Discussion Eren's murderous tendencies

[TheOwl]

Am I the only one around here that finds the fact that a 9 year old boy was able to kill two grown men very scary? I'm not talking about the difference in physique between two grown men and a kid, but the fact that Eren was mentally capable of such an act.

Kids are known to be especially cruel at times, because they do not think of the consequences their acts have, but Eren's acts make me seriously question the way he was brought up by his parents. Do 9 year olds even know what human trafficking is?

 

[Demonspeed]

I think he let explode his frustration. Even as a child he was the only one thinking seriously to win against Titans. You need to have some maturity to think about things like that IMO. And, creepy children do exist IRL .

For him these guys weren't even human. They were trash.

 

[Beatrice]

Yeah but still, we're talking about a 9 or 10 year old who clearly had a plan to kill these Slave Traders violently and in cold blood.

While I have no sympathy for the MP, I do agree with Nile on questioning this.

Ain't a matter of not thinking of consequences due to Age, maturity or just being naive not knowing what he does but doing so in cold blood without hesitation as a plan as if it's the most normal thing to do in the world.

 

[ArtIristic]

Erens parents seems like they really care about him. His father was rather shocked at Erens actions, and his mother isn't too fond of his violent outburst. Ok, his father was more worried about Eren nearly getting killed, than y'know, killing 2 people, and talking an innocent girl into killing another one. (Dad of the year?)
I don't see how you can raise a kid to be like that. Everyone else seems to have a decent grasp at what's right or wrong.
Ok, except those other 3 kids, but their actions were not of their own choice, and was more forced on them.

Maybe he was just bullied a lot as a kid, and that may be why he was so unfazed about his violent behaviors.
I was bullied as a kid, and I was prone to a few outburst. One was especially violent, but I've grown out of it since then thankfully. I thank bunnies for making me a much more calm person.
Eren needs a bunny too.

 

[BobobVanBlob]

Erens parents seems like they really care about him. His father was rather shocked at Erens actions, and his mother isn't too fond of his violent outburst. Ok, his father was more worried about Eren nearly getting killed, than y'know, killing 2 people, and talking an innocent girl into killing another one. (Dad of the year?)

Go talk with Gendo and Hohenheim about the dad of the year. I think there is a comic with the three best dads you could expect in anime going to Hawai or something.

And Mikasa, the epitome of a yandere, an innocent girl?

 

[TheOwl]

I think he let explode his frustration. Even as a child he was the only one thinking seriously to win against Titans. You need to have some maturity to think about things like that IMO. And, creepy children do exist IRL .

For him these guys weren't even human. They were trash.

He was frustrated, but the way he planned and acted so he could catch the kidnappers by surprise, makes Eren's murder a premeditated one. That is way beyond creepy.

Erens parents seems like they really care about him. His father was rather shocked at Erens actions, and his mother isn't too fond of his violent outburst. Ok, his father was more worried about Eren nearly getting killed, than y'know, killing 2 people, and talking an innocent girl into killing another one. (Dad of the year?)
I don't see how you can raise a kid to be like that. Everyone else seems to have a decent grasp at what's right or wrong.
Ok, except those other 3 kids, but their actions were not of their own choice, and was more forced on them.

Maybe he was just bullied a lot as a kid, and that may be why he was so unfazed about his violent behaviors.
I was bullied as a kid, and I was prone to a few outburst. One was especially violent, but I've grown out of it since then thankfully. I thank bunnies for making me a much more calm person.
Eren needs a bunny too.

Well, when a relative gets into a life and death situation, you tend to be worried more about his/her safety rather than his/her sanity. The latter comes afterwards. Armin was the bullied one though, Eren just got beat up for trying to protect him, which is almost as bad, I guess. As a former victim of bullying I used to be prone to outbursts too, but I never tried to do anything close to murder. I don't think bunnies will do any good though. Nothing short of revenge will calm Eren down.

And Mikasa, the epitome of a yandere, an innocent girl?

Before her first kill, she was one indeed.

 

[Super Sonic]

Am I the only one around here that finds the fact that a 9 year old boy was able to kill two grown men very scary? I'm not talking about the difference in physique between two grown men and a kid, but the fact that Eren was mentally capable of such an act.

Kids are known to be especially cruel at times, because they do not think of the consequences their acts have, but Eren's acts make me seriously question the way he was brought up by his parents. Do 9 year olds even know what human trafficking is?

Different times, different circumstances and different values.

It is not the act but the reason behind any act that determines whether you could be labeled as dangerous to others and, sometimes, to who.

Eren is not a murderer or has murderous intent. He saw a friend of his in trouble by people who had absolutely no regard for her life.

What was he supposed to do? Say, "Bad, bad, bad! If you do it again, you'll turn into a rat".

 

[220kz]

Thanks for pointing it out OP.

