Hello! Um, but what do you mean “why” Anon? Simply because Sensei decided it was time for the end?
And I don’t think it was very sudden? We knew it was the last arc and that the series would end this year, just like they warned us three chapters before the end.
That you feel the ending was rushed is one thing, but I don’t really think it was sudden personally. 🙂 Have a nice weekend, Anon!
Hi Anon! I’d be careful when it comes to shipping in the SnK world actually. Without mentioning the discourse and ship wars in the fandom (I’m pretty sure I’m exposing myself by answering you actually), Sensei showed that killing a lot of his characters was totally his thing, which makes it hard to hope for canon romance.
Anyway, I always rooted for Springles but if you’re caught up with SnK, well, you know it’s not happening.
Ymir/Historia always was a pairing I considered to be more or less canon even though Ymir is already dead and Historia has been put in rather… complicated situation with the latest chapter. Even though they will never end up together in the flesh, I tend to think that their feelings for each other are real.
I know there are other popular pairings like Reiner/Bertholdt,Armin/Annie,
Levi/Erwin
but first of all Bert and Erwin are dead so :// and, while I don’t mind these pairings, I kind of doubt that Sensei will ever truly give any of these dynamics a romantic subtone.
My appreciation of Levi/Erwin legally forces me to look at the Zevi pairing critically (especially since I don’t trust Zeke at all) and I’m not sure I will ever want to swim in these waters tbh. Zeke/Yelena is interesting (to me) though, especially from her (almost fanatical?) point of view.
More seriously, Ymir/Historia aside, I think the only pairing that has a slight chance of ever being addressed in canon is obviously EreMika, not that I have high hopes for both of them to survive the ending or that Sensei will give the fans what they want in the first place.
To delve a little more into the subject of Eremika though, first of all I stare deeply at anyone who would read my answer and consider that I should be tried for supporting “incest”.
Let’s get real, folks:
they aren’t blood related, period. So you may or not like the pairing, that’s your right and I don’t mind either way, but using fallacious arguments never makes any point and that’s just sad (Mikasa, play ‘Vogel im Kafig’).
Otherwise, the reason that I think Eremika might eventually get its shot at being given canon romantic subtones is that we’re already halfway there, because Mikasa’s feelings aren’t really a secret to anybody, except to Eren himself.
There again, some fans might be tempted to quote Mikasa blushing and saying that “Eren is just like family”, but you don’t try and kiss your family when you think you’re about to die (ch50), just saying. xD
So it’s not really a question of whether he might even reciprocate her feelings or not when he hardly realizes what everyone else has known for ages.
I know that some fans who don’t like Eremika tend to vouch that Eren is not interested in her in that way, but personally and considering the narrative so far I think it’s way too soon to tell. His reaction to her words in ch50 was clearly not dismissal, on the contrary for me, which is why I think that aging them both can only be a good thing if we’re ever going to address the subject.
Look at the Marley arc, okay Sensei did say that Eren was under the influence of other people’s memories when he caught on Falco’s crush about Gabi, but the same influence could help him realize about Mikasa’s own feelings for him for all we know. That or she’s bound to try and tell him again anyway.
That was from the characters’ point of view. Narratively speaking now, I also think that Eremika makes a lot of sense for different reasons that @aspoonofsugar already explained in this very well-written post!
TL;DR while Ymir and Historia will sadly never come to be together I personally consider them canon, but otherwise the pairing most likely to get canon should be Eremika in my opinion.
Things between Casca and Guts really took a huge step forward after Guts left her and everyone else behind for a while to follow his own goal, which coincidentally led to a series of unfortunate events for their band of mercenaries. And it’s after Casca confronted him on the subject that they ended up realizing their mutual feelings.
I mean, do you see the little parallel there with what Eren’s latest shenanigans? So maybe Isayama-sensei is targeting a similar approach, which is to say that as long as Mikasa doesn’t really confront Eren about leaving everyone and her behind, he can’t possibly address her feelings for him again.
Anyway, the difference between Guts and Eren is that Guts (also being 19 at the time) was
never
dense about love, he just didn’t think Casca could love him back until that moment where they let it all out.
It’s just to share the idea. It may not happen like that, heck it may even not happen at all, but I felt like mentioning it just in case! Enjoy Anon!
