Attack On Titan - THE FINAL CHAPTERS EP2 - Uncut Early Access Reaction

Mikasa would not want to be in that public figure role and be celebrated as the one who killed Eren, Armin is taking on that burden for her

Dogman

Here is a small recap for what seems to be most confusing for most: EREN choice: Be it to free his friend or not, eren never had a better choice to begin with. It's either sit to be killed, run far away and watch everyone die, or GENOCID*. He chose the latter. People mistaking it as it is a matter of him actually saving his friends or doing it for selfish reasons. However, the "what IF" perspective with Mikasa is actually his real selfish desire. It will lead eventually to everyone's death and his own too, but he was dying anyway (Ymir's curse). Still he chose genocid*. Armin and Eren convo: As armin said it is indeed pathetic, pathetically realistic. None of us wishes to see his favorite badass character on the ground crying and weeping which why all are hating on it. But it was just him being cruel to himself for one last time bfr the end, he loathe himself for all the things he done, he despised the fact that no matter how powerful he was he still couldn't do much other than kill 80%, blaming it maybe on his "stupidity" as said. Knowing damn well that if not for him, all that peace talk would have crushed Eldia by now. He was just being vulnerable to all the hate in him, not "stupid". I still do not wish to ignore his raw feeling, as he cried and stated he wanted to actually wipe everything. Eren did have those thoughts indeed, however, he can never hide his genuine sacrifice with his hatred towards himself. He certainly wanted to live, but genuinely chose death. The dreams: Eren was visiting each character in seperate timeline, Armin's one being the most. He needed to explain everything to him, however, with it having a time limit, he divided it into 3 times; as a kid, teenager, and pre-war Armin. End-credits: The song playing at the end is called "2000 years or 20,000 years from now" which technically means this is way far in the future. It is by no means realistic to expect Eren's sacrifice to last for such a long time, nor do I believe that such war was intended for revenge. It is no surprise if actually these people have already forgotten about what "Eren" or "Titan" is, if they actually know. It is just Isayama proving what the vicious cycle is again and again, as Pixis and Erwin once discussed. Eren achievement: The greatest one being the eradication of the Titans, that alone deserves all the despair we went through. Eren said that he kept moving forward, knowing that Mikasa "actions" would end the curse (which is killing him herself). Ymir sacrificed herself for king Fritz while also sacrificing her own people years after years, while Mikasa chose the lives of the many people over the one she cherished the most (without the genocid* mikasa would have never killed eren, therefore no curse eradication). Armin said that Ymir made Eldians connected to each, and that's definitely to find the one to end her cycle which started first with Eren (in path) and ended with Mikasa. She was the one going inside Mikasa's head and causing all the headaches. She wanted to see what choices would she make, for loving such a tyrant being similar with king Fritz.

Oum

Man… i hate that this is ending. You perceived this show so damn well. I truly think that enjoying this show says a lot about you lol. Im so glad you enjoyed the best show of all time. Nothing will ever touch it

Logan

I stalled from rewatching these final episodes in part because it's so heavy and I'm like that with heavy experiences (avoiding it for a longtime, worried of re-experiencing the raw emotions of it anytime soon; funny you jokingly mentioned the TLOU giraffes because that was one series that does that to me too, especially TLOU2 lol). ANYWAYS now that I finally DID watch it, I'm glad you loved it as much as you did, and the ending absolutely is confusing to take in immediately after it was all done. As someone else mentioned, Ymir's decision to end the Titan curse was due to witnessing first-hand Mikasa's willingness to kill the person she loved most. If Mikasa could do that, then maybe Ymir could "let go" of her "love", too. If you rewatch the credit scenes, you can see someone alongside an older Mikasa visiting the grave as well, and it's theorized that it's likely Jean haha. And yet she still wears the scarf too, which imo was Isayama's way of expressing that you can "let go" of someone while still remembering them fondly. Which goes back to Eren, and his emotional and "pathetic" breakdown about Mikasa. If you didn't know, this was a HUGELY controversial scene in the manga, but once again the anime reception was way more positive and accepting of that. People just hated the idea that someone so fundamentally driven and dangerous could have such...human sentiments, but I loved it from the start precisely because all season long we never got to see the human in Eren, and when we finally did, it felt almost gratifying in a way. Like an "oh, so this mass genocider all stoic and badass DOES have human emotions and selfish, grounded sentiments in him!" Eren's explanation that perhaps he's just an idiot who had too much power was also something I loved. At the end of the day he was a 19 year old wrapped up in a violent world that stunted his emotional growth, so even on a psychological viewpoint, Isayama had something unique yet realistic to offer. All in all, glad to have revisited this journey with you!

John TQ

Can we get a final video reacting to all openings and endings with all that you know now ?

Tommy Tran

I know I’m a couple days late but I wanted to comment on the idea of free will vs determinism within this show. What was interesting about Eren’s character was the fact that there were so many different reasons as to why he did the rumbling but the main reason why he did it was because he WANTED to. When he was crying to Ramzi on the hill he said that he was disappointed because the outside world was inhabited with people instead of being empty like it was depicted in Armin’s book. Eren’s view of freedom thus was being able to see the world like this. Eren believed that his freedom was the ABILITY to view the world in this fashion where he can freely see the “sea of fire” and the lands of snow, etc. Thus humans existing in the outside world automatically take away this freedom because they took away his ABILITY to view the world like this. Thus, everything that Eren does is deterministic because he is a slave to his view of freedom and his unrelenting desire to achieve this specific concept of freedom. That is why the previous Attack Titan holders were constantly rebelling against the king. It is because Eren was the last holder and was able to manipulate the past and send them such memories of the future to where he manipulated every single wielder of the Attack Titan as he used the Founder to manipulate the past when he convinced his father to kill the royal family and eat the Founding Titan. Everything was determined because of Eren’s unrelenting pursuit of his view of freedom. This caused Eren to become a “slave” to this very concept of freedom hence why he told Armin that he was a “slave to freedom.” This is also why he told Armin that this was the only outcome possible since HE was the one with power. He acknowledges that he is an idiot who is a slave to freedom which is why when he got this power, him killing 80% of humanity was determined to happen. Regardless of what he tried to do he could not stop this reality because, whether he wanted to admit this or not, HE WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN. He wanted to see the world filled with empty plains because that was what he thought freedom was. In reality, he cared less about the beauty of the world, unlike Armin, and more about the ABILITY to view the world the way HE WANTED THE WORLD TO BE. Thus, everything had to end up this way because he was given the power to make this happen. Him sending the titan to eat his mom was also determined. No matter what he wanted, he had NO CHOICE but to send the Smiling Titan to his mom because that event already happened. However, in paths the past, present, and future all happens simultaneously, and since he controlled all the titans at all times, he HAD to let her eat his mom because it already happened. He had no choice. He wanted to stop it but was powerless to because he had no choice. But the reason he had no choice was because of HIS pursuit of freedom as well. I know this is long and I’m not sure if you’ll see this, but I do feel like this is an interesting aspect of Eren’s character that makes him my favorite character in all of fiction and stories in general. There are more aspects that I would love to write about like Ymir and Mikasa’s connection and how Mikasa killing Eren showed Ymir that she should have protected her children instead of staying enslaved to her love for King Fritz and how seeing Mikasa killing Eren while still loving him set her free from her suffering. This show/manga is just brilliant, that’s all I can really say.

Absolutely. I think maybe the illusion of free will is the only way we can do anything. Loved all the reactions man

david ammerman

I'm an INFJ myself. I can see why I've become so attached to him.

Armin has INFJ traits.

Bogdan Trd

Yes this!!! This is so well said. And when he's speaking to Ramzi about how when he found out humanity existed beyond the walls and he was "disappointed" - in my opinion when he found out how much hatred there was for his kind and that nothing would ever change that fueled it whether that was through memories or actually being there. So one point, and for some time, he wanted to destroy his enemies no matter what it took. But that all set into motion a loop which could not be broken, and when he no longer wanted to keep moving forward, it had already been determined.

