u/WinterAnt

Still one of my favourite anime/manga reveal ever.

One of the most beautiful and iconic moment in modern manga history should have some meaning, right? I still think that this is the biggest foreshadowing of different ending and biggest factor of how Eren's character and his journey were changed. To me it's clearly demonstrates Yams original intention of full rumbling without shameless kiss, power of friendship and meaningless circle of violence where everything repeats and nothing matters. Look at this picture - it's peaceful, it's satisfying, it's above all blood, tears and deaths. You see a happy boy at first, but then you look at his eyes - and yeah, they're crazy. Eren was the most insane character in the story, never forget that. It would be absolutely in line with his arc and also poetic in a tragic way for Eren to completely disappear in madness and finally achieve his freedom. His freedom part took over titans and humans conflict, genetics, politics and wars. But the cost would be whole living world. Just imagine how Eren finally smiles in the end or just breath with relief, we see blue sky and there is absolutely no sound. All screaming and pain are gone. It's peaceful here. But then he understands that nothing familiar left there. It's only him and free world. Without good and bad. Only him. It's his cost for being free. And in ironic cruel way he also made world and everyone free, because it's over, no one is suffering anymore. Isn't it way more logical and natural madness?

And other big thing - It's freaking Attack Titan! He can't and won't stop, it's not his nature. He cannot be controlled. It has endless and unstoppable determination. And Eren should have been like this, because his path and "fight" were way more important than Mikasa, Armin, Paradise or Eldian people. Even racial oppression is just an another tool for his inner dilemma. Of course it all matters, but only on surface, like obvious human connections and emotions. But core Eren's conflict were free life and world where everyone wouldn''t and cannot be hurt (like innocent baby or mother). And his goal at the end would be completely in synch with his madness and delusions, because of course Eren was an absolute psycho from the beginning. He always was broken boy, but Yams showed this in the most cringe and pathetic ways, which also erased his whole personality and agenda.

Official ending makes absolutely no sense for Eren as is whole existence of Attack Titan is false, because he is the only one who had free will and this pairing with Eren had absolutely new level of symbolism. When Eren decided to stop with help of his friends to achieve absolutely nothing for stupid reasons - everything for the Attack Titan and Freedom was destroyed. I'm still so mad that this part of lore were completely thrown away and many fans just didn't care. Maybe I'm too obsessed with this and it didn't matter, but i didn't see how. It just so fundamental. And also isn't it really interesting? How far one man can go for his freedom and with his unstoppable free will.