Snk 138 - Tumblr Posts

I mean, I've been thinking that it won't be a "the power of friendship will always win!" kind of series, and, as cliché as it may sound, it was always love. Didn't zeke say that even if Ymir died she stayed in Paths because she grew attached to the world? Because she wanted something she couldn't have? We even had a panel showing her looking at a newly married couple with a very surprised expression. Once again, it was love for his wife and daughter which pushed that one soldier in the beginning of the series to sacrifice himself so eren can seal the hole of Wall Rose, it was love his love for his family which pushed Grisha to abandon the "taking the founding titan from the Reiss family" quest, it was his love for his brother who pushed Zeke to meet Eren again even though he almost died many times. It was love that pushed Falco to join the military and protect Gabi, and for that reason he became the first flying jaw titan, helping the alliance and saving the world. It was love that pushed Annie to spare Armin during the female titan arc. It was love that pushed Marcel to badmouth his brother to the military. It was love that pushed Reiner to become a warrior candidate. It was love that pushed eren to commit mass genocide, and I don't agree with it of course, but I must confess that I kinda felt compassion towards him. Of course, there are many examples but I think we failed to notice the main theme from the start.

Eren not winning and love being a main theme of the show isn’t a game of thrones ending. The main theme has always been humanity surviving and love being a major player. Platonic or not.

I can't accept it yet, I SPENT YEARS believing that Gabi along with Jean will survive the whole story, and in one panel, ONE, it was ruined. I still have very little hope, really wished a happy ending for them.

Gabi's expression pains me terribly too, she's not even paying attention to her family? What is she thinking about?

Heartbroken

Head empty. Cute Falbi hours🥺😩✨

One of the reasons I'm so happy mikasa didn't confess and decapitated Eren in the end. Really? Armin? I mean yes he wouldn't have agreed to leave his friends behind anyway but to even consider it? Wtf

If this is all true, they did Armin so dirty. So so dirty. If this is what it seems to be, those two can live in that fucking forest forever and never come back, just stay there and don't do shit. Thanks for leaving the third wheel behind, the third wheel clearly deserves better

I was listening to berthold's ost "apple seed" AND IT FIT IT PERFECTLY LIKE???? I cried even more

FOR THOSE WHO'VE READ 138 pls send me songs that remind you of it i wanna get into a mood

Wait a minute..

People are angry the warriors' reunion with their families took so many pages ( 4 I believe) because apparently they don't deserve any sympathy as they're devils and Eren simply wanted revenge.

People are angry levi is still alive after fulfilling his promise to Erwin.

People are angry at levi for "abandoning" his squad when he knew they'd be titanized (not like their transformation would kill them if they decide to let them get on Falco's back right?).

People are celebrating Gabi's transformation into a titan.

People are mad at Armin for saying "Eren, you really like this hell" and not noticing how hEaRtBrOkEn Eren was while committing genocide (How silly of you Armin!! You should have died instead of Erwin!! It's not like Eren and Mikasa were gonna abandon you in the AU!! How could you say that?).

People are accusing Mikasa of having hallucinations/illusions because it's totally not Eren who showed her the alternative universe! Definitely not him! And it definitely doesn't correspond with chapter 1 (I'm not even an Eremika shipper but ignoring that is pure bs tbh).

People are angry with Mikasa killing Eren because he didn't get to kill the whole world.

Conclusion ?

The fandom is a joke :)

just gonna put on my clown wig as I hold onto hope that everyone who was titanized somehow revert back to human form and the curse of ymir breaks for the remaining titan shifters

Falco baby I'm sorry for even thinking that you were the one who transformed them into titans when you just screamed out of frustration 😭

Edit : could be both c:

isayama please let the kids be happy PLEASE

I miss her already (at least we're getting am episode with her tomorrow right, haha?)

what the fuck was that 🙃

anyway i hated this chapter 😆👍 if everyone doesn't turn back to human in 139 like i'm convinced they will, i'm fucking leaving this planet.

