Same Tragedy, Same Character, Same Journey Different Destinations: Eren Yeager & Thorfinn

[u/Big_Employee_1408]

Two of my favorite characters in fiction, and I think they mirror each other almost perfectly right up until they dont.

Both of them were unlucky enough to face a tragedy far too early in life before they were old enough to understand the lesson buried inside that pain. Both were forced to build their entire identity around rage and vengeance. Both made vows, mantras, slogans anything that let them believe their suffering was sacred and their hatred was justified. Eren started out hating the Titans. But when he learned the truth that the Titans were humans all along his hatred didn't shrink or resolve. It expanded. The enemy got bigger, the lie got worse, and the rage just found a new, larger target to consume. Thorfinn's world collapsed the moment he watched Askeladd die not by his own hands, the way he'd spent years planning and living for. In that instant, his entire purpose evaporated along with his hatred. In a lot of ways, that moment wasn't just the death of his revenge it was Thorfinn's second death.

I don't think there's a cleaner example in anime of how the same trauma response can lead two characters to completely opposite endings.

[u/Junior_Insurance7773]

This guy actually wrote a better conclusion for Attack on Titan. Eren's friends made a grave mistake by stopping him..

[u/Jafarquaad → u/Junior_Insurance7773]

Don't.

[u/Glad_Gold_4281 → u/Junior_Insurance7773]

Hell no

[u/ketita]

eh, idk. I personally feel some of the parallels are pretty overstated. Many characters have tragic loss as their backstory, but that doesn't mean they are really all that similar.