Attack on Titan watch order: How to watch the AoT anime in order
Give your hearts as we delve into how to watch AoT in the right order
Attack on Titan is one of the most popular anime around, and 2023 is a huge year for AoT. After first premiering 10 years ago, the Attack on Titan anime is finally coming to an end this year, with fans finding out how the story of Eren Yeager and the Survey Corps wraps up.
Based on Hajime Isayama's manga, the series is known for its epic moments, brilliant characters, jaw-dropping plot twists, heart-pounding battles and stunning animation courtesy of Wit Studio and then MAPPA. If you want to get into Attack on Titan before the final episode airs we've rounded up everything you need to know to get you started and explain why you should watch AoT in release order instead of chronological order.
How to watch Attack on Titan in release order
The recommended way to watch Attack on Titan is simply to watch it in release order. So that's starting with season one and working your way through to season 4.
The reason it's best to watch Attack on Titan in release order than chronological order is the special OVA episodes. OVA stands for Original Video Animation, but also has been referred to as OADs. In the case of Attack on Titan, the OVAs essentially act as side stories that you don't have to watch to understand the main story. But it does help flesh out the characters more and are definitely recommended viewing.
These episodes happen at different points in the AoT timeline and were released in between main season runs. These episodes chronologically take place at random points and are really designed for people who have seen mainline episodes that aired beforehand. Watching chronological means you could watch an OVA that gives away something you haven't got round to in the main seasons.
If you need help trying to figure out how to watch Attack on Titan in release order then here's a step-by-step guide:
AoT in release order:
- Attack on Titan season 1 - episodes 1-25
- Attack on Titan OVA - Ilse's Notebook
- Attack on Titan OVA - The Sudden Visitor
- Attack on Titan OVA - Distress, No Regrets
- Attack on Titan season 2 - episodes 26-37
- Attack on Titan OVA - Lost Girls Wall Sina Goodbye
- Attack on Titan season 3 part 1 - episodes 38-40
- Attack on Titan OVA - Lost Girls Lost in the Cruel World
- Attack on Titan season 3 part 1 - episodes 41-49
- 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 - episode 88
It's worth pointing out we listed the OVAs above based on when they originally released in Japan. These special AoT episodes only became available to stream in the West on Crunchyroll at the end of 2021 years after it first came out. In the West Crunchyroll released the OVAs in-between Season 4 Part 1 and Season 4 Part 2 of AoT. They were originally released in the Japan alongside special editions of the manga.
Also, for simplicity's sake we didn't include the Attack on Titan recap movies like Chronicle as it just rounds up events from the series.
How to watch Attack on Titan in chronological order
As we mentioned before, for first time viewers its best to watch Attack on Titan in release order than chronological order. That's because of the special OVA episodes which feature side stories focusing on characters like Mikasa and Levi.
You don't need to watch these episodes to follow the main Attack on Titan story but it's recommended viewing as it helps develop these characters further. Plus, they're just great episodes in general that are worth your time.
These episodes happen at random points in the Attack on Titan timeline, so watching chronologically can spoil things you wouldn't have got round to yet it you were watching in release order.
If you're curious though, you can find out below how to watch Attack on Titan chronologically. We have put asterisks by two of the entries though as those season runs contain important episodes which have flashback scenes.
It's difficult to pinpoint in the timeline when these episodes take place without giving anything away so we'll leave that for you to come across:
AoT in chronological order:
- Attack on Titan OVA - No Regrets Part 1
- Attack on Titan OVA - No Regrets Part 2
- Attack on Titan season 1 - episodes 1-3
- Attack on Titan OVA - Distress
- Attack on Titan OVA - The Sudden Visitor
- Attack on Titan OVA - Ilse's Notebook
- Attack on Titan season 1 - episodes 4-16
- OVAs - Lost Girls Wall Sina Goodbye Part 1, Lost Girls Wall Sina Goodbye Part 2
- Attack on Titan season 1 - episodes 17-25
- Attack on Titan season 2 - episodes 26-37
- Attack on TItan season 3 part 1 - episodes 38-49
- Attack on Titan OVA - Lost Girls Lost in the Cruel World
- 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 - episode 88
Where can I watch Attack on Titan?
In the US the two best places to watch Attack on Titan are Crunchyroll and Hulu. Both of these streaming services have every single episode of Attack on Titan, while Crunchyroll also has the OVAs.
Both Crunchyroll Premium and Hulu are priced from $7.99 a month. Crunchyroll also offers a 14 day free trial while Hulu offers your first month free so you can try before you buy.
Crunchyroll also has the first season of Attack on Titan available to watch entirely for free if you watch it with ads. To watch the first season of Attack on Titan free simply head to the Crunchyroll Attack on Titan page. Then, choose the episode you want to watch from the first season and click play.
Attack on Titan is also available on Prime Video, but you'll have to purchase individual episodes or boxsets if you want to watch it via Amazon's service.
What is next for Attack on Titan?
In 2023 the Attack on Titan anime is finally coming to a close. The anime is adapting the last chapters of the manga into two feature length episodes. The first came out in March 2023 and was an hour long. While the release date for the final Attack on Titan episode is penciled in for autumn 2023.
The road to the Attack on Titan anime ending has been a long one. Season 4 of the anime started way back in December 2020. This was followed by Season 4 Part 2 in 2022 and now Season 4 Part 3 and Season 4 Part 4 in 2023.
Season 4 Part 3 is also known as The Final Chapters Special 1 while Season 4 Part 4 - which will be the last ever Attack on Titan episode - is otherwise called The Final Chapters Special 2 or episode 89.
For more on Attack on Titan find out what series creator Hajime Isayama said at Anime NYC last year. And if you need help getting into other popular animes checkout our helpful Demon Slayer watch order, Dragon Ball watch order and One Piece watch order articles.