Why September 9
Attack on Titan's first chapter ran in the debut issue of Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, Kodansha's monthly manga anthology, on September 9, 2009. The Japan Anniversary Association, the private body that formally registers commemorative days in Japan, has now certified that date as "Attack on Titan Day."
Hajime Isayama drew a new celebratory illustration for the occasion, and Kodansha's Shonen Magazine Shop is selling a line of anniversary goods. Kodansha's Magazine Pocket app, better known to Japanese readers as Magapoke, opened the first 99 chapters for free on a 99-hour timer starting at midnight on September 9.
The numbers behind the celebration are enormous. Isayama's dark fantasy ran from 2009 to 2021 and has passed 140 million copies in circulation worldwide. The TV anime began in 2013 and concluded in November 2023 with the second half of The Final Season's finale.
Both Compilation Films Return in ScreenX and 4DX
The biggest announcement in the 99-item roundup reported by Anime Anime is theatrical. Attack on Titan Part 1: Guren no Yumiya, the Season 1 compilation feature known to English audiences as Crimson Bow and Arrow, returns to Japanese theaters on October 23, 2026. Attack on Titan THE LAST ATTACK, the 145-minute cut that stitches together the series' final two episodes, follows in 2027.
Both are booked in ScreenX, 4DX and ULTRA 4DX. The two films bookend the story: the first covers the Trost District fight that introduced most viewers to the series, and the second covers the ending. Premium-format screenings make this more than a standard rerun.
MAPPA Handles the Opening for Attack on Titan 3
The day also brought a key visual for the opening animation of Attack on Titan 3, Koei Tecmo's tactical hunting action game. MAPPA, which animated The Final Season, is producing that opening. The visual puts Mikasa, Armin and Levi in the foreground with Eren behind them.
The game arrives December 10 on PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam, and covers the story from beginning to end rather than adapting a single arc. A new MAPPA opening is the closest thing to new Attack on Titan animation on the calendar.
Looking Ahead
The day closes with a livestream at 9:30 p.m. JST on September 9, featuring Yuki Kaji (Eren Yeager), Yui Ishikawa (Mikasa Ackerman) and Hiro Shimono (Connie Springer). It streams on the official Attack on Titan YouTube channel, which launched the same day as the franchise's first centralized video home.
The theatrical returns announced here are Japanese bookings, and no international dates have been announced for either film. Crunchyroll ran its own US and Canada rerelease of Attack on Titan: The Last Attack on May 18, 2026, so a Western release of the ScreenX and 4DX versions is possible.
Viewers catching up before October can stream the anime on Crunchyroll and Hulu, and Kodansha USA publishes the complete manga in English. The Magapoke free-chapter campaign is region-locked to Japan, so it is not an option for readers abroad.
(C) Hajime Isayama / Kodansha