Attack on Titan’s recent conclusion in November 2023 left many fans shocked and disappointed. The finale ended on a very sobering and dark note and many people desired a happier conclusion to the story. Hajime Isayama, creator of Attack on Titan, has recently explained why he felt a happy conclusion would not fit the series well and why he chose the ending he did.
In a 2023 interview with The New York Times, the talented creator went into depth regarding his writing process and why he chose to end the series on a more somber note. Isayama explains that he wanted the ending to seem accurate and realistic to real life, depicting some harsh truths about the state of the world.
Since war, violence, and bloodshed are all unfortunate realities in real life that don’t just simply disappear in one moment, he felt it would appear “not even believable” to have Attack on Titan end on a completely peaceful and war-free note.
Attack on Titan Had To End Realistically To Depict The Harsh Realities Of War
Produced by Wit Studio and MAPPA, based on the original manga by Hajime Isayama
The most prevalent themes in Attack on Titan are war, violence, and human conflict to solve issues. The plot of the show centers around the discrimination the Eldians faced from the rest of the world, trapped on an island inside the walls. The Eldians, specifically Eren, saw the rest of the world negatively due to this mistreatment. The situation even escalated to Eren becoming the worst villain and committing mass genocide to guarantee the Eldians’ survival. He felt the only way freedom could be obtained was through wiping out his enemies and creating a new world of peace with only those who lived within the walls.
Eren began the Rumbling effectively, but in a shocking twist, his most beloved friend, Mikasa Ackerman, had to stop him using violence by beheading him. In all of these occurrences in the series, violence and struggle are extremely present, and often characters felt there was no other way to solve the problems. Clearly, this is the author’s way of depicting the struggles of the real world. Isayama’s sentiment is accurate, and to have Attack on Titan end with a happy conclusion where war is completely eradicated would have gone against the series’ main message.
Attack on Titan Ends In A Somber Way, But The Conclusion Is Hopeful
The series finale hints at a greater push for nonviolent conflict resolution
Although the ending of Attack on Titan is not “happy,” there is hope for future reconciliation in the conclusion. One of the final scenes shows Armin and the Scouts aboard a boat on the way to engage in peace talks with the Yeagerists, seeking a peaceful compromise between the groups’ differing ideals. Although Isayama included a final scene that hints the cycle of violence will go on forever, the series also shows that there are always people fighting to push past these violent means and find harmony. Attack on Titan had to end unhappily to reflect reality, but the conclusion certainly inspires hope that all is not lost.
Attack on Titan is available streaming on Crunchyroll.
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Attack On Titan
Based on the manga, Attack on Titan is a dark-action fantasy series set in a world where humanity has been corralled into walled cities from fear of monstrous human-eating Titans that exist outside of them. When protagonist Eren Yeager’s mother is killed in front of his eyes at a young age, his thirst for vengeance leads him to join an elite group of soldiers created to fight back against the Titan menace.
