Nocturnalmk

*

This is a manga analysis. Levi and Hange's dynamics in the animation and the manga differ drastically.  

If you believe there is more to their story as well as their individual character development than meet the eye, I highly advise you to ditch the animation for the manga. With all due respect to Mappa, but the final season erases almost every romantic hint between Levi and Hange, along with the twists in their story arcs.

Please brace for a ride. LeviHan in the manga is as complex as it is captivating. The complexity is further muddled with sloppy translations. I will provide the original Japanese versions of key lines where necessary.

*

Previously, before the forest scene, Levi was bent on killing Zeke to avenge his fallen comrades, fulfilling his oath to Erwin.

The first time Zeke escaped, Levi reaffirmed his oath to Erwin on the rooftop, and laid Erwin to rest.

The second time Zeke escaped, Levi was severely injured, and Hange came to his rescue.

Hange held Levi to her chest, jumped into the river and fled to a forest.

*

Let's begin with the forest scene in chapter 126. It is a turning point in Levi's oath arc.

Levi was already awake when Hange attended to his injury. In an intimate moment, he cracked open his good eye to look at her when she wasn't aware.

He was quietly listening to Hange, as he always did.

Hange speculated that Zeke planned to use Eren's Titan power to inflict catastrophe. Later, on the aircraft, Levi told Pieck that killing Zeke might end the Rumbling. The Rumbling did cease briefly after he chopped off Zeke's head.

Hange was also concerned about their fate as the last two veterans of Survey Corps. The only option for survival seemed to be running away and abandoning their duties.

Lastly, and most importantly, unaware that he was listening to her the whole time, she murmured:

"Why not we live here together, Levi?"

In Japanese culture, living together usually suggests romance or a relationship.

Note the white bar right under this panel.

It's a timer bar, indicating the passage of an uncertain, usually long, amount of time.  Given that Hange had rebuilt the broken cart by the time Levi sat up, I'd estimate at least an hour had passed.

The fact that Levi cracked open his good eye and clearly heard Hange's soliloquy — from her speculation about Zeke to her unintended confession — proves that he had been wide awake.

It makes me wonder what Levi was thinking while pretending to be asleep.

One could only speculate.

I believe Levi was most likely imaging — as anyone would after hearing a shocking suggestion — the scenario of abandoning their duties to live together, only to then remember his oath to Erwin.

This internal conflict explains why he remained motionless.

It was the sudden Rumbling sound and Hange's scream that stopped Levi's from continuing to feign sleep.  When their eyes met, he averted his gaze and asked about Zeke's whereabouts.

See how Levi tried to sound angry and eager to kill Zeke as a way to strengthen his determination, only after lying quietly there and allowing himself to be torn about this for such a long time?

Hange uncharacteristically blushed upon realizing that Levi heard her suggestion, which is another clue that "living together" goes beyond friendship.

Levi cheered Hange up, but didn't address her slip of heart. Then, Levi and Hange left the forest, seemingly determined to leave their ambivalent thoughts in the forest.

Killing Zeke, the right choice from the perspective of honor and duty, won this round.

Yet Hange's slip of heart clearly lingered in the back of Levi's mind.

When Levi overheard Hange and Pieck's conversation, which didn't involve him at all, he felt the need to comment on this.

This is extremely unusual and interesting.

When has Levi ever commented on others' love lives in the manga? The only time Levi remotely did so was years ago when Mikasa constantly prioritized Eren over their squad missions. As the squad leader, Levi said something along the line of, "I don't understand your obsession with him, but don't mess up this time."  

(We all know how that obsession began. On hindsight, Levi's confusion foreshadowed his own future romance. Hange took care of Levi the way Eren took care of Mikasa, sparkling Ackerman' romantic attachment of a lifetime. )

Back to Levi's unusual, unnecessary, unsolicited comment.

Note he waited a bit for Pieck to leave to make sure it was a private conversation between him and Hange.

Levi said:

相変わらず巨人とは片想いのままだなクソメガネ

It roughtly translates as:

Your love has been unrequitted only with Titans, four eyes.

There is a Youtube video explaining the Japanese grammar of Levi's line, its hidden romantic connotation, as well as his bold choice of word for "love". The English translation loses all the nuance.  

Besides, Hange's response isn't "I will charm her", but rather "We will become good friends". There is no romantic suggestion in her line regarding Pieck.

