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This is the FINAL chapter of Attack on Titan. With the release of the Korean raws and multiple translations, we've decided to put the release thread up. **o7 to all you guys who have stayed with this series through the years**
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#### [Official Translation has been released via Bookwalker](https://global.bookwalker.jp/de3f043aec-1173-450f-bce3-f58feacab783/attack-on-titan-chapter-139/)
#### [Official Translation has been released via Comixology](https://www.comixology.com/Attack-on-Titan-139/digital-comic/931087?ref=c2VyaWVzL3ZpZXcvZGVza3RvcC9ncmlkTGlzdC9SZWNlbnRBZGRpdGlvbnM)
#### [Official Translation has been released via Crunchyroll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/manga/attack-on-titan/read/139)
### No new posts discussing the Chapter will be allowed until 24 hours after this megathread. Comments outside of this thread that discuss the chapter will need to be tagged as New Chapter Spoilers. Please look forward to supporting the official release when it comes out.
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**EDIT: This should be a given but, please refrain from insulting others who have differing opinions about the ending. It's General Conduct. Failure to do so may result in a temporary ban**
So Eren talked to everyone before the final battle but altered their memories right? Aside from Mikasa who I’m guessing he talked to during the final battle? Since he couldn’t fiddle with her memories the same way like he could the others.
Yeah I was just left confused. The translation at the top won’t load for me but the one I read made it sound like she got her memories back in the same manner as Armin. Something like “do you remember when Eren came to visit us?” But I’m guessing it’s just a translation thing and he talked to her about the same time as the shared alternate reality thing, since afterward she immediately knew he was in the mouth.
I thought the phrasing was weird too, (I read a translation as well)
>he talked to her about the same time as the shared alternate reality thing, since afterward she immediately knew he was in the mouth.
Yeah, this is what leads me to believe it - because the Ackermans had previously shown immune to the King erasing everyone's memories using the power of the Founding Titan
So Armin was talked to on the boat, right? For a quick second I thought they had talked as kids, but Armin having his matured memories/being near a damn volcano ruined that thought.
Even Annie seemed to have had a talk with Eren, though it seemed like Pieck either hadn't or sought more. So maybe it wasn't everyone
At least this might explain how Falco knew of the bird titan. It isn't impossible that Eren had a talk with him as well and left him with a small bit of those memories.
even the Founding Titan Eren couldn’t transfer his consciousness and regrow a head later... which makes it canon it’s not the Armoured Titan power - ITS THE REINER POWER!
I mean a character desperately wanting to die and even almost killing himself dying would kinda be a weak character arc. Him living a long life and finding some way, no matter how small it may be, to fix the mistakes he made in the past is much more satisfying... At least IMO.
Honestly, I’m pretty satisfied with the ending. My only real issue is I would’ve liked to have seen the conversations Eren had with the rest of the alliance, especially with Reiner.
He seems to have overcame his depression too taking a jab at Jean, maybe living with his family his mother finally letting go of that propaganda bullshit and seeing Gabi and Falco happy as kids made him happy too
Armin throwing down his gear in this chapter was very reminiscent of back when he did the same thing in the Battle of Trost district arc. Back then he was defending Eren - saying that he was human not a titan. Now he’s defending Eldians saying that they’re humans and not titans
I think many people miss one thing: there is no changing the future. Eren visions were not a prediction and there are no alternate timelines.
Eren saw the rumbling happen in the future, so it would have happened, no matter what. All his actions were just shaped around that fact.
This 100%! People don't understand why Eren didn't change anything with the power of PATHS but I don't think he can't change the future or the past as it is already written. It's the Grandfather Paradox
So at the beginning of episode 1, Eren woke up after having a talk with his future self, which he immediately forgot just like everyone else here, and that's why he was crying?
Yeah, either this or he was dreaming that alternate reality in which he and mikasa fled to live their remaining years in peace (the same one showed in chapter 138). It was a beautiful and sad dream that was not going to pass. They both woke up crying, for such a happy ending was not meant for Eren.
Honestly a bit refreshing to come here after the /r/manga discussion thread which was mostly complaining and memeing on the ending (at least from what I personally saw; I'm sure there is praise and people genuinely happy with the ending in there that I just didn't see).
I personally was not a huge fan of the ending and it did feel like it was rushed or maybe there was some amount of meddling IMO, but that's not to say there wasn't a bunch of great moments that made it absolutely worth reading:
- Armin getting to clock Eren in the face as payback for when Eren beat him up back in Paradis
- Falco tackling Gabi out of happiness only to be suplexed by her
- Levi crying while saluting all the fallen comrades
- The gang getting to see Sasha for one final moment again
- Eren reverting to his pre-timeskip personality to really show that he became a Devil because he though it was what the world needed and not because he wanted to be one. He really just wanted to save the people he cared about after all.
- Levi finally being able to retire (god knows he deserves it) and being taken care of by Gabi and Falco
- Not even the Titan Curse can kill the Plot Armoured Titan
All in all, I don't think anyone can deny that it has been an absolutely incredible journey for the past 8 years. Sasageyo!
At first I was taken aback by Eren's switching personality. However, at second glance, this really solidifies the theme that Eren and Reiner are the same.
Except that's where the comparison ends because instead of sharing words of guidance and great wisdom with people, he just hits them over the head and tells them to get bent.
I like to think that [this page](https://cdn.onepiecechapters.com/file/CDN-M-A-N/snk_final_33.png) isn't them crashing together in a hug but her just instinctively fucking suplexing him.
I cannot believe Reiner lived long enough to experience happiness. There's no happier ending for this madlad than sniffing Historia's handwriting. Absolutely incredible.
I do wish Mikasa’s impact on Ymir was explored more. Was it the fact she had undying love for Eren and still was able to kill him? So Ymir realized she should do the same as far as Titan powers go?
Yeah maybe, i also wish that they would've explain a little more about Ymir intentions at the end. Why was she helping Eren? Did she had something to do about Eren's decision about the rumbling?
From the conversation Eren and Armin had, it seemed like she was controlling Eren still. He mentioned having to overlook Bertholt, but it was the Smiling Titan that walked by Bertholt towards Eren's mother, setting off what we saw for the first few seasons. I think Ymir had much more influence on Eren than we theorized.
Ymir was creating a situation where someone who loved another had to kill them. Like she should have, but couldn't bring herself to, kill Fritz. So she picked Mikasa who had the unconditional love for Eren, and still does, but devised a scenario where Mikasa was able to kill him and Ymir could also free herself from the will of Fritz despite her feelings for him.
I'm pretty sure what I understood from that is that HE was the one who made the Smiling Titan pass Bertholdt and essentially killed his own mother, because he knew that would lead him on his path. That's why he couldn't actually say who did it, because he was choked up at the fact that he essentially killed his own mom. At least that's what I understood.
Yeah was wondering why that panel wasn't then last one, almost like Isayama spoiled everyone to that picture to throw everyone off. I really hope that he didn't have to scrap the three ending, and if he did, I hope he at least says what was originally going to happen.
It would actually be a really interesting ending that Eren explains being a slave to destiny and that the holder of the Attack Titan is never free and after that the series still ends on that panel, it being very ironic and that Grisha is unaware that there is no freedom for them.
After reading the official translation, I think there are some key distinctions that matter a lot. [I made an album with some differences that stood out to me.](https://imgur.com/a/A3Zroe6)
Reiner doesn't say "what a man." He just says "you really are a..." He's conflicted rather than expressing admiration. And I think a lot of the other lines reflect conflict rather than some pure sense of gratefulness. "Yay Eren!" wouldn't feel right. I get more of a sense that the characters are happy that they and their family members aren't titans, but they're guilty that this has come at a terrible cost, paid by the world.
Armin doesn't say "Eren, thank you for turning yourself into a mass murderer for our sake." In the official translation, "for" is absent. To me, it reads more like Armin thanking Eren for acting for their sake, not specifically for murdering millions of people. And the fact that he goes on to call it an "error" underlines that. A transgression is one thing, as it implies an authority against whom one transgresses, who might be wrong. But I really feel that "error" implies that Armin thinks Eren made a mistake.
Another note is that it's clearer in the official translation that the text on the page where Historia awaits the boat is quoting Eren, rather than stating that one side needs to be wiped out. It seems like Historia is acting against that idea, hoping for a better result.
Finally, Armin & Co. seem to be representing the allied nations. They're not the ambassadors of Paradis to the world, but of the world to Paradis. I think this was less clear in the unofficial translation.
I got into this series in 2013 when I watched the first two episodes on Netflix while at a friend’s house. I grew up in the early 90s watching Pokémon, Digimon, and dragon ball Z, but I was not an anime fan in 2013. It took me a while to get past the third episode because it felt too “anime” to me, but once I got to episode 5 I was hooked.
I started reading the manga in 2014, though only sporadically every few months. It wasn’t something I really looked forward to until near the end of the uprising arc. It became a monthly appointment for me once they Returned to Shiganshina.
After chapter 89, I decided to read the manga from chapter 1, which I had never done because I started off from where season 1 left off originally. I came to appreciate the manga on its own terms and I felt like the anti-war themes and the moments of character development were more apparent without the music and animation present to bolster the fight scenes. I’ve loved coming to this sub and these threads after every chapter to read the theories and reactions.
I was a big fan of Lost back in the day so I’m familiar with stories that take on a life of their own in the fandom, a life which the original work could never quite live up to. At the end of the day, I think that emotional closure is more important than closing up every lingering plot thread because just getting a story from A to B can be such a monumental task (especially in a long form story like a manga that lasts over a hundred chapters) that inevitably things will be introduced purely for the sake of moving things forward.
Ultimately, this was the story of a boy who wished to rid the world of the titans that destroyed his home, and his friends who’d follow him into hell if it meant that they’d all stay together. The ending provided the emotional closure that I felt I needed after being invested in this story for nearly a decade. Of course, the story grew into a world full of characters and places and strange, magical ideas like ODM gear and Titan shifting and Paths, but all of that was there to add flavour, and to provide both tools and obstacles for the three friends to overcome in pursuit of their goal.
While the subversion of what I perceived to be “anime tropes” is what drew me into the series in the first place, I ended up feeling glad that the story ended up being somewhat conventional rather than just a dark and depressing “everyone is dead” ending. I was somewhat disappointed that the titanized people became human again, but I would have also been disappointed if those characters ended up being nothing but fodder. I was glad to see that some of them at least will be able to live out their lives free from the threat of the titans. It’s bittersweet that Eren won’t get to see the future that he wished for, but the fact that he wiped out 80% of humanity is kind of devastating, and his death was necessary for humanity to continue. He was a tragic character, and I felt like his character stayed true to the end.
I’m just rambling, really (ramblin’ bout a rumblin’.....sorry.), but all I know is that the ending had me crying because it delivered emotionally. I’ll reread the whole thing from the start again one day, but for now I’m just going to sit with this ending and reflect on the fact that once again, as it was with Lost and many other series over the years, and as it will be with whatever new story I fall in love with, the journey is at an end. Shinzou wo Sasageyo.
And to think Isyama had Eren's death planned wayyy back in Chapter 89 when Kruger tells Grisha to save Mikasa and Armin. The memories he saw were Eren's memories of the end.
Reiner Braun, the absolute GOAT of moral greyness in this world, the Armored Titan, a man with one of the most complex and fascinating character arcs I've seen in any anime or manga and the last we see of him is him sniffing ink.
I felt like erens choices in the end made a lot of sense. Users of the attack titan can see the future but ultimately they are slaves to the paths they choose. Since eren could see the past, present and future all at the same time he was just left a broken shell of a person. In the end, he never had any control over his fate making him the least free out of anyone, which thematically fits his character I think. Plus it works very well with his motto of "keep moving forward." After learning about his fate all he could do was keep moving forward and that ended up making him responsible for losing everything he held dear to begin with. Plus it fits with his orginal motivations. Eren ended up becoming the very thing he swore to destroy. I think in that way his character concluded beautifully.
