Hange Zoë

"Do you know what exactly we in the Survey Corps have spilled our blood for? To take back our freedom the Titans stole from us. For that cause... our lives were a small price to pay!"

- Hange lecturing Minister Nick

Hange Zoë (ハンジ・ゾエ) is the 14th and current commander (団長) of the Survey Corps, named so by Erwin Smith before his death. She is also a former squad leader (分隊長) who was in charge of the Fourth Squad, having the duties of innovative inventing and conducting research on Titans, including Eren Yeager who has the ability to transform into a Titan. Since her promotion to commander, Hange also is in charge of expedition planning, management of the regiment, recruiting, and all the other responsibilities previously handled by Commander Smith.

Appearance
Hange has wide, light brown eyes and medium-length dark brown hair that she often keeps tied up in an unkempt high pony tail with bangs parted down the middle. When Hange was caught in an explosion caused by Bertolt Hoover transforming, her left eye was badly injured which has led her to now wear a small black eye patch over it. As a constantly busy person, her hair is thrown up very quickly and is usually oily and unclean. Even despite her eye patch, Hange wears square, thick-rimmed glasses that have bands strapped around her head to keep them from dislodging during combat; but when she is out of combat she wears thin oval shaped glasses, still keeping the bands on her head most of the time. She is occasionally shown pulling her glasses up onto her forehead from time to time, often to indicate seriousness or anger. Hange is often seen wearing the normal Survey Corps uniform with a white button-up shirt underneath. When on missions or business, she wears the traditional green Survey Corps cloak and in addition to this uniform, Hange now wears a bolo-tie at all times as the other military commanders do. When out of uniform, Hange usually wears a white button up shirt with black pants; and on occasion a black coat. If Hange is in a hurry, she will only wear her Survey Corps jacket; even if it is over her sleeping wear.

Personality
To most people, Hange appears to be an energetic, freethinking researcher with a very unique way of conducting herself and her work through her rather observant and objective character. She explained that she first had a very resentful heart and insecure character when she joined the Survey Corps, but when she kicked the head of a 3 meter Titan she was shocked and amazed at how abnormally light it was. This drove her to forget most of her resentment and insecurity, as well as taking an outside the box approach to Titan research and showcased her wild actions. Hange also shows great compassion for her Titan test subjects, even crying when she was forced to put Bean in severe pain for an experiment, and having a complete meltdown when they were killed.

As the threat of the Titans becomes much more severe, Hange less frequently shows her lighthearted nature, being often blunt and serious. However, Hange still displays great empathy towards others in general, as well as high sympathy for the dead and the suffering. The last was seen when she attempted to console Mikasa Ackerman by explaining her agony over the constant loss of her comrades, all while hugging her in sorrow. Despite being a brave soldier, Hange confides in Moblit Berner that she feels terror in all of the Titan things that are unknown to her, but her curiosity about them and concern towards her dear ones appear to be greater. Hange is a genius, using her brain to create weapons, tactical plans, and inventions for the benefit of humanity. As a leader, Hange is thoughtful of her comrades, and can easily figure out complex problems in order to create plans for her teammates to carry out. On a less cheerful note, she can use this genius anyway she can, being able to easily manipulating people to do what she wants in order to benefit humanity.

However, Hange's energetic attitude is only half of her personality, as she actually harbors a dark attitude under her usual self. She shows a psychotic side when she gave a demented smile to Djel Sannes, telling him of the horrible pain she was going to cause him for what he did to her friend, Minister Nick. Futhermore, Hange even smiled and entirely sarcastically joked with Djel during his torture under her and Levi Ackerman's hands. Probably the strongest emotion Hange expresses is anger, as she is often see flipping from calm and collected to rage filled and threatening. However, this extreme change in personality is usually brief as she quickly calms down herself, and is only seen under highly urgent situations.

Battle of Trost District arc
Hange is present among the Survey Corps as they leave Trost District on another expedition to study the world outside the Walls and lay ground work for their eventual return to Shiganshina District to retake Wall Maria. As Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert watch them leave, they and many others in the crowd admire Captain Levi. Hange teases Levi, saying that his admirers would be disappointed if they knew what a clean freak he was.

During the 49th expedition outside of Wall Rose, Hange and Levi find the corpse of a fallen Survey Corps member. Upon looking at their armband, Hange states that it is from the 34th expedition, belonging to a woman named Ilse Langnar who had died a year prior. Nearby, Levi finds her notebook where she described her encounter with a Titan and how it spoke to her.