gabi's development down the fucking drain because she's a mindless titan now — i'm not even a diehard gabi stan, but the thought of her process of disillusionment regarding marley's propaganda only being for nothing is tbh crushing

the pointlessness of pieck becoming a warrior for her father's treatment and only earning him borrowed time since he becomes a titan anyway

jean and connie literally surviving everything that's been thrown at them until this point as normal fucking humans

falco's promise to protect gabi

reiner not going through with his suicide attempt and him surviving all the times he's put his life on the line for the sake of other people since returning to marley

annie seeing her father for a total of 10 seconds before he transforms (and he even manages not to roast annie who was literally a foot away when it happened, mind you, for some reason — i know she'd heal from it quick as anything, but it bugs me, personally)

. . . what was the point of all that when in the end it all results in the titan shifters being eaten by the ones they care about the most? the titan shifters' time was just limited and there's no hope for them so we just need to resign ourselves to their fate?

i'm hoping that ymir herself will break the curse even if it's only because of a weird reason, namely mikasa giving eren's decapitated head just 2 seconds of lip-on-lip action (and i absolutely do not understand why she cares so much about mikasa kissing eren . . . can someone get this kid some primetime tv)

i believe that a story must give the reader some satisfaction, no matter how gruesome and tragic it is, and i personally have never been further from it.

also, i have never hated the time loop theory more than i do now because it seems highly probable ((to me)) and gives the option for either

an open ending if eren is considered to have failed to stop the cycle of conflict and it fucking repeats AGAIN and we're just supposed to imagine a world where eren was successful. isayama gets to leave us with no concrete, canon endings for the characters

or closed ending — ymir likes the kiss, apparently (😒) so she helps eren "succeed" this time by bringing back everyone? and everyone would have apparently learned their lesson about not perpetuating violence against other "races" after they died i guess. i only have the vaguest possible idea of how that would even work (and if it does happen i don't think my brain would be able to take it anymore)

which lets isayama keep everyone in the dark during the wait between the penultimate and the final chapter. i hate it here

Selfish is Eren’s trait.

No matter how much time changes.

Many people has been saying that Eren is selfless, how the Rumbling is the only choice to save Paradis so he had to set aside his emotion for greater good. While yes, that is true, it’s not quite right. Remember chapter 131?

Eren himself said he was selfish. He was disappointed the world is not as beautiful as in Armin’s book. He was disappointed humanity outside the walls exist. He wished to wipe them all away. But still, no matter how much he wished for it to happen, it’s still wrong. Just like Eren said in chapter 130, all the future he saw is still far away. Maybe things could change. Maybe his wish won’t come true, but at least things would turn out to be morally right. That’s why he decided to sit back and watch.

But no. Even after Zeke (another royal blood) and Azumabito (the mediator to the outside world) entered Paradis, they’re not giving him a great option. They’re blinded by their own selfish desire. Azumabito just wanted to use Paradis as a cashgrab, while Zeke wished for Eldia’s euthanasia. Paradis doesn’t give him another option either, even though the time is running out.

Of course Eren would snap. 

Fuck them all. Fuck them all, who won’t give Paradis a chance. Fuck them all, who choose to stay in their comfort zone. Time is running out. All lives matter, including Paradis. If the world refused to see Paradis as a part of humanity, then he’ll reject them as parts of humanity too. If Paradis refuse to move, then he’ll force them to move. Better bring out his dream to life if that’s the case.

It was all too convenient; the time, the circumstances. It was all matching with his dream to exterminate his enemies; to become free from shackles; to expand his horizon outside the walls.

He has the power, and he only have a few years to live, what’s the more appropriate time than now?

But still.  He’s painfully aware it’s wrong.  What’s he about to do is a one-sided massacre.

If I had to say, Eren has several options:

Wipe out the rest of the world

Let the world trample Paradis

Run away and forget it all

Share his future memories, and decide things with his friends.

Option #4 is already out of the window, because he doesn’t trust his friends enough to let them decide their future. He believes all the hatred and bloodshed will not stop until he buries the world to the ground, to avoid them laying a hand on Paradis ever again. He believes if he doesn’t do this, his friends would continue to live in misery until they die.

