Attack on Titan: The Best Episodes, Ranked

From epic battles to shocking plot twists, Attack on Titan has it all. Many would argue that it is one of the best-running anime of all time, with its incredible world-building along with the political intrigue and action. It has maintained its explosive popularity from the first season and even now with the most recent season. Based on Hajime Isayama’s manga of the same name, Attack on Titan is set in a world where humans nearly face extinction due to giant, man-eating humanoids called Titans. To protect themselves from being eaten, the humans have formed large walls around their city, and an army trained to kill these monsters, gather intel from the outside world and protect the citizens inside. Things are peaceful, until one day when a giant manages to break one of the walls and eat the people inside. Eren, a young boy who sees his fellow residents getting eaten, decides to join the corps and find a way to protect his city.

To date, the manga for the anime has come to a conclusion, and four seasons have been released, with the third and final part of season four to air in 2023. Part two for season four recently concluded, making it the perfect time to look back on some of the best Attack on Titan episodes of all time:

6 Scream (Season 2, Episode 12)

The season two finale, "Scream", is an unforgettable episode for various reasons. Attack on Titan is known to bring forth a bunch of different emotions, but this episode, in particular, is definitely one of the more emotionally intense ones. For one, episode 12 finally brings Eren face-to-face with the Titan that killed his mother. The audience and Eren, barely have time to adjust to this new information as not long after the Titan ends up devouring Hannes. Seeing Eren desperately trying to chomp down on his own hand to turn into a Titan to save Hannes is devastating, to say the least.

To add to all this emotion, Mikasa finally confesses to Eren. The two are on the battlefield, with little hope for survival, so it seems fitting that she confesses her feelings to Eren. In addition, this episode prepares the audience for what’s to come in the upcoming season as Eren unleashes the power of the Founding Titan. It’s safe to say that the episode left the audience reeling with not just emotions but a bunch of questions.

5 First Battle: Struggle for Trost, Part I (Season 1, Episode 5)

There’s no denying that Attack on Titan has been compelling since the very first episode, but it isn’t until episode five, "First Battle: Struggle for Trost, Part I", that the audience understands that this isn’t your usual shonen anime. From the beginning, the audience witnesses as Eren grows and trains for the day he comes to face a Titan, and it seems that the day has finally arrived. What makes the episode particularly unforgettable, is that it doesn’t play by the book, leaving the audience in shock. During the epic fight-off, Eren is able to save his friend Armin at the very last minute. Unfortunately, it comes at the expense of his own life as he’s swallowed whole by the Titan in the process. The final minutes of the episode are quite chilling as Armin’s blood-curdling screams echo off the screen as the episode comes to a conclusion.

4 Midnight Sun (Season 3, Episode 18)

Unlike most of the physical fights in Attack on Titan, "Midnight Sun" brings forward a different kind of battle, one that involves morals. With both Erwin and Armin brutalized in the war against Marley and at the brink of death, it’s left to Levi to decide who to give his single vial of titan serum. Throughout the episode, the other characters come forward to present their case to convince Levi to save one or the other.

It becomes pretty apparent that everyone is at their breaking point. Perhaps the most tragic thing about the whole situation is that they’re all simply arguing about why their friend deserves to be saved. Nobody really wants to see either die, but a choice must be made. In the end, Levi decides to let his friend Erwin finally rest while giving the vial to Arwin. This leads to one of the biggest moments of retribution in the anime, when Arwin devours Bertholdt as he screams and begs for his life.

3 Assault (Season 4, Episode 7)

Over the seasons, Attack on Titan has many episodes that are purely action, dealing with the anguish that comes with constant war; however, what makes "Assault" different is that it is more complex than any of the other episodes. The show starts with the characters simply working together to survive to them trying to overcome Titans to finally working together with a Titan to overcome their obstacles. And "Assault" is the perfect example of the latter.

What makes this episode truly brilliant is that it’s difficult for the audience to take sides. The audience is left feeling conflicted about whom to root for. The episode has quite a lot of fun teasing the audience as many characters are often found on the brink of death only to be rescued at the very last minute. Plus, the audience gets to see Armin’s Colossal Titan form for the very first time.

2 Pain (Season 3, Episode 2)

Season three of Attack on Titan gives the audience only the first episode for introductions and to re-familiarize themselves with the world, before launching them right into the climactic fight scene with Levi and Kenny in "Pain". The episode gives more insight into Levi’s archenemy as well. As with many episodes in the series, the question of “who’s the real monster?” pops up in this episode as well. What makes it more interesting is that this episode points the question specifically toward Levi.

The audience also sees Armin deal with the aftermath of having blood on his hands. The scenes where he talks about it and eventually comes to terms with it all are rather powerful. Overall, the episode serves as a great follow-up to the season premiere, setting up a great pace for the episodes to follow. The animation during the fight scene is definitely god-tier and the highlight of the whole episode.

1 Hero (Season 3, Episode 17)

The Battle for Shiganshina arc is perhaps one of the most intense arcs of the anime, with quite a few moral dilemmas and heart-wrenching decisions. Attack on Titan as a whole has its fair share of sorrow, bloodshed, and death, but all of this intensifies even further in this particular episode. The battle between Levi and Zeke is definitely the highlight of the episode as Levi butchers Zeke, dragging his body out from inside the Beast Titan. Another unforgettable moment is Armin’s sacrifice as he allows himself to be cooked alive by the steam burst of the Colossal Titan just so Eren can go for the kill.