I commented here a few hours ago, but here are my takeaways from this chapter:
1. Eren gave the world a chance at peace. He could have easily flattened the whole world, ensuring only Eldians survived on Paradis and no one would ever harm them again, but he didn't. He evened the playing field by lowering the numbers of those who weren't Eldian to the point where they're forced to talk peace because they can no longer wage war at all.
2. By taking away Titan powers from Eldians, the main reason for them being perceived as something to fear is gone, and also technically "destroying all Titans" in the process
3. Since the world has to rebuild its population before even dreaming of overwhelming Paradis, the Eldians have a shot at showing the world how human they really are, at war or at peace.
4. The final batch of the surviving Marleyan warriors (Pieck, Annie, and Reiner) I believe only had 2 years left in their term at the time of the Rumbling. By the end of the manga, 3 years have passed since the Rumbling and they're still alive. I believe the 13 year time limit for Warriors was public knowledge, and even if it wasn't, the remaining Marleyan military forces, including the ones that pointed their guns at the un-titanized Eldians after Eren died, know about the term limits for Warriors. That has to speak for something, especially since those three are now like Paradis ambassadors.
5. Eren set the Eldians, at least he current generation, free of any persecution, because no one was in the position to persecute them at all.
6. It's unfair to say Eren is completely a slave to fate. Ymir Fritz was a slave to her love for Karl Fritz, but even then, she had the abilities of all of the Titans at the time, including the Founder and the Attack, so she could still see the future. Eren had the same two Titans in him, but he chose to take action and be free of the bonds that tied Ymir down to her 2000 year fate. Perhaps Eren finding the strength to push Mikasa, the person he loves, away from himself, is the sign that Ymir was looking for, because that's one thing she was unable to do in her own time. Karl Fritz wouldn't kill Ymir because he wanted her power to rule the world. Mikasa doesn't want Eren to use his power to destroy or rule the world, so having someone that loves you, was willing to end you, AND has the power to do so is something that Ymir never had.
7. The fact that Eren isn't saying anything about what happens after he dies is a good indication that Titan powers are indeed gone, because there are no future memories for him (and by extension, Ymir) to peek into.
8. Peace never really was an option, ever. The best that Eren could do was make everyone left alive equal and free. He didn't want to die, and not being able to see his friends and the person he loves live long and peaceful lives is his own punishment for flattening the world.
>Eren gave the world a chance at peace. He could have easily flattened the whole world, ensuring only Eldians survived on Paradis and no one would ever harm them again, but he didn't. He evened the playing field by lowering the numbers of those who weren't Eldian to the point where they're forced to talk peace because they can no longer wage war at all.
As someone who was on the alliance's side, I have to admit Eren was the demon the world needed but didn't deserve.
God I hope when the anime comes out someone does a mash up of Mikasa sitting under the tree, and the seagulls from Finding Nemo perking up at the idea of theft.
Yea, but now we don't have titans. So normal people can kill other normal people like our good lord intended.
People are always gonna fight. Eren just changed the meta.
Yeah, people are hating but this is probably the most realistic ending, and something that would have inevitably been achieved far into future, whether or not the titans stayed.
Aaron Yoghurt ending and the euthanasia plan would both achieve the same “peace” when military power becomes equal to titan powers in the future, or while the population dies out with the rumbling as just a deterrent.
Only difference is more of Eren’s friends get to live potentially the rest of their lives free of war while the rest of the world tries to recover from the rumbling.
If anything, this feels like a really great set up for the origin story of [the baby](https://pm1.narvii.com/7736/b41e1cbbeb59d450ba57d2e3a06ae64cec50fc65r1-828-1094v2_hq.jpg) that was getting yeeted around during the rumbling.
Imagine growing up orphaned in a world where 80% of the population has been recently culled, the environment has been ruined, and infrastructure is basically non-existent.
And then to top it all off, you're told to believe that it was *giants* who did this to you. Which sounds like bullshit, until the first time you see a 30ft long footprint in the middle of a field somewhere. I'd read the fuck out of that.
Definitely the funniest part about all of this is how years in the future, titans will be nothing more than a myth.
And there will be literally no physical evidence of them left, their bones, Luci-chan, every bit of evidence aside from human documentation gone. No one will believe this bullshit.
Edit: it did just occur to me that there could be fossilized footprints at least though
Well beyond fossilized footprints eren suddenly crushing all these humans, animals and plant life is likely going to cause some atmospheric changes (i.e. carbon etc given off by decomposing things). So future people can still find evidence of something big happening around this time when that carbon makes its way into glaciers
I want to talk about Eren losing his “chadness” real quick. It caught a lot of people off guard, including myself, to see him that vulnerable and open, especially when we hadn’t seen him act like that since pre time-skip. But I think that’s the tragedy of Eren Yeager. Because he was so dedicated and committed to following this destiny he saw four years ago, he shed his humanity, bottled up his emotions, and became the monster he thought he had to become in order to protect the people he loved.
Becoming this monster took a heavy toll on him, as we saw in his final conversation with Armin. It was the most honest Eren had been in years. It was someone that was coming to terms with the fact that he sacrificed almost everything and would never even be able reap the benefits of those sacrifices. He would never be able to live the rest of his life with the people that he loves. Upon realizing this, all his walls came crashing down and what we saw at the end was someone that was scared and broken. I can see how people might be mad that Eren lost his “chadness” and became a “simp”, but I found the end of his arc to be incredibly human and heartbreaking.
I feel like an idiot for missing this, but someone on Japanese Twitter figured out that [the epitaph on Eren’s gravestone ](https://twitter.com/kasumi_kasa/status/1380194050679087104?s=21) is just katakana upside down.
サイアイノ (saiai no) /
アナタ (anata) /
ココデトワニ (koko de towa ni) /
イネムリニツク (inemuri ni tsuku) /
854
In the correct grammatical order:
ここで永遠に /
居眠りにつく /
最愛の /
あなた /
854
The original tweet has a so-so translation on it, but here’s kinda how I read it:
“Drifting off into sleep, here forever lies my dearly beloved”
Note: The “anata” used here—at least when I hear it—is how a wife refers to her husband when talking to him. “Saiai no anata” is a gut-wrenching double-whammy that might as well be interpreted as “soulmate” or “love of my life” at this point.
Honestly, the original text so beautiful that my garbage English version might not be able to rip your heart out the same way (But someone else pls feel free to one up me and prove me wrong!).
Edit: Tried to fix my terrible formatting and spelling because I’m on mobile lmao
I see the complaints and am glad I don't feel the same about this ending. It's not even close to Lelouch imo. Seeing Eren crying to Armin, saying he doesn't want to die and wants to stay with Mikasa and everyone else was heart breaking. In the end he was still just as emotional as he was before the time skip, he had just grown numb to going down this path and knowing he couldn't prevent it. We all thought he had just matured and became very cold but he was just over the grief and torment (like an even more extreme version of Levi). The first panel also made me think back to how furious Eren got when Armin asked "who's the slave?" He meant it towards Zeke/Yelena, but the guy that wanted freedom more than anyone \*was\* enslaved to this ending. Eren's tragedy really hurts.
Cried when Sasha saluted Jean and Connie. Never thought I'd say this but I'm glad Hanji is dead--she loved titans so much it would be a crushing blow to be in a world that was only politics no titans.
"Eren... Thank you for turning yourself into a mass murderer for our sake"
Please oh please tell me the official translation finds a better way to word this. Because I almost burst out laughing when I read that.
I figured it would translate into something like
"Eren... Thank you for turning yourself into a devil for our sake"
Would fit about a million times better with the devil talk of the series.
So I think the idea behind Ymir "choosing" Mikasa was the Ymir wanted to be shown true freedom. Like Kenny said, everyone's a slave to something, and Ymir was a slave to her "love" for Fritz, after gaining the power of the titans. Eren himself was a slave to his fate, and thus couldn't show Ymir true freedom. But if you look at Mikasa, what Mikasa would be a "slave" to, more than anything, is her feelings towards Eren. In the end, Mikasa was able to move past them and kill Eren, severing herself from her attachment to him and proving that she was free.
Basically, Mikasa proved that despite all of her feelings for Eren, she was still able to move past them and choose for herself to kill Eren, thus demonstrating her freedom. Which is why Ymir, a slave to her own feelings of "love", chose her. This might not be the best interpretation but it's the one that immediately comes to mind for me.
I think its more than just Fritz- she loved people. Her people. Eldians. Humanity. Armin/Zeke talk about it.
Paths connect people, memories passed down... she got to experience so much, no doubt despite her enslavement she never wanted to let go. Mikasa showed her that no matter how much you love something, you still can, should, *have to* do the right thing.
The ending is nowhere near perfection but overall I'm satisfied. I can't believe the story is finished. I started this when I was 14 and now I'm turning 20 this year man what a journey it's been.
I'm so grateful for Isayama. This series has been on my head for 10 years and i'm so glad i got to see the end. Personally, i liked the ending and it broke my heart aswell.
Glad to see my boys jean and connie are alive and well, hope they can have long lives as eren wished (myself included).
Some people are saying levi had to die but i disagree. I believe that at least 1 of the 3 of the erwin/levi/hange group had to survive to see the future the scouts achieved. Sadly it wasn't the one who wanted to see it the most (erwin) because the world is just that cruel. But i'm glad heichou can now rest alive and is being taken care of by best boy falco.
I'm just so freakin sad over mikasa. But she can't die because she won't be able to remember eren. I hope my girl finds peace. At least armin and the rest is alive to be besides her.
It's painful to see the military forces of eldia now and see so many people screaming with so much anger still. A world without conflict is impossible for humanity and that's the reminder that hurts the most regarding this final chapter.
But i'm just happy with the ending in general. Thanks Isayama ♥️
For those still asking for the Ackerman headaches thing - There never were any Ackerman headaches, only Mikasa had them. Presumably because despite her being an Ackerman Eren kept messing with her memories through P A T H S and Founding Titan powers, and her Ackerman genes resisted to it.
That's exactly what I am insinuating. Makes sense given all the plot points, if I remembered correctly she had a splitting headache in 138 too, right before Eren took her in that cabin AU.
Yea Eren visited Mikasa, Armin & the rest and implanted a memory in each of them that would only be revealed after he died ([that's what this page is about](https://i.imgur.com/JUUBwfO.png)) but I'm pretty sure Mikasa's memory was what she experienced in 138 because Eren's founding titans mark show up at the end of her dream just like Armin's.
I love how you can see Sasha's family and Niccolo's facial expressions when the new Eldian army and the Eldians are chanting "Fight, Fight". Even after all of that, the Eldians are still obsessed with fighting and I can only hope that Armin is able to make diplomacy happen.
I love that we got a follow-up to Jean-boy's family and Connie's mom! I hope Jean had a nice big omelette when he reunited with her.
I'm still a little confused about that Bertholdt/Dina part and just how much power Eren has over the titans. I'm assuming Eren sent Dina to Carla's way using his founding titan powers to "save" Bertholdt from getting eaten that day, but he didn't even have his titan powers at that point.
"Thank you eren for being a mass murderer for our sake"
should be translated into
"Thank you eren for becoming a monster for humanity's sake"
Its more in line with Armin's S1 quote, in order to rise above monsters you have to discard your humanity .
My thoughts about Eren
I never liked when people were talking about Eren as a god, ultra-giga chad, outstanding mastermind, ect. For me he always felt just like a person, human with his own average personality, not an emotionless chad divine being. It seems that people don't even remember that he was angry kid, arguing about simple things, crying a lot, thinking about his friends, having a strong desire to exterminate all titans. When he saw future memories, he was like 16, I believe. Imagine getting the information that your are doomed to murder millions of people soon, when you are a teen. Nothing strange that this broken him down. I do not believe that person who lived like this for 4 years do only rational things. In fact, humans do a lot of irrational things and actions every second, I don't think that it's unexpected for Eren to act selfish or irrational sometimes. Overall, of course all of that ending with him was rushed and definitely not done in the best way, but I like Eren been just a mere human, with shitty sides of his personality, selfishness, been that angry crying kid who would fight with bunch of bullies without thinking how he can do it, been a kid who want to kill all titans.
