Attack on Titan Delayed After Kodansha Postpones Publications Amidst Pandemic

It seems like Attack on Titan is the latest series to be impacted by the ongoing pandemic. As the novel coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on global trade, Japan has seen its manga and anime industries take a hit. A slew of projects have experienced short- or long-term delays so far, and Attack on Titan has joined the list as its manga has been temporarily delayed.

The news comes from the editor of Attack on Titan. The series, which is published by Kodansha Comics, confirmed it will not release its next chapter on time as the publisher has had to delay ten magazines in light of Japan’s recently approved state of emergency.

According to the reports, Attack on Titan will see chapter 129 debut in June of this year. This means the content which Kodansha expected to publish in May has now been shifted back.Unless things are delayed even further, Attack on Titan will only have a one-month postponement before returning to its normal schedule.

Of course, fans are rather stunned by this news, and they have good reason to be. Kodansha Comics has delayed its magazines to adhere to Japan’s strict public health regulations which is needed, but the delay marks a first for Attack on Titan. Ever since the manga began its publication, creator Hajime Isayama has never missed a planned release date, so this postponed chapter is the very first in the series. All it took was a decade and well over a hundred chapters to get to this point… well, that and a global pandemic.

Does this latest delay surprise you? Should Kodansha look into a digital launch for its magazines if its production issues persist? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!