Attack on Titan’s End: Who Lives and Dies in the Final Chapters?

Warning: contains massive spoilers for Attack on Titan

As fans of Attack on Titan know, being important or popular is no guarantee that a character will survive. The hit story has seen the shocking and unprecedented deaths of several iconic and well-loved characters. Accordingly, identifying and understanding who lives and who dies in the manga’s final chapters will be important in appreciating its ultimate conclusion.

It would not be a stretch to characterize Attack on Titan as a war manga. Underlying the trials and tribulations of individual characters is the story of the conflict between the people of Marley and the Eldian people of Paradis Island that has lasted for hundreds of years. Naturally, throughout that conflict, countless people on both sides have lost their lives. The events that readers observe in Attack on Titan is but one segment of the history of that conflict. In other words, to tell the story properly, characters, even the most beloved, must die.

Naturally, the most visceral death that occurs in the final chapters of the story is that of Eren Jeager. Eren has been present throughout the story as both a hero and a villain, and regardless of what fans think of him, he is the absolute center of the story. Accordingly, his death is palpable and, depending on the fan’s attachment to him, one of the most gut-wrenching deaths in comics. After Eren succeeds in his mission of causing the Rumbling and killing roughly eighty percent of the world’s population, Mikasa and Armin have no choice but to kill their friend. While Armin uses his Colossal Titan Powers to combat Eren’s horrific Founding Titan, Mikasa breaks in to the monster’s head and decapitates him, finally putting an end to Eren Yaeger.

In contrast to Eren’s death, is the survival of Mikasa and Armin. For the same reason that Eren’s death is shocking, Mikasa and Armin’s continuing stories are surely uplifting. They were the original “innocent victims” who were made to grow up much faster than they should have, but who nevertheless stayed true to their childhood ideals, despite the pain and anguish it caused them. The both of them are able to live out the rest of their lives in relative peace after the war, though all appearances suggest Mikasa was never able to move past Eren. Also on the survival side is Levi Ackerman. Though he ended up losing a leg and an eye, he did take out Zeke Yaeger. While death on the battlefield would have been a perfectly fitting end for Levi, the fact that he survived suggests that he will play an important role in the future of the world without titans.

Outside of those main characters, it might be surprising to find that many of the supporting cast actually makes it out of the finale alive. Survey Corp members Connie, Reiner, and Historia all live while Marleyan soldiers Reiner, Annie, Gabi, and Falco also make it out alive. Unfortunately, one of the greatest casualties is Hange Zoë who sacrifices their lives to slow the Rumbling’s advance.

No doubt, fans of Attack on Titan hope that their favorite character, however with the understanding that the series is coming to its end, the history of the manga made clear that some of the remaining cast would die. Despite how tragic Attack on Titan’s end is, it’s actually surprising just how many characters made it out alive.

About The Author

Marcel Green
(134 Articles Published)

Marcel Green is a comics news writer for Screen Rant. A lifelong comic fan who originally was a “Marvel Only” collector, he has matured into an “independent” fan of all things comics, manga, cartoon, and anime. Happy to finally be able to put all those hours reading comics over the years to good use.

More From Marcel Green