Guren no Yumiya

was one of two songs created by the Japanese band Linked Horizon for the A-side track of their single Jiyū e no Shingeki. The full version of the song was released by Pony Canyon on 10 July 2013, and would be most notable for its use as the first intro to the anime Attack on Titan. The song was the first anime theme the band Linked Horizon would create, being composed using a blend of musical genres as well as Japanese and German language lyrics. Since first being used in the anime, the song has had multiple musical artists perform cover versions of the song, and has been played most notably at the 64th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen and during major sporting events in Japan, including at the 2020 Summer Olympics. The song would reach the number one spot on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and Hot Animation charts upon its debut, and would receive four awards for its melody and animation by the end of 2013. In May 2014, "Guren no Yumiya" earned a RIAJ 2x Platinum certification for half a million sales. Background and release The song would first be released by the Japanese band Linked Horizon on 8 April 2013 in a shortened digital form as the first opening to the Attack on Titan anime series, with the full version being released later in CD form as part of the band's second single Jiyū e no Shingeki on 10 July 2013. The songs "Guren no Yumiya" and "Jiyū no Tsubasa" would also be the first anime theme songs the band would create. According to band's head musician Revo, he became inspired to write the single for the anime after reading the first issue of Attack on Titan's manga. Revo would meet multiple times with the original manga author Hajime Isayama and director of the anime Tetsurō Araki to ensure the songs used would accurately convey "the feelings of the characters through poetry and music".