Hey Anon! I don’t write meta, I write theories but no worries, I haven’t forgotten (if we’re talking about the same post of course). :3
It’s just taking me some time to figure out what’s the best way for me to explain what I want to say without sounding like a super biased reader since that’s really not who I am. xD In fact, I only ship because of canon content so I have to make that rather clear otherwise the post will not make any point. xD
Besides, the topic of shipping is a tough one because ship wars are a thing and, as much as I love AnE, I have never been that involved in the fandom and as such I have no idea what the discourse tends to be (and I am kinda never in the mood for mean Anons).
Anyway, no worries Anon, I will write this post just like I said I would! Have a nice day. :))
…because the Berserker’s armor is to be used with caution. ://
Have you never seen this illustration that Sensei made for the lulz about Berserk within universe 20 years later?
Well, look at Guts being older than everyone because he keeps using the armor too much. xD This illustration is a joke but the issue depicted is real: the armor is very useful but dangerous.
That being said, I do agree with you that the trip to Skellig is possibly about more than just bringing Casca back. Originally, the whole journey there was only for Casca’s sake, but now that they finally arrived, I’d say we could stay there for a while and for other reasons.
The first reason is that the magic community took a hard blow because of Griffith
…and the remaining sorcerers are possibly interested in fighting back against him one way or another.
The other reason is Guts himself: there is what you proposed indeed, but besides the physical changes, Guts has so much to solve.
there is what Slan did to him (the wound to his ethereal body, I don’t think it was ever 100% healed iirc?)
and there is the beast of darkness (that is staying low for now), which is related to his own trauma regarding the Eclipse
Casca is not the only one who needs to face what happened during the Eclipse.
In fact, Guts’ sanity so far rested on the only hope that Danan might be able to bring the woman he loves back. He clang so much onto it that he even disregarded his revenge against Griffith to will himself into trying to get her back. And even if he’s constantly reminding himself of what the Skull Knight said on the subject, I’m pretty sure a part of him is hoping Skully was wrong.
So now that Casca is back, no matter how she and Guts will behave around each other, Guts is without a goal and, for a man as tormented as him, I believe that can be extremely threatening (”hello darkness my old friend”).
That’s why I think Guts could have his own personal moment on Skellig where he might finally agree to look back onto everything that happened, in order to finally learn to cope too. Besides, if not on Skellig, where/when is he ever going to get the chance to reflect onto all that he went through?
Besides Guts and Casca, I also guess that their time on Skellig could trigger development for the rest of their friends: Farny and Schierke could train a little with other witches for example?
More than anything though, I wonder how likely it would be for Griffith’s army to target Skellig Island next. I mean, I still can’t give an explanation to this…
because I doubt Isma’s mom was worried about her daughter getting into trouble with Danan’s people or the sorcerers, so… Well, since Griffith targeted a lot of spirit woods previously (like Flora’s), who knows what he might have planned for Danan’s kingdom?
The fact we even switched to him recently in the narrative must also be for a reason, but it’s not like he’s getting really slowed down by other enemies…
…so eventually -maybe after he marries Charlotte?- he could decide to attack Skellig Island while Guts, Casca and their friends are still there.
Still on the same idea, but I just recently made a post about Guts having a tie to Elves according to the Skull Knight and this could also be expanded on while Guts stays on Skellig, especially if he ends up having to protect them should Griffith launch an attack.
Finally, an attack by Griffith could also lead to the Skull Knight showing up once more (since he’s the foe of all inhumans) and I find this would be extremely relevant considering that…
this is what Puck once thought about him (vol 18).
TL;DR everyone fighting on Skellig could be a way to conclude the arc on Skellig? And until we get there, I guess we could focus on Guts’ own trauma as well as Casca slowly getting used to being back, while Griffith chases monsters around, possibly gets married and decides that he will target Skellig next.
That’s my take on it. Rather uncertain because we switched to Griffith and don’t know why exactly for the moment, so we’ll need more content to be surer!
I hope it answers your question Anon. Thanks again for the kind words and have a lovely day. ❤
am i the only one who doesn’t trust Kiyomi’s happiness about Mikasa, like, she’s the head of the Azumabito clan, why would she want Mikasa, the heir to the shogun bloodline, back???? especially after the whole speech about the iceburst stone resources.
i trust her as much as i trust Zeke’s claim that he sold his parents to make sure Grisha’s plan to restore Eldia would work, which is to say not at all????
Hi Anon! Yeah, he certainly is and that’s why I do not trust him at all, like Yelena.
Funnily enough that’s where Sensei might get me, because I so am never trusting Zeke that Sensei could eventually make a good guy out of him and I would refuse to believe it till the series ends. It’s just that I can’t forget this tho’…
so no way do I believe his claim that he sold his parents out to eventually make Grisha’s plan work.
