Attack on Titan is set in a world where humanity lives behind walls to hide from Titans, giant humanoids that eat people. Eren Yeager, the lead, goes from wanting to wipe out the Titans to uncovering the truth about the world outside, alongside Mikasa and Armin (his two closest friends). The Final Season is the ending made by MAPPA after Wit Studio handled the first three seasons. It is split into Part 1 (16 episodes), Part 2 (12 episodes) and two Final Chapters specials, spread from December 2020 to November 2023.
Unlike the earlier seasons, the Final Season takes you across the sea to Marley, the country that once oppressed the Eldians (Eren's people). The young cadets Gabi and Falco become new viewpoint characters, so the conflict is no longer humans against Titans but two sides who both have reasons. OtaHub finds this a bold choice, and composer Hiroyuki Sawano's music and the conversation in the last special are the two most worthwhile things to watch. The catch is that the CG-built Titans were widely criticised, the split schedule broke the flow, and the ending still divides fans.
Attack on Titan Final Season quick facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Studio | MAPPA (Final Season from 7 December 2020); Wit Studio made Seasons 1 to 3 (2013 to 2019) |
| Director | Yuichiro Hayashi and Jun Shishido, replacing Tetsurō Araki and Masashi Koizuka; series composition Hiroshi Seko |
| Original work | Manga by Hajime Isayama, Bessatsu Shonen Magazine (Kodansha), 9 September 2009 to 9 April 2021, 34 volumes, 139 chapters |
| Episodes / season | Part 1: 16 episodes (60 to 75); Part 2: 12 episodes (76 to 87); two Final Chapters specials (88 to 94) |
| Aired | 7 December 2020 to 29 March 2021; 10 January to 4 April 2022; specials on 4 March 2023 and 5 November 2023 |
| Music | Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto; openings "My War" (Shinsei Kamattechan) and "The Rumbling" (SiM) |
| Where to watch | Netflix in Southeast Asia (from December 2020), iQIYI (subtitled); Muse Asia on YouTube (since Dec 2025, English subtitles); paid catalogues in Vietnam unverified |
| Community scores | MyAnimeList (5 Oct 2026): 8.79 (Part 1), 8.78 (Part 2), 8.86 (The Final Chapters) |
| Awards | Anime of the Year (Part 1) at the 6th Crunchyroll Anime Awards; Best Score at the 7th and 8th |
Review scope
This review covers MAPPA's Final Season only: Part 1, Part 2 and the two Final Chapters specials. Wit Studio's three seasons serve as background. OtaHub has no personal viewing notes, so the analysis rests on production information, episode lists, English-language critic pieces (listed in the critics section and the sources) and community scores on MyAnimeList checked on 5 October 2026. The score is OtaHub's editorial judgement. The opening sections avoid spoilers, and the "Memorable moment" box covers the last special and carries a warning.
Story: what does the Final Season tell?
Part 1 opens with episode 60, "The Other Side of the Sea", then moves to episode 64, "Declaration of War", and episode 65, "The War Hammer Titan". Eren's fight against the War Hammer Titan in this stretch was nominated for Best Fight Scene at the 6th Crunchyroll Anime Awards. This is where the story turns fully to conflict between nations, which is why many say the Final Season feels "different" from the first three.
Part 2 passes through episodes such as "Memories of the Future" (episode 79) and ends at episode 87, "The Dawn of Humanity". The two Final Chapters specials then adapt Isayama's last chapters. The plot is tightly tied across seasons, so start from Season 1 and give it time. The second special alone runs about 84 minutes.
Characters and voice acting: an Eren who is nothing like before
The Final Season shifts focus by bringing in the Marley side, where Gabi and Falco become new viewpoints, while Eren and the Survey Corps (the corps exploring beyond the walls) pursue their own goals after what they found in the Yeager basement. This change in perspective makes the conflict far less "humans against Titans", because you see people worth pitying on both sides.
The seiyuu (Japanese voice actors) carry the emotion. Yuki Kaji voices Eren, Yui Ishikawa voices Mikasa and Hiroshi Kamiya voices Levi. Kaji won Best VA Performance (Japanese) at the 6th Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The English cast includes Bryce Papenbrook, Trina Nishimura and Matthew Mercer. The Eren of the Final Season is a different person from the first season, and OtaHub thinks that gap is the hardest part of the whole series to perform.