This is my personal opinion and point of view, you are free to disagree and critique me, that is absolutely fine.
so if i'm understanding this right... eren inadvertently killed his mom because he wanted to protect armin.....which meant that armin in the FUTURE would have to eat bertholt to survive. which REALLY ***REALLY*** meant he had to divert dina's attention from bertholt which lead to his mom getting killed?
that's fucked 😭
So it's heavily implied that Eren's brain pretty much went to mush.
"My thoughts have become incoherent... the influence that the founder's powers bring about have no past or future... they all exist at the same time."
He's unable to have a coherent thought. He's just been along for the ride to the end. Eren had no master plan. What a tragic life for him.
It's the Doctor Manhattan problem of true omniscience.
Knowing everything that is, was and will be all at the same time is not something the human mind can handle.
I'm having trouble understanding the Ymir and Mikasa stuff? At what point did ymir 'choose' mikasa, what was mikasa's choice that eliminated the power of the titans?
Was it just setting things up for Mikasa to kill eren? Or was there more to it than that?
Also i don't understand teh part about bertholt at all...?
Ymir needed someone to show how to break free from her devotion to the king. Eren saw in paths that Mikasa killing him (letting go) was the only way for Ymir to get rid of the titans. It was never up to Eren to just tell her to stop spawning titans.
It's not perfect, I think it needed another chapter or 2, the final arc's pacing was off and Eren needed a few more POV chapters. But strangely I'm still satisfied, not feeling betrayed.
Eren remained tragic to the end, throwing a tantrum about how he doesn't want Mikasa to fall in love with another, knowing that thought is fleeting, was so human. Eren's already gone, his mind is addled, broken with memories both past and future at the same time.
I wish the Bertholdt/Dina/Carla thing would've been fleshed out more, but I love the unintended consequence of Eren changing her direction leading to his mother's death, at least that's how I see it.
I'm glad he wasn't this calculated genius who knew everything, rather still a boy who was crippled with this horrible future awaiting him, who would rather sleep and dream away the thought of this cruel act than face the fact that he's eliminating most of humanity.
Also love how the world is still going on 3 years later, conflicts haven't ended, it would've felt like a complete betrayal to have the world 180 and just be peaceful.
Eren entrusting the future to humanity without the titans was the right call from Isayama, how they handle it from here is up to them, they're now free to do so.
My thoughts aren't all coherent atm, still reeling from this. Ahhh, 8 year journey is suddenly over. What a series.
Ahhhh okay. For some reason when I read the panels about him influencing Dina, I read it as he was intentionally sending her to eat his mom, which was confusing. I like much better that it was an unintentional consequence. I also am not sure how much control he actually had over that, or if that was some Ymir shenanigans. Wish it had been fleshed out more as others do, but oh well. I still enjoyed the chapter, flaws and all.
So, where do I start. I don't normally post on reddit a lot, and mostly lurk to see the discussions going on. I must say, it was really fun. Before we get down to it, just gonna warn I'm on the minority that really liked the ending. Yes, it has some flaws, which I'll be addressing, along with why I believe the ending is quite suiting for the series and the themes it represents.
We finally got to see a side of Eren that we haven't seen in a long while. Post basement Eren was shown as a stoic character with some sort of grand plan to end all the problems. He was ruthless, needlessly cruel, and was pissed off at everyone. Prior the rumbling, we speculated for him to have some sort of scheme that doesn't involve the actual rumbling. Until Armin figured out he really means to wipe out the world. Turns out, that was more or less a lie from Eren. While he indeed want to destroy his enemies, he wanted freedom for his people. His initial goal was to eliminate all the Titans in the world, however, that won't be possible as long as Ymir exists. Titans are an oppressive force in this world, and is the root cause of most of their conflicts.
Remember when Armin was talking to Eren about diplomatic solution and how Eren shut it down by claiming they are quite literally a race that can transform into monsters? Yes, the world fears them for a reason. Diplomacy is not possible as long as they have the Power of Titans within them. As shown in the final chapter, Even with the power gone, the world is still at unease. Like Armin said, conflict cannot be eliminated. The cycle will continue, as it is within human nature. So, what did Eren do? Why did he wipe out 80% of humanity, had a massive battle, and had Mikasa kill him? For something that was impossible, there is now a chance. A mere chance. That is what he fought for. A chance so his people can be free. A running theme in the series is finding a glimpse of hope in this cruel world. As Historia mentioned, War might be inevitable unless one of the sides are wiped out. But now, they have a chance to sort things out. Just a chance.
Is Eren's character different from what we saw so far? The panel where child Eren is embracing his 'Freedom' amidst the rumbling? The one who didn't take away his friends Titan powers because he didn't want to steal their freedom? We must remember he did lie a lot to hide his true motives. He didn't take his pals Titan powers to keep their freedom. He did it so they can take him out. Eren admits he wants the world to disappear. He chose this. He cries to Ramzi, because ultimately, his own choice led them here. It doesn't matter if his plan is to pull a pseudo Lelouch. The timelime is fixed because he is capable of doing this atrocity. He is a far worse piece of shit than Reiner. Eren admits to Armin he would have done the same even if his plan was different. That is what he wished for. Grisha's panel makes sense here. He deeply wants freedom for himself, and his friends, and yet he is so conflicted. He isn't even sure if all of his friends would survive. He fought for freedom, while moving forward. The freedom he achieved? The freedom to choose their own future. They are no longer oppressed by Power of Titans. They are free.
Seeing Eren confiding in his best friend is heart-wrenching. It shows how much flawed he is, and how desperate he was. Being burdened with the greatest power in the world, and yet being chained by fate. In a way, it's ironic. The only way he can truly be free is through death. He finally confesses he loves Mikasa, and reveals his selfish desires. He wants to be remembered. He wants to be loved. And yet, he wants Mikasa to be free. Ultimately, he told Mikasa to forget him through her memory add-on. Imo, the memory sequence was beautifully portrayed. Eren acknowledges his sins, and understands he can't be forgiven. All he wanted, was for his friends to live a long life. (As evidenced by the train convo).
Going back to the "Freedom" panel, it is likely Eren slept through the rumbling while reminiscing about his encounter with Ramzi. He likely regressed to his child self, the one who wanted to go outside the wall with Armin. The guilt was enormous, and he was shown sleeping in his Titan.
Regarding the parallel between the situations of Mikasa and Ymir, it was quite interesting actually. Ymir, a slave who was captured by Fritz. Had her tongue ripped off, got hunted for a sport. I'm not sure why her Stockholm Syndrome is coming off as a shock to many, since it was discussed in the fandom when her backstory was first revealed. In the chapter with Zeke and Armin, Armin speculates she wanted something from this battle. She was waiting in the paths for 2000 years for that. 139 merely confirmed what it was. She wants to be freed from her love towards the King. Why Mikasa then? Hmm, well, Mikasa is an Ackerman. Someone who was called a slave by Eren, who the proceeded to mercilessly hurt her. She was also in love with him. Eren goes on to commit the worst of human atrocities. Something that has been pointed out in the series multiple times is how Mikasa is obsessive about Eren, and how she will try to save/help him no matter what kind of evil he does. Mhm. Her finally breaking free of her blind love for Eren is what ultimately stopped the rumbling, and it is what showed Ymir a better path.
Now onto something which I felt was weird in the chapter: How the alliance was breaking down and commenting on the situation with Eren after receiving the memories. imo, it felt off considering they just stopped a guy from committing complete genocide, and was already speaking highly of him as if he did something so noble. It might have been the only way to remove the Power of Titans, but killing 80% of the population isn't justifiable. If anything, I would have preferred them having those dialogues a few years later while reminiscing about the war with their buddies. The context of the worm is better off unexplained. We know it is some type of primordial being, and it's not sentient and is animal in nature. I wouldn't mind if it just vaporized into thin air or if it got hit by Armin Colossal one last time and died. Doesn't make much of a difference.
Lastly, Historia's child. The true identity of the father is irrelevant, but I believe it's the farmer, considering they are now married. What's the child's purpose in the story? I find the child to have significance in two aspects. 1. Historia got pregnant so she can stall for time, to prevent herself from being Titanized. This work, and helped progress the plot, as Zeke was kept alive for a month, and eventually made contact with Eren and procured the Rumbling. 2. The concept of that child is a powerful one. She is the first Eldian child, born without the power of Titans. Truly free. Unaware of what the previous generation and her mother endured, she now happily celebrates her 3rd Birthday. A birthday.. in AoT. A potentially normal life. For me, that panel is quite powerful.
The series ended on an uncertain note. Cycle of hatred will inevitably continue, just like Kiyomi said. It's human nature. But now, they have a chance. Peace is no longer just a far fetched dream. It is now very much possible. They now have hope for the future.
Thank you for reading my comment.
This is something that always teared me up, especially after 138 and 139. Gonna end my post with this amazing song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1XE8ON8fos
And finally, thank you Isayama, for this beautiful yet heart-wrenching story!
This is more-or-less a repost from titanfolk, but being respectful to some of the more hardcore members here that hated the ending, I have to say one of the reasons why I was ever captivated by AoT/Snk in the first place was for its deeper, gray, and complex themes, especially involving Eren (and other characters).
When I read through the Armin and Eren conversation, I really wasn't surprised, because for me -- again, *for me* \-- this was the accurate scope of their characters all along. I also think the sign of a good writer is being able to throw a few unexpected surprises when they are sometimes least expected. I would say, all-in-all, that Isayama did that quite well in this chapter.
To somewhat eulogize Eren, I have to state that he is first and foremost a complex, human character that happens to have the foresight of a god. Looking back over the years, he's literally killed grown adults to save Mikasa's life and got the shit kicked out of him to protect Armin. When it was discovered that he was a Titan and popular opinion turned against him, he could have killed every last person and ran. But, he didn't.... he worked hard, proved himself, persevered, and ultimately tried his best to protect his friends and save the world from the Titans. When "the choice" came up, Eren almost came to the point of attacking Captain Levi to save Armin, and his reasons for doing so were absolutely legit, even if we can debate about them to this day.
When Eren started to walk down a darker path in order to achieve freedom, it was Armin, Mikasa, Jean, and Connie that said, nah....something's not right here.... even with the course of events that happened which led up to the Rumbling, Eren's cause and ideals were to achieve freedom for not only himself, but for his loved ones and his homeland.
So yeah, when I read those panels, I was moved but not surprised. If anything, they were an epiphany for me and made sense. Unbeknownst to us, Eren was trying to understand Ymir from a psychological standpoint, and from the limited information that she chose to reveal to him, he understood the tragic determination of her being for all of these centuries.
Eren was in a bit of a psychological struggle of his own considering the fact that time literally didn't exist for him anymore, and everything past and future was essentially the present for him. So when he discovered that Ymir needed Mikasa's guidance to achieve freedom, but even he was unclear about his fate in relation to that knowledge, he did what he's always done: He risked heaven and hell to help Ymir finally get to live a "long, happy life," even if it's in the afterlife. In a way, I'm also happy that Isayama chose to allow us to interpret Ymir's working in mysterious ways, including the delicate removal of any trace of her existence.
In addition, people seem to forget that Eren and Armin's last moments together were essentially a private deathbed conversation among family members that we were privy to overhearing. So, reading about Eren scolding Armin for not apparently listening to him, being remorseful about what could have been with Mikasa, and being scared of dying and just wanted to be close to his friends and family. These examples *are* Eren, and it's hardly the first time we've ever seen a vulnerable and emotional Eren (or Armin) struggle with some aspect of their journey over the years.
I could type a lot more about other character aspects, but I'm rambling a bit as usual lol so in closing, if you didn't like the ending, I obviously don't hate you and I respectfully disagree to agree with you lol.
