The final manga chapter of Attack on Titan arrived in April, bringing with it a divisive ending that seems to be par for the course with storytelling nowadays. The series conclusion prompted numerous debates among fans, with everything from Eren Yeager's fate to the outcome of the war between Paradis Island and Marley sparking controversy.
Unfortunately, it will be a while before fans see Attack on Titan's final story arc animated. The second part of the anime's final season doesn't arrive until 2022, leaving manga readers with plenty of time to reflect on where the show is headed. And although the series is known for sticking closely to its source material, the anime could benefit from changing or elaborating on certain aspects of the manga's ending.
10 Delve Deeper Into Ymir's Story
Ymir Fritz is one of the more fascinating characters within Attack on Titan, and her history is largely responsible for where the main cast of characters find themselves in the present-day storyline. The first person to hold the power of the Titans, Ymir's enslavement and death lead to the emergence of the creatures Eren and his friends have spent the entirety of the series fighting against. If the anime follows the manga's lead, its final arc will shed more light on her character and see her helping Eren enact his plans.
Unfortunately, while the manga does tie Ymir into its ending, it doesn't dive nearly as deeply into her motives as it should. Whether the anime has her explain herself outright or adds more subtle cues as to what's going through her head, it would be wise to elaborate on Ymir's part in its conclusion.
9 Make Sense Of Armin As Commander
The final arc of Attack on Titan sees Hange sacrificing it all so that their comrades will survive. Before that, they name Armin the new Commander of the Survey Corps. Of course, this doesn't mean much with most of the Survey Corps either following Eren or already dead. And Armin's leadership role never really serves any purpose apart from reminding fans that, yes, he's a pretty good strategist.
Even if the anime adds a short scene showing Armin actually taking command, it might deliver on this moment. Otherwise, one has to wonder why the Scouts needed a new Commander at all.
8 Give Fans Eren's Perspective
One of the biggest controversies surrounding Attack on Titan's finale is Eren's ending, which sees him fully embracing a villainous role in order to win freedom for his friends. Narratively speaking, Eren's shift isn't a huge problem; many stories see their protagonists take on a more antagonistic role during the last half. However, the manga only offers Eren's perspective of events at the very end -- and the brief scene is hardly enough to bridge the gap.
The first part of Season 4 has already been jarring in terms of Eren's motives for committing atrocities, and giving viewers more insight into his plans would serve the anime well during Part 2.
7 Give Eren's Actions More Weight
While it would be nice to see the world of Attack on Titan through Eren's eyes again, the anime should avoid justifying or downplaying his horrendous actions. This is something the manga wavers on a bit; during his final conversation with Armin, his friend thanks him for "becoming a mass murderer" in order to save them.
From there, fans only see how Eren's actions have helped his friends. The manga never elaborates on the countless people they've harmed, something the anime should include if it wants to take this storyline seriously.
6 Resolve The War Storyline
Attack on Titan's ending is frustrating (and somewhat realistic) in that Eren's detestable actions and sacrifices don't completely resolve all of Paradis Island's problems. Instead, he manages to keep the war on his people at bay for the time being -- but with the promise that, once the rest of the world has started to recover from his genocide, they'll seek vengeance for what he's done.
As many fans have pointed out, this shortsighted plan doesn't help Eren's case for becoming the villain, nor does it deliver a satisfying conclusion to the series. Given the recently added final pages to the last volume, it's possible a sequel could address the inevitable war between Paradis and the rest of the world. Even so, leaving it for later does detract from Eren's character arc a bit.
5 Deal With The Yeagerists
Given that Paradis Island must remain prepared for a war with the other nations -- even in the distant future -- the final chapter sees Queen Historia embracing the Yeagerists and training them for this endeavor.
The fact that none of them face any consequences for betraying their comrades or assisting in Eren's genocide is already problematic -- and given that Armin, Jean, and the rest of their friends are concerned about returning to Paradis at the very end, it seems like the Yeagerists haven't changed their authoritative tune.
4 Give Historia A Bigger Role
One of the most perplexing character arcs in Attack on Titan is that of Historia Reiss, who fans first meet as Christa Lenz. The manga and anime make a huge deal out of one of Eren's comrades actually being royalty, but the manga never delivers on the promise of Historia playing an important role.
In fact, after she's crowned as queen, Historia is hardly seen (except for when the series throws in a random storyline requiring her to get pregnant in order to avoid inheriting Eren's Titan). It's a shame because the series as political as Attack on Titan could have given Historia far more time to embrace her leadership role and use her power to do something meaningful. Instead, it sidelines her until the very end, a path the anime also seems to be taking (but would be wise not to).
3 Deliver On The Azumabito Storyline
Historia's character arc isn't the only one with plenty of build-up and little delivery. Season 4 of Attack on Titan introduces Kiyomi Azumabito, the ambassador for the nation of Hizuru and one of Mikasa's relatives. The manga and anime dedicate an entire scene to Kiyomi presenting Mikasa with her family crest and emphasizing the importance of her lineage. However, neither Kiyomi or Mikasa's background play a very large role in the manga's conclusion, leaving fans to wonder why Isayama chose to include this at all.
The strangest thing about this subplot is that the manga could have easily worked it in by having Mikasa spend some time in Hizuru following Eren's death. If the anime wants to make some sense of this storyline, it should try to tie it into the series finale somehow.
2 More Closure For The Main Characters
Epilogues rarely give enough information about characters and their post-finale fates, and Attack on Titan certainly could have benefited from spending more time on its main cast once it reached its conclusion. The manga's final chapter reveals that Mikasa returned to Paradis Island to bury Eren, while what remained of the 104th Cadet Corps spent the years after Eren's death traveling and attempting to change neighboring nations' perspective of Eldians.
Recently added pages in the final volume also show Mikasa and a man who looks a lot like Jean going on to raise a family, but the rest of the characters don't receive such detailed endings. At the very least, it would have been nice to see what Armin was up to while Mikasa and her husband grew old.
1 Elaborate On A Possible Sequel
In addition to giving Mikasa a much-deserved happy ending, the newly added pages to Attack on Titan's last chapter also present readers with the possibility of a sequel.
Given that Attack on Titan is a story about the repetitive cycle of violence and vengeance, this could simply suggest that cycle will begin anew one day in the future. However, it's also possible Isayama is alluding to a sequel set in this world. While it's unlikely the anime will give viewers more clarity than the manga, it would be nice to get an answer about whether the writer will return to this story or not. Perhaps by the time Part 2 arrives, we'll already have one!
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