Attack on Titan fans might have their differences of opinion from time to time, but if there’s one thing that they can unanimously agree on, it’s that the show never misses with its iconic opening titles.
For years, both the anime series and the fandom have marched on to the rhythm of these anthems. These themes have been present through every victory and every tragic occasion, through every grinding step of progress to uncover the truth, and every heartbreaking loss to make it happen, and impacted every deeply nuanced moment of reflection that makes you question everything you knew about Hajime Isayama’s world and its colorful characters.
There was a time when the story asked its protagonists to rise up against the cruelty of this world, and there was a time when it asked them to dedicate their hearts and souls to humanity. Now, the current song for the second part of the final season heralds the end of the world itself, with the characters racing against a ticking clock to change their seemingly inevitable doom. From “Guren no Yumiya” to “The Rumbling,” here we’ve ranked the show’s opening credits from our least favorite to a banger of epic proportions.
8. “Jiyuu no Tsubasa” — Season 1, Part 2
“Wings of Freedom,” which plays at the beginning of every episode in season one, part two, has everything you’d want to see in an anime opening theme; hype-fueling beat, blood-pumping lyrics, and chill-inducing visuals. That alone speaks volumes about Wit Studio’s work on the anime, reinforcing the old saying within the fandom that “there are no bad Attack on Titan songs.”
Still, despite our unrelenting impulse to shout “Flügel der Freiheit” at the top of our lungs whenever this theme plays, we’ve allotted this track by Linked Horizon to the seventh spot, mostly due to the fact that season two’s “Shinzou wo Sasageyo” does a much better job of establishing what it means to sacrifice it all as a member of the Survey Corps.
7. “Saigo no Kyojin” — The Final Season, Parts 3 and 4
“Saigo no Kyojin” perfectly summarizes Eren’s journey from an unwitting boy to the man who almost destroys the world. While there’s emotional depth in SiM’s rendition of Attack on Titan songs, we can’t help but feel that it doesn’t quite live up to the reputation of other catchy Linked Horizon works. Frankly, I wouldn’t mind a different remix of “Red Swan” or even “Guren no Yumiya,” but I guess we can live with “The Final Titan” as the final Attack on Titan opening credits we’ll ever see.
6. “Shoukei to Shikabane no Michi” — Season 3, Part 2
From a narrative standpoint, “Path of Aspiration and Corpses” includes the best set of words to describe season three, part two. This was the culmination of many years of speculation and fan debate as to the true nature of the titans and their origins. The story’s protagonists finally make their way to Grisha Yeager’s cellar, learning the truth about their world, and what lies beyond the walls.
But before taking that leap of faith, Erwin Smith and the Scouting Regiment engage the Armored, Colossal, and Beast Titans in what’s arguably the most intense fight of their lives, paving the path to the truth with the corpses of their comrades in a battle of attrition.
“Path of Aspiration and Corpses” is one of the most spoiler-heavy Attack on Titan openings, depicting many scenes from the battle that’s yet to come, but none that quite prepares the viewers for the bombshell awaiting them inside Eren Yeager’s childhood home.
5. “My War” — The Final Season, Part 1
A lot of storytelling and narrative elements both influence and separate the final season of Attack on Titan from its previous three outings. Even in the context of Hajime Isayama’s manga, the plot as a whole underwent a rather staggering tonal and thematic shift when introducing fans to the nation of Marley and the struggle between their empire and that of the Eldians. “My War” underpins all of these changes by introducing an upbeat and deconstructive theme, one that is so jarring when compared to the previous themes that for a brief few seconds, you might think you’ve played the wrong anime.
As Isayama’s manga reaches its climactic resolution, the viewers come to realize that the story is essentially a scaled allegory of war and conflict in human history. From Eldia’s subjugation beyond the shores to the large-scale brainwashing of the population into hating them, “My War” encapsulates the vibe of the final season in its entirety, while also cheekily referencing Adolf Hitler’s autobiography Mein Kampf (My Battle) with its title and imagery.
If this is, after all, a story about prejudice and the unjustifiable enthrallment of a people, what better way to hearken all of that than to offer imagery that alludes to the Second World War period?
4. “Red Swan” — Season 3, Part 1
What happens when a group of innocent teenagers get swept into a world of violence and chaos, adjusting to a life of responsibility that has so far only shown them its cruel side? This is one of the biggest story elements in Attack on Titan, and as the opening to the first part of season three, “Red Swan,” conveys that loss of innocence in a heartbreaking manner. It shows viewers glimpses of every character and their childhood, most importantly of all our three protagonists; Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlert.
As opposed to the previous theme that focused on the determination and the courage required to face the titan onslaught with an epic undertone, “Red Swan” leans more into the dramatic side of things. This is where viewers finally begin to learn the truth about the world inside the Walls and the secrets that the central government has hidden from the populace, not to mention how Eren became a Titan shape-shifter in the first place.
3. “Guren no Yumiya” — Season 1, Part 1
“Crimson Bow and Arrow” is massively revered in the Attack on Titan fandom — not just as one of the most iconic and nostalgic themes in the series, but the entire anime canon at large. Whenever people are exposed to a new piece of art, first impressions are absolutely critical to how they’ll perceive that piece, and whether they’ll decide to invest their time and resources into it. And so far as Attack on Titan is concerned, this impressive opening, full of action-packed sequences and chill-inducing words, has essentially served as that iconic first impression for innumerable fans throughout the years.
Anime openings don’t usually have to go this hard with their main theme, especially for the first season, but Linked Horizon threw caution to the winds and brought everything to the fore that makes Attack on Titan such a compelling and successful story. Even now, nearly nine years after “Guren no Yumiya” was first released, fans still unearth profound implications in the lyrics of this song, things that even hint at story elements from the ongoing final season.
2. “The Rumbling” — The Final Season, Part 2
Nothing gets our blood pumping quite like the deafening scream of SiM’s lead vocal, Manabu Taniguti, which aptly echoes the unabating rage of our protagonist Eren Yeager for the final season of Attack on Titan. “The Rumbling” is a far cry from the melodramatic tunes we’ve come to expect from the show’s usual collaborator Linked Horizon, but it has nevertheless warmed its way into our hearts as the definitive theme for the show’s last outing.
Unlike all the previous themes that chaperoned the narrative as a whole and included the story’s colorful characters, “The Rumbling” simply revolves around Eren Yeager and his quest to save the people of Paradis from the alliance of nations. Eren may have turned from an innocent boy with high ambitions to a genocidal monster who doesn’t care about casualties, but he’s the monster that the world created. “The Rumbling” perfectly channels that by taking the viewers through a rollercoaster of emotions, from rage and anguish to catharsis and finally, acceptance.
1. “Shinzou wo Sasageyo” — Season 2
You probably expected to find the season two opening theme at the first spot when you clicked on this article, and with good reason, too. For a media franchise to be successful and develop an active and loyal fanbase, audiences need to develop a sense of affinity with world-building elements that go beyond the mere progression of the narrative.
“Shinzou wo Sasageyo,” which roughly translates to “dedicate your hearts,” serves as that ultimate anthem, bringing together all Attack on Titan fans and highlighting the camaraderie and soldiership that gives meaning to the character development and sacrifice that our protagonists suffer over the course of the show.
In spite of “Guren no Yumiya” and its iconic status, or how much of an earworm “The Rumbling” turned out to be, nothing is ever going to trump “Shinzou wo Sasageyo” as the definitive Attack on Titan opening theme, and we have a feeling that fans will be listening to it long after the show has concluded.