Simply put, Levi took the opportunity to express his feelings in an awkward and clumsy way. Unfortunately, Hange failed to pick up on that. I honestly think the look on Levi's face would have helped him be understood. But they stood with their backs to each other.

Fast forward to Levi and Hange's farewell.  

The Survey Corps slogan is 心臓を捧げよ, aka Devote the Heart, without specifying whose heart it is.

It is supposed to mean devoting one's heart — represented by one's fist — to humanity.   

（The gesture is based on human heart's anatomical structure: an individual's heart and fist are of similar size and shape.）

Levi's fist is Levi's heart.

In this iconic scene, Levi altered the Survey Corps' solute gesture to devote his heart to Hange, hence her shocked expression.

Hange, despite on the verge of tears, brushed it off with a laugh, pretending she doesn't understand the gesture. She left him to fulfill her duty as the Commander.

When meeting her fallend comrades in the Path, she heard Erwin say:

"Hange, you've fulfilled your duty."   

(duty , or 役目 in the original Japanese manga. Remember this word)

As for Levi, he had to stay strong as the last veteran to lead the squad.

But you can see cracks through his tough facade. Like, he couldn't bring himself to look at what happened to Hange outside the window. Pieck, arguably one of the most perceptive characters, noticed this.

Or, when he directed kids' attention away, buying himself a moment to let agony take over.

Levi was clearly in the depths of pain and loss, triggered by Hange's death.

He was thinking. At this point we are just not sure what exactly went through his mind.

Levi's thoughts were revealed three chapters later, in chapter 136, in the form of a monologue.

His thoughts, under an intimidating image of Erwin in his mind, revolve around duty (役目).

Yep, the exact same word used in Hange's after-death scene with Erwin in chapter 132. I circled out the word 役目.

Hange and Levi didn't dare to abandon their duties in the forest to live together; Hange eventually died for hers.

Erwin's intimidating face in Levi's mind was a reminder that he needed to fulfill his duty — to kill Zeke. By far Levi appeared compliant, which makes his inner thoughts even more shocking.

Let's examine his first monologue line：

俺達の役目は  あそこで終わりだったのかもしれない

It roughly translates as:

"Our duty .... may have ended there."

There: the moment he swore his oath to Erwin four years ago.

He wanted to dump his oath from the beginning !!!

Because it was this very oath that pushed him and Hange out of the forest, hence the grievance — or even resentment, I would say — towards the oath.

But abandoning the oath is not enough to prevent her death. In Hange's after-death scene, she complained to Erwin that being Commander was too tough.

Levi's next monologue line:

ガキ共をとど/海に届ける そこまでの役目だったとしたら

It roughtly translates as:

"We got those brats to the sea, if that's where our duty ended..."

Why end their duties at the sea？

Because after they reached the sea, Hange's burden as Commander grew increasingly heavy, eventually leading to her death.

Between Hange assuming the position of Commander and the expedition to the sea, things went quite smoothly. It only took a sour turn afterward.

In other words, Levi regretted not ending their duties four or three years earlier. He wanted to keep Hange alive and happy.

He wanted to live an alternative life with her.

Levi's next monologue questioned the inhumane side of Survey Corps' "devote the heart" indoctrination — the very tenet that drove Hange to go on the suicidal mission.

It was also the biggest reason Levi didn't dare to stop her: their fallen comrades were watching.

Remember her last words to Levi?

"You understand, Levi. I have a feeling.... It's my turn."

I will leave the detailed analysis for another day, but let's focus on Levi's regrets for now.

If you look at Levi's monologue in chapter 136 independently, on its own, it's beyond confusing, out of blue and out of place. Why would he suddenly think "our duty may have ended four years ago" in the middle of a deadly war?

The only logical explanation is that he had been ruminating on their duty the whole time.

Now we know what exactly went through Levi's mind.   

Fascinatingly, there are some other clues.

One lies in the name of this chapter -  心臓を捧げよ (Devote the Heart) -  a strong indication of the link between Levi's inner thoughts to his painful farewell to Hange in chapter 132.  

Another glaring clue lies in "duty".

Isayama sensei even used the same Japanese word 役目 for duty in chapter 132 and chapter 136  to imply that Levi's monologue on duty was triggered by Hange's death.

