Even over a year after it ended, Attack on Titan still remains one of the best television series of all time. The prowess and expertise used to bring it to life remain some of the best in modern animation/television. Its episodes have been some of the highest-rated on television on IMDb, and that’s not just for any reason. There are entries in this series that are crafted like masterpieces.
Whether it’s the performances, animation, storytelling, or something else, Attack on Titan‘s episodes are genuinely phenomenal across almost the entire series. But which are the best? It’s hard to say, especially given how well they’re all crafted, but there are definitely ten that stand out among the rest and are worth giving a watch even over a year later.
10
“Retrospective”
“Retrospective”
Season 4, Episode 27 (2023)
Attack on Titan Season 4, Episode 27, “Retrospective” is a thrilling episode and contains some of the best action and animation in the fourth season of the series. As the team is waiting for the flying boat to be ready for takeoff, they are ambushed by the Yeagerists and have to hold them off until they can get in the air to fly to the series’ final battle.
But not only is the action amazing, but there’s a big moment in the plot, too, as Falco Grice (Natsuki Hanae & Bryson Baugus) becomes the Jaw Titan for the first time. This transformation adds to said action, as well, as he takes on the ever-hateable Floch Forster (Kesho Ono & Matt Shipman). The episode is a great prelude to the final push of the story to come.
9
“The War Hammer Titan”
“The War Hammer Titan”
Season 4, Episode 6 (2021)
After the emergence of the cast of the first three seasons makes their appearances, Eren Yeager (Yuki Kaji & Bryce Papenbrook) takes on the War Hammer Titan (Mamiko Noto & Suzie Yeung) in Marley. Like most highly-rated episodes of Attack on Titan, this episode not only offers up a ton of great action, but also good character moments, as well.
The War Hammer Titan helps offer a whole new type of choreography that the series had yet to have at that point with the Titans. After a lot of episodes without the Scouts, they finally make their grand appearance in Season 4 during this fight. It’s super exciting and does a great job showcasing how far each of them has come in the time between Seasons 3 and 4.
8
“Memories of the Future”
“Memories of the Future”
Season 4, Episode 20 (2022)
If there’s one thing that mangaka Hajime Isayama knows how to do and did well in his writing of Attack on Titan, it’s some good plot twists. One of the best in the entire series is adapted to animation in Attack on Titan Season 4, Episode 20, “Memories of the Future”, when it’s revealed that Eren was the one, through the power of the Attack Titan, who pushed his father to kill the Reiss family—setting the plot of the show into motion.
… the revelation that Eren himself was the one who set all of this into action is absolutely wild.
The powers of the Attack Titan are wild and a bit mind-bending, so the revelation that Eren himself was the one who set all of this into action is absolutely wild. This twist served as the perfect turning point in this final arc of the anime. Even Zeke Yeager (Takehito Koyasu & Ernseto Jason Liebrecht) had his jaw dropped while watching this unfold. It was so huge that it became a trend on the internet. This episode was gigantic upon release.
7
“Scream”
“Scream”
Season 2, Episode 12 (2017)
Another big “revelation episode” comes two seasons earlier in Attack on Titan Season 2, Episode 12, “Scream”. With the threat of the Smiling Titan, the action that unfolds eventually leads to the reveal of Eren’s newest power: his scream. When he screams, he somehow makes the other Titans in the area attack the Smiling Titan and destroy it.
The twists don’t end there, either. This was the first episode that showed the man inside the Beast Titan. While audiences didn’t know who Zeke was yet, the fact that they got to see the man inside such a massive and mysterious threat was eye-widening and the best way to end this already thrilling episode. A good shōnen anime is full of moments like this and proves that Attack on Titan is still one of the best.
6
“From You, 2000 Years Ago”
“From You, 2000 Years Ago”
Season 4, Episode 21 (2022)
As if the series couldn’t have hit a higher mark after the reveal that Eren manipulated his father through the Attack Titan powers, in the next episode, the two brothers go head-to-head to be accepted by Ymir and claim the Founding Titan for their own personal goals. It’s unbelievably tense and keeps things exciting without any action. The drama is all the excitement needed.
It’s unbelievably tense and keeps things exciting without any action. The drama is all the excitement needed.
The performance by Bryce Papenbrook is always great in Attack on Titan. He never fails to come into the acting booth and give his 100%. This leads to his big, screaming speech to Ymir being absurdly compelling and believable. It’s just another scene that proves Bryce was perfect for the role of Eren. Plus, the character finally getting what he sought and controlling the Founding Titan to start the Rumbling was bone-chilling, leading into the final arc of Attack on Titan.
