After nine years, 87 episodes and two final seasons, “Attack on Titan” still isn’t over. The final episode of season four part two aired on April 3, 2022, but with nine episodes left, the series won’t be wrapping up until spring of next year.

The most recent run of episodes began on Jan. 10 and ended 12 April 4. The 12 episode arc follows the lead-up to the end of the world, an apocalyptic event known as the rumbling. Episode one rejoins the protagonists in the middle of a battle, as they attempt to defend Shiganshina while their Marleyan enemies try to wipe them out one last time. Halfway through the multi-episode battle, our heroes switch their focus to stopping Eren from beginning the rumbling. Eren sees the complete annihilation of the Marleyans and the rest of the world as the only way to defend their home. The battle is also broken up with several episodes showing the internal motives and goals of various characters, mainly Eren. These episodes are the best of the entire season, offering loads of character development and backstory. The final seven episodes are all a preparation for what is to come. Mikasa, Armin, Jean and Connie will have to kill their best friend and comrade. Eren has long been their greatest protector and source of hope; he was humanity’s number one tool in fighting back against the titans. Now, it seems as though Eren has come full circle, assembling an army of titans to destroy the world. In order to defeat this new Eren, our heroes will have to change as well, and decide what it is that matters most.

MAPPA, the studio currently producing “Attack on Titan,” announced the release of the show’s final season in Dec. 2020, coinciding with the release of the final chapters of the manga. While the final chapter of the manga was released on April 9, 2021, the animated adaptation is not scheduled to end until early 2024. The final episode, titled “The Dawn of Humanity” adapts chapter 130 of the 139 chapter manga. This leaves the last nine for season four part three, which was announced on April 3.

When the first season of “Attack on Titan” was released in 2013 it immediately became an international sensation, spawning a spinoff show and millions of fans. In fact, the show and manga instantly became so popular that the author of the manga, Hajime Isayama, decided to slow his output and plan out the entire story. He wanted to offer fans the greatest story possible and saw this as the best course of action. It ended up taking almost four years for season two to be released; when it did, the short 12 episode run left many fans disappointed. Despite ravishing reviews for the second season, this drop in output led to diminishing interest in the show, and its viewership sunk to all-time lows.

However, the infamously slow output of the show was put to rest following season two, as each successive season has been released roughly one year apart. Season three-part one in 2018, part two in 2019; season four-part one in 2020 and 2021, and part two in 2022. Season three part two was received with universally near-perfect reviews, and the show has managed to maintain that standard since. Following season three, the first part of season four was marketed as the series finale, leading to a massive uptick in viewership.

Many fans have been frustrated by this minor deception in regards to the show’s release schedule, but from a marketing perspective, it has been a massive success. The hype that has surrounded both parts of season four has led to the show becoming the most popular across all streaming platforms in the United States. With the release of the actual finale finally having been confirmed, it will be interesting to see just how popular the show becomes.

So far season four part three does not have a confirmed official release date, but a tweet from the Attack on Titan Twitter confirmed it would be in 2023. Considering that only nine chapters remain, and the fact that the tweet depicted the protagonists standing inside a gigantic smoldering footprint, it seems safe to assume the next release of Attack on Titan will finally be the conclusion.