On April 9th, it was announced that the world of Attack on Titan was coming to an end with the final chapter of the manga (Chapter 139) being released on that day. This didn’t surprise some people as the anime is on its last season and so the end of the manga was surely going to come sooner than later. Still, this caught most of the community off guard since the world has been alive for over a decade. The first issue of Attack on Titan was published on September 9, 2009 in Kodansha‘s monthly publication Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine, and it was history ever since. Some years later and the first season of the anime came out on April 7, 2013 and this was the real spark that made AOT the story it was going to be. There is no doubt that Attack on Titan has been in the top 5 more popular animes in the world for as long as it’s been out. Since 2014 the world couldn’t get enough of it. So when after a whole decade of memories and fun it has to come to an end with the manga.

So how did students take this? Seeing a love of theirs must have triggered something in their minds as it’s not hard to see something you love be gone so soon. It’s almost like time flew by too fast. Let’s get the obvious out of the way, this review contains spoilers for Chapter 139 of Attack on Titan. The end of the story basically has the main character Eren threatening to destroy the world in a few hours and it’s up to the last few survivors which includes many of his friends to stop him. After all the death and destruction, his childhood friend Mikesa finally cuts Eren’s head off in one final blow. After this the world goes back to normal and the chapter ends with Mikesa getting her scarf wrapped around her by a bird, just like Eren did many many years ago when they were kids. The last words spoken in the chapter is “Thank You Eren” by Mikesa herself.

This end was very emotional, too much for some students to even comprehend. Class of 2023 student Jorge Deleon said it best when he wrote “I didn’t really feel much from the ending, I was just like “d**n..”. This basically symbolizes his true opinion that he couldn’t believe what he just saw. It’s not a bad feeling or a feeling of hate but a feeling of confusion. It’s over now and that’s how it ended. Many people can’t fully understand the end, it must have been days before him and others finally got to have some thoughts of their own on this. Senior Saira Rashid stated “After reading the final chapter, I was feeling a medley of surprise, confusion, and was overall emotional.” And “ I didn’t think Eren was going to be slain by Mikasa of all people, since she was the person closest to him.” So many things were going on that no one could have known 100% what was going to happen until it was finally shown. This shows how deep the end got to everyone on a personal level. Although some people did have definitive answers to the end , clsss of 2022 ERHS student Christianah Olufade spoke out saying “The ending was bittersweet so I felt melancholy.” It was overall tough to understand but where there is a will there’s a way and the end has to come sooner or later. I’m just happy no one truly hated it.

The main point is that most people were satisfied with the ending, some even liked certain parts of it. Jorge Deleon wrote back “That bird scene hit different”. By and large that scene could bring a tear to even the toughest people when you understand what it symbolizes. The idea that Mikesa misses Eren and asks to see him one more time, after that was when the bird came. This shows Mikesa can see and hear Eren even after death and that he misses her too.

Also not just the bird scene but the chapter overall many were happy with how it went. Saira Rashid told us “Despite its confusing nature, the final chapters stayed true to the themes/ideas presented throughout the manga (freedom, destiny, reconsideration of evil/good, etc.). The parallels between characters and connections the readers see throughout the panels really made me analyze the series as a whole.”. 

Students were asked what they would change about the ending. The majority amount of people said they wouldn’t change anything about it , how it’s so perfect that anything changed would just ruin it. Saira Rashid explained it best “No, I wouldn’t change the manga at all. Looking back, I noticed that the manga’s plot doesn’t progress ‘linearly’ (if that makes sense?). One small detail/ conversation in earlier chapters is reflected and made significant later on, almost like a butterfly effect. Changing the ending would mean that I would have to change many details earlier in the manga, making it a completely different story. The ending we have is what Hajime Isayama (the mangaka of AOT) wanted. I think I will keep it that way although it is very controversial.”. Still there was some people that would have changed some things and others that would have changed a lot. Jorge Deleon said he would “Maybe keep Hange alive”. 

This world is over now, and when the anime finally reaches its end that will be the end of Attack on Titans for now. So to end it off, let’s hear some words from the creator himself. Hajime Isayama wrote it beautifully when he said last ““I feel like I’ve already fulfilled my purpose in life with this”. He ended it, and he’s proud of his work. He’d done his part and now he is happy.

We should also be happy, even though it’s finally over. We were alive to be able to see it happen, we were the lucky ones. This will be in our hearts forever.