Ophelia

Thank you for your reactions Jon. Your reactions have been sooo insightful for every single episode. It brings me joy when a person watching AOT deeply understands and reflects on the messages and themes Isayama was intending to portray. There were some themes you touched on that even I (after watching this show MANY times over and over) couldn't put into words myself. XD AOT has some of the most complex characters and I'm so glad you were able to appreciate them. I look forward what you put up in the future. Again, thank you so much :))))

Dwob

The shot of Falcos wings perfectly lining up above Mikasa in mid-air is iconic.

Joe Brown

I can't bring anything close to some of the insightful takes being left in the comments but I did have a couple of things to mention. One is the bird that pulls on Mikasa's scarf at the end is called a Jaeger. The other thing I wanted to mention is just speculative on my part, but there are a couple of interactions Even has with other characters where I believe he was asking for another way of saving everyone. The scene on the beach where he asks Armin " If we kill our enemies over there, does that mean we're free?". The scene where Hange comes to see Eren when he's locked up. He tells Hange he can escape at anytime and asks "what can you actually do?" Then Eren says "If you've got something up your sleeve, let's hear it" I think in both of those moments he was asking the smartest people he knew to come up with another option, and they couldn't give him one.

but they only make those choices because of everything that has happened to them and everything else prior. It's a very strange way to think but it's fascinating

Jon Denton

But the thing is that everyone makes their own choices with their own free will. I think that's why Eren was saying it was the only possible outcome. Having knowledge of decisions you'll make in the future doesn't change that fact that YOU made those decisions.

david ammerman

I think the thing with determinism, is people seems to think it means no one has choice.

david ammerman

Whatever you choose to watch next, anime or not, never compare it to AOT. I learned that the hard way, I wasn't enjoying much because nothing was as peak as AOT. Taught myself to focus on each shows individual pros, without comparing

PO

Not sure if anyone commented this amongst the sea of comments, but here's something mind blowing to think about: The three pigs that Ymir opens the pen for are parallels of Grisha/Zeke/Eren (or previous incarnates of them). If you look at all three of the of the titans that the Yeager family wield all have ears that resemble the pigs. If you go back, you'll notice that King Fritz mentions that someone let a pig escape, as in a singular pig. The other two were just fine in the pen. And each of the Jeager family members had a chance of trying to help Ymir in some capacity, but decided not to. Grisha couldn't handle killing children, and Zeke never saw Ymir as a fellow human to begin with. Now look at all three of their titans. Pretty weird how Eren Krueger has a sculpted attack titan built like an MMA fighter, then you have Grisha's bum ass (aka he got FAT by staying in the pen), and then Eren goes back to being toned as hell. Then look at Zekes titan. There might be even more but there's a fun little rabbit hole to go down!

Dr. Awesome

Has JD announced the next series yet?

Rick Turpentine

The "they spent 4 years living together in the paths" is not true. Eren only showed Mikasa the possible outcome if she would have answered differently when she was asked: "what am I to you" by Eren. (when they were in Marely before the party when the got drunk) The future was already determined and this question was just one of the many times eren tried to change the future even tho he knew he couldn't. It can also be proven by you saying "When he passed away there" in the paths life and death doesn't exist as explained by Zeke. So Eren can't possibly die in the paths. His 4 years he had left couldn't go by in the paths.

I think it was also implied that when Eren spoke to Mikasa in that alternate universe where the rumbling didn’t happen, Eren manufactured that “dream” through his powers so they could spend the remaining 4 years of his life together before Mikasa had to kill him. This explains why Mikasa did not hesitate to kill Eren after this as she had gotten her closure and her time with him, and also probably how she knew Eren was in the mouth of his titan form presuming he told her.

Erens Mom

So hard hitting, pierces my heart

Suave Player

Everytime!

Triston Lindstrom

This video covers some of the foreshadowing/references from Season 1. Although there are hundreds more, it covers really good ones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrmauDRT7Wg

PO

I was relieved that they didn’t kill Jean and Connie like that, I would’ve been more broken than what we’ve already seen in the previous episodes, but the one who had to die was Eren Sadly 🤧

Suave Player

Similar thing in season 1 episode 1. Eren wakes up and asks Mikasa "When did your hair get so long." The last part of the dream he had, Mikasa had short hair (final episode). The genius Isayama planted these foreshadows and references in EVERY episode

PO

That was the moment I realized they were the only 2 characters left until the very end that were 'normal'. No titan powers, no Ackermann powers. Just two badass friends

PO

They did have significant differences tho, they 'fixed' some parts. However, in the end of the day, there is an explanation for everything in the show and every plot hole was perfectly covered. People critical were either 'happy ending' fans, 'jaegerists' who wanted everything dead, or people who simply didn't understand. Which I don't blame them, I read essays and watched hour long videos to grasp everything and now I can confidently say that this ending was a masterpiece and perfection, the only possible ending too. It's extremely tough to come up with a good ending for such a great show as we have seen countless times before. But Isayama had the ending ready by the time thef irst episode was written. Of course, people can have their opinions though

PO

Same! Id like to think that Mikasa could to an extent move on, simply because it’s what Eren wanted. And i think even Eren would admit, nobody better than Jean out there :)

Ryan Payne

Wow, I think about the mirror between ALOT of characters but Jean and Eren wasn't one of them. Thank you for sharing. The person we see with Mikasa at the end could be Jean, I'd be happy with that.

PO

"An idiot who got his hands on power" describes Eren perfectly. He wanted this outcome more than anything. He needed to become the anger and hate filled kid. He needed Bertholt to stay alive and Armin to inherit the colossal. He did all of this because HE wanted to. HE wanted his friends to live long lives. HE wanted a free, unoccupied world, HE wanted titans to vanish. I was mad BEFORE the finale, the finale made me make peace with everything. I love it

PO

That baby gets me every single time

Brenden Thiel

Busted up Levi was still giving them the unrivaled work....Imagine full power Levi

Brenden Thiel

The paradox makes sense, but it makes me kinda mad lmao

Dhaval Kale

Just watch the first episode of season 4, LISTEN TO WHAT FALCO SAYS

I really enjoyed watching the show again with your fresh eyes, Thank yo Jon!

ahmed

Thanks John, it was truly a blessing watching your reactions! :)

Nick Marsmans

Oh it makes sense, now she can rest in peace like Mikasa said now that it is done, she can finally be free, thx for explaining that

Suave Player

Yes he definitely should

Definitely was. She was a slave to being in love, there’s a scene that shows her watching two people get married and I think it’s at that point she must have wished to be loved by someone . so when she became the founder and Fritz gave her his “seed”, I’m sure she came to love him after making a few babies together and continued on for him, only to see mikasa sacrifice her love for something other than herself (that’s why Ymir had the vision of her hugging her children and Fritz with a spear through his chest, its what she wished she had done)

Damnnnnnnnn, that last part

Jon you missed how ymir "the jaw titan" died, after she ran away with reiner and bertholdt at the end of the last episode of season 2 she gave her titan out of guilt to galliard because she ate his brother marcel. Basically galliard ate her.

Cross

🔥🔥 peak

Thank you Jon. One thing that I’m yet to see anyone deep dive into here (sorry if i missed it!) is that dynamics between characters. I think some of my favourites are Eren and Reiner (theres an AMAZING video about this called 2 sides of the same coin, search it everyone!) and Eren and Jean. Eren and Jean both wanted Mikasa firstly, one was very outward with that, one wasnt. Eren wished something would happen at the start of the show, while Jean wanted a peaceful life inside Wall Sina. Eren was forced to be a leader due to his power and drive, while Jean was forced to be an incredible leader due to the situations he was put in. And i put that down to Nature vs Nurture. Eren was “born into this world” and is “the same person he has always been” Jean on the other hand has turned from a stuck up asshole who didn’t become a soldier to fight, rather simply for an easy life in the MP, into probably the most skilled scout without Ackerman for a surname, and furthemore cared so much for everyone around him. All of this while still being an EXTREMELY flawed character who went back and forth on what he should do, slipped up at times, and still hated Eren to an extent just because of how he is, the “suicidal maniac”. For these reasons and more i think Jean is the most underrated character in the series. There are more dynamics and relationships that are just as interesting! And id love to hear from people as well as JD about their thoughts on a similar subject. Hit me! Once again, JD The Prophet, thank you so much.

