The Ending Of Violet Evergarden Explained

Anime, or television shows and movies originating in Japan with a distinct art style, are currently on the rise, with plenty of great anime to watch anywhere you look. Whether you want a sweet romance, a violent martial arts action story, or a comedic school drama, there's something for everyone.

One recent anime series called "Violet Evergarden," based on the light novel series written by Kana Akatsuki and illustrated by Akiko Takase, has a huge fanbase, continuing to grow ever since the adaptation came out in 2018. "Violet Evergreen" has one season so far that features 13 episodes — with an extra released later on — and is animated and adapted by Kyoto Animation, the studio behind "Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S."

The story follows a young woman named Violet (Yui Ishikawa) who was a child soldier as a kid, trained to kill or be killed with ruthless efficiency. While she is an accomplished soldier, it's the only world she knows, leading Violet to have under-developed emotions and no understanding of love and affection. After Gilbert (Daisuke Namikawa), the man who named and raised her, professes his love for Violet moments before they're separated in the midst of fighting, Violet is left to find her own identity on her own.

Does Violet finally become her own person, with emotions, morals, and a reason to live? Here's the ending of "Violet Evergreen" — explained.

In the aftermath of the war, Violet takes a job as an "Auto Memory Doll." A "Doll," as they are often referred to, is sent out to various clients to transcribe their messages into letters that successfully portray both the words they want to say and the emotions behind them.

With little to no understanding of what love, sadness, happiness, and similar emotions feel like, Violet is initially quite bad at her job. Thankfully she sticks with it, and through various tasks, Violet starts to understand her own feelings, mainly in regards to Gilbert. At the end of the season, Violet realizes that she loves Gilbert as he loves her, but is it too late? Gilbert is believed to be dead after disappearing during the war. He even has a grave at his family's home, though no body is buried there.

Although Violet spends most of the season off the battlefield, it's thanks to her skills and sacrifice in the final episode that allows the peace talks and treaty to finally happen. Along with that, Violet successfully fights off the enemy without killing anyone, showing how much she's changed. At the end of Season 1 of "Violet Evergarden," Violet finally writes a letter in her own words, addressed to Gilbert, wherever he is. In this letter, she says that she will always believe that Gilbert survived, and admits that she loves him back.

By the end of the finale, Violet has come to terms with her strong emotions about the war and Gilbert, intending to focus on her work writing letters and move on. The season ends with Violet arriving at a new client's house by the sea. When the door opens and Violet turns to introduce herself, she looks surprised, before smiling at the person. The show doesn't reveal who it is, but fans have a solid theory.

Could it be Gilbert? It's entirely possible that Gilbert survives the war but decides that it's best to hide away on his own for a variety of reasons. One major reason could be guilt and PTSD, along with the need to recover from various physical injuries. As a leader in the war and the one who raised Violet, Gilbert likely feels a lot of guilt for his involvement in all the violence his soldiers created — Violet in particular.

In flashbacks, "Violet Evergarden" shows Gilbert's last remarks to Violet, when he tells her he loves her and instructs her to "live." Gilbert desperately wants Violet to grow into her own person, rather than living the rest of her days thinking of herself as a "tool" of violence. If he is really alive, it's reasonable that he might decide to give her space, both to find her own identity away from his influence and connection to the war, and to allow her to come to her own conclusions about her feelings for him.

Of course, the season ends without revealing who Violet meets at the door, leaving fans wondering and desperate for answers.

Season 1 of "Violet Evergarden" aired in 2018, and two full-length movies came out in 2019 and 2020. While the movies elaborate on Violet and her universe, they don't answer the many questions left from the Season 1 finale. So what's next for Violet and the rest of the characters?

Despite the fact that it's already been over two years since Season 1 of "Violet Evergarden" ended, fans are still eager for a second season, but it's unclear if anything is planned. Some anime can take a very long time to release new episodes. Add to that the difficulties caused by the pandemic, and a long delay like this is reasonable. Sadly, Kyoto Animation also suffered a deadly arson attack in 2019, and while the studio has recovered, the loss of lives and the trauma from such an event will have lasting effects on the employees and their work (BBC).

As of right now, there have been no official updates on the show and whether or not it will continue. The site Devdiscourse claims to have sources that say a Season 2 of "Violet Evergarden” is in development with a possible release date of late 2021, early 2022, but it has not released its sources and has no further evidence to back it up. Still, fans should keep their fingers crossed, as it's anyone's guess what will happen with "Violet Evergarden" in the future.