The BEST episodes of Attack on Titan season 1

Every episode of Attack on Titan season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Attack on Titan season 1!

After his hometown is destroyed and his mother is killed, young Eren Yeager vows to cleanse the earth of the giant humanoid Titans that have brought humanity to the brink of extinction.

Last Updated: 10/31/2024Network: NHKStatus: Ended
Crushing Blow: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission (5)
star
8.52
2182 votes

#1 - Crushing Blow: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission (5)

Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 9/1/2013

After a last act of desperation, the person inside the Female Titan has escaped from the Recon Corps and reverted to their human form. Now, disguised as a member of the Recon Corps and equipped with Maneuver Gear, they finally catch up to their prey — Levi's squad.

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Wall: Assault on Stohess (3)
star
8.40
2346 votes

#2 - Wall: Assault on Stohess (3)

Season 1 - Episode 25 - Aired 9/29/2013

Eren, spurred on by his promise to kill every single Titan, unleashes the full power of his Titan form in the fight with the Female Titan. As their bloody battle draws to a close, it seems humanity may finally have a chance at survival. However, with many mysteries still left unsolved, what will await Eren, Mikasa, and Armin?

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First Battle: The Struggle for Trost (1)
star
8.39
2472 votes

#3 - First Battle: The Struggle for Trost (1)

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/5/2013

Five years have passed since the fall of Wall Maria and Eren faces off against the Colossal Titan after it appears out of nowhere once again, and knocks a strategic hole in the gate of Wall Rose. As Titans swarm the city, the newly graduated Cadets are called in to fight a brutal battle that won't be without casualties.

Directors: Shinpei Ezaki
Writer: Hiroshi Seko
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I Can Hear His Heartbeat: The Struggle for Trost (4)
star
8.34
2356 votes

#4 - I Can Hear His Heartbeat: The Struggle for Trost (4)

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/26/2013

Armin comes up with a risky plan that pits Titan against Titan as the abandoned cadets attempt to take back their headquarters. Getting into the building might be possible, but getting out alive and refueled will mean facing more of the giants.

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Whereabouts of His Left Arm: The Struggle for Trost (5)
star
8.31
2249 votes

#5 - Whereabouts of His Left Arm: The Struggle for Trost (5)

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 6/2/2013

A miraculous return is met with anger and fear. Cannons are fixed on Eren as he struggles to remember what happened to him inside the belly of a Titan and how he ended up as humankind's enemy. One question is all that matters: is Eren human or Titan?

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Female Titan: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission (1)
star
8.30
2124 votes

#6 - Female Titan: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission (1)

Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 8/4/2013

As the Recon Corps begins its push toward Shiganshina, they encounter an intelligent Female Titan unlike any they’ve seen before. When Armin hypothesizes that it’s really a human that’s been turned into a Titan, he, Jean, and Reiner attempt to stop it.

Writer: Hiroshi Seko
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Mercy: Assault on Stohess (2)
star
8.28
2059 votes

#7 - Mercy: Assault on Stohess (2)

Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 9/22/2013

With the identity of the Female Titan now revealed, Eren has reservations about fighting her. Mikasa, Armin, and the rest of the Recon Corps try to fight the Female Titan, hoping to distract her long enough to buy Eren time to come to terms with his feelings.

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Bite: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission (3)
star
8.26
2140 votes

#8 - Bite: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission (3)

Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 8/18/2013

With the Female Titan still chasing after Levi's squad, Eren considers turning himself into his Titan form, but Levi tells him to choose to be either a monster or a member of the Recon Corps. As Eren remembers what he has learned from the squad, he realizes that the danger and sacrifice they all share is not what binds them — it is trust. Now it is up to Eren to make the decision of who he will trust.

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Small Blade: The Struggle for Trost (3)
star
8.23
2321 votes

#9 - Small Blade: The Struggle for Trost (3)

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/19/2013

After the retreat bell sounds, many cadets find themselves without enough fuel to scale the wall back to safety. Mikasa begins to lose hope once she hears of the deaths in Armin's squad, but the appearance of a new type of Titan stokes her will to fight.

Directors: Yuzuru Tachikawa
Writer: Hiroshi Seko
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To You, in 2,000 Years: The Fall of Shiganshina (1)
star
8.21
3414 votes

#10 - To You, in 2,000 Years: The Fall of Shiganshina (1)

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/7/2013

After one hundred years of peace, humanity is suddenly reminded of the terror of being at the Titans' mercy.

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Erwin Smith: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission (4)
star
8.20
2182 votes

#11 - Erwin Smith: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission (4)

Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 8/25/2013

With the help of Levi's squad, the Recon Corps has successfully captured the Female Titan. As Commander Erwin and Captain Levi begin preparations to extract whoever is inside the Titan, will the Recon Corps discover its true identity, or does the Female Titan have one last trick up its sleeve?

Directors: Shintaro Itoga
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Smile: Assault on Stohess (1)
star
8.18
2094 votes

#12 - Smile: Assault on Stohess (1)

Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 9/15/2013

Following the disastrous results of the 57th Expedition, Eren is to be brought to the King's palace for a court martial. Armin, desperate to save Eren from certain execution, enlists the help of an old friend to assist with an escape plan.

