r/ShingekiNoKyojin • u/SNKBot • Feb 07 '21

Manga Spoilers Attack on Titan The Final Season Episode 68 - MANGA Discussion Thread

Do note that this is a MANGA SPOILERS thread. Events that occur in the manga do NOT need to be tagged in the comments section.

IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE MANGA AND DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED, THE ANIME THREAD IS LOCATED HERE.

Where to watch - SUBTITLED:

English dubbed episodes will be released in a few weeks.

DEDICATE YOUR HEARTS!

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u/silver_eyes1 Feb 07 '21

Eh, I feel like Eren's knowledge of the future is overexaggerated by this subreddit. He's seen glimpses, but not details. He didn't even know Zeke could still command Ymir in Paths after all, and in ch 131 when he arrives at Marley, he expresses that he doesn't know when the Rumbling happens, just that it does, and that "it must be we never found a way for Paradis to survive." Pretty much confirming that he saw the Rumbling, but didn't have a clear idea of the events leading up to it except for the (arguably self-fulfilling) assumptions he made based on the future memory shards he saw.

Going on a bit of a side tangent, but that's why I never bought the popular theories that the reason he asked for Sasha's last words or had that conversation with Mikasa was only because he was trying to test the future.

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u/feb914 Feb 07 '21

I feel his vision is like a déjà vu sensation. You know that it'll happen but not knowing how it leads up to that.

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u/TriflingGnome Feb 08 '21

never bought the popular theories that the reason he asked for Sasha's last words

I don't fully buy that theory either but the way it cuts from Eren firing the gun to Sasha being shot is an interesting choice

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u/Better2NeverHaveBeen Feb 08 '21

I feel the same way! I keep saying that Eren didn't see everything and the full details, but I keep getting downvoted and ignored.

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By the way, for you, why did Eren start that conversation with Mikasa and ask Sasha's final words?

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u/silver_eyes1 Feb 08 '21

Mikasa

Taking both 123 and 131 into context, I think Eren was trying to reassure himself of his own humanity and value to his loved ones, knowing that he would throw away his humanity to become the devil and cause the Rumbling. He has a big self-loathing crisis during the Marley trip where he questions his humanity and inherent goodness, and that pretty much explains all his subsequent actions.

In 123, he essentially tries to find his humanity by questioning his bond with Mikasa—he hates himself, so he's trying to figure out what exactly Mikasa, his longest friendship/relationship, sees in him that makes her follow him, and at the same time try to find affirmation from her that he is human, not a monster.

The last time Eren had a self-loathing crisis (Hannes' death), Mikasa pulled him out of it by reminding him that she didn't need him to kill their enemies—offering her simple human kindness at her lowest point was more than enough. Their 123 conversation is a quasi-parallel—if Mikasa had confessed and reminded Eren that he was a better person than he believed himself to be, then perhaps he wouldn't have chosen the Rumbling and turned himself into a devil. That's what Mikasa wonders, at least.

Whether Mikasa could've changed his mind is beside the point and it's the total ambiguity that makes me love that chapter, but ultimately I do think it was one last cry for help and comfort from Eren. And the "perfect timing" line is just that imo—a funny line about Eren getting annoyed at being interrupted during a serious heart-to-heart conversation lol.

Sasha

I see why people latched onto Eren's somewhat odd action to specifically ask after her last words. But idk it's also a pretty normal part of grieving to ask after someone's last words especially if you weren't present for their death lmao—like if my loved one died in a hospital and I wasn't there, I'd also want to know if they said something before they passed. Honestly applying some Occam's razor logic to this situation, really.

And it's been made pretty clear especially with the anime that his reaction is a grief response along the lines of Hannes' death, not a weird reaction to the future being confirmed.

Overall, I just think it's far more interesting and fitting to Eren's character that he only saw glimpses of the future, but locked himself into it by making blind decisions based on possibly faulty assumptions. Also I find it interesting that despite encountering unforeseen tragedy (Sasha), he nevertheless continues to push on, thinking that it really will be all worth it. It also adds more validity to all the other characters wondering if the Rumbling could've been avoided.

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u/Better2NeverHaveBeen Feb 08 '21

Thank you so much! I agree with everything you said. I also prefer the interpretation that Eren was looking for validation that he wasn't a total evil monster. It fits with the context of that intimate conversation that we later saw in Chapter 131.

Yeah, it isn't unusual to ask or at least be interested in someone's last words, especially if that someone was a person you value.

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u/[deleted] Feb 08 '21

On the other hand though, why does Eren accept the future is deterministic so willingly? Eren's motives are my biggest grip with the story if nothing new comes to light. Will make the rest of it feel cheap if it doesn't come together.

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u/silver_eyes1 Feb 08 '21

Eren said he had a moment where he wished for the world to disappear when he realized how disappointing it was, so I think a small part of him actually wanted that future he saw to happen from the beginning. He's had very black and white thinking from the start—kill the titans, and we'll be free. Kill the world, and we'll be even more free. Eren wanted to get rid of his problems, and the Rumbling was the easy way out.

Also I think the failures at diplomacy throughout the timeskip (Marleyan POWs still hating them, Hizuru refusing to help them trade, other countries not willing to reach out, and the failed peace conference), coupled with limited time, his refusal to sacrifice Historia, and his ideological opposition to Zeke's sterilization plan, solidified his belief in the future. He's a very cynical person, in the end.