Attack on Titan Season 4, also known as The Final Season, completely blew my mind and broke my heart in the best way. After the long wait following Season 3, the switch from WIT Studio to MAPPA delivered a fresh, gritty visual style that perfectly matched the story’s darker tone. This season flips the narrative, exploring the Marleyan side and escalating the Paradis war, with themes of revenge, ideology, and survival in a broken world. Whether you’re wrapping up the saga or jumping back in, this spoiler-light review on AnimePalm dives into why it’s the most powerful and emotionally intense chapter of the series.
Introduction to Attack on Titan Season 4
Titled Attack on Titan: The Final Season, this part marks a big change in who made it, Studio WIT handed the reins to MAPPA, and honestly, they nailed it with smoother animation and epic battles that pop off the screen. The story expands big time, diving into Marleyan views and the full-blown conflict with Paradis. We see the world outside the walls, where Titans aren’t just monsters but tools in a global mess of war and hate.
What makes Season 4 such a massive shift is the perspective change. For three seasons, we’ve been locked inside the walls with humanity’s scrappy survivors. Suddenly, we’re seeing Paradis Island from the outside, as a threat. This recontextualization is genius storytelling. The Marleyan empire isn’t cartoonishly evil; they have their own soldiers, their own fears, their own justifications. It’s unsettling and brilliant, forcing us to confront the reality that there are no clean sides in this conflict, only suffering on both ends.
Themes get heavy: it’s all about vengeance driving people mad, ideologies clashing like Titans in a fight, and survival on a massive scale. Freedom? It’s twisted now, with moral lines blurring everywhere. As a fan, this season hit me hard, seeing familiar faces change and new ones challenge everything made me rethink the whole story. It’s not just action; it’s a gut-punch on war’s ugliness, and I teared up more than once.
The character arcs in Season 4 feel earned and devastating. Everyone you’ve grown attached to gets tested in ways that feel almost cruel. But that’s the point, war is cruel, and the series never lets you forget it. By the end of this season, you’ll likely find yourself emotionally exhausted in the best possible way.
Attack on Titan Season 4 Release Date
Attack on Titan Season 4 kicked off with Part 1 on December 7, 2020, dropping episodes weekly and keeping fans like me glued every Sunday. Then came a wait that felt eternal before Part 2 aired from January 10, 2022, to April 4, 2022. The finale wrapped with specials in 2023: one on March 4 and the big closer on November 5. This split-release kept the hype alive but tested our patience, I binge-watched each part as soon as it dropped, yelling at twists with my buddies online.
The release schedule was absolutely brutal. After Part 1 ended in March 2021, we had nearly a year-long hiatus. If you thought the wait between Season 3’s parts was bad, this was on another level. The community went absolutely wild with theories and speculation during that gap. When Part 2 finally dropped in January 2022, it was like the internet collectively lost its mind. And then having to wait over a year for the finale specials? That tested even the most devoted fans’ patience. I remember refreshing Crunchyroll religiously, counting down the days like it was Christmas.
How Many Episodes in Attack on Titan Season 4
Depending on how you count ’em, Attack on Titan Season 4 has 28 to 30 episodes, plus those specials sometimes listed as extras or split into more on streaming. Part 1 packs 16 episodes of setup and shocks, while Part 2 adds 12 more with intense build-up. The specials, “Part 3” and “Part 4”, are hour-long beasts that feel like multiple episodes jammed together, often broken into 88-94 on platforms like Crunchyroll. As a fan, the shorter count made every moment count, no fillers, just pure edge-of-your-seat drama.
Each episode in Season 4 is lean and purposeful. There’s minimal wasting time; every scene drives the narrative forward or develops characters in meaningful ways. The hour-long specials at the end are particularly impressive, they feel like proper movies rather than extended episodes. MAPPA clearly put enormous effort into these final chapters, and you can feel it in every frame. The pacing works perfectly, even when you’re experiencing information overload from the escalating complexity of the plot.
Characters of Attack on Titan Season 4
The gang’s all here: Eren Yeager goes full anti-hero mode, his growth (or descent?) is wild and divisive, I rooted for him then questioned everything. Watching Eren transform from idealistic soldier to something far more complex and troubling is one of the season’s most compelling elements. His motivations become increasingly difficult to parse, and by the end, you might not know whether to sympathize with him or despise him, and that ambiguity is intentional.
Mikasa Ackerman stays the loyal badass, her bond with Eren tested like never before in ways that’ll hurt your heart. Her character arc is quieter than Eren’s, but it’s just as impactful. Armin Arlert steps up as the smart one, dealing with tough choices that show his growth from scared recruit to genuine strategist. His diplomatic efforts and moral wrestling add depth that’s easy to overlook but absolutely crucial to the narrative. Levi Ackerman? Still the GOAT, slicing through chaos despite the odds, proving that even legends have limits and vulnerabilities.
New faces shake things up: Gabi Braun, the fiery Marleyan kid warrior, starts off annoying but grows on you with her arc, reminds me of young Eren, which is exactly the point. She represents the cyclical nature of hatred and violence that the series explores so effectively. Falco Grice, her kinder buddy, adds heart to the enemy side, showing that compassion exists even in war. We meet more Marley folks like Pieck and Porco, plus Paradis soldiers and leaders navigating the mess.
Development is killer, alliances flip, beliefs clash, and war changes everyone. As someone who’s cosplayed Eren, seeing these shifts felt personal; it humanizes both sides, making the conflicts hit harder. By Season 4, you’ll find yourself sympathizing with characters you initially viewed as enemies, and questioning the heroism of characters you’ve loved since episode one.
The Animation and Soundtrack
The transition from WIT Studio to MAPPA could’ve been disastrous, but instead, it reinvigorated the series visually. MAPPA’s animation style is grittier and more detailed, particularly during combat sequences. The battles in Season 4 are some of the most spectacular in the entire anime, fluid, visceral, and genuinely intense. The CGI for Titans has improved significantly, though some fans have mixed feelings about it. Personally, I think it serves the story; the Titans feel more mechanical and less organic, which thematically makes sense for a season focused on war and weaponization.
Yuki Kajiura’s soundtrack additions complement Hiroyuki Sawano’s established themes beautifully. The music in Season 4 is often subdued and haunting, reflecting the darker tone. The opening themes are absolutely phenomenal, “My War” and “The Rumbling” by Shinsei Kamattechan evolve into something more introspective and troubled. The ending credits are equally memorable, often leaving you in a contemplative mood after each episode’s emotional gut-punches.
The Endgame Experience
The final specials are where everything culminates into something transcendent. These aren’t just extended episodes; they’re the culmination of a six-year journey through this insane world. Watching the story conclude after investing so much time and emotion is bittersweet. The finale delivers on the character arcs, the thematic explorations, and the world-building in ways that feel earned rather than rushed, a rare accomplishment for anime conclusions.
If this chat has you pumped to dive into Season 4’s chaos, grab your gear and stream it, it’s the finale that sticks with you forever! For more anime news, reviews, and updates, head over to AnimePalm, they’ve got the latest on all your favorites.
