Attack on Titan series finale explained

[Otozawa]

Attack on Titan series finale explained

Three years after the battle, Historia (Shiori Mikami) explains in a voice-over that the devastating effects of the war have plagued the world with anxiety. Paradis becomes "Eldia" and the remaining islanders form a powerful army led by the Jaegers, fearing retaliation from the surviving humanity across the sea. "Even with the Titans gone, the conflict won't go away," Historia says. Armin and the Global Alliance are seen on a ship bound for Eldia as ambassadors for the Allied Powers to negotiate peace between the warring parties. Armin remains hopeful that telling their story will bring the islanders to mutual understanding. Unfortunately, Armin's optimistic wishes backfire.

The final episode ends with a series of token post-credits, all from the point of view of the hilltop tree. Mikasa visits Eren's tombstone year after year and we watch as the city of Eldia grows into a thriving city! Despite Eren's efforts, world peace never materialized. The cycle of violence continues, war breaks out again and Eldia is eventually bombed into oblivion. In post-apocalyptic days, a boy wearing a scarf very similar to Mikasa's accidentally stumbles upon the tree under which Eren is buried, which now resembles the tree where Ymir received the power of the Titan, the source of all living matter. This final scene invites viewers to ponder their own interpretation. Will the boy dare to enter the tree? Does humanity regain the power of the Titans? Fans will never know, but the post-credits speak volumes about how human beings can not only never escape the cycle of violence, but the cycle of life and death itself.