10 ‘Attack on Titan’ Episodes That Are Considered Masterpieces, Ranked
With the recent announcement trailer of the third video game in the Attack on Titan franchise, Attack on Titan 3. The Attack on Titan games are pretty well-made and well-received. This has led to people reminiscing on how genuinely phenomenal the anime and manga series were. It cannot be understated how great Attack on Titan is, with some truly masterful episodes.
With four amazing seasons under its belt, Attack on Titan has some extremely complex writing and character work to be marveled at. On top of that, the action within the show is not only well-choreographed, but astoundingly animated by both Wit Studio (Seasons 1–3) and MAPPA (Season 4). Whether an episode has amazing animation, great character work, phenomenal writing, or all of the above, there are countless episodes of this anime that can be considered masterpieces.
10
“That Day: The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 2”
Season 3, Episode 20
Young Grisha Yeager looking mortified in Attack on Titan Season 3, Episode 20Image via Crunchyroll
Attack on Titan Season 3, Episode 20, “That Day: The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 2” reveals some life-changing information as audiences get to see Grisha Yeager’s (Hiroshi Tsuchida and Chris Hury) past, giving him an origin of sorts. “The Fall of Shiganshina” story arc is an awesome one, but this episode in specific is a huge highlight of the overarching arc. The decisions of Grisha in the past, and the things he went through, are driving forces behind the plot in the modern day. It’s a raw, emotion-filled episode that keeps the dramatic narrative at the core of the series, rather than it just being solely a “battle anime.” This helped provide some context and emotion behind the story of Season 3, and got viewers even more invested from this point forward.
9
“Assault”
Season 4, Episode 7
War Hammer titan’s hollowed shell in Attack on TitanImage via Crunchyroll
After the fight with the War Hammer Titan begins, things get even wilder in Attack on Titan Season 4, Episode 7, “Assault”. It’s in this episode where the conflict with this new Titan comes to its inevitable climax as Eren manages to kill her and absorb her Titan power. While Eren has been the hero up until this point, it’s at this moment that audiences truly get to see the true brutality he’s willing to go to in order to achieve his goal. The moment in which he accomplishes his mission here is genuinely brutal, as he crushes her and drinks her blood. If viewers weren’t a tad skeptical that Eren may not be a “hero” this season, then this was the moment that realization happened. Safe to say, this helped redefine what Season 4 was going to be moving forward.
8
“Scream”
Season 2, Episode 12
Eren Yeager punching the hand of a Titan in Attack on Titan Season 2, Episode 12Image via Crunchyroll
Season 2 of Attack on Titan is such a ride, and the season’s finale is a definition of why that is. Things have slowly begun to unfold by this point, and when Eren comes across the Titan that killed his mother, which also now eats Hannes (Keiji Fujiwara, Kenjiro Tsuda, and David Wald), it unlocks something within him that he could never have expected before. Meanwhile, Ymir (Saki Fujita and Elizabeth Maxwell) makes the decision to leave the Scouts and go off with the Warriors, which causes a bit of conflict within the Scout Regiment. This, alongside Eren’s discovery within himself, makes for a season finale that got people extremely excited for the third season entry.
7
“Declaration of War”
Season 4, Episode 5
Attack Titan killing Willy Tybur in Attack on TitanImage via Crunchyroll
It’s in Attack on Titan Season 4, Episode 5, “Declaration of War”, in which Eren Yeager finally reveals himself to the viewers and Reiner Braun (Yoshimasa Hosoya and Robert McCollum), and it’s an incredibly epic moment. This is because not only does he reveal himself to Reiner, showing that he absolutely played the young Falco Grice (Natsuki Hanae and Bryson Baugus) to get to his old enemy, and then pulls off an act of terror unlike any other. Upon his big reveal beneath the stage of Willy Tybur’s (Kazuhiko Inoue and Jonah Scott) play on Eldian history, he transforms into his Titan form and attacks not just Willy (whom he eats alive in front of everyone), but the entire Marleyan people gathered for the play. This entire episode is filled with tension, and it pays off very well in the final, climactic scene.
