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.