Directors: Hirokazu Yamada
Writer: Hiroshi Seko
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The Night of the Closing Ceremony: Humanity's Comeback (2)
star
8.16
2483 votes

#13 - The Night of the Closing Ceremony: Humanity's Comeback (2)

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/28/2013

Two years pass and the time for the recruits' graduation approaches. Annie proves her skill in a sparring session, Jean dreams of serving alongside the King, and graduation day brings shocking revelations — along with the sudden appearance of an old foe.

Directors: Makoto Bessho
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Forest of Giant Trees: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission (2)
star
8.14
2079 votes

#14 - Forest of Giant Trees: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission (2)

Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 8/11/2013

As the Female Titan continues to tear its way through the Recon Corps, Levi makes a bold decision to split the ranks and send Eren and the supply wagons through a huge forest. Is his strategy genius, or does it spell certain death for the scouts?

Writer: Hiroshi Seko
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Primal Desire: The Struggle for Trost (9)
star
8.14
2159 votes

#15 - Primal Desire: The Struggle for Trost (9)

Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 6/30/2013

Jean takes desperate measures to replace his broken Maneuver Gear. Meanwhile, Eren is able to seal the hole in the wall thanks to the help of his fellow cadets, but the cost of humanity’s first victory against the Titans will be enormous.

Directors: Masashi Koizuka
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The World the Girl Saw: The Struggle for Trost (2)
star
8.11
2376 votes

#16 - The World the Girl Saw: The Struggle for Trost (2)

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/12/2013

Armin tries to cope with the loss of his friends and allies after Titans massacre his squad. Elsewhere in the city, Mikasa manages to take out several of the monsters, which brings back tragic memories of her past and the first time she met Eren.

Directors: Tomomi Ikeda
Writer: Hiroshi Seko
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The Defeated: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission (6)
star
8.05
2095 votes

#17 - The Defeated: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission (6)

Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 9/8/2013

The Female Titan has captured Eren after ripping him out of his Titan body, but Mikasa and Captain Levi give chase. Elsewhere, the Recon Corps begins preparations for the journey back home to the Wall with their numerous dead in tow.

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Can't Look into His Eyes Yet: Eve of the Counterattack (1)
star
8.02
2141 votes

#18 - Can't Look into His Eyes Yet: Eve of the Counterattack (1)

Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 7/14/2013

A special military tribunal will decide Eren’s fate. The Military Police calls for his execution while the Recon Corps argues that he is a powerful resource for humankind, and Mikasa is put on the spot when asked about the events of the Trost mission.

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Response: The Struggle for Trost (6)
star
7.94
2291 votes

#19 - Response: The Struggle for Trost (6)

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 6/9/2013

Cadets respond to Eren's terrifying transformation with doubt and fear as he struggles to understand it himself. If Armin can't talk the commander into using Eren's newfound powers for the good of humankind, all hope of stopping the Titans might be lost.

Directors: Hiroyuki Tanaka
Writer: Hiroshi Seko
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That Day: The Fall of Shiganshina (2)
star
7.93
2709 votes

#20 - That Day: The Fall of Shiganshina (2)

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/14/2013

After the Titans break through the wall, the citizens of Shiganshina must run for their lives. However, those that do make it to safety find a harsh life waiting for them.

Directors: Masashi Koizuka
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What Needs to Be Done Now: Eve of the Counterattack (3)
star
7.91
2055 votes

#21 - What Needs to Be Done Now: Eve of the Counterattack (3)

Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 7/28/2013

Everyone is a suspect in the investigation to find out who killed the two test-subject Titans. Meanwhile, the cadets pick which military branch they’ll be joining, but after the harrowing events in the Trost attack, many are uncertain which branch to choose.

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A Dim Light Amid Despair: Humanity's Comeback (1)
star
7.90
2562 votes

#22 - A Dim Light Amid Despair: Humanity's Comeback (1)

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/21/2013

Eren begins his training with the Cadet Corps, but questions about his painful past overwhelm him. When he struggles with a maneuvering exercise, Bertholdt and Reiner offer kindly advice.

Directors: Kiyoshi Fukumoto
Writer: Hiroshi Seko
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Wound: The Struggle for Trost (8)
star
7.90
2136 votes

#23 - Wound: The Struggle for Trost (8)

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 6/23/2013

The plan to reclaim Trost falls apart when Eren’s newfound powers turn him into a mindless giant. As Titans continue to swarm the city, it’s up to Armin and Mikasa to make sure the cadets massacred during the mission haven’t died in vain.

Directors: Shintaro Itoga
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Special Operations Squad: Eve of the Counterattack (2)
star
7.85
2022 votes

#24 - Special Operations Squad: Eve of the Counterattack (2)

Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 7/21/2013

The Recon Corps moves Eren to an old abandoned castle where he will continue his training. Hanzi visits and reveals that she’s been putting two captured Titans through a series of tests and trials — experiments that she wants Eren’s help with.

Directors: Kiyoshi Fukumoto
Writer: Hiroshi Seko
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Idol: The Struggle for Trost (7)
star
7.84
2212 votes

#25 - Idol: The Struggle for Trost (7)

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 6/16/2013

Plans are made to use Eren's Titan powers to seal the hole in the wall in an attempt reclaim Trost. But with the government's bloodstained history and vocal dissenters in the military ranks, the biggest threat to humankind may not be the Titans.

Directors: Kiyoshi Fukumoto
Writer: Hiroshi Seko
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