Attack on Titan final season final key visual proves there won't be an anime original ending

While fans were hoping for MAPPA Stage 2023 to reveal the release date for Attack on Titan: The Final Season THE FINAL CHAPTERS Special 2, the studio only revealed a new key visual, which gave fans a huge hint about the upcoming final installment of the anime.

After the last year's MAPPA Stage 2023, several fans were left confused about whether the anime would have an anime-original ending or adhere to the ending in the manga. Since then, fans have tried to debunk the same. However, there are several hints in the new key visual that the anime is set to follow the original manga storyline.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Attack on Titan manga.

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How does the new Attack on Titan key visual hint at no anime-original ending?

While the new Attack on Titan key visual may seem empty to anime-only fans, manga readers have spotted several elements in the illustration that hint that the anime will adapt the ending from the manga.

First and foremost, the text on the key visual can be read as "Take Care Eren," "See You Later, Eren," or "Goodbye Eren," meaning that the protagonist of the series is set to pass away. Mikasa says these words in one of the paths to Eren after she beheaded him in real life.

The cabin in the visual is the one in which Eren and Mikasa lived together in one of the Paths. As per one of the possible paths, Eren and Mikasa could run away together to stop the killing. However, Eren would only have four years more to live.

As for the bird in the key visual, several fans suspect that it's Falco's Jaw Titan, which will be featured in the upcoming final installment. However, it can also be the bird that could be seen flying over the cabin during Eren and Mikasa's cabin scene.

That said, the bird could also be the one that wraps Mikasa's scarf around her neck in the final scenes of the manga. Nevertheless, it is tough to confirm for now.

If one moves down the key visual, two very prominent shadows are on the ground. Manga readers suspect that one of them is Armin's Colossal Titan while the other is Eren's Founding Titan. During the final scenes of the manga, the two titans go head-to-head against each other while Mikasa heads towards Eren's head to behead him and say her goodbyes.

The sheer tragedy and destruction during the scene are depicted by the red color, indicating blood, which seems to be creeping into the key visual from below. While the cabin scene itself was very calm and sad, a huge battle was taking place in the real world.

This is how Attack on Titan's new key visual has managed to hint that the anime will be adapting the story from the original manga. That being said, the people behind the Attack on Titan anime seem very creative and could be trying to put manga readers off their guard by hinting at the manga ending. At the same time, the final installment itself could feature an anime original ending.