Chapter Shingeki no Kyojin 139 FINALE Chapter Discussion

[uberfayt]

Ymir's "love" looks like Stockholm syndrome to me. Glorifying that as love came from nowhere tbh, and that's the one bit I didn't like in this chapter...

 

[Farfalla]

I don't like that the poll doesn't have a simple "I like it" option...

I'll add one for you, mb haha.

 

[uberfayt]

I'll add one for you, mb haha.

 

[XXGenesis]

Things I get Isayama touched on but didn’t flesh out well enough.

-Ymir’s Slave mentality( Love for Fritz) makes sense, but easy plot device. Used at the end to explain it.
-Historia’s child & importance to Paradise....(I understand it more as I type but I don’t like it)
-Real revelation of Humanity vs Humanity...A speech on war and differences imo by Eren or either the Heroes would highlight one of the manga major themes..I felt was needed more than....80% population are dead etc etc
-Eren’s dialogue with his friends. It was too friendly, without Eren actually sharing his despair of the decision he saw as the only answer to get rid of the Titans and save paradise island.

 

[lexx]

I agree with you on Miakasa/Ymir dynamics, and think this entire time travel fiasco was a disaster. But to address first two points, and your conclusion.

1. Without the "alliance", it would've been 99%, not 80%. So no, not bullshit

2. Because that wouldn't be realistic? The UN of their world pretty much declared war on Paradis, with the intent to genocide everyone there. It was mentioned that the rest of the world treated Eldians worse than Marleyans did. You think it's realistic that the rest of the world would stay idle, after rumbling at this point? Yes, Eren destroyed all the military technology, but it's only a matter of time before they would build up their military again,

You think Paradis should just sit there and wait for their demise? Or do they, like everyone else, have instincts of self preservation and can act in accordance with that?
Paradis isn't building up their army to invade anyone for thee purpose of conquest. They build it up for self preservation.

3. I agree Eren's goal was insufficient, he shouldn't have allowed the 'alliance' to do as they please, and eliminated them himself to complete the rumble. That is really the only way to secure the future generations of Paradis, in the setting Isayama gave us. Lelouch 2.0 was an utter disaster, I agree.
Eldians aren't looking for conquest, their army is for mere self preservation, if other countries think that way and attack Paradis anyway, Paradis has the natural right to act in their self preservation and destroy them.

--- Double Post Merged, Apr 9, 2021, Original Post Date: Apr 9, 2021 ---

Not everyone, there are defects who like alliance traitors (indirectly), Karl Fritz, Tyburs and Zeke who would use the founding powers against their own people lmao. But yea, vast majority would've taken it to pretty close to 100%.

Imagine Flosh having the founding titan lmao

So you're not wrong in that the ending was REALISTIC AND BELIEVABLE (in terms of where the world was left) it was just really UNSATISFYING. Code Geass had a much more satisfying way to conclude that plot thread. Ymir's actions weren't believable or consistent to her character development. Also, what happened to proteolithic ooey-gooey titan creature? It's not like Reiner managed to kill it - really they were just holding it back. It should've been perfectly capable of attaching onto another human being in the area after Mikasa finished off its present host, Eren. I mean, fuck, it independently made a whole bunch of titans by off-gassing.

So we have two characters being completely inconsistent with their prior motivations. Ymir, who had been seemingly been lashing out at the world ever since Eren freed her will, and The Titan parasite creature, whose motivation seemed to be procreational / survival - it needed or wanted a host. Consider it survived since the dawn of life until it met Ymir, and also survived a colossal-titan nuke without much notable damage, it should've been still good to go once Eren died. At the very least, no mention of it in the final chapter is a huge oversight.

 

[Shad]

Also, what happened to proteolithic ooey-gooey titan creature? It's not like Reiner managed to kill it - really they were just holding it back. It should've been perfectly capable of attaching onto another human being in the area after Mikasa finished off its present host, Eren. I mean, fuck, it independently made a whole bunch of titans by off-gassing.

A space worm? what space worm? I think you may be confusing AoT with another manga you are reading, if Isayama introduced a worm that has god powers, we would see it in the final chapter now wouldn't we?

Can't be a plot hole if you just pretend it doesn't exist! well done Isayama

 

[Farfalla]

There's also Mikasa being an asian princess that had 0 relevance to the plot XD

Like, I get it. Evidence that Isayama had to adapt his plans are there, some ideas seem to have been dropped halfway. The reasons why could be the editors/publisher; could be some discomfort with how a big amount of people reacted to the genocide topic and the responsibility he has over how his ideas are perceived by and delivered to readers; could be wtv. In the end, the final chapters still have charm, still convey emotions and debates. It takes someone with great writing skills and talent to be able to adapt an intricate setup and deliver a conclusion that still evokes deep reactions on people.

