Attack on Titan Ending, Explained (2024)

After ten years and going through two different anime studios, Attack on Titan’s anime finally came to a close on November 5, 2023. The highly anticipated conclusion saw Eren Yeager unlock the full power of the Founding Titan and initiate the Rumbling, commanding the Wall Titans to march around the world and kill everyone outside of Paradis Island. While understanding this was Eren's plan to ensure Paradis' safety with no other options available, some of Eren's former allies, including Armin, Mikasa, and Levi, refused to accept genocide as a solution. They joined forces with surviving members of the Marleyan forces for a final battle to stop Eren from completing his extreme plan to eliminate all life beyond the wall.

The series finale episode featured the climax of the intense fight against Eren. Picking up right where the previous episode left off, Eren's colossal Founding Titan form continued marching toward the edge of the world as the Alliance launched its assault. On the back of the Founding Titan, the battle raged between the Global Alliance and the past Titan Shifters. With time running out to stop the Rumbling before it was completed its devastating mission, the showdown to determine humanity's fate took place.

The Final Battle Begins

The Alliance Launches Its Assault on Eren

During the first part of Attack on Titan's finale, titled "The Battle of Heaven and Earth," Mikasa, Levi, Reiner, Jean, and Connie landed on the spine of Eren's Founding Titan form as his Rumbling continued pushing the rest of humanity towards their deaths. Armin planned to blow up Eren's Titan with his Colossal transformation. However, before he could, an okapi-like Titan swallowed Armin whole. This revealed that Eren had summoned past Titan Shifters to fight them, including Bertholdt, the Galliard brothers, and Ymir. Their combined strength stopped Pieck from detonating the bombs around Eren's neck as planned.

With the situation desperate, the Global Alliance decided to kill Eren. So they split into two teams - one to blow up Eren's neck and the other to rescue Armin. Neither team could fight off the ancient Titan Shifters. As Armin watched his friends risk their lives from inside the Okapi Titan, he questioned how he could still think. This led Armin to realize he had been transported to the Paths dimension, where he met Zeke building a sand castle.

The Tide Turns Against Eren

Armin Convinces Zeke to Help Stop Eren

In part 2 of Attack on Titan's finale, "A Long Dream," Armin tried to convince Zeke to help him stop Eren, but Zeke no longer saw the point in life. Armin made Zeke realize that the small pleasures in life, like enjoying playing baseball with his mentor Ksaver, were what gave life value and meaning. This realization caused the spirits of deceased Titan shifters to manifest. Armin and Zeke were then able to give these old Titan shifters the strength to resist Eren's power and fight back against him.

With the help of the former Titan shifters, the Global Alliance gained the upper hand against Eren. Mikasa freed Armin from the Okapi Titan that had captured him. Zeke then allowed himself to be killed by Levi, which forced Eren's Colossal Titans to stop the Rumbling. Jean took this opportunity to detonate the bomb around Eren's neck, forcing out the worm-like creature—the giant centipedal source of all living matter—that had first bonded with Ymir Fritz. Hoping to end the threat of the Rumbling for good, Armin then attempted to destroy both the creature and Eren using the explosion from his titan transformation.

The Battle Continues

Mikasa Faces Eren One Last Time

As the dust started to settle after Armin's explosion, the scouts were dismayed to see that both Eren and the giant centipede creature emerged from the smoke relatively unharmed. The giant centipedal creature was writhing at the foot of the mesa. Reiner and Armin moved to engage it, when suddenly another transformation exploded behind them, revealing Eren in a new bipedal Founding Titan form. They realized that Eren and the creature could not reconnect, or the Rumbling might start again. For this reason, Levi suggested they target Eren first since the creature had already survived an explosion from the Colossal Titan and Eren was the driving force behind the Rumbling.

