WARNING! MAJOR ENDING SPOILERS! Please read this review at your own risk!!
First, I love this series. One of the best I’ve read. It had twists and turns and the unpredictability made it addicting to read and watch. I was very late to the hype train (October 2020) but it'll always hold a special place in me.
When I first read the chapter, I was pissed and didn't understand why it ended the way it did. I read it again. I gave myself a few days, weeks. At some point I had read the entirety of the manga and anime twice. I had consumed nearly every bit of content available to me. When the extra chapters released, it made sense.
I think it’s a great ending. However, the ending absolutely has it's flaws. There were a few plot holes but I feel like the story wouldn't have changed if they were answered anyways. Despite this, it’s a good conclusion to the story, it’s realistic and makes sense.
Eren
- "Eren's character was ruined!"
- The season 4 Eren that we saw was another part of him. We were shown what he was doing for his friends. He gave up his life and happiness for his friends and to give his homeland, Paradis a chance at surviving. His plan not working out in the end with Paradis is realistic. Of course his plan won't work forever, because the Rumbling wasn't the answer to the problem.
- However in the final chapter, we were shown that he's still the same, confused, and mentally torn boy that just wanted to be with his friends and Mikasa. He really was the same throughout the series, he just felt the need to repress his emotions and push himself away from his friends to complete his goal and ensure that they lived long lives. "Freedom" wasn't his only personality trait.
- Also, he loved Mikasa from the very beginning. Even if he never got to confess and show his love for her, it's what he wanted and it's what he got.
Mikasa and Ymir Fritz
- Mikasa was the one to finally free Ymir because she was able to teach Ymir what true love is, and that set Ymir free from the shackles from loving King Fritz. This parallels into her love for Eren, she was able to overcome her love and do what she had to do.
- Therefore Ymir disappeared (along with the worm), erasing the Paths and Power of the Titans along with that because her purpose was complete and she gained freedom. I do believe that it's messed up that Ymir loved Karl Fritz, someone who did those horrible things to her, but those that said that it came out of nowhere are wrong. Ymir's love for King Fritz likely came from Stockholm Syndrome or something similar. If Ymir didn't love Karl Fritz, then she wouldn't have protected him from the spear in Ch. 122.
Eren and Armin
- This is one major issue that I have with the manga's ending. The fact that Eren had killed 80% percent of humanity felt brushed to the side and a fair chunk of the conversation was focused on Mikasa. On top of the original final panel being Mikasa thanking Eren for wrapping the scarf around her, it gave the story to strong of a "it was all a love story in the end" vibes.
- Armin's line "Thank you for becoming a mass murderer for us, I don't let this error go to waste." felt very out of his character. He wouldn't be one to thank Eren for becoming someone like this.
- Looking back, there clearly wasn't enough space for such an important conversation between these two characters and the anime recreates this conversation and fixes the majority of it's flaws. I feel that this is easily the most flawed part of the ending and caused the most confusion for many.
- Another note to add that I think makes the ending better is that it has 139 chapters. The number represents the end of something and the beginning of something else. The number 140 represents freedom. Since it ends at chapter 139 and not chapter 140, it's implied that Eren didn't reach freedom.
- However, due to Isayama insisting that it only had 139 chapters, I feel like the Rumbling arc was a bit rushed. I feel like it would've been slightly better if it was more fleshed out with another 2-3 chapters, but it doesn't make the ending that much worse for me.
- Yes, the whole thing with numbers is interesting, I love the tiny details like that, but it still affected the story slightly.
In conclusion, while Attack on Titan didn't have the perfect ending, it was the most realistic conclusion and left me fairly satisfied. It has become a modern masterpiece that deserves the hype it's receiving. Sure the ending was unexpectedly happy, but it's not just a tragic story, it dives into important real-world topics, such as racism, genocide, oppression, perspective, and morality.
I loved every bit of Attack on Titan and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.
