Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan is one of the most successful manga series ever, currently sitting at approximately 110 million in sales. The manga began serialization in 2009 and ran for 12 years before reaching its conclusion, in 2021.
The story about humankind trapping itself inside giant walls to fend off powerful, man-eating titans impressed audiences, at first with its gruesome nature, and later with incredibly thought-out plot twists and political intrigue. The question of how far one is willing to go for the sake of freedom is one that divided fans as the narrative got into the nitty-gritty history of its world, drawing comparisons to real-life historical events.
Over time, the Attack on Titan franchise expanded from a manga series to an anime adaptation, OVAs, anime spin-offs, a few light novels, and three manga spin-offs. With so much content, if you’re thinking about diving into the series, it’s best to do so in an organized matter; thus, here you have a breakdown of all of Attack on Titan‘s arcs, which make up its storytelling structure. In order to make this article as complete as possible, the arcs of the spin-offs are listed as well.
Attack on Titan story arcs
The main Attack on Titan manga series is composed of nine arcs, but if we include all the spin-offs, the number rises to 19. As you’ll come to understand, two of the spin-offs serve as prequels for the main series, and although they’re not integral to understanding the main narrative, they expand its lore and are loved by many fans. Thus, you’re not required to get through all of the spin-offs, but if you want to enjoy everything Attack on Titan has to offer, you should do so in the following order:
Attack on Titan: Before the Fall official prequel
- The Titan’s Son arc – Manga chapters 1-4
- Shiganshina arc – Manga chapters 5-13
- Visit to the Industrial City arc – Manga chapters 14-20
- Dissidence movement arc – Manga chapters 21-32
- Underground City arc – Manga chapters 33-40
- Restoration of the Survey Corps arc – Manga chapters 41-56
- Survival Expedition arc – Manga chapters 57-64 and extra chapter 9
Attack on Titan: No Regrets spin-off prequel
- No Regrets arc – Manga chapters 1-8
- This arc was adapted in two anime episode specials: “A Choice With No Regrets: Part One” and “A Choice With No Regrets: Part Two”
Attack on Titan main series
- Prologue arc/The Fall of Shiganshina arc – Manga chapters 1-2; Episodes 1-2
- Battle of Trost District arc/The Struggle for Trost arc – Manga chapters 3-14; Episodes 5-13
- 104th Training Corps arc/Humanity’s Comeback arc – Manga chapters 15-18; Episodes 3-4
- The Female Titan arc – Manga chapters 19-34; Episodes 14-25
- Note: The anime subdivides this arc into three – Eve of the Counterattack arc (episodes 14-16), The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission arc (episodes 17-22), and Assault on Stohess arc (episodes 23-25).
- Clash of the Titans arc – Manga chapters 35-50; Episode 26-37
- Royal Government arc – Manga chapters 51-70; Episodes 38-49
- Return to Shiganshina arc – Manga chapters 71-90; Episodes 50-59
- Marley arc – Manga chapters 91-106; Episodes 60-68
- War for Paradis arc – Manga chapters 107-139; Episodes 69-89
Attack on Titan: Lost Girls spin-off
- Wall Sina, Goodbye arc – Manga chapters 1-5
- This arc was adapted in two anime episode specials: “Wall Sina, Goodbye: Part One” and “Wall Sina, Goodbye: Part Two”
- Lost in the Cruel World arc – Manga chapters 6-9
- This arc was adapted in an anime episode special: “Lost in the Cruel World”
After Attack on Titan‘s conclusion, fans can always rewatch the best episodes on Crunchyroll or re-read the manga online. Even if you know how the story ends, there’s a high chance that you’ll discover something new to be impressed by, like some sneaky foreshadowing.
