Attack on Titan Cliffhanger Teases Mikasa’s New Resolve

Attack on Titan‘s Final season reached a climactic point with its latest episode – at least in terms of its main characters’ individual and collective emotional arcs. Episode 84 of Attack on Titan‘s anime, “Night of the End” saw major figures of the war between Paradis Island and Marley (Mikasa, Armin, Renier, Jean, Hange, Levi, Connie, Falco, Gabi, Commander Magath) forced to sit together by a fireside and share a meal – as they try to sift through the dark past and decide what to do about the future – or what’s left of it after Eren Jaeger’s Rumbling! 

WARNING: Attack on Titan Episode 84 SPOILERS Follow! 

Needless to say, the warriors of Paradis and Marley can’t stand to be around each other very long before they come to blows – literally and figuratively. Theo Magath has a lot to say about the history of the war with the Eldians, which he sees as 2,000 years of Paradis being in peril. Jean and the other Survey Corps members of course see Marley as the enemy aggressor – at the same time, Hange makes it clear that the corps members do NOT see Eren’s plan of global genocide as the answer. 

Eventually, it’s Annie and Reiner who push things over the brink: Annie gets into Mikasa’s head about whether or not she truly has the resolve to kill Eren if it comes to that. Annie also gets back a Reiner by revealing to Jean that Reiner is the one who caused Marco to get eaten by a Titan.

Annie’s psychological instigation causes Reiner to finally admit what a truly low person he has become – and sparks Jean to completely lose it and nearly beat Reiner to death. As for Mikasa: in her typical Mikasa fashion, she gives a quiet, concise, answer to the question that Annie has posed:

 “I don’t want to let Eren slaughter anyone else.” 

But what does that declaration from Mikasa actually mean? 

Attack on Titan is built on the backbone of Mikasa Ackerman and Eren Jaeger’s relationship – one that a lot of fans want to see reach a happy resolution. While Attack on Titan seems to be stacking Eren’s old allies (and his enemies) together against him, fans are still betting on there being a classic last-minute turn that will bring Mikasa and Eren back together. Could she be the only key to reaching the human being that is Eren, now lost inside the Founding Titan? 

Before we ever get that answer, it looks like Mikasa and co. will have to fight like hell just to escape the Jaegerists blockade and escape Paradis Island. 

Attack on Titan‘s Final Season is streaming on Funimation and Hulu.