Why Attack on Titan is Still a Masterpiece (Despite the Bad Ending)

Article at a glance:

• Look, the finale was definitely rushed, but it was nowhere near a series-ruining disaster. Unlike some recent controversial endings (cough Oshi no Ko and MHA cough), Attack on Titan never betrayed its core message, meaning 95% of this narrative journey is still a flawless, unprecedented masterpiece.
• From the foundational parallels of the Paths twist to the chilling moment Eren kissed Historia’s hand, the sheer depth of the foreshadowing is insane. We’re diving deep into how Eren’s tragic pursuit of freedom ironically locked him into becoming history’s ultimate puppet to fate.
• At its core, AoT never blinked when exploring its darkest concepts. Whether it’s Arthur Blouse’s “Children of the Forest” metaphor or the harsh reality that absolute freedom requires absolute destruction, the series brilliantly hammered home the tragic cycle of violence until the very last frame.

Alright, come on. I had to do it. I will maintain that the ending was bad, but it was not terrible. It did not betray the whole point of the series like some of the more recent endings, like Oshi no Ko and MHA, did. So even though the ending was pretty bad, I still don’t think it ruined the series. Far from it, in fact, and today I want to share my thoughts on why I think that Attack on Titan is STILL a Masterpiece. The idea for this article recently popped into my head when I was rewatching the Marley arc.

Now, this article will be rather long, and it could get a little messy. Because I want to explore the show from the perspective of themes and parallels. I really want to talk about how Isayama played 4D chess with us for all these years.

So yeah, strap in. This will be a long yap session, and let’s talk about I think that Attack on Titan is STILL a masterpiece. Let’s get started.

Eren Yaeger

Yeah, of course, the article had to start with this. Full disclosure, I do NOT intend on justifying what Eren did. Only to provide an analysis of his character.

The best thing about Eren is how his relentless pursuit of freedom ended up locking him into a predetermined path. Try as he may, the moment he kissed Historia’s hand, he became a puppet that could not change its future. He tried, but then the moment Sasha died, he realized that there was no other option. He even asks Hange for help in his own twisted way after that iconic “tatakae, tatakae” scene. Only to realize there are no other options and just give in.

In the end, the “power of friendship” does reach Eren, but it’s too late by then. The power of friendship could not save him, let alone stop what he planned on doing. Eren, crying as he apologized to Ramzi, realizing the irony of the situation, has to be one of the best character moments of the series.

How the World Cornered Eren

Again, I don’t intend to justify his actions, but he literally had no other choice.

Paradis was about to be destroyed. The world’s hatred towards Eldians was so deeply ingrained that they didn’t even view Eldians as humans. Just look at how terribly they were treated in Marley. And then life just did not stop for Eren. Watched his mother get eaten alive as a child, came to terms with the fact that he ate his own father as a teen, and got backstabbed repeatedly by people he trusted. And then the moment he kissed Historia’s hand, he knew exactly how the future would play out, which isolated him even further.

It is insane just how important that one scene of him kissing Historia’s hand was in the grand scheme of things. Eren literally had no other choice in his situation than just to commit to being a monster and start The Rumbling.

The Paths

I think we can all agree that the Paths scene with Eren and Zeke is the best twist in the whole series. To think that Eren was responsible for so much of what his younger self went through. And how it was Eren who convinced Grisha to kill the Reiss family’s kids. Literally bringing up his sister who got eaten by dogs to gaslight him. One of the greatest scenes in anime for sure. The framing, the voice acting, the music, especially Grisha’s voice actor, do such a great job of elevating the scene. “You keep moving forward, even if you die. Even after you die.” is a haunting statement when you think about it.

I love how, in the manga, you can go back to earlier chapters and see empty spaces, and then, later on, the same exact panels are used with adult Eren and Zeke filled in. Such an amazing callback.

Another scene I would like to highlight is Eren convincing Ymir to break free of the Royal bloodline and listen to him because freedom. The conviction in his voice when he speaks to her and Ymir’s expressions are such a damn fine touch.

The Themes Behind it All

This is a really big part of why I think that Attack on Titan is still a masterpiece. Because here’s the thing, it sticks to its themes till the very end. The bad ending does not change or betray its themes. If you ask me, the ending itself was fine, but it was just really rushed and left a lot of unanswered questions.

But AoT consistently drills in two themes: violence only breeds more and more violence, and that “true” freedom has a monstrous cost.

By pushing Eldians into a corner and treating them like trash, the world basically dug its own grave. Just look at how many characters are driven only by revenge in AoT. It starts with Eren, then characters like Gabi and Falco want revenge on Eren. The cycle continues, and each side takes more and more extreme steps to suppress the other side.

And then, of course, “absolute freedom.” Isayama really drills in just how dangerous absolute freedom is and just how much it takes out of you. The chase for true freedom turned Eren into a monster. And again, that is ironic because in his desire for freedom, Eren himself became a puppet to fate. Absolute freedom cannot be achieved without destroying everything that came before, and that’s exactly what Eren comes to realize. And again, it costs Eren EVERYTHING.

And then looking deeper, Attack on Titan is a very classic representation of Arthur Blouse’s Children of the Forest metaphor. About how sins, prejudices, and wars of the past carry over to future generations. Eren’s decision was basically to burn down the whole forest.

That is all for now

But yeah, that’s enough yapping for one. I just really wanted to speak about how good Attack on Titan really was for a while. Exploring all these complex issues and making its characters suffer. It was really cool. But yeah, this is why I still think that Attack on Titan is STILL a masterpiece despite the ending being rushed. I don’t hate the ending as much as I used to, and it was the right decision, but I wish Isayama had taken more time with it. With that said, I will take my leave here. See ya!

Also, check out my thoughts on Oshi no Ko Season 3 here!