Attack on Titan’s Final Season Sneaks In Cameo of Fan-Favorite Characters

Eagle-eyed fans have noticed a quick but fun cameo in Episode 78 of the Attack on Titan anime.

SPOILERS FOR ATTACK ON TITAN EPISODE 78 FOLLOW:

The subtle cameos appear after Eren and Zeke attempt to awaken the power of the Founding Titan, and Eren is subsequently shot and beheaded by Gabi Braun. As Eren experiences visions of his past and the memories of previous Titan users, two slightly familiar faces can be seen whirring past him -- it's his best friends, Armin Arlert and Mikasa Ackerman, but they look very different than usual. That's because these aren't the versions of the characters that Eren is familiar with: rather, they're from one of creator Hajime Isayama's parody manga previews, which were often included at the end of manga chapters and featured the bleak series' characters in comedic and outlandish situations. These versions of Mikasa and Armin, dubbed "Gothkasa" and Nerd Armin by fans, come from the preview entitled "Attack on School," which reimagined the series as a stereotypical high school drama.

Despite originally appearing in the manga as a joke, these alternate-reality versions of Mikasa and Armin have become surprisingly popular and have inspired a wealth of fan art and cosplays. Animation studio MAPPA, which is producing the final season of the show, apparently wanted to pay tribute to these fan-favorite characters by giving them a quick appearance in the anime.

In addition to the new cameo, MAPPA has also been gifting fans new art from the anime series on a weekly basis. The latest pair of drawings  looks back at happier times with a playful drawing of a young Connie and Sasha, and also looks ahead at the series' dark future, with a brooding image of Eren at the mysterious tree that has appeared throughout the series. MAPPA has promised to release new alongside the premiere of each new episode in The Final Season - Part 2, and previously revealed new art of the Eldians and Yelena.

Attack on Titan debuted in 2009 and has since become one of the most successful manga series of all time, with a worldwide circulation of over 100 million copies. An anime adaptation premiered in 2014 and was originally produced by Wit Studio (Ranking of Kings, Vivy: Fluorite Eyes' Song) but production was moved over to studio MAPPA (Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuri!! on Ice) for the series' fourth and final season. New episodes of Attack on Titan: The Final Season - Part 2 are released weekly through Crunchyroll, Funimation and Hulu. Isayama's complete manga is now available in English from Kodansha USA.

Source: Twitter