6
“Warrior”
Season 2, Episode 6
Eren Yeager looking shocked at a Titan transformation in Attack on Titan Season 2, Episode 6Image via Crunchyroll
The huge plot twist featured in Attack on Titan Season 2, Episode 6, “Warrior”, is one of the best in the series, as Reiner and Bertholdt Hoover (Tomohisa Hashizume and David Matranga) decide to tell Eren that they are, in fact, the Armored and Colossal Titans respectively. This is a huge shock that is delivered so casually, viewers typically have to do a double take before they even realize, along with Eren, who, understandably, freaks out and goes all Titan on them. With the Scouts having gathered upon the wall for a good bit of this episode, this serves as a great place to put this reveal, as it puts them in a potentially dangerous position, as the wall is 50 meters (164 feet). The line that Eren delivers upon transforming is one of the most well-delivered in the entire series from both the sub and dub actors.
5
“Memories of the Future”
Season 4, Episode 20
Eren manipulating Grisha in Attack on TitanImage via Crunchyroll
Speaking of big plot twists, Attack on Titan Season 4, Episode 20, “Memories of the Future” is the episode with arguably the biggest. This doesn’t just twist the story that’s come so far— no, this episode completely flips the entire plot on its head and laughs at the audience for thinking they knew what could possibly be happening all this time, in the best way possible. It’s in this episode that the viewers find out that Eren Yeager has been behind the events of the series this entire time—dating way back before the first episode even begins chronologically. The powers of his Titan giving him the ability to see and affect all of time at once means that this protagonist has actually been pulling the strings this entire series.
4
“From You, 2000 Years Ago”
Season 4, Episode 21
A gritty drawing of the Attack Titan in Attack on Titan Season 4, Episode 21Image via Crunchyroll
Only one episode later, audiences get to witness the origin story behind the original Titan, Ymir Fritz (Chiyuki Miura and Apphia Yu), and the horrific circumstances that have defined the history of Titans for good. It’s the disclosure of this origin story that Eren uses to try and convince her to give him the power to enact The Rumbling. While, for a moment, it seems as if Zeke Yeager (Takehito Koyasu and Jason Liebrecht) is going to get his way, Eren comes out on top and The Rumbling begins. The real hitter of the episode, though, is said origin story, which is emotionally compelling and beyond heartbreaking. It makes Ymir’s rage feel so much more understandable as she makes the decision to let Eren do such a terrible act.
3
“Perfect Game”
Season 3, Episode 16
Erwin leads the Scout Regiment to their deaths in Attack on Titan episode Perfect Game.Image via Crunchyroll
Many will argue that Season 3 of Attack on Titan is the best of the four, and this episode (and one other special one) is a great showcase as to why. Attack on Titan Season 3, Episode 16, “Perfect Game” is an almost perfect episode for a plethora of reasons, most specifically, though, because of the emotional weight it holds.
Not only is this a very well-animated episode, but it’s one that is driven by narrative and dramatic stakes, rather than action. It all comes to a head when Commander Erwin Smith (Daisuke Ono and J. Michael Tatum) sets a play against the Beast Titan, and gives what is arguably one of the best speeches/monologues in all of anime, delivered wonderfully by both sub and dub actors. It’s an extremely memorable episode.
2
“Hero”
Season 3, Episode 17
Close-up on Levi Ackerman bloody and rageful in Attack in Titan.Image via Wit Studio
Immediately after Erwin and the rest of the Scouts’ big sacrifice, the real ploy comes to a head: it was all a ruse to distract the Beast Titan and Levi Ackerman pulls off what may be one of the greatest takedowns in the entire series. He absolutely mutilates the Beast Titan, to the point where it’s borderline laughable how much of an advantage he had. This is not only one of the best fight/battles (if it can be called that), but one of the most well-animated scenes in the entire show. The absolute brutality of Levi truly shows how much of a force he is, and that the hype around him is 100% founded. Attack on Titan Season 3, Episode 17, “Hero” is iconic, without a doubt.