In fact, the image of oath swearing in Levi's mind is reverted to imply the 180-degree shift from commitment to regret.

Before Levi's injury and Levihan's forest scene: commitement

After Hange's death: regret

The table has turned.

Right after Levi broke free the shackles of his oath, Zeke appeared. Levi killed him with one swift swing of sword. No torture for revenge this time, unlike before.

The Rumbling stopped. As Connie supported an injured Levi,  he said: " It's not that I don't have regrets. But ... we stopped the Rumbling, it's the right thing to do, right?”

Connie doesn't have a story arc of regret or lack thereof.

It's more likely him voicing Levi's hidden regrets and Levi's changed intent in killing Zeke — not for revenge, but to stop the Rumbling.

It explains Levi's expression as he slightly looked up, staring into the void, clearly consumed by his inner turmoil with something or someone in his mind.

Levi wanted to end their missions years earlier for an alternative life with Hange. It's an IF scenario.

In essence, IF is to go back in time, making different choices.

In case there's any confusion about his regrets, he made it clear in his monologue that he doesn't regret letting Erwin go.

Well, Levi's syringe choice is another puzzle with a twist, no less stunning than the twist in his oath arc. I'd say it's a love letter from Levi to the woman with sparkling eyes, an innocent dream and a selfless spirit.

But the analysis may cause some controversy and wrath from certain fandoms, so please let me savor it for myself for now.  

*

LeviHan is a fascinating, heart-breaking and complete arc. Hange's part is comparatively clear, while Levi's part is more in the dark, requiring quite some efforts to piece together the whole puzzle.

I will probably write about the heart arc, later.   

In the final chapter 139,  Levi's last panel focuses on his scar.

The pain and regrets will never really go away, because of the "what ifs" — of what could have been with her.

*

This is purely manga analysis. Levi and Hange's dynamics in the animation and the manga differ drastically.  

If you believe there is more to their story as well as their individual character development than meet the eye, I highly advise you to ditch the animation for the manga. The final season has erased almost every romantic hint between them, along the twists in their story arcs.

Please brace for a ride, because LeviHan in the manga is as complex as it is captivating. The complexity is further muddled with sloppy translations. I will provide the original Japanese versions of key lines where necessary.

*

Previously, before the forest scene, Levi was bent on killing Zeke to avenge his fallen comrades, fulfilling his oath to Erwin.

The first time Zeke escaped, Levi reaffirmed his oath to Erwin on the rooftop, and laid Erwin to rest.

The second time Zeke escaped, Levi was severely injured, and Hange came to his rescue.

Hange held Levi to her chest, jumped into the river and fled to a forest.

*

Let's begin with the forest scene in chapter 126. It is a turning point in Levi's oath arc.

Levi was already awake when Hange attended to his injury. In an intimate moment, he cracked open his good eye to look at her when she wasn't aware.

He was quietly listening to Hange, as he always did.

Hange speculated that Zeke planned to use Eren's Titan power to inflict catastrophe. Later, on the aircraft, Levi told Pieck that killing Zeke might end the Rumbling. The Rumbling did cease briefly after he chopped off Zeke's head.

Hange was also concerned about their fate as the last two veterans of Survey Corps. The only option for survival seemed to be running away and abandoning their duties.

Lastly, and most importantly, unaware that he was listening to her the whole time, she murmured:

"Why not we live here together, Levi?"

In Japanese culture, living together usually suggests romance or a relationship.

Note the white bar right under this panel.

It's a timer bar, indicating the passage of an uncertain, usually long, amount of time.  Given that Hange had rebuilt the broken cart by the time Levi sat up, I'd estimate at least an hour had passed.

The fact that Levi cracked open his good eye and clearly heard Hange's soliloquy — from her speculation about Zeke to her unintended confession — proves that he had been wide awake.

It makes me wonder what Levi was thinking while pretending to be asleep.

One could only speculate.

I believe Levi was most likely imaging — as anyone would after hearing a shocking suggestion — the scenario of abandoning their duties to live together, only to then remember his oath to Erwin.

This internal conflict explains why he remained motionless.

It was the sudden Rumbling sound and Hange's scream that stopped Levi's from continuing to feign sleep.  When their eyes met, he averted his gaze and asked about Zeke's whereabouts.

See how Levi tried to sound angry and eager to kill Zeke as a way to strengthen his determination, only after lying quietly there and allowing himself to be torn about this for such a long time?