The Female Titan arc
Hange Zoë is introduced as part of the group, along with Mike Zacharias, assigned to take Eren to his court hearing in front of the leaders of the Military. She is present with the rest of the Survey Corps as Levi beats up Eren and checks on his condition after the tribunal is over, noting that Eren's lost tooth grew back. Later, when Eren and the Special Operations Squad are at the former Survey Corps Headquarters, Hange explains that she is in charge of experimenting with captured Titans Sonny and Bean and begins to prep Eren on previous experiments, but noting his enthusiasm to learn, ends up talking until morning. She was about to talk about the curious precedent involving Ilse Langnar when they were interrupted with news that Bean and Sonny were dead. Rushing to the site, Hange cries at the loss of the Titans. She later moves forward with the experiments on Eren. When it turns out Eren cannot turn into a Titan at will, Hange is a little disheartened. However, seeing Eren's Titan hand later on earned an overly-excited response from Hange and breaks the tension between Eren and the Special Operations Squad. When she excitedly runs to Eren and touches his Titan arm, she burns her hands on the exposed muscle. When Hange finds a teaspoon being clutched by Eren's Titan arm, she concludes that Eren's Titan powers are only awakened when he has a clear objective in mind, such as defending his friends from a cannon. She also hypothesized that this switch must have a good reason as well as being connected to the Titan's nature. During the 57th Expedition Outside the Walls, a Female Titan attacks the Survey Corps and decimates their ranks. After the Female Titan is lured into the Survey Corps' trap in a Titan Forest and captured, unbeknownst to the Special Operation Squad, Eld Jinn wonders aloud why they were not told of the plan to capture it. He speculates that Erwin only told those who were in the corps before the Fall of Wall Maria to be sure they were not spies, with Hange being among those mentioned.

Hange is present during the capture of the Female Titan and mockingly tells it that the special target restraining weapon is designed so that the more her wounds heal the more her joints will be immobilized. She then laughs and wonders what is taking Levi and Mike so long to draw out whoever is inside.

Later, Hange stops Keiji from continuing to try and break open the crystal Annie presumably put around herself to avoid capture. She orders the crystal containing Annie be removed to safety and worries for the future of the Survey Corps after this failure of a mission. She then notices Mikasa is still on the Wall, and is surprised to see that she has found a Titan within the hole. This makes Hange speculate if there are Titans all throughout the Walls. She is then approached by Minister Nick who begs the soldiers to stop sunlight from hitting the Titan's face to prevent it from awakening. After this, Hange tries to question the Minister about what they had just seen, but he roughly states that they do not need to know anything about it, and even threatens to demand compensation for damages done to his church. Furious at his attitude, she grabs Nick and holds him over the side of the Wall as a threat, demanding that Nick explain why there are Titans inside the Wall.

Hange comes to the conclusion that his religion has been so opposed to Wall modifications because of what they know is inside the Wall. She claims that the people of the Survey Corps sacrifice their lives hoping that one day it will mean something, and because of this they have the right to know what they saw inside the Wall and why it is there.

However, Nick refuses to reveal anything and clearly shows that he would rather die than tell his secrets, but Hange decides to let him live and throws him back onto the Wall.

Clash of the Titans arc
Twenty hours after Titans are sighted in Wall Rose, Hange is seen on a carriage with Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Levi, and Nick. When Armin questions the reasoning for Nick being there Hange explains that Nick and the Church of the Walls are keeping secrets about the Titans within the Wall. When Eren lashes out at him Hange explains that Nick is now considering talking, so he is going to see what the effects of the current situation are doing to the people and she explains that he is probably keeping quiet because there is a motive greater than saving humanity. It is revealed that Levi is holding Nick at gunpoint and he states that he will easily keep an eye on Nick.

Levi then asks why Hange is fiddling with a rock in her hands and she explains that it is a piece of hardened flesh that fell off Annie when she was trapped in Stohess and that it has not evaporated. When she says this Armin is shocked and questions it, as Hange states that when compared to the Wall material it is the same. they then theorize that the entire Wall is made up of hardened Titan flesh. Armin suggests that if an operation were to be carried out at night, they may be able to make it to Wall Maria and have Eren plug the hole with his Titan body if he could harden it.

