The anime for Attack on Titan has finally concluded, after ten years and two separate anime studios. Fans of the anime and manga will probably react to the series finale in a similar way because, for better or worse, it was basically the same as the manga’s prolonged ending with a few minor tweaks.
Eren began the Rumbling and dispatched his Titans to destroy everyone outside of Paradis Island after he had fully unleashed the might of the Founding Titan. Armin, Mikasa, Levi, and the rest of Eren’s erstwhile comrades refuse to accept genocide as a solution, and they band together with some of the Marleyan forces to stop Eren, even though they know that the Rumbling is the only way to guarantee the protection of their country and that they don’t have any better options.
They made it to Eren with the sole purpose of stopping him and rescuing the planet, even if many more lives were lost along the way—Hange being among the most notable among them.
How the Final Battle Against Eren Starts in Attack on Titan
Eren had called many Titan Shifters from the past to battle them, as shown in part 1 of Attack on Titan’s conclusion, “The Battle of Heaven and Earth,” but before Armin could use his metamorphosis to blow apart Eren’s Titan form, an okapi-like Titan devoured him whole. This also featured several well-known Titan Shifters like Ymir, Bertholdt, and Galliard; together, they might prevent Pieck from blowing up Eren’s neck, thereby crushing the Global Alliance. It appeared as though everyone would perish, but Annie and Gabi miraculously intervened by flying in on top of Falco in his transformed Titan form.
The Global Alliance was divided into two teams, one to blow up Eren’s neck and the other to save Armin, when they regretfully realized they had to kill Eren in light of the increasingly dire circumstances. But neither squad is having any more success repelling the antiquated Titan Shifters. As he watches his buddies risk their lives in vain, Armin laments his own uselessness. As he does so, Armin begins to wonder how he’s even capable of thinking. This leads him to realize that he’s been taken to the Paths dimension, where he encounters Zeke constructing a sand castle.
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Armin Demonstrates that Attack on Titan’s Best Solution Was Compassion
Zeke was persuaded to assist Armin in stopping Eren in part 2 of Attack on Titan’s finale, “A Long Dream,” but Zeke didn’t see the point because he had lost all sense of purpose in life. Zeke, on the other hand, was reminded by Armin that happiness comes from the little, insignificant things in life, and this realization caused Zeke to consider how content he would have been if he had simply continued playing baseball with Ksaver. The dead Titan Shifters from the series began to manifest after that understanding, and Armin and Zeke gave them the strength to fight back against Eren and withstand his might.
Gaining the support of the elderly Titan Shifters, the Global Alliance was able to gather strength and retaliate against Eren. Eren’s Titans were forced to put an end to the Rumbling when Mikasa released Armin from the okapi-like Titan and Zeke allowed himself to be killed by Levi. The worm-like entity that had first mated with Ymir Fritz was forced to leave Eren after Jean used that opening to detonate the bomb around his neck. Armin then tried to use Eren’s metamorphosis explosion to kill both the worm-like creature and Eren. It seemed that the threat posed by the Rumbling had finally passed with the deaths of Eren and the worm-like thing.
How Eren and Mikasa’s Relationship Ends Due to Attack on Titan
In a last-ditch effort to keep the Rumbling going, Eren reemerges in a new Titan form to battle Armin. To aid it in reuniting with Eren, the worm-like creature emits a gas that transforms every Eldian in the area—aside from Mikasa, Levi, and the Titan Shifters—into an army of Titans. While Mikasa is going through a lot, she imagines a universe in which she and Eren flee and coexist peacefully while everyone else is at war. Mikasa’s determination was reinforced by this vision, as he used his Titan form to decapitate Eren and bid him farewell with a final kiss.
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Explained: Eren’s Death and The Real Attack on Titan Plan
Eren and Armin first met in the Paths dimension during the Attack on Titan finale, “Toward the Tree on That Hill,” where Eren stated that he wanted everyone to become heroes for beating him and gaining enough respect to defend Paradis Island. He also disclosed that everything had been planned out in advance and that Mikasa was essential to releasing Ymir Fritz from her love for King Fritz. Eren acknowledged that he didn’t want to die, but he also added that it was too late because the Rumbling had already murdered 80% of the people beyond the island. Armin also chastised Eren for manipulating Mikasa’s emotions.
All of it shocked Armin, and what really surprised him was Eren’s claim that, after trying out a gazillion different scenarios, this was the only course of action. Eren acknowledged that he was being foolish and could not change the course of events, which is why he argued that Armin’s proposal would only make matters worse. In a final gesture of kindness, Armin admitted that he was the one who initially made Eren care about the outside world and promised to see him again in hell. Armin gave Eren one last hug before coming back to earth and sobbingly reaffirmed Eren’s passing.
Attack on Titan’s Ending & True Meaning Explained
Not only did the Rumbling end with Eren’s demise and the worm-like creature destroyed, but all Titan’s powers vanished as well, transforming all Eldians into regular humans. Three years later, tensions remain high on all fronts, with the outside world continuing to mistrust for Eldians and the Yeagerists growing ever more militant. As they prepare for a peace conference, Armin and the others recognize that they have a lot of enemies, but they still think that if they have the opportunity to speak, they can still reach a mutual agreement.
It’s unclear how much time passed or if the outside world was actually to blame, but the end credits, unfortunately, demonstrate that Armin’s ideals would not be realized as Paradis Island would eventually be bombed to ruins. Nevertheless, it still demonstrates that despite Eren and Armin’s best efforts, the cycle of violence continued. In the epilogue, a youngster in the wrecked Paradis finds the tree Eren was buried beneath; it now resembles the tree from which Ymir Fritz obtained her Titan abilities, suggesting that Eren will also acquire Titan abilities.
Fighting will probably never stop if Titan’s powers are truly resurrected. However, we don’t know what the world is like right now; if it’s peaceful, the new titan powers might be put to good use or perhaps not used at all. Everything is left up to interpretation, which is probably on purpose because, in Attack on Titan’s tragic conclusion, one of the few silver linings is that, for better or worse, the narrative of the characters everyone knew ended with them living out the remainder of their lives in peace.
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Summary
In the concluding episode of Attack on Titan, Eren initiates the Rumbling, prompting a global alliance to thwart him. Armin and Zeke, in the Paths dimension, rally support from deceased Titan Shifters. The alliance eventually prevails, ending the Rumbling. Mikasa decapitates Eren, envisioning a peaceful coexistence. Eren reveals predestined events, Mikasa mourns his death, and three years later, Eldians lose Titan’s powers. Despite peace efforts, Paradis is eventually bombed, hinting at a cycle of violence’s persistence. The epilogue suggests a potential resurgence of Titan powers, leaving the world’s fate ambiguous.