Ryan Payne

Thank you for this Jon. This series has given me something to look forward to every week for a while now and it has been an incredible journey watching you experience AOT. I could sit here and try to explain things but to be honest, there are people in this comments section that will do a far better job than I will. What I will say is that you haven't even scratched the surface yet, take your time, read the comments and watch this amazing community's videos and theories about the show, it's well worth the time. AOT is amazing and as you have said, probably the greatest TV show ever created and it has a fanbase to match. Just you wait till you learn the things we have all learned together since the show has ended, the theories and hidden details are wild! Again, thank you.

"People are hating 'cause they wanted a happy ending." WHY DOES EVERYONE SAY THIS LOL it WAS a happy ending.... The only person who died in this whole confrontation against Eren was Eren himself. Everyone who was titanized was returned back to normal. Cheap ass "sike" moment. Gabi and Falco got to live a happy life together. Same with Reiner, Jean, Connie, Mikasa. Armin. Even Annie, who Levi should still be mad at btw given how he felt towards Zeke, got to live in the end. Eren's "plan" bought the island at least a couple hundred years (in the manga it was no less than 50 years") so all his friends got to live peacefully until they died. So WHY do people keep saying "people only hate it cuz they wanted a happy ending" when it WAS a happy ending considering this is AOT?

Ocean

The fact that people have been discussing/debating this very thing ever since it happened in the manga 2 years ago shows how messy this ending is 💀

Ocean

I haven’t read through all of these so idk if anybody talked about it but Eren says he sent the titan to eat his mom and I’m sure you remember how often that was used as Erens main drive to kill titans and eventually to wipe out Marleyans. His mom being eaten was a reminder that they were in a cage and had no control but in the end we find out he sent that titan to begin with to set off what needed to happen in order for him to wipe out 80% of humanity and have his friends be “hero’s.”

Wonderful, love to see score recording

Thomas Lanéry

So well said!

hman70

In the first episode Eren asks Mikasa as he wakes up next to the tree crying, "when did your hair get so long". That's because the last thing he sees is Mikasa with short hair. The same thing happens with Falco, he wakes up in the middle of the war saying he was flying. Clearly the author had everything planned YEARS before the end. BTW can you watch the season 2 outro again this had spoilers for everyone at the time, stuff like Ymir's daughters eating her or parts of the rumbling.

Since your main youtube content is reviewing songs/music, I'd like you to do a reaction to the Hiroyuki Sawano's AOT suite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Fl1Xl1ogg Also reactions to the full Rumbling OP, Under the Tree ED song, and Finale OP and ED.

marvelzcc

If you want to understand the ending more, I highly recommend Totally Not Marks video on it called the final chapter review

Nicolai Solvberg

Dont know if anyone wrote this already but the manga has 139 chapters, and in Japan the number 140 symbolizes freedom. In other words Eren never reached freedom. Isayama really is a genius and that is just one of many small astounding details

Kristoffer M. Paulsen-Dissing

The finale solidified Armin as one of, if not my most favorite character in all of fiction. As pointed out in their final conversation, Armin is not dissimilar to Eren, in the sense that they both have had thoughts of enforcing their idea of a boundless untouched frontier by wiping the world clean. However, Armin does not chain himself to this idea of "freedom" that Eren has chained himself to. Neither does he chain himself to the nihilistic beliefs that enslaved Zeke. He acknowledges the truths that both Zeke's and Eren's ideologies hold - the cruelties that exist within the world, yet he chooses to live in the present and fights for the small but beautiful things that give life its meaning - a race to the hill, playing catch, discovering a conch. Because he's able to dissociate from the darker sides of those two ideologies, Armin is arguably the freest of them all. He also continuously exercises his greatest strength - his unrelenting empathy. Although it's arguable how much of Armin's last words to Eren, regarding how much of the blame he truly shares for the rumbling, is true, Armin chooses to exercise his compassion and empathy for Eren to comfort him. He may have shaped Eren's imagination of a blank slate of a world, whose disappointment of one not existing brought about the genocide of countless. Yet I also believe he was half-lying, playing up his role in the event, so that he could lift some of the burden off Eren's shoulders- an act of unconditional love for his friend in his final moments. Although he struggled with inaction throughout the series, he has never been a coward. Empathizing with a person is one thing, but to act upon that empathy for greater change takes courage, which Armin has had no shortage of. He willingly sacrifices his life in the face-off against Bertholdt's colossal, confronts Connie to save Falco, and goes against his island to stop the Rumbling, amongst many other things. Since he was a child, even though he would get beat up by his bullies, he never ran. He didn't run back then and would never run till now. In a world where so many fight for revenge, Armin fought for hope - hope for a future where humanity would overcome their misunderstandings and futile conflicts. And although the end credits display that it may never happen with war and violence being essentially carved into the human condition, he never relented.

Gotta listen to Rumbling and Under the Tree by Sim lyrics are good too. The original soundtrack of AOT has some crazy hidden lyrics as well

Troopaka

I'm glad people notice this. They are completely different scenarios. That little boy seemed happy, unlike Ymir who was in a completely different position and mindset. Although the cycle of conflict will always continue (one of the main points of the show in my opinion), the cycle of titans are over.

PO

JON & EVERYBODY GO LISTEN TO THIS RIGHT NOW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Fl1Xl1ogg Hiroyuki Sawano is a genius and the OG Soundtrack of AOT is unbeaten. Goosebumps guaranteed.

PO

I must also say, the cycle of titans and conflict does not NECESSARILY repeat at the end of the show. The boy at the end of the episode contrasts with Ymir and their interactions with the tree. Ymir ran injured away from a pack of dogs with sadness and loneliness in her heart. This boy is venturing curiously alongside a dog with what seems to be wonder and curiosity in his intentions. His intentions are different, thus implying what he creates would not be titans, but something else entirely. That's all up to interpretation.

Please lo ok at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6GmVCD7cxk&t=33s&ab_channel=invaderzz . I think it perfectly summarises Eren's intentions and explains the many complicated concepts in the show in a digestible way. I think this show really does perfectly capture the idea that free will is an illusion. Eren was always a slave to his idea of freedom, captured in Armin's book. He always wanted to destroy everything that was outside the walls, whether that was titans or humanity. Eren wanted this because he was free, but he couldn't choose what he want.

Isayama wrote aot when he was 19

Maeve

Watch the Levi back story

Jean calling Reiner a scout was amazing

Maeve

4) They spent 4 years living together in Paths (ch. 138) And only when he "passed away" there, was she able to kill him in the real world. (it was a gift to them from Ymir) 5) In the ending credits where Eren and Mikasa were buried, an old man Armin still visiting their graves. He was the last to die from the trio, just like when they were kids running to the tree, he was the last one who reaches the tree.

Maeve

1) Eren didn't open his eyes during rumbling, he opened his eyes in his last breath just to see Mikasa 2) Mikasa wrote "Here forever rest peacefully, my most beloved, my dear. 854" on Eren's grave. The first two times Mikasa visits Eren's grave she put four roses which means nothing will come between two people who love each other but cannot be together / tragic love. The last time she put one rose which means "you are still THE one". 3)A white flower was placed during her death, which symbolizes purity and virginity. So, taken together, Mikasa's flowers send the message that she won't forget Eren, she still loves him (but believes he can no longer love her back), she will remain devoted to him, and she is waiting.