Otherwise I just don’t know what to make of Eren at the moment. Is he buying anything coming from his brother, is he following a plan of his own because the alternatives offered by Zeke’s side or Kiyomi do not provide what he wants for the people he wants to protect? I don’t know, he’s a tough cookie to see through.
Thanks for passing by Anon, glad to know I’m not alone in this! 🙂
Hey Anon! And nah, no way! I think Historia’s husband or whatever is that dude from the cliffhanger.
I mean, reading the typeset version, Eren was against Historia being forced to recreate the system that the Reiss family had put in place before Grisha killed them all in the first place. That’s why he left and followed a plan of his own because Kiyomi’s and Zeke’s ideas put Historia in a bad position.
So if he was against it, why would he make a child with her? So n o p e, Historia’s pregnancy isn’t related to Eren.
Listen Anon, I know it was a long time ago, but Eren and Historia once had a deep talk…
…and I think Eren understands where Historia is coming from. That’s why, since she already has to be the Queen despite not wanting to initially, he doesn’t want her to be burdened with more.
That’s also why he didn’t mention the use of the royal bloodline to the progenitor titan after he finally accessed his father’s memories and why he was against her being used by Kiyomi and Zeke in the newest chapter.
In general what Eren seeks for him and for the others is freedom. I think that explains enough why he’s mad about Historia being forced into the current circumstancesn even if it was also her choice
eventually. So no, Eren is not Historia’s baby’s daddy (besides I think Mikasa would have taken it rather badly if that were the case, considering past examples).
I hope it answers your question, have a nice day Anon!
Hi Anon! Um, well, timeline-wise I’m not sure it is the most likely?
We don’t know exactly when UT deserted the Shinigamis but it was at least 50 years ago and seeing as his link to the Phantomhive family doesn’t seem to go beyond Claudia who was a little girl at the time…
I doubt he could have been her parents’ butler or even her butler before Tanaka.
It’s true we don’t know when Tanaka joined the Phantomhive household, but considering @akumadeenglish‘s explanation about Tanaka’s age and the way Vincent sometimes referred to him, it seems Tanaka was possibly already there when Vincent and Frances were little children.
Besides… so far in the narrative, “obsession” towards the Phantomhive family always rooted
more
from love than from simple association:
Ann (in love with Vincent),
Kelvin (Vincent & the twins)
and now it’s almost confirmed for UT (Claudia?),
Meanwhile it’s different from Tanaka who’s been there for 3 generations but whose relationship with the Phantomhives…
clearly is depicted to be healthier (you have no idea how much I love this man).
So I don’t have any clear hint to say that the idea doesn’t work, but in my opinion it just doesn’t seem to be the most likely? I don’t know how UT was involved with Claudia back then, but it seems her death changed a lot of things for him and that could be what made him become the Undertaker that he still is today.
Of course, I guess UT could have been her butler until she died and then he disappeared for a few years before becoming the Undertaker, leaving Tanaka to take care of Vincent and Frances, but…
I don’t know, seeing his performance in the Weston arc and the ring he always wears, he always seemed more likely to play the part of a noble than of a butler back in the days after his desertion and before he became the Undertaker?
As I said though, it’s just my opinion and I can be 100% wrong, so take it all with a grain of salt!
Sorry I can’t help more Anon, but please have a nice day!
Hi again 🙂 And yes, like you, I want Sensei to take some time for himself indeed!
If the series ended like the way it did, it’s because Ishida-sensei obviously needed a break from it, so I hope that whatever project he tackles on next, he will at least rest for a while first. Manga industry is tough tho’, that’s nothing new…
As for Tokage…
…I think he was stabbed by an unnamed student of his, like the narration explained. No mystery there :3 we know that after Mutsuki and Juuzou, the guy was far from being a good teacher so he got what was coming to him.
Thanks again for the kind words!! I wish you a nice day once again, Anon. :3
Hi Anon! Not sure I 100% understand what you’re asking so feel free to tell me if that’s not what you meant.
Of course it depends on where you’re at in the story, since the cast does get bigger with every arc, but as of the latest update, yes there are different groups of characters that we can follow in the story.
There is Guts’ and Casca’s party, currently on a place called Skellig Island…
There is Griffith’s army (the villains, so to speak) that we’re currently following:
And we had a few recurring secondary characters that we could follow sometimes here and there in the story, but recently they all formed one group…
…in order to escape Griffith and to possibly rejoin later with Guts and Casca.