Nick, after seeing the state of the citizens due to the Wall Rose breach, finally tells her and the other members of the Survey Corps about Historia and that she knows more about the Walls having Titans in them. She went under an assumed name after she was caught in the middle of her relative's dispute, and will tell the corps more about it if she chooses to. When Eren, Mikasa, and Armin hear that Krista Lenz is a fake name, they are shocked and run off to find her. Hange states she does not know all the new recruits from the 104th Training Corps and Mikasa describes her as the girl always with Ymir. This greatly shocks Hange and Levi as the Titan that spoke with Ilse Langnar spoke about someone named Ymir. After Utgard Castle falls, Hange and her squad come to save and evacuate the reaming soldiers. She is shocked when she realizes that Ymir has the power of the Titans and is worried for the wounds she sustained after fighting off the Titans.

The surviving soldiers are brought on top of the Walls and Hange overviews the situation on Ymir's wounds and speaks of her value to humanity to Historia Reiss after learning her name is not Krista Lenz. When Hannes arrives with the Garrison vanguard, Hange gives orders to stand by in Trost as there is no breach. When Reiner Braun reveals to Eren that he and Bertolt Hoover are the Colossus and Armored Titans, Eren has a flashback to Hange briefing them on two suspects of Colossus and Armored Titan identities. Hange explains that Reiner and Bertolt came from the same area as Annie and that they were on the right flank of the expedition where Annie appeared as The Female Titan. When everyone dismisses them being affiliated with her, Armin recalls that Reiner drew out Eren's location from him and probably wrote it on Annie's hand when she captured him. Hange then states that they are not to know that they are suspected.

After the transformation of the Colossus and Armored Titans, Hange directs soldiers fighting the Colossus atop the Wall while Eren, transformed, fights the Armored on the ground. After dodging a swing by it, Hange attempt to launch an attack on the half transformed Colossus but it emits a huge burst of constant hot steam and Hange then tells her soldiers to stand by until it stops. Hange then takes the first squad with her down the Wall and directs their attack at the Armored Titan.

Hange leads an effort to back up Eren in his battle against the Armored Titan. She strategizes with Eren when she jumps on his shoulder and tells him to break Reiner's legs. Hange then remembers history concerning armor and how knights needed to be able to move. She is able to accurately deduct that the seemingly-invulnerable Armored Titan has unprotected areas at the joints to allow freedom of movement. This allows Eren and Mikasa to bring him down, but after he lets out a loud scream, the Colossus Titan drops from the Wall on top of Eren and the soldiers.

It is revealed that the Colossus Titan disappeared when it fell off the Wall and that Reiner and Bertolt kidnapped Ymir and Eren. Those who were on the lower part of the Wall were hit with a heat wave and wind pressure from his fall. Hange is heavily injured and unable to move at this time and it has been five hours since Eren was taken. Erwin arrives with reinforcements and some of the Military Police Brigade. Hange then crawls over to a soldier and grabs their ankle, weakly telling them to give her a map. Still laying on her stomach, Hange explains that they probably went to a nearby Titan Forest. Though it was small she says, they are probably exhausted from fighting and need to be shielded from other Titans. Hange states that they have until nightfall to reach them.

The Uprising arc
In the following two weeks, Hange makes a full recovery and beings supervising the investigation of Ragako. Aided by Connie Springer, Hange uncovers the horrifying truth that Titans were once humans, transformed by some unknown means into mindless beings. Though shaken by this revelation, she is able to complete the investigation and present her findings to Erwin and Dot Pixis. As previous experiments have never uncovered anything unusual about a Titan's nape, Hange theorizes that the Titan form absorbs the human pilot completely, and that the true means to slay a Titan is the decapitation of what remains of the human.

Shortly afterwards, Hange is present in a meeting with Squad Levi discussing the idea of using Eren's Titan hardening abilities to seal the hole in Wall Maria and expresses her desire to perform some experiments about it. She then sadly informs them that Nick has been murdered, recounting how she heard the news.

Immediately suspicious, Hange went to the crime scene and interrogated the two members of the Military Police guarding the site, Djel Sannes and Ralph, while pretending to simply be an old friend of the victim.

