Summary

Isayama planned the tragic ending of Attack on Titan from the beginning, rooted in the theme of victims becoming aggressors.
Eren's destiny in the show parallels the fate-driven ending Isayama intended, as seen in the cycle of violence and war.
Despite the bleakness, the series offers hope post-Rumbling, showcasing characters learning from the past to seek peaceful solutions.

The about his intentions for Attack on Titan's ending in an interview.

In the 2023 interview, available on The New York Times website, Isayama speaks candidly about the story he set out to tell when he began writing the Attack on Titan series. He reveals that all along, he knew how the story would end, a fact that may surprise fans.

"This was pretty much there from the beginning, the story that starts with the victim who then goes through this story and becomes the aggressor. That is something I had in mind right from the get-go. Along the way, certain aspects of the story didn't go as expected, and I adapted and fleshed out certain aspects. But I would say the ending of the story didn't change much." - Hajime Isayama, The New York Times

This overarching plot line of "the victim who then goes through this story and becomes the aggressor" that he describes is the theme that shaped the entirety of Attack on Titan. Specific details changed as he wrote, but he never lost sight of this broader message that guaranteed how the series would end.

Attack on Titan's Ending Was Planned From the Very First Chapter

Produced by Wit Studio and MAPPA, based on the original manga by Hajime Isayama

Curiously, this idea of destiny shaping events is present in the story of Attack on Titan too. Isayama describes how he wrote the manga with a clear, specific ending in mind, which directly parallels the idea in the story that certain events are destined to occur no matter what. The persecuted Paradis islanders started their journey simply seeking peace and freedom, but could not escape their predetermined fate to become the oppressors themselves. This is especially present in Eren Yeager's character arc most of all. His actions in the series are quite controversial, and perhaps, fated to occur.

Eren's goal of helping his friends seek freedom from the Titans and the walls ironically resulted in him taking freedom from others, sending the Titans to trample innocent people. The events of the story are heavily swayed by destiny, since Eren had to be killed by Mikasa, the person he loved most, in order to end the torment caused by Titan powers that began because of the founder, Ymir. Intriguingly, this cycle may repeat, as hinted by Attack on Titan's final (and scene of the anime) of a boy approaching a similar-looking tree to the one Ymir ventured into when she first started the cycle.

Eren's Fate In the Show Was Destined, Which Parallels The "Fated" Ending

Eren's fight was tragic but predestined

In Attack on Titan, Eren explains how he is unable to stop the Rumbling and this is what must be done to stop the Titans because he has already seen the future. From the beginning, he was fated to follow this path, and destined to become the sacrifice that broke the cycle of suffering for his friends and the entire world. The series' ending strongly hints at the continuation of this cycle of war and violence, since these are themes humanity cannot seem to break away from.

This final episode of the series may seem quite dire and discouraging, as well as the idea of an inescapable doomed fate, but there is some hope to be found in the midst of the great tragedy and loss. After the Rumbling, it is evident that everyone is more motivated to find peaceful solutions outside of war, learning their lesson from the horrific incident. Hajime Isayama develops the idea of fate and destiny Attack on Titan and in his own process of writing the manga, producing one of the greatest and most beloved series of all time.

Source: The New York Times

Attack on Titan is available streaming on Crunchyroll.

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