Watch Attack on Titan in release order: Season 1 (25 episodes), Season 2 (12), Season 3 (22), The Final Season (28), then the finale, which is either the two Final Chapters specials or the film The Last Attack. That is 94 episodes and roughly 36 hours.
Image: Fan art (AI-generated)
The short answer
- Attack on Titan, Season 1 (2013, 25 episodes)
- Season 2 (2017, 12 episodes)
- Season 3, Parts 1 and 2 (2018 to 2019, 22 episodes)
- The Final Season, Parts 1 and 2 (2020 to 2022, 28 episodes)
- The Final Chapters: Special 1 and Special 2 (2023), or the compilation film The Last Attack (2024)
Everything else, the OVAs, the four recap films and the school-comedy spin-off, is optional. You can skip all of it and lose nothing. This guide is spoiler-light: it names no deaths, twists or endings, and the one section that discusses story placement is marked.
Attack on Titan watch order at a glance
| Step | Title | Years | Episodes | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Attack on Titan (Season 1) | 2013 | 25 x 24 min | Must watch |
| 2 | Season 2 | 2017 | 12 x 24 min | Must watch |
| 3 | Season 3 Part 1 | 2018 | 12 x 23 min | Must watch |
| 4 | Season 3 Part 2 | 2019 | 10 x 23 min | Must watch |
| 5 | The Final Season Part 1 | 2020 to 2021 | 16 x 23 min | Must watch |
| 6 | The Final Season Part 2 | 2022 | 12 x 23 min | Must watch |
| 7 | The Final Chapters Special 1 and Special 2 | 2023 | 61 min and 85 min | Must watch (or step 8) |
| 8 | The Last Attack (film) | 2024 | about 145 min | Alternative to step 7 |
Why the numbering is confusing
The story is one continuous run of 94 numbered episodes, but it is packaged in a way that trips up newcomers. Season 3 and the Final Season were each split into two parts, and the Final Season has two sub-parts of its own that arrived as long TV specials instead of weekly episodes. Streaming services also label the finale differently: some show it as episodes 88 to 94, others as two "Final Chapters" specials, and some as a movie.
The studio changed too. Wit Studio animated Seasons 1 to 3 and MAPPA took over for the Final Season, with new directors and a new series composer. If the look shifts a little at the start of Final Season Part 1, that is why, not a mistake in your queue.
Step by step: the main series
1. Attack on Titan, Season 1 (2013)
Twenty-five episodes, aired 7 April to 29 September 2013 in Japan. It sets up the walled-city premise and is the easiest season to judge whether the series is for you. Give it the full cour before deciding.
2. Season 2 (2017)
Twelve episodes, 1 April to 17 June 2017. A shorter, tighter season that follows directly on from the first.
3. Season 3, Parts 1 and 2 (2018 to 2019)
Part 1 is 12 episodes (23 July to 15 October 2018) and Part 2 is 10 episodes (29 April to 1 July 2019), 22 in total. Part 2 is a direct continuation, so watch them back to back.
4. The Final Season, Parts 1 and 2 (2020 to 2022)
Part 1 has 16 episodes and began 7 December 2020. Part 2 has 12 episodes and ran 10 January to 4 April 2022. Counted as one run, the Final Season is episodes 60 to 87 of the series.
5. The Final Chapters (2023)
The anime finale came as two long specials. Special 1 aired on 4 March 2023 (Japan time) at 61 minutes and covers episodes 88 to 90. Special 2 aired on 5 November 2023 at about 85 minutes and covers episodes 91 to 94. The catalogue entry for the first special is Kanketsu-hen, the Japanese name of the Final Chapters.
Final Chapters or The Last Attack?
The Last Attack opened in Japanese theaters on 8 November 2024. It compiles the two Final Chapters specials into one film, with a new post-credits scene, 5.1 audio and some small trims, according to Crunchyroll's announcement. In North America it played for one day on 10 February 2025, in both subtitled and English-dubbed versions.
The film runs about 145 minutes, close to the 146 minutes of the two specials combined, so it does not save you any time. Pick the specials if you want the broadcast version and the original episode breaks. Pick the film if you want a single sitting and the extra scene. If you have already seen the specials, you do not need the film.
Optional extras: OVAs, recaps and spin-offs
Spoiler note: OVA placement is a judgment call, and guides disagree. Where an OVA sits can reveal small story details, so the safest rule is to watch them after the season they belong to, never before it.
The OVAs
- Ilse's Notebook, The Sudden Visitor and Distress: three short side stories released on 9 December 2013, 9 April 2014 and 8 August 2014. Most guides place them after Season 1, though the order among the three varies. Their numbering (3.25, 3.5, 3.75) hints at a spot between episodes 3 and 4, but watching them after the season avoids spoiling anything.
