Not far behind Demon Slayer in terms of sales, Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) is also one the best-selling manga series of all time. Launched in 2009, the manga had a modest beginning before being boosted by the popularity of the anime adaptation. Since then, it inspired five spin-off manga series, three light novel series, several visual novels and video games, and a two part live-action film.
Written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama, Attack on Titan is a Shōnen manga set in a post-apocalyptic world where the last remnants of humanity live in a kingdom surrounded by walls designed to protect them from a powerful race of man-eating giants known as Titans. Living in this dark world is Eren Yeager, a teenager who has vowed to exterminate the Titans after his hometown’s destruction and his mother’s death.
Exploring human persistence in the face of failure, trauma, loss, and death, Attack on Titan lasted 139 chapters, compiled into 34 volumes. The main manga series came to an end in 2021.
Attack on Titan Reading Order
As said, the Attack on Titan Universe is made of several manga and light novels. Here’s an overview:
Attack on the Titan and The Spin-offs Manga
- Attack on Titan (2009-2021) – The main manga from Hajime Isayama. 34 volumes (139 chapters and 2 side stories)
- Attack on Titan: Junior High (2012-2016) – Parody manga written and illustrated by Saki Nakagawa. 11 volumes (80 chapters).
- Attack On Titan: Before the Fall (2013-2019) – Manga adaptation of the light novels written by Suzukaze and illustrated by Satoshi Shiki. 17 volumes (65 chapters, 1 prologue and 8 extra chapters)
- Attack on Titan: No Regrets (2013-2014) – Based on the visual novel A Choice with no Regrets. Prequel Spin-off manga illustrated by Hikaru Suruga and written by Gun Snark focused on Levi. 2 Volumes (8 chapters, 1 prologue and 5 side stories)
- Spoof on Titan (2013-2014) – A comic strip spin-off rawn by Hounori. 2 volumes.
- Attack on Avenger (2014) – one-shot manga crossover between characters from Attack on Titan and Marvel Comics.
- Attack on Titan: Lost Girls (2015-2016) – spin-off manga based on the novel of the same name written and illustrated by Ryōsuke Fuji. 2 Volumes (9 chapters and 1 side story)
Novels
- Attack On Titan: Before the Fall (2011-2012) – Series of three light novels written by Ryō Suzukaze and illustrated by THORES Shibamoto set before the main manga. Published in two volumes in the US.
- Attack on Titan: Harsh Mistress of the City (2014-2015) – Series of two light novels written by Ryō Kawakami and illustrated by Range Murata
- Attack on Titan: Lost Girls (2014) – Compilation of three stories written by Hiroshi Seko
- Garrison Girl: An Attack on Titan Novel (2018) – English young adult novel written by Rachel Aaron set in the world of Attack on the Titan.
Attack On Titans, Other Editions
Before exploring in more details the Attack on Titan universe, following is two collections released by Koshanda Comics collecting the main Series.
Attack on Titan Omnibus Edition – This latest collection for Attack on Titan is the Omnibus Edition, released between 2021 and 2023.
- Attack on Titan Omnibus 1
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 1-3 - Attack on Titan Omnibus 2
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 4-6 - Attack on Titan Omnibus 3
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 7-9 - Attack on Titan Omnibus 4
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 10-12 - Attack on Titan Omnibus 5
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 13-15 - Attack on Titan Omnibus 6
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 16-18 - Attack on Titan Omnibus 7
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 19-21 - Attack on Titan Omnibus 8
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 22-24 - Attack on Titan Omnibus 9
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 25-27 - Attack on Titan Omnibus 10
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 28-30 - Attack on Titan Omnibus 11
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 31-32 - Attack on Titan Omnibus 12
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 33-34
Attack on Titan Colossal Edition – You can also find the manga in the Colossal Edition, a 5-volume omnibus edition released from 2014 to 2022.
- Attack on Titan: Colossal Edition 1
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 1-5 - Attack on Titan: Colossal Edition 2
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 6-10. Also includes Attack on Avengers, the eight-page color crossover with the superheroes of Marvel’s Avengers! - Attack on Titan: Colossal Edition 3
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 11-15 - Attack on Titan: Colossal Edition 4
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 16-20 - Attack on Titan: Colossal Edition 5
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 21-25 - Attack on Titan: Colossal Edition 6
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 25-30 - Attack on Titan: Colossal Edition 7
Collects Attack on Titan Vol. 31-34
Attack on Titan, The Complete Manga Order with the spin-offs
As always, all the spin-offs are optional and you can only focus on the main manga to have a whole story. You can actually read all the side stories after finishing Attack on Titan. What follow is a reading guide conceived to give a better comprehension of the universe.
- Attack on Titan Volume 1
Collects Chapters 1-4
Attack on Titan: Harsh Mistress of the City can be read at anytime after the first volume. If you want to know more about what happened to the other districts following the fall of Wall Maria, you’ll be interested in this spin-off novel series.
- Attack on Titan: Harsh Mistress of the City Part 1
- Attack on Titan: Harsh Mistress of the City Part 2
- Attack on Titan Volume 2
Collects Chapters 5-9 - Attack on Titan Volume 3
Collects Chapters 10-13, Side Story: “Captain Levi” - Attack on Titan Volume 4
Collects Chapters 14-18 - Attack on Titan Volume 5
Collects Chapters 19-22
Attack on Titan, Before The Fall! As a prequel, Attack on Titan: Before the Fall is set before the events of the main series. For this reason, you could choose to read this story before the main manga. As the light novels were released around Volume 5-7, we recommend reading them at this stage for first-time readers. It means you already have a certain knowledge of the universe that will make you appreciate the spin-off differently.
