10 Valid Reasons Anime & Manga Fans Didn't Like Attack on Titan's Ending

Attack on Titan is one of the greatest anime of all time. It is perhaps the most celebrated modern-day shonen story but has also been the most controversial. Hajime Isayama ended his famous manga in 2021, which set off a storm in the anime community. A significant portion of the fandom was absolutely devastated and even disappointed by how Isayama decided to conclude his legendary story.

By the time the manga ended, the anime had become a global phenomenon, topping every chart and breaking every record. Therefore, it was natural for fans to assume that one of the most spectacular lore in anime history would cement its epic conclusion with a little more finesse or simply not the way it did. Although everyone is entitled to an opinion, it’s difficult not to agree that there were some pretty valid reasons for the fans to be dissatisfied with Attack on Titan’s ending.

10 Fans Did Not Like Eren’s Villainous Arc

Eren's Transition Was Heartbreaking, But A Necessary Evil For Plot Progression

Undoubtedly, Eren Yeager is one of the more well-penned shonen protagonists of modern times. Even his anti-hero arc makes sense to some extent, but fans did not like how Isayama completely took Eren in a different direction. From the very first time Eren decided to kill all the Titans in the world, the AoT fandom had subconsciously expected to be treated with a grandiose showdown between him and the ultimate villain at some point.

However, viewers were bewildered to see that the world was actually against Eren in the end instead of the other way around. Although it wouldn’t have been unsavory to make Eren a morally ambiguous hero, his character was demolished and detached from everything that fans initially loved about him. Ultimately, he did not deserve to be led down the destructive path and to be remembered as a mass murderer rather than a martyr.

9 Attack on Titan's Thematic Changes Were Significant

The Conceptual Shift Was Too Much For The Fans

Attack on Titan was inherently about politics, war, and the unbeaten cycle of violence. The anime was thematically consistent through most of its run, but it went downhill somewhere halfway through Season 4. The viewers felt the story was more focused on themes of love and freedom rather than the intricacies of politicizing war and the structuring of its repercussions that had been the heart of the lore. Attack on Titan became a household name because of the perplexing yet impactful narrative that centered around people’s ever-changing morality and their questionable decisions.

However, by the time the final battle occurred, it had become too oversimplified. The ending felt shallow, especially the way the anime and manga handled the justification of Eren’s actions. Ultimately, it all boils down to how the message is perceived since AoT has always been open to interpretation. Having said that, the divisiveness could also be the result of fans having unrealistic expectations of a series with such hype and caliber.

8 The Lack of Consequences For The Main Cast Was Underwhelming

People Were Given Far Too Easily Considering AoT's History of Holding Grudges

One of the main reasons why some fans felt that AoT’s ending was underwhelming was the lack of consequence for almost every party involved in the conflict. It was surprising to see that everyone got off the hook with only a slap on the wrist, whether it was the Alliance or the Eldians. Whether it was Annie or Reiner and even Mikasa and Armin, each one of them had blood on their hands. It would seem that their pardon might have been an unforeseen result of the Rumbling since it was also meant to induce fear.

The catastrophe resulted in the world understanding that conflict should not be met with conflict, and maybe that’s why everyone, including Eldians, escaped punishment. However, considering how Isayama likes to convey such critical points with an immaculate buildup, the lack of pace in this matter made the whole thing subpar.

7 Eren’s Choice to Give His Friends Freedom

It Was A Plothole In An Otherwise Well-Thoughtout Plan

Eren Yeager was absolute in his resolve to destroy the world because he thought it was the only way for Paradis Island to survive. Somewhere along the way, it was implied that it was also Ymir’s will, and that’s why the Rumbling came to be. However, during Eren and Armin’s final conversation, Eren was actually disappointed that he destroyed only 80% of the world and was devastated by his failure. If that was the case, his decision to give his friends “freedom” to try to stop him seemed to be lacking sense.

Why would someone who would go as far as destroying the entire world for the sake of his plan jeopardize it by allowing his friends to have the freedom to come and stop him? Fans didn’t understand Eren’s need to make a decision like this despite knowing full well what his friends were capable of.

6 AoT Fans Were Secretly Hoping For Eren’s Survival

Eren's Eventual Demise Traumatized The Fandom

Fans will forever argue whether Attack on Titan’s ending was great or not. However, it seems that at the core of it, all fans wanted was for their hero to come out swinging on the other side. Eren Yeager was the hero of the story, so naturally, the viewers wanted him to be one who struck down evil and saved everyone. Deep down, the AoT fandom might not have truly accepted Eren’s villainous arc and simply wanted him to take the traditional shonen route.

