Rivetra was a tragedy of timing / Levihan was a tragedy of restraint
If you can’t handle your fave ship being shipped with someone else, go ahead and keep scrolling. this post isn’t for you.
this is for the people who actually enjoy digging into the messy, layered dynamics in Attack on Titan's complicated and subtle relationship dynamics. the ones who don’t mind exploring the in-betweens and what-ifs, the subtext and the missing pieces that canon never fully spelled out.
So yeah. let’s talk about Levi, Petra, and Hange. buckle up.
I’m a hardcore Levihan shipper (and I strongly believe this to be canon, don’t fight me!), but if someone ever asked me if Levi had another possible love interest other than Hange—well, sorry Eruri fans, but no, it’s not Erwin. It would be Petra.
Wait, what? I thought you were Levihan for life???
Yes, and I always will be. But let’s not forget these characters are multi-faceted. They have layers—complicated pasts, subtle choices—and the plot itself helped mold them into who they became by Season 4.
Season 1, while tragic, still had a clearer structure. Titans = enemies. But as the story evolved and they reached the other side of the wall, the narrative shifted. The real threat wasn’t just titans anymore—it was the entire world, planning to erase the existence of Eldians. And that changed everything, including how our characters saw themselves, each other, and their purpose.
Levi and Hange were different people back then. Even if they were close, even if there was a bond, their dynamic wasn’t exactly what we saw later. (more on this in a bit.)
Let’s try to seal the intentional gaps left by the story—to stay in-character and to make sense of the subtle ways Levi’s relationships were presented in the earlier seasons.
A quick reminder of the timeline: by the start of Season 1, Levi was probably in his early 30s and had already been with the Survey Corps for around six years (based on ACWNR), which means he’d known Hange for at least that long. Petra, on the other hand, was relatively new—she’d been with Levi’s squad for about a month.
Now, when Levi and Hange were introduced in the manga, they were introduced side by side (like Eremika, hello?). Hange was teasing Levi about how if people only knew what a neat freak he was, they wouldn’t admire him so much. And right after that? The hair grab scene. Levi pulls her close and says “kokoda” in that deep, near-whisper voice—and the way it's animated, it’s clearly meant for her and only her. It’s intimate. (Mike literally looked tired of their shit. Iconic.)
Sure, this wasn’t in the manga—but the anime added it to emphasize their relationship. Let that sink in.
From just this small interaction, you can already feel the closeness. It even flirts with flirtation. Look at Hange’s eyes when she teases him—girl’s either crushing hard or just enjoying the chemistry. And Levi? Let’s not forget that he’s a clean freak and Hange… well, isn’t. So him pulling her that close? Look at how her hair scrunched from Levi’s hold. That’s not nothing.
Let’s be real: if I were Hange’s boyfriend and saw her “best friend” do that, I’d be flipping a table. So let’s simplify things—Levi and Hange were that pair. The two friends who swear they’re “just friends” while everyone around them silently suffers through their PDA. But no, they weren’t together during this time. They were simply them—deeply bonded, constantly orbiting each other, sharing laughs, rants, and quiet loyalty.
Now let’s talk about Petra.
Petra Ral was 19. Levi was around 31–32 (and still not fully aware of his Ackerman lineage). Yes, there’s a significant age gap, but this is just headcanon territory—trying to connect the dots the narrative left scattered.
Even if Levi wasn’t actively thinking of retirement or family, he was still human. And at that age, even the most closed-off people start wondering: What next? He probably didn’t have a detailed fantasy of domestic life, but maybe—maybe—he had moments where he thought about coming home to someone. Not someone romantic, per se, but someone stable. Someone who wouldn’t mind sharing tea in silence.
Now, Erwin? Out of the question. Levi knew he’d serve the military till death. Pixis-style. The next closest person was Hange. She was a confidant. The one who understood him without needing him to explain. She never judged him. She tolerated his harsh words. She knows him well.
