Attack on Titan began with terrifying monsters and ended with mass genocide. By the end of the series, only 20% of the world population survived, thanks to Mr. Tatakae.
Jokes aside, the final chapters of Attack on Titan, by Hajime Isayama, brought on innumerable controversies. The biggest one concerns Eren and whether his extreme step was right. However, the actions of the people around him have also looked questionable at times. The person atop the hot seat of controversy today is none other than Armin.
Hajime Isayama Explains Why Armin Thanked Eren for Being a Mass Murderer
Chapter 139 of Attack on Titan shows a discussion between Eren Yeager and Armin Arlert inside the Paths. Eren explains how he can see the past, present, and future and explains why he acted the way he did. When Armin asks if Eren pushed away his friends just to make them the heroes of the surviving humanity, the latter confirms.
As the time to part approaches, Armin tells Eren:
“Eren…thank you for turning yourself into a mass murderer for our sake. I swear I won’t let this transgression go to waste.”
It has puzzled fans why Armin would thank Eren for being a mass murderer while simultaneously fighting against the rumbling. Is Armin being a hypocrite? Or is he just trying to be a people pleaser to Eren?
Hajime Isayama‘s interview with the New York Times will help you answer the age-old question. According to Isayama, Armin wasn’t trying to push Eren away for the sake of justice.
“It was more that he wanted to, in a sense, take joint responsibility. He wanted to become an accomplice.”
So Armin, who understood Eren’s intent behind his actions, felt responsible for everything as well. He wanted to be a part of his best friend’s decision and an accomplice. To convey this, he used strong words so that he could take Eren’s sins upon himself.
It’s not that Armin has forgiven Eren’s rampage, but he does not want the sin to go to waste. He probably wants to make good use of the situation they are already in. Armin would never agree to the rumbling but at the same time, he would never let his friend suffer the weight of everything alone.
Why was Eren Disappointed at the World He Saw Beyond the Walls?
When Eren imagined the world outside the walls, he thought of the vast ocean and land. Still, he probably never thought they would be inhabited, least of all inhabited by murderous and discriminating people.
Eren dreamt of being free and was excited about the clean slate from which they could all have a fresh beginning. However, reality was far from his dreams. Hajime Isayama further clarifies the scene:
“When he does get across the wall at that point, he says he sees that the world is really not that different from what’s within the walls in the world that he already knows. I believe that’s probably the disappointment that I’m referring to in that specific scene.”
Thus, his disappointment arose from the striking difference between what he imagined and what the world turned out to be. For Eren, it was an unbearable breaking of dreams.
You can read Attack on Titan on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