Without big interpretations i think it's to flesh out
Erens character his determination it's truly unusual behavior
because most people flee from a fight it's even more true
if the odds are against them and if the have no proper training.
Eren on the other hand seeks the fight rushes straight at the enemy
frequently fought with bullies.
He helped Mikasa like she'd been his sister all along and before
that he got into fights for Armin.

What was he supposed to do? Say, "Bad, bad, bad! If you do it again, you'll turn into a rat".

No but ordinary things would have been running away to get help from his
father or anyone he can get hold of or to hide and watch in terror,
not going in there like a little Commando.

If you want big interpretations however:

Spoiler

what if Eren was brought up in the much rougher enviroment
outside the walls if he became a roaming titan like
Ymir and ate a shifter friend of Grisha who then took the confused child in
maybe even suppressed his memories to make him live a peaceful life/
use for research that would have had an impact on his psyche.

 

[Super Sonic]

Thanks for pointing it out OP.

Without big interpretations i think it's to flesh out
Erens character his determination it's truly unusual behavior
because most people flee from a fight it's even more true
if the odds are against them and if the have no proper training.
Eren on the other hand seeks the fight rushes straight at the enemy
frequently fought with bullies.
He helped Mikasa like she'd been his sister all along and before
that he got into fights for Armin.



No but ordinary things would have been running away to get help from his
father or anyone he can get hold of or to hide and watch in terror,
not going in there like a little Commando.

If you want big interpretations however:

Spoiler

what if Eren was brought up in the much rougher enviroment
outside the walls if he became a roaming titan like
Ymir and ate a shifter friend of Grisha who then took the confused child in
maybe even suppressed his memories to make him live a peaceful life/
use for research that would have had an impact on his psyche.

Trust me...in a life-or-death situation, you are either scared shitless and end up being a casualty, luck is against you and you end up being a casualty or you man up and say, "It's me or him/her" and do the deed.

That doesn't make you a murderer.

As for the rest, it can't be possible on Eren's case. After all, he was born naturally. He wasn't roaming outside the walls in some "past life".

 

[Beatrice]

Dude, none of that matters.We're talking about a Child killing in cold blood.Environment?Yeah if he grew up among a band of Bandits.Times?Doesn't explain why it's only him.Circumstances?Any normal Kid would gtfo instead of butchering these guys down.

And Mikasa, the epitome of a yandere, an innocent girl?

Mikasa is no Yandere.

 

[ArtIristic]

Dude, none of that matters.We're talking about a Child killing in cold blood.Environment?Yeah if he grew up among a band of Bandits.Times?Doesn't explain why it's only him.Circumstances?Any normal Kid would gtfo instead of butchering these guys down.

There might be more to Eren's childhood than we were shown. His father or maybe someone he knew long ago made him like that. Maybe Coordinate powers made him like that.

Also, I wonder how Carla reacted when she found out about this whole incident.
"Eren, if you ever do it again, you'll have to clean the blood up yourself."

"Also, we only have 2 beds in this house"

 

[220kz]

That doesn't make you a murderer.

I agree on that but seeing a murder scene then killing
the murderers and almost getting killed yourself
then just shrugging it off by saying that the weren't human.

That's something I would expect from Watchmen's Rohrschach
a fanatic (SS Man) or a cop working in a really bad enviroment
who has gone cynic but a ~10 year old boy who from what
we know seems to have grown up in a rural area with
decent parents that's just way off scale...

As for the rest, it can't be possible on Eren's case. After all, he was born naturally.

Do we? From what i get he could have adopted him or experimented on him.
Even if we see Carla with him in her childbed i'd be reluctant to claim him he's all natural.

Also, I wonder how Carla reacted when she found out about this whole incident.

First she was like:

Spoiler

but then:

Spoiler

 

[TheOwl]

I don't think that Grisha would have experimented on Eren, but being a doctor, he would not have time for Eren, as much a father with another job would. Parental neglect would be a good guess, but then again, from what little we have seen, Eren seemed to have a good relationship with his father.

Karla could have had any kind of reaction varying from yelling and maybe slapping Eren, to breaking down in tears and hugging him while telling him that everything would be alright and Eren would never have to experience the same thing again. As I have said before, I'm no parent, so I don't know how I would've reacted if my hypothetical 9 year old son would kill to save somebody else.

Eren did the most logical thing, there's no questioning it. And to do the most logical thing is not the same as doing the right thing, quite the opposite, in fact. Had he waited for the MP and Grisha the traffickers would've escaped. Most 9 year olds would've crapped their pants, cried and accomplished nothing. The rest would've called for help and probably let the traffickers escape.

 

[220kz]

And Mikasa, the epitome of a yandere, an innocent girl?

It's funny cause Mikasa was perfectly normal back then the frightened
child who could barely comprehend what just happened.

Some people even argue that Eren used his coordinate ability
to help her muster up the courage to save his ass - no fan of that.
His behavior/speech back then had a huge impact on her pov
making her a harder person combined with her love interest being
exposed to danger pretty much all the time it's no wonder people
deem her yandere but i agree with Beatrice she isn't one.

