The 5 Greatest Story Arcs in Attack on Titan

Ranking down the best story arcs of the new classic, here are the top five Attack on Titan story arcs.

Credit: Attack on Titan
By Sonu | Mar 19, 2023 | 4 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Attack on Titan, the daring horror-action anime loosely based on the manga of the same name, is about to air the final episode of its final story arc and has become recognised for its twists, turns, and stark, yet heartwarming emotionality. While not without criticism, the series has some of the best story arcs in anime and manga history. It takes guts and bravado to cut through gigantic, cannibalistic beasts, but what were the truly legendary conflicts of horrific, death-defying glory? Ranking down the best story arcs of the new classic, here are the top five Attack on Titan story arcs. The 5 Greatest Story Arcs in Attack on Titan.

The Revelation of Bertholdt and Reiner

One of the most exciting battles in the series occurs during the Clash of the Titans arc, when Bertholdt and Reiner, the Colossal and Armored Titans, casually reveal their duplicity to former protagonist Eren Yeager, resulting in an all-out battle between the still-recovering members of the 104th Training Corps and the two traitor titans. This encounter proved to be a turning moment in the series, a predecessor to the underlying battle between Eldia and Marley, culminating in Eren’s defeat and capture, as well as the further defection of Jaw Titan Ymir.

The Great Scouting

The Female Titan storyline, and the brilliantly orchestrated and remarkably ill-fated mission known as “The Great Scouting,” were two of Season 1’s major set pieces. The plot revolves around the Female Titan’s goal to capture Eren, and it introduces the inner difficulties that a military operation like the Survey Corps may face in such a situation, as well as how these complexities can go wrong. The sequence features the first team-up between cousins Levi and Mikasa Ackerman in an attempt to save Eren from the clutches of the Female Titan.

Levi vs. Beast Titan, Round 3

With Levi and the Beast Titan’s fight outside Wall Maria ending in the Titan’s escape and the revelation that he literally threw the fight during the Liberio assult in order to be purposefully captured, Zeke “Beast Titan” Yeager must have known it was only a matter of time before he’d have to make good on his feud with Levi Ackerman, and what happens for their third confrontation is one of the series’ best sequences. After a long time of simmering tension in which Levi continuously and suspiciously looks at Zeke, fearing betrayal at any moment, it finally comes while they’re both stationed in the Titan Forest. Though Ezekiel succeeded to turn a large number of Eldians into titans using contaminated wine, he finds himself on the wrong side of triumph when Levi shears through him with four thunder spears.

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Eren Forces Grisha’s hand

One of the most contentious scenes in Season 4, and possibly the whole manga series, includes Eren discovering that by using the Attack Titan’s strength, he can alter previous events by connecting with his father Grisha in the past. Due of this exceptional talent, Eren persuaded his father to murder the Reiss family, setting the story in action. This minor storyline serves as possibly the most viscerally sad and bluntly revelatory of any in the series, handled in a three-chapter Watchmen-esque, incredibly heartbreaking ride in the original Attack on Titan manga, situated in “the Coordinate,” an apparently wonderful location beyond of time.

Battle of Shinganshina

Isayama did not disappoint in creating Attack on Titan’s multi-layered Battle of Shinganshina sequence, which is such an important aspect of his epic saga. The Shinganshina sequence, a stunning and desperate confrontation between the Survey Corps led by Erwin Smith and Ezekiel and his Marleyan cohorts Reiner and Bertholdt, presents one of the most exciting, well-paced, and cohesively visualised sequences in manga history. This spark, carefully adapted by Wit Studio, propelled the anime to the top of the television market when it debuted to amazing reviews at the end of Season 3 in 2019.

Attack on Titan has always thrived when there’s a mission at hand and the stakes are high, and in this dynamic arc, the dramatic weight of the entire series comes crashing down as Reiner, Bertholdt, and, most spectacularly, the Beast Titan himself succumb to defeat after a truly hard-fought, costly struggle. It’s incredible enough that all of these folks’ raw psychological realities, experiencing what are truly their greatest tests, are brought to light in such short, yet suitable succession, the story expertly moving about the battlefield from character to character. It is accomplished with such cohesive skill in any field of art, which is why it is the best arc in Attack on Titan.

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