Eren Yeager is the main protagonist of the popular anime Attack on Titan. At the end of the series, Eren initiates the Rumbling – setting hundreds of massive Titans free to trample the world and destroy most of humanity outside of the walls of Paradis Island. Eren is eventually killed by his friends Mikasa and Armin in order to stop the Rumbling. This leads many fans to wonder – is there any way Eren could come back to life after his death? Let’s analyze some key facts and theories about the nature of Titans, Eren’s powers, and the world of Attack on Titan to see if there’s a possibility for Eren to return.
The Origin and Nature of Titans
To understand if Eren could come back to life, we first need to examine what Titans are and how they function. Titans were created when Ymir Fritz came into contact with the “source of all living matter” after being found injured in a tree. This gave her the power of the Titans, which she later split into the 9 Titan powers.
Some key attributes of Titans:
- They are created by converting Eldians into mindless Titans using Titan spinal fluid.
- They are mostly mindless creatures driven by an instinct to seek out and eat humans.
- They exhibit regeneration abilities – they can regenerate entire limbs or even their full body very rapidly.
- Their weak spot is the nape of their neck – damaging it fatally wounds them.
So Titans have incredible regenerative abilities. This brings hope that if Eren could somehow be revived as a Titan, he could regenerate back to life.
The Nature of Eren’s Titan Powers
Eren has two incredibly powerful Titan abilities:
- The Attack Titan – This power was inherited by Eren from his father Grisha. Some key traits:
- Future memory inheritance – holders can see the memories of future Attack Titan holders.
- Always seeking freedom no matter the era.
- The Founding Titan – Eren gained this power after coming into contact with the Reiss family, the royals who originally held it. Some key traits:
- Ability to control other Eldians and Titans if holder has royal blood.
- Access to the “coordinate” which allows worldwide manipulation of Eldians.
The Founding Titan stands out here – no other Titan has such god-like powers over Eldians and Titans. If any power could potentially resurrect or regenerate Eren, the incredible abilities of the Founding Titan seem most likely to make it possible.
Paths – The Founding Titan’s Dimension
When Eren unlocks the Founding Titan’s powers, he gains access to the mysterious realm or dimension known as “Paths.” This seems to act as a sort of purgatory that houses the minds and souls of current and past Titan holders.
Some key facts about Paths:
- It exists outside of the normal world and normal time.
- The minds of current and past Titan holders reside there.
- Eldians can have their bodies and souls transported there.
- Ymir Fritz’s soul is there and she can create Titan bodies with the sand in Paths.
Paths is a metaphysical place that transcends space and time. Eren is able to manipulate it using the Founding Titan. It’s possible Eren could transport his own consciousness back into Paths after death. And Ymir may be able to make him a new Titan body. Paths offers a convincing way for Eren’s mind to survive death and regain a physical form.
Eren’s Motivations and Growth
For most of the story, Eren is portrayed as someone who would do anything for freedom, even destroying the entire world. But in later chapters, Eren admits to Armin that his deepest desire is simply for his friends to live long, happy lives.
Some key aspects of Eren’s motivations:
- His main goal was to protect his friends and give them long lives.
- He didn’t fully know why he had to destroy so much of the world.
- He was disappointed when he learned humanity outside the walls was the same as inside.
- He was burdened with the knowledge and future memories from the Attack Titan.
Eren’s desire for his friends’ well-being makes it unlikely he would want to disturb them again after his death. He knew what he did was wrong but felt compelled by forces outside his control. With the Rumbling done, he seemed ready to let go.
The Power of the Titans is Gone
After Eren’s death, the remaining Eldians and Titans helped rebuild society. Then something pivotal happens – the power of the Titans mysteriously disappears from the world.
- No one can become a Titan any longer.
- All existing Titans revert back to human form.
- Pathways between Eldians are severed.
- Ymir Fritz’s soul finds peace and Paths presumably ceases to exist.
This suggests that whatever source gave Ymir the power of the Titans so long ago has finally been depleted or faded away. With that power source gone, it’s unlikely any new Titan forms can be created, including a form that could revive Eren.
Conclusion
Given all we know about Titans, Eren’s powers, and the nature of the Attack on Titan world, the chances seem very low that Eren could come back to life after his death. While Titans can regenerate, Eren was left with no intact nape or brain to regenerate from. The realm of Paths offered a faint hope of resurrection, but it seems to have disappeared along with the power of the Titans. Eren’s character growth also suggests he would not want to disturb the new world his friends created. While fans may wish for his return, the story gives compelling reasons why Eren must remain at rest after giving up his life to change the world forever.
