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Attack on Titan: The hit anime isn't as imposing as its kaiju, especially with this watch order

Let Popverse tell you how to get into the wildly popular anime in both release and chronological order

Attack on Titan season 4 image
Image credit: MAPPA
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How to by Dion Dassanayake Contributor
Additional contributions by Grant DeArmitt
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Originally a manga by Hajime Isayama, Attack on Titan has become a staple in anime culture. The story of brave Erin Yeager facing off against humanoid kaiju has permeated culture in a way that few anime have. Now, the series is over, but thta doesn't mean it's not gaining new fans.

If you're one of those newcomers; welcome! You're about to begin a journey that is emotional, action-packed, and frequently terrifying. What you don't need to be afraid of, though, is coming up with an order in which to binge the episodes of this popular series. Popverse has you covered there, with out Attack on Titan Watch order.

In this article, we're going to lay out how to get into the show from both a release and chronological standpoint, and answer a few frequently asked questions. Let's kick it off by talking about...

How to watch Attack on Titan in release order

Attack on Titan
Image credit: Crunchyroll

The recommended way to watch Attack on Titan is simply to watch it in release order. So that's starting with season 1 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:

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.

It should also be noted that parts 3 and 4 of season 4 were initially released as feature-length installments editing together their individual episodes, before airing as individual episodes in Japan. In their initial US releases on services like Hulu, they are released in the feature-length “special” format.

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

Image taken from Attack on Titan showing main characters Eren, Armin and Mikasa.
Image credit: AttackOnTitanEN Twitter

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. Here's how to watch Attack on Titan in chronological order:

Now that we've covered that, let's move on to some frequently asked questions, starting with...

Is the Attack on Titan anime complete?

Artwork for the final season of Attack on Titan showing main character Eren Yeager.
Image credit: Shingeki.tv

Yes, sadly. After it's fourth season wrapped just last year, the good folks at MAPPA have closed the book on the Survey Corps and the monsters they defend from. As of now, there are no planned projects or films based on Attack on Titan in the works.

Do I need to watch the Attack on Titan OVAs?

Like most anime, the Attack on Titan OVAs are generally considered side stories to the rest of the adventure and, as such, don’t have the biggest impact on the overall story of the show. As such, you can easily skip them if you are in a hurry or just want the essential story. If you do want to watch them, you can find each one streaming on Crunchyroll.

How does Attack on Titan End

Image taken from Attack on Titan season 4 showing a young Eren Yeager with arms outstretched by the sky.
Image credit: MAPPA, Crunchyroll

Woah, spoilers much? We're not going to just tell you that in this article - there's too much risk of a casual viewer stumbling upon the answer and ruining their experience. However, if you're reading this list and don't mind (massive) spoilers, or if you've already finished the show and want a recap, Popverse's Fran Ruiz has a great piece on the Attack of Titan ending explained.

Why was season four of Attack on Titan split up?

Studio MAPPA is one of the most prolific and high-profile anime studios working at the moment. Their projects include Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and Vinland Saga. With so many major series in development, they had to split the production of Attack on Titan season four up into several parts to keep it from overwhelming their already stretched animation staff. The result meant that they could maintain the high production values the studio is known for and give the show the send-off that it deserved.

Where can I watch Attack on Titan?

Close-up image of Attack on Titan character Mikasa looking deep in thought.
Image credit: AttackOnTitanEN Twitter

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.

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.

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