starts to change in Eren. Despite saying that he would be more convicted and sure the next time he’s faced with an enemy, Eren faces difficulty in understanding and unlocking his true potential. After learning about the Reiss family from Historia, Eren is believed to be in more danger than before; however, before they can do anything, her birth father kidnaps both Historia and Eren. The next time Eren wakes up, he is chained and gagged in a crystalline cave where Rod Reiss triggers his memories of Grisha and tells him that only a member of the royal family can truly use the power of the Founding Titan.

After learning the truth, Eren tries to force Historia to eat him and set things right since he believes himself to be a poor candidate for the job. Despite repeatedly begging Historia to eat him, she refuses and tells Eren that she has made peace with who she is and so should Eren. Although he learned about what his father did the day Wall Maria fell, Eren was unable to accept his destiny. When they successfully stop Rod Reiss after he transforms into an Abnormal Titan, Historia ascends the throne as Queen, and Eren vows to do everything he can to take back what they lost and properly deal with Reiner and Bertholdt the next time they meet.

Eren Yeager Marches With the Corps For Retaking Shiganshina

Year 850 - The Battle of Shiganshina

After mastering his hardening ability, Eren and the Survey Corps launch a critical mission to take back the Shiganshina District and go to his father’s basem*nt. The mission to retake Wall Maria is fiery as Eren and the rest are pushed to the limit as they go up against enemies who are far more clever and stronger than them. After reaching Wall Maria, Eren goes up against the Armored and the Colossal Titan, while Erwin and Levi deal with the Beast Titan. It takes countless sacrifices – including Armin – to retake the wall, but they succeed. The aftermath of the battle included the death of Erwin and Bertholdt, and Armin became the Colossal Titan. Soon after, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Hange, and Levi go to Grish’s basem*nt, and there they find the truth about the world beyond the walls.

Eren learned that his father came from a land beyond the sea called Marley, where he had a whole life, including an elder son named Zeke Yeager. In Marley, the Eldians are treated as second-class citizens, and those who defy orders are either killed or sent to Paradis Island and turned into Pure Titans. Nothing devastated Eren more than to know that the monsters they had been killing all this time were actually humans once. His father’s writings also revealed the details about the Founding Titan and how it could be used to bend the Subjects of Ymir to one’s will. After these events, Queen Historia holds a ceremony to honor the heroes of Shinganshina. However, when Eren kisses her hand, he unlocks memories of his father and his future memories, which were passed down to his father after inheriting the Attack Titan. This meant that Eren could now see the past and the future, the choices he was going to make, and their consequences. This is an extremely crucial moment in Eren’s character development and is pretty much responsible for shaping his ideology.

Eren Infiltrates Marley And Raids Liberio

Year 851-854 - Marley Mid-East War

Within a year of the retaking of Wall Maria, Paradis Island was rid of Pure Titans, and the Survey Corps reached the edge of the island for the first time. Although this was the freedom Eren had always dreamed of while living behind the Walls, seeing the blue ocean for the first time brought him a rude awakening rather than joy. To him, this was not freedom but the border that separated the rest of the world which inflicted cruelty on his homeland and people. However, before he could put a seal on their fate, Eren decided to give Marley and the world another chance. So, he embarked on the Marley convoy along with the rest of the Survey Corps to see how they could protect the island.

Before departing for Marley, Eren ponders over the future he has seen and the possible options. In the next three years, Eren and the Eldians planned and strategized how to protect the island with the help of Zeke Yeager, who convinced everyone that he was against Marley. Paradis Island shook hands with Zeke and Yelena, but deep down Eren knew what he had to do. He pretended to go along with Zeke’s plans since he needed his royal blood to activate the Founding’s powers. However, in reality, he was preparing to push all the pieces towards his ultimate plan, which he only shared with Floch and Historia.

Eren had no regard for his life or conscience, he only wanted his friends to escape the same fate as most Eldians. That also included protecting Historia from falling into the hands of the powerful, who sought to turn her into their puppet who would inherit and breed. After that, he and a few Survey Corps departed to Marley to navigate what they were up against, and while most of his colleagues enjoyed their new environment, Eren remained unmoved. It seemed that knowing the future had cemented his path, and it felt almost impossible for him to be swayed by anything, even Mikasa.