Option #3 is also out, since he had to move forward no matter what, so he’s left with 2 choices.

Again, he throw away option #2, because no matter how much he think about it, there’s no way he’d let his own people being trampled by the world.

So yeah, option #1 is to go, then. But he knew, it’s wrong.  He will take all the lives of innocent people. He will drag his friends into danger, he will hurt them, he will disappoint everyone. He will become a monster. There’s no guarantee Paradis will strive once this is all over. There might be another hell, he knew.

That’s why, even though he knows what to do, even though things is going according to his dream, he broke down. He still asked for forgiveness, even though he knew full well he’s the one at fault.

He couldn’t take it anymore. His guilt is eating him alive. 

At this time, he wished for an escape. He’s starting to reconsider option #3. And that’s where Mikasa came in.

Mikasa, the girl who sticks to him no matter what. Mikasa, who saved him, no matter how hopeless the situation is.

Maybe this time, she could save him too. He relies on her, he clings to her answer for dear life. Maybe he could stop him. Maybe things would turn out okay if she give a different answer.

But no. Things didn’t work out as he wished for. Mikasa didn’t see through his suffering, she is clueless as ever; so he had to move on with his initial plan. When Eren said it’s a perfect timing, he really meant that, since he could snap out of his emotional self and focus on what he needs to do. Back to option #1.

This is one of the moments where Eren’s half-assed-ness selfishness shine. If he truly cares for the rest of the world, if he truly cares for his friends’ feeling, he should’ve open up more. He should’ve told Mikasa his dream, because only then, she could understand where Eren is coming from. If so, maybe Mikasa could told him to give up his dream, just like Levi to Erwin.

But no. Until the very end, he didn’t told his friends anything, because he already decided. He didn’t want his friends to stop him at this point, not yet. He has to do what he needs to do first. Not even in the moment of weakness he’d let Mikasa stop him. Because he knew. If he let his emotion and moral get the better of him, he’d never find a solace. Sure, maybe he could live the rest of his life with Mikasa in peace, but he wouldn’t be able to live with another greater regrets.

He chose the solace instead of salvation from his sins. So he turned his back from SC and never came back.

Eren infiltrated Marley. He experienced it firsthand how, even outside the walls, bad and good people were all the same. Reiner’s confession surprised him in a good way, because of  how similar they are than he originally thought.

Both of them are moving with such selfish desire, under the pretense of “for the greater good.” Reiner destroyed the walls because he wanted to become a hero, while Eren is about to destroy the world because he wants humanity to perish. Their guilt is eating them alive to this day.

But Willy’s speech reminding him once again, that, in the end, they’re all the same, they’re just one side of the coin.

Willy reminded him why he’s doing all of these in the first place. He reminded him of his initial motivation.

It resonates with him so much that it hurt. Listening to Reiner and Willy gave him comfort,  that everything is not his, nor everybody’s fault. There’s no right or wrong. Maybe, everyone is born this way. Even if he moves with selfish desire, the world really doesn’t give him much choice so it doesn’t really matter. It’s just the matter of who will keep going until the very end.  

He keeps moving forward until his objective is fulfilled, no matter how much he suffers, no matter how much his friends suffer. But deep down, he wanted to be saved. So much that during the Rumbling, his mind regressed into a child, because it’s easier for him to kill “bad people” to reach his “freedom.” This is why he didn’t fight the Alliance seriously. If Eren really wanted the Rumbling to continue, he could’ve eliminated them on the get-go, or sent one of his titans to remove the explosives around his neck, or prevented Armin from reaching out to Zeke, anything. But he didn’t. Because now that his objective is fulfilled, as Reiner said, he wants someone to stop him. He decides when is the right time to stop; and that’s after he destroy Fort Salta, humanity’s last weapon.

