What may arguably be one of thebest anime series in recent years,Attack on Titanfound a lot of its success in its masterful storytelling. Each story arc enthralled viewers byasking questions about what it means to be alive, the true meaning of freedom and their wonderful uses of storytelling devices.Combined with astoundingly written characters that are the heart and soul of the story, these story arcs make up the flesh and bone of the series.
Whether it’s the tragic Fall of Shiganshina or the deadly War for Paradis,Attack on Titan’s story arcs never ceased to bring enjoyment to the millions of viewers who call themselves fans across the planet. Its wonderful story arcs prove thatwhen it comes to good storytelling,Attack on Titanhas some of the best there is.
Attack On Titan
After his hometown is destroyed and his mother is killed, young Eren Jaeger vows to cleanse the earth of the giant humanoid Titans that have brought humanity to the brink of extinction.
10The Fall of Shiganshina Arc
Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2
Every story has its beginning and the beginning ofAttack on Titankicks off the series by introducing viewers to the protagonists of the series, Eren, Mikasa and Armin, before thrusting tragedy upon them as the Colossal and Armored Titans attack. The following attack on Shiganshina results in theArmored and Colossal Titans breaking a hole in the city wall, allowing the Titans to enter the city freely and Eren’s mother being eaten by a Titan right before his eyes.
What makes a good introduction is a solid hook that not only gets viewers to care about the characters but keeps them wanting to see what may happen next.The Fall of Shiganshina delivers on both fronts. The murder of Eren’s mother ties audiences emotionally to Eren as he heartbreakingly has to watch her get eaten and the attack from the Armored and Colossal Titans sets up the stakes forthe future dystopian conflict to come.
9The Royal Government Arc
Season 3, Episodes 1 - 12
When Pastor Nick is murdered and Eren and Historia are almost kidnapped, Erwin devises a plan to overthrow the governmentas their actions could mean the potential end for humanity. Humanity’s battle brings out thetruth about how Eren inherited his Titan,Levi’s upbringing with the notorious Kenny Ackermanand the gory Rod Reiss Titan.
The Royal Government arc brought a whole new type of conflict to the series. While for most of the series the conflict was between humans and the Titans,this arc brought humanity at odds with themselves.It was fresh and unique for the series. It also acts as a sort of “exposition arc,” bringing loads of new information to light about the world and its characters. While it may be a tad slower than the rest, this arc is essential to the series and the amazing stories that will come after.
8Humanity’s Comeback Arc
Season 1, Episodes 3 & 4
After the tragedy that befalls them in the Fall of Shiganshina, Eren, Mikasa and Armin decide toenroll as members of the Scout Regiment’s 104th Cadet Corps and undergo military training.Through their rigorous training,they’ll meet the other members of the show’s expansive cast, such as Sasha, Connie, Jean, Annie, Reiner and many more.These characters would come to bring so much life to the series through heartfelt moments, intense action and even betrayal.
Humanity’s Comeback is essential for how much it sets up what is to come in the future of the series.It makes the protagonists and the viewers familiar with the extended cast,important items like the ODM gearand teases more about the coming conflict regarding the ever looming Titan threat.With the stage set, Humanity’s Comeback enhances everything to come after.
7The Epilogue Arc
Season 4, The Final Chapters SPECIAL 2, 1:15:16 - 1:24:54
While it may only exist in the latter half of the final episode, the Epilogue ofAttack on Titanis an arc in and of itself. Jumping into the future, the Epilogue arc is short but bittersweet asit shows us where the characters we’ve been watching for four seasons finally end up at as their own story arcs conclude.It answers many questions left after the nail-biting and heartbreaking final fight against Eren to save the planet.
The Epilogue has a lot to say about humanity and while it may answer many questions related to the characters and story,it leaves viewers with many more questions to ponder.While the future of humanity shown in the end credits sequence is dire, it’s meaning is deep, insightful andsummarizes what creator Hajime Isayama was trying to tell the world with his series in the arcs prior.
6The Marely Arc
Season 4, Episodes 1 - 9
The opening arc of Season 4 took a lot of fans by surprise with its huge shift in narrative. For the first time in the entire series, we’re treated to the world outside the walls of the present day.Following Reiner and Zeke back to Marley, the plot introduces a whole new cast of characters across the sea.