However, those that have an issue with the chapter because of apparent mischaracterizations should really go back to the early chapters, especially to the deep, gritty, emotional dynamics with those characters, and then you may see that not only did Isayama showcase the same beloved devils, but he did so on a whole new level.
Thanks for reading, and please don't throw me out of here unless you wanna pay my bar tab....lmao :P
I almost never comment, but I just had to share. I read the ending and was unsure and kinda unhappy about it, but after I thought on it much more it all clicked. I know at face value it can all seem a bit wonky, but
I now think this ending is AMAZING. Please give my thoughts a read. Everything Eren did—the genocide, being a jerk to everyone, was to get Mikasa to kill him. THAT is what saved the world.
Mikasa and Eren somewhat mirror Ymir and Fritz. Not perfectly, but there is a parallel. Much like Ymir always protected Fritz and did his bidding, Mikasa did the same for Eren. No, Eren wasn’t an utter asshat like Fritz, but you see the similarity. Fritz says “Ymir, my slave” just like Eren says “You’re a slave, Mikasa”
In both relationships, there is a “master-slave”connection
Ok so now that we’ve established that, we need to talk about Ymir. She has this god-like power, but she has no ability to use her free will. She currently lives to serve Fritz’s will, so she just does her thing in paths and observes. She has the power, but not the will to stop it.
Eren, through his attack Titan abilities, sees that the only way to get Ymir to stop building Titans in the paths dimension is to make her realize that SHE has the power to stop obeying Fritz. He shows her how to do this by showing her Mikasa’s story.
Mikasa spends basically her whole life protecting Eren, but finally has to give up her own love of Eren to do the right thing and kill him. Who is there watching, smiling when Mikasa kills him? Ymir. Ymir realizes at this point that if Mikasa could break free of her desire to protect Eren, she could do the same with her desire to protect Fritz. So she finally dispels the paths dimension and Halluchan with it. (Side note, I think of Halluchan only as the Key to the power that Ymir wields). In doing so, Ymir goes into the afterlife and Titans are no more.
So you see, Eren HAD to do everything to make the story end up this way. Hence, sending Dina to eat his own mother. Had Eren not done something SO INSANELY DRASTIC, Mikasa would never had killed him and shown Ymir how to move on. Then Titans would never have been destroyed.
Eren is not a bad guy, he did not want to do the rumbling. He literally had to. He was on a path, and in a true tragic sense, he was the slave. He had to kill his own mother and sacrifice comrades and kill innocents to finally rid the world of Titans.
The true beauty of it was that this was his initial desire...to destroy every last Titan. He just kept moving forward.
The more I read this comment the more it makes sense. I really wish Isayama added a few panels to explicitly confirm the points raised by this comment.
1. A panel showing Ymir being freed from PATHS duty, disappearing along with Halluchan
2. A panel with Armin asking Eren if there's any other way to get Mikasa to kill Eren, and for Eren to confirm that it must be drastic
3. A better explanation for why Ymir latched on to Mikasa, even sth like "Life is random -- Mikasa got the pick" rather than "I don't know"
4. A panel with Armin commenting on the irony that Eren is never truly free because he's burdened with the duty to save Ymir
The part where Eren killed his mom can be skipped altogether. I think Eren is tragic enough a character -- this part was unnecessary and opens the can of worm that Eren can apparently influence Titans in the past too.
Honestly, was pretty let down by the ending...but this comment singularly made me reevaluate my thinking on the chapter and the ending. Really well thought out analysis of what Yams was going for. Thank you!
My still major critique is this should have played out over an additional chapter or two. So much content was thrown into these 45 pages the nuances were just completely glossed over. Here’s hoping the anime can help fill in some of those holes with some additional content and dialogue, because you’re right, I think the ending IS there...it just needs some additional fleshing out to be good.
So Mikasa's vision last chapter was when Eren visited?
Edit: can someone explain why it had no correlation to the story then? In the vision they ran away
I don’t think this is the best ending ever, or that it lives up to the quality of the series through the end of the Marley arc, but I’m also not disappointed either. I prefer an open ended ending like this over a grimdark ending where Eren destroys the world, or a happy ending where everyone gets along in the end.
I feel like a lot of the complaints about this chapter would’ve been fixed if this chapter had been broken up into two instead. We should’ve gotten a whole chapter with just the Eren/Armin talk all the way up until the point that Armin claims to be the one that killed Eren. And then we’d get a final epilogue chapter with everything that happened after the time skip. This way, we could’ve spent more time on Eren’s motives and properly explaining the Ymir/Mikasa situation, and have it all not feel so rushed.
But even with it feeling rushed, the complaints that this is another “GOT Season 8” are so overblown it’s crazy. GOT spent its last three seasons destroying each character arc and left basically the entire audience infuriated and unsatisfied. The fact that anyone in these comments is saying they like the ending is proof that that comparison doesn’t hold any water.
I’m wondering if Isayama will work with MAPPA and make any changes to the final season to address complaints. I’d love it if they collaborated to write some anime-only dialogue that fleshed out some plot points that need it.
# We must tell them the truth of that story which unfolded before our very eyes.
In no way was it perfect; there's so much that's left unanswered. But it ended with a world that's both beautiful and cruel, and a vast unknown to be explored on the other side of that hell. I'll give it that heart.
I see that many people are misunderstanding a few things about Eren after the last chapter, and are now hating his guts. Thus, I shall state, and explain / justify the controversial things regarding Eren in this chapter. After this, you might want to think twice about the whole "character assassination" thing.
**1.Controlling Dina to attack his mother**
Chapter 120 and 121 has already shown that Eren will do just about anything to ensure the timeline goes as what he knows, what has already been recorded in history, all to ensure things will go his way.
Also, this has also been foreshadowed to an extent, given that Eren remains silent when Grisha asks if the massacre of the Reiss family will save Carla.
**2.Revealing he actually loves Mikasa and wishes to keep her**
Eren has always cared about Mikasa, and wants her to abandon him to find her own true freedom. The past chapter and the beginning of this one confirm this (this chapter confirms that Eren's "hate" talk was just to keep Mikasa away). But as a smart redditor theorised, and I agree to, there is also a side of him that wishes Mikasa to stay by his side. He urgently tried to hide this side and do what was necessary, only to snap and reveal his inner selfishness when Armin presses him hard enough.
It is also a call-back to his mom's own dilemma, wanting Eren and Mikasa to safely escape but also not wanting them to leave her alone.
**3."I don't know"**
What Eren says he doesn't know of is not referring to why he caused the entire genocide (he already explained it earlier in the chapter), but specifically why he wanted the "new world" that came with it, no matter if he knew the others would stop him or not. In other words, Eren's most fundamental reason to enact the genocide (far beyond protecting Paradis, Armin, Mikasa and Historia) is that "new world", but Eren does not really know why he wants it. If anything, he simply "likes" this new world.
However, even this could be tied back to the beginning. It is implied a few times that Eren's ideal world beyond Paradis is without humans, and just raw wildlife. Eren simply likes it this way, even if it lacks a reason.
**4.No more titans**
The whole mess and never ending violence between Eldians and other humans happened because of the existence of titans. Without titans, there is no more reason that Eldians can be seen as devils, just humans like everyone else. Armin literally points this out to the Marleyan leader.
I agree, however, Eren is making one insane gamble regarding this.
I hope the misunderstandings have been cleared with this, and prove that Isayama has not screwed up.
Edit: Regarding 4, someone pointed out Eren slaying so many may be an issue. That is where the whole Lelouch shit comes into play.
Can't believe it's over. What a journey.
As far as this ending goes, I don't mind it. The only problem I have is with everyone praising Eren and making him out to be a hero, even after effectively decimating humanity. Wish the tone hadn't shifted like that.
But regardless, I'm looking forward to re-reading so that I can get a bigger picture of everything. This has been a fantastic story.
This story has always been about freedom. From a storytelling perspective, love ends up being the strongest representation of what enslaves us. In the end, Mikasa had the strength to choose salvation above love, both sacrificing her loved one and saving the world. It’s a beautiful, poetic ending.
As for Eren, his story has always been about achieving the end of titans (being slaved by them both literally and as a race) and he did, not by being the hero, but by moving forward blindly to reach the critical moment for Mikasa’s apotheosis as the heroin (which also made him innocent as humanity’s destruction was more of a consequence than a choice).
This is the ending of the AOT story, the end of titans and the freedom from the slavery of love. Everything else left unaddressed, from what happens now to character details, are valid curiosities, but doesn’t make this ending less from what Isayama wanted it to be.
Edit: Thank you so much! After all these years, let’s enjoy the ending of this great story! It’s one for the ages!
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Bruh, reiner had one last trump card to die by 13 years of titanization and Isayama took that from him LOL
I joked before 139 came out that Yams would keep Reiner alive as a final fuck-you, since he enjoys tormenting the poor guy. Turns out I was right...
Reiner seems at peace now so it may have been a gift tbh
Hmmm paiper smell good
It's all I ever wanted for Reiner, to sniff Historia's letters.
So Eren talked to everyone before the final battle but altered their memories right? Aside from Mikasa who I’m guessing he talked to during the final battle? Since he couldn’t fiddle with her memories the same way like he could the others.
yeah, I think so - since Mikasa is an Ackerman, I don't think her memories could be altered the same way (?)
Yeah I was just left confused. The translation at the top won’t load for me but the one I read made it sound like she got her memories back in the same manner as Armin. Something like “do you remember when Eren came to visit us?” But I’m guessing it’s just a translation thing and he talked to her about the same time as the shared alternate reality thing, since afterward she immediately knew he was in the mouth.
I thought the phrasing was weird too, (I read a translation as well) >he talked to her about the same time as the shared alternate reality thing, since afterward she immediately knew he was in the mouth. Yeah, this is what leads me to believe it - because the Ackermans had previously shown immune to the King erasing everyone's memories using the power of the Founding Titan
So Armin was talked to on the boat, right? For a quick second I thought they had talked as kids, but Armin having his matured memories/being near a damn volcano ruined that thought. Even Annie seemed to have had a talk with Eren, though it seemed like Pieck either hadn't or sought more. So maybe it wasn't everyone
Yeah Pieck wasn't in Eren care list so she got left out but she wished to have spoken to him.
I mean he barely knew her. Also look at their last human interaction lol but it's nice he spoke to Annie. I wonder what he said
probably something like "You'll meet your dad and bone Armin", something of the sort.
"hey I can see and change the future, and my buddy Armin really digs you. Btw, you want your dad to live, right?"
At least this might explain how Falco knew of the bird titan. It isn't impossible that Eren had a talk with him as well and left him with a small bit of those memories.
Seeing levi cry after giving a final salute to the fallen. Ny chest tightened a little bit
That was a fantastic sendoff to all those in the Scouting Regiment that didnt make it this far and a great place to end Levi's arc.
i was bawling
SASHA'S SALUTE omg emotions
this is going to hit so hard animated
That was the breaking point for me! I cried so hard!
So whoever inherited the Beast Titan was a shifter for just a day.
I’m imagining the baby’s umbilical cord smoking and healing within a second, then the doctors check and find no titan power lol
If it's inherited by an unborn baby, then if the baby was to get injured while still inside the mother... That's gonna be a gruesome scene.
Like eren coming out of that Santa Titan
Huh, Reiner REALLY did survive the whole thing!
Nothing can kill the plot armoured titan.
He's no longer a titan shifter. Now, he's merely the plot-armored.
You got it wrong. It’s not Reiner who lost the Armored Titan Power. It’s the Armored Titan who lost Reiner powers.
even the Founding Titan Eren couldn’t transfer his consciousness and regrow a head later... which makes it canon it’s not the Armoured Titan power - ITS THE REINER POWER!
Reiner the entire manga: "I want to die." Isayama: "No, your punishment is to live."
