Watching Attack on Titan in order is pretty straightforward, but still requires a light amount of hand-holding if you want the full picture.
Unlike the slightly more dense experiences of watching Demon Slayer in order and watching Neon Genesis Evangelion in order, there is a clear A-to-Z structure of the series, which is only slightly confused by the sudden arrival of Attack on Titan The Movie: The Last Attack.
But there are more factors to consider: Final Chapters, multiple segmented seasons, and 'OADs' (essentially side stories that fill out the backgrounds and histories of certain characters) all make a complete watch order a little cloudier than the average viewer would like.
To help, we've put together a complete guide on how to watch Attack on Titan in order. That includes a basic release date order for those who want to keep it simple, the full picture for completionists, and a more confusing chronological order for those who have already rumbled their way through the series .
Ready? Grab your ODM gear and zip on down below for the complete Attack on Titan watch order. For more from the best anime around, we've got larger looks at the Demon Slayer Infinity Castle trilogy, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War part 3, Jujutsu Kaisen season 3. Then see what else is on the horizon with our complete guide to new anime in 2024.
How to watch Attack on Titan in order
OK, first up: let’s keep things incredibly simple. There are four seasons of Attack on Titan. The first two seasons aired as full seasons; seasons 3 and 4 aired in multiple parts – with the fourth season dubbed ‘The Final Season.’
Two 'Final Chapters' then aired in March 2023 and November 2023 respectively. Those Final Chapters are also bundled together as The Last Attack, a movie release that aims to sharpen up the visuals and sound. It's set for release in Japan this November. You can watch the movie for a more complete experience instead of watching the two Final Chapters separately.
Here’s the extremely basic watch order for Attack on Titan, complete with which episodes go where and how many parts each season is split into. We’re getting on to the more complicated stuff in a minute, don’t worry.
- Attack on Titan season 1 (episodes 1-25) [25 episodes]
- Attack on Titan season 2 (episodes 26-37) [12 episodes]
- Attack on Titan season 3, part 1 (episodes 38-49) [12 episodes]
- Attack on Titan season 3, part 2: (episodes 50-59) [10 episodes]
- Attack on Titan season 4 (Final Season), part 1: (episodes 60-75) [16 episodes]
- Attack on Titan season 4 (Final Season), part 2: (episodes 76-87) [12 episodes]
- Attack on Titan Final Chapter Special 1: (episode 88)
- Attack on Titan Final Chapter Special 2 (episode 89) or Attack on Titan: The Movie: The Last Attack
How to watch Attack on Titan in order – including OADs
Easy peasy, right? Now it’s time to introduce the OADs – side adventures involving much of the key cast. Are they skippable? Sure. But we’d really recommend watching them in the order below. Not only do you get more depth in the Survey Corps’ dynamics, these all – barring one – involve events referenced in the main series.
The first, Ilse’s Notebook, revolves around Hange and Levi encountering a Titan; the second is a fun cook-off-themed story involving Jean and Sasha; the third sees Jean and Eren team up to stop a hostage situation. That trio of OADs take place between episodes 3 and 4 of the main series – we’ll get to the chronological order later – but should be watched after the first season if it’s your first time through.
No Regrets is a Levi prequel set before the events of Attack on Titan. Again, watch that after the first season. The only other OADs are the Annie-centric Wall Sina two-parter and a surreal Mikasa chapter, Lost in the Cruel World, which is the most skippable of these extra episodes because it deals with events that aren’t strictly canon. They are all available to watch on Crunchyroll.
- Attack on Titan season 1 (episodes 1-25)
- Attack on Titan Ilse’s Notebook (OAD)
- Attack on Titan: The Sudden Visitor (OAD)
- Attack on Titan: Distress (OAD)
- Attack on Titan: No Regrets Parts 1-2 (OAD)
- Attack on Titan season 2 (episode 26-37)
- Attack on Titan: Lost Girls: Wall Sina, Goodbye Parts 1-2 (OAD)
- Attack on Titan season 3, part 1 (episode 38-49)
- Attack on Titan: Lost Girls: Lost in the Cruel World (OAD)
- Attack on Titan season 3, part 2: (episode 50-59)
- Attack on Titan season 4 (Final Season), part 1: (episode 60-75)
- Attack on Titan season 4 (Final Season), part 2: (episode 76-87)
- Attack on Titan Final Chapter Special 1: (episode 88)
- Attack on Titan Final Chapter Special 2 (episode 89)
How to watch Attack on Titan in chronological order – including OADs
We'll say it up front with the Attack on Titan chronological order: We don’t recommend this to newcomers for heavy spoiler reasons. Even then, it’s a muddled list that isn’t always as cohesive as you might expect. The release order above is the best way to watch the series. Having said that, be our guest – it’s still a fun (and unique) way to watch the series.
Before we dive into the list, a few pointers: Levi’s No Regrets OAD is set before the events of Attack on Titan.
Distress, Sudden Visitor, and Ilse’s Notebook take place (in that order) between episodes 3 and 4. Likewise, Wall Sina is definitively set between episodes 16 and 17. The final OVA, Lost in the Cruel World, takes place partly during the events of episode 49.
The rest is all in basic chronological order, barring some flashbacks and episodes that specifically dive into the past for an extended period of time. We’re keeping things fairly contained, however, without jumping about from scene to scene and season to season in awkward fashion too much. It's why you can watch episode 57 before anything else, for example, but it isn't necessary. Simply put, it’s not an ideal way to watch – though be sure to keep track of the exact chronological order with our additional notes below.
- Attack on Titan: No Regrets Parts 1-2 (OAD)
- Attack on Titan season 1: episodes 1-3
- Attack on Titan: Distress (OAD)
- Attack on Titan: The Sudden Visitor (OAD)
- Attack on Titan Ilse’s Notebook (OAD)
- Attack on Titan season 1, episodes 4-16
- Attack on Titan: Lost Girls: Wall Sina, Goodbye Parts 1-2 (OAD)
- 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: Lost Girls: Lost in the Cruel World (OAD – also alternate reality flashback)
- Attack on Titan season 3, part 2: episodes 50-59 [episodes 56-57 partially set decades before episode 1]
- Attack on Titan season 4 (Final Season), part 1: episodes 60-75
- Attack on Titan season 4 (Final Season), part 2: episodes 76-87
- Attack on Titan Final Chapter Special 1: (episode 88)
- Attack on Titan Final Chapter Special 2 (episode 89)
And there you have it! If you need more to add to your watchlist, check out the best shows on Netflix you should be watching right now, plus a look at how to watch Pokemon in order and how to watch Bleach in order.