- Attack on Titan: Before the Fall (Novel)
Set 70 years before the fall of Wall Maria, The first light novel focuses on a weaponsmith working on vertical maneuvering equipment, a device that help humans fight Titans. - Attack on Titan: Kuklo Unbound
Collects second and third light novels of Before the Fall. The story features Kuklo, a member of the Survey Corps who was found as a baby crying in a mass of Titan vomit, amidst the dead titan corpses.
The second and third light novels were later adapted into manga to tell Juklo’s journey in a new way. While the story starts the same, differences are introduced after a few volumes in order to extend the story. The 17 volumes were released in parallel to volumes 12-28 of the main manga. As we can imagine, you must be interested to continue to read the main story, so we invite you to read at your own rhythm this prequel – or not, this is optional after all!
- Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 1
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 1-3, Bonus: Trailer - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 2
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 4-7 - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 3
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 8-10, Extra: Carlo Pikale’s Expedition Report - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 4
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 11-13, Extra: Sharle’s Shiganshina Diary - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 5
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 14-17 - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 6
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 18-20, Extras: The Recruit’s First Mission and The Girl Waiting in the Workshop - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 7
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 21-24, Extra: Swear Upon Wall Maria - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 8
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 25-28, Extra: Master of Vertical Maneuvering - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 9
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 29-32, Extra: Budding Ambition - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 10
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 33-36, Extra: Greater Intimacy Through Self-Defense - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 11
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 37-40 - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 12
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 41-44 - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 13
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 45-48 - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 14
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 49-52 - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 15
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 53-56 - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 16
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 57-60 - Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Vol. 17
Collects Attack on Titan: Before the Fall Chapters 61-65
- Attack on Titan Volume 6
Collects Chapters 23-26 - Attack on Titan Volume 7
Collects Chapters 27-30 - Attack on Titan Volume 8
Collects Chapters 31-34
Attack on Titan: No Regrets is set before the main series but we advice you to read it after volume 5 at least. The story, focused on Levi, references many characters introduced in volume 5.
- Attack on Titan: No Regrets Complete Color Edition
Previously collected in two volumes:
Attack on Titan: Lost Girls! Based on the visual novels Lost in the Cruel World and Wall Sina, Goodbye, Lost Girls focused on the interaction between Mikasa Ackerman and Annie Leonhart. Though not taking place at a particular moment of the main series, it is recommended to read this story after volume 8 to avoid any spoilers — a major event is referenced in it.
- Attack on Titan: Lost Girls (Novel)
- Attack on Titan: Lost Girls Vol. 1
- Attack on Titan: Lost Girls Vol. 2
Garrison Girl: An Attack on Titan Novel is an english young adult novel written by Rachel Aaron set in the world of Attack on the Titan and approved by Hajime Isayama. It features original characters and takes place in parallel of the Attack on Titan story.
- Attack on Titan Volume 9
Collects Chapters 35-38 - Attack on Titan Volume 10
Collects Chapters 39-42 - Attack on Titan Volume 11
Collects Chapters 43-46 - Attack on Titan Volume 12
Collects Chapters 47-50 - Attack on Titan Volume 13
Collects Chapters 51-54 - Attack on Titan Volume 14
Collects Chapters 55-58 - Attack on Titan Volume 15
Collects Chapters 59-62 - Attack on Titan Volume 16
Collects Chapters 63-66
- Attack on Titan Volume 17
Collects Chapters 67-70 - Attack on Titan Volume 18
Collects Chapters 71-74 - Attack on Titan Volume 19
Collects Chapters 75-78 - Attack on Titan Volume 20
Collects Chapters 79-82 - Attack on Titan Volume 21
Collects Chapters 83-86 - Attack on Titan Volume 22
Collects Chapters 87-90 - Attack on Titan Volume 23
Collects Chapters 91-94 - Attack on Titan Volume 24
Collects Chapters 95-98 - Attack on Titan Volume 25
Collects Chapters 99-102 - Attack on Titan Volume 26
Collects Chapters 103-106 - Attack on Titan Volume 27
Collects Chapters 107-110 - Attack on Titan Volume 28
Collects Chapters 111-114 - Attack on Titan Volume 29
Collects Chapters 115-118 - Attack on Titan Volume 30
Collects Chapters 119-122 - Attack on Titan Volume 31
Collects Chapters 123-126 - Attack on Titan Volume 32
Collects Chapters 127-130 - Attack on Titan Volume 33
Collects Chapters 131-134 - Attack on Titan Volume 34
Collects Chapters 135-139
Other Attack on Titan Spin-offs
To avoid any form of spoilers and to better understand the references, the following series are better read after finishing the main manga.
Attack on Titan: Junior High
Attack on Titan: Junior High is a manga parody of Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) featuring the main characters as students and teachers at Titan Junior High School. and revisiting memorable scenes from the manga.
- Attack on Titan: Junior High Vol. 1
- Attack on Titan: Junior High Vol. 2
- Attack on Titan: Junior High Vol. 3
- Attack on Titan: Junior High Vol. 4
- Attack on Titan: Junior High Vol. 5
A sequel, Attack on Titan: High School, was published in 2018, but there is no official English translation to my knowledge.
Spoof on Titan
A comic strip spin-off parody following Eren and Mikasa as they enter a new school-Titan Junior High! However, Eren’s hated Titans for years-can he get along with his new (harmless?) classmates?
More Attack on Titan!
- Attack on Titan Adventure (2015-2016) – Two Interactive novels written in the style of a “Choose Your Own Adventure”
- Attack on Titan Anthology (2016) – Featuring original stories by a long roster of comic writers and artists, from Stories set within the main universe and others taking place in parody worlds and more!
- Attack on Titan: End of the World (2016) – Written by Touji Asakura, this is a novelization of the live-action movie adaptations.