Why did Attack on Titan anime change Studios? Explained

Today, Attack on Titan anime is arguably one of the most popular and influential series out there. A gripping storyline, incredibly complex characters, splendid animation, and high-octane action sequences are a few of the many reasons for this series' popularity. The manga was fairly popular when Hakime Isayama first penned the series. However, the attention it received was exponentially higher when the anime adaptation was first released.

Tasked with animating this mammoth of a series, was WIT Studio. Attack on Titan anime was first animated by this studio and they had done a splendid job in animating the source material. The fight choreography and the sheer fluidity in the characters’ movements were incredible.

However, after the third season, Attack on Titan anime decided to change the animation studio for the remainder of the series, and that’s when MAPPA took over. This article will help readers understand more about the shift in studios and the exact reason for the same.

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Reason for the shift in studios for the Attack on Titan anime

WIT Studio was formed by animators who were once a part of Production I.G. They decided to start their own venture with the blessings of their former employer and President of Production I.G. at that time Mitsuhisa Ishikawa. When WIT Studio came into being, Kodansha was looking for studios that wanted to animate Hajime Isayama’s magnum opus.

The studio expressed their eagerness in animating this since the producers who were now in WIT Studio were not only familiar with the narrative but also liked the source material they would work with. A deal was made and WIT Studio was now responsible for producing the Attack on Titan anime. The seamless cohesion of 2D art style with 3D CGI was a massive hit, and the studio is considered to be one of the best for anime.

The reason why Attack on Titan anime changed studios was to further enhance the production for the concluding season. In an interview with Newtype, producer Kensuke Tateishi stated that during the production of season three, they spoke to WIT Studio and decided that the final season would be created by a different production studio.

“One of the reasons is because the end of season three has the protagonist gazing at the ocean, marking a turning point for the story. Also, as creators we wanted the anime to escalate even further," he added.

Tateishi noted that after multiple discussions with WIT Studio, they understood that the continuation would be difficult and began looking for a new studio.

"Kinoshita, Maeda, and I divided the searching duties among ourselves, but most studios turned us down. Everyone understood what big shoes they had to fill, and we were told by dozens of studios that they emphatically could not accept,” Tateishi added.

He continued that the only studio which said that they would consider was MAPPA and when they spoke to WIT, the latter said that they could "rest easy" since the production was in "MAPPA's hands." Once the producers agreed, the production of the season was given to MAPPA.

Given the sheer hype that the anime series has created for the concluding season, the production quality only had to improve from here on. WIT Studio’s schedule was also getting packed as the days progressed.

One can even say that Attack on Titan is one of the biggest modern anime projects, and therefore, they were looking for a studio that can handle a project as big as this. This is the reason why MAPPA was chosen and the concluding season of this wonderful anime title will be produced by the aforementioned studio.

Stay tuned for more Attack on Titan anime and manga news as 2023 progressed.