1
“Midnight Sun”
Season 3, Episode 18
Levi holding up a Titan serum in front of Erwin in Attack on TitanImage via MAPPA
After an episode stacked to the very brim with action and brutality, Attack on Titan delivers the most well-written episode in the series, driven completely by a trolley problem for the cast, but most importantly, Levi. With both Commander Erwin and Armin Arlert (Marina Inoue and Jessie James Grelle) on the brink of death, the absurdly skilled Scout must decide who to save with an injection that would turn them into a Titan. The emotional stakes in this episode make it one of the most compelling out there. This is especially because the audience knows that, no matter which way the cookie ends up crumbling, they’re going to lose a very beloved character. Levi does end up choosing Armin, but not by his own choice—rather, it was a decision made by Erwin himself with some of his last breaths. This is a heart-wrenching episode that does not pull any punches.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz
Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive?
The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
The Matrix
Mad Max
Blade Runner
Dune
Star Wars
TEST YOUR SURVIVAL →
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do?
The first instinct is often the truest one.
APull on every thread until I understand the system — then figure out how to break it.
BStop asking questions and start stockpiling — food, fuel, weapons. Questions don’t keep you alive.
CKeep my head down, observe carefully, and trust no one until I know who’s pulling the strings.
DStudy the patterns. Every system has a rhythm — learn it, and you learn how to survive it.
EFind the people fighting back and join them. You can’t fix a broken galaxy alone.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely?
What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
AKnowledge. If you understand the system, you don’t need resources — you can generate them.
BFuel. Everything else — movement, power, escape — runs on it.
CTrust. In a world of fakes and informants, a truly reliable ally is rarer than any commodity.
DWater. And after water, information — the two things empires are truly built on.
EShips and credits. The galaxy is big — you survive it by being able to move through it freely.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night?
Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
AThat reality itself is a lie — that everything I experience has been constructed to keep me compliant.
BA raid. No warning, no mercy — just the roar of engines and then nothing left.
CBeing identified. Once someone with power decides you’re a problem, you’re already out of time.
DBeing outmanoeuvred — losing a political game I didn’t even know I was playing.
EThe Empire tightening its grip until there’s nowhere left to run.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust?
Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
ASubvert it from the inside — learn its rules well enough to weaponise them against it.
BIgnore it and stay out of its reach. The further from any power structure, the better.
CAppear to comply while doing exactly what I need to do. Visibility is the enemy.
DManoeuvre within it carefully. You can’t beat a system you refuse to understand.
EResist openly when I have to. Some things are worth the risk of being seen.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term?
Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
AUnderground bunkers and server rooms — cramped, artificial, but with access to everything that matters.
BOpen wasteland — brutal sun, no shelter, constant movement. At least the threat is honest.
CA dense, rain-soaked city where you can disappear into the crowd and nobody asks questions.
DMerciless desert — extreme heat, no water, and something enormous living beneath the sand.
EThe fringe — backwater planets and busy spaceports where the Empire’s attention rarely reaches.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart?
The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
AA tight crew of believers who’ve seen behind the curtain and have nothing left to lose.
BOne or two people I’d trust with my life. Any more than that and someone talks.
CNobody, ideally. Alliances are liabilities. I work alone unless I have no choice.
DA community bound by shared hardship and mutual survival — people who need each other to last.
EA ragtag team with wildly different skills and total commitment when it counts.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all?
Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
AI won’t harm the innocent — even the ones who’d report me without hesitation.
BI do what I have to to protect the people I’ve chosen. Everything else is negotiable.
CThe line shifts depending on who’s asking and what’s at stake.
DI draw a long-term line — nothing that compromises my people’s future, even if it’d help now.
ESome lines, once crossed, can’t be uncrossed. I know which ones they are.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
What would actually make survival worth it?
Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
AWaking others up — dismantling the illusion so no one else has to live inside it.
BFinding somewhere — or someone — worth protecting. A reason to keep moving.
CAnswers. Understanding what I am, what any of this means, before time runs out.
DLegacy — shaping the future in a way that outlasts me by generations.
EFreedom — for myself, for others, for every world still living under someone else’s boot.
REVEAL MY WORLD →
Your Fate Has Been Calculated
You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
تم النشر: 2026-06-10 19:27:00
مصدر: collider.com