- No Regrets (two parts): a prequel focused on one of the squad leaders. Most guides put it after Season 1 and before Season 2. Some guides call it the strongest of the OVAs.
- Lost Girls (Wall Sina, Goodbye in two parts, plus Lost in the Cruel World): commonly placed after Season 2 and after Season 3 Part 1 respectively. Sources disagree on the exact slot, so treat it as a suggestion.
The recap films
Four films retell the TV story in compressed form: Crimson Bow and Arrow (22 November 2014, covers Season 1 episodes 1 to 13), Wings of Freedom (27 June 2015, the rest of Season 1), The Roar of Awakening (13 January 2018, Season 2) and Chronicle (17 July 2020, all three seasons up to that point). They cut scenes and add nothing a first-time viewer needs. Use them as a refresher before a rewatch, not as a replacement for the series. Do not confuse them with The Last Attack, which is the finale itself.
Junior High and the Special Omnibus
Attack on Titan: Junior High is a 12-episode comedy spin-off made by Production I.G. in 2015 that reimagines the cast as school students. It is separate from the main story and can be watched at any time. The Special Omnibus was a recap broadcast by NHK and is skippable.
How long does it take to watch?
| Path | Runtime (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | 10 hours |
| Season 2 | 4.8 hours |
| Season 3 (both parts) | 8.4 hours |
| The Final Season (both parts) | 10.7 hours |
| Final Chapters (two specials) or The Last Attack | about 2.4 hours |
| Main path total | about 36 hours |
These are our own sums from the per-episode runtimes of 24 minutes (Seasons 1 and 2) and 23 minutes (Season 3 onward), so expect a margin of a few minutes. The optional OVAs add a couple of hours at most.
Where to watch
In North America the series has been licensed to Crunchyroll, with Funimation and Hulu also listed as licensees. Streaming rights change often, and some services list the finale as episodes, specials or a film. Check the current listing before you subscribe, and confirm that the Final Chapters are included. On a "buy" platform, a season purchase may not include the specials or The Last Attack. We have not verified live availability on the date below.
Content notes and who it is for
Attack on Titan is dark and graphically violent, with war, death and heavy themes throughout. The catalogue lists the early seasons as PG-13 and the Final Season as R, and US streaming listings are commonly reported as TV-MA, so check the rating on the service you use. If this kind of grim, mature storytelling suits you, our seinen page is a good next stop, and the explainer what does seinen mean covers the label. For other long dark series, see the watch orders for Berserk, Gundam and Code Geass.
Questions people ask
How many Attack on Titan movies are there?
Five. Four are recaps of the TV series (Crimson Bow and Arrow, Wings of Freedom, The Roar of Awakening and Chronicle). The fifth, The Last Attack (2024), compiles the Final Chapters finale.
How many episodes does Attack on Titan have?
94 numbered episodes: 25 in Season 1, 12 in Season 2, 22 in Season 3 and 35 in the Final Season, which counts the Final Chapters as episodes 88 to 94.
Is Attack on Titan finished?
The anime ended with the second Final Chapters special on 5 November 2023, and The Last Attack followed in 2024 as a compilation of that finale.
Does Attack on Titan have filler?
The main seasons are the story itself, and none of them is a filler season. The optional material is the OVAs, Junior High and the recap films, and you can skip all of it.
Is Attack on Titan on Crunchyroll?
Crunchyroll is listed as a North American licensee of the series, and recent search listings report the full run there. Availability changes, so check the service itself.
Do I need to watch the OVAs?
No. They are character side stories. If you watch only some, start with No Regrets, which most guides call the strongest.
Should I watch Final Chapters or The Last Attack?
Either one. They tell the same finale at about the same length. Choose the specials for the original episodes or the film for a single sitting and the new post-credits scene.
Is the dub or the sub better?
That is personal taste. Both exist for the full run, and the English dub aired on Adult Swim's Toonami block from 2014 to 2024.
Sources
- Wikipedia, "Attack on Titan (TV series)", season dates, episode counts, recap films, studio change, licensing, fetched 4 November 2026: en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "List of Attack on Titan episodes", OVA dates, Final Chapters dates and runtimes, 94-episode total, fetched 4 November 2026: en.wikipedia.org
- AniTrendz, "Crunchyroll Announces North American and International Screening Dates for Attack on Titan: The Last Attack", 20 December 2024: anitrendz.com
- Final Weapon, "Attack on Titan Final Season Part 4 Anime Will Be 85 Minutes Long", 27 October 2023 (runtime of Special 2): finalweapon.net
- GamesRadar+, "How to watch Attack on Titan in order", main order and OVA placement, read as a search summary: gamesradar.com
- Looper, "Why Attack on Titan Is Rated TV-MA: A Parent's Guide", read as a search summary: looper.com
- MyAnimeTime catalogue entries for each season and film (runtimes, ratings): myanimetime.com
Last checked: 4 November 2026
