Hajime Isayama is the mangaka of the Attack on Titan series.
140 million copies of his debut series Attack on Titan (2009–2021) have been read by November 2023, making it one of the all-time best-selling manga series. First released in September 2009, Attack on Titan ran as a serial in Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine by Kodansha until its conclusion in April 2021.
In 2023, the 50th Angoulême International Comics Festival presented him with the Fauve Spécial prize. He also received the Harvey prize in 2014, and the Kodansha Manga Award in 2011.
Hajime Isayama’s life and career
Isayama was born in Ōyama, Japan, today a part of Hita in the Ōita Prefecture. He was a student at Hita Rinko Senior High School when he started entering his manga works in contests. Following graduation, he enrolled in Kyushu Designer Gakuen's manga design program within the arts department. Attack on Titan, his first serial work, debuted in the monthly Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in 2009. There are a total of 35 volumes in the manga contaning 139 chapters and 3 side stories.
The Japanese title of the series "Shingeki no Kyojin" was originally intended to have two meanings. "Advancing Giant(s)" or "Attacking Giant(s)" is the title translated literally; in the context of the series, giants are Titans. The story begins with Titans, giant humanoid creatures, breaching huge town walls and killing humankind for no certain reason. The plot eventually reveals the history of titans and how the walls and the towns within its perimeter came to be.
Works
Isayama has created following works:
| WORK | YEAR |
| Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) | 2006 |
| Heart Break One (Hāto Bureiku Wan) | 2008 |
| Orz | 2008 |
| Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) | 2009-2021 |
| Attack on Titan Inside (Shingeki no Kyojin Inside Kou) | 2013 |
| Attack on Titan Outside (Shingeki no Kyojin OUTSIDE Osamu) | 2013 |
| Attack on Avengers | 2014 |
| The Killing Pawn (Za Kiringu Pōn) | 2014 |
Awards
Isayama has won several awards over the years. They are mentioned below.
| AWARD | WORK | CATEGORY | YEAR |
| Magazine Grand Prix | Attack on Titan (one-shot version) | Fine Work | 2006 |
| 80th Weekly Shōnen Magazine Freshman Manga Award | Heart Break One | Special Encouragement Award | 2008 |
| 81st Weekly Shōnen Magazine Freshman Manga Award | Orz | Selected Work | 2008 |
| 35th Kodansha Manga Award | Attack on Titan | Best Shōnen Manga | 2011 |
| 20th Anime & Manga Grand Prix | Attack on Titan | Best Hope Manga | 2013 |
| 19th Saló del Manga de Barcelona | Attack on Titan | Best Shōnen Manga | 2013 |
| 6th Bros Comic Award | Attack on Titan | Grand Prize (Animated Comic) | 2013 |
| 17th Attilio Micheluzzi Award | Attack on Titan (published by Planet Manga) | Best Foreign Series | 2014 |
| True Believer Comic Awards | Attack on Titan | Favourite Manga | 2014 |
| 27th Harvey Award | Attack on Titan (published by Kodansha USA) | Best American Edition of Foreign Material | 2014 |
| 21st Anime & Manga Grand Prix | Attack on Titan | Best Manga | 2014 |
| E-Book Awards | Attack on Titan (published by Kodansha USA) | Grand Prize | 2014 |
| E-Book Awards | Attack on Titan (published by Kodansha USA) | Comic Category | 2014 |
| Pochi Awards | Attack on Titan (published by Carlsen Manga) | Best Manga International | 2014 |
| 20th Saló del Manga de Barcelona | Attack on Titan | Best Shōnen Manga | 2014 |
| NEO Awards | Attack on Titan (published by Kodansha USA) | Best Manga | 2014 |
| 1st Sugoi Japan Awards | Attack on Titan | Best Manga Series | 2015 |
| 11th AnimaniA Awards | Attack on Titan (published by Carlsen Manga) | Best Manga International | 2015 |
| Noma Publishing Award | Hajime Isayama | Noma Publishing Culture Award | 2021 |
| 50th Angoulême International Comics Festival | Hajime Isayama | Fauve Special | 2023 |
FAQs on mangaka of Attack on Titan
A. Hajime Isayama is the writer of Attack on Titan.
A. Attack on Titan’s creation is inspired from Isayama’s childhood fear of giant humanoid creatures.
A. Yes, Isayama has been married since December 2018.
