Summary
- The author delivered a controversial ending involving Eren's genocide mission, leaving fans divided.
- Fans felt cheated by the rushed storytelling and underdeveloped world outside Paradis Island.
- Eren's transformation from hero to villain, killing over a billion people, perplexed and angered viewers.
The Attack on Titan series is simply a timeless masterpiece. The manga started in 2009 and ended 12 years later, while the anime started in 2013 and concluded in 2023, running for 10 years. It started and continued with so much promise, but the ending is something that some fans, to this day, haven’t accepted.
The mangaka, Hajime Isayama, shares some traits with the main character, Eren Yeager, and that’s evident in the way he completed the story. His writing aimed to explore themes of conflict, humanity's capacity for violence, and the consequences of unchecked power. These are portrayed and understood, yet fans raise questions as to why this incredible series ended the way it did, leaving them feeling dissatisfied and generally unhappy with it.
Crunchyroll Now Streaming Attack on Titan Compilation Movie
The last two episodes of the Attack on Titan anime come together in THE LAST ATTACK, now on Crunchyroll.
The Ending The Author Gave
Compared To How It Started
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From the way the story began, the author succeeded in selling a false sense of depth to fans, with many assuming it was simply a battle for survival between humans and Titans, and it indeed was. The twist that made the plot much deeper was how the oppressed became the oppressors.
At the same time, the story gives fans a complete idea of what it would mean to be oppressed and to live in fear of others. The author was preparing viewers for what was to come, as it started in bloodshed and ended in even more bloodshed. It’s a haunting balance, where justice for the fallen becomes the justification for even greater violence.
It Was A Lot To Swallow
To conclude the story, Eren decided to wage war against the world using the power they feared, and was killed by Mikasa before he completed his genocide mission. He succeeded in killing eighty percent of the Earth. He got rid of the Titan powers from the world, and his actions led to a temporary peace for the Eldians, who had been tormented for centuries on Paradis Island.
Some fans, after following a series for over 10 years, still found it difficult to predict one out of many paths the story could have taken. It was an ending a lot of fans couldn’t foresee— and it all happened very quickly.
Why Are Fans Divided
The Ending Felt Rushed
The author spent a lot of time building the story around Paradis Island as if it were a small world, highlighting culture, factions, and even its underground society. Viewers became very familiar with how the island functioned. In contrast, the rest of the world felt underdeveloped and hastily introduced, even though most of it was destroyed in the end.
Fans felt there were too many questions left unanswered by the author. He didn’t give enough time to certain aspects of the story or to some characters, either. As a result, some events felt insignificant in the conclusion, as if they didn’t truly matter in the end.
Eren Was Supposed To Be A Hero
Eren is given the perfect backstory of a rising hero as he attains the power to turn into a Titan. With his abilities, he gave everyone hope. He played his part as a hero until he understood more about the world, its history, himself, and his past. He had seen firsthand what it meant to be oppressed, and the never-ending cycle of war born from fear of the Titans’ power.
Yet he still chose to give the world what they feared most. He killed over one billion people, women, children, guilty, innocent, it didn’t matter. To protect the people of Paradis Island, he did what he thought was best. Fans couldn’t understand why this small-town hero made such a monstrous move without a care for the lives of those who did him no harm.
The Writers Thoughts
Difficult To Go Through With It
The author, Hajime Isayama, spoke about the torment he endured while considering whether to change the ending he had always envisioned—and how he ultimately stuck with it. This mirrors the journey of Eren, the main character, who gained the power to reshape the world and chose to follow his path to the end.
Both bore the weight of their decisions, knowing not everyone would be satisfied with the outcome. Isayama, like Eren, embraced condemnation to deliver the conclusion he believed was necessary.
Was There A Perfect Conclusion
“Perfect” Might As Well Be An Illusion
The author presents the fragility of peace from the very first chapter, when the gate that kept the Titans out was breached, and thousands died in the opening attack. He carefully reminds fans that war existed long before the Titans, and in the anime’s end-credit scenes, he shows that war would continue even after the Titans were gone. Throughout, he remains consistent with his worldview, which served as the foundation of the entire story.
This fictional story might have become too realistic, making the narrative feel rigid toward the end, but the significance of the events Eren witnessed in the past made the ending bearable. Man’s thirst for power kept getting worse, which was the driving force of the world Eren saw—very different from the one of survival he lived in. No one conclusion could have offered complete satisfaction to every viewer.
Attack On Titan
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2013 - 2022-00-00
Based on Hajime Isayama's widely popular manga, Attack on Titan is a dark fantasy anime set in a world where humanity lives behind walls to protect themselves from massive creatures known as Titans. Over the course of four seasons, the story takes plenty of unexpected twists and turns, almost evolving into a different type of series in the process.
- Studio
- Wit Studio, MAPPA
- Creator
- Hajime Isayama
- Number of Episodes
- 94
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu, Crunchyroll, Adult Swim
'We Plan To Continue Creating Films': Attack On Titan Series Producer Reveals The Story May Not Be Over
The Attack On Titan series will continue as said by the producer of the series.