This arc was essential to the final season for the major reason thatit gave audiences time to grow empathy for the people of Marely and see that this world is much more grey than previously believed.This really aids the coming conflict as it makes things far more complicated while Eren enacts his grand plan with the Yeagerists.It introduces the final thesis of the series, stated perfectly by Eren, “Across the ocean, inside the walls… they’re the same.“We’re all just people trying to make the best of the circumstances laid upon us.
5The Struggle for Trost Arc
Season 1, Episodes 5 - 13
Known as the first big arc of the series, Eren and the rest of the Scouts are thrown into battle directly after graduationwhen the Colossal Titan appears in the Trost District and breaks a hole in the wall.As they struggle to keep what happened so many years ago in Shiganshina from happening again,Eren discovers he has the ability to transform into a Titan.With humanity apprehensive of him at first, Eren uses his new abilities to secure the hole in the Trost wall.
Among fans,this arc is considered the true hook for the series,almost making the Fall of Shiganshina a fake out hook to make this twist all the better.Everything that makes the series what it is on a fundamental storytelling level is found within The Struggle for Trost,establishing the groundwork for the series moving forward.
4The Clash of the Titans Arc
Season 2, Episodes 1 - 12
When a group of Titans appear within the walls, the crew fears there could be a possible breach at Wall Rose.This arc introduced the notorious Beast Titan, aka Eren’s half-brother, Zeke Yeager.As if things couldn’t get any worse, Eren would soon discover that his good friends and commrades,Reiner and Bertholdt are, in fact, the Armored and Colossal Titans.
This is one of the most groundbreaking arcs within the series,masterfully delivering a boatload of exposition about the Titans, the Yeager family and the truth about the incident in Shiganshina while still being entertaining and enthralling.While beingone of the most thrilling collection of episodes in the entire serieswith its outstanding action sequences, The Clash of the Titans also shifted the course of the series forever and propelled the narrative towards the grave events that would soon unfold.
3The Female Titan Arc
Season 1, Episodes 14 - 25
Just when everyone thought Eren was the only Titan Shifter out there,a new Female Titan appears and slaughters many of Eren’s comrades.The sequence of events that would come to unfold with the reveal of the Female Titan slung the first season into a wonderful finale that ensured fans would return for a second go-around.
Whether it be the reveal that none other thanAnnie was the Female Titan, the thrilling assault on the Stohess District or Annie encasing herself in crystal upon defeat,The Female Titan arc is packed full of incredible moments that secured the series a boat load of invested fans. It also placed the series on the world’s stage as heaps of positive reviews poured in from across the planet asAttack on Titan transcended the anime communityand became a show that even general television audiences would fall in love with.
2The War for Paradis Arc
Season 4, Episode 10 - THE FINAL CHAPTERS Special 2
The final story arc of the series brought loads of emotions to viewers everywhere. Fans felt thrill, joy, anxiety, heartbreak and so much more as they watched the protagonist they’ve grown to love over four seasons descend into villainy and vengeanceas he planned to trample the world in The Rumbling.
There’s so much that can be said about the final story arc ofAttack on Titan, but the most important of the bunch is the message it sent to audiences. Isayama attempts to tell the audience that, in the end, all of this pain and sufferingcould have been prevented had the two nations talked to each other and attempted reconciliation.He wants us totake these lessons fromAttack on Titanto create a better world.There’s nothing more impactful than that, is there?
1The Return to Shiganshina Arc
Season 3, Episodes 13 - 22
While it’s quiet within the walls, the Scout Regiment expeditions to Shiganshina only to find it devoid of any Titans. Eren takes the chance toplug the hole in the wall and visit his childhood home to discover the truth about his father.They end up running into the Beast, Armored and Colossal Titans once more for a dramatic final battle in the series' third season.
To say The Return to Shiganshina arc was executed masterfully on a storytelling level is an understatement.Withtwo of the arc’s episodes amongst the 100 highest rated television episodesof all time on IMDb,the numbers speak for themselves. From Levi’s brutal assault on the Beast Titan, Erwin’s famous and groundbreaking speech, Armin’s sacrifice and his inheritance of the Colossal Titan, The Return to Shiganshina supplies the best of what this series and anime as a whole has to offer.