I don't think that Grisha would have experimented on Eren

But he did gave him the injection that presumably made him a shifter+coordinate.
He didn't use it on himself - could he not? Or did he think he did him a favor?

 

[TheOwl]

But he did gave him the injection that presumably made him a shifter+coordinate.
He didn't use it on himself - could he not? Or did he think he did him a favor?

If Grisha knew that the injection would work, it doesn't count as experimenting. As much as many of us would think it's cool to be able to transform into a 15 meter humanoid monster with no genitalia and a healing factor, I don't think that Grisha was doing Eren a favor. He was dumping a huge responsibility on him. As for why he did not use it on himself... who knows?

 

[kkck]

Eren is without a shred of a doubt creepy and certainly crazy. The manga has even capitalized on that a few times. I would go as far as arguing that the people to whom armin referred to as capable of changing the world and send their soldiers to their deaths are all creepy and crazy as balls. It takes a special kind of person to be able to look people in the eye, order them to die and then look at their families and tell them they died for a good cause after all.

 

[TheWanderer]

The case of Eren though is he is reckless but also heroic, the truth is, if he was just a normal person his story would've ended long ago because his personality and how he acted during the first encounter with Titan's was just a testament to hare child-like he was in his ideal of the Titans.

His actions against the kidnappers don't hold over any thought over Eren as a person but rather it's his ideals of just not wanting to see someone close to him get hurt and it did come down to either kill or be killed. It's a traumatic experience and the death of his mother only made things worse.

His mother, killed by Titan's giving Eren an even higher degree of grudge against the Titan's and with the ability in hand he is willing to do whatever it takes to gain revenge, and that's where his flaw is. He fights towards revenge but he also wants to keep those close to him safe, but by fighting for revenge ones actions tend to cause bad things to happen to those around them.

This is a perfect case in point when they were trying to capture the female titan they in a sense relied on Eren to take her down or at least be the one to weaken and subdue her but because he wasn't effecient in using his skills at the times, a lot of causalities were suffered.

Then again it happened when he was captured, because they see him as the hope of humanity they went after him to retrieve him but they lost some good people because of Eren.

Then it's happening at this very moment, in hopes of overthrowing the government and using both Eren and Historia the name as "hostages" that were taken in, a few people were already killed in cold blood to thwart their plan.

Overall though, Eren's bloodlust is a manifestation of both the traumatic event he went through with Mikasa and the lost of his mother. He was already aware of that feeling of wanting someone to die, to kill them, to eradicate them to protect a person close to them and that inability to do that for his Mom did cause him to snap and it's a grudge he most likely will never get over but it will most likely continue to be his driving force because the more people that die at the hands of titans the stronger his bloodlust becomes because he just doesn't want anyone to die.

What's a scary thought now however is how is Eren going to react when he learns that humans are killing humans that some of the people on his side are already dead and the person whom he thought would be ok was also killed. (unless he alrdy knows her died but I forgot)

 

[PatternAgainstUser]

What Eren did to the kidnappers was both justified and creepy (admittedly, it's especially creepy since he seems less interested in defending mikasa than punishing her attackers). Sometimes you need to do terrible things to defend a cause, but you're still responsible for the damage you caused, no matter how necessary it was. Another way of stating the same ideology: violent behavior is always disturbing, but it can be put to good use. I mean, that's why Levi is a heroic soldier in one context and a dangerous criminal in another. I would say that the idea of abandoning your humanity for the greater good is probably the major theme of the series. The titan shifters' ability to literally become monsters is a pretty obvious metaphor for this.

Anyway I hope Eren's rage continues to be explored. (I'd really like to see a moment where his drive to punish titans makes him do something seriously damaging to humankind.)

 

[220kz]

Anyway I hope Eren's rage continues to be explored.
(I'd really like to see a moment where his drive to punish titans
makes him do something seriously damaging to humankind.)

That drives been dealt with when the found out that random humans
like Connie's mom where transformed into titans...

Now he's after the shifters he allready promised to let
R&B die the most excruciating death thus cutting of diplomacy...
And he might not react kindly to his father either depending
how he explains why he left his family at a corner of the walls
when he knew about shifters.

 

[Iownamovingcastle]

I thought I was the only one who thought that scene was strange. I liked it (and all of Mikasa's back story arc) but I have always wondered if, at some point, we will get some explanation for why Eren could calmly and easily murder multiple people. Like, I get that it was a stressful situation and sometimes there were bullies, but there is a huge difference between trying to save someone and saving someone in the manner he did. Calm, collected, planned, ruthless, no hesitation or fear. I would not think that was his first kill.
I don't know if I am overthinking it OR if we will get some sort of explanation at some point that explores more of his childhood. Or maybe he is just a bit crazy.