Audiences have been waiting for new episodes of Knights of Sidonia since season 2 ended in 2015. After three years, fans are craving any information they can get on the highly anticipated third season. Although not many updates have been released, there are some facts that we do know! So, here’s everything we know so far about Knights of Sidonia Season 3.
What is the show about
Based on a Manga of the same name, Knights of Sidonia is a space opera and mecha anime series. Thousands of years in the future, the last of humanity fled Earth on hundreds of ships, due to the threat of an alien race known as the Gauna. The series follows a ship called ‘Sidonia’, carrying possibly the last ever humans in existence.
The series focuses on the main character Nagate Tanikaze, a teenage pilot who grew up in exile. Tanikaze becomes one of the elite pilots who control exo-suits called ‘Gardes’ to protect the ship from further attacks by the Gauna. With enthralling characters, 3D battle scenes, and an exciting dystopian setting, the first 2 seasons left viewers wanting more!
Plot
Seasons 1 and 2 of Knights of Sidonia focused on the first 43 chapters of the Manga it is based on. With a total of 78 chapters to be used as inspiration, there is a lot of content left to go over in future seasons.
As Season 2 contained many time skips, it’s difficult to tell if this type of pace will be repeated in the third season. Time skips do allow for more of a story to be covered; however, it does result in smaller plot points being glossed over or entirely ignored. These skips can sometimes result in the loss of essential character developments that occurred from these plot points. Therefore, I personally hope that Season 3 follows a more traditional pace with fewer (or no) time skips.
There have unfortunately been rumors circulating that Season 3 is just a myth. With just over half of the story being covered, it would be a shame if the show’s creators chose to end the series here.
When will Season 3 be released?
Since the announcement that confirmed Knights of Sidonia was getting a third season, no further updates have been provided. With the last official update we received being from June of 2017, we can assume that this is when they began production of the series third season.
As always, nights of Sidonia will be released to Japanese audiences first, before being released to Western audiences a few weeks later. As Japanese series usually premiere early in the year, around April or May, it was speculated that Knights of Sidonia season 3 would be released to Western audiences around July 2019.
With July coming and going, audiences are worried that they may have to wait until July of 2020 for the highly anticipated third season. With no official update on the production progress of the third season since 2017, it’s impossible to know for sure whether this season is even going ahead at all.
In the past, a trailer for the previous seasons was released close to the air date. As no trailer has yet been released, we can guess that season 3 is still a way off, if it’s even being produced.
Where Will It Be Released?
As Knights of Sidonia was the first anime series licensed by Netflix, it was assumed that the third season would also follow suit.
However, as of July 3rd, 2019, Netflix’s license to stream the series has expired. With the license expiring, it is unclear whether the streaming service will renew it, or if they will abandon the series altogether. Some fans are worried that because this series is listed as a ‘Netflix original,’ the series will not continue at all. Although this is a possibility, there are some other options for the series.
Firstly, if the series is renewed by Netflix, it is a good indication that Season 3 will be released soon. Alternatively, if Netflix decides not to renew its license, Knights of Sidonia could be picked up by another streaming platform. With many fans eagerly awaiting the new season, this would be a good move for any streaming platform.
At this point, there has been no official word on the fate of Netflix’s license to stream Knights of Sidonia, so it’s impossible to predict what will happen next.
Conclusion
Although there have been no official announcements on whether we will be getting new episodes soon (or even at all) since 2017, fans are hoping that the show’s creators stick to their word. The audiences are reeling for a new season, and with the streaming license up for grabs, this could be a golden opportunity for one lucky streaming platform. Unfortunately, all we can do now is sit back and wait for an update (and maybe re-read the Manga for the 100th time).
