Understanding The Attack On Titan Lore, How The Manga Chapters Map Onto The Final Season & How to Watch It In Chronological Order(Photo Credit –IMDb)
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After months of waiting, the dreaded finale of “Attack on Titan” was finally released by MAPPA on Sunday and it was as heartbreaking as fans had expected it to be. While there were mixed reactions surrounding the finale, Isayama Hajime, in an interview with The New York Times, reaffirmed that this was the ending he had always envisioned. So it’s safe to say that the decade-long journey of “AOT” has finally come to an end.
It’s the kind of anime that the world won’t forget anytime soon. So, whether you’re planning to watch it for the first time or thinking of doing a rewatch, we’ve got a guide for you to do it better by understanding the story right next to its manga counterpart and going through the franchise’s releases again in chronological order.
Attack on Titan Lore
“Attack on Titan” or “Shingeki No Kyojin” is a Japanese anime based on the manga of the same name, created by Isayama Hajime. It’s about a boy, Eren who enlists in the military to protect his people from the horrors faced by giant humanoid creatures called titans that march into their cities, devouring them.
Eren and his friends have seen their fair share of horrors because of these titans. They vow to destroy them and liberate the world from their terror. As Attack on Titan progresses, we learn that there is more to these titans than meets the eye.
It follows him as he tries to come to terms with the idea that they may not be the only humans in this world and that these Titans may just be humans from a violent group of people who want Eren and his race dead.
How the Chapters Map onto the Anime Final Season
Season 4 of the “AOT” anime spans 28 episodes out of a total of 89 episodes of the series. The manga consists of a total of 139 chapters, including 2 special chapters. However, the manga’s final arc begins in chapter 107 and lasts till the end of chapter 139. This is how these chapters are mapped onto the anime
Chapters 107-139 in the manga correspond to episodes 69-89 in the anime — beginning about 8 episodes into the final season of the anime.
By extension, “AOT” Season 4 Part 3: Special Edition 1 episodes cover chapters 131-134.
Finally, AOT Season 4 Part 4: Special Edition 2 covers chapters 135-139.
The special episodes at the end were compilation episodes cut into regular-length episodes and released after a couple of months — the goal of which was to generate anticipation.
How to Watch “Attack on Titan” in a Chronological Order
“Attack on Titan” is a relatively straightforward anime to watch, the main storyline has been released in simple releases — the names in English, however, can be a bit confusing. Plus, once you bring in the OADs (Original animation DVD), it gets a bit more complicated.
Although, keep in mind that OADs are skippable. Other than offering background information on certain characters and adding side stories, they don’t add much to the main storylines, and you don’t have to watch them to understand the anime.
With that said, here is a detailed and correct order to watch “Attack on Titan” again without missing anything:
Season 1 (25 Episodes)
Ilse’s Notebook (OAD)
The Sudden Visitor (OAD)
No Regrets (OAD)
Season 2 (Episode 26-37)
Lost Girls: Wall Sina, Goodbye (OAD)
Season 3 Part 1 (Episodes 38-49)
Lost Girls: Lost in the Cruel World (OAD)
Season 3 Part 2 (Episodes 50-59)
Season 4 Part 1 (Episode 60-75)
Season 4 Part 2 (Episode 76-87)
Season 4 Part 3: The Final Chapters (Part 1) (Episode 88)
Season 4 Part 4: The Final Chapters (Part 2) (Episode 89)
The “Attack on Titan” series finale was released on November 5, 2023, and is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