Animation and visuals: do the CG Titans work?
This is where the Final Season drew the most complaints. MAPPA took over with Tomohiro Kishi designing characters, and the CG department had its own directors for each part (Takahiro Uesono for Part 1, Subaru Ikeda for Part 2). Compared with Wit Studio's seasons, CG-built Titans appear far more often, and viewers notice that change at once.
OtaHub takes a middle view. The CG Titans are less smooth than the hand-drawn art around them, which is why Animation gets 8.9, the lowest of the six criteria. Still, CG is not the whole picture, because the big scenes of the last special are hand-drawn and the show follows the manga's art style quite closely. You can find the critics' opinions on this in the critics section below.
Music: why Sawano is still the bright spot
Hiroyuki Sawano leads the score, with Kohta Yamamoto joining from the Final Season. Part 1 opens with "My War" by Shinsei Kamattechan, which won Best Opening Sequence at the 6th Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Part 2 opens with "The Rumbling" by SiM, which won Best Anime Song at the 7th, and Best Score went to the Sawano and Yamamoto score at both the 7th and 8th. The second special closes on "To You 2,000... or... 20,000 Years From Now..." by Linked Horizon. In a series where every moment is heavy, the music keeps it from going numb.
Direction, pacing and adaptation: does the split schedule hurt?
When MAPPA took over, Yuichiro Hayashi and Jun Shishido replaced Tetsurō Araki and Masashi Koizuka, and Hiroshi Seko replaced Yasuko Kobayashi on series composition. Despite the change at the top, the adaptation still reaches chapter 139. The biggest harm is not the staging but the schedule. Part 1 ended on 29 March 2021, Part 2 ran from 10 January to 4 April 2022, the first special arrived on 4 March 2023, nearly a year later, and the last special came another eight months after that.
On pacing, the last two specials pack a great many events into a short running time. Viewers who watch in one sitting notice it less, while anyone who followed the broadcast had the flow broken several times. If you start from Season 1, you have that advantage. Watched back to back, the Final Season is a fairly continuous piece.
A conversation in place of the final battle
Spoilers for the ending of Attack on Titan.
The second special (episodes 91 to 94, the last titled "Toward the Tree on That Hill") has a scene where Eren talks with Armin. Eren says that about 80% of humanity will die by the time the Rumbling ends, admits he led his friends to their deaths, and says he could not have changed the outcome. Mikasa then delivers the blow that ends Eren's life, and the Rumbling stops.
What makes it memorable is that the whole series chooses to close with words rather than one more Titan fight, and viewers have to decide for themselves what to think of Eren. How critics read the scene is in the section below.
For viewers in Vietnam
- Where to watch
- Netflix Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries started streaming the series in December 2020, and the subtitled version was also on iQIYI. Since December 2025, Muse Asia has streamed the series on its official YouTube channel, and Vietnam was in the first rollout (per Outlook Respawn, 1 Feb 2026). Subtitles are English, and it may be free only for a limited time. As of 9 Oct 2026, OtaHub has not verified paid catalogues or Vietnamese subtitles.
- Watch order
- Seasons 1, 2 and 3 first, then the Final Season. If you can, watch the two specials back to back to keep the thread.
- Read ahead
- The manga is complete (34 volumes, ended 9 April 2021) if you want to compare with the anime.
What critics say, and where OtaHub differs
On the ending, views are fairly aligned. Sam Pearce of The Cosmic Circus called the last special nearly flawless, describing it as gorgeous, emotionally devastating and thematically satisfying, with praise for the hand-drawn animation in the big scenes. Jamie Sugah of The Geekiary also found the ending satisfying but noted the two specials move very fast, with almost nonstop action that is hard to keep up with at times. James Beckett of Anime News Network, reviewing the second special, read Eren telling Armin that the outcome could not change as a sign that he wanted it all along. The Tartan noted that the anime's added scenes and dialogue deepened the ending rather than changing it, and cited Jacksepticeye, who initially disliked the ending, saying the additions improved his understanding. On CG, the student paper Stuyspec reported that many viewers complained Season 4 used a lot of 3D animation, but the author called it a minor gripe aimed at the style change rather than a drop in quality, and said the short production schedule and large characters moving fast pushed MAPPA toward CG.
