Board Thread:Manga/@comment-31940900-20160725184739/@comment-1037137-20160922210137

MasteroftheWastes wrote: Fire Eater wrote: I'm just bummed we will never get the scene where Bertolt confesses to why he did all this against his truer feelings. He never abandoned the mission, but felt shame for all the death and destruction he played a part in. He's directly responsible for the disasters in Shiganshina and Trost, and that required him betraying the people he came to care about because he honestly felt he had no choice. If he had abandoned the Homeland he and his Colossal Titan form could've ended the war overnight almost. But no, he stayed with the mission that called for him to betray his friends. Now we'll never get the moment where explains any of this to the trio. And he was clearly the more feared Titan between himself and Reiner, you'd think Bertolt wouldn't be outright killed quite this soon. Even if he is not afflicted with the same split personality crisis Reiner is having. Exactly. All I wanted was an explanation as to why so many had to die?

I no longer have a clue what Isayama's plans are, but I think he missed a big moment there. That would've been a great way to find out what the meaning of this senseless war is and why thousands of innocent people had to die for no reason. Bertolt's actions led to a holocaust that saw most of Wall Maria's citizens killed and who knows how many between it and Wall Rose. The dude has generally been shown to be detached, uninterested in fighting when not called back to the cause of the Homeland, and was remorseful about Carla's death and his part in it. Would've been great to find out why such a weakwilled, otherwise unassuming guy still felt obligated to commit the acts of mass murder he did. Never would've come close to justifying it, but it would've explained Bertolt's nature in full.

Instead, he wipes out the Survey Corps and ends up in Armin's gullet. Kind of sucks that now we'll have to rely on Reiner and whoever these other Homelanders are to explain Bertolt's motivations for him, and even then what are you going to get out of Reiner before it's his turn to die?

Bertolt deserved what he got, but he was a tragic villain, and offing him without any further insight on his part kind of makes the weight of his story feel cheap. Nice guy forced to do things he wish he didn't have to do, does it without a single question, is finally brought to his knees, and no answers offered before he's finished off.

Just imagine how poignant it might've been to hear Bertolt finally talk before dying.