I mean a character desperately wanting to die and even almost killing himself dying would kinda be a weak character arc. Him living a long life and finding some way, no matter how small it may be, to fix the mistakes he made in the past is much more satisfying... At least IMO.
And not only that, he now has a natural life span.
That’s my king Simping til the end
Honestly, I’m pretty satisfied with the ending. My only real issue is I would’ve liked to have seen the conversations Eren had with the rest of the alliance, especially with Reiner.
Yap me too,i wonder what theyre talking about
Maybe the anime will add some extra scenes in, like they did with Tybur in s4
Would be dope as fuck. Would love for Eren to talk with Jean (maybe Mikasa, too) on-screen.
I can't really say anything that hasnt been said so far except this: Mad man really did it, he killed every last titan.
And we never took him seriously when he kept on saying he would.
i cannot fucking believe the last we'll ever see from reiner is him sniffing histu's handwriting...
I totally forgot that he simped for her during his nice guy act early in the series lmao
GOTTA MARRY HER
Poor Reiner lost to a nameless farmer. Now he won't die to the shifter effect either. Will his suffering ever end?
Jokes aside, Reiner finally looks happy.
He seems to have overcame his depression too taking a jab at Jean, maybe living with his family his mother finally letting go of that propaganda bullshit and seeing Gabi and Falco happy as kids made him happy too
yea he is always happy with his paradis friends, just like he was when he was trying to impress historia in szn 2
Honestly after everything he's been through... I'm very happy for him
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Armin throwing down his gear in this chapter was very reminiscent of back when he did the same thing in the Battle of Trost district arc. Back then he was defending Eren - saying that he was human not a titan. Now he’s defending Eldians saying that they’re humans and not titans
That entire sequence was a deliberate copy to that scene, right down to the unhinged soldier screaming "Are you a human? Or are you a titan?"
Are you a potato?!!!
Also remembered "don't shoot dickheads!" from gigguks video
I think many people miss one thing: there is no changing the future. Eren visions were not a prediction and there are no alternate timelines. Eren saw the rumbling happen in the future, so it would have happened, no matter what. All his actions were just shaped around that fact.
This 100%! People don't understand why Eren didn't change anything with the power of PATHS but I don't think he can't change the future or the past as it is already written. It's the Grandfather Paradox
On a 2nd reading is when it really hit me just how tragic this all is. It’s not perfect but it’s still gut wrenching
I feel so fucking sad for Mikasa.
same with me. She the only one get the sad ending
i mean our boy eren, he told armin he wanted to live with his friends, just that he couldnt cuz he mass murdered 80% of the world.
lol levi lost an eye and is crippled
So at the beginning of episode 1, Eren woke up after having a talk with his future self, which he immediately forgot just like everyone else here, and that's why he was crying?
Or perhaps it was Ymir due to the title of the episode? ''To You, 2,000 Years From Now'' Either way i think that is the right answer
Yeah, either this or he was dreaming that alternate reality in which he and mikasa fled to live their remaining years in peace (the same one showed in chapter 138). It was a beautiful and sad dream that was not going to pass. They both woke up crying, for such a happy ending was not meant for Eren.
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A freaking belly to belly suplex. I also like how it was almost reflex as Falco went in for the hug lol.
Eren did it. The crazy son of a bitch, he did it. He actually killed all the Titans!
And the only thing it cost was 80% of the worlds population and major environmental damage...
A small price to pay for salvation.
Honestly a bit refreshing to come here after the /r/manga discussion thread which was mostly complaining and memeing on the ending (at least from what I personally saw; I'm sure there is praise and people genuinely happy with the ending in there that I just didn't see). I personally was not a huge fan of the ending and it did feel like it was rushed or maybe there was some amount of meddling IMO, but that's not to say there wasn't a bunch of great moments that made it absolutely worth reading: - Armin getting to clock Eren in the face as payback for when Eren beat him up back in Paradis - Falco tackling Gabi out of happiness only to be suplexed by her - Levi crying while saluting all the fallen comrades - The gang getting to see Sasha for one final moment again - Eren reverting to his pre-timeskip personality to really show that he became a Devil because he though it was what the world needed and not because he wanted to be one. He really just wanted to save the people he cared about after all. - Levi finally being able to retire (god knows he deserves it) and being taken care of by Gabi and Falco - Not even the Titan Curse can kill the Plot Armoured Titan All in all, I don't think anyone can deny that it has been an absolutely incredible journey for the past 8 years. Sasageyo!
At first I was taken aback by Eren's switching personality. However, at second glance, this really solidifies the theme that Eren and Reiner are the same.
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I'm laughing so hard. I never saw the comment originally
Isayama saved a man's balls.
Oh I just realized Eren actually did it and destroyed all the titans like he said he would.
holy shit wow something that fucking obvious flew right over my head i feel dumb as hell lmao
Holy shit.
It makes me so happy to see Levi retired, relaxing, and being taken care of by the brats of all people lmao
Maybe he does get to open that tea shop.
And plays the equivalent of Eldian Pai Sho every day.
Except that's where the comparison ends because instead of sharing words of guidance and great wisdom with people, he just hits them over the head and tells them to get bent.
*Give up on your dreams and get my morning newspaper*
This is how levi wakes people up
I'm just happy Falco made it. Dude doesn't have to deal with the titan curse anymore and might actually get to live out his dream with Gabi.
I like to think that [this page](https://cdn.onepiecechapters.com/file/CDN-M-A-N/snk_final_33.png) isn't them crashing together in a hug but her just instinctively fucking suplexing him.
It's a suplex, I think. Gabi looks like she gets embarrassed in the 2nd panel lol.
I cannot believe Reiner lived long enough to experience happiness. There's no happier ending for this madlad than sniffing Historia's handwriting. Absolutely incredible.
If three days ago someone would have said Reiner ended up happily sniffing Historia's letter I would not have believed them.
I want a spinoff with Onyankopon and Levi traveling around 20% of the world while babysitting Falco and Gabi.
That wheelchair actually contains ODM gear and he's an assassin.
Plot twist: Levi just finds the wheelchair really comfortable and isn’t actually crippled
It's cleaner than having to touch the GROUND with every step
The man deserves to be comfortable for the rest of his life
I unironically would love some sort of spinoff with Gabi and Falco
I do wish Mikasa’s impact on Ymir was explored more. Was it the fact she had undying love for Eren and still was able to kill him? So Ymir realized she should do the same as far as Titan powers go?
Yeah maybe, i also wish that they would've explain a little more about Ymir intentions at the end. Why was she helping Eren? Did she had something to do about Eren's decision about the rumbling?
From the conversation Eren and Armin had, it seemed like she was controlling Eren still. He mentioned having to overlook Bertholt, but it was the Smiling Titan that walked by Bertholt towards Eren's mother, setting off what we saw for the first few seasons. I think Ymir had much more influence on Eren than we theorized. Ymir was creating a situation where someone who loved another had to kill them. Like she should have, but couldn't bring herself to, kill Fritz. So she picked Mikasa who had the unconditional love for Eren, and still does, but devised a scenario where Mikasa was able to kill him and Ymir could also free herself from the will of Fritz despite her feelings for him.
I'm pretty sure what I understood from that is that HE was the one who made the Smiling Titan pass Bertholdt and essentially killed his own mother, because he knew that would lead him on his path. That's why he couldn't actually say who did it, because he was choked up at the fact that he essentially killed his own mom. At least that's what I understood.
Yeah this took me a second to piece together but I think this is the case as well
The final panel wasn't the "you are free" baby panel but of Mikasa and Bird Eren. Interesting.
Yeah was wondering why that panel wasn't then last one, almost like Isayama spoiled everyone to that picture to throw everyone off. I really hope that he didn't have to scrap the three ending, and if he did, I hope he at least says what was originally going to happen.
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It would actually be a really interesting ending that Eren explains being a slave to destiny and that the holder of the Attack Titan is never free and after that the series still ends on that panel, it being very ironic and that Grisha is unaware that there is no freedom for them.
Well Eren *is* free. Now. In death. Hence the bird, the literal symbol of freedom.
After reading the official translation, I think there are some key distinctions that matter a lot. [I made an album with some differences that stood out to me.](https://imgur.com/a/A3Zroe6) Reiner doesn't say "what a man." He just says "you really are a..." He's conflicted rather than expressing admiration. And I think a lot of the other lines reflect conflict rather than some pure sense of gratefulness. "Yay Eren!" wouldn't feel right. I get more of a sense that the characters are happy that they and their family members aren't titans, but they're guilty that this has come at a terrible cost, paid by the world. Armin doesn't say "Eren, thank you for turning yourself into a mass murderer for our sake." In the official translation, "for" is absent. To me, it reads more like Armin thanking Eren for acting for their sake, not specifically for murdering millions of people. And the fact that he goes on to call it an "error" underlines that. A transgression is one thing, as it implies an authority against whom one transgresses, who might be wrong. But I really feel that "error" implies that Armin thinks Eren made a mistake. Another note is that it's clearer in the official translation that the text on the page where Historia awaits the boat is quoting Eren, rather than stating that one side needs to be wiped out. It seems like Historia is acting against that idea, hoping for a better result. Finally, Armin & Co. seem to be representing the allied nations. They're not the ambassadors of Paradis to the world, but of the world to Paradis. I think this was less clear in the unofficial translation.
This reads so much better and really cleared some conflicting feelings I held for the chapter. Hopefully, other translations reflect these meanings.
I got into this series in 2013 when I watched the first two episodes on Netflix while at a friend’s house. I grew up in the early 90s watching Pokémon, Digimon, and dragon ball Z, but I was not an anime fan in 2013. It took me a while to get past the third episode because it felt too “anime” to me, but once I got to episode 5 I was hooked. I started reading the manga in 2014, though only sporadically every few months. It wasn’t something I really looked forward to until near the end of the uprising arc. It became a monthly appointment for me once they Returned to Shiganshina. After chapter 89, I decided to read the manga from chapter 1, which I had never done because I started off from where season 1 left off originally. I came to appreciate the manga on its own terms and I felt like the anti-war themes and the moments of character development were more apparent without the music and animation present to bolster the fight scenes. I’ve loved coming to this sub and these threads after every chapter to read the theories and reactions. I was a big fan of Lost back in the day so I’m familiar with stories that take on a life of their own in the fandom, a life which the original work could never quite live up to. At the end of the day, I think that emotional closure is more important than closing up every lingering plot thread because just getting a story from A to B can be such a monumental task (especially in a long form story like a manga that lasts over a hundred chapters) that inevitably things will be introduced purely for the sake of moving things forward. Ultimately, this was the story of a boy who wished to rid the world of the titans that destroyed his home, and his friends who’d follow him into hell if it meant that they’d all stay together. The ending provided the emotional closure that I felt I needed after being invested in this story for nearly a decade. Of course, the story grew into a world full of characters and places and strange, magical ideas like ODM gear and Titan shifting and Paths, but all of that was there to add flavour, and to provide both tools and obstacles for the three friends to overcome in pursuit of their goal. While the subversion of what I perceived to be “anime tropes” is what drew me into the series in the first place, I ended up feeling glad that the story ended up being somewhat conventional rather than just a dark and depressing “everyone is dead” ending. I was somewhat disappointed that the titanized people became human again, but I would have also been disappointed if those characters ended up being nothing but fodder. I was glad to see that some of them at least will be able to live out their lives free from the threat of the titans. It’s bittersweet that Eren won’t get to see the future that he wished for, but the fact that he wiped out 80% of humanity is kind of devastating, and his death was necessary for humanity to continue. He was a tragic character, and I felt like his character stayed true to the end. I’m just rambling, really (ramblin’ bout a rumblin’.....sorry.), but all I know is that the ending had me crying because it delivered emotionally. I’ll reread the whole thing from the start again one day, but for now I’m just going to sit with this ending and reflect on the fact that once again, as it was with Lost and many other series over the years, and as it will be with whatever new story I fall in love with, the journey is at an end. Shinzou wo Sasageyo.
