It was undoubtedly one of the manga of the previous decade. Shingeki No Kyojin, better known in France as L’Attaque des Titans, by mangaka Hajime Isayama was so successful that the aura of the work quickly surpassed its author himself, as he admitted on numerous occasions. In November 2023, while the manga had been finished for two years, it still sold 140 million copies. A popularity that literally exploded with the anime adaptation, composed of four seasons, the last two of which were divided into several parts, until a finale that will have caused a lot of ink to flow within the community. But why?
Originally, Attack on Titan tells the story of how humanity tries to survive when a hundred years ago, gigantic humanoid creatures appeared and began to devour the population. Today, the key to survival lies in the immense walls erected to separate men from the titans, and in the exploration battalions that use three-dimensional mechanisms to take down these monsters by cutting the base of their necks, their only weak point.
One day, two titans very different from their peers appear and destroy the first outer wall, wreaking havoc among the population. Survivors, but having seen their loved ones massacred, Eren, Armin and Mikasa join the battalions so that this does not happen again. The first twist of the series comes when Eren discovers the ability to change himself into a Titan while remaining conscious. It will become the main weapon of the human revolt against their oppressors.
Warning, this article deals with the end of the manga and the anime, it necessarily contains spoilers on the latter, including on the fall of The last attack.
Attack on Titan, the disappointment?
The strength of Attack on Titan was to offer a scenario that went well beyond its basic pitch. Little by little, the characters will be led to discover the truth about the titans, their own island and the worlds that extend much further than the walls. The twists and turns were legion to the point of redefining all of our beliefs surrounding the story, encouraging a change of thought among the audience and the protagonists. Far from being a Manichean, Isayama's story matured to reflect on the consequences of war, indoctrination, and even the merits or otherwise of genocide... without passing judgment so that everyone could ultimately form their own opinion. And that’s the heart of the problem.
Because the fall of Eren, the victim turned oppressor, as well as the pessimistic vision of the future that will follow have confused many fans, dissatisfied as much with the answers provided as with those that are missing. Since the publication and then the broadcast of the finale, debates have been raining down on the web, to the point where some hands have gone so far as to sign a concluding fan fiction. Conversations often fueled by interviews with the author, himself assuming some mistakes along the way.
The last attack had not said its last word
And that's where Attack on Titan: The Last Attack comes in. Because what's the point of attending the screening of this feature film that only recaps the last episodes of the series? At first, it was just a promise: three exclusive minutes as a post-credits scene. A very thin promise that was considered more like a bit of nice, but useless, fan service. Far from it.
Last chance to turn around
This new sequence breaks the fourth wall, showing us contemporary versions of Eren, Armin and Mikasa leaving the screening of The Last Attack – with Levi as a twirling maintenance worker in passing. A truly fan-service scene then? Yes, but not only that.
Because the most interesting thing is hidden in the debate that the characters have. Mikasa loved the proposed ending which is as she had imagined it, where Armin is more disappointed, his theories and questions not having been resolved. The sequence, long desired by the mangaka, intends to recreate the division of fans between those satisfied and those who find this ending highly imperfect. And here again, Eren is at the center of the story since he simply concludes by declaring that he was happy to have seen the film with his friends and that if a sequel sees the light of day, he would like them to go together again.
A scene that reflects the work, emphasizing that, just like the protagonists or the fans, everything is just a question of personal vision, that no one holds the absolute truth; and which spreads an ultimate message: the important thing is not to know if the ending is successful or not, the important thing is to have shared this all together. Yes, thanks to The Last Attack, the true ending of Attack on Titan is resolutely optimistic.
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