Summary
Attack on Titanis a series written with a brilliant plot structure that leaves nothing to chance, evoking a constant feeling of mystery and tension in the audience where no character is safe, no situation is stable, and everything can change at any second. This is thanks to Hajime Isayama,the author planningAoT’s ending from the startand setting up several mind-blowing and emotionally impactful plot twists in the series that were in tune with the story.
The wayAttack on Titan’s foreshadowingsbuilt these plot twists has been instrumental in cementing the series' status as an anime and manga masterpiece, constantly surprising the audience and maintaining a high level of intrigue while presenting a rich amalgam of political, social, and cultural ideas that reflect human nature.
From the revelation of how a hero under an incorruptible purpose becomes the leader of an entire revolution to hidden identities and the discovery of shocking truths about the history of humanity within and outside the Walls, each plot twist recontextualizes what the characters and the viewers thought they knew about the complex world ofAttack on Titan.
Attack on Titan Ending Explained
After running for a decade, Attack on Titan’s anime finally came to an end, and here’s everything about the ending explained in full detail.
10The Revelation of the Secret Within the Walls
Attack on TitanSeason 1, Episode 25
InAttack on Titan, humanity lives inside the Walls, constrained by the presence of Titans, which are believed impossible to break through. However, this entire concept was shaken after the big reveal about the foundations of the walls, which occurs at the end of the first season after the battle at Trost, when debris from a hit by the Female Titan falls off Wall Sina,exposing a Colossal Titan inside itand making viewers just as stunned and distraught as the Survey Corps members when they found out at the beginning of season 2.
This revelation crumbles the foundation of their society and is elevated by the irony that the monsters who trapped humanity within the walls are also protecting them, while also raising questions about who built the walls and how and why Titans were used in them. It will be explained later that the three walls are made entirely of hardened colossal titans, which Eren will awaken for his devastating Rumbling at the end of the series.
9Eren Is One of the Titans He Seeks To Destroy
Attack on Titan Season 1, Episode 8
Eren’s determination to eradicate all Titans is stronger than anything after having to witness how his mother was killed by one. However, Eren later has to face the reality of becoming a titan, the very thing he has sworn to destroy, which redefines the story to not focus only on survival but also on finding the true origin of the Titans and their relationship with humans. The revelation that Eren is a Titan occurs after he is devoured by one while trying to save Armin in the battle in Trost.
While it is believed that he died,Eren instead wakes up and transforms into a Titan for the first time, although without being aware of it at the time. Eren has to deal with the repercussions of his new-found power, trying to learn how to control it, and gaining a new role in the Survey Corps as a key to protecting humanity against titans.
8Krista Lenz Is the Real Queen of the Wall
Attack on Titan Season 3, Episode 3
One of the cadets who joined the Survey Corps was Krista Lenz. At first, the petite soldier is just seen as a supporting character who doesn’t have a big role in the series; however,her true identity is Historia Reiss, the unwanted daughter of the true noble family of the walls and the legitimate ruler. After the revelation of her identity, Historia’s father, Rod Reiss, shows her that Eren’s father killed her sister Frieda and took her power.
Historia must then make the crucial decision about whether to follow her family’s legacy to become a Titan, eat Eren, and take on the Founding Titan’s powers, or think for herself. She decides to become the queen and fight alongside the Survey Corps to defeat her own father. Historia succeeds in taking the throne and becomes Queen of Paradis.
7The Identity of the Titan That Killed Eren’s Mother
Attack on TitanSeason 3, Episode 19
Another important discovery that comes from Grisha’s memories is the impressive connection of his first wife with the Smiling Titan, who devoured Eren’s mother. Grisha meets his first wife, Dina Fritz, a direct heir to the royal family, and together they have a son, Zeke Yaeger, who would later become the Beast Titan.
Zeke denounces his parents as traitors to Marley, and they are tortured and then sentenced to exile. At the time of exiling Dina Fritz from Marley, she is injected with a serum whose formula turns Eldians into Titans. When Dina transforms,she is none other than the Smiling Titan. This titan murdered Eren’s mother and family friend Hannes, and she was later killed by Eren in season 3 using the Founding Titan’s powers.
6All the Titans Were Originally Human
In Grisha’s diary, he reveals the truth regarding the origins of the Titans, showing that the existence of the numerous pure Titans on Paradis Island that roam aimlessly is a result of the Marleyans. The Pure Titans, who are the main enemies at the beginning of the series, areEldian humans transformed into Titans without consciousnessthrough the injection of a special serum.
These Titans are created as a means of punishment for Eldians considered traitors and as a military strategy, as they are thrown to attack the humans in Paradis. They are also used as weapons against other nations. Unlike the distraught Titan Shifter, the Pure Titans lack intelligence, self-awareness, and memories of their human lives, making them a tragic life form. An example is Connie Springer’s mother, who is turned into a Pure Titan by Zeke and becomes trapped in a motionless position in her house.
