Need the attack on titan books in order? It is one of the simplest reading orders in manga: read Hajime Isayama’s 34 volumes from Volume 1 to Volume 34, in number order, and you will follow the complete story from the fall of Wall Maria to the final chapter. The manga is finished, so there is no waiting for a next volume — the whole story is available now.
This guide lists the full run, breaks it into its major story phases, compares the box sets and omnibus editions, and explains where the spin-offs fit (and which ones you can safely skip).
Attack on Titan Books in Order: All 34 Volumes
The manga was serialised in Japan from September 2009 to April 2021 and collects 139 chapters across 34 volumes, published in English by Kodansha. Read them in this order:
- Volumes 1–8: The fall and the fight back. Humanity lives behind three enormous walls, hiding from man-eating Titans. When the Colossal Titan breaches Wall Maria, young Eren Yeager watches his world collapse and swears to wipe out every Titan. He joins the military, discovers a shocking power of his own, and fights in the battle to retake lost ground.
- Volumes 9–16: The world inside the walls. The story turns inward: military politics, a coup, and the secrets of the royal family and the walls themselves. Eren’s powers, the history of the Titans, and the true nature of his world start to come into focus, and the action never lets up for long.
- Volumes 17–22: The basement and the sea. The Survey Corps retakes Wall Maria and finally reaches the basement Eren’s father left behind. What they find there reframes everything that came before — and the final pages of this section change the story’s scope completely.
- Volumes 23–34: The world beyond. The second half of the series leaves the island behind, introduces the nation of Marley, and follows the war between two peoples to its devastating conclusion. Eren’s journey, which began with a simple vow of revenge, ends in a place few first-time readers predict.
You do not need to memorise these phases — they are just signposts. The volumes themselves carry you through in order, and each one ends on a note that makes the next hard to put down.
The Story in Broad Strokes
At its start, Attack on Titan is a survival horror story: giant, mindless Titans eat people, and humanity cowers behind walls. Isayama slowly reveals that almost nothing about that setup is as simple as it looks. Who the Titans are, why the walls exist, and what lies beyond them are mysteries the series answers carefully, volume by volume, over a decade of storytelling.
That slow reveal is the series’ great strength — and its great warning. Attack on Titan is graphic, bleak, and morally uncomfortable, especially in its later volumes, where there are no clean heroes and no easy answers. It is aimed at older teens and adults, not younger manga readers, and the violence and themes grow heavier as the story goes on.
Box Sets vs. Omnibus Editions vs. Single Volumes
- Single volumes: The straightforward route — buy Volume 1, then keep going. Best if you are testing whether the series is for you.
- Box sets: Kodansha’s collected box sets package the run in large chunks, which usually works out cheaper per volume and looks impressive on a shelf. Check exactly which volumes each set contains before buying, since sets are sometimes sold in parts.
- Omnibus editions: These bind several volumes into one thicker book, saving shelf space. They are a good middle ground if you want the full story without 34 separate spines — though, like all omnibuses, they are heavier to read in bed.
Spin-Offs and Where They Fit
Several spin-offs expand the world, but none of them is required to understand the main story:
- Attack on Titan: Before the Fall: A prequel set decades before the main series, about the first attempts to fight Titans with early vertical manoeuvring gear. Read it after the main series if you want more of the world — starting here spoils nothing, but it lands better once you know the world.
- Attack on Titan: No Regrets: A two-volume side story about Levi’s past, and how he joined the Survey Corps. Fans of Levi rate it highly; everyone else can treat it as a bonus.
- Attack on Titan: Junior High and other comedies: Light-hearted parodies that reimagine the cast at school. Fun, but entirely separate from the main story’s tone and plot.
The cleanest approach is: finish Volumes 1–34 first, then pick up Before the Fall or No Regrets if you are not ready to leave the world yet.
Where Should New Readers Start?
Start with Volume 1. It is one of the most famous openings in manga: a peaceful town, a wall, and then the face of the Colossal Titan peering over it. If that first volume’s mix of horror, mystery, and desperate action grips you, you have 33 more volumes of escalating story ahead. If it does not, the series only gets darker and more complex — it is fair to stop there.
A note for anime viewers: the anime adapts the manga closely, but the manga is the original, complete version, with Isayama’s rougher, more urgent art.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Attack on Titan books are there?
There are 34 volumes in the main manga, collecting chapters 1–139. The series is complete.
Is Attack on Titan finished?
Yes. The manga concluded in April 2021 with chapter 139, collected in Volume 34.
Do I need to read Before the Fall first?
No. Read the main 34 volumes first. Before the Fall is a prequel and an optional extra, not part of the main numbered run.
Is Attack on Titan suitable for younger readers?
No — it is graphic and dark, with heavy themes of war, violence, and moral conflict. It is best suited to older teens and adults.
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