TLDR; Eren is selfish for  letting his dream get the better of him; for deciding what’s best for Paradis himself; for dragging his dad and his friends into this mess; for choosing this bloody path; for wanting to be saved after everything he had done. But if he hadn’t done this, who knows what hell will await Paradis. He won’t take that risk, ever. Eren is aware of all of this; thus why, he asked Mikasa to forget about him.

His selfishness makes him a true monster, yet at the same time, a really flawed human being.

Eren Yeager decides where to start, and where to end his journey. He really is selfish until the end. 

I also thought they would never get separated again but here we are

Attack on Titan chapter 138 spoilers

I haven’t done this in a while. Let’s go for the second to last time

This whole chapter was pain, I haven’t been ok since yesterday

I’m going to reread it with the oficial release but it’s going to be twice as painful I’m sure

The Warrior’s reunion with their families was so beautiful, and then Connie realized what was happening and I got so sad

I hurt every time I remember Jean, Connie and Gabi being turned into titans

Like Jean and Connie remembering their graduation and Connie being like ‘we saved the world because of you’ my heart ;-;

After Connie’s bullshit with Falco and his mom, Falco and Gabi reuniting made me think that they wouldn’t be separated again. They got separated again, probably forever now

Unless they’ve got a way to turn mindless titans back into humans without eating a Shifter this is the end for all three and that makes me so sad

Armin being like ‘you must really like this hell’ to Eren. Like seeing them fight was always too heartbreaking but this is too much

Annie’s dad being turned into a Titan, just as they’re being reunited

Levi’s order to leave the others behind when you know it’s probably the last thing he would’ve wanted

Pieck looking back at the others and crying

Falco looking back at Gabi ;-;

Titans Jean, Connie and Gabi (sorry I’ll probably never get over this, I just love those three so much ;-;)

Eren’s vision to Mikasa and showing her what could’ve happened if she had told him the truth in the chapter 123 flashback

Him telling her to get rid of the scarf and live a long life after he’s gone

The callback to chapter freaking 1 ‘why are you crying?’ ‘See you later Eren’

Mikasa pulling the scarf and wrapping it around her neck

Eren’s face when he and Mikasa saw each other broke me

I stopped shipping Eren and Mikasa because I was convinced that it wouldn’t happen. Eren was trying too hard to make Mikasa hate him and I knew that she would have to be one of the people (if not the one) to end him

It was never a question about love though, Mikasa still loves Eren more than anything in the world, and I never doubted that

If Isayama didn’t put any kissing scenes until now because he was saving it for this, then it was totally worth it

Sure it looks weird, but Mikasa kissing Eren as a way of goodbye was probably the most heartbreaking thing about this chapter (which is saying a lot)

There are probably more things that I want to ramble about (like Reiner) but if I don’t stop I’m going to be sad

To the boy who sought freedom... goodbye

RIP Eren, you might be a little nuts and done shit I don’t agree with, but my 16 year old self will still love you forever, you suicidal blockhead

I’m not ready for the series to end ;-;

What Mikasa is seeing...

Armin's struggling in the penultimate physical head to head against Eren.

Reiner, Pieck & Annie are all on the verge of death getting mangled by their own blood, family and sworn brothers.

Everyone she cares about and loves are dying in front of her.

This is her Last Stand and she is the only one with full physical powers & a hardened resolve who is capable of saving everyone.

From the looks of it, Ymir has finally found the truest, purest meaning of life: love. Through Mikasa's pure, selfless action, persevering through the pain of her unattainable dream; of letting go, Ymir is finally fulfilled and at peace, apparent from the smile on her face. She is seeing that humanity deserves the life it's been given.

Mikasa chooses to sacrifice the person she loves the most to save humanity and the other people she also loves & cares about from dying - that is the True Ending & the final route that completes Ymir's story.

It was a tremendous price to pay but Ymir has finally seen the beauty in this cruel world through Mikasa's eyes.

EDIT: Mikasa seizes control and fought against the very same person she loves and who has influence over her will, dreams and desires. She did what Ymir wasn't able to do against the first King Fritz despite this tremendous power that she wields. Mikasa is truly free. Ymir is witnessing it. Apart from Armin, Ymir has also been observing Mikasa in 135 but this deserves its own post!

