Isa Peters

The main character, Armin Arlert, in Paths looking at the portal to see Eren Jaeger

This contains anime and manga spoilers for all of “Attack on Titan”

“Attack on Titan” wrapped up its 14-year run as an anime last weekend, a touching moment that all the fans who stuck around this long went through. When the ending first came out in 2021, fans fought over whether it was deserving of this monumental anime. However, seeing it on the big screen for the first time settled fans’ fears and showed how this bittersweet ending was perfect for this poignant show. 

The show itself has many political and social themes that heightened the interest of the audience. From themes of government corruption to love, it is a heartbreaking story that makes you want to reach through the screen and give every character the happy ending they deserve. However, one theme that stands out throughout the show is the theme of want. Mikasa Ackerman wants Eren Jaeger to be safe. Armin Arlert wants to go beyond the walls, and both Marley and Paradis want to stop Eren. But, what binds Marley and Paradis together is wanting to stop their history from repeating itself. 

“Attack on Titan” showcases the worst of humanity when we are forced to choose between the people we love and our morals. Eren believed that he was helping people and thought that the Rumbling could save Paradis from ruin, but he failed to take into account that doing so would kill everybody he knew and loved in the future and the past. To do so he needs to go into Paths, where he can escape from the life that he has ruined. He needs someone to latch onto to assure him that what he is doing is beneficial, but the only people present are the creator, Ymir, and his disorderly half-brother Zeke. He wants life inside the walls to be safe and to protect the Paradis citizens, even if everyone inside the walls wants to leave.

Due to the monarchy’s fear of the people knowing the true history of the Titans, the government forbade the people of Paradis from knowing anything outside of the walls. To find the truth, Eren Jaeger goes through his and his father’s memories. But he does not learn from the past. He believes that everyone outside of the walls needs to be punished for isolating the citizens of Paradis, even though this happened before and the outcome was devastating. What he fails to realize is that it is not just devastating for the people of the world but also for him. 

Although, Eren was not taught that part of the story. No one was. His dad tried to teach him, but Eren traumatized his dad, Grisha Jaeger, so badly that Grisha had to warn Zeke in the past to stop Eren in the future.  All the turmoil caused by miscommunication and government censorship almost wipes out half of the world.

In the real world, The Rumbling is not a thing. 50-meter Titans do not exist, and there are no Titan shifters trying to fight them back.

But history, in the physical world, continues to repeat itself. Whether it is due to pre-existing political tensions or new-age conflicts, we see that history is repeated. We say “We must not forget this tragedy,” but 40 years later, there is another rendition because we failed to learn from the past. 

This ignorance is passed down to the coming generation as propaganda and censorship in schools try to convince children that none of those events happened and to just look forward. 

For example, the Spanish influenza pandemic shows how devastating an illness can be when we are not educated properly. One would have assumed that this could never happen again, but almost 100 years later, there was still a divide over how we should have dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pandemics are just one example of how history is continuously repeating itself due to our ignorance of the past. Some believed COVID-19 would not harm them because they were already healthy, and some believed The Rumbling would not harm them because Eren’s their friend. 

Certain events will happen over again, government censorship is used generation after generation but Attack On Titan shows that one person can stop that cycle. In Attack on Ttian’s case, the story ends when Mikasa decapitates Eren and the cycle of Titans ends. The world is free from the terror of Titans and Eren, even if it means he has to leave all of his friends behind. The world becomes beautiful after, the walls are torn down and people can live freely, just like he always wanted. 

The world can move on from the terror of the Rumbling and they can all live the lives they deserve. Even if Eren is not there to witness it, his friends live on in his honor. They may have lost close friends and family members throughout the war, but there’s nothing they can do about it now. Mikasa still visits him and she still reminisces about the times they had together. Bellflowers grow near his grave, showing the beauty within his death. 

In the words of Mikasa Ackerman, “The world is a cruel place, but it’s also very beautiful.”