Levi x Hange or Levi x Petra?
In the Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) fandom, like any other fandom that exists, there’s plenty of debate over whom to ship Levi with. Some pairings are obviously non-contenders, canon-wise, but others raise the question. Until the latest chapter (72), there was no definitive proof one way or another regarding the romantic feelings of one of the characters that Levi is often shipped with.
I’m talking about Hange Zoe. She’s often shipped with Levi, despite there being no romantic interest or development described on page. Of course, this is fine. Nobody should be made to feel bad about shipping. It’s okay if you ship Levi with whomever you like (even Levi x Eren, or Levi x Erwin).
However, this post is about solving the often nasty shipping war that goes on between the only two semi-canon pairings Levi is placed in: Levi x Hange, and Levi x Petra. I’m discounting the others as crack for obvious reasons, until evidence in the manga proves otherwise. Again, that’s not to say anyone should abandon their OTP just because it’s not canon. In the Attack on Titan universe, there’s very little romantic development in the story at all, so it’s difficult to prove a couple is more canon than others, anyways.
Still, when there’s proof for or against a paring, it definitely helps to narrow things down. What exactly do we know, from the manga, about Hange’s feelings? Until the latest chapter, nothing. Not until this moment:
^ The panel indicates that Hange Zoe has/had a crush on Commander Shadis. In the next scene, Levi is shown speaking with Erwin Smith, unfazed by the exchange he obviously overheard at the door about Hange’s feelings. Now, either Levi, like the others, already knew that Hange had feelings for Shadis, and doesn’t care, or, Levi didn’t know that particular bit of Hange trivia, and is still unfazed. Either way, his reaction, or lack thereof, is pretty telling. If there was any romantic interest between them, this moment would have played out very differently. Hajime Isayama would have used this moment to play up Levi’s jealousy, if it was his intention to portray them as an eventual couple.
Of course, this moment was very brief, and Levi is drawn as a stoic character who doesn’t show a wide range of expressions even when he’s angry or upset. But, if you compare this moment with other moments featuring Levi and Petra, both before her death and after, it’s obvious that there’s a huge difference.
In my opinion, and with using proof from the manga, it’s clear that Levi and Hange are just friends. It’s obvious that Hange is fond of Levi, but only just as a comrade.
As for Levi and Petra, there’s already a mountain of proof that Petra had feelings for Levi. Even if we look at romantic interest alone, Levi x Petra already beats Levi x Hange. Petra dotes on Levi, blushes around him, spends her free time with him, prefers to be alone with him rather than with the rest of her squad, has written passionate letters regarding her dedication to him, etc. It’s clear that she had feelings for him.
As for Levi, his feelings are tougher to make a case for, because of his nature. He’s portrayed as a character that is invested very much in mankind’s struggle, and is often very cold towards people. His emotive moments are few and far between. Yet, they’re very telling pieces of character development: his look of devastation when he came upon Petra’s body, his pained expression when Petra’s father confronted him after the failed mission, his candid manner of speaking to her when the scouts took Eren into their custody, etc all points to Levi having a bond with Petra above other members of his team.
Hajime Isayama has even been interviewed in Q & As about Levi, and specifically about Levi’s feelings for Petra. Isayama admitted that he wanted to portray Levi as being attracted to Petra in the panels.
So, for the proof listed above, I think it’s safe to say that, though the Attack on Titan universe is pretty lacking in romantic development, there are clearly couples that are more canon than others.
Levi x Petra is the only Levi pairing that makes even a shred of sense. Again, it’s fine to ship him with whomever you like. But the closest thing the manga has to come to legitimizing a relationship with Levi involved, has been with Petra.
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