Based on the bestselling manga series by Hajime Isayama, Attack On Titan's anime adaptation similarly became a breakout hit when it began airing in 2013. The pitch-black, apocalyptic fantasy series, which sees humanity fighting for survival against flesh-eating behemoths known as Titans, has released three seasons so far. The upcoming fourth season, airing later this year, will be the anime's last.
Other than a somewhat anticlimactic -- though still plenty ominous -- logo release and a very teaser-y teaser, scant information for anime viewers about the final season's storyline is available as of yet. Those keeping up with the manga, on the other hand, will have a clear idea of the fresh drama ahead that will herald the epic story's end -- in animated form, at least. (For those unconcerned about spoilers, some rough animatics of what's to come can be found on Twitter.)
Let's go over what we've learned so far about Attack on Titan's world on the anime, how it will feed into the next season and when it's slated to air.
ATTACK ON TITAN: SEASONS 1-3
Attack on Titan's first three seasons begin with the fall of Wall Maria and ends with the world-changing discovery of Marley, a nation that lies far beyond Eren Jaeger's walled home. In that space of time, Eren, along with Mikasa and Armin, grow from frightened children who were ripped from their home district by a surprise Titan attack to hardened soldiers of the Survey Corps -- the elite military squad trained to venture beyond the walls and eliminate the Titan threat.
Along the way, Eren made the shocking discovery that he possessed the ability to transform into the very beast he'd sworn revenge on. And he wasn't the only one: Annie Leonhart, another Survey Corps member, was also outed as the Female Titan. She duked it out with Eren in his Attack Titan Form, but following her defeat, encased herself in a crystal husk to keep her motivations secret.
After this, Eren set to work proving that, while he may harbor the body of humanity's greatest enemy, his heart was still human. He used his Titan form to prevent the downfall of another breached district and eventually aided in the reclamation of Shiganshina, his childhood home. His Herculean efforts weren't helped by the arrival of more special Titans hidden among the military's ranks, including the Colossal, Armored and Jaw Titans, the former two of which were working under the mysterious Beast Titan.
Season 3 also entrenched the series in political and social intrigue, with civil unrest, the revelation of a secret monarch ousted from the line of succession and the truth of humanity's collective memories being erased by the shadowy Founding Titan's power coming to light.
WHAT WILL SEASON 4 BE ABOUT?
At the end of Season 3, after learning that his father -- who secretly bestowed the Founding Titan's power to him -- was really an outsider, Eren and the surviving members of the Corps set their sights on the enemy responsible for the Titan attacks: the nation of Marley.
In the anime, our only glimpse at this other colony of humans came during an extended flashback showing Grisha Jeager's childhood there. We learn that his people -- who are also Eren's people -- are called Eldians, or Subjects of Ymir; Ymir is the progenitor of the entire race. Ymir was also the first Founding Titan, and her supernatural power was disseminated down her bloodline.
In Marley, Eldians are treated like second-class citizens because of their monstrous genetics. The murder of Grisha's little sister at the hands of the Marleyan police motivated Grisha to lead an underground rebellion later in life alongside his wife, who was of Eldian royal blood. They were sold out by their son, Zeke, who went on to become the Beast Titan. However, Grisha was able to escape Marleyan punishment by the then-holder of the Attack Titan power, who passed it onto him and encouraged him to leave Marley's borders and finish what the Eldian Restorationists started.
Seasons 1-3 have followed Isayama's manga very closely, so there's no reason to believe the fourth season won't do the same. Without going into spoiler territory for non-manga readers, Season 4 will shed further light on what life is like inside of Marley, as well as mark a seismic shift in Eren's character and motivation. Viewers can also expect to learn far more about his half-brother, Zeke, as well as the missing pieces from Grisha's new life on Paradis Island, and some more crucial details about the Titans' origin.
What is unknown at this point is whether the anime will mirror the soon-to-end manga series in its entirety. As Isayama's story is still unfolding in print, we may end up with a canon-divergent TV ending -- unless there's some George R.R Martin-style consultancy going on between the creator and the studio.
WHEN DOES IT AIR?
The fourth season of Attack on Titan will premiere in Fall 2020. It's unknown at the moment whether or not it will be split into two parts as previous seasons have been. If it is, this may help with the aforementioned canon-divergence issue depending on the gap between the two parts.
WIT Studio (The Ancient Magus Bride, Vinland Saga) have produced every season so far, so it's likely it'll see the series to its conclusion. Crunchyroll, Funimation and Hulu streamed the previous seasons as they aired in Japan.
The Attack on Titan manga is available in English from Kodansha. New chapters are available on monthly digital release from Crunchyroll. The Attack on Titan anime will return for a fourth season in fall 2020, though the show's exact release date has not yet been announced. It's also unknown at this time if Season 4 will be split into two halves.