Upon observing Nick's corpse, Hange was able to note tell-tale signs of torture on him and wounds on Sannes' hands that suggested he had taken part in the beating. Though pretending to believe the official story that Nick was killed in a robbery, Hange told Sannes that once she finds the culprits, she would avenge Nick.

Hange is later seen performing experiments on Eren's Titan, which looks heavily deformed and lies unconscious on the ground. Hange and Mikasa try to free him from the Titan, but find that his body has begun to fuse to it. Hange asks Moblit Berner to make a sketch of it as Mikasa cuts Eren out, and declares the experiment to be over.

After Eren regains consciousness, Hange explains to him the details of the experiment. Initially, Eren had control of his Titan and was able to respond to commands, but soon, no apparent reason, Eren looked seemed to become pained, and wrote on the ground "my father... to me", a message which intrigues Hange.

Despite these failures, Hange expresses optimism that they will be able to get useful information about Eren's versatility and limitations. She states that the Church of the Walls should have information about the process of hardening since they are aware that the Walls are made of hardened Titans, and trusts that Erwin, who is on his way to the capital, can find out something.

After squad Levi kidnaps Djel Sannes, she is seen alongside Levi preparing to fulfill her promise about torturing him.

The Survey Corps begins to conspire to rebel against the monarchy and discover the secrets they are willing to kill for. When Sannes is captured by the Survey Corps, Levi aids her in interrogating him as well as gaining revenge for Nick's murder. The two take turns torturing the prisoner, before leaving to fetch his comrade, Ralph. They force him at knife-point to read a script outside Sannes' door, making him believe he has been betrayed and is considered a lunatic by his comrades. This causes the man to break, revealing to Hange the secret of the Reiss family—the true rulers of mankind.

After Sannes' confession, Hange mocks him at length, revealing the truth about Ralph's apparent betrayal. Sannes is deeply shaken, but he warns her that someone else will take his place and wishes her luck. Visibly shaken, Hange leaves the dungeon and enters a room, violently kicking over a table. Eren finds her, and shares with her a recollection of Bertolt and Ymir's conversation, which shocks Hange enough that she rushes off to speak to Erwin.

Out of breath upon arriving at headquarters, Hange collapses on the ground before Erwin and warns him their plans may be ruined. Eren's notes lead her to theorize that Titans can absorb the powers of their victims, which allowed Ymir to go from an ordinary Titan to a human with the power of the Titans after devouring one. She states that Reiner most likely threw Titans at the soldiers in hopes of Eren being devoured, creating a new holder of the Coordinate. In the same fashion, Hange believes that the Reiss family are going to feed Eren to a Titan in order to pass the Coordinate on to someone they can control.

Their meeting is interrupted by the arrival of the first Brigade, who accuse the Survey Corps of murdering Dimo Reeves. Preparing to meet them and face their charges, Erwin names Hange as his successor and entrusts the Survey Corps to her. Afterwards, she discovers Flegel hiding in an alleyway and carries him onto a rooftop. There, she learns what really happened to his father and attempts to persuade him to continue fighting in his father's stead. When he states they have already lost, Hange reminds him with a smile that the Survey Corps has always had a losing record.

Hange breaks into the Berg Newspapers office, to enlist the paper's help. She informs the two staff members that she now knows the newspaper is fiction controlled by the government, and claims she is going to break their hands so they can no longer write, before realizing that they are in a position of fear, trying to protect their families. She asks the men to run a report on them for just one day.

When Flegel is cornered by the MPs, Hange and Moblit come to his aid, easily dispatching the three soldiers, and revealing that the 'abandoned' buildings of Trost are actually full of citizens who have heard the police admit to framing the Survey Corps. Hange then confronts Roy and Peaure, who have been watching the encounter. Peaure is willing to help, but Roy is still apprehensive, fearing for his family.

Hange, alongside Marlowe Freudenberg and Hitch Dreyse, later finds Levi and his squad after they attacked the Military Police headquarters and Levi attempted to beat information out of a captured MP. She tells them that the false charges against the Survey Corps have been dropped and that their actions were seen as legitimate self-defense. She goes on to tell them that the royal capital and the administrative district are now under Commander-in-Chief Darius Zackly's control and that there has been no counter-rebellion so far. As the squad rejoices in their regained freedom, Hange remembers Peaure convincing Roy to make him print the proper article. Levi informs Hange that he does not know where Eren and Historia are, but Hange has an idea of where they are and claims that they will end the battle there.

