10 Anime Characters Like Eren Yeager from Attack on Titan

Fans of intense and complex anime characters like Eren Yeager from Attack on Titan will find plenty of similar personalities. He is known for his extreme changeover from a stubborn soldier to a complex, morally gray anti-hero.

Many anime protagonists, and even antagonists, walk identical paths of sorrow, mutiny, and transition. These characters' development echoes with fanatics who relish morally gray heroes.

Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion. Readers’ discretion is advised.

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1. Rock (Black Lagoon)

Rock is one of those anime characters, like Eren Yeager, who undergo a major psychological shift. Jumping off as a regular office worker, he is unexpectedly flung into a lawless underworld of mercenaries and criminality. Initially upholding his moral compass in the corrupt world of Roanapur, Rock slowly adopts the darkness around him, making increasingly incontrovertible decisions to survive.

The way Rock justifies his slip into criminality while adhering to fragments of his former self showcases the same internal struggle that depicts Eren's character. He struggles between keeping his humanity and adapting to a ruthless world.

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2. Lelouch (Code Geass)

If you are into anime characters like Eren Yeager, Lelouch is a top-tier comparison. He starts off fighting against an oppressive empire, but becomes what he once hated to make real change. His calculated approach to rebellion and his readiness to sacrifice innocents for his ultimate goal is an even bigger scheme than Eren's final gambit in Attack on Titan.

The similarity between Lelouch's Zero Requiem and Eren's rumbling displays how both characters clutch martyrdom and villainy. They adopt extreme steps for what they believe is a noble cause.

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3. Kazuya Kinoshita (Rent a Girlfriend)

Kazuya might seem out of place in a list of anime characters like Eren Yeager, but he transmits that vigorous instability and internal chaos. He repeatedly negates himself, lashes out, and locks into self-loathing. Kazuya's desperate search for a genuine connection reproduces Eren's desperate fight for freedom, albeit in broadly different contexts.

Both these characters reminisce about the painful messiness of human emotions, making them relatable in different but real ways. Their incapacity to sustain healthy relationships emanates from deep-seated insecurities.

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4. Hachiman (Oregairu)

Another surprising entry among anime characters like Eren Yeager, Hachiman is a cynical, emotionally closed-off teen who rejects social norms. Similar to Eren, he wrestles with identity, loneliness, and the cost of truly understanding others. Their stories revolve around inner change and the desire to protect something, even if it means pushing everyone away.

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5. Erwin Smith (Attack on Titan)

Erwin is perhaps the most direct answer when you think of anime characters like Eren Yeager. Both come from the same universe and share a drive that sacrifices personal happiness for the greater good. His willingness to sacrifice soldiers for strategic victories foreshadows Eren's ultimate sacrifice of global populations.

Their leadership styles are fearless, their convictions unshakeable, and their willingness to die for a cause overwhelming. Erwin and Eren embody what it means to carry the weight of humanity on one’s shoulders.

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6. Shou Tucker (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Though not a protagonist, Shou Tucker fits into the category of anime characters like Eren Yeager due to his descent into darkness through warped logic. Tucker sacrifices what is most precious to him in the name of progress, believing his actions are justified.

In his later stages, Eren also crosses moral lines for what he believes is the greater good. Tucker represents the terrifying possibility that anyone can abandon their moral foundation when confronted with losing everything they've worked to achieve. It was something Eren faced internally.

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7. Lucy (Elfen Lied)

Lucy is an emotionally challenging anime character like Eren Yeager, shaped by years of pain, denial, and cruelty. Her double nature, kind yet deadly, pushes her story one of cataclysm and devastation. Her genocidal inclinations originate from trauma and systematic oppression, much like Eren's hatred grows from witnessing humanity's cruelty.

Lucy's points of vulnerability and frantic desire for acceptance disclose the humanity beneath the monster. Like Eren, she acts out of deep trauma and seeks revenge against a world that hurt her.

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8. Kotomine Kirei (Fate/Zero and Stay Night)

While many anime characters like Eren Yeager grapple with complex emotions, Kotomine Kirei stands apart with his profound philosophical depth and haunting introspection. He starts his story groping empty and lost, much like post-time-skip Eren.

Kotomine's intellectual method to evil reflects Eren's rationalization of genocide as essential freedom. Their expeditions are driven by the pursuit of meaning in a world that seems empty. Both welcome violence as a form of purpose, creating peace with the idea of being villains.

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9. Adonis (The Kingdom of Ruin)

Adonis is the epitome of vengeance, making him a potent nominee among anime characters like Eren Yeager. After losing everything, he seeks vindication against those in power, no matter the cost.

Similar to Eren, he becomes a spear of destruction, not for recognition, but for righteousness twisted by sentiment. Their resemblance lies in their unflagging mission, sacrifice, and the dark paths they prefer to walk alone.

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10. Ken Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul)

Ken Kaneki is one of the most relatable anime characters, like Eren Yeager. Both commence as impotent and kind, only to become hardened soldiers caught between two worlds. They tussle with monstrous changeovers that grant them awful power while alienating them from humanity.

The psychological agony both characters experience shapes their worldview and explains their increasingly radical measures. Kaneki’s psychological unrest and his conversion into something feared yet grieving are a direct reflection of Eren’s own fate and inner collapse.

Whether it's revenge, liberation, or inner chaos, these anime characters like Eren Yeager all transmit their deep rage. Their paths aren't always gallant, but that makes them exceptional. They are the endless appeal of morally convoluted characters who question established heroic archetypes.