As the battle continued, Mikasa began suffering from another of her debilitating headaches. Levi tried to get her to focus, as they were the only ones who could kill Eren. Mikasa then experienced a vision where she and Eren lived together in a mountain cabin. In the vision, Eren told her that they had given up everything when they fled Marley, and he couldn't go through with condemning Historia Reiss to becoming a Titan or committing genocide against humanity outside Paradis.

Back in the battle, Mikasa apologized for her distraction. She told Levi and Falco that Eren was in his Titan's mouth and asked for their assistance reaching him. Falco transported Mikasa and Levi close, allowing Levi to create an opening with a thunder spear in the Titan's mouth. Mikasa then entered and found Eren's head suspended from a long spine. With a smile, Mikasa cut Eren's head from the spine and cradled it in her arms. In her final moments with Eren, Mikasa kissed him as Ymir watched on with a look of satisfaction.

Eren's True Plan

Eren Manipulated Events to Free Ymir

In Attack on Titan’s final part, "Toward the Tree on That Hill," Eren met with his friend Armin in the Paths dimension. There, Eren revealed his true intentions and plan to Armin. Eren wanted his friends, who opposed the Rumbling, to become heroes in the eyes of the world by defeating him. He believed this would earn them enough respect to protect their homeland, Paradis Island, in the future.

Eren also told Armin that everything that happened was predetermined and meant to free Ymir Fritz from her love for King Fritz. Mikasa Ackerman played a key role in accomplishing this, as her feelings for Eren mirrored Ymir's love for the King. Knowing this, Eren took advantage of Mikasa's feelings for him to achieve his goals. Earlier, Eren expressed hatred for Mikasa to ensure she would be compelled to kill him when the time came. This would allow Mikasa to release Ymir from her torment and end the power of the Titans.

Armin was upset by Eren's manipulation of Mikasa's emotions. Eren admitted he didn't want to die but saw no alternative route that wouldn't make the situation even worse, as he had tried countless scenarios. Armin consoled his friend in their final moments, taking responsibility for inspiring Eren's desire to explore the outside world. They embraced each other, promising to meet again after death.

After returning to the real world, Armin tearfully confirmed Eren’s death to Mikasa and the others. While 80% of humanity had been wiped out, peace was not ensured as distrust of Eldians remained.

The Aftermath of the Battle

Titan Powers End, but Tensions Remain

With the death of Eren Yaeger, the power of the Titans came to an end. All Eldians became regular humans without any Titan abilities. The spirits of those who had passed away, including Sasha, Hange, members of the Survey Corps, and Ymir Fritz, appeared one final time to thank everyone before leaving. Mikasa buried Eren's head near the tree where they used to play as children. Armin stayed behind to help deal with tensions between Eldians and Marleyans. He played into the narrative of being the hero who defeated Eren, as that was part of Eren's planned scenario.

Three years later, tensions were still high around the world. The radical Yeagerists group on Paradis island, now called Eldia, had formed a strong military out of fear of retaliation from survivors of humanity across the sea. Meanwhile, the outside world still did not fully trust the Eldians. As Armin and his friends headed off to a peace summit, they acknowledged that people have plenty of reasons to hate them, but Armin believes there’s still a chance for them to come to an understanding if they have a chance to talk.

Despite Eren and Armin's hopes, peace was not achieved. Paradis Island was bombed to ruins at some point. It is unknown when or who was responsible, but the cycle of violence continued. In the destroyed Paradis, a boy discovered the tree where Eren was buried, which had taken on the appearance of the tree where Ymir gained Titan powers long ago. This implied the boy may gain Titan abilities as well. If Titan powers could return, then the fighting may never truly end. However, the current state of the world was left unknown.

Attack On Titan

Action

Drama

Fantasy

Based on Hajime Isayama's widely popular manga, Attack on Titan is a dark fantasy anime set in a world where humanity lives behind walls to protect themselves from massive creatures known as Titans. Over the course of four seasons, the story takes plenty of unexpected twists and turns, almost evolving into a different type of series in the process.

Release Date

April 7, 2013

Seasons

4

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Hulu