After getting Berg newspapers to distribute the truth about the Military Police and the Survey Corps, Hange and Moblit went to a stable and met with Marlowe and Hitch. She introduced them as friends of the 'short guy' and asked if they would take them to him. On the way they were met with a crowd of villagers who gave them information on the Reiss family. After learning this Hange sent Moblit to deliver the news to Erwin and then met up with Levi and his squad. After explaining that Eren may be eaten in order to have his Titan shifting powers taken, she explains a report commissioned by Erwin of a survey on the Reiss family grounds. She explains that if they are with them, Eren and Historia are likely on their grounds and that some Survey Corps soldiers disguised as farmers were able to gather intel on the family and most of what they got led back to and incident five years ago where Rod Reiss, who already had five children, had an illegitimate child with a servant.

Hange retells that the night Wall Maria fell their chapel was robbed by bandits and then burned to the ground, all of the family was massacred except for Rod who immediately rebuilt the chapel which Hange found suspicious. She also speculated that normal thieves would not destroy a stone chapel with fire, they would just take what they wanted and leave. Hange then says that a few days later, Historia's mother, Alma, was killed by Kenny Ackerman and Rod began trying to make plans to meet with her, Hange states that this may be why the Reiss family wanted her. Hange states that it would be strange if Titans were not involved in this and that it is definitely worth checking out for Eren could soon be eaten.

While Marlowe and Hitch ask a local for information, Hange, Levi, and his squad sit outside on the horse wagon. Levi explains that Kenny will be their biggest threat and describes him as Levi himself if he were on the enemy side. Hange states that though he may be well trained if the previous day was his first time using the anti-personnel vertical maneuvering equipment in battle, there may be a significant opening. Hange then asks Levi why he has so little information regarding Kenny as they previously lived together but Levi says that he did not even know his last name was Ackerman until yesterday. He then questions Mikasa's possible relation to him and asks her if she ever had a moment where she felt a power suddenly awoke inside of her. Remembering her adrenaline rush when she killed the bandit threatening Eren's life, she agrees and Levi states that he too had a moment like that. Hange, Levi, and his squad arrive at the Reiss chapel, finding the hidden doorway to the caves below while Marlowe and Hitch stand guard outside. Hange notes that she hopes her ideas of the terrain are accurate as Levi mentions that it would be nice if their detour to get 'presents' pays off. Armin then states that the preparations are complete for them to move in. While the interior MPs await them inside for an ambush, the Survey Corps charges to open the door to the cave and roll in several gas canisters tied to barrels. They then charge in behind as Sasha Blouse fires a flaming arrow at them, creating a large smoke cloud as they explode. They then dive into the fight, hidden by smoke clouds and signal flares as Armin fires the flares and Sasha fires arrows from the stairs. In the battle, Armin mentally notes that Hange's layout idea was correct and Hange recalls Armin's idea to create a smoke screen to fight off the MPs. The corps continue to pick off the enemies, one by one and Hange remembers that if they are to fire two shots they need time to reload. Noticing an open soldier, she is able to maneuver in and pierce her sword all the way through their chest, killing them and splattering blood back on her face. However, Kenny's main underling notices this and fires off two shots to get Hange's attention. As she wonders if this MP has a death wish she notices she was baited into a position in which the soldier fires a hook into her right shoulder, She then dispatches the hook, throwing Hange into a Wall. Hange then crashes down on the floor, wounded and bloody, as her comrades call out to her. Levi then orders Armin to care for her while the rest of the squad advances. After the squad Levi escapes the Reiss caves and follows after a now Titan Rod, Hange is seen laying in one of the wagons with her equipment off, still wounded. Hange weakly speaks and says that she is going to name the power inside Eren the 'progenitor Titan' and that they now know that only people of the Reiss bloodline can use its true power. She then claims that if any Reiss member does get the power that they will be controlled by the ideology of the First King and will not free humanity. She wonders that this is what the first king thought was true peace and smiles a little, saying that is a funny way to look at things. After Eren claims that he is willing to be eaten so Rod Reiss can be detained and have information drawn from him, Historia suggests that they will be unable to do it and Mikasa claims that they must be able to use the progenitor Titan without Reiss blood. Hange then asks Historia if she is really okay with that, saying that they will have to kill the Titan that is her father if they do not have a use for him. Historia then apologizes to Eren for seriously intending to eat him just so her father would not hate her.