Maeve

Exactly fellow hopechad. It’s very hard to understand the story on your own. It wasn’t until i saw those video essays about the True ending that it opened my eyes. I couldn’t unsee it

Allen Valdes

MR. PO how do you explain Eren turning into the Colossal Titan after Zeke was dead and the parasite seperated from Eren?? It was literally impossible for Eren to turn into a colossal like that. How was Mikasa’s memories messed with if Ackermans are immune to the memory manipulation?? Why did Eren say “only Ymir knows” and gave us no further explanation?? Why did Mikasa supposedly free Ymir if it was shown in episode 4x21 that Eren freed Ymir?? Many plotholes and unanswered questions right there…

Allen Valdes

I couldn’t have asked for a more bittersweet ending like this one, a lot of things to process in this Final Episode huh? Eren sacrificed himself for everyone who’s important to him on Paradis to live long lives, that included Sasha and Hange 😭 After the Titan Curse was gone, I’m guessing everyone, including Mikasa all died of old age, they lived a long life and we’re in the future now and there’s one more thing that can’t be stopped, war, cycle repeats itself, and I’m not sure if Ymir’s tree is just a symbolism or the hallucegenia is in there after Eren breaking the Titan Curse but it could mean the cycle repeats again, anyway, the show was a masterpiece, I don’t think any other show has made me cry like this one and One Piece, these 2 shows are impossible to try not to cry, especially this one with this Wonderful Finale, I’m glad you enjoyed it Jon, you’re going to want to watch this show multiple times that it’ll be impossible to compare it with other shows, I wonder what the next Anime for you will be, I saw a lot of great suggestions and it’ll be life changing for you, whatever comes next, I’ll be glad to watch your reactions Jon, see you in the next one Jon, Shinzou Wo Sasageyo, Dedicate your Heart ✊🏽

Suave Player

Yes sirrr a fellow hopechad indeed. I’m glad you’re here as well. This ending reeks of plotholes and even unanswered questions. I’m glad you still believe in the True ending! And that you say a 100% because i feel exactly the same way. I also don’t think Jon will get it because unfortunately most reactors are pressured to like the ending because of people that think this Story ending is perfect which is far from it. I think we’ll get a hint of the True ending in Shingeki Fly. Can’t wait for the day that everybody sees the truth

Allen Valdes

Please do a reaction to OP's The Rumbling, Saigo No Kyojin (The Last Titan) and the Offical Ending Itterasshai (See you later). You could also watch UNDER THE TREE - Special VER and Akuma No Ko (A Child Of Evil) Special VER. They're recaps of all the events with the full endings and they are a treat to watch!

Sam

The seashell I think represents the ultimate solution or theme of the show, when Armin gives it to Eren in the paths.

Myles Peterson

This will probably get lost in the sauce. These 3 part videos made me appreciate the series even more. The creator literally pieces together foreshadowing with things I totally missed. Out of all the aot video’s I watched, these ones are the best imo. Shout out to invaderzz. Veryyyy informative videos! season 1 & 2: https://youtu.be/Y5SEGddCPC0?si=AqpgAcN4IRlNzivk season 3: https://youtu.be/187cL2o-OG4?si=YCuvyAVibfWMXt7W Final part: https://youtu.be/HQ3uHh9OGAw?si=qz_Gp0LOQZMkoetV

Paper

There are absolutely no plotholes with the ending (relative to the shows logic that was followed). Some kids didn't like the ending because they either wanted a "happy" ending or they wanted Eren (Jeagerists) to end everything or they simply didn't understand it. Every plothole that there was before the final was explained. There isn't a single question about any of the characters that remain. The hate it received from the minority of the fans in unjustified, but of course everybody has their own opinions. It was the perfect ending that was foreshadowed from the first episode. Every point that people says that "don't make sense" actually makes 100% sense once it's explained. One of the few shows that stayed true to itself all the way and was written out from the beginning. Isayama already had the ending written when the first episode aired, as you can tell with tons of foreshadowing from ep1.

PO

I think there’s a brilliance to Eren’s line of “I’m just a garden variety idiot who got his hands on power” he was never a chosen one. He wasn’t some special person that was meant to save the world, as in your typical good vs evil situation. He was an imperfect, immature, falible person that wasn’t able to carry the responsibility of limitless power. The destruction he wrought simply by using his better judgment was inconceivable. It was not nobility or heroism guiding him to create a better world. It was a man giving in to his absolute worst urges, and leaving his friends to deal with the consequences. There are so many more layers. So much more to unpack. Ultimately only those that denied themselves and took on aspiration beyond themselves were able to save humanity. Makes you think.

I first came across to your content watching your RockReacts videos during the pre-Covid days. AOT is the Kendrick Lamar TPAB of anime. 10/10. I usually don’t subscribe to anyone’s Patreon, but knowing that you were reacting to my favorite show, I had to. I would recommend watching SeaTactics on YouTube. He does a great job explaining the final episode. I didn’t like the last episode initially, but watching that video and rewatching this episode again made me appreciate the direction Isayama wanted this series to go. What a journey!!

Blake Honda

The emotions this show evoked in a functioning sociopath (myself not you lol) is so very impressive to me. Not many things outside of rage can get me to shed a tear, and AOT almost got me.

Earnest Williams II

What a ride!

Earnest Williams II

Ooooh, I wanted to add one more because Armin's my guy. Episode 3x17 is titled "Hero" in reference to him, and in 3x18, Eren says, "The one who's going to save humanity isn't me or the commander! It's Armin!" As flawed as everyone is in the show, Armin's about as close as you can come to the hero of the story.

Jon Herrera

The most important part to understand is the following: Eren was trapped in a time loop which he could not change. He tried multiple times - and we even saw this happen, every time Eren asked someone something hoping for a different answer, he was testing if the response would come differently than what he already knew he would hear - but nothing ever changed. As this loop is, in its essence, a paradox, we have the following reflection: did Eren's motivation make any difference here? On one hand, we see an Eren who clearly did not want to die, did not want to decimate 80% of humanity, which makes us see him as a victim of predetermined circumstances. But when Eren responds to Armin, in a sincere and honest way he says yes, that he wanted that, that he wanted to "flatten everything". I like to understand this as if he were saying that "at some point" he wanted that, even if there, at the end, he no longer wanted it, but at some moment at the beginning of it all he really did. In this way, Eren admits that all of this was a big mistake caused by his own will, by the will of, perhaps, a version of him, who wanted to protect his friends regardless of the costs. Was it determined? Yes. Was it Eren who determined it? Yes and no. Did Eren want it? Yes... and no. Did Eren regret it? Yes. The most well-written bootstrap paradox of all fiction stories in this world.

André Carvalho

Just wanted to say I’m so glad you started this journey, it’s been such a pleasure to experience with you. You give so much appreciation toward the true piece of art that AoT is. Can’t wait to see everything else you discover on this journey.

BeavZ

That was pretty good, thanks for sharing

Shei

Eren killed his own mom as well 🤯

Suave Player

Please react to the 'Hiroyuki Sowano/project attack on titan suite' on youtube. It is a live performance of the best OST from the soundtrack of AoT, it's just 18 min. I'm really looking forward to see you react to that specially because you are also a music reactor.

fdafhuau fuhdhuasfu

Idk if it was Stockholm Syndrome with Ymir Fritz loving King Fritz, I’m still kinda confused with that part

Suave Player

for me, eren is a good example of how people become radicalized through acts of injustice done to them. watching how eren justifies his actions to his friends AND himself is the best part of this season. not that he’s right, but because he goes so far to say he is

Yash Mohan

As soon as Connie mentioned this smells like the stuff from Ragako Village, I said out loud Spinal Fluid, Goddamn it NOOOOOO we already lost too many people in this show 😭

Suave Player

Levi wasted no time to kill Zeke

Suave Player

Hopefully watch Vinland saga with Jon

Christian Golub

Rewatching this series with you was intense. AOT pay off is immaculate, in my opinion only series comparing is Vinland Saga

Christian Golub

A crazy detail in season 2 right before it is revealed that ymir is a titan they were searching in that tower for supplies and food Ymir and Reiner find camp supplies left by Zeke and Ymir surprised Reiner when she read marlyean implying she had been an eldian sent to become a pure titan as punishment for taking off her armband

Dylan Turner

Holy shit I feel as empty as I did when I actually finished the show myself, been a great journey JD- more to come!

Peakland Saga next!

Patrik Žauhar

Going to stand up to the people who told you this isn't about nuke and Japanese history, they were trying to deter you for your own good. We don't want you to have bias or spoiler expectation in the beginning that will distract from true appreciation value of the show. This show is all about understand something in the beginning, and in the end, knowing how little in the beginning of what you saw matters. I think now that you've seen it all, you understand why they did that :). Now as for all the 1x5 "RIP EREN" comments, that's just a troll as you know. Or maybe not cause as you saw this ep: Rip Eren... The community BECAME multi-layered just as the show is XD.

