Attack on Titan is a worldwide phenomenon; it is a story that almost everyone on the planet has heard about, and many have also watched the anime or read the manga. As we are slowly approaching the conclusion of this epic tale, I thought of making a list of all the Attack on Titan arcs to ensure we have all the information in case we want to revisit the story from the beginning!
The story of Attack on Titan is an absolute gem, a title that consistently ranks among the top of every list – the best anime list as well as a list featuring the best manga series – and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
With a total of 34 manga volumes and 87 anime episodes so far, the series is a must-watch. If you haven’t watched it, I am sure you must have heard about it. That’s how big and popular the series is!
If you haven’t watched the show and have finally decided to start watching it, this is the right time. The anime is approaching its end as the final season will soon begin airing, and there’s no better time to watch the show from beginning to end and be in awe of the epic tale written by Hajime Isayama.
So, if you are curious about how many Attack on Titan arcs there are, I’ve got you covered. In this article, you will find a list of all the story arcs in order, along with a short description and what manga chapters and anime episodes are covered, so you have a clear idea of when a story arc concludes and when it is the right time to take a break before you start another arc!
All Attack on Titan Arcs in Order:
Unlike anime titles like One Piece or Bleach, Attack on Titan follows a seasonal approach, which helps it keep the filler episodes to a minimum. In fact, there is no filler content in AoT, so you don’t have to skip any episodes.
This approach helps maintain a good release schedule and does not compromise on the story’s animation or pacing.
So, there’s no difference in the number of story arcs between Attack on Titan’s anime and manga. The story arcs in anime are identical to the Attack on Titan manga arcs, and I have mentioned them all below.
No. | Arc Name: | Manga Chapters: | Anime Episodes: |
1 | The Fall of Shiganshina Arc | Ch. 1-2 | Ep. 1-2 |
2 | Battle of Trost District Arc | Ch. 3-14 | Ep. 5-13 |
3 | 104th Training Corps Arc | Ch. 15-18 | Ep. 3-4 |
4 | The Female Titan Arc | Ch. 19-34 | Ep. 14-25 |
5 | Clash of the Titans Arc | Ch. 35-50 | Ep. 26-37 |
6 | Royal Government Arc | Ch. 51-70 | Ep. 38-49 |
7 | Return to Shiganshina Arc | Ch. 71-90 | Ep. 50-59 |
8 | Marley Arc | Ch. 91-106 | Ep. 60-68 |
9 | War for Paradis Arc | Ch. 107-139 | Ep. 69-89 |
Attack on Titan Arcs Explained:
1. The Fall of Shiganshina Arc
The story’s first arc introduces us to the main characters – Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlett – and shows how the peace and quiet that the people within the walls enjoy was shattered at the hands of the human-eating Titans.
Humanity lives within the confines of walls to protect themselves from the threat of the Titans, and they haven’t seen a titan for ages. However, the peace is shattered when a Colossal Titan breaks the wall, and the Titans come pouring in, resulting in the main character, Eren Yeager, witnessing a horrific accident that will put him on a path of revenge, which is to eradicate every single Titan in existence.
2. Battle of Trost District Arc
This is the second story arc of Attack on Titan, and it skips a bit ahead in time when Eren, Armin, and Mikasa, along with others, have graduated as members of the 104th Training Corps and are thrust into a battle with the Titans when the Colossal Titan appears again at the Trost District.
During the battle, many cadets lose their lives, and all seems lost when Eren Yeager discovers a mysterious power slumbering within him. This power can prove to be a great help in his fight against the Titans, or it could become a curse.
3. 104th Training Corps Arc
The third story arc of Attack on Titan, the 104th Training Corps Arc, takes us back before the battle of the Trost District and right after the Fall of Shiganshina arc.
After witnessing a horrifying sight, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa join the military and enroll in the army as members of the 104th Training Corps. While they train to become soldiers who’ll ultimately battle against the Titans to keep humanity safe, they meet several like-minded people and make lifelong friends, friends who’ll be on their side on the battlefield!
4. The Female Titan Arc
This is where the story takes a chilling turn as the characters discover one of the dark truths about the world they live in.
Eren Yeager is assigned to Captain Levi’s squad as a member of the Survey Corps, and he, along with a couple of his friends, has to venture outside the walls on the upcoming expedition. However, they are met with an unknown danger, a Female Titan, something no one could have predicted.
5. Clash of the Titans Arc
After discovering that a traitor was lurking within the walls that were supposed to protect humanity from Titans, our heroes are in for another betrayal.
Clash of the Titans arc is the fifth arc in Attack on Titan, and it features the main characters gathering at Wall Rose to investigate the sudden appearance of Titans. The members of the 104th Training Corps are working hard to battle the Titans and wipe them out to secure Wall Rose, but they discover that not all members of the Corps have the same intention.
The identity of the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan, the two Titans who broke through the walls and shattered the peace humanity enjoyed, is finally revealed!
6. Royal Government Arc
The 6th story arc of Attack on Titan pivots from the Humanity vs. Titans narrative and showcases that the world of Attack on Titan has many dangers, and one of those dangers is humans themselves.
This arc gets very political, and it all starts following the murder of a minister, and the situation within the walls deteriorates. There’s an attempt to kidnap Eren and Historia for reasons I won’t go into because that would be giving out spoilers. However, the King is planning something that would significantly endanger the humans living within the walls.
And so, Erwin Smith, the commander of the Survey Corps, makes a bold plan to overthrow the government, strip the King of his position, and make Historia the new Queen.
7. Return to Shiganshina Arc
Since the Titans’ attack at the story’s beginning, the Shiganshina district has been overrun by Titans. However, following the Royal Government arc, there is peace once again within the walls, and a new weapon has been developed that could give the Survey Corps a considerable advantage against the powerful Titans.
And so, a new expedition is planned to go to Shiganshina, fight the Titans, and reclaim the territory that humanity has lost. But that’s not the only reason why the expedition is planned.
Another reason to undertake this dangerous mission, where they will have to fight the Beast Titan, the Armored Titan, and the Colossal Titan, along with several mindless Titans, is because the Survey Corps want to go to Eren’s home and find out what’s hidden in the basement of his house.
8. Marley Arc
The penultimate story arc, the Marley Arc, showcases that humanity is not on the edge of extinction because there live humans across the sea in different parts of the world, and the people within the walls were basically prisoners on an island.
We go to the nation of Marley, which is using the power of the Nine Titans to win wars against its enemies, but the emergence of modern weaponry is slowly making them realize that they can’t rely on the Titans for long. And so the Government of Marley figures out that they need the power of the Founding Titan to maintain their control over their enemies.
Unfortunately for them, the power of the Founding Titan rests within Eren Yeager, and he will soon make his move, which will shake the world to its core and make it realize that they are all in grave danger!
9. War for Paradis Arc
The final story arc of Attack on Titan is as action-packed, if not more, as the rest of the story and everything we knew about the world of Attack on Titan is thrown out the window.
The Survey Corps is back on the island of Paradis after capturing Eren, who had launched an attack on Marley. However, there’s a rogue faction within the Survey Corps that is dedicated to Eren’s plans and thinks that if they are to survive, they have to accept Eren as their leader.
The Marleyan government decides to launch a counter-strike on the island, but things don’t go as planned as Eren’s true plans are finally revealed. He wants to unleash the “Rumbling” and commit genocide by annihilating every human in the world so that the Eldians, the people on the island, can finally live in peace.
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