2023 is the year where we say goodbye to Attack on Titan. Frustratingly, we haven’t got an exact release date yet, but we could just be months away from Eren’s endgame. On top of that, we have a new update from the show’s animation studio detailing how far along the team are with production.

What else can we expect from Attack on Titan’s Final Season? The third part of the hit anime’s fourth season has a 15-second teaser to tide us over ’til the New Year, plus a colossal poster to marvel at in the meantime.

Also in our spoiler-free guide to Attack on Titan’s Final Season, we’ve pieced together the source material to look ahead at how many Attack on Titan episodes could be left. 

Once you’re done, dive into more of the best anime ever made – because you’ll need something to replace the Titan-shaped hole in your heart when all is said and done.

When is Attack on Titan Final Season Part 3 returning?

Officially, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 3 is back in 2023. That was revealed on the show’s official Twitter account(opens in new tab) alongside a teaser trailer for the third part of season 4 (which you can watch below). Beyond that, we know very little. A recent update from Anime Festival Asia (H/T ComicBook.com(opens in new tab)) has revealed that Studio MAPPA is also in the dubbing process, which suggests production is pretty far along.

A definitive release window, especially given the increasingly busy schedule of animation studio MAPPA, also means it likely isn’t going to be delayed. Could we hear rumblings of a release date very soon? Watch this space.

Expected Attack on Titan episode 88 release date

Attack on Titan has run the gauntlet of release windows across its near-decade on the screens. Since 2013, new seasons have debuted as part of anime’s traditional Spring, Fall, and Winter windows.

But we have every reason to believe that the Attack on Titan episode 88 release date could be in the late Winter 2022/23 window, around January-February 2023. 

Why? The show has released the Final Season’s first two parts in December 2020 and January 2022 respectively. The pattern has been set and, barring any production delays, there should be enough time to deliver again at the same time next year. As we’ll soon discover, Part 3 should also be shorter than the first two Parts which should speed up production.

Is Attack on Titan Final Season Part 3 a movie?

There was some speculation that Attack on Titan’s Final Season would be adapted into a movie. That’s likely due to the continued success of ‘canon’ anime movies on the big screen, including Jujutsu Kaisen 0 and Demon Slayer Mugen Train. 

That’s not the case here. Attack on Titan Final Season Part 3 will not be a movie, instead consisting of multiple TV episodes adapting the final chapters of the manga source material.

How many episodes of Attack on Titan are left?

While we don’t know for sure, Part 3 is likely to be fairly short. That’s because it’s rapidly running out of source material.

For context, the first part of Attack on Titan Final Season/season four adapted the manga’s 91st chapter to chapter 116, taking 16 episodes. Final Season Part 2 lasted 12 episodes and ran through chapters 117-130. 

There are only nine manga chapters left to adapt, which means Attack on Titan Final Season Part 3 could last around 10 episodes at the current ratio of manga chapters-to-episodes. That could be stretched out to around 12 or 13, depending on how MAPPA approaches the (likely) action-heavy scenes on the horizon.

Attack on Titan Final Season Part 3 trailer

Attack on Titan Final Season Part 3 trailer

A trailer for Attack on Titan Final Season Part 3 (AKA Attack on Titan season 4, part 3 trailer)

As expected at the early stage, the Attack on Titan Final Season Part 3 trailer falls more under the ‘teaser’ bracket and gives very little away. The first poster is also here too.

Running 15 seconds in length, the trailer blasts its increasingly ominous soundtrack as those that are opposing Eren (Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Hange, Gabi, Falco, Annie, Pieck, Connie, Levi, and Reiner) are seen in the footsteps laid down by one of the Colossal Titans.

Other than being a pretty heavy-handed metaphor to following (quite literally) in Eren’s footsteps as they chase down the one-time Scout, it’s also notable that Levi is seen here with ODM gear. Despite suffering grievous injuries earlier in the Final Season, it appears he could be on the mend and ready to fight in Part 3.

Attack on Titan Final Season story: What to expect from Part 3

Don’t worry, we aren’t getting into manga spoiler territory here.

Firstly, it’s clear that the years-long conflict between the island of Paradis and Marley is coming to a close. The big question mark surrounding Part 3 is how it all goes down.

Eren has started the Rumbling, a world-ending move that sees the Titans encased in Paradis’ walls utilized as his own personal army. Eren is setting out to kill everyone outside of Paradis so (in his mind) his friends can live free lives without the cycle of revenge inevitably turning back to the ‘devils’ of his home island.

Standing in Eren’s way is the coalition of forces between Paradis and Marley. They consist of Eren’s ‘sister’ Mikasa, his one-time friends in the Survey Corps, and the remaining prominent forces of Marley.

There are a few wildcards to contend with before we get to the ultimate showdown, however. Chief among them is Floch. The loyal lieutenant to Eren was last seen being shot by Gabi, but his fall into the sea didn’t seem all that fatal. Expect him to play a major role in the show’s final act.

Zeke, too, is also probably still on the chessboard. He’s currently stuck in the Coordinate thanks to Eren’s actions in Part 2 but if there’s anyone who can get out of a temporal jam, it’s Zeke. Levi and Hange were also last seen in cahoots with the Cart Titan.

There are also Jaegerists – those that support – who may have their loyalties crushed by Eren’s ongoing rampage throughout the world. Whether they help or oppose Eren may decide on how the conflict ultimately pans out. 

Overall, expect Eren to end up in a final showdown with Mikasa over the fate of the planet. The question of whether she can tempt him to give up his warpath might make all the difference in the world.

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