How to watch Attack on Titan in order: A chronological guide

For several seasons, we followed Eren Yaeger and the Survey Corps risk everything to stop the titans, so here’s the best way to enjoy Attack on Titan in order.

Attack on Titan is one of the best anime of the century thus far. The manga from Hajime Isayama stirred up a storm when it debuted in 2009, only to become a defining piece of pop culture when the anime show kicked off in 2013.

The epic story centers on Eren Yeager and the Survey Corps, a special battalion created to defend their city from the terrifying Titans, gigantic, humanoid monsters that eat inhabitants whole. As the stakes rise, so does the production value, and though the ending was controversial, it’s still satisfying, as is the journey there.

If you’ve been wondering where to start, we’ve gone through the entire franchise and outlined several ways you can go about joining the Survey Corps yourself.

How to watch Attack on Titan in order

Attack on Titan has four seasons, and they can all be watched as they came out. The first two seasons arrived according to a regular schedule, and the other two were split into parts (or cours) of varying lengths.

What you need to be wary of when tackling Attack on Titan in order is the time commitment later on. The two-parter that caps off the show involves a pair of almost feature-length specials, so when you’re that far, just remember to carve out the appropriate length of time needed to see it all.

• Attack on Titan Season 1: Episodes 1-25
• Attack on Titan Season 2: Episodes 26-37
• Attack on Titan Season 3, Part 1: Episodes 38-49
• Attack on Titan Season 3, Part 2: Episodes 50-59
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 1: Episodes 60-75
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 2: Episodes 76-87
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 3, Special 1: Episode 88
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 3, Special 2: Episode 89

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Attack on Titan complete watch order with OVAs

Attack on Titan with the OADs gives you the complete viewing experience, with every bit of character detail and nuance possible. These are shorts released as part of the home media versions that complement the existing storytelling.

Creator Hajime Isayama only wrote one of them, Ilse’s Notebook. Most of the rest are based on jokes and references from the manga; Distress is entirely new and has no basis outside the anime.

• Attack on Titan Season 1: Episodes 1-25
• Ilse’s Notebook (OVA)
• The Sudden Visitor (OVA)
• Distress (OVA)
• No Regrets Parts 1 and 2 (OVA)
• Attack on Titan Season 2: Episodes 26-37
• Lost Girls: Wall Sina, Goodbye Parts 1 and 2 (OVA)
• Attack on Titan Season 3, Part 1: Episodes 38-49
• Lost Girls: Lost in the Cruel World (OVA)
• Attack on Titan Season 3, Part 2: Episodes 50-59
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 1: Episodes 60-75
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 2: Episodes 76-87
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 3, Special 1: Episode 88
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 3, Special 2: Episode 89

How to watch Attack on Titan in chronological order

If you want to follow Attack on Titan chronologically, you need only to make a couple of changes to the overall order. Keep all the OVAs, but move one into the middle of Episode 49, because it takes place before the last scene and post-credits reveal.

• Attack on Titan Season 1: Episodes 1-25
• Ilse’s Notebook (OVA)
• The Sudden Visitor (OVA)
• Distress (OVA)
• No Regrets Parts 1 and 2 (OVA)
• Attack on Titan Season 2: Episodes 26-37
• Lost Girls: Wall Sina, Goodbye Parts 1 and 2 (OVA)
• Attack on Titan Season 3, Part 1: Episodes 38-49 (first half)
• Lost Girls: Lost in the Cruel World (OVA)
• Attack on Titan Season 3, Part 1: Episode 49 (second half and post-credits scene)
• Attack on Titan Season 3, Part 2: Episodes 50-59
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 1: Episodes 60-75
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 2: Episodes 76-87
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 3, Special 1: Episode 88
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 3, Special 2: Episode 89

Best way to watch Attack on Titan

There’s no real bad way to watch Attack on Titan. That said, the best approach for Attack on Titan involves focusing on what’s absolutely necessary to the plot. The story was mostly adapted in chronological order and despite the multiple parts towards the end, it’s not drawn out too much.

Some OADs matter more than others, and picking out the right ones will give you the most complete picture with the least amount of filler.

• Attack on Titan Season 1: Episodes 1-25
• Ilse’s Notebook (OVA)
• No Regrets Parts 1 and 2 (OVA)
• Attack on Titan Season 2: Episodes 26-37
• Attack on Titan Season 3, Part 1: Episodes 38-49
• Attack on Titan Season 3, Part 2: Episodes 50-59
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 1: Episodes 60-75
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 2: Episodes 76-87
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 3, Special 1: Episode 88
• Attack on Titan Season 4, Part 3, Special 2: Episode 89

Crunchyroll

Is it necessary to watch the Attack on Titan movies?

No, you don’t need to watch any of the Attack on titan movies in order to enjoy or understand the franchise. All the released films thus far have been compilations, meaning they simply recap footage and information from the seasons.

The live-action Attack on Titan films have nothing to do with the anime beyond using the same source material. Ditto the sequel mini-series. If you want to watch them you can – they’re pretty good for the novelty of seeing titans in live-action – but unneeded for narrative purposes.

How long does it take to watch all of Attack on Titan?

For such a monumental franchise, Attack on Titan is extremely manageable to get through. You have 94 episodes of the Attack on Titan anime and a selection of OADs, and that’s the whole thing.

Compared to the thousand-plus timesink of One Piece and the hundreds across each leg of Dragon Ball, that’s practically nothing. Attack on Titan is molded similarly to Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen, where less is more.

Demon Slayer has 63 episodes, and Jujutsu Kaisen stands at just 47 so far. Numbers have gotten lower over the years, with shorter seasons that stick closer to the manga. Attack on Titan was a forebear in that regard, and a very effective one at that.

It’s not fully over either, as we have Attack on Titan: The Last Attack coming soon. Check out our guides on Dragon Ball Daima and One Punch Man Season 3 for more from the titans of anime.