Attack on Titan: A conclusion to the fight for freedom

Although its popularity rose with the release of the anime adaptation, made mainstream via popular streaming platforms such as Netflix and Crunchyroll, Attack on Titan’s popularity was kept high thanks to consistent good writing and plot development by the author. At first, the manga’s plot was very simple to understand, humans being threatened by Titans and Eren wanting to eradicate Titans. But as the series went on, topics such as freedom, truth, knowledge and an overwhelming amount of historical and symbolic references could be found in it.

Volume 34 is set to release sometime this summer and according to various sources, will include an extended final chapter, so make sure to get your hands on it!

This article will explain many of the confusing parts of the final chapters, so before you read further, please be aware that it will contain spoilers!

Let’s start with chapter 138 from volume 34, a chapter depicting Mikasa’s dream of a perfect life with Eren. In this chapter’s key moment, Mikasa is requested by Eren to forget about him but she decides that she cannot, right before dealing the finishing blow to the series main protagonist in front of Ymir.

Now, one could wonder, what does Ymir represent in this scene? In the manga, Ymir is a slave who was in love with the king to whom she belonged. Because of her love, she was a prisoner, her love for the king stopping her from setting herself free from all her torments and being finally happy. As a result, she spent her entire existence chained by the king’s orders, unable to oppose the king out of love. A similar behaviour can be found in Mikasa’s character, who acts inherently loyal to Eren in every possible way. Her overwhelming strength as a soldier is reminiscent of Ymir’s own ability to defeat the king’s enemies. So in this particular scene, Ymir could easily see herself in Mikasa and her actions.

What sets Mikasa apart, however, is that right before slaying Eren, her last words are words of rebellion, in opposition to the demands Eren made of her. She was able to keep loving Eren, but still refusing his last request, showing that she would not always obey blindly to the one she loves. This is something Ymir was never able to do until her death. By making the decision to keep loving Eren and opposing his final request, Mikasa symbolically freed herself from being a slave to Eren, choosing her own path. She accomplished what Ymir always dreamed of doing, which put a smile on Ymir’s face, allowing her to finally rest in peace. 

Next comes chapter 139 from volume 34. This chapter begins with Eren explaining to Armin that he truly does not have any other choice than to move forward, that every choice he made was inevitable due to Ymir’s influence on the course of events. Then what does freedom truly mean? Was Eren ever truly free? While Isayama’s characters don’t explicitly discuss this idea, it is the desire for freedom that motivates Eren throughout the series. In exploring this theme, Iseyama avoids any obvious moral lessons, choosing instead to let readers come to their own conclusions in response to the questions asked by the manga.

Isayama has used many historical references throughout Attack on Titan, from references to the segregation of Jewish people under the Nazi regime to the psychological impact of wars and bombs on their survivors in the first few chapters of the manga. We can conclude that Isayama is quite fond of history. Inthe last chapter, one of the biggest irony was that despite Eren’s sacrifice, we see the emergence of an army choosing war over peace. Despite the promises made by humans in previous chapters, stating that if they could survive, they would never make the same mistakes again, war is once again imminent. It is no secret that Attack on Titan portrays many ugly sides of humans overall. Despite being freed from the fear of Titans, humans would keep fighting, those who have the freedom and will to fight shall continue waging wars. In the end, the causes of mankind’s suffering were never the Titans, but instead what mankind made of the Titan powers, and the choices humans made are now bound to inevitably repeat themselves.

Do notice that Eren’s main goal at the beginning of the series: Eradicating all Titans, was accomplished. In fact, despite the story’s tone changing drastically from the start of the series, his end goal was nonetheless accomplished. We can also observe a very simple illustration from chapter 139 from volume 34. 

The various reactions of Eren’s friends when discovering the truth about his actions are very similar to how the author could expect the fans to react upon reading the last chapter. One of the aspects of the manga that proves Isayama is a master when it comes to capturing his audience’s feelings and portraying them through his characters.

Hajime Isayama is still young and will probably return with future works just as epic as Attack on Titan, so make sure to follow him on his future projects! In the meantime, don’t forget to Sasageyo!

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