Forethought and Pride: The Creativity of Hajime Isayama

"This world is cruel, but I still love you. Even if I sacrifice everything, I will protect you." 

Hajime Isayama

Hajime Isayama is the author and illustrator for the series Attack on Titan, a story set in a world where humanity lives inside cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from the gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to as titans; the story follows Eren Yeager, who vows to exterminate the titans after a titan brings about the destruction of his hometown and the death of his mother.

This series originally started as a manga in September of 2009 ("manga" being a Japanese comic book/graphic novel). Though this series only became an international hit when it was adapted into an anime in April of 2013 ("anime" being the term for a style of Japanese film and television animation). Since then, this franchise has evolved into one the most well known anime/manga series in the world. With live-action adaptations, further manga spin-offs, endless forms of merchandise, homages/references in other series, and movies being made due to its success. There's even an Attack on Titan theme park at Universal Studios Japan.

The entrance to the Attack on Titan theme park

When asked what influenced him to create Attack on Titan, Isayama noted several reasons. One was his inspiration from other forms of media. The most recognizable of which being Jurassic Park, where he became fond of the idea of being eaten by something huge as a frightening story element. Some other lesser known sources of inspiration were a videogame where aliens fought humans and a series called Jigoku-Sensei Nube, from which he further developed his concept of titans.

A soldier, Ian, rescuing his comrade from the mouth of a titan, sacrificing himself in the process

Another influence for him was his personal experiences growing up on a farm in the mountains. In a BBC interview, he said that he noticed living creatures gain nutrition from other living creatures to survive, and while such a concept seems cruel, it is an undeniable norm. This idea is portrayed in the forms of the man-eating titans and the endless conflict between humans to get what they want. Besides that, he also wanted to escape that suffocating rural area, a feeling shared with the protagonist, Eren Yeager.

“Is it wrong not to be special? I don’t think that way. When it comes to my child, it’s fine if he’s never great. He doesn’t have to be better than anyone. After all, just look at him, he’s so cute! He’s already special. Because he was born into this world.” – Carla Yeager

An additional thing to note is that Isayama was very persistent. He failed numerous times trying to get his story published. Visiting several major publishing companies to get it evaluated, most of them said they liked his story but felt that the quality of his drawings were poor. He felt like giving up and didn't think he could become a manga artist, he didn't think he could be one of the big ones. In the end, the only publisher that showed interest was Kodansha. And at that point, his self-esteem was so low that when the editor said he liked it, Isayama remembered thinking, "What's wrong with this guy?" His drawings did get better, though how much that was due to learning from failure or simply getting better with time is unknown. Regardless, his experience with failure is noteworthy none the less.
 

These creative processes of collecting and learning from failure helped shape the iconic series people know and love today. Though, Isayama also experienced some less conventional means for his creative process. For instance, in the same aforementioned BBC interview, he stated that, "When I first came up with the idea, I had a dream with no limits. In my tiny room, I felt I was connected to the universe, bypassing the ordinary world. In my dreams I thought Attack on Titan was a fascinating, world-changing idea. The structure of the story, that there are walls, and outside the walls there are monsters, and inside the walls there are different classes within the society. I think those concepts are universal. Maybe that was why it became popular." His insight and incubation of the story in this regard certainly stands out, and it is a part of why Attack on Titan became what it is today.

"I see. I think I understand why he did it, after all this time. Everybody I’ve met was all the same. Drinking, women, worshipping God, even. Family, […], dreams, children, power. Everyone had to be drunk on somethin’ to keep pushing on. Everyone was a slave to something.” – Kenny Ackerman"

However, Isayama's pride and love for the series is perhaps one of the biggest reasons Attack on Titan is such a beloved series. His mental imagery when forming the story was incredibly well thought out. Even stating that he had the entire story planned out before drawing it. A story that spanned from 2009 to 2021, totaling 34 volumes and 141 chapters. Such care and forethought is what makes Attack on Titan stand out from almost any other series, even outside of anime/manga. Almost every part of the story has significance later down the line. Time and time again, he leaves the audience in shock upon realizing the scene they overlooked was more significant than they expected or the supposed "plot hole" they noticed was fully intentional and never a plot hole at all. Every twist is delivered so masterfully that it comes as a complete surprise at first, though upon rewatching/rereading the series, the audience notices foreshadowing they had missed before. And in a world seemingly filled with creators that often think stories up along the way and creators that end up forgetting parts of their own stories, it's refreshing to have one who has the whole thing planned out and never forgets a detail.

On top of that, the story itself is simply beautiful and wonderfully creative. With beautiful themes hidden behind its bloody and thrilling setting, Attack on Titan exemplifies the woes and beauty of humanity. It exemplifies the idea that there is no such thing as true freedom, because individual freedoms will naturally clash. So, because of that, conflict is unavoidable, but the answers to conflict are never hate and violence, because hate and violence are cyclical. Instead, communication should always be prioritized because it leads to connection. And that's what life is about, not some grand goal that can be pursued, but the little connections you make with others and the beautiful moments in establishing them. The ultimate form of connection being love, proper love. 

The opening scene to Attack on Titan