Did Attack on Titan really foreshadow its ending in the very first episode?

The answer

Hajime Isayama, creator of Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin), planted deliberate foreshadowing in the manga's first chapter, published in September 2009, and the anime's first episode, aired April 7, 2013. The opening scene shows Eren waking from a dream with tears, seeing a vision of Mikasa saying 'See you later, Eren' - dialogue that only makes complete sense after the manga's final chapter, published April 9, 2021, over 11 years later. Isayama confirmed in interviews that he had the ending planned from the start. The anime adaptation's final episode aired November 4, 2023, completing a 10-year run. The series sold over 110 million manga copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling manga series of all time.