Titans: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (Attack on Titan)

(Originally written on the 11th of February, 2021)

SPOILERS FOR SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN CHAPTER 137

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Never before have I seen a single chapter of a manga divide a fanbase, leading to many of them losing faith in the mangaka's writing skills to the extent of Shingeki no Kyojin's 137th chapter, 'Titans." The manga/anime that had caught the collective attention of the anime community (as well as receiving considerable recognition in popular culture) after over a decade of methodical and intelligent storytelling had finally reached its peak, and it appeared that Hajime Isayama had begun to buckle under the pressure. At least, that's how it appeared to be at first glance.

What drew in many readers/watchers over the years was Attack on Titan's mature deconstruction of the shounen hero's journey and the story's near-perfect structure. However, "Titans," was seen as a betrayal of everything that came before it; relying on formulaic 'united we stand, divided we fall' themes that are often present in shounen battle manga to bring the Rumbling to an anticlimactic end. While I was at first uneasy as to how the next chapter would continue where this one left off (specifically as to whether or not we would receive a satisfying conclusion to the character of Eren Yeager) I slowly began to reflect on the chapter itself and what it had to offer.

Armin's grand speech to Zeke came across to many as extremely preachy and pseudointellectual, especially when compared to the grand speeches that Isayama had written before. What these people fail to realize is that it not only remained relevant to what had been previously established but encapsulated one of the overarching themes of the story. The idea that the meaning of life comes from even the most minute experiences is not completely removed from the ideology of the series protagonists.

Arguably Eren Yaeger's most famous quote; 'I was born into this world' means that simply being alive gives a person the right to be free, that the freedom existed from the moment they were born. This is remarkably similar to Thomas Jefferson's inalienable rights: that man has been endowed the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We, as human beings, are consistently changing (even if it may be ever so slightly) according to our experiences. An existence where we are defined by even the most trivial moments, moments that give us purpose, a purpose that leads to true contentment.

Eren's choice to begin the Rumbling was not simply driven by his selfish desire for freedom at the cost of all others. We saw the other reason in the earlier chapters as well as the speech he gave in chapter 123, 'My objective is to protect the people of Paradis, the place where I was born and raised.' He fights not only for his own freedom but for the life, liberty, and happiness of his friends. That may seem akin to a shounen protagonist, but what made Eren unique as a modern protagonist was not some sort of apathy (in fact, he had an extreme amount of sympathy for others), it was his iron will to cast aside all morality to reach his goals. These goals include leaving behind a world for his friends to live happy lives in. Those interactions and the time he spent with them had grown into one of his defining motivations. So much so that he told them that they were free to try and stop him. While the final chapter brought about a new revelation regarding Eren's motivation, the recontextualization does not change the truth of his desire to protect his friends.

Zeke, on the other hand, gained his nihilistic outlook towards the existence of the Eldian race from the time he spent with Tom Ksaver. There was no malice behind the atrocities that he committed; he saw everything that he had done leading to sterilization to be acts of mercy towards the Eldians, that this was indeed the least miserable outcome. Zeke's relationship with Ksaver stemmed from his yearning for a father figure. Longing to find happiness in his life, he found it playing catch with Ksaver. It is all but outright stated in the text that what he does, he does for Ksaver's woes to be put to rest, wearing the man's glasses a symbol of the burden and legacy that he carries.

Powerless within Paths, all he has left to do is reflect on his reason for living which (according to Isayama, Armin, and Eren) is to seek happiness. Zeke has not given up on his humanity: his desire to be happy, to make Ksaver happy. While he had dedicated his life to titan research, the downtime spent playing catch with Zeke was what made Ksaver truly happy. To deny such experiences from the Eldians would be an act of cruelty, taking away their right to freedom.

Given this, the deus ex machina of the past titan shifters helping overpower the other titans feels earned. Armin's growth into someone capable of bridging the gap between people (one that had taken root in the Trost arc) was satisfyingly completed. With the Paths being established as connecting all subjects of Ymir throughout space and time, Armin and Zeke would be able to seek help from their past allies. Once Zeke emerges from the Founding Titan he is promptly ended by Levi, fulfilling the promise made to Erwin and bringing a brilliant close to both of their arcs. In his final moments, Zeke reflects on the horrific cycle of violence that he took part in and how he had long since lost the moral right to experience the beauty of life after robbing it from countless others.

The inclusion of past titan shifters has earned the greatest scorn from those seeing it as too reminiscent of shounen battle manga. That the themes of unity persevering has no place within Attack on Titan. The most prominent theme throughout Attack on Titan has been how one's will must be strong in order to overcome adversity (a theme that is arguably more in line with shounen battle manga). However, this does not conflict with the creation of the alliance or the physical aid provided by the past titan shifters.

Eren Kruger's decision to fight alongside the alliance calls back to his final words to Grisha: that change can only come from rising beyond the cycle of endless violence and instead of seeing that all life is worth protecting. By having two families from two opposing sides, Grisha had understood what Kruger had told him. He loved Dina and Zeke just as he had loved Carla and Eren, the deaths of his two wives coming as a result of the cycle of violence that humanity failed to overcome.

Putting aside past hatred for the benefit of humanity (letting go of shortcomings and overcoming adversity) is far more in line with the themes of Attack on Titan than it has been made out to be.