Hajime Isayama planned the heartbreaking ending to Attack on Titan since he started working on the manga. He was bent on making Eren Yeager a victim of tragic circumstances, beginning with the death of his mother, before a heel turn made the heroic character into the main villain. The mangaka did contemplate creating an alternative ending but stuck to the original plan.
The Attack on Titan season finale released earlier this week was speculated to have a different ending than the manga. Rumored to be ‘canon’ due to being written by Isayama, fans believed that Yeager and Mikasa will definitely have a happier ending. That unfortunately didn’t pan out on the screen although it could’ve been an idea that the mangaka may have wanted to explore.
Spoilers ahead for Attack on Titan The Final Chapters Special 2 episode!
Hajime Isayama Pre-Planned Attack On Titan‘s Ending But Did Change Some Aspects Of The Story
Eren Yeager’s tragic ending in Attack on Titan can be related to Light Yagami’s fate in Death Note. Light is corrupted by the power he gains from a Soul Reaper’s notebook and declares himself God over all evil. Similarly, Yeager’s moral compass degrades each time he gains power such that he is unable to stop the perceived future.
In a bid to defend the Eldians and Paradis Island, Eren Yeager manages to bring the Rumbling event in The Final Chapters Special 2 and destroy 80% of the population. He is unable to suppress his instincts as a Founding Titan. Eventually, Mikasa deals the final blow to stop his rampage.
Eren’s turn from the good to the veil side was pre-planned by Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama as revealed during an interview with the New York Times.
“That was pretty much there from the beginning [the planned ending], the story starts with the victim who then goes through this story and becomes the aggressor. That is something I had in mind right from the get-go. Along the way, certain aspects of the story didn’t go as expected, and I adapted and fleshed out certain aspects. But I would say the ending of the story didn’t change much.”
The twist in the main character’s role makes AoT a standout from other top shonen series such as Naruto and Bleach as they comprise characters with overly heroic tendencies.
Isayama Believed That The End To War Seemed Hokey, Decided To Continue The Cycle
The war between Eldians and Marleyans is the focal point of the Attack on Titan series. What was started centuries ago after the marriage between the tyrant king Fritz and Ymir continued after the fall of Wall Maria. Eren Yeager lost his father and mother during the incident following which he swore to destroy all Titans.
Having been dragged into the widespread propaganda prevailing in the war, Yeager developed a deep-rooted hatred for Marley and destroyed the city to prevent an attack on Paradis Island. This eventually led to a full-scale war with Reiner Braun’s warriors and other Marleyans.
Yeager believed that peace could only be achieved if the Eldians and Marleyans started anew, thus deciding to destroy more than half the world’s population and sparing only his friends. Despite his best efforts, the ending featured that the conflict between the two nations continued.
When asked why they decided to not stop the cycle of war in their manga, Hajime Isayama revealed that “the end of fighting and the end of contention itself kind of seems hokey.” The mangaka thought of an ending that marked a culmination of the conflict but grimly stated that the idea was not realistically applicable in the current, war-ridden world.
