When Wolf's Rain aired on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block in 2004, it was a hit among anime fans. The series follows four wolves in human form and a Lunar Flower Maiden as they travel to the ends of the Earth to find Paradise before the world ends. Many who grew up watching it remember it fondly and talk of how it changed them as people, and for good reason. The series had strong themes of hope, friendship, and desire; many consider this anime a work of art. As good as this series was, however, many fans were perplexed by how it ended.
The ending to Wolf's Rain seems to be left largely up to interpretation. None of the main characters' ultimate fates are made clear and the final scene doesn't seem to line up with anything that came before it. Even fans who have watched the anime multiple times aren't sure what to make of its ending. While the ending may be confusing at first, there is meaning to be found in it, but it requires a good understanding of everything that leads up to it.
To start, here's what happens in the 30th and final episode of the anime, "WOLF'S RAIN." In the search for Paradise, most of the characters were tragically killed off, leaving only a handful of the main cast left. At a lake that represents the entryway to Paradise, only Kiba, the head of the pack, and Cheza, the Flower Maiden, were left to stop Darcia, a human who had taken wolf form, from entering Paradise. However, Paradise rejected the impostor wolf and reduced him to only his left eye, the only part of him that was truly a wolf. Sadly, Cheza also met her fate, and Kiba, dying from his injuries, sank into the lake. As this happened, the world was changed into one teeming with Lunar Flowers, though Darcia's eye tainted one of them.
The last scene of the series took place in a rainy modern city, not unlike the one featured in the anime opening. It also had human Kiba walking past human versions of the rest of his pack. Unlike the opening, however, Cheza didn't show up; instead, a single Lunar Flower was seen blooming in an alleyway. With this, Kiba broke into a sprint and the anime ended. It's not necessarily straightforward or happy, but it's an ending nonetheless.
The finale of Wolf's Rain is somewhat vague, but here's how it's been interpreted. First of all, everyone did in fact die, including Kiba. He might have gotten a glimpse of Paradise before the end, but he did, in fact, succumb and pass on. This is sad, but it's okay because they're all reincarnated.
Speaking of reincarnation, the world is also reborn. The beautiful landscape may be the Paradise the wolves were looking for. It's a purified world free of sin. It may not have Kiba in his friends in it as he had hoped, but it's at least a fresh start.
Unfortunately, the new world doesn't stay pure for long. Darcia's eye tainting the flower represents the reintroduction of evil to the world. Thus, when the wolves are reborn into the world, it's once again a dark and dreary place, as is represented by the rainy city. It's almost as if nothing has changed and history is doomed to repeat itself.
However, there is one definite difference between this new world and the old one. In the old world, the Lunar Flower was virtually extinct, which is why Cheza, an artificial Lunar Flower, needed to be made in the first place. The new world, however, still has Lunar Flowers growing in it naturally, so Kiba and his friends can find it and get to Paradise for real.
As for why Kiba was running, that's still a little vague. It's possible that while he was reborn in the new world, his reincarnation retained his memories from the old world. If that's the case, then it's possible that seeing his old pack again gives him hope that things can change. Thus, he is sprinting to a new future, one where he and his friends can finally make it into Paradise.
These are the most widely accepted interpretations of the ending. They make plenty of sense and tie into the show's themes of hope and friendship nicely. This still leaves the ending ambiguous, but at least it gives fans the chance to believe that everything will eventually turn out well for their favorite pack of wolves.
