Attack on Titan Finale Reveals the World's Troubled Future
Attack on Titan's TV series finale offers a much different ending than the manga - one that makes a dark statement about humanity's future.
Attack on Titan has aired the finale of its TV series, and the anime has made some significant changes to the original manga ending.
(MAJOR SPOILERS) One of the biggest changes the Attack on Titan TV series makes to the ending of the story is the addition of a major post-credits scene epilogue. Armin and most of the surviving warriors of the "Battle of Heaven and Earth" try to spread a message of peace across the world, but ultimately their efforts – and Eren Yeager's efforts with The Rumbling all prove futile.
Cycle of Fate: A Troubled Future
The mid-credits scene of Attack on Titan shows Eren Yeager's grave on the hill under the tree he, Mikasa and Armin used to race to. Humanity is shown to go through continuous cycles of growth, advancement, conflict, war, destruction, and regrowth – as expressed through a montage of how times change on Paradis Island. In the background of Eren's grave, villages grow into cities, and then futuristic skyscrapers, before being engulfed by explosive bombardments from modern warfare weaponry. The ruins of the skyscrapers are eventually obliterated by nuclear missiles, seemingly ending humanity altogether.
the adaptation of the ending credits top tierr & linked horizon greatness once again… the song is both beautiful & haunting, describes aot so well #AttackOnTitan pic.twitter.com/M4SSqNgoNO
— 🫶🏼 (@flawless1ikeme) November 6, 2023
After more credits roll, a post-credits scene begins. We find the world returned to a naturalistic state, where a dystopian-looking young boy and his dog are walking through a thick forest. The tree that Eren's grave was under has grown to a massive size and reveals a huge opening in the center, just like the one Ymir stumbled into millennia ago. The boy starts in and the scene fades to black.
Attack on Titan's TV Series Ending Credits Scene Explained
This end credits sequence takes the Attack on Titan TV series well beyond the manga ending, in terms of reinforcing the themes that creator Hajime Isayama was going for. Humanity seems locked in an endless cycle of death and self-destruction – only to eventually be reborn and start regrowing, until start the conflict and bloodshed inevitably start again. Even the power of the Titans – supposedly ended by Eren and Co. – is suggested to one day come back into the world and wreak havoc all over again.
A lot of controversy was sparked by Attack on Titan's ending when the manga came out, as some fans thought there wasn't enough time or effective space on the page dedicated to explaining the finer nuances and complexities of Eren's decisions; how Armin, Mikasa, and co view him – as well as what the larger effect on the world was, afterward. At the very least, the ending of the Attack on Titan anime is getting points for recognizing and addressing those points, with powerful additions like the credits scenes.
Attack on Titan is now streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