After attending a Marleyan meeting and hearing their hatred against Eldians, Eren quietly left his friends and cleverly infiltrated Liberio by cutting off his leg and passing as an injured soldier in the Marley Mid-East War. He later takes the alias Eren Kruger and intentionally befriends Falco, a future Warrior, and uses him to send directions to the Survey Corps. He also meets up with Zeke during that time and ensures his support for the euthanization plan. Just as he planned, Eren placed himself in a building near the Tybur Festival, and before commencing his wrath on the people who were planning to destroy his home, he had a much-needed talk with Reiner. After that, he transforms into the Attack Titan and seeks the War Hammer Titan from the Tybur family. After an intense fight sequence where the Survey Corps also joins in to help him, Eren manages to attain the enemy’s Titan, and they leave for Paradis Island with only a few casualties.

Eren Heads the Yeagerists To Initiate His Plan To Unlock the Founding Titan

Year 854 – War For Paradis Island Arc

Eren Yeager is subdued and put in chains for his insubordination. However, by the time anyone figured out what Eren had done, the Yeagerists had fallen into place just as their leader wanted. Eren later escaped from the prison and ordered his followers to locate Zeke, who was under Levi’s protection. During his attempt to convince Gaby to call out to Marley, he is attacked by Pieck and a small army from Marley who wish to get hold of Eren’s Founding Titan. A battle breaks out between the Yeagerists, Marleyans, and the Survey Corps to protect Eren despite knowing that he was in the wrong. Reiner and the Jaw Titan are one of the few casualties, while those who drank Zeke’s spinal fluid gave into their natural instinct of becoming a Titan. However, just when Eren was about to touch Zeke, Gabi blew away his head with a weapon – but surprisingly, his head landed in Zeke’s hand, and they were taken into The Paths.

There, Zeke took him through his father’s memories, where he realized that everything was according to Eren’s will. He was the one who convinced his father to take the Founding Titan from the Reiss family, so the timeline continued the way it was supposed to be. Surprisingly, Eren also convinced Ymir to give him power because only he understood what she wanted, and that was freedom from her eternal imprisonment. The moment Ymir made her decision, Eren transformed into a magnanimous skeletal Founding Titan who unleashed the millions of Colossal Titans from the walls of Paradis Island. He then continued his march, laying waste to whatever came into his way.

Eren Yeager Meets His Inevitable Fate

Knowing that he had to be stopped, the Survey Corps and the Marleyans conducted a joint operation to stop the Rumbling. They manage to land on Eren’s back along with the Armored, Cart, and Colossal Titan, who are later joined by the Female and the Jaw Titan. The battle for stopping Eren was a long and frustrating affair as Mikasa and the Survey Corps struggled to overcome his and Ymir's will, all the while thinking of salvaging him before it was too late. However, seeing the destruction, they decided that Eren had to die, and Mikasa was the only one to do it. After Armin convinced the past Titans and Zeke in The Paths to help him, Zeke appeared out of the Founding Titan so he could be separated from Eren. After being decapitated by Levi, the Rumbling stopped as the connection was severed, but Eren's power continued to fight.

In their final attempt, everyone paved the way for Mikasa as only she had the right to take down Eren as she looked into the eyes of the love of her life and cut off his head. Although they won the battle, they were too late because Eren had managed to destroy 80% of humanity before his demise. It would make Eren seem the ultimate villain because of his genocidal plan, but there were several complexities behind his actions, most of them related to a maddening goal of ensuring Paradis’s survival. Eren was only thinking about his people, and he went on to become a mass murderer to ensure that the world would not be abusing the people of Paradis Island for centuries.

Attack On Titan

TV-MA

Action

Adventure

Original title: Shingeki no Kyojin.
After his hometown is destroyed and his mother is killed, young Eren Jaeger vows to cleanse the earth of the giant humanoid Titans that have brought humanity to the brink of extinction in Attack on Titan.

Release Date

September 28, 2013

Cast

Bryce Papenbrook , Yûki Kaji , Marina Inoue , Hiro Shimono , Takehito Koyasu , Jessie James Grelle

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

4 Seasons

Studio

Wit Studios, MAPPA

Creator

Hajime Isayama

Number of Episodes

98 Episodes