Recently, a post has gained attention online showcasing one fan’s devotion to the popular anime Attack on Titan. An image was shared on the Instagram page @animenewsexpress displaying a birth certificate registered in New York for a baby boy named Eren Yeager Bonilla.
This name is a clear reference to Eren Yeager, the determined and hot-headed protagonist of Attack on Titan seeking to eradicate the deadly Titans that have nearly wiped out humanity.
The birth certificate was issued by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on November 27th, 2023, meaning this child will likely carry that name and connection to the iconic anime for his entire childhood and into adulthood.
The online post has unsurprisingly resonated with both fans of Attack on Titan and the anime community at large, sparking discussion around the merits and drawbacks of selecting such a distinctive name from popular culture for one’s child.
An Attack on Titan fan names his baby “Eren Yeager” 😭 pic.twitter.com/2qfN0O2KX6
— Attack on Titan (@AoTJewels) December 7, 2023
While some argue that the name pays loving tribute to a character who displays qualities like bravery, loyalty, and unwavering resolve in the face of impossible odds, others contend that saddling a child with the weight of expectations from a fictional icon could prove overly burdensome in real life.
But at the end of the day, this choice seems to stem from a place of meaningful personal connection to the series. It’s an unusually creative demonstration of fandom, even if the real-world implications remain complex.
NY Registration Sparks Intense Debate Over Attack on Titan Baby Name
The controversial ending of the iconic anime Attack on Titan showed protagonist Eren Yeager’s consciousness lingering on as a bird after his death, leaving open the possibility that he could one day return in human form.
This prompted one social media user, Aster John, to jokingly suggest that the real-life newborn named after Eren should be taken on a worldwide tour immediately, “lest he should…you know…” alluding to Eren’s horrific genocidal rampage known as the Rumbling from the series.
While comparing Eren to figures like Hitler may seem extreme, it cannot be ignored that he is likely one of the most devastating mass murderers in anime history, having been directly responsible for wiping out over 80% of the entire human population with over 1 billion casualties.
When confessing his true motives to his friend Armin, Eren admitted that while the survival of his people was a factor, the Rumbling was ultimately driven by his own pent-up rage and bitter disappointment toward those beyond the walls. In his own words: “I wanted to see this sight. I don’t know why. I just wanted to do it.”
Regardless of how one interprets Eren’s mental state leading up to this catastrophic event, naming a child after such an infamously angry and violent figure has intriguing implications.
But perhaps like the morally ambiguous Eren himself, weighting that fictional legacy resting on one’s shoulders could inspire more constructive purposes in real life. Only time will tell whether this boy chooses to harness that power to destroy or protect.
The Real-World Impact of Shonen Icons on New Generations
The recent viral birth certificate for Eren Yeager Bonilla is not an isolated case of parents naming their children after iconic anime characters.
Just last year in 2022, there was another baby boy given an elaborate multi-part name pulled from several popular Shonen anime series: Ichigo D. Yeager Guts Kenpachi Cruz.
This naming choice references protagonists from One Piece (Ichigo D), Attack on Titan (Yeager), Berserk (Guts), and Bleach (Kenpachi), showcasing how meaningful and inspirational these animated stories are for hardcore fans.
While some may question the real-world practicality of branding a child with names carrying great Expectations from fictional icons, this level of creative expression reflects the resonant imprint these anime have left on pop culture.
The larger-than-life qualities of characters like Monkey D. Luffy, Eren Yeager, Guts, and Kenpachi must have profoundly shaped aspects of the parents’ identities to warrant memorializing their son’s name.
Anime is often praised for its ability to capture imaginations and drive connections on an emotional level more deeply than other mediums.
That devotion now lives on in the real world through these uniquely named babies, for better or worse.