Allow this poor, unfortunate girl the panel she needs for her closure & the space to say her farewell to the person she has built a world for in her heart and in her mind for the last 10 years.

Unless a Grain of Wheat Falls and It Dies...

Or, why I am pretty optimistic about the fates of Jean, Connie, Gabi, and all titanized people this chapter, which is also an excuse for me to talk about SnK’s allusions to Russian literature. 

There are strikingly parallel ideas The Brothers Karamazov and Attack on Titan, as well as parallel plot points and imagery to the point where if it isn’t deliberate, it’s uncanny. (NB: before people yell at me about comparing a Japanese and Russian work, Isayama has used Russian names since the start of SnK–Shiganshina is a Russian name.) In particular, there are narrative allusions to a portion of the novel known as “The Grand Inquisitor,” which is a short story within a novel. The central thesis of “The Grand Inquisitor” is as follows: 

nothing has ever been more insupportable for a man and a human society than freedom. 

This parable is told within the story by Ivan Karamazov, a character whose intellectuality is his gift and his curse. He tells his brother Alyosha that the motivation for creating this parable is precisely the evils done to children (oh look, a major SnK theme) and specifically cites an example which was unfortunately taken from real life in Russia and which Isayama has an uncanny parallel:

I want to see with my own eyes the hind lie down with the lion and the victim rise up and embrace his murderer. I want to be there when every one suddenly understands what it has all been for. All the religions of the world are built on this longing, and I am a believer. But then there are the children, and what am I to do about them? That’s a question I can’t answer… If all must suffer to pay for the eternal harmony, what have children to do with it, tell me, please? … if it is really true that they must share responsibility for all their fathers’ crimes, such a truth is not of this world and is beyond my comprehension. Some jester will say, perhaps, that the child would have grown up and have sinned, but you see he didn’t grow up, he was torn to pieces by the dogs, at eight years old…

Keep reading

loving him because eren and mikasa sure don’t

Me convincing myself, that good things will still happen to the cast.

GUYS WHAT THE HELL 😂😂😂

yaegerists blink if you need help

I’ve recently seen some misinterpretations regarding this scene so I wanted to share my thoughts.

The criticism, which I personally find so unfair and wrong considering Levi’s character arc in the final battle mostly revolves around: “Levi didn’t even care about leaving the kids behind to the point he ordered Mikasa, Pieck and Falco to depart without any final/farewell words to Jean, Connie, etc” or “I knew it!!! Levi only cared about killing Zeke post-time skip. It was obvious he’s gonna have NO motivation to fight”

I’m going to explain both claims from my own perspective.

1) About the first one, I think it is important to remember Levi’s rational motivation in such critical moment. So the situation is as the following >>> The alliance figuring out the steam released from the hallucigenia is poisonous just like Zeke’s spinal fluids and as many pointed out the reason there was suspect of them turning into titans came from the fact hallucigenia is the source of the titan power so it only makes sense for Levi to believe the Eldians exposed to the steam would transform immediately after. Did they have time to process the situation? No. Did they even have time to say goodbye? Hell no! It only took Levi, Mikasa, Falco & Pieck a few minutes before their comrades/families were titanized. There was absolutely no time for hesitation and as I’ve seen some people pointed this out Levi was the only one who thought rationally and was able to make such cruel decision in that moment. Was it painful for him? Of course it was! Was it hard for him to leave his comrades behind once again without even being able to say goodbye? SURE IT WAS!

Is this the face of a person who doesn’t care about leaving his family? I’m gonna leave the obvious answer to you guys.

Now let’s get back to even the more logical part. You gotta ask yourself why Levi decided what he did. Had Levi, Mikasa, Falco & Pieck aka the last hopes of humanity’s survival been caught in a horde of titans and eaten then who were going to defeat Eren? Marleyans who didn’t even have enough cannons to face Eren (oh well the cannons had no effect on the founding titan either way) or Armin was supposed to take him down single-handedly? Think about it, who else but all these people together could kill Eren?

