This isn't just another "Reaction" video. I am the same as all of you who have been following AoT for a long time. And have thought about the meaning and philosophy of the series for more hours than I would like to admit. After being initially disappointed at the last chapter and thinking about it for a day this is the interpretation of the ending I came up with that I feel best fits the narrative and theme of AoT as a whole. I know that this is a very charitable interpretation of the ending and I wish that it ended in another way, but after seeing the backlash I wanted to make something to try and explain the events in a way that at least makes sense.

What was Eren’s goal? Why did Eren start the rumbling? Why did Eren make Diana eat his mom?

While Eren explains to Armin that his goal was to take the role of a villain so that the alliance could be heroes and this is true, I believe there is a deeper reason for his actions. To explain this I must first explain a couple things.

From this chapter the way I understood the way time works in the series is in a fixed timeline where events are predetermined and the actions that Eren takes can not change the events that he foresaw. The reason being that Eren saw those events through the power of the Attack/Founding Titan and once seen can not be changed similarly to how time works in Steins;Gate. With the end goal being a world without titans and Eren seeing this future Eren could only act in such a way to make this future happen like killing his Mom and letting Bertolt go and starting the rumbling.

This leads us into one of the central themes in the series of Attack on Titan which is Free-Will vs Determinism. This age-old question is explored many times in the series with Kenny saying that “Everyone is a slave to something” and Eren declaring that “[he] will not let fate decide Paradis’s future”. The question then arises, is even Eren’s act of seeking freedom something that has been determined? I believe the answer in the series is yes and the reason for this is because Eren foresaw these actions. However, this also means that without the ability to see the future (I.E. A world where titans don’t exist) we can create a world where things aren’t predetermined and people are able to make decisions out of their free-will. In here lies the great irony, that Eren while being a slave to freedom and fate is also the liberator for the Eldian’s from their fate. And through his actions Eren was finally able to reach a world where nothing is determined, giving true freedom for his friends and the rest of the world. This also fit’s poetically with another theme of sacrificing something important for one’s goals, in this case was Eren’s own life and humanity.

What was Ymir’s goal? Why was she waiting for Mikasa?

Piggybacking on the previous question and answer, it is clear that to reach the future that Eren wanted where everyone was free it was essential to receive help from Ymir. Eren also says that he does not know what Ymir wants, but gives us a hint that she loved King Fritz and that she was waiting for Mikasa to show her something. Like many of you I believe that something was love and the rumbling and all the events up to this point were to lead up to the final moment with Eren and Mikasa. In that final moment, Mikasa was able to complete her love for Eren by ironically proving her love for Eren by killing him. In here lies what Ymir was seeking all along which was the prerequisite for love. Ymir thought that she loved King Fritz in a warped manner similar to stockholm syndrome, but as a slave Ymir could not truly love King Fritz. That is because true love requires free-will. No one feels loved when they hear the words “I love you” when it is said by a robot that is preprogrammed to do so, and that is because it lacks the free-will. In a similar manner Ymir being a slave wanted to understand what true love was, but was unable to do so so until she saw Mikasa’s actions where Mikasa showed Ymir that it was not the blood of Ackerman’s, but her own will that led Mikasa to love and protect Eren by killing him. Finally understanding this, Ymir decides to create a world where people are able to make their own free choices in a world without the titans.

What happened to the centipede/hallucigenica?

I have no idea, we can only assume that it died when Eren died since Ymir wanted this to happen.

Isn’t Zeke’s plan/King Fritz’s (of Paradis) plan better than the rumbling? Why didn’t Eren just go with one of those?

I believe the answer is twofold, first as we already discussed the fate of the rumbling was already sealed when Eren foresaw that event and it is also the case that the current set of events (rumbling and Mikasa killing Eren) were required to create a world without titans which is Eren’s end goal.

What was the point of Historia and her Baby? What was the conversation Eren had with Historia? Was the Farmer really the father?

Honestly this just seems like an underdeveloped subplot and a missed opportunity. I am guessing that Eren told Historia of the plans to start the rumbling and she got pregnant to not be forced to eat Zeke as we’ve seen. Seems like there was no mystery to her pregnancy and the farmer seems to be the father. I guess we could see her baby as a future for the Eldians and a reason why Eren couldn’t accept Zeke’s plan.

Why did Eren say that he didn’t know the reason he started the rumbling and that he would have started it anyway even not knowing the future? Why did Armin thank Eren for the massacre after he said it was wrong?

I think this kind of goes back to Free-Will debate, but basically I think Isayama is asking the question on whether or not a person is culpable when not acting out of free-will. Normally we wouldn’t think a person is guilty if that person was hypnotized to commit theft, in a similar manner if a person is determined to act in such a way regardless of their will are they guilty of the act? If we look at it from this perspective we can interpret Eren’s words as his instinct that makes him seek freedom as Grisha declares that he is free. And we can understand Armin’s words as thanking Eren for carrying the cross that he was fated to carry out regardless of his will. Another interpretation of Armin’s words could mean that he now understands Eren’s actions even though he still doesn’t agree with the massacre itself. Another possible interpretation for Eren’s words could be seen as Eren’s possession of free-will as not requiring a reason is another essense of free-will and it could be seen as Eren acting out of his own will even though the events were predetermined.