Attack on Titan: In what order should you watch the anime, OVAs, and Movies?

How does it feel when a Sunday goes by without watching Attack on Titan aka Shingeki no Kyojin? I know the wait for the Attack On Titan Final Season Part 3 is eternal that is likely to take another 1 year to drop. Though most AOT fans know that Hajime Isayama’s manga ended last year with Chapter 139 and they know the ending to the AOT anime. But few people are patient enough to wait for the last Attack On Titan Final Season Part 3 episodes to arrive, so there are no spoilers here.

Attack on Titan began as Japanese creative author Hajime Isayama’s series that was serialized in Kodansha’s Besstasu Shonen Magazine from 2009 to 2021. The AOT manga is Isayama’s dystopian fiction work of 19th-century European culture, comic grotesque busts, and man-eating giants that shadow humans. After an exceptional 12-year-run, the manga ended in April 2021. There are currently 34 tankonbon volumes of the AOT manga with over 100 million copies in circulation.

AOT franchise has 4 Seasons and 87 episodes with the last season split into 3 cours. It has also released numerous OVAs, spin-offs, 3 AOT movies, and 2 live-action movies.

Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 is rated highly at 8.97/10 on My Anime List.

Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) anime is streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation, Netflix, and Hulu.

AOT fans optimistically speaking have almost a year to revisit all the anime seasons, OVAs, specials, and movies in the correct Attack on Titan watch order so that the finale episodes fit into the main story.

For starters, unlike AOT’s plot, the ideal AOT watch order is relatively straightforward. There are two possible choices. One is the chronological order as listed below. The other one is the modified order that suits the personal taste and that is meant for experienced AOT fan clubs. To be honest neither makes much of a difference in the long run.

What is Attack On Titan Watch Order Guide?

It’s been a tumultuous ride with Eren Yeager’s adventures spread over the last 4 seasons of Attack on Titan. While the entire anime network on the internet tried to figure out how the epic saga of Shingeki no Kyojin would end, Attack On Titan Final Season Part 3 announcement took everyone by surprise. Attack on Titan’s final season has already spanned 2 years, with AOT Part 1 premiering in 2020 and Attack on Titan Season 4 Part 2 airing in January 2022. With the next season set for a release, the wait for 2023 has already begun!

The timeline of the series remains inflated even today by a ton of days, more influenced by the love showered by AOT fans.

I have pulled together a chronological order in which to watch Attack on Titan aka Shingeki no Kyojin, simple and most preferred that goes something like this. The optimal way to watch the Attack on Titan TV series is the order in which the franchise released Seasons, OVAs, and movies, obviously with a few exceptions. So, start your beloved Eren Yeager’s adventurous voyage without confusion.

To the relief of most of us, watching all of them is not necessary to get the AOT experience. Of the below list, one can skip AOT movies. They are mostly recaps of Season’s episodes and do not capture the minute details of actions as in Seasons. However, if you are running short of time, movies can be savers.

That leaves us with 4 Seasons, their split course, and a few OVAs. Generally, OVAs are not critical connect to the storyline, but they add an extra context to the events centering around the characters. These Original Video Animation – OVAs are released along with published manga volumes as bonus DVDs. 

Attack on Titan Season 1

Let’s start our association with Eren Yeager from Shingeki no Kyojin Season 1. It has 25 episodes in total with the first 8 volumes of the original manga getting adapted. It was released on 7th April 2013 with WIT Studios at the helm. Do keep in mind that AOT Season 1 Episode 14 constituted chapter 13.5 Ano Hi Kara, in which the events of the first 13 episodes were summarized.

Shingeki no Kyojin OVAs – Series of 3 OVAs

These 3 OVAs are all linked to Manga in some ways and are regarded as both Anime and Manga Canon.

Released on December 9, 2019, the first Attack on Titan OVA was titled “Ilse’s Diary”. It is considered to be canon because the plot follows up with a story written by Isayama-sensei for Volume 5 of the Shingeki no Kyojin manga. 

The second OVA “The Sudden Visitor” (Shingeki no Kyojin: Kui Naki Sentaku 1) was also produced by WIT Studio and released in the year 2014. This canon OVA takes us to Levi Ackerman’s past, from his first mission beyond the walls to his origins in the Reconnaissance Squad.

The third OVA “Distress” (Shingeki no Kyojin: Kui Naki Sentaku 2) was also produced by WIT Studio and released in the year 2014. The 3rd OVA is the 2nd piece of Levi’s canon OVA in which Hange and Erwin play key roles.

The second and third OVA is anime original stories and can be skipped. Watch OVAs if you’d like the characters of Hange, Levi and Ervin, Jean, Sasha, and Eren to have more screen-time.

Attack on Titan Movie- Crimson Bow and Arrow

Shingeki no Kyojin Movie 1: Guren no Yumiya aka “Attack on Titan” Prequel – Crimson Bow and Arrow is the first recap movie that captures Hajime Isayama’s storyline until the end of the Struggle for Trost arc. Crimson Bow and Arrow is just a 2-hour recap movie of the first 13 episodes of AOT Season 1. It was released on 22nd November 2014 and was of 1 hour and 58 minutes duration. It is now in the streaming catalog of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Attack on Titan Movie- Wings of Freedom

Attack on Titan Movie- Jiyu no Tsubasa aka Wings of Freedom movie is the second recap movie in the series. It summarizes the storyline of Episodes 14 to 25 of the original Shingeki no Kyojin Season 1 anime. It’s a 2-hour movie that premiered on July 27, 2015.

