A long saga is about to come to a close. Attack on Titan, the international blockbuster manga by Hajime Isayama, has a definite ending date. The manga, which first launched in 2009 in Japan and has run for the last 11 years, has sold over 100 million copies worldwide, and attracted adaptations into anime and live-action film, as well as spin-off titles and video games. According to an announcement in the May issue of Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, the monthly anthology it is serialized in, Attack on Titan is scheduled to publish its final chapter on April 9, 2021. The 34th collected volume will ship on June 9, 2021 [Thanks, ANN.]
The confirmation comes after months of hints from Isayama that the long-running story was close to a conclusion, though he did also joke that he’d been saying he would end the manga “in three years” for close to eight years. Further, as if to head off potential criticisms, Isayama emphasized that Attack on Titan‘s length came about naturally, rather than due to pressure from the editors. He expressed hope that fans would keep enjoying the manga until the finale. Kodansha also has promotional plans in the works, as the company teased commemorative projects set to be launched around the end of the series.
Attack on Titan tells the story of humanity living behind a massive series of concentric walls, surviving under siege from the Titans, a race of cannibalistic, predatory humanoid giants. Eren Jaeger and his sister Mikasa are orphaned in an attack that destroys one of the supposedly invincible walls, leading to an invasion by the titans into mankind’s last bastion. They join the military, becoming members of the Survey Corps, committing to destroy all the Titans and unravel the truth behind the the state of the world. Much has happened in the story to complicate this premise, but revealing that would constitute spoilers, so those curious are encouraged to read further on their own.
The story has been adapted into various forms since its launch, most notably an ongoing four-season animated series. The first three seasons were adapted by WIT Studio, and the current season, titled Attack on Titan: The Final Season, is being produced by MAPPA.
Attack on Titan is currently being published by Kodansha Comics. The anime series is available to watch on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Netflix in some territories. The most recent game adaptation, Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle, is immediately available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia.
