Content Warning: Spoilers for the final Attack on Tian episode, mentions of fictional graphic themes
I’ve been watching Attack on Titan since its release in 2013, so to say that watching the finale on the 5th was devastating for me is an understatement. I honest to God felt like I was going to throw up while watching it. Part of it was from the episode itself, but it was also just the emotions that I was feeling when I realized that it was really the end of the show.
After finishing the last episode, I immediately started rewatching the entire series so that I could really see the change that took place in the story as well as with the characters. Going from watching Eren massacre millions of people beyond the sea and having his head cut off by the person he loved the most, back to seeing him as a young kid just wanting to go adventure beyond the walls almost made me start crying all over again. Watching Eren go through his development from this ambitious and driven teenager into someone with so much hate and disdain for the world beyond the walls was heart-wrenching to watch.
Now let’s get into the actual episode; I thought it was an amazing ending to an amazing show. There were so many loose ends that were tied up, but all of the characters got endings that were fitting and actually in character, and while the end credits scene left people with more questions than answers, it still carried an important message. If we don’t learn from history we’re doomed to repeat it, which is exactly what was shown in the end credits as the boy (lovingly nicknamed Beren by the fandom) walked into the tree where Eren was buried: A tree that is suspiciously similar to the one that the founder Ymir Fritz fell into and then gained the power of the titans.
Now, there were way too many emotional moments throughout this final episode to fit into one article, so I’m just going to talk about my favorite ones and how they impacted me as a fan, firstly, when all the past incarnations of the titans that Armin and Zeke knew came together to help the scouts and save Armin. Seeing Bertholdt and Ymir especially was emotional for me, as we knew those characters the longest before their deaths. Seeing them be able to come together and resist Ymir’s orders was amazing to watch. The next thing came directly after this, watching Levi get his revenge on Zeke and finally be able to carry out Erwin’s last command that he gave to him. The episode where Erwin dies was emotional enough for me, but having to watch Levi’s anger and distress at not being able to successfully carry out his last command was even worse, and seeing him finally get that relief was an amazing moment to watch.
A small but meaningful moment for me was when Jean called Reiner a scout. Reiner had never really forgiven himself for what he had done whilst on Paradis and even when he went back to Marley, he still viewed the scouts as important people to him, even when he was supposed to see them as devils. When he came back to the scouts, he gave up hope on ever being considered one of them again. That was until Jean and him were hanging from Eren’s titan form worried for their life, and Jean said to him, “We’re Scout Regiment. Scouts don’t know when to quit”. This was a big moment for Reiner, realizing that even after everything that he had put the scouts through, they still accepted him as one of them.
The final moment that I’ll be talking about, is the conversation between Eren and Armin. This scene made me cry so much that I actually thought that I was going to throw up. I’m talking tears and snot running down my face, punching my pillow kind of sobs. Finally hearing Eren acknowledge his feelings for Mikasa and getting confirmation that he loved her just as much as she loved him was relieving for everyone to hear. Everyone knew deep down that despite what he said to push her away, Eren loved Mikasa deeply. To hear him say how he truly felt about her while also mourning what could have been between them was heartbreaking. Hearing Eren talk about how he didn’t want to die, how he wished he could change what was going to happen to stay and live with everyone while Armin begged for him to go back and change it was soul-crushing. Eren admitting just exactly what he had done, trampling 80% of the population to protect his friends and the island he called home, while Armin was rendered nearly speechless in shock. The worst part of this entire conversation for me was Armin taking responsibility for the events leading up to the rumbling along with Eren, telling him that it was his fault that Eren had become so obsessed with seeing the outside world due to those books that Armin showed him when they were kids. He told Eren that they would see each other again one day, but in hell, where they would both go for the sin of killing 80% of humanity. This was the moment where I felt like I was going to throw up, despite everything Eren had done, the pain and torment he caused to the world, Armin still cared deeply for him and would go anywhere with him. This scene being followed by Armin’s heart-wrenching screams upon seeing Eren’s severed head only added to the feeling of being physically ill.
There are so many other moments that I could talk about from this episode. When Jean and Connie believed they were going to die together, the scouts coming back one final time to see everyone, Eren coming back as a bird to wrap the scarf around Mikasa one last time and so many more. To call this show one of the best, if not the best, anime of our time would not be an exaggeration. The emotions that this show has been able to make people feel were so intense that they just had to know what was going to happen next, the people like me who have grown up with the show finally getting to see it through to the end and getting the closure that they needed, the bonding and friendships that have been made due to this shows fandom and so much more that Attack on Titan has brought during its run are things that cannot be replaced for most people. Now comes the difficult part, finding a new show to latch onto.