Arimpact

Thank you for the journey Jon. Been a wild ride! Let's get the next chapter going :)

Miguel De Sousa Coelho

The ending has some things that I feel are left to the interpretation of the watcher. I personally see eren as a 3rd option to the free will vs determinism theme. Eren represents the idea that who we are as people is what determines our actions. He killed 80% of humanity because his free will to pursue freedom was fated to lead him down that path and armin recognized that he was a part of that path for following his own ideals of constantly pursuing understanding by showing eren the book. It's as historia said in the end "This world is an outcome wrought by all of our choices"

Miles Anderson

mikasa's ending hits the hardest for me. her and eren's fate is written in a way that makes rewatching the beginning feel all the more tragic. we see her wanting to fight for the only family she has left but she loses time and time again. what i love is that aot brings forth the cycle of both beauty and cruelty. in the end, even with all her losses, she chooses to keep fighting/living because of the beauty eren introduced her to

Hadiyah Mohamed

Greatest of all time! it's so incredibly huge that it's hard to pick what to say about it. I guess one of the things that's really cool is that Eren did exactly what he said he was going to do from the very beginning of the show and got rid of all the titans.

Jon Herrera

Eren’s story is about “self-fulfilling prophecy”.

Marco

Manga readers were very critical of the ending. And when anime only fans were satisfied with the ending, they were quite surprised. The difference in perception was huge.

joe

thank you for reacting to one of the best things in life lol. On to the next one!

Messi 10

jon, we're gonna need a character ranking from you after this

Hadiyah Mohamed

I think my favorite line from this whole episode was “what the hell is an okapi?” 😂

Matthew Valentine

Dear Jon, If you thought this was crazy, which it absolutely was. I recommend you start Death Note next. It is absolutely incredible and perfect for an anime after Attack on Titan to show you that there are more crazy out there!!

kellyyultra

Don't have the time to read all the comments to see if I'm repeating something already said previously however here are some final thoughts from me. Firstly I just wanna say cheers John, I have essentially rewatched this entire show for the 4th time alongside you and your reactions have managed to authentically re-capture some of the magic i haven't felt since my first watch. You're clearly a very well rounded individual and you have multifaceted insights from different angles (historical, philosophical) which I believe stands you apart from other content creators. You deserve all your success. 1) Please react to the 'Hiroyuki Sowano/project attack on titan suite' on youtube. It is a live performance of the best OST from the soundtrack of AoT. It is absolutely mind blowing how good the musicians are and i think you'll gain an even greater appreciation for how much the music of the show truly impacts your enjoyment. 2) The ending was controversial to the fandom at the time but I believe it is genuinely the only way they could've ended it. If you remember back to the marlayan military man on the docks who killed Grisha's sister, he comments that there is a part of mankind that yearns for war and conflict and that something about sustained peace is uncomfortable to us as a species, perhaps because of the evolutionary need to anticipate a scarcity of resources and therefore outcompete one another to 'multiply' as Zeke would put it. Without going too deep, the concept of 'conflict cycles' and indoctrination is extremely relevant today. Imagine an ending where the rumbling stops and its happily ever after... that is just completely at odds with the nature of the show. Although theres magical titans running about, the show stayed true to its philosophical themes and maintained its realism. Eren only really managed to eliminate the titans and therefore create a more even playing field for the island to defend itself. Eventually, even the people he sacrificed everything for (the island Eldians) fell into the same trap as the rest of humanity and entered arms races and conflicts which ultimately lead to the destruction of the island as seen in the end credits. 3) Eren visits a few of his own memories in the paths and if you search for previous episodes towards the beginning of season 1 you can see a strange figure who looks suspiciously like Eren watching them run around. 4) On further rewatches, its like watching a completely different show, the foreshadowing is immense. There are so many subtle hints as to reiner and bertholds identity. When Ymir as the jaw is bringing down the tower, you can pause and actually see berthold go to bite his hand before they are all saved. 5) This is my favourite show of all time, I think many elements are masterful including the music and animation but by far and away the thing this show does better than any other is its use of perspective. Imagine an alternative show where at the beginning they tell you that there is an island of people who believe they are trapped behind walls but actually they are enslaved by the rest of the human race as a consequence of the supposed sins of their ancestors. Its still compelling, but nowhere close to how this story unravels as you watch it. Perspective is used masterfully throughout the whole of the show to comprehensively demonstrate so many important ideas. For example, Episode 1, where Eren seeing the collossal titan over the wall is almost a direct parrallel to Gabi seeing Eren destroy liberio, to both of them at that time there is an unfathomable evil in front of them... until, they realise that 'evil' doesn't really exist. This exact same thing is used to demonstrate the idea of: indoctrination, existentialism, the concept of freedom, Nature vs Nurture and hundreds more. The reason I believe it teaches these things better than books is that you learn as the viewer alongside the characters simultaneously, you are forced to confront your own bias' your own flawed logic, your limitations in understanding and this is humbling. Ironically, this is why my least favorite episode is actually the campfire episode as i think the characters all talking these things out makes it a bit too explicit to the viewer what the message of the show is; if you haven't got it by then, you need more exposure by other means. I know some of this comes across a bit 'wanky' but this show genuinely taught me a lot so thought i'd share my insights.

JON, thank you for watching this show and allowing us to experience it all over again with our previous understanding. I hope that you can have the same experience one day because, to be honest, the second time around made the show even better. Just like the cycle in the show itself starting again at the end credit scene I find myself sad that we're done watching and I'm ready to start it again. Funny how that works isn't it? This show starts so so small and grows into something larger than we can even comprehend and that's what I love it so much. Can't wait to hear your final thoughts and to continue to watch your love for this series grow as my love for it has grown over time. There is also an attack on titan game that you should consider checking out, as a fan I believe you'll enjoy it. Can't wait to see what show you pick next I will be watching along with you!

Chandler Smith

I think what really makes this series special is that it's insanely rewatchable. It's not just little easter eggs here and there. The deeper understanding of the characters and what's really going on in the world make it so much more rewarding and enjoyable. A lot of shows or movies have some big mystery and once it's revealed, it loses it's appeal. AOT is the opposite. It's crazy.

The number of chapters in the manga is also significant. Isayama purposely finished it at 139 which is said to represent a new beginning and 140 represents freedom, in Japan. Once again referencing that eren never really was able to attain freedom. Isayama is a genius. Really enjoyed these reactions too.

Ollie Tritton

I think you're both correct; when Eren spoke to them through the paths while they were on the plane, he told them that the only way to stop him was to fight him. This would make them heroes and also give Eren what he wanted. He knew that they (Mikasa) would bring the outcome that he intended, but there's really no evidence that he was going to stop at 80%, as he says: "I attempt a complete eradication of humanity outside the walls, and all of you stop me. And ultimately 80% die". He did know the outcome, so yes, his plan was to get to 80%, but it wasn't his decision to stop at 80%.

Uzi Jacobson

Same

Rich

rewatch would be amazing. I would definitely watch it again with you if you did a rewatch

bort

Great journey. The episode seems phenomenal at first hand but the ending has a significant amount of flaws you can pick out when you look deep into it. Not a fan but it was an impeccable journey nonetheless. The OSTs and animation really sway you on this one lol. You should watch video essays on both sides of the spectrum. People who point out the flaws and those who point out why they think it's good and come to a conclusion. It's very hard to grasp everything the show has thrown at you on your own.

It is also the baby and family you see from the flashback episode with Eren walking around Marley

Dane Fisette

what do i wait for everyday now, sad

Pure titans look and move so goofy because little kid Ymir is sculpting them all out of sand in the Paths

Justin Madlock

Man i kinda feel empty now.

im pretty sure the angel symbolism with mikasa was intentional!!! it was representing the wings of freedom (survey corps' symbol)

Hadiyah Mohamed

Also, a tiny detail in the finale you didn't comment on, righ at the start there's a short scene that revealed that it was actually Ymir that freed the pigs, the crowd didn't frame her. I loved that. In my head that's represenative of the place in Ymir's heart who always strove for freedom. All the 9 titans originally come from her after all right? I imagine the part of her that longed to free the pigs became the attack titan.

hman70

Ik Bruh, that kid has a future ahead of him

Suave Player

Best fact about the finale: that crying baby was voiced by Yuki Kaji's (Eren's voice actor's) baby!

