# Hajime Isayama

Hajime Isayama (Japanese: 諫山 創, Hepburn: Isayama Hajime, born August 29, 1986) is a Japanese manga artist. His first series, Attack on Titan (2009–2021), became one of the best-selling manga series of all time with 140 million copies in circulation as of November 2023. He was awarded the Kodansha Manga Award in 2011, a Harvey Award in 2014, and was honored with the Fauve Spécial award at the 50th Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2023.

## Early life and career

Isayama was born in Ōyama, Ōita Prefecture, Japan, which is now part of Hita. He was attending Hita Rinko Senior High School when he began submitting manga works to contests. After graduating, he matriculated in the manga design program of the arts department at Kyushu Designer Gakuen. In 2006, he applied for the Magazine Grand Prix known as MGP promoted by Kodansha Ltd. and a short version of Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) was given the "Fine Work" award. This one-shot would later be included with the first Blu-ray of the anime adaptation. At age twenty, he moved to Tokyo and worked at an Internet café in order to pursue a career in writing manga.
Originally, he offered his work to the Weekly Shōnen Jump department at Shueisha, where he was advised to modify his style and story to be more suitable for Weekly Shōnen Jump. He declined and decided instead to take it to the Weekly Shōnen Magazine department at Kodansha Ltd.
In 2008, he applied for the 80th Weekly Shōnen Magazine Freshman Manga Award, where his work Heart Break One was given the Special Encouragement Award. His other work, Orz, was chosen as a selected work in the same contest the following year.
In 2009, his first serial work, Attack on Titan, started in the monthly Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine. It won the Shōnen category of the 35th Kodansha Manga Award in 2011, and was nominated for both the 4th annual Manga Taishō award and the 16th annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. Attack on Titan is released in English by Kodansha USA and has inspired five spin-off manga series, three light novel series, a televised anime adaptation, several visual novels and video games, and a two part live-action film. The resort Bungo Oyama Hibiki no Sato in his hometown of Ōyama, ran a free exhibit displaying copies of Isayama's manuscripts for the manga in 2013. A special Attack on Titan event was held in Hita on November 1, 2014, with Isayama and approximately 2,500 spectators attending. The following day, Isayama gave a speech at the Patria Hita cultural hall and was named the Tourism Ambassador of Hita by the city's mayor Keisuke Harada. In December 2018, he announced in his blog that he had gotten married earlier that year. In November 2022, Isayama made his first-ever appearance in the United States at Anime NYC, an anime convention in New York City.

## Works

| Title | Year | Publisher(s) | Notes |
| Attack on Titan (進撃の巨人 Shingeki no Kyojin) | 2006 | | One-shot version |
| Heart Break One (ハート ブレイク ワン Hāto Bureiku Wan) | 2008 | | One-shot |
| Orz | 2008 | | One-shot |
| Attack on Titan (進撃の巨人 Shingeki no Kyojin) | 2009–2021 | Kodansha (Japanese) Kodansha USA (English) | Manga |
| Attack on Titan Inside (進撃の巨人 INSIDE 抗 Shingeki no Kyojin Inside Kou) | 2013 | | Character profiles, interviews |
| Attack on Titan Outside (進撃の巨人 OUTSIDE 攻 Shingeki no Kyojin OUTSIDE Osamu) | 2013 | | Concept art, interviews. Includes a draft from chapter 1 (2009) |
| Attack on Avengers | 2014 | Brutus (Japanese) Colossal Edition Vol. 2 by Kodansha USA (English) | Crossover with Marvel Comics. Story by Isayama, art by Axel Alonso and Joe Quesada. |
| The Killing Pawn (ザ・キリング・ポーン Za Kiringu Pōn) | 2014 | | One-shot; art by Ryōji Minagawa. This was later added to Minagawa's short story collection "Tensousha"(2021). |
| The Theory of Ill-Natured Men and AI (性悪男とAIのセオリー Showaru Otoko to AI no Theory) | 2025 | Kodansha | One-shot; art by Kai Noshigami, featuring a character created by Yuki Kaji. |

## Awards

| Year | Award | Category | Work/Nominee | Result |
| 2006 | Magazine Grand Prix | Fine Work | Attack on Titan (one-shot version) | Won |
| 2008 | 80th Weekly Shōnen Magazine Freshman Manga Award | Special Encouragement Award | Heart Break One | Won |
| 81st Weekly Shōnen Magazine Freshman Manga Award | Selected Work | Orz | Won |
| 2011 | 4th Manga Taishō Awards | Best Manga | Attack on Titan | Nominated |
| 35th Kodansha Manga Award | Best Shōnen Manga | Attack on Titan | Won |
| 2012 | 16th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize | Grand Prize | Attack on Titan | Nominated |
| 2013 | 20th Anime & Manga Grand Prix | Best Hope Manga | Attack on Titan | Won |
| 19th Saló del Manga de Barcelona | Best Shōnen Manga | Attack on Titan | Won |
| 6th Bros Comic Award | Grand Prize (Animated Comic) | Attack on Titan | Won |
| 2014 | 18th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize | Grand Prize | Attack on Titan | Nominated |
| 17th Attilio Micheluzzi Award | Best Foreign Series | Attack on Titan (published by Planet Manga) | Won |
| True Believer Comic Awards | Favourite Manga | Attack on Titan | Won |
| 27th Harvey Award | Best American Edition of Foreign Material | Attack on Titan (published by Kodansha USA) | Won |
| 21st Anime & Manga Grand Prix | Best Manga | Attack on Titan | Won |
| E-Book Awards | Grand Prize | Attack on Titan (published by Kondansha) | Won |
| E-Book Awards | Comic Category | Attack on Titan (published by Kondansha) | Won 1st place |
| Pochi Awards | Best Manga International | Attack on Titan (published by Carlsen Manga) | Won |
| 20th Saló del Manga de Barcelona | Best Shōnen Manga | Attack on Titan | Won |
| NEO Awards | Best Manga | Attack on Titan (published by Kodansha USA) | Won |
| 2015 | 1st Sugoi Japan Awards | Best Manga Series | Attack on Titan | Won |
| 11th AnimaniA Awards | Best Manga International | Attack on Titan (published by Carlsen Manga) | Won |
| Goodreads Choice Awards | Best Graphic Novels & Comics | Attack on Titan | 3rd place |
| 2021 | 27th Saló del Manga de Barcelona | Best Shōnen Manga | Attack on Titan (published by Norma Editorial) | Nominated |
| Noma Publishing Award | Noma Publishing Culture Award | Hajime Isayama | Won |
| 2023 | 50th Angoulême International Comics Festival | Fauve Special | Hajime Isayama | Won |