#levihan analysis

Thank you Muse Asia and Dimension Poptown Cafe for bringing this collab here🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩!

Something so personal about LeviHan to me is their conception of being seen. What clicks in Levi once he meets Hange is that they reach out in a curious way, is kind and treats him well, despite how he's introduced. Hange sees him. and that's what leads to their bond.

Hange is the only person Levi can be himself with. Hange doesn't see him as the strongest soldier, or a criminal, or a burden. Levi is just Levi. Even if in the beginning he tries to push them away, that copy mechanism fails cause Hange watches; they're observant, they are a scientist and knows human behavior. Levi understands Hange sees right through him (not in a very intimate way at first, ofc) and that's what makes him finally give in. Their rough acid interactions little by little turn into a secret code.

Once Levi knows Hange sees him— after being despised, mistreated and used as a tool, he can finally rest. There's no facade and he's no longer the SC captain. He's just a man with a huge love for fancy tea, a clean freak that under Hange's sight won't be judged.

Eventually, Levi starts speaking more a more. At first it's just questions about Hange's day, but then it's a venting of his own. Hange watches him. He's very talkative, he's funny in a hilarious way and then both find out raw and outrageous humor is their thing.

In a room they don't need words, one glance is enough and sometimes Levi thinks they have a thelepathic connection. There's no place and time to meet, they just know where to get. In silence, drinking tea, talking shit, comfort place is where the other is as well.

Le levi---

Have more

Part

An explanation of what Levi’s gesture towards Hange Really meant, and how Isayama parallels other AOT media, (ex: smartpass stories and ACWNR), to his manga. 📚🦋🪲

ACWNR chapter 5 is titled HEARTS (2013):

This is the chapter where Hange is first introduced, and talks about dedicating one’s heart:

-

Hange’s Confession to Levi (2020):

Levi’s confession to Hange (2020):

Mistranslation and Ego Surfing 🏄🏻‍♂️:

-

Smartpass story (2017):

“An unthinkable move for a soilder who publicly announced that he offers up his heart.”

“Dedicate your heart.” (2020):

Similar to Nile, Levi does an “unthinkable” move of publicly dedicating His and Hange’s heart’s together. He purposely does it wrong by putting His Left Fist (ring finger 💍) on Hange’s heart and says the famous scout motto, which was the first time he’s “ever said that.” Because Levi and Hange both 'proposed', Levi's gesture towards Hange seals their relationship. (Marriage):

🫀+🫀 Combined hearts

(Side note: SSS/DYH was the Survey Corps moto long before Erwin was ever commander, so it is not His saying. Proof: In the anime Zachary is the first to say it and it is used + talked about in ACWNR. This is information for the antis who claim that Levi used Erwin’s moto towards Hange. 🤗)

This is the one and only time he has ever said the moto, because he had found where to truly dedicate his heart:

-

This was a mutual dedication not an individual one. If it Was individual, he could have said, "Hange, dedicate your heart.” or "I dedicate my heart.” Along with the normal salute, which is your right hand on the heart. Instead he (metaphorically) combines their hearts, and they actually become LeviHan:

-

Just like ACWNR chapter 5 title ⬆️, •••HEARTS••• is placed Right above Hange, who is CENTERED in the middle of Erwin, Petra, and Moblit. She is placed paralleled to Levi, mirroring his same expression, while the rest are neutral:

-

Levi now lives alongside Onyankopon, Gabi, Falco, and Yelena. They advocate for peace and fulfill Hange’s legacy. One of her main goals was to understand the “enemy”, live with and show them that they aren’t the vicious “devils” they fear them to be. To unite as one, so there’s no more war, discrimination, revenge, and hate. For mankind is made equal. 🌏

During a writing session, I went back and referenced Bad Boy, the manga detailing the awakening of Levi's Ackerman powers, and noticed some differences in the way the characters dressed.

The reader sees Levi in fairly simple clothing. A dark cardigan thrown over a tattered, oversized shirt bound at the waist, dark trousers. The men attacking him are in a similar state of dress, one that holds resemblance of the way Eren dresses, as seen here:

So it can be supposed that this would simply be the way that people of lower or middle class dress. However, there's one man in Levi's group of attackers who remains in the back, and doesn't lay a single hand on Levi. Though we don't have a full view of him, it becomes quickly clear that he's of a higher class, given his cigarette, his waistcoat, the collared shirt (see the second following panel). He looks to be the person buying from these men.

It was the fact that he had glasses which caught my attention. This man is set apart from the beginning as a "foreigner," most prominently when he specified that Levi is an illegitimate child from the Underground. He's a foreigner to the Underground, and therefore, a foreigner to Levi. The way he treats Levi here emphasizes the chasm between their two worlds. Glasses also seem to be a general sign of intelligence, or more accurately, of education, which is mainly accessible by the rich. Not even Armin, who shows high levels of intelligence, wears glasses, and this could correlate to the fact that he's not only from Wall Maria, but from one of the towns jutting out of the wall, acting as bait for the titans. This is more clear in that scene of ACWNR where Isabel is shown to be able to add, just very slowly, but I digress.

So, in the introductory scene between Levi and Hange, Hange is automatically a puzzling character. The contrast of their cheerfulness with the tense mood of the scene, the various portrayals of their glasses whited out...