hman70

That Baby scene was really hard hitting

Suave Player

OKAY Jon welcome! I'm going to try to explain my interpretation of the ending and AoT in general but a great point to make rn is that we're equals now, meaning you should keep in mind that when I or anyone else explains what everything meant, you are just as qualified as anyone to think it's BS. You'll find a diverse range of voices when looking up video essays, including a quite vocal subsection who hates the ending so so much they've convinced themselves of some pretty insane conspiracy theories. DETERMINISM-- Did Eren choos to do what he did? Was it fate? okay these are some thoughts I've been saving for a while. This is an element that I believe is ultimately left to the reader to decide but I have a definitive answer I believe in: No, it wasn't fate, Eren chose to do everything he did. The future isn't determined by anything other than our own wills. His speech to Armin is very similar to a speech someone gives in the Breaking Bad finale (avoiding specifics but iykyk) Eren basically says "I did it for me. I wanted this". The fact that the founding titan gave Eren future memories and completely screwed up his mind and perception of time doesn't alleviate him of the responsibility for his decisions. When he says "Everything always happened like I saw it" what he's essentially saying is "I'm not capable of changing who I am" And that I think is one of the main cruxses of the entire series. AoT is at the end of the day a story about a victim becoming a victimizer. Eren as a character never emotionally matured past the day he saw his mother eaten alive. All the thoughts in his head are full of hate and fear. If you're being harsh you say he's a Garden-variety idiot who got his hands on power. If you're being charitable you list his long list of traumas and valid excuses to have been angry and protective. But I don't believe at any point fate plays into it. The sci-fi/fantasy elements complicate and obfuscate things but if Eren never gained his memories of the future I believe events would have mostly played out the same. Becaus he is who he's always been. HOW MIKASA FREED YMIR-- I think understanding this point (which Eren never fully explains) is key to understanding what everything meant and how fundamentally the world was saved. A big question that you never really dwelt on but the community was asking going into the finale was "Why did Ymir go back to the Eldian King after attaining ultimate power? Why does she feel subservient to the royal bloodline for all time?" At the end here Eren tells Armin that Ymir loved King Fritz. She had an affection for an abusive evil man (The voice over of Frieda telling Historia the story of how a proper lady works hard to love and be loved by everyone during the backstory scene in 4x21 was great--in some ways Ymir and Historia were facing the same societal gendered pressures when she was going by the name Christa, but I digress) who gave her a family. She created the paths and created titans for ages and ages in a world beyond time because she was seeking connection, she equated slavery with love, she wanted to be wanted. What ultimately freed Ymir from this stockholm like servitude was mikasa's *choice* to kill Eren. Mikasa loved Eren more than life, she'd been living her life in his orbit since the day he saved her, yet when it came to the rumbling, Mikasa didn't let her love prevent her from doing the right thing. You see where I'm going? When Mikasa killed Eren she proved to Ymir that being loyal to the man you love isn't a virtue unto itself. Sometimes you need to stand up to someone even if you love them, you need to be your own individual, like (season 2)Ymir begged Historia, you have to live for yourself. Ymir learned that lesson and let go, she was ready to rest in peace (They symbolically showed the day Ymir died by taking the spear for the king except reversed, as though Ymir let the king die and hugged her daughters instead.)

hman70

Yea, Eren wasn't lying when he admitted he's a "garden variety idiot" who got his hands on power, He has always been the same since he was a kid where rage was the only solution to his problems. So to answer your question of predetermination, It was all written once he was willing to exterminate every titan from the sight of his mother getting eaten, and fast forward to when he had the founding titans powers, in order to save his friends from their enemies, we found out it was his choice to have his mother get eaten so that he could be enraged in the first place and gift himself all this power. At this point the only way his friends could live long lives and be loved after is by having them kill Eren. The only way they would've been able to kill Eren is by him showing no mercy towards humanity at all and brainwashing them into thinking this is all on purpose, all of this to save his friends.

Mikail

One of the best reactors to this series. Thought provoking and great understanding of the messages Isayama was trying to get across. I enjoyed how your pauses were necessary but not too long and didn't abrupt the flow of your reactions. It was a lot of fun watching you complete this series.

NissanZaxima

like kenny said in season 3: everyones a slave to something and in erens case that something is freedom. back when he was a child living inside the walls he was bored and wanted something to happen. the simple live he was living was lacking for him. then armin showed up with his book and eren saw these pictures and that spark inside of armins eyes as he was talking about the outside world and he finally had something to fight for. they were now sharing a dream of seeing the outside world but not in the same way. armin was passionate and hopeful and curious about the outside world but eren didnt actually care about those sights all that much. he realised he wasnt free and finally had something to fight for. from then on he was enraged about the walls and “living like cattle” but it was only as he watched his mom get eaten that that rage and fight fully manifested. thats why he had to send the smiling titan towards her because he knew he wouldnt have gotten the power to actually change something otherwise. he had killed mikasas kidnappers because someone who takes your freedom deserves to die. he has always been extreme but we just didnt really realise it until season 4. at the end of season 3 eren learns that freedom as he has envisioned it isnt real. people live outside and not just that but those people also hate his people and want them dead. his heart gets crushed, he loses hope for a good outcome and he gets depressed. during the timeskipe he still waits to see if theres another way but no one can think of anything. when they all finally cross the sea and he realises that the people living there really arent any different from everyone on his island he breaks down and his self-hatred is at its peak. he asks mikasa why she cares about him because he truly cant understand why she carers about someone like him. she doesnt tell him her true feelings and he keeps moving forward. he hates what hes going to do but 1. this is the most likely to work solution he has to ensure his friends a long live (not have historia turned into a titan, armin die from the titan curse or everyone else killed by marley), 2. this was the assured way to get rid of the titans and their power and 3. within him theres this urge to keep moving forward and to fight to achieve his childhood dream, even if it means becoming the thing he hated the most. during the rumbling he has his eyes closed but his child self is above the clouds (actually titan steam) in total delusion about whats actually going on in order to enjoy this “freedom”. thats why he is a slave to freedom: he wasnt able to let go of his childish idea of freedom and to break the cycle of violence and thats why this was the only outcome. he could have made different choices (as could have reiner, grisha and everyone else) but at the same time he couldnt. plus the titan powers messing with his head just made everything seem even more hopeless to him. theres even more that could be addressed when it comes to his character and his decision to do the rumbling but i think this covers the main part. he is without a doubt one of the most complex characters in all of fiction. so very human, so very flawed. watching you watch this show has been a great pleasure and im glad you loved it as much as we did. looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts soon!

ningsplushie

More profound thoughts from me later. But thank you Jon. This journey with you has been spectacular. And that’s an understatement. Thank you

Samuel Mock

Falco’s Jaw Titan was so cool to see while he was flying

Suave Player

Hey jon just finishing the reaction now - when the husks stat helping them figh back, ymir got offed off screen but she still helped the crew here, the one you called the beast titan that started fighting for them was grish (erens dad) and the ram was Dr Ksaver (zekes father figure also beast titan), someone might have already said but i havent read the comments yet

Joab Taylor

Mikasa’s headaches were happening because Eren was intermittently “visiting” each character (in the paths) throughout the show. Her love for Eren was the trigger and allowed to her sense when the one visits happened (the gang couldnt notice).

Kristian Mock

The best aot video essay i’ve seen: https://youtu.be/HOG05sB3C1M?si=TuYvusw7lw97oIwx

Thank you for taking the time to watch this show. Not only is it probably the greatest show of all time, but this reaction series has also been an amazing rewatch for me and the rest of the JDxAOT community. Personally, my own interpretations and understandings of the show have changed because of these videos. Thank you, Jon.

Uzi Jacobson

Been fantastic watching you react to this, mate. One I would HIGHLY recommend to you is the Attack on Titan music Medley. "Hiroyuki Sawano / Project【emU】 “Attack on Titan” suite" on youtube. The composer of of the first 3 seasons playing live with the full crew, mind blowing and good cross-pollonatiion with your music reactions.

Josh

The “ending” Eren was moving towards was Mikasa killing him. Ymir seeing Mikasa killing the person she loved the most is what set her free from the love she had for King Fritz which is why she could finally rest. Although Eren didn’t know exactly what Ymir would see (Mikasa kissing his severed head) he knew Mikasa’s action would end everything. The memory Mikasa has prior to killing is the vision of what would have happened had she confessed her love to him instead of calling him family while in Marley. Eren killing 80% of humanity for the sake of his friends even if it meant they would kill him is right in line with his character motivations throughout the show. Any trepidation about the ending comes primarily from the manga, I think the ending of the anime was much more well received as they flushed some things out more thoroughly. Great reactions Jon, I have AOT as my GOAT show as well

Jay

Loved this journey with you, it was a true pleasure! I also need a bit to process my thoughts I want to share with you despite me having re-watched this masterpiece countless times. Much love to you and everyone!