When the squad is close enough, Eren begins trying to use the coordinate to halt Rod, but he is unsuccessful. Erwin and a few other soldiers are issuing orders when one of them spots squad Levi. Hange states that Rod does not seem to be reacting to Eren at all and asks if he did anything different when he killed the Smiling Titan. Eren remembers and begins to make a punching motion in the air as Hange again states he is not reacting. Erwin approaches Levi and asks for updates on the situation and how everyone is. Levi claims that only Hange is wounded as she sits up and loudly greets Erwin as she waves to him, much to Eren's surprise. Erwin states that it does not look serious and then asks about Rod Reiss' Titan. After Levi informs him he asks what Erwin plans to do.

Later in the Orvud District, Garrison soldiers are terrified at Erwin's idea to use the citizens as bait to lure in the Titan. Hange, sitting on the floor holding her shoulder, then claims that the Titan is an abnormal and that it is drawn to large areas of people. She states that if they are to move the citizens inside of Wall Sheena that it will break it down and head to Mitras, killing many people. Erwin states that they are going to keep the citizens by the gate, pretending that this is an emergency evacuation drill. The Garrison then painfully agree to the methods and prepare the citizens. As the sun rises, the Survey Corps are stationed on top of the Wall as Historia appears and demands Levi let her join the fight. With too little time to decide, Levi directs his attention to the Titan as it crawls just outside of the Wall. While the Garrison fire cannons at Rod Reiss to no avail, Levi and Erwin discuss their strategy as Hange runs up to them with her arm in a sling, saying she brought all the gunpowder she could get, ropes, and a net, but states it still has to be put together. Moblit then appears with a barrel of powder on wheels as Hange states that you can fire this one and use the triggers to wind it back in. She then asks Levi how the shelling is going to which he states that it is not going well. Erwin then instructs Levi, Jean, Sasha, and Connie to assemble Hange's weapon, described as putting a bunch of rocks inside a sock to make a blunt object. As the Titan nears, the wind changes direction and blows its steam onto the soldiers to which they respond by dumping water on themselves. Rod's Titan then climbs up onto the Wall and kneels in front of it, exposing its shredded off face and revealed organs. At that moment Eren transforms and grabs the haul of gunpowder Hange brought. Sasha and Armin fire the wheeled gunpowder barrels at his hands, making him lose balance. Eren then runs up to the Titan and throws the weapon inside its exposed mouth. It is then ignited by the hot steam Rod produces and explodes the Titan. The soldiers then launch into the air, cutting the chunks of flesh in an attempt to sever the nape. Historia then hones in on the chunk containing her father and slices through it, killing him.

When Historia is crowned the rightful queen of the Walls, Hange, now fully healed, is present in the audience watching her.

Two months after Historia's coronation, Hange is actively engaged in running tests on Eren's Titan hardening ability in preparation for their journey to Wall Maria. She is seen in Trost District watching as a soldier lures a Titan into Hange's own invention which appears to be a Titan guillotine. As it crushes and kills a Titan, she and Moblit cheer and rejoice in the success of the invention. Hange states that they can run these all day without the need for soldiers fighting Titans or using cannons and other resources. She then eccentrically tells the newspapermen, including Peaure, that this is more good news for humanity and to spread it to the people. She then turns to Eren and says that they can mass produce these and put them in every Wall city but interrupts herself when she see's Levi handing Eren a handkerchief for a nosebleed he has. She questions it and Levi states that it is probably from overusing his Titan powers and that he is been doing nothing but hardening experiments lately. He then states that Hange should assume there is a limit to how many rocks he can make and that includes what he does with his own body. She is then quiet for a moment and apologizes to Eren, saying she was too caught up in her own ideas. He then tells her not to be sorry because he is a little tired and that they have this amazing weapon now and that they should make more. Eren expresses happiness in the thought of Titans being killed without humans being eaten. He then states that they now just have to close the hole in Wall Maria and keep using the guillotine to kill off Titans. He claims that they will eventually clean all the Titans out from Wall Maria and that they should ready their weapons and go to Shiganshina District. Hange is later present at a Military meeting headed by Darius Zackly. He commends the Survey Corps for their excellent job on the Titan guillotine and claims that the retaking of Wall Maria is starting to look realistic. He then asks Erwin how his night time pathing to Shiganshina District is going to which he replies that thanks to the shining ore from the Reiss cave they are able to do work much faster and that they have secured a path more than half way in. Erwin claims that their preparations should be ready within a month and they intend to devote their full strength to repay the souls of their fellow soldiers. Zackly then wishes them luck on finding what they need in the Shiganshina basement and the meeting is dismissed. In another room, Commander Pixis asks Hange how her analysis of the contents of the bottle found in the Reiss caves is going. She states that she knows it is made from spinal fluid thanks to Eren and Historia, but claims that since it evaporates as soon as it touches air it is hard to research. She says that this stuff is far beyond their capabilities and questions what the Reiss family did if they created it. Pixis claims that they must use it for its intended purpose and it is entrusted to the soldier with the highest chance of survival, Levi.