Is Eren alive in anime Attack on Titan?
No, Eren is not alive at the end of the Attack on Titan anime. He is decisively killed when Mikasa decapitates him to stop the Rumbling. The anime follows the events of the manga accurately – Eren initiates the Rumbling to destroy the outside world, fights his former friends to keep it going, but is ultimately killed by Mikasa’s blade. He does not survive or regenerate.
Some key evidence that Eren died:
- Mikasa slices Eren’s head off his Titan body.
- Eren’s human body is shown inside the Titan head with no intact nape or brain.
- The Rumbling stops immediately after Eren’s death.
- Eren talks to Armin in Paths and says he will die and won’t be able to return.
- The scene of Eren’s grave confirms he died and is buried.
The anime makes it unambiguous – Eren is dead by the end of the series with no chance of coming back. His death allows the Curse of Ymir to be lifted, freeing Eldians from Titans forever. He does not survive to see the new world he helped create.
Does Eren turn back to human?
After starting the Rumbling, Eren transforms into a massive Founding Titan form and remains that way for most of the final chapters. He does not turn back into a human at any point before his death.
Mikasa kills Eren while he is still in his enormous Founding Titan body. His human form is briefly shown inside the Titan head, but he is decapitated and does not regenerate.
Eren likely remained transformed for so long in order to maintain contact with Ymir Fritz in Paths and control the Rumbling. He had no need to assume human form again once the Rumbling began. Eren dies without ever returning to human shape after initially transforming into the Founding Titan.
Did Eren really die?
Yes, Eren absolutely died at the end of Attack on Titan. There is overwhelming evidence in the manga and anime confirming his death:
- Mikasa decapitated Eren’s Titan body, killing him instantly.
- His human body was shown with no intact nape or brain.
- The Rumbling stopped immediately after his death.
- Ymir Fritz’s soul found peace, implying Eren’s control over Paths ended.
- Eren admitted to Armin that he would die and not be able to return.
- His grave and funeral are shown after the time skip.
For the entire story, Eren moved ahead unfalteringly towards his grim fate – to die in order to put an end to the Titans’ power. All evidence conclusively confirms that Eren did indeed die as anticipated when Mikasa dealt the final blow. He does not live on in any form after his death.
Will Eren come back to life in AOT?
It is extremely unlikely Eren will ever come back to life in the world of Attack on Titan. For one, the manga and anime are complete stories with a definitive ending where Eren dies. But even within the logic of AOT’s universe, there is little chance of Eren returning for several key reasons:
- The power of the Titans has disappeared from the world after Eren’s death.
- Without that power, no new Titan bodies can be created.
- Paths and Ymir Fritz also faded away, removing any way for Eren’s soul to return.
- Eren had no intact brain or nape left to regenerate from.
- His grave confirms he was buried and died.
While fans may wish for his return, the story provides little hope or narrative logic for Eren to be revived. His death was necessary to free Eldians and end the Titans’ rule. Bringing him back would undermine his sacrifice and the new era of peace. In all likelihood, Eren will stay dead rather than ever being resurrected.
Will there be a AOT sequel?
There are currently no official plans for a sequel to Attack on Titan. The original manga ended in 2021, providing a complete narrative arc for the story. The anime faithfully adapted the entire manga and also concluded in 2021.
Creator Hajime Isayama has made no announcements about any potential sequels or spinoffs. The story delivers a clear ending showing the deaths of key characters like Eren and the elimination of Titans from the AOT world. While a sequel is not impossible, there are no solid indications it will actually happen.
The AOT story feels finished rather than open-ended. Many fans feel satisfied with its conclusions and are not demanding further content. While characters like Levi survive, there are no obvious narrative threads left to explore. For now, fans will likely have to be content revisiting the original story rather than seeing a new sequel.
Will AOT have an anime original ending?
It is almost certain that Attack on Titan will not have an anime original ending that diverges from the manga storyline. The anime has followed the manga extremely closely throughout its run.
Key reasons why AOT will not change its ending:
- The anime adapted the manga faithfully so far.
- Only minor changes were made for pacing and clarity.
- The anime creators praised the manga’s ending.
- Changing the story radically would anger many fans.
- The ending resolves key plot threads satisfactorily.