Russell Gambardella

The message of the ending, which was lost on many in the manga, is that as human nature dictates, there will always be conflict. However, through our choices, we can build a future where there is hope for mutual understanding. The power of the titans is gone, but violence still perpetuates. So was it the titans, or our human nature that ignited so much bloodshed? -didn’t come from me, just thought it was cool

No the 80% WAS Eren's plan. Armin asks him if his goal was to make them look like heroes from stopping Eren, and he directly confirms this.

Ocean

I've already seen comments explain parts of the story well so I thought id leave this video. Great for an easy breakdown of the events as the happen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ5WAUd3DtI&ab_channel=SeaTactics

Lee White

The predetermined stuff is confusing but I understood it as it is predetermined due to erens personality. This was always going to happen because from the first episode he wanted the titans to be dead. If something exists that does not allow him to see/ do things he wants he will kill whatever is in his way. Armin showed Eren the book showing things such as the ocean, or lava and that caused Erens initial anger towards killing all the titans. That is why Armin said this was also his fault. The enemy changed to people, and Eren realizes that at the end of season 3 when they finally see the ocean. He did not even care much about seeing the ocean but people restricting him from seeing it was what bothered him the most. Killing 80% of humanity was always going to happen and im sure if he saw a future where he could kill everyone other than his friends he would've taken it. But his friends obviously would not side with him and end up killing him hence why it was only 80%. Rumbling was about saving paradis but more importantly to Eren it was his idea of achieving freedom.

Goated anime!

Jonathan van Rooij

loved all the reactions btw man and the tea breaks/akira prop in this one 😂 aot also my fav show of all time so with you on that

armando

I'm so happy you finally completed this Masterpiece of a story. If you want to get a more in-depth analysis there's a youtube channel called Invaderz who also did a video about the philosophy of Eren Jeager's character. But I recommend this one first It is shorter to and tells you more of why Mikasa's decision was so Important to Ymir. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ3uHh9OGAw&t=1226s&ab_channel=invaderzz

I believe the most important part of the show was that Mikasa did what Ymir could not. Mikasa freed herself from her love of Erin to save humanity, something Ymir could never do. Seeing that, Ymir finally found peace. Erin was selfish but he loved his friends, he sacrificed himself and humanity so his friends could live long lives. The cycle of violence was never going to end but that was never Erin's goal, the lives his friends lived after his death was worth the sacrifice in his eyes. THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD, A DECADE OF EXCELLENCE. I will miss this show deeply.

Demo

🤝 agreed

HussienSenpai

You're going to get a lot more juicy comments with the videos and essays from folks than I think I can provide, but I just want to put in that I have thoroughly enjoyed all your reactions. Your film (and grappling!) background allows you to provide so much insightful depth and appreciation for what you're watching to your reactions. It's been a real pleasure to watch along with you 🥂

Sofomo

if you’re interested in the time looping stuff and the free will v determinism debate this is a reallyyyyy interesting video https://youtu.be/c4PXTwq73l0?si=y2YFLQkG0X8KWcNw

armando

YES. A fellow hopechad in here. Yeah I don’t like this ending either but I’m 100% sure that AoT is not over. Don’t think Jon gonna get it like most reactors don’t but they’ll see..

What a journey.

Kehmind

Reiner is for me the real goat char in this show.

Or hear me out…. Both as a long running series and a shorter one

Mike Donohue

You misspelled Hunter x Hunter

Mike Donohue

What a journey it has been! Can't wait for the next series reaction (it better be Vinland Saga!)

HussienSenpai

When it comes to Eren's ability to see the future and the fact that he's stuck on this timeline and can't change anything, one of the biggest clarifications I found was from Hajime Isayama himself during a NYT interview, he said: > "So the truth is the situation with Eren actually overlaps in a certain sense with my own story with this manga. When I first started this series, I was worried that it would probably be canceled. It was a work that no one knew about. But I had already started the story with the ending in mind. And the story ended up being read and watched by an incredible number of people, and it led to me being given a huge power that I didn’t quite feel comfortable with. It would have been nice if I could have changed the ending. Writing manga is supposed to be freeing. But if I was completely free, then I should have been able to change the ending. I could have changed it and said I wanted to go in a different direction. But the fact is that I was tied down to what I had originally envisioned when I was young. And so, manga became a very restrictive art form for me, similar to how the massive powers that Eren acquired ended up restricting him." This, personally, explains so much; after the walls collapsed and his mom was killed and right before being given the power of the founding titan, Eren only had one idea in his head "I'm going to kill all the titans". And that was it, then and there Eren's future was determined and his wish granted, he freed the world of titans by showing Ymir that she can cut off her ties to King Fritz and break the cursed history and he was completely stuck on this path. Well, at least that's my theory; in some ways the ambiguity of certain things is nice since it allows people to come up with theories. Anyways this has been such a good watch and has really brightened up my days seeing someone love this masterpiece of a show as much as me :], thanks for everything Jon

Leon

Hey Jon , you should look into making a “lounge” or chat room for your community to interact here on Patreon 🙏🏽, Mallory bro’s have one so I’d imagine you can make one too 🫡

Jose Barahona

You should take a look at Kane Pixels "AOT historical footage" on youtube. Really puts the whole situation into perspective and shows how truly terrifying this would be in real life. The video on Eren's attack on Liberio is the best imo, but they're all good! Also, thanks for these reactions! They've been amazing :)

Petter Virtanen

I haven't been commenting on the other reactions, but now that you've reached the end of aot, I really just wanna say how amazing it has been to do my first rewatch of the show with your reactions. Reliving all the moments of the show for myself while also seeing how you've reacted to them. Watching these reactions has become one of the big things I always look forward to and I'm sure many other people feel the same way!

Lampunhenki

From the day you started this show, it was determined that you would finish it here. Also I’ve replayed that scene of Levi sliding down the rock a good 10-15 times at this point. Might be the visual climax of the ODM scenes. What a send off.

Matthew Valentine

I’m so glad you decided to pick the anime channel up again after it didn’t work out first time, it’s been such a good journey and it’s my first rewatch with you since I finished it, definitely up there with breaking bad as the best shows ever, the story and action are just too damn good, excited to watch this reaction after some pancakes and i canny wait for Vinland saga👀

Joab Taylor

AOT is not over, there are many plotholes and I finally understand why. The truth is here: https://youtu.be/4OuSqedr6UU?si=5vL4AhJN3hKj2DUk

Allen Valdes

im SOO excited to watch. So many people were disappointed with the ending, and that hurt because i think it was the perfect, most realistic way of ending the show. i also am more than comfortable calling this the greatest show of all time. it’s left a mark on my heart for sure. also getting a Shinzo Wo Sasageyo tattoo in a couple weeks!!

Thanks Jon, would love to hear your thoughts after you get time to think about everything. I started watching this show 10 years ago. Every season I rewatched the show again, and there is massive rewatch potential.

PO

why did you post this 3 times

Leon

Bruh… I’ve been refreshing all day and you drop when I have to get on a zoom call lol… I’ll be watching as soon as I get off of here. So happy you enjoyed the final episode!!

