Discussion of Attack on Titan Chapter #139, Sweet or Disappointing Closing?

After 11 years since its debut, now the Attack on Titan manga has finally concluded its epic and emotional story in chapter 139. This series has grown very rapidly since its broadcast. anime adaptation in 2013 and is recognized as one of the best modern shonen works. We’re actually not big fans of Attack on Titan, but it’s undeniable that the story it carries contains a deeper theme than a rough description of the war between mankind against Titan alone.

Since chapter 138 came out, we happened to have been following the development of the story to prepare for the final chapter to be released, because this is indeed a rare moment especially for a shonen series that has been growing in popularity for more than a decade. In this article we will look at the summary of the story from Chapter #139 entitled “Toward the Tree on That Hill” and express our opinion on whether the ending is satisfying or not.

[AWAS SPOILER DARI CHAPTER TERAKHIR!!!]

As can be expected from the previous chapter, Eren’s real body inside his Titan has been successfully reached by Mikasa who reluctantly cut off Eren’s head and killed him on the spot. Not a few fans who certainly feel disapproved to make speculations that Eren’s real body is in another place. But the fact is clear, Eren is dead, and in this last chapter Mikasa and Armin mourn the death of a figure who means a lot to them with great sadness.

The story line then moves on to the next three years, in which the remains of Eren’s body are buried under the Paradis Island tree, a place he happened to frequent as a child to rest. Mikasa who was there said that her close friends would come to visit her grave. Mikasa, who was still filled with sadness, was then surprised when a white bird appeared and tied the scarf that fell from Mikasa’s neck. While watching the bird fly, Mikasa expresses her gratitude to Eren for tying the scarf to her.

This part is arguably the one that touched us the most, because we are not only talking about the fate of Eren who has to go through a lot of suffering, but also those closest to him who feel betrayed and don’t want to lose him. This is especially true for Mikasa, who has loved and cared for Eren since childhood. Bittersweet is probably the right word to describe the ending of the story between the two.

There is a flashback section of Eren and Armin’s conversation on Path that reveals a lot of new facts. First, Eren’s ultimate goal is to get rid of the Titans from the earth’s surface with a view of the future that he knows of the Attack Titan’s power. Eren then reveals that the Titan’s power can continue to exist for thousands of years because Ymir continues to follow the will of King Fritz. It is his love and strong bond to Karl Fritz that has kept him and his family bound to Fritz for thousands of years.

Second, Ymir may have been waiting for the moment when he could be free from the curse of his love, and the moment arrived when Mikasa, who really had great love for Eren, had determined to kill him. That was the reason why Ymir was seen smiling at the end of Chapter 138’s panel when he saw the last moment between the two. Armin just recalled his conversation in Path after Eren’s death, and along with the release of Ymir’s bonds, all Titans disappeared including those who turned into Titans had returned to their original bodies.

We feel that the conclusions in this section are quite well packaged and do not feel rushed. It’s just that changing Jean, Connie, and Gabi to Titan form in the previous chapter felt like an unnecessary trap, because in the end they still returned to their original form and felt like temporary hostage victims who were forced to make the story more dramatic.

The end of Rumbling became a historic moment which was later given the name “Battle of Heaven and Earth”. The threat from Titan is gone, but there are many new challenges that humanity must face including building its own power to live in peace. Eren had said that the war would not end as long as Eldia or the world itself disappeared, and even if he was right, at least the world without Titans left by Eren would be a real place for them to create new peace.

Conclusion

We think Hajime Isayama managed to create a neat conclusion to the story. Chapter 139 manages to close several plot holes, provides a future picture of a world that is no longer ruled by Titan, as well as extra romance and friendship dramas that end in a touching, but still can be called the Happy Ending which is the most suitable to close the story.

So what do you think about the ending of Attack on Titan? Is it appropriate or different from what you expected?

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