At dinner Eren remembers Hange explaining to him that Ymir was actually a Titan that wondered around outside the Walls, based on her conversation with Reiner and Bertolt. Hange then ponders a theory to herself for a moment and states that she will have to talk to the commander.

Return to Shiganshina arc
When Eren remembered seeing the face of his instructor, Keith Shadis, in his father's memories, Hange went along with him, Jean, Mikasa, Armin, Levi, and Sasha to inquire with Instructor Shadis about his involvement with Dr. Yeager. When they arrived at the training grounds, Hange asked Keith if he knew why they were there to talk to him that day, to which he did not respond.

After listening to Keith's story of saving Eren's father and introducing him to Carla Yeager, which had eventually led to him stepping down as commander and going on to train new recruits, Hange becomes irritated and accuses him of leaving to atone for the many deaths he caused, but she then corrects herself and states that he retired to the training camp out of feelings of obligation and inferiority to others. She then questions his care for if he is special, feeling very confused about such a belief. Hange then stands up and claims that he ran away for a childish reason and Levi tells her to stop. She states that he does not need to decide if his information is helpful and tells him not to bring his feelings of inferiority into this matter. She salutes her heart, saying that is not that what it is to devote your heart to the greater good until she is asked to stop again by Eren and sits down. After her return from the cadet corps training ground, Hange participates in a meeting of a few Survey Corps members in which she explains to Erwin all the information Instructor Shadis gave to her and Squad Levi. Erwin and Hange then speculate what Grisha Yeager's purpose for coming to the Walls was, thinking that he may have wanted to help humanity but was unable to. They then ponder about what is in the basement of his Shiganshina home that he wanted to share with 10 year old Eren. Erwin states that the basement may hold the memories that the Reiss family wiped from humanity, but then says that if they really want to know, they must go to the basement themselves and see. Erwin claims that the operation will begin in two days and Hange, along with the other corps members begin to leave the room. Just as she steps out of the door, she notices Levi lean against it and then shut it behind her. Hange is later seen in the diner hall eating with the same Survey Corps members. As Sasha and the other members of Squad Levi fight over food, she questions whose idea it was to give them the meat in the first place.

Two days later just before sunset, Hange and the Survey Corps higher ups salute Darius Zackly, Dot Pixis, Nile Dok, and other members of the brass before going atop the Trost District outer Wall. As they stand on the Wall, Flegel Reeves and other citizens of the Trost District cheer for the Survey Corps, telling them to bring back Wall Maria and saying the future of mankind is in their hands. Hange watches as Erwin shouts down at the crowd in a ray of excitement for their impending victory. The soldiers then go down to the other side of the Wall and mount their horses as Erwin orders that they commence the operation. Hange is seen by Erwin's right side as he shouts for the teams to advance and the 58th expedition outside the Walls begins. As the expedition for Shiganshina District is under way, the Survey Corps walk though a mountain forest in the darkness of night time, nearing dawn. Jean is able to spot a sitting Titan only when it was just a few feet from the corps. Hange quickly orders that they illuminate the Titan, using the shining rocks from the Reiss Chapel. She briefly observes the Titan and orders them to leave it alone as it is shutting down due to lack of sunlight. Eren asks Hange how the could have not noticed the Titan until it was so close, to which she responds by saying that normally she would not agree to walking in the darkness but it is that very darkness that it protecting them. Hange then begins to explain that when Connie and Historia encountered a moving Titan at night, it was probably due to the fact that it was new and was gaining power from the small amount of sunlight reflected on the moon. Though it is just a hypothesis, Hange claims that choosing a night with a new moon was a good plan. She then grins and mentions that she hopes they can capture a moonlight powered Titan one day.

