The final (really final) episode of Attack on Titan Season 4 is almost here and it looks like Hajime Isayama is already anticipating the end of the anime. The mangaka issued a statement ahead of the premiere of The Final Chapters Part 2 and Isayama actually apologized for a very specific scene.
Isayama shared the statement on the official Attack on Titan website. In the statement, the mangaka confirmed his anticipation for the anime adaptation of the final chapters. However, Isayama also admitted that he was concerned about one particular scene.
"It’s been 10 years since the TV anime started. Thank you very much for sticking with us through all that time," he wrote. "The climax scene that happens in the last half of the final season was very hard to draw in the original manga, as well, so I couldn’t help but think, 'This is going to be rough for MAPPA."
Isayama then issued an apology. Interestingly, his apology is not addressed to the fans, but to the animators who had to work on the final season of Attack on Titan!
"MAPPA is probably thinking, 'Please stop.' I’m sorry, MAPPA. I’m really sorry.' Even then, I’m very excited to see how it’ll turn out in the anime," he wrote.
Isayama then confirmed that there is some completely new content in the series finale. "Also this time, by my request, I got to draw a little bit of the rough draft toward the end. Please watch until the end," he wrote.
It's certainly an exciting tease and fans wonder what Isayama added to the anime. Hopefully, it will be a tease at the future of the Eldians (and Marleyans) we have been following for more than a decade.
Is the upcoming Attack on Titan special episode the REAL finale?
Since Attack on Titan: The Final Chapters - Special 1 adapted chapters 131 to 134 of the manga, the last five chapters are expected to be covered in the upcoming special. Considering its lengthy runtime clocking in at 85 minutes long, there's a good chance that Special 2 will manage to do this and give the anime the conclusion it deserves.
While this is set to be the end for the current Attack on Titan storyline, that doesn't mean we won't get more amazing stories from Hajime Isayama. The mangaka had previously confirmed that he intends to continue drawing and will be releasing a new Attack on Titan story early next year.
The Attack on Titan Season 4 special is titled The Final Chapters (Part 2) ("Kanketsu-hen ~Kōhen") and will be broadcast on NHK General TV in Japan on November 5, 2023. Additionally, it will be streamed by Crunchyroll outside of Japan on the same day.
