The original Attack on Titan is widely regarded as one of the most influential anime of all time; however, the ending of the series proved controversial and left fans feeling disappointed. So the fan community took it upon themselves to come up with their own ending.
In 2021, Attack on Titan: Requiem, a doujinshi (fan-made manga) that rewrites the final three chapters of the original story was released. Taking inspiration from the Akatsuki no Requiem music video by Linked Horizon, the project offers a dark and more "complete" conclusion to the story, including a more intense final battle and a different resolution to Eren's arc.
Back in 2023, fan-animation group Studio Eclipse announced plans to adapt Attack on Titan: Requiem. Although it was originally released and made available on YouTube earlier this year, it has now suddenly been removed. Anime fans noticed today that the video was deleted by its owner, which has led to speculation that Kodansha might have forced Studio Eclipse to take it down over copyright demands. There's been a crackdown on fan-made animations and adaptations of late, especially if there is money involved.
While it's no longer available on YouTube, the full English episode has been re-uploaded to X/Twitter. It's unclear why it's allowed to be posted to X/Twitter, and not YouTube, although it's possible it could be just as easily pulled from there at any moment. Here's the original trailer.
This initial episode covers Chapter 1 of Attack on Titan: Requiem, which is currently four parts. Unfortunately, Studio Eclipse has not confirmed plans to animate any additional chapters. And if they are no facing legal copyright issues, we may never see the other chapters animated.
Despite frustration with the original manga ending, reception to Attack on Titan: Requiem has also been mixed. Although it received praise for its visuals and effort, there's also criticism of its writing and character interpretation.
If fan-made projects aren't quite your thing, the original Attack on Titan anime is available to stream in its entirety on Crunchyroll and Hulu. The first three seasons are also on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. WIT Studio produced the first three seasons of the Attack on Titan anime with MAPPA taking over for the final season. The series synopsis reads:
Known in Japan as Shingeki no Kyojin, many years ago, the last remnants of humanity were forced to retreat behind the towering walls of a fortified city to escape the massive, man-eating Titans that roamed the land outside their fortress. Only the heroic members of the Scouting Legion dared to stray beyond the safety of the walls – but even those brave warriors seldom returned alive. Those within the city clung to the illusion of a peaceful existence until the day that dream was shattered, and their slim chance at survival was reduced to one horrifying choice: kill – or be devoured!
Did you enjoy the original Attack on Titan series and its ending?