AOT no Requiem (or Attack on Titan: Requiem) is a fan project which explores an alternate ending to Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan by rewriting the controversial final three chapters of the series.
It is based on the Akatsuki no Requiem fan theory — a popular, albeit somewhat controversial, theory created prior to the end of the series — which imagines an ending where Eren defeats the Alliance and annihilates all humanity outside of Paradis. The original theory itself is based on an interpretation of Linked Horizon's Akatsuki no Requiem
, one of the ending songs for Season 3 of the anime. Hence the name.
Although Attack on Titan ended up concluding quite differently to what was theorized, the theory continued to be popular among certain segments of the fandom, thus leading to the creation of AOTNR.
Rather than featuring multiple chapters, AOTNR is one long chapter updated in parts. There are currently three parts posted on the official website. You can read them here.
Consider supporting the creators on their Twitter linked here.
Spoilers for both the original Attack on Titan and Requiem ahead.
AOT no Requiem includes the following tropes:
- Accomplice by Inaction: In Attack On Titan, Historia's motivations for keeping quiet about the Rumbling are left somewhat ambiguous. In Requiem, she agrees with Eren that the Rumbling is their only option and outright says that she will not tell anyone about Eren's plan so long as he returns to Paradis alive. She being pregnant with Eren's child also likely factored.
- Action Girl: Mikasa, Annie, Gabi and Pieck all count, taking part in the final battle starting in Part Three.
- Mikasa teams up with Connie and Annie to take down Bertholdt and, along with Connie, delivers the killing blow to the Okapi Titan.
- Annie fighting — and beating — two Titans at once in her Titan form.
- Adaptational Alternate Ending: The webcomic explores an alternate ending to Attack on Titan where Eren defeats the Alliance and annihilates all humanity outside of Paradis. In this fan-made version, the father of Historia's child isn't an unnamed farmer, but Eren himself.
- Adaptation Expansion:
- In Part One, it is explained that the entity that is the source of the Titans power is an ancient sea creature (a Hallucigenia) that was somehow able to persist and refuse to die over the millennium, eventually evolving into what it is today.
- In Part Two, we get to see how Eren convinces Floch to support his plan despite Floch’s earlier misgivings over Eren's willingness to sacrifice Armin in the Return to Shiganshina arc.
- Adaptation Personality Change: Most apparent with Eren and Armin when comparing them to their canon counterparts in Chapter 139.
- Adaptational Villainy: Zigzagged here. In the original, while Eren had planned to kill humanity with the Rumbling, he was taking the world’s hatred of Paradis and Eldians onto himself by mowing down 80% of them. By doing so, he’s enabling his race to be in a better position to achieve lasting peace by being the heroes who saved the world from him. Here, Eren, knowing that there’s no other option left, is hellbent on eradicating all of humanity beyond Paradis, but at the same time, he really doesn’t want to fight his friends.
- Affably Evil: Zeke praises Armin for picking up on the discrepancies in Ymir's behavior.
- All Just a Dream: Inverted. Young Eren believes he is only dreaming, but is actually experiencing Paths.
- According to current Eren, young Eren will forget his memories of Paths upon waking but not what he felt, tying events back to the first chapter.
- Alternate Self: Both the current Eren and the child Eren are present in Paths during Part One and Two.
- Ambiguously Bi: Historia, as of Part Two. As is the case with the original manga, there has been no official confirmation from the team as to the nature of
Freckles Ymir and Historia's relationship so far. - Anachronic Order: The flashbacks in Part Two are portrayed out of chronological order, likely to preserve the twist about Historia's pregnancy.
- Anguished Declaration of Love: A subtle one in Part Two from Historia to Eren. After Eren tells her that it doesn't matter if he dies, Historia slaps him and pleads for him to think of the people who love him.
- Art Evolution: There is a notable improvement in art quality between each part.
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Averted. Mikasa and Connie are shown to have facial burns caused by Bertholdt's steam attack.
- Big Bad Friend: Eren serves as this for the Alliance.
- Being Evil Sucks: In Part Three, Eren is visibly distressed when Armin refuses to back down as he clearly hates doing the Rumbling. But he sees no other choice.
- Broken Pedestal: Eren for Armin.
Armin: [gesturing to child Eren] If this is your way of showing me you've always been like this... then you're nothing but a slave to your own selfishness!
- Chekhov's Gun: The unused Hange and Floch memory shards become vitally important in Part Two.
- Child of Forbidden Love: Historia felt her life was being controlled and dictated by the government, who'd force her to be condemned only 13 more years of life and for her children to have to eat her to pass on the power; down to not being allowed to pick who she'd have a family with. Combined with their Anguished Declaration of Love and understanding, she and Eren secretly had a child together.
- Cliffhanger: Both the endings of Part One and Part Two.
- With the latest release, Part Three also qualifies.
