Eren Jaeger is the protagonist of one of the most popular and well-received anime series in the past decade, Attack on Titan. The manga and anime are both celebrated by fans, with the show receiving a highly respectable 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
On Monday, the first episode of the fourth and final season premiered and can be watched on FunimationNOW and Crunchyroll, so those aching to follow Eren's arc further will be able to see him through to the end. In support of the show, we have been sharing conversations with several voice actors behind the main characters.
When we spoke with Eren's voice actor, Bryce Papenbrook (The Seven Deadly Sins, One Punch Man), he talked about his character's intensity and how he goes about delivering it. Bryce actually goes so far as to bruise himself to help express the pain in his performance.
"For me, with Eren, there's a level of intensity that stands out. The show really needed something raw, and it has this, at times, disgusting sound to it. Whereas you might clear your mouth out or rinse your mouth out to avoid clicks or strange noises that your mouth might make. There were definitely many times when I was playing Eren that I didn't do that because I wanted it to sound like blood in my mouth.
There are moments where Eren is in intense pain, biting his hand. So to make it sound as realistic as possible, I bit my hand, and I bit it so hard that I left bruises, but it sounds so authentic and so real. And it's just this, this level of intensity that the show needed. And I really wanted to bring that to the show, that physical-ness of playing Eren as angsty, angry, teenage Eren and then bigger Eren. To be able to do that and let that anger out was just something really unique."
Listen to our full chat with Eren and Armin voice actors Bryce Papenbrook and Josh Grelle below, and be sure to check out the trailer and synopsis for Attack on Titan's final season. Don't forget to share your thoughts in the usual spot!
*This interview has been edited for clarity.*
With Eren and company now at the shoreline and the threat of Marley looming, what’s next for the Scouts and their quest to unravel the mysteries of the Titans, humanity, and more? Well, we’ll just have to find out when Attack on Titan Final Season comes to Funimation.
The final season of Attack on Titan began this week and can be seen on FunimationNOW and Crunchyroll.