On themes, the series has been criticised. Korean press argued it promotes militarism, a character design inspired by General Akiyama Yoshifuru was controversial, and there were accusations of fascism and antisemitism over its depiction of Eldian persecution. Scholars argue the work's ambiguity allows several readings, especially since the main characters are also Eldian.
OtaHub separates the two issues. The political debate is real and worth weighing for sensitive viewers, but the score here follows filmmaking criteria, so it only touches the result indirectly through story. On visuals, OtaHub agrees with the criticism of the CG and gives the lowest mark of the set; on the ending, OtaHub finds closing through dialogue a commendable choice, even if it is controversial.
Who should watch Attack on Titan: The Final Season?
Watch it if you followed the first three seasons and want to see the story end, if you like strong film music and characters with two sides. It is best watched in one run to feel the full weight.
Think twice if you are sensitive to violence, war and political themes, or if CG Titans put you off. In that case, try a few episodes of Part 1 first and then decide.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Sawano and Yamamoto won Best Score two years running
- The Marley viewpoint gives the conflict two sides
- A complete adaptation through chapter 139
- The last special ends the story through dialogue, praised as gorgeous and emotionally heavy
Weaknesses
- CG Titans are less smooth and drew many complaints
- The schedule was split over nearly three years, so the flow breaks easily
- Criticised over militarism and political allegory
- The ending still divides viewers
OtaHub score
The total is the weighted average of the six anime criteria; editors may adjust it by up to ±0.2. See our review standards.
- Story & Script · 9.1A tight plot that gathers many pieces planted over three earlier seasons, and the last special closes with a conversation rather than just a fight. The score rests on critical reviews, with no first-hand viewing notes, and the ending still divides viewers, so it does not go higher.
- Characters & Voice Acting · 9.3Gabi and Falco as new viewpoints, plus an Eren who is nothing like Season 1, give the conflict two sides, and Yuki Kaji won the Japanese voice award at the 6th Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
- Animation & Visuals · 8.9The CG-built Titans were widely criticised as out of rhythm and less natural, though the hand-drawn animation in the big scenes of the last special was praised.
- Music & Sound · 9.2Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto won Best Score two years running, and "My War" and "The Rumbling" both won awards at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The score rests mainly on awards, with no first-hand listening notes.
- Direction, Pacing & Adaptation · 9.2MAPPA replaced almost the entire directing team and still carried the story through chapter 139, though the split broadcast schedule broke the viewing flow.
- Impact & Rewatch Value · 9.1Worth rewatching, especially once you know the ending, but the series is long and the ending still divides viewers, so the score stops at 9.1.
OtaHub recommendation: Watch now
FAQ
How many episodes does Attack on Titan: The Final Season have?
Part 1 has 16 episodes (7 December 2020 to 29 March 2021), Part 2 has 12 (10 January to 4 April 2022), plus two Final Chapters specials aired on 4 March 2023 (about 61 minutes) and 5 November 2023 (about 84 minutes). In continuous numbering that is episodes 60 to 94.
Do I need to watch the first three seasons before the Final Season?
Yes. The Final Season picks up right after Season 3 and does not reintroduce characters or the rules of the world. Newcomers should start with Season 1.
Which studio made Attack on Titan: The Final Season?
MAPPA, from December 2020, taking over from Wit Studio, which made the first three seasons. Yuichiro Hayashi and Jun Shishido replaced Tetsurō Araki and Masashi Koizuka as directors.
When did the Attack on Titan manga end?
On 9 April 2021 at chapter 139, with 34 volumes in total. The anime adapts it fully through the two specials in 2023.
Where can I watch Attack on Titan legally in Vietnam?
Netflix Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries started streaming the series in December 2020, and the subtitled version was also on iQIYI. Since December 2025, Muse Asia has streamed the series on its official YouTube channel, and Vietnam was in the first rollout (per Outlook Respawn, 1 Feb 2026). Subtitles are English, and it may be free only for a limited time. As of 9 Oct 2026, OtaHub has not verified paid catalogues or Vietnamese subtitles.
Sources: Wikipedia (episode list), Wikipedia (series, awards), The Cosmic Circus, The Geekiary, Stuyspec, The Tartan, Anime News Network and MyAnimeList (read up to 8 October 2026). The score is OtaHub's editorial judgement under the OtaHub review standards.
