Attack on Titan‘s final episode recently premiered – a moment that fans have finally been waiting for. The Survey Corps finally waved goodbye to the viewers as the anime came to a close after ten years. As expected, fans are taking over the internet to express the melancholia that the tragic ending evoked.
In the final season, the world outside Paradis Island sinks into a state of ruckus as Eren sends his Titans to kill everyone. The Rumbling begins, and Eren Yeager quickly transitions from fans’ beloved protagonist to a bewildering antagonist. However, the Survey Corps and Eren’s previous friends decide to team up with the forces in Marley to put a halt to Eren’s plan.
As usually seen in the series, Armin remains the brain of the plan and decides to explode the Founding Titan. Sadly, he fails to do so because a Titan Shifter swallows him while he is in the process of transformation. Surprisingly, Eren’s army of innumerable Titan Shifters, who are ready to attack the Global Alliance, reveal themselves.
Since the Alliance was almost at the feet of defeat, and with Hange already dead, they were overwhelmed. Thankfully, Annie, Gabi, and Falco come in just in time to save them from the brink of death. Although hesitant, the army against Eren decides to kill him to end the battle once and for all. Given how powerful Eren was, they initially failed to do so.
Armin desperately looked at his friends as he questions his presence in the battle. Then, in a strange turn of events, he is teleported to the Paths Dimension, where tries to convince a hopeless Zeke to contribute to stopping Eren’s tragic plan. Finally, Zeke and Armin gain control over the spirits of dead Titan Shifters and direct them to fight Eren.
Attack on Titan Ending: Does the anime have manga ending?
In events that follow, Mikasa helps Armin release from the Titan Shifter while Levi kills Zeke. Finally, the Rumbling stops, and Armin tries to destroy Eren with this transformation. As soon as one might think that this was the end, Eren shows up once again but in a Titan form. Mikasa, still holding on to Eren and her vision of running away with him to live in peace, regains strength. She beheads Eren inside his Titan and kisses him a final goodbye. This poignant moment marks a sudden heaviness in the fans’ hearts.
In The Final Chapter of Attack on Titan, Armin meets Eren in the Paths Dimension. There, the latter admits that this battle had two purposes. One, for the Global Alliance to become heroes for the people. Two, to free Ymir Fritz. While Armin is compassionate, he calls Eren out for his tragic plan and for hurting Mikasa. In a moment of vulnerability, Eren admits that he was foolish for not helping this situation. Armin then consoles Eren and promises to meet him in hell. This is slightly different from the manga’s ending, wherein Armin simply expresses his gratitude to Eren for his sacrifice.
Following Eren’s death, all Titan powers cease to exist and the Eldians transform back to regular humans. Despite three years passing, global tensions remain high with Yeagerists on one end and the Eldians on another. Armin still believes that dialog can establish understanding. However, the end credits reveal the contrary. In the scene, Paradis Island is shown at some unknown point in time. Despite Eren and Armin’s efforts, the cycle of hatred and violence persists.
A young boy is seen discovering the tree where Eren was buried, where Ymir Fritz first gained her Titan powers. Though the scene is open to interpretation, it subjectively depicts that the Titan powers can re-emerge. Hence, the world’s fate remains quite uncertain, depending upon who earns these powers.