The anime classic, Attack on Titan, has come to its end as the first two episodes of the final season have been aired. Considered one of the best action anime’s in anime history, Attack on Titan (AOT) is simply a must-watch!

After the shocking discoveries from season three, the new season is promising and answers everyone’s questions.  But can this new season be about something completely different than what had been anticipated and can it change the whole show entirely?

SPOILERS AHEAD!!  Proceed with caution!

Attack on Titan is a very popular manga and anime that was first released in 2009 (anime first aired in 2013). When their world is taken over by giant man-eating titans, Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlelt join the Wings of Freedom to take down these Titans after witnessing the death of a dear family member. All is well until a near-death experience with our main character, Eren Jaeger, occurs and we discover that he himself can transform into one of these Titans. 

With the first episode of the new season released on December 7, there are already mixed reviews. Based on the last season’s ending, a lot of fans were expecting a continuation with an elaborate plan to track down the Beast Titan and his peers.  Instead, we got a major time-skip into the future.  (four years to be exact).

Not only that, the show starts off with the story focusing on a whole new set of characters and Titans. Reiner and Zeke, who were the antagonists from the last few seasons, also appear in the spotlight. A sudden war is presented to us with little to no information. And if that wasn’t enough, the main cast, including the main character Eren from the past three seasons, is nowhere to be found.

This is where the questions and theories come in. The audience is left quite confused with all this new information. There are just far too many questions: Where are Eren and his team? What happened within those four skipped years? Who are these new characters? What is happening?

So far, all we know is that we are getting a deeper sense of perspective from the supposed “antagonists.” What’s believed to be the main focus of this season, is that this season is going to be mainly about Reiner. Although Reiner is not the mastermind behind the concept of the Titans, the show is highlighting more scenes than normal from his perspective. This is also sparking some new questions for the audience, could this new season be showing a side of the story that we never would have expected? This just puts more and more excitement into the series and builds up the suspense. It is also said throughout the show that Reiner’s demise is coming. 

To be a human and a Titan, you have to inherit one of the nine Titans forms: the Founding Titan, the Attack Titan (Eren), the Colossus Titan, the Female Titan, the Armored Titan (Reiner), the Beast Titan (Zeke), the Jaw Titan, the Cart Titan, and the War Hammer Titan. If you inherit one of the Nine Titans, you have a maximum of thirteen years to live, and Reiner is soon reaching that point. In order to continue the saga of the Armored Titan, he must choose a new successor and allow them to inherit his power. This is done by turning into a Titan and eating him. This concept is also a subject in focus for this new season. 

Although there were a lot of questions and confusion, there was a specific scene that caught everyone’s attention. As the ending credits began to play, we see a man buying a newspaper. Upon closer look, it is inferred to be Jean Kirstein, a fan-loved supporting protagonist from the past three seasons. As soon as this familiar face appears on the screen, all of the confusion was put to rest. Based on the ambiance of the scene, we can get a hint that he is undercover by getting the newspaper in the town of his enemy. This gives a sense of clarification for the audience knowing that whatever he may be planning, something maybe huge in the future if that theory is correct. This puts more emphasis on the fact that the new season is about to take another turn the audience may not be ready for. Especially if we are going to get the perspectives and emotions of both parties. Not to mention the Japanese voice actor for Eren Jaeger, Yuki Kaji, says on a YouTube Livestream that he cried while rehearsing his lines for the final episode of AoT. So yes, I personally do expect to see great things in this final season of Attack on Titan.

Also, there is quite a debate on the new AoT theme song. Attack on Titan has always been notorious for its iconic theme songs, but this season it has put a line straight down the middle as to who likes it and who doesn’t. For some people, they really enjoyed the theme song as it hypes them up. While for others, it sounds really weird and simple to them. Personally, I like it a lot and it reminds me of a specific scene in a movie that I adore. But everyone has their opinions, of course. You can decide for yourself by watching the new and final season of Attack on Titan!

Click below to watch the Attack on Titan season 4 Trailer: