For over a decade, fans have been enthralled by Attack on Titan, an anime featuring colossal humanoid monsters that terrorize what remains of humanity. Its intricate and unpredictable plot has kept viewers hooked, but the story will soon come to a close with the final third of the last season, set to begin on March 4th, 2023.
Is Attack on Titan banned in China?
Unfortunately yes, China banned the anime Attack on Titan along with around 40 other shows in 2015, as reported by AnimeNewsNetwork. Since the Chinese Ministry of Culture had a standard for what they considered unfit for public viewing, they restricted other well-known anime, including Deadman Wonderland, Death Note, and the second season of Tokyo Ghoul. According to CBR, the criteria for banning anime include scenes of violence, pornography, terrorism, and crimes against public morality.
It is not surprising to those familiar with China’s anime censorship regulations that they have one of the most restrictive media environments globally, and they rely heavily on censorship to manage information in news, social media, and online platforms.
The Chinese government has the final decision on whether any form of media, from TV to journalism, can be distributed to the public, and they are susceptible to violent and sexual content. Attack on Titan has an excessive amount of violence, making it an automatic choice for China’s prohibited content list, and it is expected to remain there.
How to Watch Attack on Titan (AOT) in China?
For people in China, the most convenient way would be to bypass the “Great Firewall” of China with a VPN and gain entry to the streaming platforms that have obtained the necessary rights to broadcast Attack on Titan.
Here are 3 steps to help you gain entry to the streaming platforms for Attack on Titan in China.
Step 1: Choose the right VPN
The very first step for you is to find a VPN that can work in China. For this first step, a few things you need to be careful.
- Even though there are so many awesome VPN providers in the market, not all of them are working in China. Since the Great Firewall in China nowadays is getting stronger and stronger, it becomes increasingly hard for VPN providers to bypass the Great Firewall, which is why you need to do some research first to figure out the right one. I’m currently using ExpressVPN and it’s working fine for me.
- You need to make sure that the VPN apps and account have been ready before you visit China because once you’re in China, you won’t be able to download any VPN apps. If you’re thinking to download the file directly from the provider’s website, I can tell you now that’s also impossible since you won’t be able to access the website as well.
- It’s also essential to purchase the most suitable plan for the VPN before going. I suggest you choose the yearly plan or even a year’s plan if it’s possible since you don’t want to get stuck just because you forget to renew your plan, right? Still, it depends on how long you will stay in China. (Get the best VPN 2023 with 3 months extra FREE)
Step 2: Turn on your VPN
After you’ve decided and signed up for a VPN account and purchased a plan, you’re free to use your VPN! There are 2 crucial settings you need to know.
Choose the right server
Normally, a VPN will provide users with 100+ servers from different countries. Because the network speed could be different by region, you need to test a bit to see which countries’ servers could give you the best network speed.
If you’re looking for Attack on Titan with Chinese subtitles, I would suggest you connect to the Hong Kong and Taiwan servers since the streaming platforms there usually will provide Chinese subtitles for all shows.
Choose the right protocol
VPN protocols are sets of programs and processes that determine how that tunnel is actually formed. There will be a few protocol options for you to choose from in a VPN app. For example, in ExpressVPN, there are 7 protocols.
- Lightway: It’s a next-generation VPN protocol that provides the best in speed, security, and reliability.
- OpenVPN: It is a very popular and highly secure protocol used by many VPN providers.
- IPSec/IKEv2: It sets the foundation for a secure VPN connection by establishing an authenticated and encrypted connection.
- Wireguard: It is the newest and fastest tunneling protocol the entire VPN industry is talking about.
- SSTP: Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) is a fairly secure and capable VPN protocol created by Microsoft.
- L2TP/IPSec: It’s simply a VPN tunneling protocol that creates a connection between you and a VPN server.
- PPTP: Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) was created in 1999 and was the first widely available VPN protocol. It was first designed to tunnel dial-up traffic!
I remember once I was suffering a terrible, terrible network environment in China and only this Lightway protocol of ExpressVPN was able to help me access the internet, so I was really impressed!
Step 3: Access the streaming platforms
Once you have access to the internet on your phone or PC, you’re connected to a VPN, which should enable you to log onto all streaming platforms without any problems. So the final question will be what streaming platforms have the right to broadcast Attack on Titan?
Where to watch Attack on Titan in 2023?
Hulu
| Price | Start from $7.99/month |
| Area served | United States, Japan |
| Registration | Required |
| Website | hulu.com |
Hulu has an impressive lineup of anime for the upcoming month, with two featured picks that are vastly distinct yet equally captivating. One of these picks is the second part of Attack on Titan’s final season, which is scheduled to be released on March 28th.
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Disney Plus
| Price | Start from $6.99/month |
| Area served | Americas, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, South Africa, and Parts of the Indo-Pacific. (see the full list of countries) |
| Registration | Required |
| Website | disneyplus.com |
The streaming rights of Attack on Titan lie with Hulu and you can catch all the episodes there. They used to release new episodes every Sunday afternoon.
Disney Plus also contains some Hulu shows, hence depending on your region, you may find them there as well. In some geographical locations like Italy, Japan, or Singapore, it is available on Netflix as well. (Use a VPN to bypass the regional restriction)
Netflix
| Price | Start from $6.99/month |
| Area served | Worldwide (excluding Mainland China, North Korea, Russia, and Syria) |
| Services | Film production film distribution television production television distribution |
| Website | netflix.com |
Unfortunately, Attack on Titan is only available to watch on Netflix Japan. To watch series from other countries, I recommend using a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) to ensure your privacy and let you access media from around the world.
Best VPN for watching Attack on Titan in China
| Number of servers | 3,000+ |
| Server locations | 160 |
| Maximum devices supported | 5 |
In my opinion, ExpressVPN is the best all-around VPN for watching Attack on Titan in China because it offers the best of everything from speed and security to ease of use, compatibility, and customer service.
It’s particularly well suited for use in China as it has a whopping 3,000+ servers spread across 160 locations and 94 countries.
As well as getting reliable, above-average speeds (especially when you switch on its proprietary Lightway protocol), with smart selection wizards and 24/7 live chat assistance, that goes for anybody outside the country, too.
ExpressVPN will let you be able to access streaming platforms like Hulu, Disney Plus, and Netflix when you’re in China (I know because I’ve tried). You’re secure too with Bitcoin payment, P2P support, industrial-level encryption, a kill switch, DNS protection, and a clear no-logging policy.
The only limitation of ExpressVPN is that its clients are limited to five simultaneous connections, which is fewer compared to other VPN services. However, if you don’t need to connect more than five devices, then ExpressVPN is a nearly perfect choice.
FAQ: About Attack on Titan in China
Yes, Attack on Titan is still banned in China but there’s a way to watch the final season in China, which is using VPN to unblock Hulu and Disney Plus in China.
进击的巨人 (Simplified Chinese) 進擊的巨人 (Traditional Chinese)
The Chinese authorities have frequently implemented censorship measures on anime productions deemed unethical, particularly those featuring graphic and violent depictions. One such instance is the ban on the Japanese anime TV series, Blood-C, due to its inclusion of a “particularly bloody” scene that may cause “extreme discomfort.”
China. Due to its bloody, disgusting, and disturbing visuals, it has been banned in China.
