Since it started in 2009, Attack On Titan has delighted audiences with its dark world and exciting story. This success has led to many spin-offs. From manga to anime and even live-action entries, it can often be hard to know where to start with it all. And, while some spin-offs are fantastic additions to the franchise, others are a little weak and feel like more of the same.
But don't fear, here is a Titan-sized ranking of the Attack On Titan spinoffs, from totally skippable to completely unmissable.
7. Attack on Titan: Junior High
A parody manga that got turned into a short anime series, Attack On Titan: Junior High, as the title suggests, transplants the characters into a chaotic junior high school, presented in a chibi style. Attack Junior High is next to a school campus specifically for Titans. The mischievous lunch-stealing Titans cause many issues for the students, setting some on a quest for revenge.
The jokes are decent, but when compared to all of the other school comedy series out there, this one is rather generic and only for hardcore Attack On Titan fans who've exhausted everything else. The anime version has the same problems, but animation works slightly better for the comedy, making it a fun casual watch.
6. Attack on Titan: High School
A sequel to Attack on Titan: Junior High, Attack On Titan: High School moves the characters into a high school and sets the scene for plenty of comedy and chaos. In this story, Eren Yeager and his friends head to a new school called Marley Academy, which hosts both humans and Titans, to save their friends Ymir, Bertolt, Reiner and Annie. Marley Academy, weirdly enough, considers transfer students to be demons, leading to them getting bullied.
While very similar to Attack On Titan: Junior High, this series does try to develop a more coherent story, but it feels a little thin. However, its short length means that it doesn't overstay its welcome.
5. Attack on Titan: Counter Rockets
A short three-episode web series that was designed to promote the then-upcoming live-action movies and set within the vastly different continuity of the live-action films, Attack On Titan: Counter Rockets follows the day-to-day lives of the Scouts and looks at how they are affected by the secrets they keep. Viewers get to see Hange researching the Titans and how the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment was created in this continuity, all while seeing relationships form and shatter in the stress of combat.
The slice-of-life aspect is handled quite well, and the slower pace of this series allows you to admire how good the live-action set design is. This is a must-watch for people who want to enjoy the films to their fullest extent, as it covers some plot details you won't find in those films. For everyone else, it is an interesting curiosity.
4. Attack on Titan: Before the Fall
Set 70 years before the main series, Before The Fall is a series of light novels that were then adapted into a manga series. The story is split into two parts: the first follows Angel Aaltonen, the creator of the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, while the second focuses on Kuklo, a boy who is found in a pool of Titan vomit. Kuklo is scorned and feared due to being a Titan's son and finds himself grappling with his past and the hatred of others as he grows up.
The first half is unique, as it feels more like historical fiction, rather than the usual Attack On Titan fare. But the second half, while enjoyable, doesn't stand out among other parts of the franchise. It feels like it retreads a lot of ground that is already well walked by the broader story.
3. Attack On Titan & Attack On Titan: End of the World
The live-action Attack On Titan movie was split into two parts, both of which were released in 2015. While it set out to follow the manga, Hajime Isayama, Attack On Titan's creator, suggested many changes. Hajime moved the story to Japan and changed some of the characters. Hajime said that he wanted the movies to stand alone and felt like the manga and anime had already told the main story. The movies were also made before the manga had ended, forcing the film to create its own, highly controversial ending.
However, if you can overlook this, the films are fun in their own right. They're ambitious and try to work in elements from several different genres, all while moving at a breakneck pace. While not perfect, they are an enjoyable movie night double-feature.
2. Attack on Titan: No Regrets
Based on the visual novel, A Choice with No Regrets, this manga is a prequel to the main storyline and follows fan-favorite character Levi Ackerman. It was adapted into a two-part OVA that came with the special edition of Volumes 18 and 19 of the manga and follows Levi through his early life as a criminal and chancer, up until he encounters Erwin Smith and is recruited into the Survey Corps.
This prequel does a lot of world-building, but the main appeal is learning more about Levi and his early years. This series gives the ever-popular character a lot of new depth and explains his actions in the main story. No Regrets gives you a whole new perspective on the core series.
1. Attack on Titan: Lost Girls
Lost Girls started as a light novel containing three different stories. This novel was then adapted into a manga and then later became a three-episode anime in 2017. As the title suggests, these stories focus on the female characters of the series. One part focuses on Annie Leonhart as she looks for a lost girl, another features Mikasa Ackerman dreaming of a world where her parents are still alive and, in the final story, Mikasa and Annie discuss why they joined the military during a lull in their training.
The last two stories are fantastic. They're markedly different from the rest of the franchise, and Mikasa and Annie getting the spotlight is a refreshing change. The anime version is also worth watching as it adds lots of depth to Mikasa and Annie and features some beautiful animation.
