Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 ending explained: how episode 87 sets up the anime's endgame

gamesradar.com:

The ending to Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 was heartbreaking. Having come so far with Eren, viewers were treated to episode 87’s "The Dawn of Humanity", a chapter that more or less confirmed that the one-time protagonist has passed the point of no return.

Not only that, but the finale to the second part of season four has quietly laid down the foundation for Attack on Titan’s endgame in 2023. The Rumbling has started, unions have formed (and broken), and there are still several characters who could factor into proceedings as the Titans lurch towards Marley’s mainland.

In preparation for the decade-in-the-making climax, we’ve dug deep into Attack on Titan episode 87’s ending: what happened and why *those* flashback scenes are so important to understand where Attack on Titan is heading next. First, though, a quick recap of Part 2’s concluding chapter.

Attack on Titan episode 87 begins with a flashback. The Survey Corps headed from Paradis to "across the ocean" and towards Marley. This all took place off-screen between the third and fourth seasons, and it was finally shown in detail during Final Season Part 2’s finale. 

In a voiceover, Mikasa questions whether Eren was "this way from the start." The group, meanwhile, take in their new surroundings – the food, the technology, the people – until they are interrupted by a pickpocketing child, who swipes Sasha’s purse.

Levi grabs the child, and the Marleyan citizens converge on the pickpocket. The Survey Corps, though, save the child from a possible watery grave. They escape, though the pickpocket again runs off with the money as Eren looks on in terrified silence.

The group heads to Azumabito’s residence. The Hizuruan apologizes for the pickpocket, explaining that the