The Surprising Number Of Titans Eren Kills As A Human In Attack On Titan
Creator Hajime Isayama's "Attack on Titan" series isn't particularly lighthearted fare. The popular series, which began as a 65-page one-shot, is a dark fantasy post-apocalyptic story where humanity faces off against massive monstrous titans that can decimate villages and cities easily. Yet to simply label "Attack On Titan" as an anime "David vs. Goliath" story with complex zip lines is merely a disservice. The series does showcase spectacular action scenes that rival many of its peers, but "Attack On Titan" is also high on binge-worthy drama. There are layers of unexpected betrayals, shocking twists, and enough human tragedy to make "Neon Genesis Evangelion" sport a wry grin.
The series has resonated with so many anime fans, and part of the reason is thanks to protagonist Eren Yeager. In Season 4, Eren's status and goals have now become complex. However, at the start of the series, his aim is more straightforward, as Eren uses his hatred of Titans to become a part of the very force that makes a living killing them. Thanks to his ability to change into a Titan, Eren's kill count, while transformed, is nearly unrivaled. But when it comes to taking down the creatures in human form, the number is surprisingly low.
Technically, Eren has only killed one Titan as a human
In the series, Eren achieves the rank of 5th in the Survey Corps, so as a human, he's clearly got the skills to take down a Titan. But in the series, he rarely kills any of the creatures when not in Titan form. In fact, Eren doesn't actually get his first Titan kill as a human until Season 2. In the episode "Historia" (via Crunchyroll), during a battle in Utgard, Eren expertly shows off the fruits of his rigorous training as he manages to slice the nape of one Titan. Proud of his achievement, Eren exclaims, "I did it! I killed my first Titan!" And sadly, that's it as far he goes when it comes to confirmed human form kills — unless we get laxer with technicalities.
See, if we ease up a bit, we could also include Eren's defeat of the Colossal Titan in Episode 54, as he is the one who manages to defeat the monster and retrieve its host, Bertholdt Hoover. However, giving Eren the kill in that episode undermines the team effort it took to defeat the Colossal Titan. Besides, while Eren makes the decisive cut on the Colossal Titan, it's Armin who ultimately kills its host and inherits their power. We could also include the Smiling Titan's death in the Season 2 finale, as Eren's scream causes other Titans to come and murder it. But it's murky to include it as the action was unintentional on Eren's part; not to mention, he uses a bit of his Founder Titan power.
Whether we add the additional Titan kills or not, the fact remains that Eren's Titan kill count remains in the single digits as a human.