It’s also worth mentioning what Levi tells Mikasa right after they had to abandon their comrades and people

“We’re the only ones that can kill Eren”

I think this part’s even more proof of Levi’s rational decision. Do I not love Jean and Connie? Of course I do. I’m not gonna lie, I’m still in denial about what happened to them and I’m hoping there’s a way they’ll revert back to being humans and if they really die I personally will find their deaths meaningless at this point of the story. However, I understand that they had no time for emotional talk. They had to defeat Eren and end this nightmare as soon as possible.

2) Now regarding the second claim, I think there are already many great meta writers who pointed out the obvious but I’m just gonna leave some panels and notes to emphasize how much such criticism about Levi’s not but a misinterpretation.

Let’s get back to chapter 135 where Levi literally told Mikasa he will act as bait in order for them to defeat the titans the founder Ymir sent their way

He knew Zeke’s still alive somewhere from Hanji’s words so if he only cared about killing him why would he try to sacrifice his life for the kids to proceed with their plans before taking down the monke?

Levi risking his life to save Jean’s in the same chapter right after the above panel

“Levi’s all about killing Zeke at this point. He doesn’t care about his kids any longer” is what the criticism says. I don’t think I need to explain this further because the panel is proof enough how much he cares for his kids.

Right after saving Jean Levi’s injuries worsen but he still continues fighting to protect them

The reason for his leg injury is saving Connie

And lastly, about him caring for humanity

“We’re doing both”

Levi’s the first person who actually said they have to kill Eren and save Armin among the corps. If he only cared about killing Zeke why would he suggest they have to consider both options? Why would he repeat himself in the very recent chapter again (about killing Eren) in order to end this nightmare? As I’ve said many times before Levi could’ve killed Zeke and fulfilled his promise a long time ago but he prevented himself from doing so because he assumed keeping Zeke alive was the best option for saving humanity.

Bottom line Levi’s promise to Erwin was never even about mere revenge. The man said it himself, “I will give meaning to your deaths” and he’s only able to do that through saving humanity. I’m not saying he didn’t hate Zeke considering all the suffering Zeke brought to Levi’s comrades. However, it is important to remember Levi was always ready to give up on killing him if his existence benefitted humanity. Killing Zeke wasn’t his sole purpose in life as some like to put it.

manga readers watching everything painful get animated after 138

Love as a key for freedom

Why love is important to make people free? The lesson from Eren Kruger.

As a character Grisha seek freedom at first. He joined restorationists and tried to achieve a common freedom for his people. However, he failed. Zeke, his “perfect tool”, betrayed him and their group was eradicated. Grisha was tortured and would be almost killed if Eren Kruger didn’t intervene and lended him his titan abilities.

At the moment of his lowest, Eren Kruger said “Love someone inside the walls. If you can’t, we’re doomed to repeat it again. The same history. The same mistakes. Again and again.”

Grisha didn’t understand his words, but still followed his advice and reached the walls. Inside, he met Carla, who was an ordinary woman living an ordinary life. She wasn’t special like Dina and he married her not because of their common goal, but because he genuinely loved her for who she was. He finally found peace that is so rare in this story. He found a love.

So why Eren Kruger told Grisha to find a love if he could simply tell him to finish the mission and help Eldia?

The answer is...you can’t free people if you don’t feel for them. To chase the freedom for your people, you need to feel empathy, an ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

What Grisha did before was simply acting upon his anger and feelings. It wasn’t because he felt for his fellow Eldians, but simply because he was obsessed with the idea of getting revenge on Marley and dooming it.

His actions had a solid base and were fueled by a strong motive like revenge, but the fact that he didn’t actually love his son and mistreated him caused him to fail. If Grisha treated Zeke with empathy and simply loved his own son, who knows, maybe he wouldn’t fail and would reach his goal.

Grisha learned about love and peace living a new life with Carla, so his objective quite changed. However he still continued his mission. But in this case it wasn’t because of his anger or will to get revenge on Marley, but because he wanted the best for his family. Grisha once ditched his mission, but he knew that someday, if no one decides to act, their future is screwed. He did it for the future of his family and others.