Mr.Atkins

wow you killed it with this

Jon Denton

Armin was seen as the old man near the tree after old mikasa died and got buried next to eren. he was the third to make it to the tree, as was told. -First scene of season 4 was falco looking at birds. he woke up from a dream where he thought we was flying above titans wielding swords. the amount of foreshadowng in this show is mind blowing. -Eren had to manipulate himself to be the kid full of anger and hate so he made the titan eat his mom instead of berthold. he also needed armin to inherit the colossal so berthold couldn't die there. People didn't wan't to accept that since they wanted to believe Eren and his cause but unfortunately he wanted this outcome more than anything. -The parallel between mikasa and founder ymir. mikasa did what ymir couldn't do, kill the person you loved to be liberated from 'the curse'. once ymir witnessed it she was finally free and we could see her with her children in a frame insted of with king fritz who had a spear in him. eren figured this out. -A lot of people thought eren weeping to armin was 'out of character'. but we know that that was the real eren. he didn't have to put on the act anymore since armin was going to remember it after erens death. -Eren and mikasa lived out his remaining 4 years peacefully in the paths, it was a gift given to her by eren. Only after eren's death in the paths was she able to kill him in real life. -Eren admitting that if anyone else had this kind of power the outcome wouldn't be the same. He realizes that this was the only outcome because he is 'an idiot who got his hands on power' this sums up eren perfectly. He "did it for himself" becuase HE wanted his friends to live long lives, HE wanted a free world that isn't occupied, HE wanted the power of titans to vanish. -"You were right armin, i am a SLAVE TO FREEDOM." stop it Isayama, we don't deserve you. Remember Kenny's last words before his death? "We are all drunk on something, eveyone was a slave to something." And of course, this quote applies to every single charatcer in the show. -Eren never saw the shell armin found when they first made it to the sea. he never looked back, he was too busy thinking about 'if we kill all our enemies, will we finally be free' looking out in the distance. he was obsessed with the idea of an unoccupied, free world that he didn't notice the beauty next to him. -Armin says let's tell our story to everybody while holding the feather at the end. He is the narrator of the story from episode 1. Great touch. -Zeke sacrificed himself to levi to stop the rumbling and save whats left of humanity. -Levi looking at the lollipop reminded him of hange, when they first stepped into marley. -Callback to jean thinking eren's a suicidal maniac before he blows up the dynamite (he said it a bunch of times before). also similar to when reiner said that eren should be the last person to have this kind of power. -A great call back to season 1 when eren said something along the lines of 'i would never die inside of a titans mouth' when he was almost chewed up by santa titan. of course isayama knew that he would eventually die inside of a titans mouth. -The island of paradis without walls seems to have a thriving couple hundred years after eren's death where they prosper and build skyscrapers. but of course, ultimately humanity and war goes side by side. -Reiner being the absolute mvp of the endgame. -The 'thing' aka 'glowing worm' is a Hallucigenia. Lived about 505 million years ago, believed to be the ancestor of all complex-life forms. Sort of like a first souce of all life. -Eren gave the squad the freedom to stop him, he said he will only march on, the resistance was all founder ymir. he was successful in his goal of wiping out titans from the world, but at what cost. -Last song you hear is sang by Mikasa's voice actor. I think Eren's voice actor is in it too. -We have witnessed history. the perfect show ended with a perfect ending. viewers left in shambles, tears, frustration, satisfaction, anger, happiness, sadness, helplessness. i cannot describe the feelings i have felt throughout this show. i am glad that it stayed true to itself all the way to the end. -THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD. PEAK FICTION. THANK YOU ISAYAMA. THANK YOU ANIMATORS. THANK YOU VOICE ACTORS. THANK YOU MUSIC COMPOSERS AND SINGERS. GOODBYE AOT, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY NUMBER 1. SHINZO WO SASAGEYO

PO

Watching you react to this show has been the highlight of my evenings since you first started this journey. Looking forward to certain scenes has been a real treat especially with your incredible breakdowns and real thoughtful reactions. I hope this channel and Patreon grow even stronger with the more amazing shows you watch.

Jon PLEASE do a video talking about the music in attack on Titan🙏🙏🙏

PO

Some day you'll get to introduce this show to someone you know or someone you follow online and experiece the same kind of joy you've brought to us over the last 6 months. Cheers Jon & Joe and everyone in the comments :)

hman70

I highly recommend on YouTube watching Giguk’s final video on attack on titan. Has phenomenal summary of why we all love this series

James

PO

People are salty at the ending cause the manga presentation wasn't the best I think but as far as the anime goes it's amazing and the best, alot more palletable and I don't think the ending is bad to anyway extent. Always hard to end great shows, can't please everyone. Loved the reactions throughout. Tha ks for the Content

salder909

Oh you really love this show great!

Obinna

And I JUST clocked out of work for the day! YALL READY?! 🤯😱😭😤🤯

Tatyana Mahabir

Thank you Jon 💕

Eoin573

RAHHHHHHHHHHHH

Grant Cope

gonna be 100 minutes of goodness everyone, enjoy!

Rich

Yes

THANK YOU JON ❤️❤️ WE MADE IT!!!

ryanemmerson

third

Demo

We’re here man. Can’t wait to unpack it all

Toby Young

HES DONE IT!!!!

Aidan Ross

FAV POINTS FROM THE FINALE - feel free to add and discuss -Armin was seen as the old man near the tree after old mikasa died and got buried next to eren. he was the third to make it to the tree, as was told. -First scene of season 4 was falco looking at birds. he woke up from a dream where he thought we was flying above titans wielding swords. the amount of foreshadowng in this show is mind blowing. -Eren had to manipulate himself to be the kid full of anger and hate so he made the titan eat his mom instead of berthold. he also needed armin to inherit the colossal so berthold couldn't die there. People didn't wan't to accept that since they wanted to believe Eren and his cause but unfortunately he wanted this outcome more than anything. -The parallel between mikasa and founder ymir. mikasa did what ymir couldn't do, kill the person you loved to be liberated from 'the curse'. once ymir witnessed it she was finally free and we could see her with her children in a frame insted of with king fritz who had a spear in him. eren figured this out. -A lot of people thought eren weeping to armin was 'out of character'. but we know that that was the real eren. he didn't have to put on the act anymore since armin was going to remember it after erens death. -Eren and mikasa lived out his remaining 4 years peacefully in the paths, it was a gift given to her by eren. Only after eren's death in the paths was she able to kill him in real life. -Eren admitting that if anyone else had this kind of power the outcome wouldn't be the same. He realizes that this was the only outcome because he is 'an idiot who got his hands on power' this sums up eren perfectly. He "did it for himself" becuase HE wanted his friends to live long lives, HE wanted a free world that isn't occupied, HE wanted the power of titans to vanish. -"You were right armin, i am a SLAVE TO FREEDOM." stop it Isayama, we don't deserve you. Remember Kenny's last words before his death? "We are all drunk on something, eveyone was a slave to something." And of course, this quote applies to every single charatcer in the show. -Eren never saw the shell armin found when they first made it to the sea. he never looked back, he was too busy thinking about 'if we kill all our enemies, will we finally be free' looking out in the distance. he was obsessed with the idea of an unoccupied, free world that he didn't notice the beauty next to him. -Armin says let's tell our story to everybody while holding the feather at the end. He is the narrator of the story from episode 1. Great touch. -Zeke sacrificed himself to levi to stop the rumbling and save whats left of humanity. -Levi looking at the lollipop reminded him of hange, when they first stepped into marley. -Callback to jean thinking eren's a suicidal maniac before he blows up the dynamite (he said it a bunch of times before). also similar to when reiner said that eren should be the last person to have this kind of power. -A great call back to season 1 when eren said something along the lines of 'i would never die inside of a titans mouth' when he was almost chewed up by santa titan. of course isayama knew that he would eventually die inside of a titans mouth. -The island of paradis without walls seems to have a thriving couple hundred years after eren's death where they prosper and build skyscrapers. but of course, ultimately humanity and war goes side by side. -Reiner being the absolute mvp of the endgame. -The 'thing' aka 'glowing worm' is a Hallucigenia. Lived about 505 million years ago, believed to be the ancestor of all complex-life forms. Sort of like a first souce of all life. -Eren gave the squad the freedom to stop him, he said he will only march on, the resistance was all founder ymir. he was successful in his goal of wiping out titans from the world, but at what cost. -Last song you hear is sang by Mikasa's voice actor. I think Eren's voice actor is in it too. -We have witnessed history. the perfect show ended with a perfect ending. viewers left in shambles, tears, frustration, satisfaction, anger, happiness, sadness, helplessness. i cannot describe the feelings i have felt throughout this show. i am glad that it stayed true to itself all the way to the end. -THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD. PEAK FICTION. THANK YOU ISAYAMA. THANK YOU ANIMATORS. THANK YOU VOICE ACTORS. THANK YOU MUSIC COMPOSERS AND SINGERS. GOODBYE AOT, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY NUMBER 1. SHINZO WO SASAGEYO

PO

Second

Oscar Rodriguez

LETS GOOOOO!!! WE MADE IT!!!

Leon