Hange uncharacteristically blushed upon realizing that Levi heard her suggestion, which is another clue that "living together" goes beyond friendship.

Levi cheered Hange up, but didn't address her slip of heart. Then, Levi and Hange left the forest, seemingly determined to leave their ambivalent thoughts in the forest.

Killing Zeke, the right choice from the perspective of honor and duty, won this round.

Yet Hange's slip of heart clearly lingered in the back of Levi's mind.

When Levi overheard Hange and Pieck's conversation, which didn't involve him at all, he felt the need to comment on this.

This is extremely unusual and interesting.

When has Levi ever commented on others' love lives in the manga? The only time Levi remotely did so was years ago when Mikasa constantly prioritized Eren over their squad missions. As the squad leader, Levi said something along the line of, "I don't understand your obsession with him, but don't mess up this time."  

(We all know how that obsession began. On hindsight, Levi's confusion foreshadowed his own future romance. Hange took care of Levi the way Eren took care of Mikasa, sparkling Ackerman' romantic attachment of a lifetime. )

Back to Levi's unusual, unnecessary, unsolicited comment.

Note he waited a bit for Pieck to leave to make sure it was a private conversation between him and Hange.

Levi said:

相変わらず巨人とは片想いのままだなクソメガネ

It roughtly translates as:

Your love has been unrequitted only with Titans, four eyes.

There is a Youtube video explaining the Japanese grammar of Levi's line, its hidden romantic connotation, as well as his bold choice of word for "love". The English translation loses all the nuance.  

Besides, Hange's response isn't "I will charm her", but rather "We will become good friends". There is no romantic suggestion in her line regarding Pieck.

Simply put, Levi took the opportunity to express his feelings in an awkward and clumsy way. Unfortunately, Hange failed to pick up on that. I honestly think the look on Levi's face would have helped him be understood. But they stood with their backs to each other.

Fast forward to Levi and Hange's farewell.  

The Survey Corps slogan is 心臓を捧げよ, aka Devote the Heart, without specifying whose heart it is.

It is supposed to mean devoting one's heart — represented by one's fist — to humanity.   

（The gesture is based on human heart's anatomical structure: an individual's heart and fist are of similar size and shape.）

Levi's fist is Levi's heart.

In this iconic scene, Levi altered the Survey Corps' solute gesture to devote his heart to Hange, hence her shocked expression.

Hange, despite on the verge of tears, brushed it off with a laughter. She left him to fulfill her duty as the Commander.

Erwin said:

"Hange, you've fulfilled your duty."   

(duty , or 役目 in the original Japanese manga. Remember this word)

As for Levi, he had to stay strong as the last veteran to lead the squad.

But you can see cracks through his tough facade. Like, he couldn't bring himself to look at what happened to Hange outside the window. Pieck noticed this.

Or, when he directed kids' attention away, buying himself a moment to let agony take over.

Levi was clearly in the depths of pain and loss, triggered by Hange's death. We just have no clue what went through his mind.

Levi's thoughts were revealed three chapters later, in chapter 136, in the form of a monologue.

His thoughts, under an intimidating image of Erwin in his mind, revolve around duty (役目).

Yep, the exact same word used in Hange's after-death scene with Erwin in chapter 132. I circled out the word 役目.

Hange and Levi didn't dare to abandon their duties in the forest to live together; Hange eventually died for hers.

Erwin's intimidating face in Levi's mind was a reminder that he needed to fulfill his duty — to kill Zeke. By far Levi appeared compliant, which makes his inner thoughts even more shocking.

Let's examine his monologue：

俺達の役目は  あそこで終わりだったのかもしれない

It roughly translates as:

"Our duty .... may have ended there."

There: the moment he swore his oath to Erwin four years ago.

He wanted to dump his oath from the beginning !!!

Because it was this very oath that pushed him and Hange out of the forest, hence the grievance — or even resentment, I would say — towards the oath.

But abandoning the oath is not enough to prevent her death. In Hange's after-death scene, she complained to Erwin that being Commander was too tough.

Levi's next monologue line:

ガキ共をとど/海に届ける そこまでの役目だったとしたら

It roughtly translates as:

"We got those brats to the sea, if that's where our duty ended..."

Why end their duties at the sea？

Because after they reached the sea, Hange's burden as Commander grew increasingly heavy, eventually leading to her death.

