Attack On Titan: 10 Times Zeke Was The Series' Best Villain - CBR

Zeke Yeager is one of the best characters in Attack On Titan. From a young age, he was expected to save the Eldians in Marley since his parents led the Eldian Restorationists. However, he was forced to betray them and became a warrior. As the inheritor of the Beast Titan, he killed a lot of Survey Corps soldiers and deceived people all over the world.

RELATED: Attack On Titan: 10 Things You Should Know About The Yeagers

While some fans consider Zeke to be a hero for being motivated to end the conflict that lasted for centuries, most people can't forgive him due to all of the terrible things that he has done. Therefore, some fans consider Zeke to be Attack On Titan's best villain.

10 He Planned To Stop Eldians From Reproducing

Because the majority of the world discriminated against Eldians and most Eldians lived terrible lives, Zeke felt that it would be best for everyone if Eldians no longer existed. He was never happy due to the way he was treated since birth and thought that if Eldians no longer reproduced, the children who would have been born would be spared from similar pain.

Once he learned that he'd be able to stop Eldians from reproducing with the power of the Founding Titan, he did everything that he could to make his plan a reality. Most Eldians disagreed with Zeke and felt that he had no right to stop them from having children.

9 He Turned The Citizens Of Ragako Into Titans

One of Zeke's best abilities was that he could turn Eldians into Titans without them being injected with Titan serum. When he first arrived at Paradis, he went to Ragako and turned its citizens into Titans.

The Survey Corps originally believed that Wall Rose had been damaged and that the Titans were entering through a hole in Wall Rose, only to be shocked when they figured out that Titans are people. While Zeke helped them realize where Titans came from, he also used the Titans to attack them and ruined the Ragako villagers' lives.

8 He Killed Mike

At the beginning of Attack On Titan, Mike was the second strongest soldier in Paradis, just shy of Levi's strength. When Mike encountered the Beast Titan, he was shocked to hear Zeke speak to him, asking about his ODM Gear.

RELATED: Attack On Titan: 10 Ways Zeke Impacted The Story

Too terrified to respond or even move, Zeke commanded the Titans from Ragako to kill Mike. With the Survey Corps losing one of its most powerful members, they were at a great disadvantage when fighting Zeke and the other warriors later on.

7 He Attacked Utgard Castle

After killing Mike, Zeke had the Titans from Ragako attack Utgard Castle and its soldiers, including his own comrades, Reiner and Bertholdt. The soldiers were able to fight off the Titans for some time. When Utgard Castle started coming down and she fought the Titans from Ragako, Ymir revealed that she was the inheritor of the Jaw Titan.

As she did, many other Survey Corps soldiers arrived to save her, as well as Reiner, Bertholdt, Historia, and Connie. This left Zeke without his Titan army.

6 He Killed A Lot Of Survey Corps Soldiers

While Zeke no longer had the Ragako Titans, he did reunite with Bertholdt and Reiner. The three of them took on the soldiers in Shiganshina. Bertholdt and Reiner fought their former friends who they manipulated for years. Zeke threw rocks at Erwin, the Survey Corps' commander, along with many other soldiers.

Zeke killed nearly every Survey Corp he fought, with the two exceptions being Floch and Levi. Both sides lost a lot during the battle while earning only minor victories. Before things could get worse, Zeke retreated to Marley with his surviving comrades.

5 He Betrayed Marley

While the Survey Corps seemed to be the main protagonists throughout most of Attack On Titan, the perspective of the narrative was changed after the battle in Shiganshina. Zeke had a lot of comrades in Marley who were heroes in their own right.

However, he secretly began communicating with the Survey Corps behind their backs and joined forces with them to get closer to Eren. Zeke needed Eren to make his plan become a reality. As the Survey Corps invaded Marley, Zeke faked his death and returned to Paradis with them, tricking and betraying the comrades he fought with for years.

4 He Transformed Levi's Soldiers Into Titans

Though Zeke began working with the Survey Corps, they didn't trust him. He was constantly watched by Levi and many other soldiers. All of the people that watched him, with the exception of Levi, drank Zeke's spinal fluid without knowing it.

RELATED: Attack On Titan: The Yeagers' 10 Best Fights

When Zeke was ready to get away from them and meet up with Eren so they could get inside the coordinate, he used his screaming power to transform them into Titans. Levi had no choice but to fight his former comrades.

3 He Almost Killed Levi

After Levi defeated his allies who had transformed into Titans, he fought Zeke again. Levi could have won this fight but instead of killing Zeke, he decided to take him in as his own prisoner. Levi wrapped a thunder spear around Zeke's neck.

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Levi thought that Zeke wouldn't try to escape as the thunder spear would have blown up if he moved too much. This turned out to be a huge error as Zeke set off the thunder spear to explode, hurting them both. Ymir Fritz revived Zeke and Levi was rescued by Hange.

2 He Transformed Everyone Who Drank His Spinal Fluid At Shiganshina Into Titans

Once Zeke returned to Shiganshina to meet up with Eren, the Yeager brothers had to fight Marley as they invaded Paradis. Since many Eldians drank Zeke's spinal fluid, he decided to use his screaming power once more to make another army of Titans.

Before he did, Colt (one of his former comrades), begged Zeke to wait for him and Falco to get away safely. Zeke refused, turning Falco into a Titan. This action killed Colt, as he was too close to his brother during the transformation. Falco then ate Porco, another one of Zeke's former comrades, giving him the power of the Jaw Titan. Additionally, the Survey Corps had to kill other soldiers in their own military.

1 He Accidentally Helped Eren Inherit The Founding And Attack Titans

When the Yeager brothers finally went inside of the coordinate, Eren revealed that instead of helping Zeke, he had plans of his own. He would use the Founding Titan to begin the Rumbling and kill the majority of the human race. Hoping that Eren would change his mind, Zeke tried to convince his younger brother that Grisha had brainwashed him by going back in time and following their father around.

Once they reached the moment where Grisha killed the Reiss family, Zeke learned that Eren was able to communicate with their father. Zeke also learned that he was the one who ordered him to give his past self the Founding and Attack Titans. Though he never meant for it to happen, Zeke helped give Eren the powers he needed to begin the Rumbling.

NEXT: Attack On Titan: 10 Times Eren Was The Series' Best Villain