This Is The Correct Order In Which To Watch Attack On Titan

The story starts — where else — in the first episode of Season 1. We're introduced to Eren, who reveals that it's his dream to join the Scout Regiment, the military branch that ventures outside the walls to study (and often battle) the Titans. However, the battle is about to be brought to him. When the Titan nicknamed The Colossal Titan because it's so big appears and breaks down the gate of Wall Maria, smaller Titans are able to enter the town of Shiganshina. They make their way through the town, killing civilians. In a shocking and heartbreaking moment, Eren's mother is eaten by a Titan right in front of him.

The survivors retreat inside Wall Rose, where they are begrudgingly housed as refugees. There's a shortage of food, however, and it soon becomes clear that they will have to fight to regain the territory lost to the Titans. Eren, hellbent on revenge, joins the 104th Cadet Corps. A lot goes down in the first few episodes, and you'll no doubt be hooked right from the get-go. There's a lot more to Eren than meets the eye (in fact, even he doesn't know the truth of his true nature), but to say any more would be getting into spoiler territory.

Next up in the viewing order is the OVA "Ilse's Notebook: Notes from a Scout Regiment Member." This OVA details the 49th Exterior Scouting Mission, which becomes hugely important in understanding the Titans. We follow members of the Scout Regiment as they clash over how to approach the mission. Hange believes they need to capture Titans alive so they can learn more about them. This approach ends up putting other members of the regiment in danger, but it's ultimately the right move — after following a Titan, they notice that it's bashing its head against a particular tree. To their shock, they discover the corpse of Ilse, one of their comrades, in that tree.

Before the Titan killed her, Ilse was able to jot down several vital pieces of information in a notebook. She confirmed that she managed to converse with the Titan, who called her a "subject of Ymir" and bowed down to her. It eventually turned on her once she started yelling. The revelations in the notebook convince Commander Erwin that capturing Titans instead of slaughtering them is the way forward. This OVA is technically episode 3.5, but, like "A Sudden Visitor," it's best to finish the first season before viewing it. "It's not as if you can't appreciate the overall series without having seen 'Ilse's Notebook,' but watching it after Season 1 will give you a safe sneak peek without showing you too much," says Anime News Network.

Chronologically, the two-part OVA "A Choice with No Regrets" takes place prior to Season 1 (the two installments are sometimes referred to as Episode 0.5A and Episode 0.5B), however, if you watch them before the first season, you run the risk of getting spoiled and confused. It tells the tale of how former criminal Levi Ackerman and his friends Furlan Church and Isabel Magnolia joined the Scout Regiment as a scheme to kill Commander Erwin on behalf of Marley, a secret rival nation.

The story begins in The Underground, a subterranean city beneath the capital. It's a dark place full of dangerous people that comes into the main story in a very matter-of-fact fashion later on — which is why it's best to familiarize yourself with it here. Levi and Furlan let Isabel join them in their criminal adventures, and they train her to use the ODM gear of the Scouts. Soon enough they get a lead: An anonymous job that will reward them not just with money but citizenship in the capital. They get caught by the Scout Regiment, led by Commander Erwin, who offers to overlook their crimes if they join the Scouts, and Levi reluctantly accepts the offer.

Tragedy strikes on the 23rd Exterior Scouting Mission, and Levi faces an Abnormal Titan, proving his worth. In the end, Levi dedicates himself to the Scouts, this time for real. This memorable OVA serves as his origin story — in the current timeline, we know Levi as the leader of the Special Operations Squad, and above reproach.

An adaptation of the visual novel of the same name, "Wall Sina, Goodbye" is a two-part OVA. It tells a lengthy story about Annie Leonhart that begins the day before the 57th Exterior Scouting Mission. Annie is sent to investigate the disappearance of a rich merchant's daughter, which leads her to a tavern in the Stohess District where drug use is rife. The bartender directs her to the home of the missing woman's boyfriend, but the plot only thickens when she arrives — the house is full of the drug coderoin, and there's a dead body inside.

"Wall Sina, Goodbye" is more akin to a murder mystery detective tale than your typical "Attack on Titan" story (before long, private investigators show up to muddy the waters), but there's still plenty of action and fans of Annie will get a lot out of this. There's kidnap, there's blackmail, and the animation is stunning — this OVA is a collaboration between Production I.G. and Wit Studio. "Despite the original novel being packaged with the Season 1 Blu-rays, this anime adaptation adds specific content that makes it very clear it was made after Season 2 aired, so be sure to get caught up to avoid getting spoiled," says Anime News Network.

Based on the second volume of the spin-off manga "Attack on Titan: Lost Girls," the "Lost in the Cruel World" OVA dropped during the first part of the third season, but it's best to wait until you've completed Season 3 Part 1 before you watch it to avoid spoilers. "Much like Annie's story, this adaptation frames the bulk of the story with content that came out after the original visual novel was created," Anime News Network explains. "Some scenes were almost directly lifted from Episode 49 a couple of months before Episode 49 even hit Japanese television."

It follows Mikasa Ackerman, who's starting to see Eren's weak spots in the real world — but in her dreams, she imagines they are children again, and her parents are alive. The whole story is dreamlike, as we move from Mikasa's memories of her friends to her fantasies of home and happiness, and back again. We remember the deaths of her parents, which is when she and Eren first formed their bond.

"Lost in the Cruel World" might seem like something you can skip on the surface, but it says a lot about Eren's nature — no matter what, he's destined to dream of going over the walls. "It's charming to watch these younger versions of the characters interact before death and burden take over their lives," Den of Geek said in a review. "'Lost in the Cruel World' may actually be the most important [OVA] of the lot due to what it implies about parallel realities."

Enemy state Marley attacks Fort Slava after four years of conflict with the Mid-East Allied Forces in the first part of "Attack on Titan" Season 4 (also known as The Final Season), sparked by their defeat in Shiganshina. We meet Warrior candidate Gabi Braun, Reiner's young cousin who is sent to destroy an armored train protecting people from Marley's Titans. After the battle, the two sides sign a peace treaty, but Marley is reminded of their need to reacquire the Founding Titan, as at this time they only have control over seven of the nine Titans.

By this point in the timeline, the conflict is less about humankind fighting the Titans and more about humans fighting each other. The early part of Season 4 concerns itself largely with the assault on Marley and the rise of the so-called Yeagerists, a rebel faction made up of soldiers and civilians loyal to Eren. Our protagonist is on a slide towards villainy, and — just like the people he knows — viewers are left conflicted by his actions. Is he becoming what he used to hate?