Between Hange assuming the position of Commander and the expedition to the sea, things went quite smoothly. It only took a sour turn afterward.

In other words, Levi regretted not ending their duties four or three years earlier. He wanted to keep Hange alive and happy.

He wanted to live an alternative life with her.

Levi's next monologue questioned the inhumane side of Survey Corps' "devote the heart" indoctrination — the very tenet that drove Hange to go on the suicidal mission.

It was also the biggest reason Levi didn't dare to stop her: their fallen comrades were watching.

Remember her last words to Levi?

"You understand, Levi. I have a feeling.... It's my turn."

I will leave the detailed analysis for another day, but let's focus on Levi's regrets for now.

If you look at Levi's monologue in chapter 136 independently, on its own, it's beyond confusing, out of blue and out of place. Why would he suddenly think "our duty may have ended four years ago" in the middle of a deadly war?

The only logical explanation is that he had been ruminating on their duty the whole time.   

Fascinatingly, there are some other clues.

One lies in the name of this chapter -  心臓を捧げよ (Devote the Heart) -  a strong indication of the link between Levi's inner thoughts to his painful farewell to Hange in chapter 132.  

Another glaring clue lies in "duty".

Isayama sensei even used the same Japanese word 役目 for duty in chapter 132 and chapter 136  to imply that Levi's monologue on duty was triggered by Hange's death.

In fact, the image of oath swearing in Levi's mind is reverted to imply the 180-degree shift from commitment to regret.

Before Levi's injury and Levihan's forest scene: commitement

After Hange's death: regret

(See the reversion of the image? The table has turned.)

Right after Levi broke free the shackles of his oath, Zeke appeared. Levi killed him with one swift swing of sword. No torture for revenge this time, unlike before.

The Rumbling stopped. As Connie supported an injured Levi,  he said: " It's not that I don't have regrets. But ... we stopped the Rumbling, it's the right thing to do, right?”

Connie doesn't have a story arc of regret or lack thereof.

It's more likely him voicing Levi's hidden regrets and Levi's changed intent in killing Zeke — not for revenge, but to stop the Rumbling.

It explains Levi's expression as he slightly looked up, staring into the void, clearly consumed by his inner turmoil with something or someone in his mind.

Levi wanted to end their missions years earlier for an alternative life with Hange. It's an IF scenario.

In essence, IF is to go back in time, making different choices.

In case there's any confusion about his regrets, he made it clear in his monologue that he doesn't regret letting Erwin go.

Well, Levi's syringe choice is another puzzle with a twist, no less stunning than the twist in his oath arc. I'd say it's a love letter from Levi to the woman with sparkling eyes, an innocent dream and a selfless spirit.

But the analysis may cause some controversy and wrath from certain fandoms, so please let me savor it for myself for now.  

*

LeviHan is a fascinating, heart-breaking and complete arc. Hange's part is comparatively clear, while Levi's part is more in the dark, requiring quite some efforts to piece together the whole puzzle.

I will probably write about the heart arc, later.   

In the final chapter 139,  Levi's last panel focuses on his scar.

The pain and regrets will never really go away, because of the "what ifs" — of what could have been with her.

"Hey Levi."

Sandwich halfway to his mouth, Levi froze, eyes darting to Erwin, who just sat next to him and mind scrambling to find the solution to the dilemma that had just arose. Should he tell Erwin to fuck off right away or wait until he said his piece?

Having a guess at what the topic of their conversation would be about, Levi came to a decision fairly quickly.

"Fuck off," he mumbled before taking a bite of the sandwich.

Of course, as Levi should have expected, Erwin didn't fuck off.

What's more, he scooted closer, his palm falling on Levi's shoulder, while a kind smile played on his lips.

Levi sighed and put down his sandwich. Apparently, there was no escape from this conversation.

"Levi," Erwin began in that tone of his, the one he used on new interns to inspire them to be a better version of themselves. The very same one that reeked of bullshit. Levi prepared himself for the upcoming shitty speech; from the looks of it, it was going to be a very long one. "You know that so very soon my big day is coming. And I don't think I can or want to do this without you - my good friend and best man."

God fucking no. Not the topic of Erwin's bachelor party. Not again.

"I told you," Levi tried, ignoring the fire of determination in Erwin's bright blue eyes. "It's not my kind of thing."

