The first season of Attack On Titan’s anime aired back in 2013. Since then, the manga has been finished and the anime is almost fully caught up with only a few episodes to go before the story is over.
The anime has been a true adaptation of the manga and has been following it scene by scene since the beginning. Its anime has become wildly popular, bringing in many new fans to the series and into anime in general. Over the 4 seasons, many stories have been told, all of which help Eren push forward to the freedom he desires.
9/9 104th Training Corps Arc
Training arcs are almost a necessity in anime. Having your characters suddenly become much more powerful can leave a bad taste in viewers’ minds. Attack On Titan does show a brief training arc, showing Eren and his comrades joining the military, and showing viewers more about fighting Titans and ODM gear.
ODM gear and its use is one of the coolest aspects of Attack on Titan. Seeing how it is properly used and getting bits of insight into how soldiers use it efficiently helps build the world and differentiate the more skilled soldiers.
8/9 Fall of Shiganshina Arc
This arc covers the first two episodes of the show. The first episode is considered by many to be one of the best first episodes in anime history. It perfectly sets the stage for the power of the titans and the fear humans have when faced with them.
We are also shown the horrible situations the rest of humanity is left in after losing the outer wall. These two episodes are perfect for hooking you into the hopeless world inhabited and ruled by the Titans.
7/9 Marley Arc
This arc is a complete turn from the world of Attack On Titan that we know. Seeing Marley in a war heavily resembling World War 1 showed just how different the outside world is compared to what we had been seeing in Paradise up until now. Also seeing the warrior program gave a new view on titan shifters and how they are simply seen as weapons of war.
The later episodes also give us a perfect battle with Paradise finally going on the offense when attacking Marley. The Warhammer Titan was a great addition, and its fight with Eren couldn’t have been better. This was the first time in the show that we see the people of Paradise actually winning against their true enemies across the ocean.
6/9 The Battle For Trost Arc
Having seen titans before, this battle was the first time we really saw the military fighting back. Each episode of this battle showed the grim world the cadets live in and the war they are now a part of. During the first episode, we are also clearly shown that no side or main characters are safe from death when titans are involved.
The Attack Titan has come a long way since its first appearance, but seeing Eren rampage and mindlessly kill titans will always be satisfying. Having Eren finally lift the boulder to plug the hole and seal the wall is also one of the better moments in the show.
5/9 The War For Paradise Arc
While the earlier episodes didn’t have any direct conflict, the Jaegerist’s takeover of paradise shows how skilled the writing of this show can be without just fighting. Having paradise split into two sides further divided the cast, and left characters we cared about on all three sides of this war.
While season 4 seemed to shift away from the threat of pure titans, Zeke’s scream puts this show right back into its roots. The ODM scenes are animated perfectly and show the people of Paradise doing what they do best.
4/9 The Uprising Arc
Each season of Attack On Titan further thickens the plot and introduces many new ideas that build on what little lore is known at the start. The Uprising arc really starts to open up the world of Attack on Titan, and begins to give us peeks behind the curtain of the world.
Levi escaping Kenny’s squad is one of the best-animated scenes of the first three seasons. Erwin’s coup will forever be his best scene and shows us exactly why humanity has a chance with him at the helm. The battle against Rod Reiss also showed direct parallels to the first episode and showed how far the main characters have come in their fight against the Titans.
3/9 The Female Titan Arc
After the cadets are made full fledge scouts, they begin their first mission beyond the wall. Here we are shown the true power of the scout regiment, but also how rough being a scout can be. The first season does a phenomenal job of painting the bleak world, and this mission showed how a little bit of hope can go a long way.
This arc gives us our first titan shifter fight, making the power difference abundantly clear after Eren gets beat and captured. The later episodes in the arc then give a second titan shifter battle, and a better taste of the fights to come as Eren holds his own and even beats the Female Titan.
2/9 The Clash Of The Titans Arc
In this arc, we are introduced to the beast Titan and shown all the mysteries surrounding the talking titan. We’re also given the best moment in the show, and one of the greatest anime moments of all time. Reiner and Bertholdt’s reveal was unexpected and perfectly done. Eren’s shock mirrored all of our emotions and finally seeing the armored and colossal Titan again set one of the bigger plot points of the show into full motion.
Having Ymir also as a secret Titan shifter made this arc one reveal after another. This is eventually finished off with Eren using The Coordinate, and further turned our ideas of Titans just when we thought we knew what was going on. Eren and Reiner’s rivalry is one of the central conflicts of the show, and this arc sets it all off.
1/9 The Return To Shiganshina Arc
This arc is one of the best things you can watch on TV. The scouts are sent off with the people cheering for their success, and the enemies have been made clear. The scouts’ arrival at the town was strategic, intense, and perfectly animated. Their arrival perfectly sets in the tension as they wait for their enemies to appear, and both sides begin revealing their plans to outplay their unsuspecting enemy.
Levi’s speech to Erwin, Erwin’s eventual charge toward the beast, and Eren fighting Reiner with his team are some of the highest points the show has to offer. While we all knew Levi was the strongest human, his strength is almost comical as he makes short work of the beast Titan and begins the first of his many wins against Zeke.
