Board Thread:Manga/@comment-5774380-20160609000528/@comment-28807545-20160624142109

Well there is no precedent for how the manga treats actual main character deaths because none have happened.

But it is very common in manga in general to make people at least think there is a good possibility of them being dead, to keep them reading to find out. And given that everyone tends to survive, (if he is alive) there's an added reason to make him really look dead.

The little ending comment as well as Eren's words both do wonders to make the reader at least consider the possibility that he is dead, while not creating any contradictions if he were to actually not be dead.

One thing I'm pretty sure of is that the serum will be used on someone, and it won't be Levi using it on himself or Erwin. Levi wouldn't do something so irresponsible as inject himself into a mindless type, and Erwin wouldn't want it used on himself. There's also the issue of age which makes me think it will be used on a younger character (Sasha is another good possibility).

As for the titan drawings, Isayama already said it was a joke, and you can argue that it has been inserted into the SnK canon as part of Pixis's dream, due to the OVA. I believe most of the current squad of 104th's has pictures of their titan form. If you were to follow that line though, you would see that Sasha doesn't have a picture drawn of her titan form, so that would at least give some reason to think she could become titanized.

I do think it will be used on at least one person, and that person is likely to be Armin or Sasha. I also think there is a possibility of Hange figuring out a way to save Armin without the use of the serum. I really, really, really don't think Sasha will die whatever happens, whether or not she heals on her own or with the help of someone else.

Another possibility that has occured to me is that somehow Armin will heal but never will be able to see again. Making him blind would make sense for the story.