Warning: The following article on the ending of Attack on Titan contains spoilers.
Attack on Titan is one of those anime, an anime that took me time before I joined the army of fans. It was a few years ago when I first treaded onto Paradis Island, and when I arrived, I wasn’t ready for the monsters outside and within its walls. Now, after many issues, including a worldwide pandemic, the story of Eren Yeager and the denizens of Paradis Island has ended, and I’m not okay.
I’d like to discuss the legacy of Attack on Titan and how, through everything, the strength of this story and the characters within it shine through. For me, the short time I had with Attack on Titan meant it was an emotional and relatively brief experience. By arriving late, I only had to wait for the last two parts to arrive, and all that did was help me ruminate on the oddball pacing of the anime.
This World Is Cruel – But It’s Also Very Beautiful
For years, all I ever heard about was that door. “Oh, wait until we get to that door. It’ll all change when we reach that door.” These were things thrown at me for the first couple of months. Then, I reached that door – and everything changed. I was impressed, I was dumbfounded, and most of all, I felt pride. Pride in the fans who did not ruin what was behind it and what it meant for audiences when it was finally opened. That was one of those moments that changed the series for me. It changed it from an enjoyable experience to a must-watch.
From then on, there were other moments that blindsided the community over the years: the reveal of the identities of the various Titans, the introduction to the infamous Beast Titan, and everything Levi Ackerman did in the sky. It all culminated in the final season, where Eren Yaeger went from being the most annoying part of Attack on Titan to maybe one of the most fascinating figures in anime. I say this because, unlike other anime protagonists, it’s quite obvious how much of a tryhard Eren is at the beginning, yet he fails constantly.
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But over the seasons, he became something else, something genuinely compelling and tragic. Seeing that ending, that tragic battle between cold logic and hope, come to an end has been quite emotional. After all, you hope for better angels to win out, but as we’ve seen in our world, that is rarely the case, and this is what I found so compelling. They say the best stories resonate with the times we live in, and Attack on Titan is one of them.
Attack on Titan’s Legacy Lives On, Especially Through Music
Since ending on what I can only describe as a middle finger to true peace, fans have come out in droves to showcase what they adore about Attack on Titan. The life cycle of an Attack on Titan opening is one of those things being discussed. If you’re wondering, it’s basically a person starting off kind of confused, slowly coming around to it and then wildly raving to it. The best example is the sixth opening, which was a departure from previous openings but helped fans transition at the same time the series did.
There are also the multiple concerts that were held over the years by Linked Horizon, who performed the show’s third opening, “Shinzo wo Sasageyo!” To say they were utterly mesmerizing would be an understatement. I’ve never experienced something like that, and I want to. Then, there are the small, intimate moments sprinkled throughout Instagram and other social media platforms that capture the emotional zeitgeist perfectly. One such moment is a wife on her wedding day listening to “Shinzo wo Sasageyo!” being played. It’s a snapshot that definitely encapsulates how much this series has impacted the world.