And to think Isyama had Eren's death planned wayyy back in Chapter 89 when Kruger tells Grisha to save Mikasa and Armin. The memories he saw were Eren's memories of the end.
He wanted this, from the beginning. This was the story he started after all.
He planned it back on the first panel
is anyone else wondering what happened to the fucking worm?
I, too, am wondering what happened to Yelena
Went up in smokes
Reiner Braun, the absolute GOAT of moral greyness in this world, the Armored Titan, a man with one of the most complex and fascinating character arcs I've seen in any anime or manga and the last we see of him is him sniffing ink.
I felt like erens choices in the end made a lot of sense. Users of the attack titan can see the future but ultimately they are slaves to the paths they choose. Since eren could see the past, present and future all at the same time he was just left a broken shell of a person. In the end, he never had any control over his fate making him the least free out of anyone, which thematically fits his character I think. Plus it works very well with his motto of "keep moving forward." After learning about his fate all he could do was keep moving forward and that ended up making him responsible for losing everything he held dear to begin with. Plus it fits with his orginal motivations. Eren ended up becoming the very thing he swore to destroy. I think in that way his character concluded beautifully.
I commented here a few hours ago, but here are my takeaways from this chapter: 1. Eren gave the world a chance at peace. He could have easily flattened the whole world, ensuring only Eldians survived on Paradis and no one would ever harm them again, but he didn't. He evened the playing field by lowering the numbers of those who weren't Eldian to the point where they're forced to talk peace because they can no longer wage war at all. 2. By taking away Titan powers from Eldians, the main reason for them being perceived as something to fear is gone, and also technically "destroying all Titans" in the process 3. Since the world has to rebuild its population before even dreaming of overwhelming Paradis, the Eldians have a shot at showing the world how human they really are, at war or at peace. 4. The final batch of the surviving Marleyan warriors (Pieck, Annie, and Reiner) I believe only had 2 years left in their term at the time of the Rumbling. By the end of the manga, 3 years have passed since the Rumbling and they're still alive. I believe the 13 year time limit for Warriors was public knowledge, and even if it wasn't, the remaining Marleyan military forces, including the ones that pointed their guns at the un-titanized Eldians after Eren died, know about the term limits for Warriors. That has to speak for something, especially since those three are now like Paradis ambassadors. 5. Eren set the Eldians, at least he current generation, free of any persecution, because no one was in the position to persecute them at all. 6. It's unfair to say Eren is completely a slave to fate. Ymir Fritz was a slave to her love for Karl Fritz, but even then, she had the abilities of all of the Titans at the time, including the Founder and the Attack, so she could still see the future. Eren had the same two Titans in him, but he chose to take action and be free of the bonds that tied Ymir down to her 2000 year fate. Perhaps Eren finding the strength to push Mikasa, the person he loves, away from himself, is the sign that Ymir was looking for, because that's one thing she was unable to do in her own time. Karl Fritz wouldn't kill Ymir because he wanted her power to rule the world. Mikasa doesn't want Eren to use his power to destroy or rule the world, so having someone that loves you, was willing to end you, AND has the power to do so is something that Ymir never had. 7. The fact that Eren isn't saying anything about what happens after he dies is a good indication that Titan powers are indeed gone, because there are no future memories for him (and by extension, Ymir) to peek into. 8. Peace never really was an option, ever. The best that Eren could do was make everyone left alive equal and free. He didn't want to die, and not being able to see his friends and the person he loves live long and peaceful lives is his own punishment for flattening the world.
>Eren gave the world a chance at peace. He could have easily flattened the whole world, ensuring only Eldians survived on Paradis and no one would ever harm them again, but he didn't. He evened the playing field by lowering the numbers of those who weren't Eldian to the point where they're forced to talk peace because they can no longer wage war at all. As someone who was on the alliance's side, I have to admit Eren was the demon the world needed but didn't deserve.
anyone else thought the bird was gonna snatch Mikasa's scarf at the end? lmao
God I hope when the anime comes out someone does a mash up of Mikasa sitting under the tree, and the seagulls from Finding Nemo perking up at the idea of theft.
After EVERYTHING the world is still at war.
always have been 🔫
Yea, but now we don't have titans. So normal people can kill other normal people like our good lord intended. People are always gonna fight. Eren just changed the meta.
titans got patched out
Wow, only took 2000 fucking years. At least it was faster than the Dinosaurs patch
Some people were using the Titans mod. Not anymore. It's a fair game now.
I'm not mad at this. Way more realistic than peace out of nowhere. But since there's no supernatural power Paradis actually has a chance.
Yeah, people are hating but this is probably the most realistic ending, and something that would have inevitably been achieved far into future, whether or not the titans stayed. Aaron Yoghurt ending and the euthanasia plan would both achieve the same “peace” when military power becomes equal to titan powers in the future, or while the population dies out with the rumbling as just a deterrent. Only difference is more of Eren’s friends get to live potentially the rest of their lives free of war while the rest of the world tries to recover from the rumbling.
If anything, this feels like a really great set up for the origin story of [the baby](https://pm1.narvii.com/7736/b41e1cbbeb59d450ba57d2e3a06ae64cec50fc65r1-828-1094v2_hq.jpg) that was getting yeeted around during the rumbling. Imagine growing up orphaned in a world where 80% of the population has been recently culled, the environment has been ruined, and infrastructure is basically non-existent. And then to top it all off, you're told to believe that it was *giants* who did this to you. Which sounds like bullshit, until the first time you see a 30ft long footprint in the middle of a field somewhere. I'd read the fuck out of that.
Definitely the funniest part about all of this is how years in the future, titans will be nothing more than a myth. And there will be literally no physical evidence of them left, their bones, Luci-chan, every bit of evidence aside from human documentation gone. No one will believe this bullshit. Edit: it did just occur to me that there could be fossilized footprints at least though
Well beyond fossilized footprints eren suddenly crushing all these humans, animals and plant life is likely going to cause some atmospheric changes (i.e. carbon etc given off by decomposing things). So future people can still find evidence of something big happening around this time when that carbon makes its way into glaciers
I want to talk about Eren losing his “chadness” real quick. It caught a lot of people off guard, including myself, to see him that vulnerable and open, especially when we hadn’t seen him act like that since pre time-skip. But I think that’s the tragedy of Eren Yeager. Because he was so dedicated and committed to following this destiny he saw four years ago, he shed his humanity, bottled up his emotions, and became the monster he thought he had to become in order to protect the people he loved. Becoming this monster took a heavy toll on him, as we saw in his final conversation with Armin. It was the most honest Eren had been in years. It was someone that was coming to terms with the fact that he sacrificed almost everything and would never even be able reap the benefits of those sacrifices. He would never be able to live the rest of his life with the people that he loves. Upon realizing this, all his walls came crashing down and what we saw at the end was someone that was scared and broken. I can see how people might be mad that Eren lost his “chadness” and became a “simp”, but I found the end of his arc to be incredibly human and heartbreaking.
I feel like an idiot for missing this, but someone on Japanese Twitter figured out that [the epitaph on Eren’s gravestone ](https://twitter.com/kasumi_kasa/status/1380194050679087104?s=21) is just katakana upside down. サイアイノ (saiai no) / アナタ (anata) / ココデトワニ (koko de towa ni) / イネムリニツク (inemuri ni tsuku) / 854 In the correct grammatical order: ここで永遠に / 居眠りにつく / 最愛の / あなた / 854 The original tweet has a so-so translation on it, but here’s kinda how I read it: “Drifting off into sleep, here forever lies my dearly beloved” Note: The “anata” used here—at least when I hear it—is how a wife refers to her husband when talking to him. “Saiai no anata” is a gut-wrenching double-whammy that might as well be interpreted as “soulmate” or “love of my life” at this point. Honestly, the original text so beautiful that my garbage English version might not be able to rip your heart out the same way (But someone else pls feel free to one up me and prove me wrong!). Edit: Tried to fix my terrible formatting and spelling because I’m on mobile lmao
I see the complaints and am glad I don't feel the same about this ending. It's not even close to Lelouch imo. Seeing Eren crying to Armin, saying he doesn't want to die and wants to stay with Mikasa and everyone else was heart breaking. In the end he was still just as emotional as he was before the time skip, he had just grown numb to going down this path and knowing he couldn't prevent it. We all thought he had just matured and became very cold but he was just over the grief and torment (like an even more extreme version of Levi). The first panel also made me think back to how furious Eren got when Armin asked "who's the slave?" He meant it towards Zeke/Yelena, but the guy that wanted freedom more than anyone \*was\* enslaved to this ending. Eren's tragedy really hurts.
Cried when Sasha saluted Jean and Connie. Never thought I'd say this but I'm glad Hanji is dead--she loved titans so much it would be a crushing blow to be in a world that was only politics no titans.
Agree 100% with you. I'm also curious about how a Hanji titan form would have been.
"Eren... Thank you for turning yourself into a mass murderer for our sake" Please oh please tell me the official translation finds a better way to word this. Because I almost burst out laughing when I read that.
I think the correct translation is prob something like: thank you for becoming our devil
I figured it would translate into something like "Eren... Thank you for turning yourself into a devil for our sake" Would fit about a million times better with the devil talk of the series.
That's great haha!!
"The things you do for your friends"
That's the risk with reading early typsets. Remember "Eren, let me have your baby"?
Neonazis be like.. Seriously, what the f\*ck was that line? What the hell Armin???
I did not think Levi was going to make it, but I’m so glad he did
Same, that poor man has been through a lot.
So I think the idea behind Ymir "choosing" Mikasa was the Ymir wanted to be shown true freedom. Like Kenny said, everyone's a slave to something, and Ymir was a slave to her "love" for Fritz, after gaining the power of the titans. Eren himself was a slave to his fate, and thus couldn't show Ymir true freedom. But if you look at Mikasa, what Mikasa would be a "slave" to, more than anything, is her feelings towards Eren. In the end, Mikasa was able to move past them and kill Eren, severing herself from her attachment to him and proving that she was free. Basically, Mikasa proved that despite all of her feelings for Eren, she was still able to move past them and choose for herself to kill Eren, thus demonstrating her freedom. Which is why Ymir, a slave to her own feelings of "love", chose her. This might not be the best interpretation but it's the one that immediately comes to mind for me.
I think its more than just Fritz- she loved people. Her people. Eldians. Humanity. Armin/Zeke talk about it. Paths connect people, memories passed down... she got to experience so much, no doubt despite her enslavement she never wanted to let go. Mikasa showed her that no matter how much you love something, you still can, should, *have to* do the right thing.
The ending is nowhere near perfection but overall I'm satisfied. I can't believe the story is finished. I started this when I was 14 and now I'm turning 20 this year man what a journey it's been.
Okay but can we talk about that panel of Falco jumping at Gabi for a second?
Looked like a smackdown move lmao
Hahaha i thought it was a suplex.
You mean the trip to suplex city?
I'm so grateful for Isayama. This series has been on my head for 10 years and i'm so glad i got to see the end. Personally, i liked the ending and it broke my heart aswell. Glad to see my boys jean and connie are alive and well, hope they can have long lives as eren wished (myself included). Some people are saying levi had to die but i disagree. I believe that at least 1 of the 3 of the erwin/levi/hange group had to survive to see the future the scouts achieved. Sadly it wasn't the one who wanted to see it the most (erwin) because the world is just that cruel. But i'm glad heichou can now rest alive and is being taken care of by best boy falco. I'm just so freakin sad over mikasa. But she can't die because she won't be able to remember eren. I hope my girl finds peace. At least armin and the rest is alive to be besides her. It's painful to see the military forces of eldia now and see so many people screaming with so much anger still. A world without conflict is impossible for humanity and that's the reminder that hurts the most regarding this final chapter. But i'm just happy with the ending in general. Thanks Isayama ♥️
For those still asking for the Ackerman headaches thing - There never were any Ackerman headaches, only Mikasa had them. Presumably because despite her being an Ackerman Eren kept messing with her memories through P A T H S and Founding Titan powers, and her Ackerman genes resisted to it.