"But can you come to the party? For me?"

Erwin's voice dropped slightly and his smile, his whole expression became just a little more pathetic. Meaning that, unfortunately, Levi couldn't really say no to him right now.

Which, honestly, made Levi what Erwin was trying to achieve. He knew the man had the ulterior motive, he was one hundred percent sure of it. But what kind of motive? That Levi had yet to find out.

"You know, we've all been worrying about you," Erwin continued, "It's been three months since you and-"

Oh hell no. No, no, no.

Levi was wrong, he was such a fool. A conversation about a bachelor party was so infinitely better than the current one. He didn't wish to discuss what happened three months ago. Ever.

He threw Erwin a vicious glare, translating his displeasure with that particular topic. Erwin, the smart man that he was, caught on right away and promptly shut his mouth.

...Only to open it a few seconds late.

"I just want you to relax and have some fun. I really appreciate that you agreed to be my best man, and since Hange is Mike's and she would also be present at the wedding, I think I ought to make sure that you feel as comfortable as possible."

That was decided, this conversation was one of the worst one Levi had the displeasure of having during lunch. The only other one that could rival it was the conversation he had with Erwin and Mike right after Hange dump- right after their breakup. The desire to escape and hide inside his office was just as prevalent.

So Levi did another attempt at escaping, ending the awful dialogue with a curt, "Fine, I'll come to your stupid party."

He thought it was the end of it. Of course, it fucking wasn't.

"Great!" Erwin beamed, his smile turning from pleading to the one that looked suspiciously smug. "I truly think that a distraction is what you need. I mean you've been hanged up on Hange for so long that I-"

"I don't care about Hange." Levi said, voice tight.

He bolted from his seat instantly, and the loud, unpleasant sound of a chair scratching the tiles of the floor further proved his point.

Without even glancing at Erwin (or the rest of his co-workers who stared at him in confusion and badly hidden amusement), Levi stormed out of the break room, forgetting about his delicious sandwich as he did.

He didn't care about Hange. Not anymore.

So I’m on the Levihan train today, and something just occurred to me about the whole ‘did Levi reject Hange’s wish to live together in 139?’ Discourse.

The argument against this being a Levihan moment is that ‘yes, Hange confessed love through her desire to runaway with Levi, and he rejected her.’

I think we’ve been looking at it all wrong.

I think Hange rejected her own wish; Levi merely points out why she did and basically tells her it’s okay. He understands.

Let me explain:

Here we have the original question from Hange - “maybe we should just live here together - right … Levi?”

Whether this is meant romantically or platonically doesn’t matter right now. That’s not what I’m getting at (although, as much as I may have different ships which are my favourite, I believe that Levihan is the most heavily inferred ship out of all the Levi or Hange centric ships in canon).

Anyway. She asks the question because she thinks Levi is unconscious or asleep. It’s a moment of weakness that she probably wouldn’t have indulged had Levi been awake.

But Levi heard. He just doesn’t respond. He’s not really a particularly rash person; he’s a brooder, so it makes sense that he wouldn’t respond right away even if he was feeling in any fit state to - he was likely mulling over her words. Perhaps they initially caught him off guard. Or perhaps he was still just too weak to entertain a conversation.

We have the white bar that signifies some time has passed - we don’t know how much, though. What we do know is that, by the next panel, Hange has set to work building a cart. To pull Levi.

Now. Here’s the thing. If Hange herself was really in no rush to leave the forest - if she truly thought she could remain there with Levi, hiding away from the world, why does she need a cart right now? Answer: she doesn’t.

She’s building it because she has already answered her own question on behalf of both of them - they cannot realistically stay there because they’re both too duty-bound. Levi was never supposed to hear her question; it was an expression aloud of her inner desires rather than her really being torn about what to do.

Levi was never supposed to answer. By the time Eren speaks to them and Levi addresses her, she’s already moved on in her own head.

We see later that it’s Levi who brings the question back up!

On to the next page -

People forget that Levi heard Hange in the previous panels, and argue that ‘his first priority on waking up is his vow to Erwin, because he asks where Zeke is!’

Well, perhaps not. Levi was already awake, or perhaps dozing, because we know he heard Hange earlier. If he was so concerned about Zeke from the outset, why didn’t he try and croak out the question to Hange as soon as he gained consciousness the first time?