We might follow other recurring secondary characters in the future (I’m thinking of the city of Vritannis in particular), but so far there are “only” three groups of characters.
I hope that’s what you were asking about. Have a nice day!
Awww ❤ ❤ ❤ Thank you for the very sweet message Anon-chan!
I also really love the Uta = OEK theory, in all its many versions actually. 😀 And I agree with you, I am choosing to see this as being unanswered rather than denied, especially considering that Sensei did so many artworks of Uta over the years. So I really think something was up with him and Sensei actually enjoyed the idea very much, but then… well something happened. :3
It’s not the only theory that was left unanswered, without mentioning all the biology-related questions I still have, but I’ll keep having my opinion on these topics as headcanons. :))
OMG good point about Itori’s feelings though! I explained to another Anon why I thought these were likely to exist way before the last chapter surprinsingly confirmed it, but you are 100% accurate…
It’s definitely some kind of confirmation to all these Uta theories! Ahh, thank you for sharing it with me Anon, it totally makes my day!! 😀
Honestly if Sensei ever decides to make a spin-off about 100 years ago (to answer about the Washuu family…
or even the Clowns and ghoul biology in general), I’ll be here. 🙂 I hope you’ll join me if this happens, Anon!
As for Kuroshitsuji and Berserk, no worries I’ll be there. 🙂 Don’t hesitate to pass by to chat or if you’ve got anything on your mind. I have a Berserk post coming up that I wanted to do for a long time but since it’s kinda a crack theory I’ve refrained from writing it till now. xD
Thanks again for passing by, for the nice words and sharing your thoughts Anon! ^3^ I really appreciate it and I hope we’ll discuss more in the future! ❤
Have a lovely day!
Hey Anon! Thanks, I’m glad so many people agree that this is a cool theory, haha! ^3^ (it may not be a theory anymore tho’, thanks Itori and Anon above)
I don’t think you’re in denial, in fact I agree with what @sentrakk proposed here, in the sense that another addition to the story remains possible, due to a lot of plot threads being left hanging (like the Uta theories for example).
I just am not sure that it should be a sequel is all, because Kaneki’s story is indeed over and it could be a difficult read if Sensei were to keep pushing in this direction. Of course, it could still be a sequel with a different protagonist: if that’s the case, I’d personally be interested in Kurona’s travels, Takizawa or even where Akira and Amon possibly left.
More than anything though, if we were to argue that Sensei might one day decide to add another part to his story, personally I’d like a prequel (kinda like he did with TG: Jack & Arima), mostly because going back to 100 years ago would give us a lot of answers about all the relevant topics I was super fond of (they’re mentioned above). xD
Focusing on world building is one thing I particularly like in complex series: it’s something that Sensei tried to do with ghoul biology, the Washuus, V, the sunlit garden, sunlit society, the mention of other countries besides Japan… but in the end, just like many other parts, Sensei couldn’t finish what he started.
I don’t blame him and I’m not bitter, because I could sense it coming for a while even if I would have loved to be proved wrong, but at some point between the complex world building and Kaneki’s own complex story, I think Sensei just got tired, which is why :Re ended the way it did.
So in my opinion, the way he finished :Re definitely left some room for a possible addition (prequel, side story, sequel) if one day he decides to tackle this again. This day might never come, but the possibility does exist.
Hi! Ah, it was a hunch, but it was fueled by two different explanations. 🙂
The first one was that, considering all the (or related to the) old oek!Uta theories, since Itori was the one who introduced us rather seriously to the concept of hybrids, I thought that maybe she was supposed to be a parallel to Touka from the moment we learnt about Touka’s pregnancy.
And no matter what my take on her backstory was (since I had different ideas), the parallel to Touka did seem likely to me and so I imagined that maybe she felt something towards Uta (seeing what she said in ch148 too). Of course that didn’t have to mean Uta felt the same as Kaneki or anything, but just that the possibility of Itori’s feelings did exist.
The second explanation happened when I realized Sensei would probably never target the matter of the Clowns’ agency after ch171 was released.
However, in that case Itori being friends with both Uta and Yomo but following Uta around (being a Clown, saving Yomo for him in the 24th ward, their shared past in the 4th ward before they met Yomo, etc) hinted rather clearly (for me) that there could be more than friendship for her.
That’s why I thought it made sense, even if I didn’t really expect it to ever be addressed, so that part of the last chapter in particular was a very good surprise!
I hope it answers your question, have a nice day Anon!
midnight-in-town 