Attack on Titan, arguably the shonen anime of the decade by means of its exceptionally strong start back in 2013 and its significantly stretched-out final season, finally has a release date for its final episode.
According to a post on the official Attack on Titan website, Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 4 (renamed as Attack on Titan: The Final Chapters Part 2 on Crunchyroll) will premiere in Japan on November 4. While a U.S. release date has yet to be announced, it is probably safe to assume that its premiere will land on streaming services like Hulu and Crunchyroll somewhere shortly after that date, as it has in previous “final” season releases.
You can check out the trailer, which shows the remains of the Survey Corps racing to stop series protagonist-turned-antagonist Eren Jaeger from committing mass genocide:
Along with announcing the premiere of the show’s final season, the official AoT website also announced its first “fan participation wrap party” the Attack on Titan Worldwide After Party. The virtual event, which can be accessed via smartphones and PCs, will be held from November 5 to 8.
An explainer of Attack on Titan’s convoluted final season
Although Attack on Titan reached new peaks among fans with its more mature and morally gray shift to becoming a political drama about freedom by means of genocide (fascist subtext included), many fans have felt their excitement wane due to the series’ drawn-out final season. It’s hard to blame them, considering that the show has been “ending” for the better part of three years now. Allow me to metaphorically pull out a corkboard and some string to explain the logistics of Attack on Titan’s final season.
Attack on Titan’s fourth season, which was refashioned as Attack on Titan The Final Season in the U.S., aired 16 episodes in 2020 before splitting itself up into a second cour (or part) with Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 2, which aired 12 additional episodes in 2022. To prolong matters even further, studio Mappa announced it would be splitting up its anime adaptation of creator Hajime Isayama’s manga into two-hour-long special episodes called Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 3 (otherwise known as Attack on Titan The Final Chapters) which released its penultimate part (stay with me now) on March 3 this year on Crunchyroll and Hulu. The upcoming final season of the show is ostensibly known as Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 3, the Second Half in Japan or simply Attack on Titan The Final Chapters Part 2 in the U.S.
Got all that? No? Well, I can’t blame you as the naming conventions and staggered releases of Attack on Titan’s final season are completely fucked. The most important takeaway here is that the actual, true, final episode is coming very soon. They’re finally wrapping this up.
Read More: Anime Fans Still Love Attack On Titan Creator Despite The Series’ Ending
Stream Attack on Titan now: Hulu | Funimation
Time will tell if the belabored wait for Attack on Titan The Final Chapters Part 2 will dampen AoT anime-only watchers’ affinity for the series like its contentious manga ending soured the series’ legacy with readers back in 2020. In the meantime, fans can catch the English dub of Attack on Titan The Final Chapters Part 1 on Crunchyroll and Funimation.