Attack on Titan spoilers follow.
Attack on Titan is the kind of show that pummels you time and time again with game-changing twists, and it seems that the team behind this story is now taking a similar approach to the release schedule as well.
Back when season four was first dubbed the "Final Season", fans assumed that part two would bring the story to an end. But as we drew ever closer to episode 87 it became clear that the show needed more time to wrap everything up.
So grab some ODM gear and join us here at Digital Spy as we slice our way through everything you need to know about Attack on Titan's Final Season: The Final Chapters.
Attack on Titan The Final Chapters Special 2 release date: When will it air?
Attack on Titan has officially confirmed that its final ever episode, 'The Final Chapters Special 2', will air on Japanese TV stations (and presumably Crunchyroll shortly after) on November 4.
The release date came with a brand new trailer that also shared a look at a major battle and some very intense moments.
The finale is not the only thing fans have to look forward to. It seems the show will be setting sail with all of the fanfare the popular decade-long anime franchise deserves.
To mark its end, the franchise has honoured Eren Jaeger, Gabi Braun and co. with an online, worldwide afterparty which will be held from November 5th to November 8th.
The announcement came in October, complete with new visual art showing most of the Attack on Titan characters in full celebratory mode as they enjoyed each other's company on a boat sloshing and gulping beers and downing food.
The first of the two specials that make up Attack on Titan's final season, 'The Final Chapters', aired on March 4.
The English dub of 'Special 1' was made available on Crunchyroll on September 11 along with versions in Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, German, and Russian.
Attack on Titan The Final Chapters Special 2 cast: Who's in it?
Here are the main Japanese and English voice actors for all of Attack on Titan's principal players:
• Eren Jaeger – Yûki Kaji (Japanese)/Bryce Papenbrook (English)
• Gabi Braun – Ayane Sakura (Japanese)/Lindsay Seidel (English)
• Falco Grice – Natsuki Hanae (Japanese)/Bryson Baugus (English)
• Armin Arlelt – Marina Inoue (Japanese)/Josh Grelle (English)
• Mikasa Ackermann – Yui Ishikawa (Japanese)/Trina Nishimura (English)
• Reiner Braun – Yoshimasa Hosoya (Japanese)/Robert McCollum (English)
• Jean Kirshtein – Kishô Taniyama (Japanese)/Mike McFarland (English)
• Connie Springer – Hiro Shimono (Japanese)/Clifford Chapin (English)
• Hange Zoë – Romi Park (Japanese)/Jessica Calvello (English)
• Zeke Jaeger – Takehito Koyasu (Japanese)/Jason Liebrecht (English)
• Floch Forster – Kenshô Ono (Japanese)/Matt Shipman (English)
• Theo Magath – Jirô Saitô (Japanese)/Neil Kaplan (English)
• Nile Dawk – Anri Katsu (Japanese)/Ian Sinclair (English)
• Keith Shadis – Tsugo Mogami (Japanese)/Patrick Seitz (English)
• Pieck Finger – Manami Numakura (Japanese)/Amber Lee Connors (English)
• Porco Galliard – Toshiki Masuda (Japanese)/Kellen Goff (English)
New characters may also appear, although they will probably be few and far between given that there's a colossal amount of story to wrap up here.
Attack on Titan The Final Chapters Special 2 plot: What will happen?
It's safe to say that the last chapter of Attack on Titan's manga divided fans upon its release back in April 2021. Because of that, some have wondered if the anime might go in a different direction for this final run.
Whatever ends up happening, English voice actor Bryce Papenbrook, who plays Eren, is doing everything he can to avoid spoilers. During a panel chat at IGN Fan Fest, Papenbrook explained why:
"I don't know where he's going with this. I haven't been spoiled, I haven't read the manga... I love to immerse the shows I'm working on, live in that moment in real-time, then let whatever comes out of my body to come out into the show."
"I would describe Eren between seasons one and three as 'angry'," Papenbrook adds. "Like, there's this anger that comes through every word he says. And in this latest season, that anger is still there, but it's under this layer of coldness, which makes him absolutely terrifying."
Eren might be terrifying, but Papenbrook is yet to make up his mind about whether the character is a monster or not (via Polygon). That's partly down to Attack on Titan's ability to blend black-and-white motivations into grey areas, which makes for an unpredictable viewing experience.
"Every single episode just drives the story forward in a really meaningful way where it pulls you in one direction and then immediately flips the world the other way as you learn something else entirely. So I'm not sure how I feel about Eren as a viewer and a fan of the show," Papenbook said.
The actor might have played Eren, and claims to be in touch with his feelings, but that doesn't mean he has insight into why the character acts in such extreme ways.
"I know there are moments where he's said some really terrible things to his adopted family, to Armin and Mikasa. He's doing these things that a lot of people would view as horrific; killing people and attacking people and just being vicious and violent, and I don't fully understand why."
Part of the challenge is that Papenbrook doesn't know if Eren himself understands that what he's doing is wrong. "Is he a monster? Is he righteous in what he's doing, and just so persistent, that he'll never give up on what he's deciding on, that he'll just keep moving forward no matter what. I don't know, I don't know if that makes him a monster or not."
During the IGN panel, Mikasa's English voice actor, Trina Nishimura, shared her hopes for how the story will end:
"In my heart of hearts I really want Eren, Mikasa and Armin to get matching town homes somewhere and just be friends and just hang out. I know that's not gonna happen, but I hope for them that it'll be a happy ending. It won't probably."
Whatever happens, keep an eye out for additions to the source material in the second half of the final season – director Yuichiro Hayashi is keen for fans to spot his (subtle) changes (via JapanForward).
"We normally draw storyboards before I order background paintings. And when I drew them, I wondered what the members of the Panzer Unit had in their cockpit.
"When it comes to war movies, these show people decorating their equipment or their space with pictures they like, or letters from their family and partner. Because the members of the Panzer Unit like Pieck, I thought they would stick pictures of Pieck, as if they were decorating their own rooms.
"Without watching carefully, people fail to note things like this, but I want to be particular about this kind of detail."
Attack on Titan The Final Chapters Special 2 trailer: When can I see it?
A short teaser trailer for 'Special 2' was also released in July 2023 – giving fans a taste of the series' epic conclusion, watch it above!
Attack on Titan is available to watch on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
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