What are Attack on Titan Memes?

Attack on Titan Memes are internet jokes based on the manga and anime series *Attack on Titan*. The most well-known format involves captioning unrelated images with "Is this Attack on Titan?" to mock the show's massive popularity in 2013[2].

Where did Attack on Titan Memes come from?

The "Is This Attack on Titan?" format originated on Tumblr on July 7, 2013, posted by user minty-bee[2]. The broader meme culture grew from the anime's premiere in April 2013[1].

What does "Is This Attack on Titan?" mean?

It's a sarcastic question posted alongside images that have a superficial resemblance to the anime, like anything featuring giants, walls, or someone being eaten. The joke is that the show was so popular that fans saw references to it everywhere[2].

How do you use Attack on Titan Memes?

Find an image with a vague similarity to the anime (giant figures, walled cities, dramatic eating) and caption it with "is this Attack on Titan?" The bigger the stretch, the funnier the post[2].

Are Attack on Titan Memes still popular?

The meme format peaked during the anime's initial run from 2013-2014 but saw revivals with each new season. The final episodes aired in November 2023[1], and while active meme production has slowed since the series ended, the formats still circulate in anime communities.

What is the most popular Attack on Titan meme?

The Shrek 2 screenshot posted by Tumblr user karokekarkat on August 15, 2013, with the caption "is this Attack on Titan" was one of the biggest early hits, earning over 67,900 notes[2].

When did Attack on Titan first air?

The anime television series first aired in April 2013, produced by Wit Studio, and ran for 25 episodes in its first season[1].

Who created Attack on Titan?

The manga was written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It was serialized in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine from September 2009 to April 2021[1].

Why did Attack on Titan generate so many memes?

The show's dramatic tone, massive popularity, and visually distinctive elements (giant humanoids, intense fight scenes, characters getting eaten) made it easy to parody. Its crossover appeal beyond typical anime audiences also gave it a wider meme-making audience[1].

Attack on Titan Memes

2013Image macro / catchphrase / fandom memessemi-active

Published March 10, 2026 · Updated March 18, 2026

Also known as: Is This Attack on Titan? · Shingeki no Kyojin Memes · AoT Memes

Attack on Titan Memes are a collection of jokes, image macros, and shitposts inspired by Hajime Isayama's manga and anime series *Attack on Titan* (*Shingeki no Kyojin*). The most recognizable format, "Is This Attack on Titan?", started on Tumblr in mid-2013, where users captioned unrelated screenshots and images with the question as a deadpan joke about the show's massive popularity. The meme ecosystem grew alongside the anime's four-season run from 2013 to 2023, spawning reaction images, fan edits, and countless remixes across every major platform.

anime manga tumblr memes snowclone memes early 2010s memes fandom hype memes

Overview

Attack on Titan Memes pull from every corner of the franchise: the towering, grinning Titans, the intense ODM gear fight sequences, dramatic character deaths, and the show's increasingly complex plot twists. The signature meme format, "Is This Attack on Titan?", works by posting an image that vaguely resembles something from the series (a giant figure, a walled city, someone being eaten) and captioning it with the faux-naive question2. The joke plays on how wildly popular *Attack on Titan* was in 2013-2014, to the point where anime fans saw references to it everywhere.

Beyond that core format, the broader meme ecosystem includes reaction images of characters like Eren Yeager and Levi Ackerman, jokes about the walls (Maria, Rose, and Sina), edits referencing the show's trademark vertical maneuvering equipment, and spoiler-heavy shitposts about the series' plot revelations1.

Origin & Background

Platform

Tumblr (meme format), Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine (source manga)

Key People

minty-bee, Hajime Isayama

Date

2013

The manga *Attack on Titan* launched in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in September 2009, written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama1. The anime adaptation premiered in April 2013, produced by Wit Studio, and the show's popularity exploded almost immediately1.

The "Is This Attack on Titan?" meme traces back to July 7, 2013, when Tumblr user minty-bee posted a close-up photo of a girl with her face partially covered by a blanket, resembling one of the Titan characters from the show2. Despite spawning what would become a viral format, the original post went mostly unnoticed, picking up only a single note2.

How It Spread

The format caught fire about a month later. On August 15, 2013, Tumblr user karokekarkat posted a screenshot from *Shrek 2* with the caption "is this Attack on Titan," and the post racked up over 67,900 notes in its first nine months2. On September 8, 2013, Tumblr user nyoomies posted a photoshopped image of David Hasselhoff holding Patrick and SpongeBob from *SpongeBob SquarePants* with the same question2.

By October 23, 2013, the phrase had been added to the *Attack on Titan* memes page on TV Tropes2. The format kept evolving into 2014: on May 25, Tumblr user verailis posted a screenshot from *Jimmy Neutron* captioned with a sarcastic comment deliberately confusing the show with *Kill la Kill*, earning over 13,600 notes in two weeks2.

The meme's spread tracked closely with the anime's release schedule. The first season aired from April to September 20131. When Season 2 finally arrived in April 2017 after a four-year gap, and Season 3 ran through 2018-2019, each new wave of episodes refreshed the meme ecosystem1. The fourth and final season premiered in December 2020, with its last special airing in November 20231. Each season brought new characters, plot twists, and meme-worthy moments to work with.

Platforms

TwitterTikTokRedditDiscordYouTube

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The classic "Is This Attack on Titan?" format is simple:

Find any image featuring something vaguely titan-like: a large figure, someone peering over a wall, a person eating something aggressively, or any scene with a giant-versus-small dynamic

Caption it with "is this Attack on Titan?" or a variation like "new Attack on Titan episode looks great"

The humor comes from the disconnect between the mundane source material and the dramatic anime

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

*Attack on Titan* became one of the best-selling manga series of all time, with over 140 million copies in circulation by November 20231. The franchise won the Kodansha Manga Award, the Attilio Micheluzzi Award, and the Harvey Award1. That level of mainstream recognition fueled meme production far beyond typical anime fandoms, pulling in casual viewers who had never watched anime before.

The anime's production split between Wit Studio (Seasons 1-3) and MAPPA (Season 4) also generated its own subset of memes, with fans debating animation quality differences between studios1.

Fun Facts

The original "Is This Attack on Titan?" post by minty-bee on July 7, 2013 got exactly one note on Tumblr despite launching what became a huge meme format2.

The manga ran for nearly 12 years, from September 2009 to April 2021, across 34 volumes1.

The anime took a decade to complete, with the gap between Season 1 (2013) and the final episode (November 2023) spanning over ten years1.

The series features nine distinct "Titan Shifter" forms: Attack, Colossal, Armored, Female, Beast, Jaw, Cart, War Hammer, and Founding1.

Derivatives & Variations

Character reaction compilations

A variation of Attack on Titan Memes

(2020)

Theory-based memes

A variation of Attack on Titan Memes

(2020)

Finale reaction videos

A variation of Attack on Titan Memes

(2020)

Frequently Asked Questions

References (2)

1
Attack on Titanencyclopedia
2
Attack on Titan Memes - Know Your Memeencyclopedia