Attack on Titan: Was the anime ending different from manga?

The Attack on Titan anime has concluded, giving us the most wonderful and beautifully crafted final episode. However, the ending of the anime looks different from what we have read in the manga, and here, we have talked about the same thing.

Attack on Titan became one of the most popular and controversial manga series at the same time because of the ending that couldn’t please the majority of the massive fanbase. Sadly, Isayama did not rework the complete ending even after the fans raised a poll.

So, since the announcement of the anime finale surfaced, everyone wished to see an anime-only ending and not the one the manga forced them to see.

Now that the episode is finally out, fans are wondering if the anime ending was any different from the manga. Well, let’s find out:

The anime-only ending made fans feel for the characters even more

Firstly, no, the Attack on Titan anime’s ending wasn’t different than the manga; however, MAPPA and Isayama sensei introduced some anime-only scenes and added some different dialogues that made the ending a little better. Things didn’t change in the grand scheme, but the anime ending was a lot more pleasing than that of the manga.

The first change that grabbed our attention was when Armin confronted Eren about Mikasa; the manga panel felt quite pale, but MAPPA brought out the best of the scene and made it look impactful.

Secondly, the panel that shows Armin calling his own friend a “mass murderer” was changed by the studio as well. In the anime, we see how Armin respects Eren’s feelings and says that he is equally responsible for the war, so he will join Eren in hell, and they’ll both pay for the sins they have committed.

Besides that, the anime featured a scene where Mikasa and Eren were talking in the cabin; this part in the manga wasn’t stretched as much as it was in the anime episode.

Also, in the manga, Paradis Island was bombed around 60-70 years after Eren’s death, but in the anime’s post-credit scene, we see that the Island was bombed after several generations, possibly after 300-400 years. So, for anime fans, Eren achieved peace for at least the time when his friends and their children were alive.

Of course, everything was fantastically done in the anime, but one thing that was left out was that in the manga, it was hinted that Mikasa and Eren had a child and they visited Eren’s grave together. However, in the anime’s post-credit scene, we only see Jean and Mikasa visiting the grave without the child. Then, we see that Mikasa died of old age, which is something that was also shown in the manga.

You can check out our Attack on Titan coverage here, and other anime coverage here.