Why does Yelena get so much hate in Attack on Titan? Explained

Yelena from Attack on Titan is one of the wisest and most evil characters, who abandoned her own race for selfish reasons, which didn't bore her any fruit later on. Despite being on the side of the Eldian, even though she was Marleyan, Yelena is still one of the most hated characters in the series for several reasons.

The main reason why she is hated by the majority of the fandom is her obsession with becoming one of the biggest saviors to go down in history, through Zeke's euthanasia plan. Moreover, Yelena's traitorous behavior with people of her own blood, along with some other factors during the final part of the series, made her a character that no one particularly liked.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the Attack on Titan series and reflects the author's opinions.

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Attack on Titan: Reasons why Yelena is hated, explained

Yelena as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

Yelena was a devoted follower of Zeke Yeager and the leader of the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers, despite being a Marleyan herself. Born in an unspecified family in Marley, Yelena soon grew offended with her nation due to unknown reasons. However, things changed when Yelena - accompanied by some of her companions - was saved by Zeke Yeager.

After this incident in Attack on Titan, she forgets her past and puts on a fake identity of a soldier from a fallen nation in order to work under Zeke Yeager. She also connected with Zeke's euthanasia plan and developed a self-centered aim to become one of the saviors of this world through Zeke's plan.

Yelena started off as an unlikable character due to her traitorous behavior because she betrayed her own nation due to selfish aims. However, her character development didn't stop there as she continued making herself more unlikeable.

Yelena as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

After following Zeke's plan, she gathered people who agreed with Zeke's plan, forming the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers. The purpose of this organization was to help Zeke in his plan to euthanize the Eldians which would lead to a peaceful future.

During the War of Paradis arc in Attack on Titan, Yelena's acts added to the reason behind the hatred for her. She befriended Commander Pixis when the two sat down, however, after knowing that Pixis had ordered his forces to execute Zeke, she betrayed him in an instant, leading to Pixis and some other officials drinking the wine that had Zeke's spinal fluid in it.

Moreover, she had no feelings for others, be they her comrades or enemies, which became evident when she killed Griez in front of Eldians after he disrespected Sasha Blouse. After the alignment of the remaining Marley and Eldian forces against Eren Yeager, Yelena kept her true feelings hidden and tried her best to make the forces collide.

Yelena after the Rumbling in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

However, when Zeke's plan failed, Yelena became an empty husk because all she ever had in life was his euthanasia plan. So, she became a lifeless body, not caring about the survival of either Eldia or Marley.

She still mustered up the courage to help the Eldia-Marley alliance in return for them admitting that Zeke's euthanasia plan was better than Eren's plan to eradicate everyone. After Eren's demise and the halting of the Rumbling, Yelena was seen helping the people affected by the Rumbling, but it wasn't evident if she felt even a little remorse for her actions.

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