Hange Zoë

Character
Name:	Hange Zoe, Hanji Zoe
Occupation:	14th Commander of the Survey Corps
Relationships:	Levi Ackerman/Hange Zoe, Erwin Smith/Hange Zoe , Moblit Burner/Hange Zoe, Petra Ral/Hange Zoe
Fandom:	Attack on Titan
Other:
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Hange Zoe is a supporting character in the manga and anime Attack on Titan.

Fandom

Hange Zoe's gender is the subject of some debate. According to the Daily Dot, the Japanese language does not frequently use gendered pronouns when addressing people due to their speakers' usage of honorifics, which means that in the original Japanese translations of the Attack on Titan manga, characters are rarely referred to as "she" or "he" and instead are referred to by their title. However, this difference in language comes into play when the manga is translated into English where the reverse is true: honorifics are rarely used while the use of "he," "she," and other uses of gendered pronouns are common. When the Attack on Titan manga was first published in English, Hange was misgendered female, and according to Behind the Voice Actors, when the manga was adapted into the anime, the directors hired a female voice actress for both the original Japanese version (Romi Park) and the English translation (Jessica Calvello). Because of this, many people believed that Hange was a female character. Then, the author of the Attack on Titan manga, Hajime Isayama, rescinded the English print that included Hange's female pronouns, and all new printed copies of the manga from volume one to the final volume now refer to Hange with gender neutral pronouns.

According to Daily Dot, in 2011, a fan directly asked Isayama about Hange's gender on the author's blog. Isayama said, "After receiving this question I think it's better if I don't say either way." The original and full Q&A blog session can be found here. It is in Japanese.

In 2014, Kodansha, the Japanese publishing company for Attack on Titan, received an anonymous question on their Tumblr account about Hange's gender. Kodansha responded, "Isayama has confirmed that. . . we're not allowed to confirm Hange's gender. He has instructured us to avoid gendered pronouns when referring to Hange, or at least to use he AND she with equal frequency." The original Tumblr post can be found here.

Pairings

The most popular ship involving Hange has been with Levi, their ship name being LeviHan. As can be seen in the story, as well as through remarks from Isayama himself, Hange and Levi share a very close, unique relationship with each other. The anime and manga show Hange being the overly excited and enthusiastic friend, while Levi balances it out with his bluntness, sarcasm, and teasing. Though their relationship may seem strange and outright cold on Levi's part, many avid LeviHan shippers believe their teasing interactions to be indicative of their feelings for each other. Furthermore, they share some intimate moments behind closed doors. According to Isayama, Hange is the only one to have ever seen Levi cry, and they confide in one another after tough scouting missions. It is also widely headcanoned that after Erwin Smith was killed in the retaking of Wall Maria, Hange and Levi leaned on each other for support after losing their mutual friend and respected commander.

Another very popular ship involving Hange is with Moblit Berner, who was Hange's assistant and almost always seen by their side. As Hange's assistant, Moblit continually expresses fear and genuine concern for their safety when they get involved in dangerous activities, particularly those involving Hange's Titan research. Ultimately, Moblit gives his life to protect Hange during the mission to retake Wall Maria, during which Moblit pushes Hange into a well and out of the blast range of the Colossal Titan's transformation, dying himself in the process of protect them.

Example Fanworks

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.