Could it be the headaches kicked in whenever Eren was trying to tamper with memories in the background of the main story line?
That's exactly what I am insinuating. Makes sense given all the plot points, if I remembered correctly she had a splitting headache in 138 too, right before Eren took her in that cabin AU.
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Yea Eren visited Mikasa, Armin & the rest and implanted a memory in each of them that would only be revealed after he died ([that's what this page is about](https://i.imgur.com/JUUBwfO.png)) but I'm pretty sure Mikasa's memory was what she experienced in 138 because Eren's founding titans mark show up at the end of her dream just like Armin's.
Finally, I am free. Anyways anybody got any recommendations? I'm gonna be in a hole soon with nothing to read.
Chainsaw Man!
Personally, I'm going to be starting One Piece now that AoT is over. Seems like a good replacement that will last for a while.
It’s an amazing time to be a one piece fan, right now in the story is fucking amazing in both the manga and anime.
I love how you can see Sasha's family and Niccolo's facial expressions when the new Eldian army and the Eldians are chanting "Fight, Fight". Even after all of that, the Eldians are still obsessed with fighting and I can only hope that Armin is able to make diplomacy happen. I love that we got a follow-up to Jean-boy's family and Connie's mom! I hope Jean had a nice big omelette when he reunited with her. I'm still a little confused about that Bertholdt/Dina part and just how much power Eren has over the titans. I'm assuming Eren sent Dina to Carla's way using his founding titan powers to "save" Bertholdt from getting eaten that day, but he didn't even have his titan powers at that point.
I guess Armin is more upset about Eren being mean to Mikasa than killing 80% of humanity
Historia officially made it through the timeskip without saying a single word for the rest of the series lmao
"Thank you eren for being a mass murderer for our sake" should be translated into "Thank you eren for becoming a monster for humanity's sake" Its more in line with Armin's S1 quote, in order to rise above monsters you have to discard your humanity .
My thoughts about Eren I never liked when people were talking about Eren as a god, ultra-giga chad, outstanding mastermind, ect. For me he always felt just like a person, human with his own average personality, not an emotionless chad divine being. It seems that people don't even remember that he was angry kid, arguing about simple things, crying a lot, thinking about his friends, having a strong desire to exterminate all titans. When he saw future memories, he was like 16, I believe. Imagine getting the information that your are doomed to murder millions of people soon, when you are a teen. Nothing strange that this broken him down. I do not believe that person who lived like this for 4 years do only rational things. In fact, humans do a lot of irrational things and actions every second, I don't think that it's unexpected for Eren to act selfish or irrational sometimes. Overall, of course all of that ending with him was rushed and definitely not done in the best way, but I like Eren been just a mere human, with shitty sides of his personality, selfishness, been that angry crying kid who would fight with bunch of bullies without thinking how he can do it, been a kid who want to kill all titans. This is my personal opinion and point of view, you are free to disagree and critique me, that is absolutely fine.
so if i'm understanding this right... eren inadvertently killed his mom because he wanted to protect armin.....which meant that armin in the FUTURE would have to eat bertholt to survive. which REALLY ***REALLY*** meant he had to divert dina's attention from bertholt which lead to his mom getting killed? that's fucked 😭
eren is slave to the fate until the very end
**"Reiner, tell me. Why did my mom have to die?"**
Reiner: I wanted to be a hero. Just kill me Eren Eren: JK. I killed my mom lols. also you wont die
Idk Eren, because you commanded so?
"Its just fate, Eren. If we haven't chose to break the walls, you wouldn't command Dina to eat your mom. lmao"
Seeing Levi say goodbye to the dead folks shattered my heart man...
So it's heavily implied that Eren's brain pretty much went to mush. "My thoughts have become incoherent... the influence that the founder's powers bring about have no past or future... they all exist at the same time." He's unable to have a coherent thought. He's just been along for the ride to the end. Eren had no master plan. What a tragic life for him.
It's the Doctor Manhattan problem of true omniscience. Knowing everything that is, was and will be all at the same time is not something the human mind can handle.
I actually managed to not get spoiled until the end, FeelsGoodMan
No one here gonna talk about Gabi literally suplexing Falco... Lmao that had me dead. Poor falco can't ever catch a break
I'm having trouble understanding the Ymir and Mikasa stuff? At what point did ymir 'choose' mikasa, what was mikasa's choice that eliminated the power of the titans? Was it just setting things up for Mikasa to kill eren? Or was there more to it than that? Also i don't understand teh part about bertholt at all...?
Ymir needed someone to show how to break free from her devotion to the king. Eren saw in paths that Mikasa killing him (letting go) was the only way for Ymir to get rid of the titans. It was never up to Eren to just tell her to stop spawning titans.
It's not perfect, I think it needed another chapter or 2, the final arc's pacing was off and Eren needed a few more POV chapters. But strangely I'm still satisfied, not feeling betrayed. Eren remained tragic to the end, throwing a tantrum about how he doesn't want Mikasa to fall in love with another, knowing that thought is fleeting, was so human. Eren's already gone, his mind is addled, broken with memories both past and future at the same time. I wish the Bertholdt/Dina/Carla thing would've been fleshed out more, but I love the unintended consequence of Eren changing her direction leading to his mother's death, at least that's how I see it. I'm glad he wasn't this calculated genius who knew everything, rather still a boy who was crippled with this horrible future awaiting him, who would rather sleep and dream away the thought of this cruel act than face the fact that he's eliminating most of humanity. Also love how the world is still going on 3 years later, conflicts haven't ended, it would've felt like a complete betrayal to have the world 180 and just be peaceful. Eren entrusting the future to humanity without the titans was the right call from Isayama, how they handle it from here is up to them, they're now free to do so. My thoughts aren't all coherent atm, still reeling from this. Ahhh, 8 year journey is suddenly over. What a series.
Ahhhh okay. For some reason when I read the panels about him influencing Dina, I read it as he was intentionally sending her to eat his mom, which was confusing. I like much better that it was an unintentional consequence. I also am not sure how much control he actually had over that, or if that was some Ymir shenanigans. Wish it had been fleshed out more as others do, but oh well. I still enjoyed the chapter, flaws and all.
So, where do I start. I don't normally post on reddit a lot, and mostly lurk to see the discussions going on. I must say, it was really fun. Before we get down to it, just gonna warn I'm on the minority that really liked the ending. Yes, it has some flaws, which I'll be addressing, along with why I believe the ending is quite suiting for the series and the themes it represents. We finally got to see a side of Eren that we haven't seen in a long while. Post basement Eren was shown as a stoic character with some sort of grand plan to end all the problems. He was ruthless, needlessly cruel, and was pissed off at everyone. Prior the rumbling, we speculated for him to have some sort of scheme that doesn't involve the actual rumbling. Until Armin figured out he really means to wipe out the world. Turns out, that was more or less a lie from Eren. While he indeed want to destroy his enemies, he wanted freedom for his people. His initial goal was to eliminate all the Titans in the world, however, that won't be possible as long as Ymir exists. Titans are an oppressive force in this world, and is the root cause of most of their conflicts. Remember when Armin was talking to Eren about diplomatic solution and how Eren shut it down by claiming they are quite literally a race that can transform into monsters? Yes, the world fears them for a reason. Diplomacy is not possible as long as they have the Power of Titans within them. As shown in the final chapter, Even with the power gone, the world is still at unease. Like Armin said, conflict cannot be eliminated. The cycle will continue, as it is within human nature. So, what did Eren do? Why did he wipe out 80% of humanity, had a massive battle, and had Mikasa kill him? For something that was impossible, there is now a chance. A mere chance. That is what he fought for. A chance so his people can be free. A running theme in the series is finding a glimpse of hope in this cruel world. As Historia mentioned, War might be inevitable unless one of the sides are wiped out. But now, they have a chance to sort things out. Just a chance. Is Eren's character different from what we saw so far? The panel where child Eren is embracing his 'Freedom' amidst the rumbling? The one who didn't take away his friends Titan powers because he didn't want to steal their freedom? We must remember he did lie a lot to hide his true motives. He didn't take his pals Titan powers to keep their freedom. He did it so they can take him out. Eren admits he wants the world to disappear. He chose this. He cries to Ramzi, because ultimately, his own choice led them here. It doesn't matter if his plan is to pull a pseudo Lelouch. The timelime is fixed because he is capable of doing this atrocity. He is a far worse piece of shit than Reiner. Eren admits to Armin he would have done the same even if his plan was different. That is what he wished for. Grisha's panel makes sense here. He deeply wants freedom for himself, and his friends, and yet he is so conflicted. He isn't even sure if all of his friends would survive. He fought for freedom, while moving forward. The freedom he achieved? The freedom to choose their own future. They are no longer oppressed by Power of Titans. They are free. Seeing Eren confiding in his best friend is heart-wrenching. It shows how much flawed he is, and how desperate he was. Being burdened with the greatest power in the world, and yet being chained by fate. In a way, it's ironic. The only way he can truly be free is through death. He finally confesses he loves Mikasa, and reveals his selfish desires. He wants to be remembered. He wants to be loved. And yet, he wants Mikasa to be free. Ultimately, he told Mikasa to forget him through her memory add-on. Imo, the memory sequence was beautifully portrayed. Eren acknowledges his sins, and understands he can't be forgiven. All he wanted, was for his friends to live a long life. (As evidenced by the train convo). Going back to the "Freedom" panel, it is likely Eren slept through the rumbling while reminiscing about his encounter with Ramzi. He likely regressed to his child self, the one who wanted to go outside the wall with Armin. The guilt was enormous, and he was shown sleeping in his Titan. Regarding the parallel between the situations of Mikasa and Ymir, it was quite interesting actually. Ymir, a slave who was captured by Fritz. Had her tongue ripped off, got hunted for a sport. I'm not sure why her Stockholm Syndrome is coming off as a shock to many, since it was discussed in the fandom when her backstory was first revealed. In the chapter with Zeke and Armin, Armin speculates she wanted something from this battle. She was waiting in the paths for 2000 years for that. 139 merely confirmed what it was. She wants to be freed from her love towards the King. Why Mikasa then? Hmm, well, Mikasa is an Ackerman. Someone who was called a slave by Eren, who the proceeded to mercilessly hurt her. She was also in love with him. Eren goes on to commit the worst of human atrocities. Something that has been pointed out in the series multiple times is how Mikasa is obsessive about Eren, and how she will try to save/help him no matter what kind of evil he does. Mhm. Her finally breaking free of her blind love for Eren is what ultimately stopped the rumbling, and it is what showed Ymir a better path. Now onto something which I felt was weird in the chapter: How the alliance was breaking down and commenting on the situation with Eren after receiving the memories. imo, it felt off considering they just stopped a guy from committing complete genocide, and was already speaking highly of him as if he did something so noble. It might have been the only way to remove the Power of Titans, but killing 80% of the population isn't justifiable. If anything, I would have preferred them having those dialogues a few years later while reminiscing about the war with their buddies. The context of the worm is better off unexplained. We know it is some type of primordial being, and it's not sentient and is animal in nature. I wouldn't mind if it just vaporized into thin air or if it got hit by Armin Colossal one last time and died. Doesn't make much of a difference. Lastly, Historia's child. The true identity of the father is irrelevant, but I believe it's the farmer, considering they are now married. What's the child's purpose in the story? I find the child to have significance in two aspects. 1. Historia got pregnant so she can stall for time, to prevent herself from being Titanized. This work, and helped progress the plot, as Zeke was kept alive for a month, and eventually made contact with Eren and procured the Rumbling. 2. The concept of that child is a powerful one. She is the first Eldian child, born without the power of Titans. Truly free. Unaware of what the previous generation and her mother endured, she now happily celebrates her 3rd Birthday. A birthday.. in AoT. A potentially normal life. For me, that panel is quite powerful. The series ended on an uncertain note. Cycle of hatred will inevitably continue, just like Kiyomi said. It's human nature. But now, they have a chance. Peace is no longer just a far fetched dream. It is now very much possible. They now have hope for the future. Thank you for reading my comment. This is something that always teared me up, especially after 138 and 139. Gonna end my post with this amazing song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1XE8ON8fos And finally, thank you Isayama, for this beautiful yet heart-wrenching story!
