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“Battling Biopolitics, Racialization, and Pariah Femininity: An Intersectional Reading of The ‘Female Titan’ in Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan” examines the ways in which Hajime Isayama, the creator of the Attack on Titan manga (Japanese comics) and anime (Japanese animation), delves into complex contemporary social issues through his characterization of Annie Leonhart, the “Female Titan.” As one of the main female characters, Annie is situated at the intersection of her nationality, ethnicity, gender, and class, which constrains her bodily autonomy and human agency, thus shaping her political experience within the narrative. Although there have been studies on the underlying socio political themes and gender representation in shounen manga/anime, it is rarely explored through an intersectional framework that examines the complexity of one’s experience in relation to power structures, such as social, gender, and racial hierarchies. I argue that Attack on Titan, through the characterization of Annie Leonhart, demonstrates the interlocking system of multiple social identities— nationality, ethnicity, gender, and class. Annie’s positionality as an Eldian woman living under the oppressive Marleyan regime shapes her unique experience with discrimination and her journey to self-discovery. Drawing upon the work of Omi and Winant’s racial formation theory, Michel Foucault’s biopolitics, Kimberlé Crenshaw’s concept of intersectionality, and Mimi Schippers’ pariah femininity, this essay demonstrates how Annie Leonhart’s character represents the human struggle for agency, hope, and courage in the face of oppressive systems and on the brink of humanity’s despair.

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