Attack on Titan‘s ending song “Akuma no Ko” (aka “Child of Evil”) is a work of art. While viewers are debating on exactly what the song’s meaning is, you can get more of a hint by watching the full-length video, which is already released. The artist even created a special full-length version designed just for the anime.
This article is manga-spoiler-free, written for anime-onlies. For more anime-only discussions, join us on Discord or in our AoT Facebook page.
The Full-Length Version is Nearly 4 Minutes Long
“Akuma no Ko” is a hauntingly beautiful song, and it only becomes even more beautiful when you hear the full-length version. You can listen to the song and read the English lyrics that go along with it below. Just make sure you’ve clicked on “CC” at the bottom of the video to see the lyrics.
Here’s the 1 minute 30 second version that we see at the end of each episode:
Be sure and read the lyrics to the longer version, which go more in-depth into war and the contradictions that can lie within a person. We also wrote out the lyrics for the 1:30 version in our story here.
Many fans believe this might be Eren’s love song to Mikasa. The imagery at least seems to point to this, as we see the scarf that he gave to Mikasa turn into a bird that is trapped inside a beautiful but still limiting cage. At one point in the song, the lyrics read: “This world is cruel but I still love you. Even if I sacrifice everything, I will protect you.” Mikasa is especially known for saying how cruel the world is (although other characters do, also.) Perhaps Eren is acknowledging this, while also promising to always still protect her, even if he must sacrifice everything.
That’s my theory, at least. I don’t know, however, if it’s right.
Ai Higuchi Released a Full-Length Animated Music Video
Ai Higuchi, who sings the ending song, released her full-length version of the song along with an animated music video to go along with it, Leo Sigh reported. The video is directed by Motohiro Ishii.
This video tells the story of the anime up to the point where Season 4 Part 2 begins. I watched it and didn’t notice any spoilers beyond what we’ve already seen. It’s a beautiful video that will definitely tug at your heart and perhaps even bring tears to your eyes.
Ai Higuchi is going to re-release the song as part of Higuchi’s album, Saiaku Saiai, on March 2, Leo Sigh reported.
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