The acclaimed manga series Attack on Titan, written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama, reached its long-awaited conclusion back in 2021 after over a decade of publication. The manga’s ending provided closure for loyal readers who had been wholly invested in the story’s captivating twists and turns, emotional drama, and thought-provoking themes.
However, fans of the anime adaptation had to wait two more years to see the finale visualized on-screen when the last episode aired in November 2023. That is why fans wonder – how did Eren end the Titan Curse.
Without going into plot specifics or spoilers, the finale delivered a bittersweet yet fitting end to the journeys of the core cast whose readers had followed through their harrowing trials. Some beloved characters made the ultimate sacrifice, which was expected given the series’ brutal and unforgiving world.
However, their deaths were not in vain; certain emerging heroes ensured their losses would not be forgotten, and their choices allowed parts of humanity to survive despite immense tragedy and destruction.
Fan reactions to the manga’s ending have been somewhat mixed, though mostly positive. While some readers expressed dissatisfaction, many appreciated finally getting definitive closure regarding the fates of their favorite characters.
The anime provided fans the long-awaited chance to see the manga’s finale vividly brought to life. Overall, the ending provided impactful closure for this acclaimed series after over a decade of keeping fans hooked and theorizing.
Though certainly bittersweet, it brought Eren Yeager’s complex story to an appropriate close after all he and his allies endured.
What Happened To Eren At The End?
In the action-packed penultimate chapter leading up to the finale, Mikasa, Armin, Levi, and the few remaining warrior allies confronted Eren deep inside his massive Founding Titan form, along with the grotesque source of all Titans, the Shining Centipede.
With timely assistance from Levi, Mikasa managed to maneuver her way into Eren’s Titan mouth and reach his human body. With great reluctance yet determination, she delivered the decisive killing blow by decapitating Eren, pausing only to give him one brief, bittersweet kiss.
Eren’s permanent death after this confrontation was somberly confirmed in the final chapter. In the aftermath, Mikasa solemnly retrieved Eren’s severed head and brought it to their childhood friend Armin, who tearfully mourned the tragic loss alongside her.
Knowing the devastation Eren caused would likely prevent him from having a proper burial, Mikasa took his head and left the battlefield to lay him to rest.
The ending revealed that three years after Eren unleashed the apocalyptic Rumbling on the world, his modest grave site was located underneath a tree on their hometown Paradis island, where he frequently napped as a carefree child.
Mikasa mentioned she and their surviving comrades would soon gather there to pay respects to Eren. Wistfully, Mikasa expressed her desire to see Eren again.
In a touching moment symbolizing Eren’s enduring presence, the precious red scarf he had wrapped around Mikasa when they first met as children came loose around her neck. Suddenly and miraculously, a bird appeared before her and rewrapped the scarf snugly.
Mikasa smiled up at it as it continued its flight, sincerely thanking the bird for wrapping the scarf just as Eren had done. Earlier, a similar-looking bird had flown past Armin and the others aboard a ship en route to Paradis Island. Birds were prevalent symbols of freedom throughout the series, representing Eren’s deepest inner longing.
How Did Eren End The Titan Curse?
Eren Yeager’s ultimate endgame that drove his controversial actions was to permanently rid the entire world of the threat of Titans. The final chapter disclosed a pivotal conversation in the mystical Path dimension between Eren and his close friend Armin.
Here, Armin realized Eren unleashed the apocalyptic Rumbling on humanity solely for the future outcome he glimpsed using the special power of his Attack Titan. When questioned if such horrific violence and genocide were truly necessary, Eren conjured a vision for Armin of a distant, volcanic primordial land.
He went on to explain that Ymir Fritz’s agonizing love and complete obedience to the cruel King Fritz for over 2,000 years was what maintained the Titans’ ongoing existence and curse. Despite the king viciously abusing her people, her village, and even her own body, Ymir shockingly still loved him deeply. This tragic bond kept her spirit bound to serving him and his royal descendants for two full millennia after her human death.
Eren admitted to Armin that he didn’t claim to fully understand Ymir’s motivations and psychology. However, he knew intrinsically that she had longed for freedom from the agony of her eternal love and enslavement.
Eren then revealed the pivotal truth – that Mikasa, not himself, was always destined to be the person who could finally free Ymir from her endless torment. This explains why Ymir had smiled when she witnessed Mikasa choose to kill Eren – because for reasons only Ymir fully comprehended, that sacrificial act managed to liberate her spirit.
After confiding this conversation to Armin within the Path, Eren then erased his friend’s memory of it completely. Armin only managed to recover his suppressed memories of their discussion after Eren’s own death in the final battle.
With both Eren and Ymir’s crucial sacrifices, the curse of the Titans was dismantled for good. All existing Titan bodies instantly evaporated into thin air, fully restoring their human forms. Though Eren’s friends were overjoyed and grateful to at last be free of the Titan curse, they remained outcasts and objects of suspicion in the eyes of the non-Eldian world.
