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Attack on Titan: Final Season - The Final Chapters — A Grand Finale but at What Cost?

Few anime series in history have carried as much weight and anticipation as Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin). What started as a thrilling dark fantasy filled with mystery and political intrigue evolved into a grand, multi-layered exploration of war, freedom, and the cyclical nature of hatred. Now, after a decade-long journey, Attack on Titan: Final Season - The Final Chapters delivers the long-awaited conclusion. But does it truly bring closure to one of the most ambitious anime narratives of all time?

The finale is undeniably bold, ambitious, and visually ... spectacular, but it also leaves a deeply divisive impression. While it succeeds in portraying the sheer magnitude of its thematic weight, it also introduces narrative choices that undermine its earlier developments. Ultimately, the conclusion to Attack on Titan may leave fans in awe, conflicted, or even disappointed, depending on how one interprets its overarching message.

SPOILER WARNING: From this point onward, there will be spoilers—please proceed with caution if you haven’t finished the series.

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Story - 7/10

The final installment of Attack on Titan takes the series’ central themes to their extreme, exploring the cost of freedom and the inevitability of human conflict. Eren Yeager, once the hopeful protagonist seeking to free his people, has now embraced an apocalyptic path, activating the Rumbling to eradicate the outside world in a desperate bid for Paradis’ survival. His former friends, forced into an impossible position, must find a way to stop him—knowing that even victory will not necessarily bring peace.

From a narrative standpoint, the finale is a spectacle of grandiose storytelling, weaving together emotional character moments, breathtaking action, and philosophical dilemmas. However, it also introduces several contradictions and retcons that undermine earlier plot developments. Key character motivations shift in ways that feel jarring, and the deterministic framing of the story leaves little room for the idea that individuals can meaningfully alter their fates.

One of the most frustrating aspects of the conclusion is how it seemingly negates the possibility of breaking the cycle of hatred. Despite all the sacrifices made and the moral dilemmas explored throughout the series, the world remains trapped in the same violent cycle. The ambiguity of whether Paradis will survive beyond the final battle—combined with the implication that another war will inevitably arise—makes the resolution feel hollow rather than cathartic.

While the final arc succeeds in delivering an emotional gut punch, its messaging feels overly fatalistic, stripping away the nuanced moral struggles that defined much of the series.

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Characters - 6/10

The strength of Attack on Titan has always been its character-driven storytelling. Unfortunately, the finale stumbles in this regard.

Eren’s transformation into the bringer of destruction is the culmination of his long, complex character arc. However, the revelations about his true motivations—particularly his deterministic view of fate—feel at odds with the themes of defiance and free will that defined earlier parts of the story. His character arc, while tragic, ultimately feels less like the conclusion of a well-developed journey and more like a preordained tragedy that leaves little room for alternative interpretations.

Mikasa, long criticized for being defined by her devotion to Eren, does get her moment to shine in the finale. However, her final choice and the way her character arc resolves raise questions about the narrative’s handling of female characters and their agency. Her love for Eren becomes the linchpin of the resolution, but the emotional weight of this conclusion feels overshadowed by the lack of true character growth leading up to it.

Armin, Levi, Reiner, and the remaining members of the alliance play their roles well, but some of their development feels sidelined in favor of spectacle. The way some characters’ earlier actions and ideals are seemingly contradicted in the final arc may leave fans feeling disconnected from the characters they once deeply admired.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect is how some characters' legacies feel tarnished by the conclusion. Instead of reinforcing the idea that individuals can defy fate and break the cycle of violence, many of their actions feel futile in the face of an unchanging world.

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Animation and Sound - 9/10

One of the strongest aspects of The Final Chapters is its breathtaking animation and sound design. Studio MAPPA delivers some of the most visually stunning sequences in the series, from the terrifying march of the Rumbling to the final, desperate battle against Eren. The fluidity of the animation, combined with the scale of destruction, creates an atmosphere of overwhelming dread and tragedy.

The sound design and voice acting are equally phenomenal. Yuki Kaji delivers an emotionally devastating performance as Eren, portraying his conflicting emotions with raw intensity. The stellar ensemble cast delivered a top-notch voice acting performance. The musical score, composed by Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto, enhances the emotional weight of each scene, adding to the apocalyptic atmosphere. The use of silence in key moments also amplifies the tension, making the final confrontations feel all the more impactful.

While some CGI elements remain noticeable, the overall production quality is among MAPPA’s best work. The sheer artistry behind the visuals and sound elevates the experience, even when the narrative falters.

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Enjoyment - 6/10

There’s no denying that Attack on Titan has been one of the most exhilarating and thought-provoking anime experiences of the past decade. However, the finale’s overwhelming sense of fatalism makes it difficult to fully embrace its conclusion.

For fans who appreciate tragic, cyclical storytelling, the ending may feel fitting, even poetic. But for those who hoped for a more nuanced resolution—one that acknowledged the possibility of breaking free from the chains of fate—the conclusion may feel unsatisfying. The weight of lost potential looms over the finale, leaving an emotional impact that is more frustrating than cathartic.

In the end, Attack on Titan: The Final Chapters is a breathtaking yet deeply polarizing conclusion. It cements the series as a masterpiece in animation, music, and storytelling ambition, but its narrative choices will continue to be debated for years to come.

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Final Verdict - 7/10

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Conclusion

Attack on Titan: The Final Chapters delivers a visually spectacular and emotionally devastating conclusion, but its deterministic messaging, character inconsistencies, and thematic contradictions hold it back from being a truly satisfying finale. It is a bold, uncompromising ending that will continue to divide audiences—but perhaps, in a way, that was always the point.

The conclusion of Attack on Titan has left me with a deep sense of cathartic conflicted feelings—not just because of the tragic events that unfolded, but also because of the immense lost potential. The final arc leaned heavily into a path of unrelenting destruction, foregoing more nuanced alternatives that could have addressed the cycle of violence in a meaningful way. Instead of breaking the chains of history, the story seemingly resigns itself to an inevitable, brutal fate, reinforcing the very horrors it once sought to challenge.

This direction introduced a number of inconsistencies, including plot holes, retcons, and, perhaps most frustratingly, character decisions that feel out of sync with their previously established motivations. It’s difficult to reconcile some of the choices made by key characters, particularly in light of their development earlier in the series. What once felt like a carefully constructed narrative with intricate moral dilemmas and character depth now seems compromised by the conclusion's insistence on an all-encompassing, nihilistic finality.

I understand that Attack on Titan has always been a story about the cruelty of humanity, about cycles of oppression, vengeance, and the consequences of inherited hatred. However, the ending makes it difficult to hold onto the idea that, despite all the suffering in the world, there is also beauty, hope, and the possibility of breaking free from that cycle. The notion that peace was never a viable path feels disheartening, especially when so much of the story emphasized the courage to defy fate. The deterministic framing of events robs characters of true agency—what about the butterfly effect? Even the smallest actions can change the course of history. Yet, in the end, the ultimate choice is one of annihilation, a decision that, rather than securing lasting safety for Paradis, only seems to reignite the world’s rage and ensure future conflict, not mentioning the devastating potential for Paradis to succumb to internal conflicts and politics which have always existed regardless of the hostility from the outside world.

Perhaps with time, I’ll be able to appreciate certain aspects of the finale more, but for now, I find myself unsettled by the implications of its message. Attack on Titan has been a masterclass in storytelling, world-building, and character development, but its ending leaves behind a sense of emptiness—one that I’m not sure will fade anytime soon.

Would I recommend it? If you’ve followed Attack on Titan this far, you owe it to yourself to see how it ends. Just be prepared for an ending that may leave you questioning everything you once believed about the story.