5The Unusual Delivery of Reiner and Bertholdt’s True Identity
Attack on TitanSeason 2, Episode 6
The greatness of this plot twist lies more in its introduction than in its sheer shock. As the army troops are in total confusion after Ymir’s reveal as the Jaw Titan and the confirmation that there is no breach in the Rose Wall, Reiner approaches Eren andcasually declares his identity as the Armored Titanand Bertholdt’s as the Colossal Titan, as simple as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Reiner also nonchalantly tells Eren that everything will be good if he just accompanies them to their hometown, since that way, they won’t have to destroy humanity. What makes this moment impactful isn’t the feeling of betrayal, since it was an impending possibility after discovering Annie, but being revealed in such an ordinary way by Reiner, showing that his double life affected his identity by being conflicted between the weight of his mission and the relationship formed with his new comrades, leaving him emotionally disconnected and psychologically broken.
4Eren Becomes an Antagonist
Attack on TitanSeason 3, Episode 22
While it’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment whenEren turns into the bad guy inAttack on Titan, his transformation starts after kissing Historia’s hand and is consolidated after the series of events he led to activate the Rumbling. Eren betrays Zeke and, after convincing Ymir,manages to start the Rumbling, letting the Titans leave the walls to destroy all those who try to eradicate the people of Eldia. Then, using the power of the Paths, he lets all of Ymir’s descendants know that he intends to wipe out the rest of the world, and only leave them alive.
Eren veers towards a radical side, or at least that’s what it seems. However, he was doing this because he knew the future and knew that the only way to solve the problem of the Eldians was by fulfilling his role as the enemy of the world, while those trying to stop him become heroes, thus saving their island and their friends. However, that doesn’t eliminate the genocide of 80% of the population, which is why Eren will be remembered as a villain by the rest of the world in the series.
3Eren Caused the Most Traumatizing Death in the Series
Attack on Titan: The Final Season, the Final Chapters - Part 2
Eren had a conversation with Armin in the Paths where he explained his plan and all the sacrifices he had to make. They talked about many things, including the death of his mother Carla. When the incident occurred, the Smiling Titan was supposed to devour Bertholdt, who had come out of his Colossal Titan form. However, the titan ignored him and continued on his way to the Yeagers' house.
Dina’s Titan went directly towards Carla, who was trapped in the rubble of her house, as if someone was directing her, devouring her after murdering her.Eren revealed he was the one who killed Carlaas he made the Titan switch to another human, since he thought that it wasn’t yet time for Bertholdt to die. While Eren probably made this decision in part to strengthen his determination to hunt Titans, it was to preserve Armin’s life in the future, which was vital for his plan to free all of Ymir’s people from the curse of the Titans.
2The Shocking Reveal of a World Beyond the Walls
After the Battle in Shinganshima, the Survey Corps finally uncovers the secret in the basement of Eren Yeager’s house, revealing thatthere is a whole world outside the walls, even more technologically advanced than theirs. The true name of the island where the walls were built is Paradis, and its population is descendants of Eldia, who were confined in the Walls by the nation of Marley.
This is confirmed through the discovery of Grisha Yeager’s diary, Eren’s father, who used to live in Marley and was an important person behind an organization that seeks to overthrow the oppressive government against Eldians. This twist is not only a clear example of when a long-awaited development surpasses fans' expectations but also completely redefines the plot as the story goes from being about the fight for survival within the walls to being a global conflict between Marley and the Eldians of Paradis.
1Eren Can See the Timeline and Manipulates His Father Grisha
Attack on TitanSeason 4, Episode 20
Eren finds himself in the Axis with his brother Zeke. The older brother then uses his power to show Eren that he is being manipulated by their father, Grisha. In reality, it was Eren who had been manipulating his own father. It’s revealed that the Attack Titan has the power to see memories from the future, and, thanks to Zeke’s intervention, Eren manipulates Grisha, who was reluctant to seize the Founding Titan’s power from the Reiss Family.
Eren manipulates his father by reminding him of the original purpose entrusted to him by Eren Kruger. This moment cements Eren’s position in theAttack on Titanstory as an antagonist, as he was the origin of the massacre of the royal family because he incited his father to go through with his action. The different plot twists throughout the story madeAttack on Titanchange shonenforever and become one of the most complete, complex, and polarizing animes of all time.
Attack On Titan
Cast
Based on the manga, Attack on Titan is a dark-action fantasy series set in a world where humanity has been corralled into walled cities from fear of monstrous human-eating Titans that exist outside of them. When protagonist Eren Yeager’s mother is killed in front of his eyes at a young age, his thirst for vengeance leads him to join an elite group of soldiers created to fight back against the Titan menace.
