X Japan and HYDE to Do Theme Song for 'Attack on Titan' Season 3

One of the most highly-anticipated moments of Anime Expo 2018 is the premiere of Attack on Titan season 3 and if that alone wasn't hugely exciting then today's big news certainly is. X Japan and HYDE will do the theme song for the anime series' third season.

Announced today, the theme song is named "Red Swan'. The announcement was made just ahead of the premiere today so there aren't a lot of details yet, but it does follow a tweet from Attack on Titan producer Kensuke Tateishi last week teasing a surprise for fans at the Anime Expo 2018 premiere.

"We are very sorry Japan, but we are going to have a world premiere in Los Angeles for the 'Attack on Titan' season 3 anime. There will be a little surprise. I went for "Welcome to the Ballroom" last year, but it is a blessing to have work every year."

It's not certain if the "Red Swan" theme song is the only surprise Tateishi was referencing, though fans on Reddit have had some wild speculation as to what it could be. The largest consensus prior to the premiere was that the surprise would be official confirmation that the season would be 24 episodes long. Other suggestions as to the nature of the surprise included a new seasonal trailer or select preview footage which would be not only a gift for the Anime Expo crowd, but for the larger fanbase not at the convention.

For those unfamiliar with Attack on Titan, the series was originally created by Hajime Isayama. Starting its run in Kondansha's Bessatsu Shonen Magazine in 2009, the series has been collected into 23 volumes as of 2017. It's set in a world where the last remnants of humanity live within a walled city in order to escape the danger of the Titans, a race of giant monsters that eats humans. Eren Yeager joins the military with his two childhood friends Mikasa and Armin after the Titans break through the wall and attack his hometown.

Attack on Titan season 3 will arrive in July for lucky fans. The anime will debut its first episode at Anime Expo, before Funimation will bring the premiere to U.S. theaters on July 10th and 11th. Attack on Titan season 3 hits TV on July 22. For the theatrical release, you can look up participating theaters and showtimes through Funimation.