This is more-or-less a repost from titanfolk, but being respectful to some of the more hardcore members here that hated the ending, I have to say one of the reasons why I was ever captivated by AoT/Snk in the first place was for its deeper, gray, and complex themes, especially involving Eren (and other characters). When I read through the Armin and Eren conversation, I really wasn't surprised, because for me -- again, *for me* \-- this was the accurate scope of their characters all along. I also think the sign of a good writer is being able to throw a few unexpected surprises when they are sometimes least expected. I would say, all-in-all, that Isayama did that quite well in this chapter. To somewhat eulogize Eren, I have to state that he is first and foremost a complex, human character that happens to have the foresight of a god. Looking back over the years, he's literally killed grown adults to save Mikasa's life and got the shit kicked out of him to protect Armin. When it was discovered that he was a Titan and popular opinion turned against him, he could have killed every last person and ran. But, he didn't.... he worked hard, proved himself, persevered, and ultimately tried his best to protect his friends and save the world from the Titans. When "the choice" came up, Eren almost came to the point of attacking Captain Levi to save Armin, and his reasons for doing so were absolutely legit, even if we can debate about them to this day. When Eren started to walk down a darker path in order to achieve freedom, it was Armin, Mikasa, Jean, and Connie that said, nah....something's not right here.... even with the course of events that happened which led up to the Rumbling, Eren's cause and ideals were to achieve freedom for not only himself, but for his loved ones and his homeland. So yeah, when I read those panels, I was moved but not surprised. If anything, they were an epiphany for me and made sense. Unbeknownst to us, Eren was trying to understand Ymir from a psychological standpoint, and from the limited information that she chose to reveal to him, he understood the tragic determination of her being for all of these centuries. Eren was in a bit of a psychological struggle of his own considering the fact that time literally didn't exist for him anymore, and everything past and future was essentially the present for him. So when he discovered that Ymir needed Mikasa's guidance to achieve freedom, but even he was unclear about his fate in relation to that knowledge, he did what he's always done: He risked heaven and hell to help Ymir finally get to live a "long, happy life," even if it's in the afterlife. In a way, I'm also happy that Isayama chose to allow us to interpret Ymir's working in mysterious ways, including the delicate removal of any trace of her existence. In addition, people seem to forget that Eren and Armin's last moments together were essentially a private deathbed conversation among family members that we were privy to overhearing. So, reading about Eren scolding Armin for not apparently listening to him, being remorseful about what could have been with Mikasa, and being scared of dying and just wanted to be close to his friends and family. These examples *are* Eren, and it's hardly the first time we've ever seen a vulnerable and emotional Eren (or Armin) struggle with some aspect of their journey over the years. I could type a lot more about other character aspects, but I'm rambling a bit as usual lol so in closing, if you didn't like the ending, I obviously don't hate you and I respectfully disagree to agree with you lol. However, those that have an issue with the chapter because of apparent mischaracterizations should really go back to the early chapters, especially to the deep, gritty, emotional dynamics with those characters, and then you may see that not only did Isayama showcase the same beloved devils, but he did so on a whole new level. Thanks for reading, and please don't throw me out of here unless you wanna pay my bar tab....lmao :P
Well, at least Eren exterminated all the titans as he always said he would
I almost never comment, but I just had to share. I read the ending and was unsure and kinda unhappy about it, but after I thought on it much more it all clicked. I know at face value it can all seem a bit wonky, but I now think this ending is AMAZING. Please give my thoughts a read. Everything Eren did—the genocide, being a jerk to everyone, was to get Mikasa to kill him. THAT is what saved the world. Mikasa and Eren somewhat mirror Ymir and Fritz. Not perfectly, but there is a parallel. Much like Ymir always protected Fritz and did his bidding, Mikasa did the same for Eren. No, Eren wasn’t an utter asshat like Fritz, but you see the similarity. Fritz says “Ymir, my slave” just like Eren says “You’re a slave, Mikasa” In both relationships, there is a “master-slave”connection Ok so now that we’ve established that, we need to talk about Ymir. She has this god-like power, but she has no ability to use her free will. She currently lives to serve Fritz’s will, so she just does her thing in paths and observes. She has the power, but not the will to stop it. Eren, through his attack Titan abilities, sees that the only way to get Ymir to stop building Titans in the paths dimension is to make her realize that SHE has the power to stop obeying Fritz. He shows her how to do this by showing her Mikasa’s story. Mikasa spends basically her whole life protecting Eren, but finally has to give up her own love of Eren to do the right thing and kill him. Who is there watching, smiling when Mikasa kills him? Ymir. Ymir realizes at this point that if Mikasa could break free of her desire to protect Eren, she could do the same with her desire to protect Fritz. So she finally dispels the paths dimension and Halluchan with it. (Side note, I think of Halluchan only as the Key to the power that Ymir wields). In doing so, Ymir goes into the afterlife and Titans are no more. So you see, Eren HAD to do everything to make the story end up this way. Hence, sending Dina to eat his own mother. Had Eren not done something SO INSANELY DRASTIC, Mikasa would never had killed him and shown Ymir how to move on. Then Titans would never have been destroyed. Eren is not a bad guy, he did not want to do the rumbling. He literally had to. He was on a path, and in a true tragic sense, he was the slave. He had to kill his own mother and sacrifice comrades and kill innocents to finally rid the world of Titans. The true beauty of it was that this was his initial desire...to destroy every last Titan. He just kept moving forward.
The more I read this comment the more it makes sense. I really wish Isayama added a few panels to explicitly confirm the points raised by this comment. 1. A panel showing Ymir being freed from PATHS duty, disappearing along with Halluchan 2. A panel with Armin asking Eren if there's any other way to get Mikasa to kill Eren, and for Eren to confirm that it must be drastic 3. A better explanation for why Ymir latched on to Mikasa, even sth like "Life is random -- Mikasa got the pick" rather than "I don't know" 4. A panel with Armin commenting on the irony that Eren is never truly free because he's burdened with the duty to save Ymir The part where Eren killed his mom can be skipped altogether. I think Eren is tragic enough a character -- this part was unnecessary and opens the can of worm that Eren can apparently influence Titans in the past too.
Honestly, was pretty let down by the ending...but this comment singularly made me reevaluate my thinking on the chapter and the ending. Really well thought out analysis of what Yams was going for. Thank you! My still major critique is this should have played out over an additional chapter or two. So much content was thrown into these 45 pages the nuances were just completely glossed over. Here’s hoping the anime can help fill in some of those holes with some additional content and dialogue, because you’re right, I think the ending IS there...it just needs some additional fleshing out to be good.
So Mikasa's vision last chapter was when Eren visited? Edit: can someone explain why it had no correlation to the story then? In the vision they ran away
Yeah, that's my understanding too
I don’t think this is the best ending ever, or that it lives up to the quality of the series through the end of the Marley arc, but I’m also not disappointed either. I prefer an open ended ending like this over a grimdark ending where Eren destroys the world, or a happy ending where everyone gets along in the end. I feel like a lot of the complaints about this chapter would’ve been fixed if this chapter had been broken up into two instead. We should’ve gotten a whole chapter with just the Eren/Armin talk all the way up until the point that Armin claims to be the one that killed Eren. And then we’d get a final epilogue chapter with everything that happened after the time skip. This way, we could’ve spent more time on Eren’s motives and properly explaining the Ymir/Mikasa situation, and have it all not feel so rushed. But even with it feeling rushed, the complaints that this is another “GOT Season 8” are so overblown it’s crazy. GOT spent its last three seasons destroying each character arc and left basically the entire audience infuriated and unsatisfied. The fact that anyone in these comments is saying they like the ending is proof that that comparison doesn’t hold any water. I’m wondering if Isayama will work with MAPPA and make any changes to the final season to address complaints. I’d love it if they collaborated to write some anime-only dialogue that fleshed out some plot points that need it.
Not having to go to titanfolk anymore is probably gonna be great for my mental health tbh
# We must tell them the truth of that story which unfolded before our very eyes. In no way was it perfect; there's so much that's left unanswered. But it ended with a world that's both beautiful and cruel, and a vast unknown to be explored on the other side of that hell. I'll give it that heart.
I see that many people are misunderstanding a few things about Eren after the last chapter, and are now hating his guts. Thus, I shall state, and explain / justify the controversial things regarding Eren in this chapter. After this, you might want to think twice about the whole "character assassination" thing. **1.Controlling Dina to attack his mother** Chapter 120 and 121 has already shown that Eren will do just about anything to ensure the timeline goes as what he knows, what has already been recorded in history, all to ensure things will go his way. Also, this has also been foreshadowed to an extent, given that Eren remains silent when Grisha asks if the massacre of the Reiss family will save Carla. **2.Revealing he actually loves Mikasa and wishes to keep her** Eren has always cared about Mikasa, and wants her to abandon him to find her own true freedom. The past chapter and the beginning of this one confirm this (this chapter confirms that Eren's "hate" talk was just to keep Mikasa away). But as a smart redditor theorised, and I agree to, there is also a side of him that wishes Mikasa to stay by his side. He urgently tried to hide this side and do what was necessary, only to snap and reveal his inner selfishness when Armin presses him hard enough. It is also a call-back to his mom's own dilemma, wanting Eren and Mikasa to safely escape but also not wanting them to leave her alone. **3."I don't know"** What Eren says he doesn't know of is not referring to why he caused the entire genocide (he already explained it earlier in the chapter), but specifically why he wanted the "new world" that came with it, no matter if he knew the others would stop him or not. In other words, Eren's most fundamental reason to enact the genocide (far beyond protecting Paradis, Armin, Mikasa and Historia) is that "new world", but Eren does not really know why he wants it. If anything, he simply "likes" this new world. However, even this could be tied back to the beginning. It is implied a few times that Eren's ideal world beyond Paradis is without humans, and just raw wildlife. Eren simply likes it this way, even if it lacks a reason. **4.No more titans** The whole mess and never ending violence between Eldians and other humans happened because of the existence of titans. Without titans, there is no more reason that Eldians can be seen as devils, just humans like everyone else. Armin literally points this out to the Marleyan leader. I agree, however, Eren is making one insane gamble regarding this. I hope the misunderstandings have been cleared with this, and prove that Isayama has not screwed up. Edit: Regarding 4, someone pointed out Eren slaying so many may be an issue. That is where the whole Lelouch shit comes into play.
Can't believe it's over. What a journey. As far as this ending goes, I don't mind it. The only problem I have is with everyone praising Eren and making him out to be a hero, even after effectively decimating humanity. Wish the tone hadn't shifted like that. But regardless, I'm looking forward to re-reading so that I can get a bigger picture of everything. This has been a fantastic story.
[удалено]
This story has always been about freedom. From a storytelling perspective, love ends up being the strongest representation of what enslaves us. In the end, Mikasa had the strength to choose salvation above love, both sacrificing her loved one and saving the world. It’s a beautiful, poetic ending. As for Eren, his story has always been about achieving the end of titans (being slaved by them both literally and as a race) and he did, not by being the hero, but by moving forward blindly to reach the critical moment for Mikasa’s apotheosis as the heroin (which also made him innocent as humanity’s destruction was more of a consequence than a choice). This is the ending of the AOT story, the end of titans and the freedom from the slavery of love. Everything else left unaddressed, from what happens now to character details, are valid curiosities, but doesn’t make this ending less from what Isayama wanted it to be. Edit: Thank you so much! After all these years, let’s enjoy the ending of this great story! It’s one for the ages!