Attack On Titan: Top 5 Titan Battles That Shaped The Series (Photo Credit – Prime Video)
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Few anime series have delivered the kind of raw, overwhelming scale that Attack on Titan has brought to the small screen. Over its four seasons, the show evolved from a survival horror story into a full-blown war epic, packed with emotional character arcs and jaw-dropping battles. The series is named Attack on Titan, and most of its arcs revolved around humanity waging war against the giant creatures. However, not every fight in the series was a David vs. Goliath kind of battle. Throughout the story, these Titans fought amongst themselves, giving fans some of the most memorable moments from the world of Paradis Island.
But when we say “best Titan vs. Titan fights,” let’s be clear: we’re specifically talking about Titan-on-Titan combat. That means iconic moments like Levi’s battle against the Beast Titan, as incredible as they were, aren’t part of this particular list. Here are the five best Titan fights from the series, ranked by impact, scale, and narrative weight.
5. Eren vs. Annie (Female Titan) – The First Major Titan Duel
Beginning in: Season 1, Episode 21 (“Crushing Blow: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, Part 5”)
This was the first real Titan-on-Titan duel in Attack on Titan and set the tone for everything that followed. Eren’s raw, unrefined Titan form clashed against Annie’s graceful yet deadly Female Titan in a battle inside Wall Maria, a land already lost to Titans by that point. The fans didn’t knew the identity of the Female Titan at that point, and the characters did not know what they were up against.
Even so, Levi Squad did their everything and wound up losing their lives. Eren Yeager makes up his mind and goes on to fight Annie, in what was his first major battle. While the Female Titan managed to get away, the whole fight was brilliant. This was followed by a rematch just a few episodes later, where Annie’s identity was revealed.
4. Eren & Zeke vs. Marley Titans (Season 4) – War On Paradis
Beginning in: Season 4, Episode 17 (“Judgment)
Director: Jun Shishido, Yuichiro Hayashi
IMDb Score (Episode): 9.1
By Season 4, the stakes had escalated beyond the island. Eren and Zeke’s uneasy alliance saw them battling against the full might of Marley’s Titans. The battle wasn’t just about Titans fighting each other, but about two ideologies clashing: freedom versus control, isolationism versus global war.
The battle choreography took a darker, grittier tone here. Eren’s Attack Titan combined with Zeke’s Beast Titan to hold off the Jaw, Cart, and Armored Titans. However, what truly elevates this fight is its sheer scale, showcasing Titans rampaging through cityscapes and armies falling like dominoes amidst the chaos. The fight also saw one of the most tragic moments in the series, where a majority of Paradis’ military was turned into brainless Titans after Zeke screamed.
3. Founding Titan vs. The Hero Titans – Battle of Heaven & Earth
Beginning In: Season 4, Episode 28 (“The Dawn of Humanity”)
Director: Hidekazu Hara, Mitsue Yamazaki & Tokio Igarashi
IMDb Score (Episode): 9.6
In the series’ climactic final arc, Eren, as the Founding Titan, faces off against an alliance of former enemies turned reluctant heroes, Armin, Reiner, Annie, Pieck, and others. The scale here is unlike anything seen before in anime: colossal Titans by the thousands, sky battles, naval fleets annihilated, and the world quite literally on the brink of destruction.
What’s unique about this battle is its layered tragedy. These aren’t just action beats; every clash carries the weight of personal history, loss, and impossible choices. The visuals, like Eren’s enormous, skeletal Founding Titan form, are haunting, while the stakes redefine what anime finales can look like.
2. Eren vs. Reiner – Beginning of a Feud
Beginning In: Season 2, Episode 6 (“Warrior”)
Director: Hiroyuki Tanaka
IMDb Score (Episode): 9.8
Eren versus Reiner is a rivalry that runs throughout the series, but their first fight in Season 4 stands as the most emotionally and technically impressive. The episode featured one of the most shocking reveals in the series, where Reiner and Bertholt casually revealed their identity as the ones behind the coup of Wall Maria. Fortunately, Mikasa, Eren, and other characters had a hint of their betrayal and managed to give themselves a chance of fighting.
The fight choreography was intense, using martial arts-inspired grapples and throws instead of pure destruction. Reiner’s Armored Titan felt genuinely vulnerable, while Eren’s Attack Titan showed strategic growth. Eventually, the Colossal Titan’s jump from the top of the wall was a fitting climax to a fight that would come to repeat itself numerous times throughout the series.
1. Attack Titan vs. War Hammer Titan – Shock & Awe
Episode: Season 4, Episode 5 (“Declaration of War”)
Director: Yuichiro Hayashi
IMDb Score (Episode): 9.8
Topping the list is Eren’s brutal assault on Marley’s capital, Liberio, where he takes on the War Hammer Titan in what’s arguably Attack on Titan’s most intense one-on-one duel.
From a purely technical standpoint, this fight changed the entire language of how Titan battles were animated. The War Hammer Titan’s weaponized abilities introduced never-before-seen tactics: hardening spikes, hammers, and crossbows, all while encased in a crystal shell. Eren’s raw power and brutal tactics, including literally eating his enemies, made this a feral and unforgettable fight.
The fight wasn’t just about Eren vs Tybur; it featured a total of eight titans – Attack, Warhammer, Founding (in Eren’s body), Armored, Colossal, Beast, Cart, and Jaw Titan. The only one missing from the action was the Female Titan, who was still at Paradis Island.
