The origin of the “Eren is a bird” memes.
Attack on Titan finale spoilers ahead!
Summary:
- At the end of Attack on Titan there’s a scene of a bird wrapping the scarf around Mikasa.
- Fans found the symbolism of the scene too “in your face”.
- They think it should have been executed in a different way.
If you thought we were done talking about the Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) finale, think again. This time the famous scene with a bird wrapping the scarf around Mikasa is on the menu.
Eren is dead and buried, and Mikasa is visiting his grave. She’s thinking about him and crying when a bird suddenly flies towards her and wraps the scarf around her. Mikasa stands up and thanks Eren for wrapping the scarf.
The scene is too blunt
The symbolism of the scene is so transparent that it’s impossible to miss. This is exactly what some fans disliked. It’s not that they’re not fans of metaphors and creative storytelling, it’s just that the entire scene was so “in your face” that it was actually irritating. It’s just too blunt, and fans wanted more depth and intricacy.
On top of that, the scene caused another controversy (as if there weren’t enough of them already) because some people thought that Eren actually controlled the bird after his death, and that he could see everything that happened to Paradis after the Rumbling as well as watch Mikasa live her life.
Which would make little sense, because Eren wanted to save Paradis and he was capable of accessing his future memories. So that would mean that he knew the island would be destroyed and still started the Rumbling.
It should have been handled differently
That’s why fans think that the symbolism should have been conveyed in a different way. For example, the bird could just watch Mikasa and do nothing that would seem out of the ordinary.
Or Mikasa could never have thanked the bird for wrapping the scarf around her and called it Eren. It would eliminate the confusion that the scene brought to the fandom.
Sometimes vague hints are much better than blunt conclusions, and this is precisely the case. Implying that the bird was actually Eren takes away all the suspense and mystery out of the scene, and this is upsetting.
But there are still good things about this scene. May we remind you of how many memes it generated? We have to admit that we can’t help but giggle a little bit every time we see a TikTok of a flock of birds trying to ruin Mikasa and Jean’s wedding. Thank you, meme community, very nice.