The attack of the Titans
©Hajime Isayama, Kodansha / Attack on Titan Production Committee / Courtesy of Crunchyroll
After nine years and nearly 90 episodes, the hugely popular anime The attack of the Titans completes the second half of its final season, supposedly ending Eren Yeager’s epic story. The finale, titled “The Dawn of Humanity,” hits Crunchyroll and Hulu on April 3 in the US and April 4 in Japan.
However, many fans suspect that more The attack of the Titans is on its way after The Final Season: Part 2 as the anime is a remarkably faithful adaptation of Hajime Isayama’s manga, and the manga contains nine more chapters after “The Dawn of Humanity.” Fans hope that a movie or more episodes detailing the events of the remaining chapters will be announced during The attack of the Titans‘s at the Anime Japan convention in Tokyo on Sunday.
As we prepare for the ending, we’ve rounded up five more terrific anime series that won’t quite satisfy your thirst for more. The attack of the Titansbut will definitely help.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Gege Akutami/Shueisha, Jujutsu Kaisen Project / Courtesy of Crunchyroll
Jujutsu Kaisen comes from MAPPA, the animation studio responsible for the current season of The attack of the Titans. As Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen is both wildly imaginative and disturbingly gruesome. Based on the manga by Gege Akutami, the show is set in a world where people are attacked by curses, demonic spirits that appear when humans release their negative emotions. The show centers on high school student Yuji Itadori, who swallows the finger of a powerful curse and becomes its host. Yuji goes on a mission to find and consume the 10 Fingers so he can exorcise the curse. The series was recently renewed for a second season, premiering in 2023, and a prequel film that broke box office records in Japan is now playing in North American theaters.
Death threat
© DNDP, VAP, Shueisha, Madhouse / Courtesy of Crunchyroll
One of the most critically acclaimed anime series, Death threat is both an exploration of morality and a suspenseful game of cat-and-mouse. The story is based on a manga of the same name and follows Light Yagami, a brilliant but bored high school student. A shinigami – god of death – gives Light a notebook that allows him to kill people simply by writing their names on its pages. At first, Light uses the notebook to kill murderers and other criminals, but when a detective begins to close in on him, Light resorts to using the notebook to cover his tracks. With just 37 episodes, each lasting 22 minutes, the addictive series unfolds at a breakneck pace, full of genre twists and cliffhangers. The attack of the Titans is also known for. This is not surprising given that Death threat was directed by Tetsurō Araki, who also directed the first three seasons of The attack of the Titans.
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
© Kabaneri Committee Under license from Funimation® Productions, Ltd. All rights reserved. / Courtesy of Crunchyroll
Also directed by Tetsurō Araki is Kabaneri of the Iron Fortressa zombie story featuring the industrial revolution that feels like a mix between The attack of the Titans and snowdrops. People live in shelters called stations and travel between them on fortified steam trains. Our hero is a young engineer working on a weapon to defeat the Kabane, the monstrous horde of undead that threaten humanity. The show was produced by Wit Studio, the same animation house behind the first three seasons of The attack of the Titans. And with just a dozen 22-minute episodes (plus a three-episode sequel movie on Netflix), Kabaneri is a fast watch that is well worth your time.
Vinland Saga
Vinland Saga
Vinland Saga on Twitter
Another series produced by Wit Studio is Vinland Saga, a Viking story loosely based on the real-life historical figure Thorfinn Karlsefni. Like Eren in The attack of the Titans, young Thorfinn appears small and helpless at first, but is relentless in his quest for revenge. In the case of Thorfinn, we meet him as a little boy who witnesses the murder of his father at the hands of a Viking mercenary. Thorfinn stows away on their ship and over the years is raised and exploited by the crew, although he is open about his intentions to kill them. Its history is a vast epic, set against the backdrop of the Danish invasion and occupation of England in the 11th century and, as The attack of the Titans, is filled with tense political intrigue and intense violence. Plus, the show’s heavy metal soundtrack is sure to rock your boat. A second season has been announced.
gurren lagann
©GAINAX, KAZUKI NAKASHIMA / Aniplex, KONAMI, TV TOKYO, DENTSU / Courtesy of Crunchyroll
As The attack of the Titans, gurren lagann begins its story with a few young people who resent their confined existence (underground villages in the case of gurren lagann) and yearn to fight their oppressors. But unlike the often dark world of The attack of the TitansThis 27-episode mecha story is child’s play, full of wit and humor as a band of hopeful teenagers commandeer giant robots to reclaim the surface from an evil tyrant.
(Disclosure: Retailer links may earn money to support our work.)
