Attack on Titan Creator’s Intense Workload Left Him With Chronic Injury

This year will bring about the end of Attack on Titan’s anime, but the series has been done for some years now. Creator Hajime Isayama closed the story a few years back, and since then, the artist has enjoyed a well-deserved rest. Still, the legacy of Attack on Titan shadows the beloved artist, and it turns out some injures he earned from the manga have yet to resolve.

The surprising revelation came from La Grande Librairie in France as Isayama appeared at a convention overseas not long ago. It was there the artist talked about his career, and the topic of work schedules came to light. Hajime went on to detail his wild workload, and he said making Attack on Titan left him with chronic pain though not in the way most mangaka experience.

“Most mangakas suffer from tendonitis, but not me no doubt thanks to the way I hold my pencil. On the other hand, since I don’t lean too much to draw, I suffered from terrible back pain,” Isayama shared (via Attack on Fans).

“Manga artists flex their wrists all over the place and can suddenly get tendonitis. I don’t do this movement when turning the paper. This at the least had the merit of saving my hand.”

As you can imagine, this sort of injury isn’t ideal for anyone let alone a writer. Isayama perhaps had things easier than weekly artists who are churning out content again and again. Still, the damage done to Isayama while working lingers, and he is not the only manga or anime creator to experience such pain.

For instance, the creator of Hunter x Hunter and Yu Yu Hakusho has been open about the injuries they incurred while working. Yoshihiro Togashi has been forced to take numerous hiatuses from work due to his health. In recent interviews, the artist said his back pain was so intense he couldn’t use the restroom by himself, and other creators have died by overworking themselves. Veteran storyboard artist Kazunori Mizuno reportedly passed from such in 2017, and most recently, the sudden death of Berserk creator Kentaro Miura sparked debate over the industry’s insane expectations.

Luckily, Isayama has been able to recoup his health since Attack on Titan ended. These days, the artist dreams about opening a spa though future spin-offs about Levi could be in the cards one day. And if those stories do come to light, we wish Isayama the best health!

Do you think the manga industry needs to revise its expectations of creators? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.