You’d think a simple question like "how many episodes are there?" would have a simple answer. It doesn’t. Not for this show. If you’re trying to pin down the Attack on Titan number of episodes, you’re going to run into a labyrinth of "Final Seasons," "Part 1s," "Special Chapters," and "OADs" that makes the actual plot of the show look like a children's book.
Basically, there are 88 main television episodes, but that number is a bit of a lie.
If you just count the standard 22-minute chunks that aired on NHK General TV, you get 88. But then you have the Final Chapters—two massive specials that are basically movies. If you watch those on Crunchyroll or Hulu, they might be listed as two long episodes. Or, if you’re watching the "episodic version" released later for streaming, those two specials get chopped up into even more individual segments. It's a headache. Honestly, MAPPA and Pony Canyon didn't make it easy for the casual viewer to just hop in and know where they are.
The Season-by-Season Breakdown (The "Easy" Part)
Let’s look at how we got here. Back in 2013, Wit Studio dropped Season 1. It was 25 episodes. Simple. Clean. Everyone knew what was happening. Then things got weird. We waited four years—four actual years—for Season 2, which only had 12 episodes. People were fuming. They thought the show was dying.
Then Season 3 arrived and split itself in two. This was the beginning of the "Part" trend that eventually broke the internet's patience. Season 3 Part 1 had 12 episodes; Part 2 had 10. That brings us to 59 episodes by the time we leave Wit Studio and move over to MAPPA.
MAPPA took the reins for "The Final Season." This title turned out to be the biggest prank in anime history.
- Final Season Part 1: 16 episodes.
- Final Season Part 2: 12 episodes.
- Final Season Part 3: (Actually titled The Final Chapters): 2 long-form specials.
If you’re counting the Attack on Titan number of episodes including these "Final Chapters" as single entries, you hit 90. But wait. There are also the OADs (Original Animation DVDs). There are 8 of those. They aren't "filler" in the traditional Naruto sense. They cover backstories for characters like Levi and Annie that actually matter for the emotional weight of the series. If you include those, you’re looking at 98 distinct pieces of animation.
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Why the Final Season Lasted Three Years
It’s easy to blame the studios, but the production committee really squeezed this one. The manga, written by Hajime Isayama, was still being finished when the "Final Season" started. MAPPA was basically chasing the tail of the source material. This is why the Attack on Titan number of episodes feels so bloated in the naming convention but lean in the actual content. They couldn't finish it in one go because the ending hadn't even been drawn yet.
Then you have the animation quality. Look at the Rumbling. Thousands of Colossal Titans walking across the ocean. You can’t animate that on a weekly TV schedule without your staff literally collapsing. So, they moved to the "Special" format for the very end. This changed the episode count again.
On some streaming platforms, they took those two 60-90 minute specials and sliced them back into "standard" episodes to fit the 22-minute format. This adds another 7 "episodes" to the count. So, depending on where you watch, the Attack on Titan number of episodes could be reported as 88, 90, or 94. It’s a mess.
The OADs: Do They Actually Count?
Most people skip the OADs. That’s a mistake. "No Regrets," the two-part story about Levi’s underground origins, is arguably better than some of the main series arcs.
If you're a completionist, you have to factor these in. They aren't usually numbered in the main run on sites like MyAnimeList or LiveChart. They exist in this weird limbo. But if someone asks for the total Attack on Titan number of episodes, and you don't mention the OADs, you're giving them an incomplete experience.
- Ilse's Notebook (Crucial lore about Titan communication)
- The Sudden Visitor
- Distress
- No Regrets: Part 1
- No Regrets: Part 2
- Lost Girls: Wall Sina, Goodbye: Part 1
- Lost Girls: Wall Sina, Goodbye: Part 2
- Lost Girls: Lost in the Cruel World
These 8 episodes provide the context that makes the finale hit harder. Without "Lost Girls," Annie Leonhart’s motivations feel a bit thinner. Without "No Regrets," Levi is just a "cool guy who kills things" instead of a deeply traumatized survivor of the slums.
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Confusion Around "The Final Chapters"
The "Final Chapters" are technically the end of the Attack on Titan number of episodes. They aired as two specials: "Special 1" (March 2023) and "Special 2" (November 2023).
However, in Japan and on certain international streams, these were re-cut into "The Final Season: The Final Chapters (Episodic Version)." This version has its own opening and ending themes ("The Last Titan" by Linked Horizon). It’s essentially the same footage but broken down. If you see people arguing online about whether there are 88 or 90+ episodes, this is why. They are both right. It just depends on if you're counting by "airing slots" or by "story segments."
How to Watch It Without Getting Lost
If you are just starting, ignore the confusing titles. Follow the chronological release.
Start with Season 1. Move to the first few OADs. Hit Season 2. Then Season 3. Watch the remaining OADs before starting Season 4 (The Final Season).
When you get to the end of Season 4 Part 2 (Episode 87, "The Dawn of Humanity"), you need to stop and look for the "Final Chapters." Don't look for an "Episode 88" in the same list, because it might not be there. It might be listed as a separate "movie" or "event" on your streaming app of choice.
The Mathematical Reality
Let's get precise.
Standard TV Episodes (Seasons 1-4 Part 2): 87.
The Finale (The Final Chapters): 2 (or 7 if watching the episodic cut).
The Extras (OADs): 8.
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Total "Unique Content" Entries: 97.
It’s a strange number for a show that feels so monumental. Compared to the 1,000+ episodes of One Piece or the 500+ of Naruto Shippuden, Attack on Titan is actually quite lean. There is almost zero filler. Even the episodes that feel slow are usually planting seeds for a payoff that happens three seasons later. Isayama is famous for this. A background character in Episode 5 might be the catalyst for a genocide in Episode 80.
Final Insights for Your Watchlist
Understanding the Attack on Titan number of episodes is mostly about navigating the marketing choices of MAPPA and Kodansha. They wanted to keep the "Final Season" branding for years because it kept the hype at a fever pitch. It worked, but it left the episode list looking like a fragmented hard drive.
If you're looking to buy the Blu-rays or track your progress on an app like TV Time, stick to the 88-episode count as your "main" goal. Everything else is the garnish that makes the meal better.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your streaming service for "The Final Chapters" separately from "Season 4." Many users miss the ending because it’s tucked away in a different category.
- Prioritize the "No Regrets" OAD before you finish Season 3 to get the most out of Levi's character arc.
- If you’re watching for the first time, avoid the "episodic version" of the finale; the original long-form specials have better pacing and more impactful transitions.