Rumors of an Attack on Titan movie finale continue to circulate as the episode count dwindles. Episodes 83 & 84 make that outcome almost inevitable.
If an Attack on Titan finale movie wasn’t already very, very likely, episodes 83 and 84 makes the prospect of a cinematic conclusion all but inevitable. When Attack on Titan was confirmed to be ending with its fourth season, fan reaction landed somewhere between annoyed surprise and anxious concern. At that point, the anime adaptation of Hajime Isayama’s manga mega-hit had just shy of 30 chapters still to adapt. By the time the manga story eventually wrapped up in April 2021, that figure stood closer to 50, leaving Attack on Titan season 4 a mountain of material to climb.
Attack on Titan‘s final season countered this obstacle by trimming some fat from the original manga chapters. Nothing of import gets cut, but the TV series certainly moves with more urgency. MAPPA also divided Attack on Titan season 4 into two halves, maximizing the number of episodes to a chunky 27. Following the airing of episode 84 (“Night Of The End”), only 3 Attack on Titan episodes remain… and it’s rapidly becoming clear that the anime’s chances of adapting every remaining chapter are slimmer than Zeke’s chances of going for a beer with Levi after the battle ends.
Fans have long suspected that, despite Attack on Titan season 4 being marketed as “The Final Season” at every available opportunity, the intention is actually to adapt Isayama’s last cluster of chapters into a feature-length movie. That theory began looking even more likely after the finale was delayed by a week, and will now coincide with AnimeJapan 2022 – the perfect time to make any big announcements. While Attack on Titan‘s future remains unclear (for now), episode 83 virtually confirms season 4 will not bring viewers resolution.
Given its proximity to the finale, you’d imagine Attack on Titan episode 83 would be moving with speed toward the story’s endgame – if the anime had any intention of actually getting there by episode 87, that is. Instead, “Pride” saunters along as if it had all the time in the world. We see Hange nursing Levi, Connie’s misguided effort to revive his mother, Mikasa getting Eren’s scarf back, and a pie-flavored reunion with Annie. Only in its final moments does Attack on Titan episode 83 make some actual narrative headway by bringing together the alliance of Eldia and Marley against Eren Jaeger. Things get worse during the following week’s episode 84. Titled “Night of the End,” the effort is comprised entirely of the various alliance members sat around a campfire. If Attack on Titan‘s fourth-to-last episode is 20 minutes of chatting and sharing beers under the stars, you can bet season 4 isn’t getting anywhere near the manga’s finale.
An Attack on Titan movie is now the only plausible option to finish the story. There’s not enough manga left for a fully-fledged season 5, and any potential Attack on Titan sequel would be set decades into the future. Isayama’s final battle between Eren Jaeger and the Eldia-Marley alliance certainly feels ripe for the movie treatment, and would give Attack on Titan space to do the manga ending justice. Asking fans to wait longer for a proper ending, and potentially pay for a theater ticket depending on distribution strategy, may not go over as smoothly.
Attack on Titan streams Sundays on Funimation, Crunchyroll and Hulu.
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