Believe it or not, Attack on Titan is about to release a musical. It’s not clear how deep into the manga the musical will go. While Season 4 Part 3 is releasing sometime in 2023 (likely in January) the musical is also premiering in January. So will it spoil the anime ending? It’s unclear at this point.
Here’s what we know so far.
The Musical’s First Performance Is on January 7
The Attack on Titan musical’s first performance is on January 7. Here’s the official poster for the musical, as shared by Natalie.Mu.
The poster actually looks pretty epic. I’m still scarred by the live-action movie (and could only get through about half of it, it was so regrettable.) But hopefully this musical will be a different matter entirely.
According to an English translation of Natalie.mu, the musical stars Raimu Okamiya (Eren), Sara Takatsuki (Mikasa), Eito Konishi (Armin), Ryo Matsuda (Levi), and Takuro Ohno (Erwin.) Also starring are Yu Fukuzawa (Jean), Tomoya Nakanishi (Connie), Sena (Sasha), Mitsu Murata (Hannes), Takeshi Hayashino (Keith Shadis), Masanori Tomita (Dimo Reeves), Mimi Maihane (Carla aka Eren’s mom), Mitsuru Karahashi (Grisha aka Eren’s dad), and Riona Tatemichi (Hange.) There are also a group of people playing “blade attackers,” Crunchyroll noted.
The official website also notes Kazuaki Taie will portray Marco.
Go Ueki is directing and Masafumi Hata wrote the screenplay. Ken the 390 is the music director and Kaori Miura wrote the lyrics.
The musical will be performed in the Orix Theater in Osaka from January 7-9 and at Nippon Seinenkan Hall in Tokyo from January 14-24. Tickets will go on sale November 5 at 10 a.m. Japan time.
Some Key Figures Expressed Concern About the Musical’s Safety, Including Hajime Isayama
Hajime Isayama said this about the new musical: “When I heard about the stage adaptation, I was worried because there was a very sad accident in the past. However, I think that the people involved in the stage should pay more attention to the stage after being aware of it. With that in mind, I would like to congratulate and look forward to this stage adaptation.? Above all, I hope that both viewers and creators will enjoy Attack on Titan, which has finished serialization.”
Anime News Network noted that he was referencing a previous stage play from 2017 that was canceled after acrobat Kazutaka Yoshina died during an on-stage accident. He fell about 30 feet in an amphitheater in Tokyo Disney Resort while inspecting equipment for acrobat sequences happening during the play. He was only 38 and was described as Japan’s top male aerial performer.
Weekly Shonen Magazine’s editorial department released a skeptical statement about the musical, voicing concerns about safety. The English translation reads: “As the editorial department, I would like to take a good look at the staff, performers, people involved, and customers at the time, and seriously work on this stage. Above all, safety comes first, and we will make sure that everyone involved can enjoy it, so we appreciate your kind support.”
Could the Musical Spoil the Anime’s Ending?
Although the musical is based on the manga, which has completed, it likely won’t spoil the anime. I’m guessing this solely based on the cast list, however, so please know this is just speculation.
Attack on Titan Season 4 Part 2 premiered on January 9, while Season 4 Part 1 premiered in December 2020. Because pretty much every major publication is saying that Season 4 Part 3 is launching in 2023, I don’t suspect it will begin airing before January. (I’m not anticipating a surprise December release.) Based on how many chapters are left in the manga, Season 4 Part 3 will definitely finish out the series.
The musical is lacking some key characters that would be needed in order to complete the manga’s story, including Eren’s brother Zeke and Ymir. It’s really hard to imagine that without those characters listed among the cast, there’s any way the musical could complete the anime. We also don’t have anyone else from Marley listed in the cast, like Gabbi. Interestingly, Reiner and Bertholdt aren’t listed either, so it’s also possible that this isn’t a complete cast list.
But it would be tough for a short musical production to cover the entire story, including the Marley arc and the ending.
A live-action movie that released about Attack on Titan took a lot of liberties and changed the story quite a bit. So it’s also unclear if this musical is going to follow the manga closely or veer off and create its own storyline. Whatever the case, I can’t imagine it’ll spoil the manga ending. But we’ll have to wait and see.
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