Hajime Isayama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hajime Isayama
諫山 創
Isayama at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2023
Born	August 29, 1986 (1986-08-29) (age 38) Ōyama, Ōita, Japan
Occupation	Manga artist
Years active	2006–present
Known for	Attack on Titan
Spouse(s)	Unknown ​ (m. 2018)​
Awards	Kodansha Manga Award (2011) Harvey Award (2014)

Hajime Isayama (Japanese: 諫山 創, Hepburn: Isayama Hajime, born August 29, 1986) is a famous Japanese manga artist. He creates comic books and graphic novels. His most well-known series is Attack on Titan. This manga was published from 2009 to 2021. It became one of the best-selling manga series ever. Over 140 million copies were sold by November 2023. Isayama has won several important awards for his work. These include the Kodansha Manga Award in 2011 and a Harvey Award in 2014. He also received a special award at the 50th Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2023.

Early Life and Career of Hajime Isayama

Isayama was born in Ōyama, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. This area is now part of Hita. While attending Hita Rinko Senior High School, he started sending his manga to contests. After high school, he studied manga design at Kyushu Designer Gakuen.

In 2006, he entered the Magazine Grand Prix (MGP) contest. This contest was run by Kodansha Ltd. A short version of Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) won the "Fine Work" award. This early story was later included with the first Blu-ray of the Attack on Titan anime. When he was twenty, Isayama moved to Tokyo. He worked at an Internet café to support himself while trying to become a manga artist.

He first showed his work to the Weekly Shōnen Jump team at Shueisha. They suggested he change his style to fit their magazine better. However, Isayama decided not to. Instead, he took his work to the Weekly Shōnen Magazine team at Kodansha Ltd.

In 2008, he entered the 80th Weekly Shōnen Magazine Freshman Manga Award. His work, Heart Break One, received a Special Encouragement Award. The next year, his other work, Orz, was also recognized in the same contest.

The Success of Attack on Titan

In 2009, his first regular series, Attack on Titan, began. It was published in the monthly Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine. In 2011, it won the Shōnen category of the 35th Kodansha Manga Award. It was also nominated for the 4th annual Manga Taishō award. The series was also nominated for the 16th annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.

Attack on Titan is published in English by Kodansha USA. The series has inspired many other works. These include five spin-off manga series and three light novel series. It also led to a popular TV anime show. There are also several visual novels, video games, and a two-part live-action movie.

In 2013, a free exhibit showed copies of Isayama's manga manuscripts. This exhibit was held at the Bungo Oyama Hibiki no Sato resort in his hometown. A special Attack on Titan event took place in Hita on November 1, 2014. Isayama attended, along with about 2,500 fans. The next day, he gave a speech at the Patria Hita cultural hall. The mayor of Hita, Keisuke Harada, named him the Tourism Ambassador of Hita.

In December 2018, Isayama shared on his blog that he had gotten married earlier that year. In November 2022, Isayama visited the United States for the first time. He appeared at Anime NYC, a large anime convention in New York City.

Hajime Isayama's Works

Awards and Recognition

See also

In Spanish: Hajime Isayama para niños