Attack on Titan Season 2

After the OVAs came the Attack on Titan Season 2. It has 12 episodes with a release date of 1st April 2017. Innumerable mysteries about the Titans and Eren’s own mates are revealed in the second season. One encounters the protagonists’ first raids with the Survey Corps.

Shingeki no Kyojin OVA: Lost Girls

This OVA is made up of three OVAs namely Wall Sina, Goodbye, and Lost in the Cruel World. It takes us to the story of Annie Leonhart and is based on a novel written by Hiroshi Seko. It is a spin-off manga based on the Shingeki no Kyojin manga. So even though it fits nicely into the structure of the main series, it cannot be considered canon. It premiered on 8th December 2017 and was produced by WIT Studio. It is rated 7.8/10 on MAL.

Attack on Titan Movie: Roar of Awakening

Attack on Titan: Roar of Awakening aka Shingeki no Kyojin: Kakusei no Hōkō is the third recap movie released after the completion of AOT Season 2. It takes off from Attack on Titan Movie- Wings of Freedom end and summarizes episodes 26-37 of AOT anime. It premiered on January 13, 2018, in theaters across Japan.

Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 1

Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 1 was released on 23rd July 2018. It adapted 13 to 17 volumes of the original manga. Beyond the terror of the Titans, these episodes introduce the threat posed by humans. It had 12 episodes in Part 1.

Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2

Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2 was released on 29th April 2019. It adapted 19 -22 tankonbon volumes of the original manga. The series of 10 episodes narrates one of the bloodiest battles, a struggle to discover the truth concealed in the basement of Eren’s home. WIT Studio was involved in the animation.

Attack on Titan Movie: Chronicle

Attack on Titan Movie: Chronicle is the 4th recap movie that summarizes everything that happens in the first 59 episodes of the AOT anime. It is a summary of the first three seasons. The movie is of 2 hours duration and got a theatrical release on July 17, 2020.

Attack on Titan Season 4 Part 1

For the final stretch of the series Attack on Titan Season 4 Part 1, the animation studio moved from WIT Studio to MAPPA. It had 16 episodes with the first one dropping in on 7th December 2020. It was a story of the two great sides of Shingeki no Kyojin.

Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2

12 episodes of Shingeki no Kyojin Season 4 Part 2 narrates the final of Hajime Isayam’s work. It got released on 10th January 2022.

Attack on Titan Final Season Part 3

Third time lucky and now the story is about to reach the end of the “Attack on Titan” anime . Part 3 of the Final Season is responsible for narrating what happens between chapters 131 and 139 of Isayama-sensei’s manga and it is not exactly little. As of now, we do not know the number of episodes of Attack on Titan Season 4 Part 3 but we know that it will release in 2023 and MAPPA would be the studios behind it.

“What I saw that day. What we talked about that day. What I chose that day. That’s all he wanted. He hasn’t changed anything.“
Episode 87: The dawn of mankind

AOT Season 1 was all about “Humans vs Titans” whereas Attack on Titan Season 2 centered around “Titans vs Titans”. The AOT Season 3 was more of the battles between “Humans vs Humans” and the finale Attack On Titan Season 4 is the “Battle Royale”.

Apart from AOT TV series, OVAs, and recap movies, there are a few live-action and specials too that can be watched, if time permits.

Attack on Titan Live-Action Movies and Specials

1. Shingeki no Kyojin Picture Drama released on 17th July 2013, produced by Studio Moriken deals with several specials in flash format and chibi-style characters. They are enclosed as supplementary on the DVDs and Blu-Ray of Shingeki no Kyojin Season 1.
2. Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3 Specials is a selection of short stories featuring chibi-style characters. They were included as a bonus on the AOT Season 3 DVD and Blu-Ray. Season 3 Specials was released on 17th October 2018 and produced by WIT Studio.
3. The first live-action movie of Attack on Titan got a theatrical premiere in Japan in 2105. A 98-minute live-action movie was produced by Kodansha, Licri, Nikkatsu
4. Another live-action movie to come out in 2015 was Shingeki no Kyojin: Kouhen. It was an 88-minute live-action movie with production companies Licri, Nikkatsu, Toho, Kodansha, Toneplus Animation Studios.
5. Shingeki! Kyojin Chugakko series of 12 episodes by Production I.G came out in 2015. This cute chibi-style series features the characters from the original series, but the settings and plot are completely different from the original. Discover the adventures of Eren in a Japanese institute.
6. Attack on Titan: Totsuzen no Raiho-sha OVA by WIT Studio came out in 2014. It’s a non-canonical spin-off that focuses on the story of Jean Kirstei. A partner of Eren and the others who became obsessed with Mikasa and dared to dream of joining the Military Police and who treated his mother like a villain.
7. Attack on Titan: Kon’nan OVA by WIT Studio came out in 2014. This non-canonical OVA takes us through a most complex mission for Eren’s group. The mission forces them to learn never to trust each other while they are outside the walls.

The sensational success of Shingeki no Kyojin has caught the attention of Hollywood too and thus a big-budget live-action movie based on the Isayama-sensei phenomenon is already in the works. This movie is produced under the banner of Warner Bros. Speculated release date was 2022, but absolutely nothing has been heard about the project.

Do not forget to share with us your journey, ecstacies, and heartbreaks while watching the Attack on Titan series.