After Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan manga ended in 2021, the series received a lot of hate because of how the story ended. Fans weren’t pleased with the ending to the point that they created a fan-made ending and launched a petition to get the mangaka to officially change the series’ ending.
Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan follows the story of Eren Yeagar, who witnessed his mother being eaten by a titan when Shiganshina was attacked by a group of titans led by the Colossal and Armored Titans. Following that, Eren swore to annihilate all Titans, only to later find out that he could turn into a Titan as well.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Attack on Titan manga.
Why is Attack on Titan’s ending hated?
Attack on Titan’s ending saw Mikasa entering the Founding Titan’s mouth, following which she decapitated Eren and kissed him goodbye for the first and last time.
In the final chapter, Mikasa brought Eren’s head to Armin, confirming his death as both mourned his loss. However, Mikasa had to leave the battlefield with Eren’s head as she wanted to give him a proper burial, which would not be possible if others found out her intention after the devastation Eren caused via The Rumbling. Following that, the power of Titans vanished from the world as Eldians became powerless and normal human beings.
While the ending does seem fine, the story had several plot holes and scenes which did not make sense. Firstly, Armin was able to convince Zeke to help him get out of the paths and sacrifice himself so that Levi could cut him down and stop the Rumbling. A series as complex as Attack on Titan depending on a person convincing the other through trivial emotions seemed not appropriate.
Secondly, the way Eren acted in front of Armin at the end was unlike him. He had previously acted rudely with Mikasa, but all of a sudden, he started confessing his love for her when he was speaking to Armin.
The fact that Ymir was in love with King Fritz also did not sit well with fans, given how he used her. In addition, despite Eren being the Founding Titan like Ymir, for some reason, Mikasa was the person shown to be in love, similar to Ymir.
While there are several other reasons why fans hate Attack on Titan’s ending, the argument is basically between the ones who support the original manga and the ones who support Attack no Requiem, the fanfiction.
Will Attack on Titan have a sad or happy ending?
As per Attack on Titan manga, the series is set to have a neutral ending. While Eren passing away at the end was painful despite his actions, the fact that the Eldians finally got to live a free life was very delightful to witness.
Even though three years had passed after Eren’s death, Mikasa would still visit his grave, hoping to see him again, meaning that she was still fixated on him. As for the other characters, like Levi, Gabi, Onyakapon, and Falco, they were finally able to walk freely in other countries. Meanwhile, Armin, Reiner, Connie, Jean, Annie, and Pieck returned to Paradis Island.
Is Isayama going to change the ending?
In an interview with Crunchyroll in Anime NYC, Hajime Isayama revealed how he had several regrets from the time he created the ending as he now had several new ideas. He had gotten influenced by the anime and was hoping to depict Eren as a nicer guy. Thus, he claimed to have changed the direction of the story a lot. However, it is yet to be seen what changes has he made to the ending.