is a Japanese dark fantasy anime television series based on the 2009–2021 manga series Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama. The series premiered on April 7, 2013, and concluded on November 5, 2023. Animated by Wit Studio (first three seasons) and MAPPA (final season), the series aired on MBS (first two seasons) and NHK General TV (final two seasons). In North America, the series has been streamed on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Hulu. It also premiered its English dub on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block in the United States from May 3, 2014, to January 7, 2024.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world where the remains of humanity live behind walls protecting them from giant humanoid Titans, Attack on Titan follows protagonist Eren Yeager, along with friends Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert. When a Colossal Titan breaches the wall of their hometown, Titans destroy the city and eat Eren's mother. Vowing vengeance, Eren joins the elite Survey Corps, a group of soldiers who fight against Titans. It chronicles Eren's journey with the Survey Corps as they battle the Titans while investigating their origins and history.

Attack on Titan has received universal critical acclaim since its debut in 2013 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest anime series of all time. Critics and audiences have praised the show for its storytelling, animation, action sequences, characters, voice acting (original and dubbed), soundtrack, and dark themes. The series received numerous accolades, achieved widespread popularity globally, and is regarded as having contributed to the expansion of anime's international audience.

Series overview

Season 1

In the first season, protagonist Eren Yeager witnesses the death of his mother as she is eaten by man-eating giant humanoid creatures called Titans. This becomes Eren's motivation to develop his combat skills in order to join the Survey Corps, along with his childhood friends, to fight Titans and save humanity together. Five years later, the trio graduates and become scouts, leading them to their first mission to defend the Trost District from the Colossal Titan. Later on, during this battle, Eren is eaten by a Titan himself but discovers that he can transform into a Titan, subconsciously control it, and fight as he would as a human. Under the Scout Regiment leaders Erwin Smith and Levi Ackerman, Eren learns how to use his newfound powers to combat the Titans and continues his training as more Titans continue to flood into his homeland.

Season 2

In its second season, the main cast of characters, who have graduated and joined the Survey Corps, are thrown into action looking for the damage. After searching until nightfall, two teams meet and discover the Titans breached the walls without any apparent trace of how they entered. When the graduates and their superiors are split into four teams to tell civilians to evacuate, cadet Connie Springer arrives in his hometown, Ragako where a limp and feeble Titan lays on the roof of his childhood home; the Titan alone leaves them to question how such a stunted Titan could breach Wall Sina. When some cadets take refuge in an abandoned tower, they become surrounded by Titans, sent by the abnormal Beast Titan who can communicate with not only other Titans, but humans as well. Their experienced soldiers are mercilessly killed. Faced with fear and death secrets start to unravel. Three graduate cadets are able to shift into Titans just like Eren. Along the way, the Survey Corps discover the true nature of the Titans.

Season 3

In the two-part third season, the Survey Corps are hunted by the Interior Police, working for the secretive royal government. Serial killer Kenny the Ripper and his Anti-Personnel Squad are tasked with capturing Eren and Historia Reiss. Historia reveals that she been living under a false identity, "Krista Lenz", to hide that she is the illegitimate and sole daughter of nobleman Rod Reiss, the true king of the walls. Rod reveals she must become a Titan and consume Eren in order to reclaim his power of the Founding Titan, restoring it to the hands of the royal family. Historia nearly obeys her father, but suddenly receives memories of her half-sister Frieda Reiss, the previous Founding Titan and the only member of her family who cared for her. Simultaneously, Eren views his father Grisha's memories, learning that Grisha killed Frieda in order to steal her Titan power before passing it on to him. Historia ultimately kills her father (turned Titan), becoming Queen and de-corrupting the government, and the Scouts prepare for an operation to retake Wall Maria. They do battle with the Armored, Colossal, Beast and Cart Titans in Shiganshina District, and narrowly emerge victorious, forcing their enemies to retreat. Afterwards, reeling from the devastating battles, the surviving Survey Corps members uncover the truth: there is an entire world of human civilization beyond the walls. Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and the rest of the Scouts finally encounter the sea and see what is beyond the walls: freedom.

Season 4

The fourth season, split into four parts and subtitled The Final Season, takes place four years after the Battle of Shiganshina District. Old enemies return alongside their new allies, forming the "Warrior Unit" of the walls' enemy nation, Marley. Marley and the walls society (the island of Paradis) battle, with each side fighting for their own ideals regarding the Power of the Titans and the "Subjects of Ymir" on Paradis who may wield it. Ultimately, Eren uses his power to release hundreds of thousands of Colossal Titans from within the walls, beginning the worldwide cataclysm known as the "Rumbling"; the Scouts and Warriors put aside their differences to battle this global threat.

