WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Chapter #138 of Attack on Titan, "A Long Dream," by Hajime Isayama, Dezi Sienty and Alex Ko Ransom, now available in English from Kodansha.
It's hard to believe that after almost a decade, Attack on Titan's manga is only a month away from ending. Harder still, for those that have been keeping up with Hajime Isayama's series at its source, to believe that the mangaka has left himself enough space to tie up the many loose ends left hanging. After a long and desperate battle to stop Eren's genocide, Chapter #138 puts our heroes through the wringer once more, with the final page likely cementing the protagonist-turned-villain's ultimate end: a kiss of death shared between his severed head and Mikasa. You can't imagine a more grimly 'romantic' moment anywhere else -- save for, perhaps, the lyrics of a mid-'00s My Chemical Romance bop.
But even this moment, which appears so clear-cut in its finality, has fans suspicious. After all, this is the third decapitation that Eren has endured in the series, the first being when Gabi shot his head clean off as he tried to make contact with Zeke in Shiganshina, and the second in the last chapter, #137, via man-made explosives strapped to his nape. Surely, though, this darkly tender farewell from Mikasa has to have been the real nail in the coffin... right? Maybe not. Let's take a look at what Attack on Titan's final chapter could have in-store for its fallen lead.
Ymir Could Resurrect Eren
Ymir, the original Titan, remains the biggest unknown in the entire series, and her presence on the last page of Chapter #138 could be a pretty big cliffhanger. What's interesting is that having tried so hard previously to prevent Eren's plan -- and her plan, perhaps -- from being scuppered, she does nothing to stop Mikasa from slicing Eren's head from its spinal cord. In fact, she looks quite content as the two kiss. Has Ymir's rage subsided with Eren's? Is she no longer interested in helping the Rumbling happen now that the shining centipede (the source of her original power) is on its last legs?
There's nothing to suggest why Ymir would suddenly change her mind. She also owes Eren a considerable debt: her own freedom, after thousands of years of spiritual enslavement. Given that the next chapter will be the last, it seems unlikely that retaliation is on the cards. The series already has far too many pieces to pick up to keep the fight going for much longer. Instead, there's a chance Ymir will give Eren the same gift she did his brother Zeke and resurrect him. Assuming, of course, she still has access to the Path, which may be the source of her lingering power. This might be a welcome ending for fans who still harbor some goodwill towards Eren, but others would definitely find it unsatisfying. Eren himself might agree with them: he knew his actions could lead him here, and his survival will make him a target for those he's wronged.
Eren Will Meet His Child In the Final Panel
Isayama previously shared a rough sketch of the final panel of the manga, which depicts someone shown from behind, holding an infant, accompanied by a speech bubble reading: "You are free." The back looks male-presenting and the hair is reminiscent of Eren's, or even Grisha's or Zeke's. Following flashbacks of a conversation between Eren and Historia leading up to her pregnancy, a lot of fans began to suspect Eren is the real father of the queen's child, while her hastily-acquired husband is a cover-up.
It makes sense that Eren, factoring in his risky Rumbling plan and already-shortened lifespan, would want to leave a piece of himself behind. The distance he had to create between himself and Mikasa, plus their complicated bond, may have been what led him to Historia's bed instead of her's to do so. Plus, Historia needed to start creating heirs in accordance with Zeke's plan. In the unlikely event that Eren does survive and gets to meet his child, that could well be him in the panel, assuring his child that with the Titan curse removed for good, they've been born into a peaceful world at last.
Eren (Or Ymir) Will 'Live On' Through Historia's Baby
Another scenario is that Eren's legacy, rather than his life, will continue. Not only through the memories of his loved ones but also through the child he might be leaving behind. Historia's unnamed farmer husband also has very similar hair to the person holding the baby in the final panel. It could easily be him, not Eren, holding them, even if his words have very specific meaning to Eren. Freedom was Eren's goal even before his mother was eaten by a Titan; that horrific event only made his yearning for it all the more urgent and, eventually, extreme.
It's not out of the question that if the child is Eren's and is a boy, Historia may even use his father's name, giving Eren a different sort of resurrection, in a sense. And if the baby is a girl, the queen might name her Ymir. On the surface, this could be a heartfelt way to honor her first love -- the previous holder of the Jaw Titan. But it could also mark a 'rebirth' of the original Ymir, who also longed to be liberated, perhaps even more so than Eren after 2,000 years of entrapment in both her life and afterlife.
Though Attack on Titan has turned out, shockingly, to be far more scientifically-based than we realized, the supernatural and metaphysical are still prevalent. As a final twist, Eren and/or Ymir being reborn to enjoy the freedom they fought so hard for might seem trite, but not out of the question. Whether that's in the literal or symbolic sense could be left up to readers to decide. Isayama is, if nothing else, not one to give easy answers. Why should Attack on Titan's ending be any different?