I think criticism is so damn important but the way it's done can be so damn unfair... Saying that the ending is different from expectations and apparent initial planning, that it's flawed and HENCE it's shit, looks precipitated to me. If people can't grow to enjoy something and provide the deserved praising (merits-based) unless it checks all subjective boxes they individually built for themselves, then Jesus that sounds like such a draining mindset... At the end of a work, we can for sure be honest about what we think, but recognition of the series AS A WHOLE and some appreciation and gratitude should be only natural as well.

Not saying those based on this community, it's just that the fandom can be so toxic XD It's kinda saddening to read some things across the internet. Many readers lack basic courtesy - the huge majority is not even paying for what they're getting.

 

[Orion]

A lot of emotions rn, some of these panels hit hard man. The Eren and Armin convo, and Eren talking about his state of mind, has me thinking of the unprecedented situation he was in as 15 y/o. All he could do was just move forward and accept his fate. He became a God to the Yeagrists and a Devil to the world. Yet, behind all of that was a human being who wanted to live and be with Armin and Mikasa and see the outside world. And the last page/panels of Mikasa was just very well done, ending it where it started. Goodbye Eren & co.

SnK is my favorite manga ever and it's been an awesome ride. I look back fondly at how I eagerly anticipated the monthly releases and would come home from college to read the chapter on SoulMadness' yt channel. Special shootout to him for contributing to this experience, I still rewatch chap 121 often. The feeling I had when reading each chapter is that time slows down, that's how immersed I was in it.

Thank you Hajime Isayama!

 

[Purity of Magi]

A lot of emotions rn some of these panels hit hard man. The Eren and Armin convo, and Eren talking about his state of mind

 

[requiem46]

There's also Mikasa being an asian princess that had 0 relevance to the plot XD

Like, I get it. Evidence that Isayama had to adapt his plans are there, some ideas seem to have been dropped halfway.

Nah, I think this was done for a couple of reasons:

- So that the Azumabito clan could appear and show that they had a stronger link to Paradis than only the fancy resources

- So that Mikasa could have an option at going away from Paradis and Eren.

The Azumabito prototype plane was relevant in the ending for the alliance to reach Eren, and it was more natural for the Hizuru people to show up if they had a personal interest in Paradis

 

[mangah]

well , author clearly want to portrait Eren as main good guy who sacrificed himself for peace ( by killing like 800 million fucking people which half of them were teen and kids and infants -- just go and reaserach about earth population in WW I )

aslo , Eren has the score for mass murdering animals in any manga as well ...

IMO , both Eren and Reiner should die , but if it would happen , the main protagonist would become Reiner who could die to kill Parasite centipede creature ; the author didn't want it so , centipede was killed off-screen and every one were praising mass murderers named Eren Jeager which deepen the hatred between Eledian and the others which would result in wars for generation , which would destroy both side ... ( Room/Byzanthine and Parthian/Sassanid were at war for 1000 years in our history )


about Mikasa , she wasn't special or doing something special , any sane person would kill a mass murders after he/she see so many people were killed by the guy ... so , why should I believe Mikasa was main hero when she was doing most obvious choice which was best thing for Eren as well ?


anyway , its doesn't matter anymore , its end and so all discussion about it ...

 

[XXGenesis]

A few plot points were just dropped.

Historia & her baby; became unnecessary since Eren ended the titan curse. Therefore it doesn’t matter anymore....=\

Azumabito’s were minor. Simply They are Japanese & were supportive of the Eldian nation & its subjugation of their ethnic group. So much their royal bloodline married and breed with another Eldian.....The Azumabito’s wanted an heir of their royal bloodline back within their nation; also wanted iceburst stone understanding what resources meant to the known modern world;

 

[Equaling Heaven]

They weren't praising Eren for his mass murder. They were praising the fact that he forced himself in a position that nobody else would or could. If Floch was the founder the rumbling would never stop. If Tyburs had the founder the hate and war crime against eldians who got their memory erased about the past would continue. He forced himself into that role to make his lover kill him to end the curse and show Ymir that reason is above feelings. Ymir slave mindset of love for her former king and husband would still be a thing but Mikasa murdering her own love to end the earth flattening was the only option. He did that to show to the world that the said demons were also fighting for everyone else sake.

About the worm. I think it needed the founder as a host to keep living. Hence why it's show becoming dust at the moment everyone titanization is lifted.

