Eren Yeager was the main protagonist of the Attack on Titan series and one of the most powerful Titan Shifters. Like typical anime heroes, he has grown significantly stronger since the beginning of the story, with his progress defined through the many difficult challenges he was forced to overcome.
By the time of the Marleyan invasion, the entire world viewed Eren as a threat to their very existences. By identifying the ways he has gotten stronger since the story’s start, we can better appreciate the might he offers to Paradis — for better and for worse.
WARNING: Manga spoilers ahead.
10 Eren Gained The Attack Titan From Grisha Yeager
Shortly after the fall of Shiganshina, Grisha passed the Attack and Founding Titans down to Eren Yeager. This would save his life almost immediately, as he would’ve been devoured by a Pure Titan in Trost if not for his father’s foresight.
Simultaneously, it put a target on his back. Because Eren now wielded the Coordinate, he became the sole target of the Warriors and their mission. Should he have been kidnapped successfully, his entire race might have been doomed.
9 Eren Learned To Control The Attack Titan
Inexplicably, Eren did not have full mastery over the Attack Titan’s strength at first. When transforming to save Trost from a Titan assault, he went berserk and took a swing at Mikasa. His behavior is dissimilar to any other Titan Zhifter, especially those like Bertholdt, who were able to master their strength upon the first usage of their abilities.
Nonetheless, Armin’s pleading and a little patience gave Eren what he needed to calm down and use his powers productively in the service of Paradis. Moreover, it helped to foster trust with the rest of Eldian humanity.
8 Eren Mastered ODM Gear During His Training With The Scouts
Although he seldom uses it, Eren mastered ODM gear during his formal training in the Cadet Corps. Keith Shadis noted that while Eren might lack the natural talent of Mikasa, he was handily the most driven member of the 104th.
Eren’s affinity with ODM gear would pay dividends in the final battle against Bertholdt. Armin willingly sacrificed himself as a distraction so that Eren could scale up the Colossal Titan from behind and slice the nape of his neck. His actions procured what would become Paradis’ most powerful weapon.
7 Eren Learned Annie Leonhart’s Fighting Style
It may not have seemed practical at the time, but Eren prospered immensely from learning hand-to-hand combat in the Cadet Corps. Specifically, he was able to study and imitate Annie’s moves with such success that he even managed to defeat her in their second encounter.
His acquired fighting style wouldn’t exclusively be useful against her. Eren also employed Annie’s agile pugilism against Reiner in order to get him in an arm bar. The Attack Titan would’ve won if the Colossal’s skeletal corpse didn’t collide with him from atop a fifty meter wall.
6 Eren Acquired Fantastic Healing Abilities
In order to prove his harmlessness, Levi pulverized Eren in front of Dhalis Zachary. The beating was so brutal that he even managed to knock out one of Eren’s teeth.
Later, it was discovered that Eren’s mouth and missing tooth had healed as if he’d never been injured in the first place. Such a revelation underscored one of the greatest perks of being a Titan Shifter: they can heal from virtually any injury, including limb amputation and full impact explosives.
5 Eren Earned The Support Of The Yeagerist Movement
When analyzing a character’s strength, it’s important to measure political power just as much as physical might. Through Eren’s actions in Marley, he gained the support of Floch and the Yeagerist movement.
Not only were they responsible for eradicating Eren’s social enemies, like Dhalis Zachary and the current military leaders of Paradis, they stood their ground against Reiner, Annie, and the other dissenters when the Rumbling finally began. Floch’s sabotage of the aircraft made it virtually impossible for them to catch up with Eren and forced them to rely on Falco’s Jaw Titan as a substitute.
4 Eren Learned Hardening Below Rod Reiss’ Cathedral
Eren learned and first used his hardening abilities to protect his friends from Rod Reiss’ explosive transformation. Stunned by his newfound power, it would later be used by the forces of Paradis to mend the crisis of the walls. With proper training, the Attack Titan could patch up the borders without using boulders and even helped Hange build an automated killing contraption.
Eren’s hardening also had more practical uses, such as smashing through Reiner’s armor and causing him significant harm.
3 Eren Became Physically Stronger After Years Of Training
Eren’s innate physical strength has improved considerably since childhood. In addition to becoming an adult and all of the physical advantages that entails, he has also trained until his body was muscled from shoulder to toe.
He had a rare opportunity to present his natural prowess during an impromptu brawl with Armin. Despite how his friend had significantly more experience fighting as a human, he managed to put him down in a matter of seconds with his fists alone. When combined with Annie’s aforementioned martial arts, Eren has become a fearsome warrior even without the Attack Titan.
2 Eren Ate The War Hammer Titan To Gain Its Power
During the battle for Marley, Eren took a keen interest in consuming Lara Tybur’s War Hammer Titan. Since the crystal shell she surrounded herself in was impervious to his teeth and fists, he used Porco’s Jaw in order to crush her defenses and drink her blood.
Now possessing the strength of three Titan Shifters simultaneously to supplement his already formidable combat experience, Eren arguably became the strongest character in the series, aside from the Colossal Titan and Levi Ackerman, even without the Founder’s power.
1 Eren Received Unrestrained Access To The Founding Titan’s Power After Speaking With Ymir
After Eren used Zeke in order to enter the Paths, he found Ymir and spoke with her about the merits of freedom. Since his sentiments resonated with her, she chose him over his half-brother despite the man’s royal blood and connection to King Fritz.
Consequently, Eren gained the unrestrained power of the Founding Titan and complete control of the Eldian race. Once he awakened the Titans within the Walls, the coming casualties would be unavoidable and appallingly high. Moreover, the catastrophe solidified Paradis as an enemy of humanity.
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