Shortly before “Attack on Titan” season 4 premiered on Monday, it has been reported that the dubbed final season will only have 16 episodes. However, before fans worry about rushed pacing, a known leaker has reported that this episode count does not account for all the remaining manga chapters.
‘Attack on Titan’ season 4 episode count
Just as the first episode of “Attack on Titan” season 4 aired earlier this week, a couple of reliable sources of anime updates have reported that the episode count is set at 16 for this series installment. The information has quickly concerned many fans as it may not be enough to cover all the remaining story arcs without rushing the adaptation pacing.
AoT The Final Season 16 episodes. will NOT be for the Whole manga.
— SPY (@Spytrue) December 6, 2020
But...STAY TUNED ‼️
On the bright side, anime leaker Spytrue has since advised fans to “stay tuned” and reported that “Attack on Titan” season 4’s 16 episodes are not intended to cover the entire manga. This has led to speculations that the anime series could follow the same direction as the third season, which was released in two parts with a total of 22 episodes. The other commonly suggested scenario is for the final arc to be released in an anime film.
‘Attack on Titan’ season 4: Why 16 episodes won’t be enough
A rushed anime adaptation is one of the worst things that could happen to a series, especially to a well-loved franchise such as “Attack on Titan.” The concern that it could happen if “Attack on Titan” season 4 is only having 16 episodes was also understandable.
“Attack on Titan” season 4 episode 1 covered chapters 91 and 92, suggesting that the series is maintaining its usual two-chapters-per-episode pacing like in earlier seasons. If fans are correct that the manga would end in volume 34, that would bring the total chapter count of the series to 138. In that case, having just 16 episodes for the final season would have not been enough. Luckily, the fans already have some sort of clarification that the franchise is unlikely to go through that now that it is very close to the end.
For now, anime fans should focus on the animation of the Marley arc in “Attack on Titan” season 4. Official announcements on how the series will proceed after 16 episodes will likely be released shortly before the season finale, which could happen sometime between late March and early April.