Having Eren somehow survive or totally altering the story’s outcome at the last minute would go against AOT’s meticulous narrative buildup. While a small minority of fans disliked the ending, most agree it provides logical closure. With the anime promised to stick to the manga, expect Eren’s fate and the story’s resolution to remain unchanged in the anime version.
Unanswered Questions in Attack on Titan
While Attack on Titan delivers an epic conclusion to Eren’s quest for freedom, a few mysteries remain unexplained:
What was the origin of the Titans’ power?
Ymir Fritz gained her powers by coming into contact with the “source of all living matter” – but its origins are never revealed. Where did this mysterious energy come from? Is it extraterrestrial or supernatural in nature? Its existence is crucial to the whole AOT storyline but left unexplored.
How did the Ackerman clan gain their powers?
Mikasa, Levi, and other Ackermans possess special Titan-like abilities and immunity to the Founding Titan’s control. But their origins are also left a mystery. Their power seems similar to Titans’, but it is never explained if it came from the same source that created Ymir.
What was Ymir Fritz’s original motivation?
As the first Titan, Ymir’s choices set the entire story in motion. But her reasons for acted are unclear. Why did she choose to make her deal with the devil for power? Why did she agree to serve King Fritz? Her undefined motivations are a glaring omission.
How did the Titan powers disappear?
The Titans’ powers vanish from the world after Eren’s defeat, but the cause is not specified. Did killing the Founding Titan end it? Did Ymir Fritz choose to remove them? Their disappearance is pivotal yet unexplained.
What was Eren’s exact endgame?
Eren claims he did not fully understand why he had to destroy so much of the world. What exactly was he aiming to achieve? Ending the Titans, protecting his friends, and securing Paradis’ future are hinted at but his ultimate goal remains ambiguous.
While these questions are left hanging, they do not undermine Attack on Titan’s narrative arc. But their mysteries offer intriguing areas for potential future side stories to explore.
Key Statistics on Titans and the AOT World
| Stat | Amount |
|---|---|
| Height of Colossal Titan | 60 meters |
| Number of human deaths from Titans | Over 250,000 |
| Year the Warriors attacked Shiganshina | 845 |
| Year Eren Kruger passed on the Attack Titan | 830 |
| Number of Titan powers | 9 |
| Year Titans first appeared | 748 BCE |
| Height of Rod Reiss Titan | 120 meters |
| Diameter of the walls on Paradis | 480 km |
| Year Grisha Jaeger took the Founding Titan | 845 |
| Maximum number of Titan shifters at once | 9 |
The Fate of Key Characters After Eren’s Death
Eren’s story ends tragically, but what happens to the remaining beloved characters after his death? Here are the fates of several pivotal figures:
Mikasa – After killing Eren, she lives peacefully for 3 years before retreating to his grave. Her life and memories revolved around Eren until the end.
Armin – Helps establish peace between Paradis and the outside world. But Paradis is destroyed sometime after his death.
Levi – Survives and acts as a mentor to the remaining Survey Corps recruits, retiring into obscurity.
Reiner – Returns to his hometown a hero but struggles with guilt over his Warrior days. He eventually finds some measure of peace.
Annie – Marries Armin and has a family with him, finding happiness after so many years locked away in crystal.
Jean – Helps lead a new military and serves as ambassador to make peace with the outside world.
Connie – Returns to Ragako village and marries, keeping memories of Sasha with him.
Historia – Rules over Paradis as queen with her daughter, representing hope for Eldia’s future.
Though Eren is gone, many characters are able to move forward and find meaning in life after his death helps free Eldia from the Titans.
Conclusion
Eren Yeager is an incredibly complex and multifaceted character. He seeks freedom at any cost, but ultimately sacrifices himself to free his people and save his friends. While his Rumbling leaves the world in ruins, Eren’s death allows those he cared about most to survive and find some measure of peace and fulfillment.
There is likely no coming back for him – with the power of the Titans gone, Paths destroyed, and his body completely destroyed, the story gives no indication that Eren can or will ever return. His grave stands as a memorial to his ultimate sacrifice to shape a new future. While fans may wish for more of Eren’s story, his arc seems complete. He achieved his mission by paying the ultimate price. The boy who sought freedom even by destroying the world found a measure of tragic freedom in death, leaving the future he bought with blood in the hands of his surviving friends. Eren Yeager’s journey came to a fitting end – not the one he dreamed of, but the one he accepted as necessary to free Eldia and the world from the Titans forever.