It disheartened fans to think that it was all for nothing in the end. The entire buildup and hype of Eren’s rise to power and his aspirations to save Paradis Island seemed like a complete waste. It was unfair to put the weight of the world on his shoulders or to turn him into a villain despite cementing early on that Eren’s moral compass was in the right place. Eren’s death perpetually tore and traumatized the Attack on Titan audience.

5 Ymir’s Character Arc Infuriated Fans

Ymir Had All The Power In The World But Perpetually Remained A Slave To Her Oppressor

Ymir’s infamous Stockholm Syndrome situation had the fandom in a frenzy. For a character as magnanimous as Ymir, the fact that she fell in love with her oppressor and then became chained to his will for eternity perplexed fans. She was essentially a slave and used by the King for her power, but instead of building herself upon that power, Ymir buried her will. It was implied that the only time she felt alive was being of use to the King, which she continued to do so in The Paths.

She obeyed the royal line out of love and loyalty to King Fritz – a person who exploited her even in her death. The fandom expressed contempt over Ymir’s reasoning for both serving the Fritz line and for allowing Eren to initiate the Rumbling. She was only finally free when she witnessed someone in a similar situation as her. Eren may not have abused Mikasa, but she made the hard choice to love a villain and also had the will to kill him for the greater good, unlike Ymir. For something with such colossal importance as this should have had more conviction than just “it was all for love.”

4 Zeke Yeager Deserved A More Satisfying Ending

He Was Far Too Cunning To Be Talked Down Emotionally

Zeke Yeager was a multi-faceted character who schemed and meticulously planned his way into everything. Therefore, when Armin “talk-no-jutsu’d” him in The Paths, it completely undermined Zeke’s character development. He was a complex antagonist, someone who weighed logic and farsightedness over emotion. That’s why it did not sit well with fans to witness a character who even turned his own father to the police to be talked down emotionally by someone like Armin.

Not only that, but it somehow convinced Zeke to reveal himself so that Levi could decapitate him. It’s not like Zeke Yeager couldn’t have experienced a change of heart, but the sequence required a more “Zeke-esque” approach that coincided with his true nature. It would have made more sense if he had one last round with Levi before his ultimate demise.

3 Paradis Island’s Fate Felt Distasteful

It Seemed Like Free Will Did Not Matter In The End

Attack on Titan fandom could not swallow the fact that after everything Eren and the Survey Corps did, it only allowed them to enjoy temporary peace. Although it’s not specifically mentioned how much time passes, Paradis Island eventually meets the fate that Eren had tried so hard to avoid. Paradis Island is ultimately attacked after what seems like a significant period of growth and advancement. It’s implied that the world never forgot what Eren Yeager did in the name of saving the Eldians, and once they were capable enough, the world eventually retaliated.

While it seems that the ending resonates with Isayama’s theme of the unbreakable cycle of war and violence, fans felt dissatisfied with the outcome. After turning the story’s hero into a villain and then having him killed by the hands of the love of his life, the audience felt that it should have amounted to something different than the self-perpetual loop of humans’ affinity for war.

2 The Finale Discredited Eren’s Anti-Heroism

Eren's Redemption Felt Unnecessary After His Villainous Arc

Regardless of the end result, it’s safe to say that Eren Yeager had one of the most astounding character developments in anime history. The audience lauded the monster he had become, going to extreme lengths to fulfil his destiny. The driven boy that the viewers had come to love had transformed into a cunning villain who planned everything so that even the smallest step pushed him closer to the future he had foreseen.

Therefore, when Eren suddenly went into redemption mode during his conversation with Armin, it sabotaged the entire buildup. Fans were able to cope with Eren’s villainous arc only because it wasn’t done half-heartedly. Eren had done the unspeakable but when he felt remorse for his actions, it completely eroded his growth. The narrative should have remained committed to Eren’s monstrous side, but instead, his dissatisfied breakdown towards the end completely ruined the buildup.

1 The Justification of Genocide Did Not Sit Well with Viewers

Killing the Entire World Was The Most Controversial Aspect Of The Story

Hajime intended to showcase the brute reality of the cycle of war through the discrimination faced by the Eldians. He took absolution out of his story and made the fans choose sides despite knowing that every party was privy to the continuation of the horrendous cycle. In Eren’s mind, his actions were justified because he was a product of war’s atrocities, but so was Marley. Eldia’s treatment of the world led to them being despised by the world, and what happened on Paradis Island was the by-product of the infliction.

Therefore, it made sense for Eren to go to extreme lengths to ensure the survival of his Eldians. However, what infuriated fans was the fact that Eren, with all the power in the world, thought that genocide was the only logical way. He could have easily made a plan to tackle or even destroy the world’s superpowers to ensure no one dared to look towards Paradis Island.