After a breathtaking 10-year run of Attack on Titan series, the anime finally came to an end with the fall of Titan powers, caused by Mikasa’s heartbreaking decision to decapitate Eren, freeing the Founder Ymir and ending the War for Paradis.
Mikasa then took the decapitated head of Eren to his favorite place under the tree and gave him a proper burial. Unable to move on, she broke into tears when suddenly a bird arrived and tightened her scarf before flying away. Mikasa thanked Eren for wrapping the scarf around her one last time.
Mikasa Ackerman, one of the central protagonists of Attack On Titan, had been in love with Eren Yeager ever since they met at nine years of age. The red scarf around her neck, which was given to her by Eren, and her refusal to take it off are symbolic of her dedication to him.
However, the ending of Attack on Titan shocked the entire fandom by portraying Mikasa with a husband and children after Eren’s death during the end credits.
Although there is no official confirmation on who Mikasa’s new partner is, the theory explores how this man is, in all probability, Jean Kirstein and how manga artist Hajime Isayama had always left subtle hints to drift the story towards this exact ending.
How Jean is Mikasa’s Husband
Jean, when he joined the 104th Training Corps, immediately took a liking to Mikasa as soon as he saw her. He was also visibly jealous of the close bond Eren shared with her.
Throughout their various encounters with the Titans at the Survey Corps, Jean had always shown concern first for Mikasa’s safety, even once jumping in front of a Titan to save her.
When Eren once lost control of his Titan form, he attacked Mikasa, leaving a permanent scar on her face. Jean was the first person to notice this and was bothered by Eren’s actions, which showed how much he still cared for Mikasa.
Before the Raid on Liberio, Paradis Island was trying to make peace with the outside world. Upon finding out that a bearer of titan powers only lives for 13 years, they were trying to think of the next person who would take the Attack Titan from Eren after his death within four years.
Connie, Sasha, and all the others volunteered to take on this responsibility. But when Mikasa offered to become the next Attack Titan, Jean was the first person to oppose it.
Before initiating his master plan, Eren cut off his ties with his friends by calling Armin weak and Mikasa a slave. In the Yeagerists’ jail, Jean found out about this incident and got quite furious at the idea that Eren hurt Mikasa.
As Eren’s Rumbling shook the entire world and began a mass genocide, Jean, in a panic, began to hallucinate a future where he lived in peace with his wife and child. The woman of his dream was clearly Mikasa, identified by the scar on her right cheek.
At the end of Attack on Titan, Mikasa visits Eren’s grave with a partner who clearly resembles Jean due to his signature hairstyle and hair color, and their child looks very similar to the one he envisioned in his dreams.
Why The Ending Makes Sense
Mikasa is an Ackerman, a clan that gains inhumane power to protect and serve a host they are bound to. Her “awakened power” was connected to the protagonist, Eren, whom she not only loved but also unconditionally protected.
Founder Ymir, just like Mikasa, was also bound to that unconditional desire, which is why she followed the wishes of King Fritz for two thousand years. Thus, Mikasa’s act of overcoming her desire to kill Eren is the “result” Ymir wanted so she could break away from the shackles that bound her to King Fritz.
By gaining her own freedom, Mikasa helped Ymir break the two-thousand-year-old promise to King Fritz and finally stop the vicious cycle of the Titans.
This theory thus portrays how Ackerman’s identity no longer lives in the shadows of Eren Yeager, who was born “a slave to freedom.” She is now allowed to move on with her own life as Mikasa with someone who truly cares for her wellbeing.
Mikasa finds that partner in Jean. That does not, however, mean that she forgets everything Eren did to give her this freedom, symbolized by her regular visits to his grave till she died.
