Attack on Titan has been turned into a musical

The wildly popular manga Attack on Titan has been adapted from the stage.

Hajime Isayama’s fantasy epic had its world premiere in Osaka and Tokyo in January 2023, and will now play at US venue New York City Center from 11 to 13 October.  Directed by breakdance world champion Go Ueki, the New York City Center engagement marks its first international performance.

The piece features a book by Masafumi Hata, music supervision by KEN THE 390, and lyrics by Kaori Miura. The production combines musical theatre with state-of-the-art technology, performed by a cast of 35.

The story is set a century after grotesque giants known as Titans appeared and consumed all but the last remnants of humanity. Survivors took refuge behind giant walls. Today, the threat of the Titans is a distant memory, and a boy named Eren Yeager yearns to explore the world beyond. What begins as a childish dream becomes an all-too-real nightmare when the Titans return and humanity faces extinction once again.

The manga was serialized in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine by Kodansha from 2009-2021, winning numerous awards across Japan and the US, including the Kodansha Manga Award and Harvey Award. Comprised of 34 volumes, the series has been adapted into anime, video games, novels, and more. It has sold 140 million copies, translated into 18 languages and published in over 180 countries.

The anime version has won more than ten awards from the Crunchyroll Anime Awards over the last three years.

Isayama said: “When I saw the production in Tokyo, I was floored by how powerful it was. I felt that a musical was the perfect medium to express the story of Attack on Titan. The action and the songs by the performers have created a new Attack on Titan that is different from the manga or the anime series. They have created such an amazing show, and I cannot wait for everyone to see it in New York. Please look forward to the opening.”

The cast includes Kurumu Okamiya as Eren Yeager, Sara Takatsuki as Mikasa Ackerman, Eito Konishi as Armin Arlert, Ryo Matsuda as Levi, and Takuro Ohno as Erwin Smith, among others.

Performances will be in Japanese with English supertitles.

Manga musicals are having a major moment, with both Death Note and Your Lie in April making their way to the stage.