Cast and characters

Character Japanese English Yuki Kaji Bryce Papenbrook Yui Ishikawa Trina Nishimura Marina Inoue Jessie James Grelle Hiroshi Kamiya Matthew Mercer Yoshimasa Hosoya Robert McCollum Romi Park Jessica Calvello Kishō Taniyama Mike McFarland Hiro Shimono Clifford Chapin Yū Kobayashi Ashly Burch (seasons 1–3) Megan Shipman (season 4) Daisuke Ono J. Michael Tatum Rintarō Nishi Jerry Jewell Yū Shimamura Lauren Landa Keiji Fujiwara (season 1) David Wald Kenjiro Tsuda (seasons 2–3) Tomohisa Hashizume David Matranga Noriaki Kanze (young) Shiori Mikami Bryn Apprill Saki Fujita Elizabeth Maxwell Ryōta Ōsaka Austin Tindle Takehito Koyasu Jason Liebrecht Daiki Yamashita (young) Yusaku Yara Kenny Green Kazuhiro Yamaji Phil Parsons Kensho Ono Matt Shipman Manami Numakura Amber Lee Connors Ayane Sakura Lindsay Seidel Natsuki Hanae Bryson Baugus Jiro Saito Neil Kaplan Toshiki Masuda Kellen Goff Masaya Matsukaze Griffin Burns Mitsuki Saiga Anairis Quiñones Kouji Hiwatari Zeno Robinson

Production Season 1 and compilation films

Produced by IG Port's Wit Studio and directed by Tetsurō Araki, Attack on Titan was broadcast on MBS from April 7 to September 29, 2013, and was rebroadcast on Tokyo MX, FBS, TOS, HTB, TV Aichi, BS11, and other JNN stations nationwide. The anime suffered production issues, needing more animators and with Wit Studios' character designer Kyoji Asano looking for active animators to work on the anime.

Both Funimation and Crunchyroll have streamed the series with subtitles on their respective websites. Funimation also licensed the anime for home video release in 2014. Episode 1 of the English dub premiered at Anime Boston, with other episodes put on Funimation's subscription services. On television, the series was broadcast weekly on Adult Swim's Toonami block on May 3, 2014, starting at 11:30p.m. EST. In Australia, the anime aired on SBS 2 on Tuesdays, in Japanese with English subtitles, with the first episode having aired on September 30. The first season was acquired for distribution in the UK by Manga Entertainment. Madman Entertainment acquired the show for distribution in Australia and New Zealand, and streamed the series on Madman Screening Room.

The final episode was also shown in Japanese theaters. The season was compiled into two animated theatrical films with new voice acting from the same cast. The first film, , covering the first 13 episodes, was released on November 22, 2014, while the second film, , covering the final 12 episodes, adding new opening and ending footage, was released on June 27, 2015. A rebroadcast of the first season was aired from January 9, 2016, on NHK's BS Premium channel. The compilation films were also broadcast in January 2017 on MBS.

Season 2 and compilation film

A second season of the anime series was announced on the opening day of the first theatrical film, which was originally set to be released in 2016. Masashi Koizuka directed the second season, with Araki acting as chief director. It ran for 12 episodes from April 1 to June 17, 2017, on MBS and other television networks. A third compilation film recapping the events of the anime series' second season, titled , was released on January 13, 2018.

The season premiere was simulcast on Funimation, Crunchyroll, and the former's VRV channel at 10:30 AM EST. Funimation and Crunchyroll streamed the entire second season on their respective websites, while Adult Swim's Toonami aired a dubbed version. It was also announced that the second season of Attack on Titan would premiere on Toonami on April 29. It was subsequently announced on April 3 that the second season would premiere one week earlier, on April 22 instead. Madman Entertainment streamed the season in Australia and New Zealand on AnimeLab. The home media release was handled by Sony Pictures in the UK.

Season 3 and compilation film

On June 17, 2017, a third season was announced at the close of the second season's final episode, with a release date slated for July 23, 2018. A trailer for the third season was released on April 27, 2018. The series' third season aired in Japan on NHK General TV on July 23, 2018, with its first part ending on October 15 of that same year. Part 2 of the series' third season aired from April 29 to July 1, 2019. Hajime Isayama, the original manga's author and illustrator, worked closely with the animators to ensure faithfulness to the story, giving suggestions. In 2018, it was revealed that Isayama regretted doing a certain part of the manga in a certain way, so he personally requested the animation studio to make some changes in the anime. The studio honored this wish, resulting in the first part of Season 3 differing minimally from the corresponding manga chapters. A fourth compilation film, , recaps all three seasons and was released on July 17, 2020.

Funimation announced that they would air the worldwide premiere of the first episode at Anime Expo on July 8, 2018. They also announced that the first episode would air in theaters in North America alongside Attack on Titan: Roar of Awakening on July 10, 2018. Adult Swim aired the English version of the third season, starting from August 18, 2018, to July 27, 2019. On July 4, 2020, Funimation announced that they licensed the compilation film for release in the UK, Ireland, and North America.

Season 4: The Final Season and compilation film