…But she was obsessed with titans. She had purpose and obsession that extended far beyond Levi. Even if he wanted to offer her a quiet life, she wasn’t someone who could stay still for it. She needed freedom, curiosity, movement. And Levi—quietly—wanted that for her too. He wouldn't chain her to anything.
Then Petra entered the picture.
She was young, but she was also warm, kind, and clearly devoted to him. Levi noticed. How could he not? Petra worried about him—even though he was humanity’s strongest, this is evident is some scenes like in S01E09 where we first got a preview of Levi fighting.
Levi handpicked her for her skills, sure. But maybe also because of her balance—her strength and her care. Yams even said Levi thought Petra was cute. And when she died, Levi lingered. He stared.
Look at this picture, even in death, she was beautiful.
When Erwin died, Levi didn’t even take a keepsake. But Petra? He collected her patch, though he gave it to another soldier who needed comfort more. And when her father approached Levi in the street, talking about Petra being too young to marry, it was painful. Petra’s father had clearly misunderstood the letter she wrote—one where she declared her dedication to Levi. Not to the Survey Corps. To Levi.
In Petra, Levi saw a distant, fragile future. Not plausible, but… possible.
But what about Hange in all this?
I think Hange was the first to realize her feelings for Levi were more than friendship. All that teasing, the time spent together—come on, it was bound to happen. But Hange being Hange? She probably buried herself in her lab, blasting Heather by Conan Gray while dissecting a titan carcass (I’m joking… kinda).
The thing is, Hange’s smart. She’s observant. She probably saw the shift in Levi. She noticed the way he treated Petra, the stolen glances, the growing bond. And even though their bond (Levi and Hange’s) was stronger, she saw that Petra offered something she couldn’t: devotion without distraction. Petra had one purpose—Levi.
And Hange? She had a thousand obsessions. She probably told herself that Levi deserved someone who could give him time, stability, care. And she couldn’t. So maybe she quietly let him go.
Hange isn’t the typical “waifu” material. She’s not soft and kawaii—she’s chaotic brilliance, messy hair, explosions in the lab. Meanwhile, Petra was gentle, sweet, nurturing. The kind of person who'd write home about Levi. The kind of person Levi could come home to.
Hange, maybe, told herself Levi needed that. And she stepped back.
But here’s the thing: Levi couldn’t quite step back from Hange. Even if Petra represented a possibility, Hange was gravity.
He kept coming to her lab. He still sought her out. Even when he didn’t understand why. Even when she seemed to be moving on, fully immersed in her titan research.
When Petra died, that fragile possibility of a quiet future died too. And maybe Levi finally realized that he was never meant for “normal.”
After his injuries, he spent more time with Hange again. And guess what? That pull? Still there.
He starts asking for her attention. He pesters her. He picks her up from her lab, pretending it’s nothing. But it’s something.
And as time passes, especially after Erwin’s death, Levi and Hange lean on each other more. By Season 4, they’re inseparable. Partners in everything. Understanding each other without speaking.
And I believe—truly—that they only fully acknowledged what they felt from the moment Hange saw Levi broken and near-death… all the way to Hange’s sacrifice.
That’s what makes Levihan canon for me. Not in the loud, dramatic way. But in the slow-burn, unsaid, devastatingly beautiful way.
Star-crossed lovers. Never given a real chance. And that hurts. But it also fits.
Petra mattered. Her presence made Levi think about the future. She was part of his emotional evolution.
Hange? She was always there. The constant. The one person who knew Levi more than any one else, she took the time to know him, and in spite of Levi’s coldness, she stayed.
And okay—remember Hange had a thing for Keith Shadis? Yeah. Look at her type. Grumpy, brooding men who never smile. (Girl has a pattern.)
So even if the stories look different—Petra and Hange are vital to understanding Levi’s emotional core. They shape how he responds to grief, to love unspoken, to futures imagined and then ripped away.
Petra was an almost. And with Hange, he was finally sure. But by then, it was already too late.
Ps: Petra was beside Hange when Levi saw them in the mist. We can’t ignore that.
What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Let’s talk about it. Just don’t send hate—this is a safe space for headcanons and heartbreak.
