"Attack on Titan" Wraps Up: An Epic End to a Decade-Long Journey
The final episode of “Attack on Titan” has finally premiered and we are not okay. 10 minutes in and the adrenaline was pumping and the tears started to well up in our eyes. This bittersweet story that has carried us across the last 10 years as we grew up along side Eren, Mikasa and Armin, experiencing their lives through our screens as they faced the trials and tribulations of a life already predestined to start and begin anew.
The last episode delivered a finale that's sure to stick with fans for a long time. We've come to the end of a journey that spanned years, and it was as action-packed and emotional as we could have ever hoped for. MAPPA did us proud.
SPOLIERS AHEAD! (we are letting you know in case you haven’t watched the final episode yet, so come back after if you haven’t!)
The episode begins in the thick of things, with Eren's friends and former comrades locked in a fierce battle against him and the source of all Titans, the Shining Centipede. The fight's intensity doesn't let up, and we see all the main characters — Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Connie, and Pieck — pouring everything they've got into stopping Eren's plan, the Rumbling, and ultimately the end of humanity.
In a pivotal moment, Annie appears aboard Falco, a majestic phoenix-like Titan, that was able to fly despite the concerns he couldn't, and helped rescue the team as Armin was deep inside the Paths, as he and Zeke worked with the spirits of the old Titan powers make an appearance fueled by their memories to join into the present struggle. It's an incredible scene where the history of the Titans and the warriors of the past come to aid in the current battle where we get to see Bertholdt, Ymir and the others fight once more.
As the fight rages on, Zeke appears from one of the spikes of Eren's massive Titan, calling out to Levi, as if encouraging him to complete his long-standing mission: Kill Zeke. Levi wastes no time in completing his goal as he severs Zeke's head from his body, who acknowledged Levi as he is carried by Falco in his Titan form until the moment of his long awaited release. This moment feels like a significant resolution to one of the show's longest-running conflicts but also a reprieve to the years of suffering and weight caused and carried by Zeke as well.
The Shining Centipede will stop at nothing to get back to Eren as it releases a mist that turns the survivors into Titans to help defend against Annie, Reiner and Armin. Scene after scene plays out between Eren, Mikasa and Armin, as we get a glimpse into the talks he had with each of them separately when he called out to them from long before. We learn then that he has told them all his plan, his thoughts, his regrets, his fears and ultimately his realization that he was too far gone and in the end, wiped their memory of these moments until the bitter end.
After the battle reaches its peak between Armin’s Colassal Titan, fueled on the cusp of Eren and Armin's memory where he tells Armin despite it all, only 20% of humanity survived, a nod to keeping an even playing field for Paradis to be able to defend itself against retaliation, Mikasa, with the help of Levi, manages to do the unthinkable: she gets through to Eren and ends his life in a bittersweet conclusion to their complex relationship, her smile the last thing he sees before death.
This moment is tough for everyone, but especially for Mikasa as the love story between her and Eren finally came full circle with admitting to Armin he wanted her to be happy but it was with him he wished for. The sequence where Mikasa decapitates Eren's human body was heartbreaking, displaying the harshness of their reality and the intensity of their bond. Mikasa's first and final kiss with Eren was not only a goodbye but a stark reminder of their shared history, drenched in love, loss and sorrow. Watching as Mikasa finds Armin, Eren's head clutched tenderly in her arms, we all cried after hearing Armin's scream at the reality that Eren was, in fact, truly dead.
In the aftermath, Mikasa's act of carrying Eren's head away to a place she felt he would like, leaving behind a grieving Armin was a testament to their shared loss. A dignified burial seemed a distant thought amidst the destruction left by the Rumbling. As the dust slowly begins to settle, we are shown snippets of our favorite characters who have perished along the way, Hange, Erwin, who visit Levi with the rest of his fallen unit, and Sasha who saluted Conny and Jean one last time as she smiles to them giving the surviving members of the Scouts Regiment one final goodbye as a symbol of a chapter closing.
The show then skips ahead three years to show us the world post-Rumbling. The characters have aged, and the focus shifts to a quieter, more reflective scene. Mikasa is shown visiting Eren's final resting place under his favorite tree, a spot that's stood the test of time and the series' many conflicts. It's a somber time of remembrance and closure as she still grapples with the reality of Eren's death.
As she sits by the tree, she speaks to him, wishing to see him again when something remarkable happens. A bird, which we've come to understand as a symbol of freedom and possibly Eren's spirit, flies down and tugs at the scarf Eren gave Mikasa around her, a memento of Eren's care that became a symbol of undying love and the desire to protect. This act resonated with an earlier instance when a bird intersected with Armin and the survivors aboard the ship as they head back to Paradis Island. This recurrent imagery of birds throughout the series echoed Eren's quest for liberation and now, in death, seemed to offer a sense of peace and continuance. It's a touching and symbolic gesture, suggesting that Eren's memory and wishes for freedom live on, and in a way, sends a message that he is still with them, watching.
The finale was a blend of joy, sorrow, and the relentless march of time. It underscored how the characters, and by extension, the viewers, grew and evolved with the unfolding story. From Eren's longing under his favorite tree to the evolved Mikasa, who lived a life Eren had hoped for her yet wanted it to be with him, dying of old age and buried still wearing the scarf he gave her all those years ago. Every small segment in the closing credits showed life continuing on after the events of Eren and The Rumbling, all bearing the weight of years and memories, the closing of "Attack on Titan" mirrored life's own cycles of conflict and resolution as it closes on yet another iteration of the Tree that started it all.
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