Shingeki no Kyojin (English title: Attack on Titan) is an extremely popular manga, Anime or comic book series in Japan. It is categorized as a ‘dark fantasy’ that incorporates darker and frightening themes of fantasy. The main theme is a battle between human beings and gigantic creatures. Learn about the young manga artist and the interesting origin of this great series!
Extremely Popular Manga
The manga series started in 2009 on the Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, which is an additional volume of Shonen Magazine. This is one of the famous weekly comic magazines for children besides Shonen Jump. It has become an independent manga book series in 2010, and two volumes exceeded the sales of 1 million. Moreover, the total sales topped 100 million in 2019. It has become TV anime in 2013 and it has increased its readership. Increasing the franchise’s popularity even further, the first related anime movie was made in 2014. Two live-action films were made in 2015.
The series has been also a big hit in foreign countries, especially in South Korea and the United States.
Hajime Isayama
Attack on Titan is created by young cartoonist Hajime Isayama. He learned drawing manga at the Manga department of Kyushu Design Gakuin school in Fukuoka. Several other famous manga artists graduated from the school.
He was awarded an honorable mention of the Magazine Grand-Prix by Kodansha publishing company. This was for the one-shot story of Shingeki no Kyojin. He was only 20 years old at that time. Then Isayama got a special award in the ‘New Face’ contest for his work “Heart Break One” by Shonen Magazine in 2008. Then the editor of the magazine asked him to write a serialized story for Shingeki no Kyojin. That was the start of his great success.
He was born in the small city of Oita Prefecture in Kyushu called Hita. Hita is a basin surrounded by the high mountains and he dreamed of the world beyond the mountains when he was a child. It is said that this experience in his childhood influenced the creation of the story of Shingeki no Kyojin.
The setting of the manga is a small city surrounded by high walls which prevent attacks by giants. When you go to Hita, you can see the bronze statues of the three main characters of the story. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin are in front of the high wall of the Oyama Dam. They seem to be looking up the wall.
Another occurrence that influenced his work happened while he was working at an internet café. He encountered a violent customer who grabbed him by the collar. He felt “the fear of meeting a person I cannot communicate with”. This experience led him to create the giants.
Story of Attack on Titan
Gigantic creatures suddenly appeared on the earth and attacked people and ate them. At that time, most human beings were killed and small numbers of survivors built threefold high walls around the city. The walls were to prevent any future attack. They could live peacefully for 100 years.
The main character is a boy Eren Yeager. In the year 845, when he was ten years old, the outermost wall was destroyed by a giant, and his mother was killed. He vowed revenge on the giants and decided to join the military with his childhood friends Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert. In the military, they learned how to use the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear. This is a set of waist-mounted grappling hooks and gas-powered propulsion which enables great mobility in three dimensions.
During their first battle, Eren found out that he had the mysterious ability to change himself into a giant. But he did not lose his consciousness and never hurt people. The military tried to use his ability to restore the damaged wall. Through the battle against the giants, Eren and his company not only defended their land. But they also try to reveal the mysteries about the giants, their civilization, and what lies outside the walls.
Attack on Titan-Themed Rides
Because the manga was such a big hit, several amusement parks in Japan made temporary attractions using characters of Shingeki no Kyojin. Big models of the giants had a great impact and attracted customers to the parks. Imagine having read and enjoyed the series and then immersing yourself in that world completely!
Popular amusement parks such as Fuji-Q Highland in Kawaguchiko, Universal Studio Japan in Osaka, and Joypolis in Tokyo have featured rides related to Attack on Titan.
Your Japan Tour
As seasoned Japan experts, we can help you create your perfect Japan tour including guides who can tell you all about Attack on Titan. The guide can take you to the attractive sightseeing spots of Hita, the birthplace of the cartoonist if you wish. Contact us to start planning your unforgettable holiday to this fascinating country. Japan is full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, culture, history, nature, and delicious food!