- Darker and Edgier: Compared to the original manga ending, AOTNR seems to be headed this way, depending on how closely the team sticks to the ANR theory.
- Fastball Special: During Part Three, Mikasa and Connie are essentially trapped in a stalemate with the Titans, before Annie hurls the two towards Bertholdt and the Okapi Titan.
- Also functioning as a nice Callback to the Female Titan arc, when Eren threw Mikasa towards Annie.
- For Want Of A Nail: The key divergence from cannon in this timeline seems to be Eren and Historia entering a romantic relationship as it prompted Eren to look into ALL possible futures to protect both her and their child.
- Hero Antagonist: The Alliance.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Floch, with regards to Eren previously being unable to let Armin go during the Return to Shiganshina arc.
- Last Chance to Quit: Eren offers this to Armin, because he does not want to fight his best friend. Armin refuses.
- Love Makes You Evil: One of Eren's motivations in AOTNR is to protect Historia and their unborn child together.
- Maternity Crisis: Historia goes into labor just as The Rumbling begins. Unlike in the original manga, it's implied here the two events aren't coincidence. She knew of Eren's plans because he had confided in her and the two began a secret love affair. Him being the father of the child and the Attack and Founding Titan's powers being tied to family are likely relevant.
- Meaningful Echo: Eren throws Armin's speech from the Female Titan arc back in his face.
Eren: If you cannot give up your humanity to do what is necessary, then nothing you say will ever change anything! And all the lives that died for you would have died for nothing!
- Multiple-Choice Future: Part 1 reveals that Eren has combined the powers of both the Attack and Founding Titans and is able to see the results of all possible futures depending on what plan he takes to save Paradis. In each and every plan path but the path of the Rumbling, Paradis is granted a temporary peace followed by complete annihilation by the rest of the world. Which is exactly what happens in the extra pages. It is following this revelation that he abandons any path towards peace with the rest of the world, and resolves to destroy all life outside the island.
- Noble Demon: Eren is willing to explain his ideology to Armin in a last ditch effort to get him to switch sides. He is also willing to give the Alliance the choice to fight back and try to stop him.
- Papa Wolf: See Love Makes You Evil above. A motivation for Eren to go through with the Rumbling is it is the only way he can see that protects the lives of his lover and unborn child in the long-term.
- Please, Don't Leave Me: One of the reasons Historia is initially against Eren’s plan is because she doesn’t want him to disappear from her life and then die like Frieda and Ymir did.
- Promoted to Love Interest: Historia, for Eren.
- Reaction Shot: A panel in Part Two shows Zeke reacting with shock to the news that Eren is the father of Historia’s child.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: In Part Two, Armin tells Eren that he is going too far, that he is a slave to his own selfishness, and that he is responsible for their friends' deaths.
- Relationship Reveal: Eren's memories in Part Two reveal he is the father of Historia's child.
- Rousing Speech: Historia gives one to Hange and Eren, arguing that they have faced impossible odds and unknown enemies before and that this was not the time to feel sorry for themselves.
- Secret Legacy: Historia's child being sired by a childhood bully turned friend is a cover story. Eren is the father.
- Seers: Eren, via the Attack Titan’s unique power. In AOTNR, he goes a step beyond being able to see his future memories and is able to glimpse into Alternate Timelines.
- Title: Requiem: As described by the main page, a requiem is a song to honor the dead or to be played at a funeral, which is fitting considering AOTNR's story.
- Tough Leader Façade: Historia is stoic in public during the flashbacks, but one panel shows her breaking down in tears behind closed doors due to her expected role in the Fifty Years Plan.
- Uncertain Doom: At the end of Part Three, it is unclear whether the falling Alliance member — inferred to be Jean — is dead or knocked unconscious.
- Unholy Matrimony: Of an antagonistic over evil example, possibly. According to an interview with the creators, it is open to the audience's interpretation whether Eren and Historia married in the forest during the flashbacks in Part Two.
- Underdogs Never Lose: Set to be averted, depending on how closely AOTNR adheres to the original theory.
- Villain Protagonist: Eren.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Eren and Zeke, carrying over from canon.
- Wham Line:
- How Eren and Armin end Part One and Two respectively:
Eren: So, Armin... I will keep moving forward until all my enemies are destroyed.
Armin I'm going to stop you, Eren. Even if I have to kill you.- In Part Three, the reveal that Zeke has not been swayed by Armin's idealism:
Zeke: ... And so you ride to your deaths like proud soldiers. - Wham Shot:
- The panel of Armin standing in Erwin's shadow.
- The panel of a pregnant Historia, revealing to Armin and the audience that she is pregnant with Eren's child.
- The last panel of Part Three: one of the Alliance falling from the Founding Titan.
- You Monster!: Armin tells Eren that by going through with the Rumbling, he isn't protecting his child — only condemning it to be the child of a monster. Eren's response?