His concern is suddenly apparent now because - nothing to do with his vow - Eren has just spoken to them all through paths. Eren has gained the full power of the founder. We know there’s only one way that can be done - and Levi knows too. He failed to keep Eren and Zeke apart. Eren’s paths speech is confirmation of this fact.

That’s where his concern stems from. The one thing they were trying to avoid until they had more info blew up in their faces. Zeke and Eren touched.

Levi knows, but he doesn’t want to believe it. His question to Hange is a final plea for someone to tell him his assumptions are wrong.

Levi admits his failure to her. Hange can see how cut up he is about it (literally and emotionally 😅) so she tries to reassure him.

People here again assume that ‘but for now …’ is leading on to Hange again asking Levi to stay in the forest with her. But on the next page, she’s blushing and surprised at the idea of Levi having heard her before. He wasn’t supposed to hear her selfish wish. So why would she voluntarily ask him to his face here?

I think it’s more likely that Hange is simply trying to figure out a way to tell Levi that he’s in no fit state to personally take revenge on Zeke. He can’t even walk. ‘I’m sure you want revenge, but for now … maybe you should focus on resting and healing.’ This has nothing to do with them running away together.

As I said before, it’s Levi that circles back to her question - Levi that puts her on the spot, pushes her for more. Maybe his question isn’t rhetorical at all. Hange certainly doesn’t take it as such.

His question goes,

このまま - as it is,

逃げ隠れて - (if we) run and hide

なにがのこる - what’s left?

He asks her because he knows that she posed that as an option - ‘we should just live here together.’ So he’s asking her, what is there for us here Hange? He wants to see if she will expand on what she said earlier. Why does she want to live here with him?

Hange recognises what he’s getting at immediately-

‘You heard me talking’.

Her expression quite clearly shows embarrassment - the blush, the sweatdrop - Levi knows he wasn’t supposed to hear. Levi is notoriously not the best in terms of social interactions - he can be a little awkward at expressing himself. It doesn’t feel out of character here that he doesn’t respond to Hange’s statement head on.

He is an exceptionally good judge of character though, as we’ve seen in the past. Poor at expressing himself, but good at reading others. And he reads Hange’s embarrassment right here, because he knows her so well. He knows she realised it was a selfish wish to begin with, and is a little embarrassed that he heard her. She’s supposed to be the commander, after all. Duty first.

And so, instead of picking at the sensitive topic more, Levi himself, true to form, also returns to duty. He points out the cart. The one that Hange really wouldn’t have needed to make if she truly intended to ‘hide’ in the forest with Levi. If they were going to live there together.

‘I know you. You’re not able to stay out of the action.’

When he says this line, he’s turned his gaze back to her, and she’s looking at him, too. Her eyes to me look like they’re filling up. Her brows are pinched up. She looks emotional. That shared eye contact as they speak feels very poignant.

It’s like he’s excusing her before she even needs to explain herself. I know you didn’t really mean it, don’t worry. It was just a wish. You don’t have to explain yourself to me. You have a job to do. (Regardless of how I might feel about what you wanted.)

No further mention of Levi’s role in this moment, or Levi needing to do anything. He’s completely focused on Hange, and what she wants to do. She started building that cart before he ever addressed her wish, because she has a deep sense of duty that no matter how much she wants to, Hange cannot run from. And Levi understands that, and goes so far as to tell her so - to reassure her that it’s okay that she would never really have pursued that selfish little wish for them both.

What we are not shed any light on here, is how Levi would have answered her question. But I do believe we get an answer for that in 132, when he literally dedicates his heart to her.

Maybe we should just live here together🥺

After that cursed night and kinda almost a decade later… A scientist, on her way beyond the walls, stumbled upon a grumpy and injured black cat.

They cleaned the cat's wound, kiss it better, and voilà…

Hi!!

I totally agree!

And if I may add, it also becomes more visible it is more personal between Hans and Levi because Levi holds nothing else that ties him to his comrades deaths or the SC like his remarkable cravat for example. (He lost it at the river events, when the weight of his role also begun to turn even broader, and while he could have kept later as a memento or memorial, he simply let it go too).

The visible scar though, that is impossible not to relate to Hanji. Or the plane. It's like having a very short memory to not relate the two things. And, please, Onyankopon is RIGHT THERE.

☝☝☝exactly!