 

[Farfalla]

every one were praising mass murderers named Eren Jeager

Actually, what Armin told the marleyan officers was that he was the one that stopped Eren, portraiting him as a menace and a monster that got stopped.
Wtv his friends said regarding him after retrieving their memories was their own personal feelings since they loved him - but they never carried that onwards as the image of a hero the world had. The words used in the chapter for Eren himself was that what he did was unforgivable and he couldn't stay alive after it.

 

[Asako]

I wasss planning on posting that magi


Oups wasn't planning on posting now... Wanted to do an Emotional first post like you all doing but I'm not ready for it now


Anways, so i fucking tearing up reading this chapter, then first thing i see in the comments is that, ruined all my crying and i exploded laughing....

Nice

 

[Zasz]

I'll give my two cents too
Generally speaking, I'm satisfied with the ending, even though I admit that I felt a sense of emptiness after finishing reading
I don't know if it's because a series that I followed for many years has ended or if it's because I felt that something was lacking
I kinda accept the disappearance of the Titan Power from the world, as Ymir (and consequently Eren) basically became the goddess of a realm that seemingly exists beyond the space-time continuum and thus capable of erasing the cause-effect of said power
Perhaps I'm not entirely satisfied with how all ended
It's just that I feel like the ending was a bit rushed
Of course, that might just be me, but I can't seem to shake off this feeling inside of my chest
Either way, congratulations to Isayama-sensei; he did a wonderful job in creating a story where humanity is depicted for what it is, a race made up of entities that are neither light nor dark, but something in-between

 

[Equaling Heaven]

Precisely.

His mindset was that the people he killed didn't wanted to die, they were robbed of their lives. It wasn't just after all his atrocities, that he would simply have the happy ending he wanted with his lover and friends. Hence why Armin thank Eren for becoming the devil, for everyone's sake. Those crying at the end did it because Eren chose to be evil and by aftermath crowning the clown alliance as heroes and saviours.

--- Double Post Merged, Apr 9, 2021, Original Post Date: Apr 9, 2021 ---

I'll give my two cents too
Generally speaking, I'm satisfied with the ending, even though I admit that I felt a sense of emptiness after finishing reading
(...)
Perhaps I'm not entirely satisfied with how all it ended
It's just that I feel like the ending was a bit rushed
Of course, that might just be me, but I can't seem to shake off this feeling inside of my chest
(...)

I feel you.

 

[AndyTheAMPanda]

So you're not wrong in that the ending was REALISTIC AND BELIEVABLE (in terms of where the world was left) it was just really UNSATISFYING. Code Geass had a much more satisfying way to conclude that plot thread.

The Code Geass outcome in which world peace is achieved would have felt too idealistic and unbelievable and betrayed the themes of the cycle of violence. This conclusion leaves a bit of a bad taste in the mouth but it makes a lot of sense.

So we have two characters being completely inconsistent with their prior motivations. Ymir, who had been seemingly been lashing out at the world ever since Eren freed her will, and The Titan parasite creature, whose motivation seemed to be procreational / survival - it needed or wanted a host. Consider it survived since the dawn of life until it met Ymir, and also survived a colossal-titan nuke without much notable damage, it should've been still good to go once Eren died. At the very least, no mention of it in the final chapter is a huge oversight.

I'm afraid both Ymir and that parasite were more plot devices than actual characters in the end. The parasite was pretty much the midichlorians/stand arrows of SnK's universe, it provided a "scientific" explanation to the origin of the titans. I agree with those who state that it shouldn't have made another appearance beyond chapter 122.

As for Ymir, I think the fact that her character wasn't fleshed out beyond serving the narrative was a huge wasted opportunity. Having her be in love with the king was a sensical explanation to why she didn't obey Eren all of the time, but it made her leave the PATHs feel a bit too abrupt. I actually thought she was going to be reborn as Historia's child and finally have a chance to live as a free person (thus ending the curse of the titans). I feel like that would have been a good way to bring her character full-circle, but that is just my opinion.

 

[Equaling Heaven]

Why would Ymir get a second chance but not Eren? They were both murderer. One for the sake of "love", and the other for the sake of his people.
What she needed was to see the truth, not salvation.

 

[AndyTheAMPanda]

Why would Ymir get a second chance but not Eren? They were both murderer. One for the sake of "love", and the other for the sake of his people.
What she needed was to see the truth, not salvation.

As someone who valued freedom, Eren was the only user of the founding titan who understood Ymir’s situation. His talk in the alternate scenario with Mikasa showed that he could have been selfish and chosen love over his people, but he decided to become a martyr anyway. Eren had a choice at small points, Ymir not really. You can argue that Ymir didn’t deserve a second chance, and I see where you come from, but I think it wouldn’t be out of character for Eren to sympathize with her.