5
“Warrior”
“Warrior”
Season 2, Episode 6 (2017)
Another episode that features an astounding twist is Attack on Titan Season 2, Episode 6, “Warrior”, when Reiner Braun (Yoshimasa Hosoya & Robert McCollum) and Bertolt Hoover (Tomohisa Hashizume & David Matranga) reveal that they are the Armored and Colossal Titans, respectively. The moment makes hearts stop with how frank the two are about the conversation.
The moments that come after are some of the coolest in the series, with Bryce Papenbrook’s delivery of the line, “Damn you, you traitors!” taking the world by storm. It is genuinely the perfect way to cap off this episode and is pretty much the highlight of the entire runtime. Not to mention, the score is astounding, making it even better than the source material.
4
“Declaration of War”
“Declaration of War”
Season 4, Episode 5 (2020)
After five episodes of the show being focused on the characters in Marley, episode five finds itself being the moment in which Eren makes his big appearance and spells out the thesis of the show and, especially, the rest of Season 4. His reappearance in the series is not only a shock to the Marley cast (including Reiner and Zeke), but to the viewers, too.
The big scene between Reiner and Eren in the basement displays the striking parallel between the two characters, which also spells out the thesis Hajime Isayama wanted to get across with Attack on Titan through Eren’s quote: “Over the sea… inside the walls… we are all the same.” Suddenly, he understands why Reiner did what he did when he broke the wall, and it helps bring context to why the protagonist was going to do what he was about to do. It’s actually a great representation of the incredible character development they’ve both had since Season 1.
3
“Perfect Game”
“Perfect Game”
Season 3, Episode 16 (2019)
Attack on Titan Season 3, Episode 16, “Perfect Game” features one of the greatest moments in the anime and one of the best speeches on television in decades. As they struggle to face the Beast Titan, Commander Erwin Smith (Daisuke Ono & J. Michael Tatum) makes a really hard call in order to take down the Beast Titan, but it will kill him and his Scouts in the process.
Attack on Titan is often noted for how profound its writing is, and this episode is the perfect example of how wonderful Isayama’s writing can be. The sacrifice that Erwin and his scouts make, and the speech he gives over it, are genuinely phenomenal. It’s quite easily one of the most memorable moments in the series and helps make the overall show even more rewatchable. It’s an astonishing scene.
2
“Hero”
“Hero”
Season 3, Episode 17 (2019)
There are a lot of really cool moments in Attack on Titan, but many would argue that none are cooler than Levi’s (Hiroshi Kamiya & Matthew Mercer) moment at the climax of Attack on Titan Season 3, Episode 17, “Hero”. Following the phenomenal 16th episode of the third season, it’s wild that such an amazing episode could be surpassed immediately after. After the moving sacrifice of Erwin and his troops, it’s revealed that they were doing so to give the one and only Levi the chance to take down the surrounding Titans to make his way to finally slay the Beast Titan.
The animation, performances, and the way it climaxes the story that began the episode before all come together to craft another episode that is astounding.
It’s genuinely one of the most chilling, thrilling, and all-around awesome moments in the entire show. It’s the perfect example of why Levi is as renowned as he is. This had and still has so many people cheering upon watching because of how excellently it was executed. The animation, performances, and the way it climaxes the story that began the episode before all come together to craft another episode that is astounding.
1
“Midnight Sun”
“Midnight Sun”
Season 3, Episode 18 (2019)
Attack on Titan didn’t just have two genuinely phenomenal episodes in a row, but they continued to do a third episode that went on to be even better than the previous two—the best of the entire show. For quite some time, Attack on Titan Season 3, Episode 18, “Midnight Sun” was among the highest-rated television episodes of all time on IMDb, and for extremely valid reasons. “Midnight Sun” is an all-around masterpiece in emotional/dramatic storytelling, not just in anime but on television and writing as a whole. An episode like this is why Attack on Titan is one of the best anime of the 21st century.
The moral conflict of the episode, with Levi needing to choose between the young Armin (Marina Inoue & Jessie James Grelle) and Erwin, both at death’s door, to save with the one leftover Titan serum. It poses some truly thought-provoking questions. Who deserves to live? Does one life matter more than another? Does one have more potential than the other? It makes the bold choice for Attack on Titan to slow the pacing down, so the audience can really sit with the seemingly impossible decision at play. There was never going to be a decision that audiences were going to be okay with, and that makes the episode so profoundly compelling.
