Spoiler Warning: This article discusses the final chapter of Attack On Titan.
After over a decade, the final chapter of Attack on Titan released earlier this month. In the penultimate chapter, Mikasa finally killed Eren moments after the Eldians at Fort Salta were transformed into titans. For the rest of March and early April, fans were eager to find out what would happen to the rest of the characters and see how the story would conclude.
Unfortunately, most readers were disappointed by the end of the series and are harshly criticizing the last chapter. However, there was no way that Hajime Isayama could have satisfied all of the fans as they all have different ideas on what a perfect ending would be. Luckily, Isayama wrote the ending that he wanted to tell and wrapped up some of the character arcs in ways that readers wanted for years. Here are ten reasons why the ending deserves a lot more credit it's getting.
10 All Of The Titans Have Disappeared
When the series began, nobody expected there to be a greater threat than the titans. The Colossal Titan seemed like it would be the main antagonist of the entire manga, with the Armored Titan and Female Titan being supporting villains. However, as the Survey Corps learned more about the world they lived in, they realized that the titans were barely a threat compared to the dangers to come.
As the series is called Attack on Titan, the titans becoming extinct and the titan shifters losing their abilities was a great way for it to end, especially as that was Eren's original goal.
9 Ymir Fritz Was Finally Able To Die
After Ymir Fritz sacrificed her life to save her husband, the first titan's spirit went inside of the coordinate, where she would stay for centuries. When Eren began The Rumbling, he set her free. With this freedom, she was able to learn through Mikasa what it really means to love someone, letting go of King Fritz's dream in order to save the world. Because it was revealed that Ymir was in love with the man that abused her, readers turned their backs on her, not understanding that love is different for everyone and that her views were different because of her rare experiences.
There are already different types of love, such as romantic, familial, and platonic, so it's quite strange that there are readers that think her emotions are somehow invalid just because they can't relate, which, if anything, they should be grateful for.
8 Eren Told His Friends What They Needed To Hear To Have Closure
Since Eren supposedly betrayed the friends he used to be close to, they wanted an explanation. In the scene that most readers consider to be the worst in the chapter, Eren gave them exactly that. Though fans only got to read the conversation that Eren had with Armin in this chapter, he also spoke with Mikasa in the chapter prior. He told them, as well as the other soldiers and warriors, everything that he needed to so that they could let go of any pain he caused them.
A lot of readers think that Eren contradicted himself since he told Armin that he didn't want Mikasa to move on but told her to forget about him. However, this only shows that Eren loved Mikasa enough to put what was best for her above his own selfish desires.
7 Eren Really Is The Same As Reiner
Another reason why readers hate the final conversation between Eren and Armin is because Eren revealed that he was responsible for having Dina eat his mother, calling him a hypocrite for Reiner for Carla's death. But there's a difference between Carla dying and Dina eating her that a lot of people don't realize. Reiner convinced Bertholdt and Annie to continue their mission after Ymir ate Marcel. Because of this, part of the wall was going to crash onto the Yeagers' house no matter what and Carla would have been eaten by another titan.
All that Eren did was make sure that Dina would be the titan to eat her. The reason why it had to be Dina was so Eren would hate her, punch her, and activate the coordinate, which he needed to do in order to accomplish his goal. Eren is the same as Reiner as they were both forced to play a role in Carla's death, but Eren is not her murderer.
6 Levi Dedicated His Heart
Despite being a captain for the Survey Corps, Levi never dedicated his heart like they would. Due to his past and reasons for joining the military, which readers can learn through his spin-off series, No Regrets, he didn't feel the need to show the respect that his comrades did. However, in the last chapter, he was able to see all of the soldiers that he cared about who died one last time and saluted to them the way he never did when they were alive.
Being able to see characters like Erwin and Hange was a great way to end his arc, and seeing as how Levi became a fan favorite the moment he was introduced, this is exactly what both he and the readers needed.
5 Jean And Connie Got To See Sasha One Last Time
Levi wasn't the only one that got to see someone who passed. Connie and Jean witnessed Gabi kill Sasha, one of their closest friends, at the end of the Marley arc. They were devastated to watch the girl that was like a sister to them die, and were shocked to see her smile and dedicate her heart to them before fading away.
This was a very bittersweet moment that put tears in the eyes of Sasha fans. As much as it hurt to see characters like Hange, Erwin, and Petra die, Sasha's death caused fans to be even more upset, so it was good that she had her own moment in the last chapter.
4 The Warriors And Their Families Can Live Happily
For those that like the warriors more than the soldiers, they should also be happy to see their favorite characters' arcs end well. Eldians were always treated poorly in Marley, so once the Warrior Unit began, the Eldian parents send their children to become honorary Marleyans.
However, Annie's father and Reiner's mother came to regret their actions and realized how important it is to spend time with the children they love. They were reunited with each other and are now able to happily live in peace as Eldians are now treated equally.
3 Historia Is Still Friends With Both The Soldiers And The Warriors
Due to how much time the Warrior Unit and Survey Corps spent fighting, it made sense that the only thing to bring them together would be the end of their world. However, some readers may have suspected that the two groups would have gone their separate ways after stopping The Rumbling. Luckily, their friendship is the same as it was during their days as members of the 104th Cadet Corps, and they're even friends with Historia despite them no longer being on Paradis.
Three years after they defeated Eren, the warriors and soldiers are on their way to Paradis, joking around with and putting trust in each other, ready to tell the world their story. Friendship has always been an important part of Attack on Titan so it's great to see that the main characters care about each other now more than ever.
2 Eren Got The Freedom He Always Wanted
Since the series began, Eren wanted freedom. However, nobody actually knew what he meant by that as, like love, freedom can mean many things to many people. It turns out that the answer was right in front of them the entire time, similar to many other plot twists such as the identities of the Armored Colossal Titans, and Grisha being from Marley.
Birds were constantly seen throughout the manga, and Eren was reincarnated as a bird, free to fly wherever he wants and do whatever he'd like. Not only has this inspired the fans to come up with some great memes, but those that liked Eren should be happy for him.
1 And He'll Always Wrap Mikasa Up In The Scarf He Gave Her
Many moments revolving around Eren and Mikasa involved the scarf that he gave her. When they first met, her parents were murdered so she began living with the Yeagers and Eren put this scarf around her neck, comforting her. Right before Eren first activated the coordinate, he told her that he would continue to wrap her in it forever, and his words proved to be true. Mikasa is one of the few Survey Corps members that doesn't spend her days with the other soldiers and warriors.
Instead, she's always at Eren's grave, which is where he woke up from the nightmare he had in the first scene he ever appeared in. When her scarf isn't wrapped around her properly, he flies down to the place where the story began to fix it. This ending is nothing less than perfect.