That first panel of them, with the angle from below, maybe Levi's first person perspective. They are basically a different specimen, lol. We saw in Bad Boy how the man in glasses tried to gaslight Levi into believing he was a good man, who tried to help Levi, so the wariness written all over his face is well founded upon seeing this glasses person showing up unexpectedly.

On top of their general kindness (as Levi had really only received offhanded remarks on his upbringing from the Survey Corps so far), they are also, from his perspective, the first "upper class" person to have treated him with so much respect. Not only this, but they're treating his friends kindly, they're in the Survey Corps willingly as a supposed upper class citizen, and they're complimenting him. The initial distrust on Isabel and Furlan's faces is clear, but even they show some surprise when Hange recalls their names, indicating that this is really unusual behavior for someone to pay attention to them this way. With respect? And grace? With humanity? Truly unheard of.

(Levihan filter on, obviously)

I want to talk about Zeke as portrayed in the various fics I've read. When Zeke shows up in a Levihan story, his role is of a love rival to Levi, courting Hange and making him jealous (and I eat it up every single time without fail). It's unrequited more often than not, Hange is usually creeped out by him, it's so funny to read.

I love that trope, okay? I love it because there is nothing in canon that suggests a romantic attraction on Zeke's part towards Hange. Zeke isn't even interested in romance, he wants to die and take everyone down with him, romance is the last thing in his mind. He even asks Armin why people would want to have kids. He just doesn't understand it.

He and Hange don't even interact! I don't remember seeing them talking, maybe they've exchanged a few words, but nothing deep about their beliefs that would build some semblance of a connection between them.

BUT. I sincerely believe that under different circumstances, Zeke would be infatuated with Hange. I mean, strong independent intelligent scientist who built those deadly thunder spears and accumulated knowledge about the titans with barely any resources and primitive technology?? If Zeke wasn't so depressed, he'd be head over heels for Hange.

What's more, ever since I found out that Hange is four years older than Zeke, I picture him having this schoolboy celebrity crush on her because she's just so cool and awesome, and he's interested in science. Their views and methods are different and they wouldn't agree on anything if they were in the same team, but for now he wants to talk to her about science.

And it's not one author who has assigned the role of the love rival to Zeke! It's agreed within a (not small) portion of the Levihan fandom. Someone saw that blond disaster nerd and said "y know what? This one would crush on Hange so hard, he's a serious rival" and we all said yes without missing a beat because even though it's not canon, it just makes sense.

(this isn't a Zekehan post, I mostly took the chance to talk about how awesome Hange is, and how Zeke would see it and totally have a crush on her, interested in science as they both are. Therefore despite him not having canonical interest in romance, this just works for me.)

Maybe in an AU, when Eren goes to Marley and meets Zeke in the hospital, Zeke kind of directs the conversation towards Hange and asks stuff about her. And Eren just stares at him deadpan because yeah, no, Hange's taken mate. (and he wouldn't let his brother hit on his adoptive mother commander)

Consequentially, Levi's hatred towards Zeke is fuelled by annoyance because Zeke lowkey wants to fangirl to Hange about her accomplishments in Paradis while she was locked in the walls. Hange is super not interested, seeing as he killed Erwin, but she ends up talking to him because he knows about titans. Levi glares daggers at Zeke the whole time and pulls Hange out of there first chance he gets. (I live for jealous slightly possessive Levi, like a disgruntled cat)

I would also like to ask for permission to leave a comment on the fic, regarding my thoughts on it in terms of interpreting Levi as aromantic. I understand that, especially when the story is written in a more romantic context, something like that may not be welcome, haha. So if you'd just like me to keep it to myself, I will respect that.

Heyy, it's so good to see you here!! 😁

First of all, I greatly appreciate interpretations of my work. And I was so happy to see this!

So while writing the fic, it wasn't something I actually considered. If we're only talking about Can't Force Your Heart, my idea was that he isn't aromantic. But since I've never explicitly mentioned anything, everyone is free to draw their own interpretations (except thinking that he did love her after all - in this fic he did not. And look, I'm a strong levihan believer. I DO NOT think their love is unrequited. NEVER. This was merely a side of levihan I wanted to explore, it was a different concept and interesting. So yeah, he loves her otherwise just not in this fic). But if you'd like to look at it that way aromantic levi is a possibility, sure. And while first watching aot I used to feel like he was a lone wolf in canon, and since I didn't ship levihan right away I used to think he won't be the kind to fall for someone - that is, until I began shipping levihan haha.

Otherwise talking, Hange falling in love with an aromantic Levi is something to think about. It could be possible and we know whatever the circumstances, Levi values Hange as his friend. A great friend. So there'll be pain on both sides if she were to fall for him. And I understand how Levi's, "I wish I did," made you think like that. He wouldn't like to see her in pain every time and maybe of it gets too bad he'd desperately wish he could ease that pain. For both their sake. But he can't because there's no way to "force the heart" and hence the title of the fic.

Now that's just me analysing my own work lol. Anyway, thanks for thinking about this fic so much. I really appreciate it!! And sure, go ahead with whatever you'd like. I won't mind that.

People can't understand this is the saddest and, at the same time, the most romantic declaration of love in manga history.

Levi brings his fist to Hange's heart, not to his and so he declares to her that his heart has always belonged and will always belong to her and to no one else.

Levi and Hange did not have the courage to abandon everything, they are too attached to their duty as Captain and Commander.