Attack on Titan is one of the most successful anime series of all time, and for good reason. From the large-scale battles to the character development, there is so much to enjoy about the anime, and every aspect of the show seems to shine. This includes the separate opening intros the show has used for its different seasons. They are perhaps among the best OPs in the anime industry when it comes to both fluid animations and exciting song choices.
Attack on Titan has released four seasons in total, a few of the seasons being released in two parts. Each of these openings has its own style and flair to it, though there are certainly a few that fans still recite and remember more fondly to this day than others.
Updated January 10, 2022 by Mark Sammut: Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 is underway, bringing with it a new opening song and video. The anime has been on the air for nearly a decade by this point, going through quite a few changes throughout that time. This is reflected in the OPs, all of which capture the tone of their respective episodes. Naturally, some songs are more loved than others, and the last OP, "The Rumbling," has a lot to live up to due to it presumably being the final one of the iconic anime. How does it compare with the other Attack on Titan openings? Does "The Rumbling" end the series on one of its best or most lackluster OPs?
7 Season 4, Part 1: "My War"
- Link
- Song by Noko & Shinsei Kamattechan
Season 4 Part 1 is one of the best in all of the series in terms of the show's best episodes, but the intro just doesn't match the intensity of them, sadly. The "My War" soundtrack composed by Noko is a fan favorite and is unique when it comes to Attack on Titan opening songs. However, the beautiful song is paired up with some rather generic, if colorful and abstract, action. It's pleasing to the eye but doesn't show much other than nondescript soldiers fighting on a battlefield.
The intro isn't bad by any means, it just lacks the personal connection that other openings from the show boast. This does make sense, considering that the beginning of the season follows new characters, but the cinematic doesn't bring out the emotion like the best Attack on Titan intros.
6 Season 1, Part 1: "Guren no Yumiya"
- Link
- Song by Linked Horizon
There will always be something nostalgic about a beloved anime's first-season opener. This certainly rings true with Attack on Titan, as these scenes marked some of the first animated action fans ever saw from this critically acclaimed anime.
The intro hasn't stood the test of time like other openers, though, and can really remind viewers of the show just how much the animation has improved over the years. "Guren no Yumiya" was an excellent song choice to capture the wonders of the first season, however, and is one of the biggest highlights from this particular opener.
5 Season 3, Part 1: "Red Swan"
- Link to the full song
- Song by Yoshiki ft. Hyde
Season 3 of Attack on Titan really expanded on the world-building aspect of the show and had an opening cinematic to match this feat. The opening of Season 3 has a lot of great qualities too it, such as showing the growth and change of the characters fans have invested so much time watching. This is a very nice touch.
Not to mention the fact that fans get to see flashbacks of Levi as a child wielding a knife, which never gets old (considering that he later becomes one of the most powerful beings in Attack on Titan). Pair these animations with the beautiful "Red Swan" performed by Yoshiki and Hyde, and you have another iconic Attack on Titan opening cinematic.
4 Season 4, Part 2: "The Rumbling"
- Link
- Song by SiM
Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 will bring the anime to a close, and the show deserves to go out on a fantastic OP. Thankfully, "The Rumbling" more than delivers on this promise, producing a stellar and heavy track alongside visuals that showcase just how far the characters have come over the anime's run. Well, to be more specific, the OP shows how greatly one character has changed: Eren.
Yeager takes center stage for nearly the entire OP; more importantly, the opening shows Eren isolated, a person who has the weight of the world on his shoulder and has separated himself from the community that kept him grounded. The imagery of Eren walking on the wall is provocative, as are the haunting shots of the army of Titans. The Final Season Part 2 is here.
3 Season 3, Part 2: "Shoukei To Shikabane No Michi"
- Link to the full song
- Song by Linked Horizon
Season 3 was split into two parts, with the second one being preferred here. It gets the edge over the first's intro due to the fact that the song used remains one of the most recognizable tunes in the series to this day. Not only that, but the cinematic is full of slow-motion shots like the legendary Scouts rushing the Beast Titan and other iconic moments such as Eren's Attack Titan and Reiner's Armored Titan doing long-awaited battle with one another.
The opener does a perfect job of showing viewers some of the intense scenes of episodes past, while also hinting towards what's to come. Season 3's intro is still considered among the best the anime has to offer. Not quite the very best, though.
2 Season 2: "Shinzou Wo Sasageyo"
- Link
- Song by Linked Horizon
There is something chilling about the piano keys that start off Season 2's intro, which is a good thing considering the show can become very dark at certain points. This makes "Shinzou Wo Sasageyo" by Linked Horizon the perfect song choice for this particular intro. Some of the shots used in the opening are gripping and poignant as well, such as the one that pans over all of the heroes standing on the wall (and reveals the huge amount of vast and terrible Titan forces barrelling their way).
Something else to note about this intro is the red beating hearts that can be seen in both our main protagonists' and their enemies' bodies. Perhaps this goes to show that the two sides ultimately aren't too different after all (the members of the Survey Corps have done some terrible things themselves).
1 Season 1, Part 2: "Jiyuu no Tsubasa"
- Link
- Song by Linked Horizon
Attack on Titan Season 1, part 2 sports the best opening that the show has to offer. The music performed by Linked Horizon begins with a spine-tingling chant, which then proceeds to turn into an electric guitar lead which ramps up the intro to new levels.
It also offers a first-person perspective of what it's like to fly through the sky in ODM gear, which helps give viewers an understanding of what it's like to fight hordes of incredibly dangerous titans as a scout. The stylish scenes of the season they chose to include don't seem to spoil anything but serve very well to get the show's many fans excited for the adventures that await them.