Eren Kruger taught Grisha that freedom can be achieved only when you feel empathy/love for people you are fighting for. Without love the fire of revenge will burn out really easily and everything that you fought for might be doomed in the very end.

How does love change our motivation on the way of freedom? Parallels between Grisha and Eren.

Unlike Grisha and Zeke, Eren was born inside of the walls and always had a urge to see the outside world. He openly hated the way the society was living. Eren wanted freedom for himself.

However, as his hometown was destroyed and mother was eaten, Eren developed hate towards titans and getting revenge was his ultimate goal. When he was a cadet, he didn’t even talk about how he wants to see the outer world, but simply eliminate titans that restrict his freedom.

Both Grisha and Eren wanted revenge after their close ones got killed (Faye and Carla). Their actions were supported by love for their deceased ones, but it wasn’t enough to actually chase freedom for their nation, because their goal was personal. Not collective.

However, when he learned the truth about the world, his goal changed. His goal wasn’t simply revenge or personal benefit. It became more seriously and global. His love for his friends and fear to lose them changed his approach. Eren knew that he can’t dream about going back to good old days and seeing what is outside. Like Grisha, Eren learned about empathy, because he met so many people who influenced his view and Eren went through so many situations that tested his beliefs.

If in Grisha’s case his biggest action was eating the Founder, in Eren’s situation it was “betraying” his friends for their own good, eating War Hammer and activating the rumbling. Both of them knew that the enemy won’t wait and someday they will attack them.

Both Eren and Grisha simply wanted to live with their families, but their ideals and goals were truly crucial for the existence of their nations. Love truly changed their approach. They became more altruistic and empathic, which is, again, truly important for achieving common freedom.

Can love and freedom coexist together within individuals? The internal debate of Eren and Grisha.

Eren and Grisha both seek freedom and love. They wanted both, but they had to let go one of them and it was their interpersonal love. Grisha loved Carla and Eren, but he had to leave them behind for the sake of freedom. Eren loved and wanted to be with Mikasa till he reached his end, but he also had to choose freedom for the sake of future.

These two concepts are closely intertwined and can’t be separated, but in AoT they can’t coexist within individuals. Chasing freedom over love means neglecting your own happiness and choosing love means giving up on humanity’s future. Grisha and Eren simply couldn’t win when it comes to their love and freedom.

They either selfishly love or selflessly free others.

How love can free others? The lesson from Mikasa.

So the final destination and how love will end the curse.

Even though Grisha’s life ended tragically and he died from the “hands” of his own son, he did fulfill what Eren wanted, he stole the Founder. But aside from that, because of Grisha Eren met the person who he loves the most, Mikasa. If Grisha didn’t know Mikasa’s parents and didn’t take Eren with him on that day, Eren would never meet Mikasa and who knows how the story would turned out to be.

As we know, Eren did choose freedom instead of love. But Eren’s choices are not the only ones that matter. Decisions that are made by other characters are extremely important as well. Who is the person Eren loves the most in this world? Right, Mikasa. Aside from Eren’s decisions, Mikasa’s choices are extremely important.

In ch.123 it was the first time when Mikasa questioned the importance of her actions. What would happen if she made another choice? What would Eren do if she answered differently? Ch.138 gave us the answer, Eren would give up and beg her to forget him. Eren’s wish wasn’t simply “Mikasa, forget me”, but he also asked her to stop loving him, which would mean that she would go against herself. Mikasa didn’t accept it and chose to still love him.

Here comes one interesting point. Love in AoT is both selfish and selfless. Without love Grisha and Eren wouldn’t understand freedom and they wouldn’t want freedom to give the best for people they love, but only choosing it would put an end for their goal and at the end neither they and their loved ones would be free.

In Mikasa’s case, on the other hand, her selfish choice to remember and love Eren is selfless, because without it, people wouldn’t be freed and Ymir wouldn’t want to end the curse.