Highlights
- The identity of Historia’s child’s father was not revealed in the finale, leaving fans with unanswered questions about this plot point.
- The origins of the Ackerman family’s combat abilities were explained to be the result of Titan Science, but certain details about their abilities and their inability to transform into Titans remained unclear.
- The true history of the Eldian Empire and the validity of claims about its past crimes were not fully explored or confirmed in the finale, leaving room for doubt and speculation.
The following contains major spoilers for the Attack on Titan anime.
The Attack on Titan anime was a global cultural phenomenon, a show whose appeal transcended linguistic and geographic boundaries. The series’ near universal acclaim has been attributed to the standard of its writing, concept, pacing, action, and most importantly, the quality of its animation. Both WIT Studio and Studio MAPPA’s contributions to the show offer jaw-droppingly fluid action sequences, which were pivotal to Attack on Titan’s success.
As expected, the release of the series finale, titled “Attack on Titan THE FINAL CHAPTERS Special 2,” crashed Crunchyroll’s servers. Fans flocked to bid farewell to Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Levi, and the rest of the cast after 10 long years. The divisive manga ending received some much-needed fleshing out in its anime adaptation. While some found this version satisfying, others criticized its convoluted justifications for the cataclysmic events of the final story arc. However, once the dust settled, there remained a few questions about the series’ characters and its lore.
7 The Father Of Historia’s Child
At the end of the time skip, Historia Reiss, the Queen of the Walls, was revealed to be pregnant. This revelation came as a surprise at first, but it was soon justified as a measure to prevent the Royal Government from turning her into a Titan shifter due to her connection to the Fritz royal lineage. During the War for Paradis Arc, there was much speculation about whether Eren was secretly the father.
RELATED: Attack On Titan: Was Eren Ever Really Free?
This theory persisted for some time, even though it was stated that the father was actually a local who had bullied Historia as a child. The conclusion of the series depicted Historia with her family, and confirmed that Eren was indeed not the father. However, there was not even a mention of a name or a hint of the real father’s face shown at any point.
6 The Origins Of The Ackerman Family
Levi and Mikasa were two of the series’ breakout characters, catapulting the Ackerman family into the limelight. In subsequent seasons, viewers had burning questions surrounding the Ackerman clan’s impressive combat abilities, as well as the nature of the “Awakening” they experienced.
RELATED: Attack On Titan: Is Adult Mikasa Stronger Than Levi?
During the final season of Attack on Titan, Eren explained what he had learned from Zeke. The Ackerman family’s abilities were the product of Titan Science, where they could manifest the Power of the Titans in human form and gain battle experience from their ancestors through the Paths. This did provide some background for their incredible strength, but still left many questions unanswered about how they got these abilities, or why they were incapable of turning into Titans despite having Eldian ancestry.
5 The True History Of The Eldian Empire
One of the main reasons behind the world’s hatred of Paradis involved the past crimes of the Eldian Empire, back when it was the dominant political and military force on the planet. It was said that Eldia harnessed the Power of the Titans as weapons of mass destruction to ravage and conquer rival nations, eradicating countless cultures. There have been claims that the Eldian Empire of the past wiped out enough people to equal three times the global population in the year 854. Considering Karl Fritz’s horror at the past crimes of his ancestors, there must be some truth to the claims.
However, considering the intensity of Marleyan propaganda, as well as their status as a dominant world power, the validity of these claims can be questioned. The Eldian Restorationists also refuted these claims to some degree. The false accounts of the Great Titan War that spread in the time since its end, enhanced this doubt even further. Sadly, the finale did not shed any light on this topic. It remains to be seen whether there will ever be a clear answer.
4 What Is The World Of The Paths?
Having come into existence upon the death of Ymir Fritz, the world of the Paths was an extradimensional plane, where time flowed differently. It was home to the Coordinate, which embodied the point at which the Paths connecting all Subjects of Ymir converged through the power of the Founding Titan. Physically, this manifested as a massive pillar of light which resembled a branching tree, through which the Founding Titan could apply its numerous abilities.
RELATED: Attack On Titan: Could Paradis Be Saved Without The Rumbling?
The world of the Paths held great significance in the final arc of the story. Eren commenced the Rumbling by speaking to Ymir Fritz, who had been trapped there for nearly 2,000 years. Additionally, Armin was later able to appeal to past Titan shifters and turn the tide of the Battle of Heaven and Earth, after being transported there. Despite its importance in the final conflict, the nature of this plane of existence, as well as its connection to the Titans and the source of all living matter, was not explored in much detail.
3 Is The Source Of All Living Matter Sentient?
While it has gone by many names throughout history, the mysterious anomaly that is the root cause of the Power of the Titans, had limited screen time in the finale. Even before this, there were misconceptions about its nature. Marleyan propaganda described it as the “Devil of all Earth.” Eldian accounts referred to it as the “source of all living matter.” During his conversation with Armin, Zeke briefly theorized it to be the origin of all organic life on Earth, but even this statement had no avenue for verification.
By the end of the series, the only known facts about the entity were its shining centipede-like appearance, and ability to drastically alter organic life. It also displayed a capacity to vary its own size, from around a meter in length, to massive proportions on par with the Nine Titans. While it was dormant for the most part, it did spring to life on some occasions, and even acted of its own will. But the question of its purpose, apart from a need to develop symbiotic relationships, was not given priority in the finale.
2 Who Does Mikasa End Up With?
One of the biggest questions that arose from Attack on Titan’s epilogue was that of Mikasa’s life after Eren’s death. Many have speculated that she ended up marrying Jean Kirstein and started a family with him, based on the similar appearance of the figure who accompanied her and the child in her arms to visit Eren’s grave during the end credits.
RELATED: Attack On Titan: Marley’s Warrior Unit Explained
On one hand, this made some sense. It was obvious that Jean harbored romantic feelings for Mikasa, even if they were not reciprocated. However, there has been no confirmation from series creator Hajime Isayama about this theory. Moreover, there are other potential identities for the people who accompanied her, such as Armin. Finally, the fact that she was buried with Eren, under the same tree, makes things all the more confusing. In the face of all this, there is little doubt that this question will spark the most debate.
1 Could The Cycle Begin Again?
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the series’ open-ended epilogue was the destruction of a futuristic Paradis. This made Eren’s horrific actions seem all but pointless, as the cycle of war and hatred continued after his death. There is some merit to this thought, but it must also be said that Eren’s loved ones gained the opportunity to live out their lives in peace, even though his genocidal solution was only a temporary one.
What is more interesting here is tracking the growth of the tree that Eren was buried underneath. It appeared to reach similar proportions as the tree in which Ymir Fritz first encountered the “source of all living matter.” This could imply that the anomaly still dwelt within the tree’s roots, lying in wait for a new host. In the final scenes of the anime, a young boy and his dog discovered the tree while traversing the ruins of Paradis. There was no clear indication of whether he ended up playing the same part as Ymir Fritz, leaving it up to the viewer to decide.
Attack On Titan
- Release Date
- April 7, 2013
- Genres
- Action, Drama, Fantasy
- Seasons
- 4
- Studio
- Wit Studio, MAPPA
- Number of Episodes
- 90
- Streaming Service
- Crunchyroll, Hulu
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