Soon after, they reach the foot of the mountain and remount their horses. Erwin then orders the corps to switch to vertical maneuvering equipment and rush Shiganshina. One hundred soldiers fly towards the open gate in order to confuse any enemies laying in wait to try and stop Eren. As Hange and Levi each fire off a signal flare, the two mention how odd it is that they have not seen a single Titan and that they are probably playing into the enemies hands. However, the state that they must continue on in their mission and watch as Eren flies above the gate and prepares to transform. After Eren succeeds in sealing the outer hole in Wall Maria, Hange asks a subordinate if there are any enemies around. When she receives word that there is not, they begin moving to the second gate to finish sealing the holes, despite her worries. Seeing a signal flare from Erwin, she orders her squad to take up positions atop Wall Maria. It is from there that they witness Reiner's near defeat at the hands of Levi after appearing from inside the Wall. Then, the Beast Titan and his army appear inside the Walls. The corp, realizing their situation, prepare for a fight to the death with the Titans.

As Reiner, now in his Titan form, begins to scale Wall Maria, Eren questions why Erwin has not yet acted and Hange explains it is because he is observing the enemy's movements. She calls out when she noticing the smaller Titans begin to move toward them. On Erwin's orders, all the soldiers deploy. Squad Levi, without Levi himself, and squad Hange deploy to take down the Armored Titan. Eren transforms and draws Reiner into a fight. Eren recalls moments earlier as Armin suggests to use Eren to bait Reiner and Hange agrees that this would be the best way to back Reiner into a corner so he will not kill the horses. Eren and Reiner begin to fight. Eren, hardening his fists, is able to start the fight in his favour; punching Reiner's Titan in the face and shattering its armor. During this, Hange and the soldiers under her prepare to fight Reiner with their new weapons. As Eren and Reiner fight, Eren loses his upper hand for a moment and takes a vast throw from Reiner, but dodges the following attack. As they clash, Hange's squad begins positioning around them and Hange orders her soldiers to wait until Eren provides them with a perfect opening to attack Reiner. As they fight, Eren recalls Hange giving them an introduction to their new weapon specifically for fighting the Armored Titan, the Thunder Spears. She reminds the soldiers of their core objective; to kill Reiner and Bertolt. Eren remembers that he must create and opening for them, and throws him into a spot where he can be attacked. Hange and Mikasa dash in and take out his eyes with the spears. The other soldiers then appear for the strike to the nape from behind, and blow open the armor. Hange then orders another round of spears to be used on his nape, and the soldiers execute the order successfully, blowing apart Reiner's nape.

The soldiers celebrate the defeat of Reiner, with a few solders crying over his loss. As Jean scolds them while tearing up himself, Hange orders another round of spears to be prepared for a third attack. The soldiers then notice movement from the Titan, and moments later it lets out a tremendous roar. Hange orders that they will hit it with the spears again in an attempt to blow its whole body apart. But, Armin warns her that they must flee as Bertolt flies up above them in a barrel, about to blow away the whole area with his transformation. As Bertolt flies up above them, the soldiers flee from the predicted blast radius until they realize he has halted in his attack. As part of the Survey Corps surrounds Bertolt, Hange leads the rest of the soldiers to finish off Reiner. As they come upon the Armored Titan lying supine upon the ground, Hange spots Bertolt flying overhead just before he transforms into the Colossus Titan. Hange, Moblit, and the soldiers under her command are caught in the explosion during his transformation and, after the blast, their fellow soldiers wonder if all their comrades were killed. Captain Levi and the 104th recruits begin to worry about Squad Hange's situation in the ensuing destruction, though neither Hange nor her squad are anywhere to be found.

When trying to think of a way to defeat the Colossus Titan, Armin recalls some of Hange's words. He remembers her saying that the Colossus was susceptible to drawn out battles. He thinks back to her experiments with Eren, where he could only harden his whole body twice and transform three times in a row before his power would taper off and his abilities would become less effective. Armin recalls when Hange lead a squad fighting Bertolt on top of Wall Rose when he revealed himself and states that he must consume flesh to make steam and eventually will run out and be unable to move as a skeleton. While Armin and Eren deal with Bertolt; Mikasa, Jean, Sasha, and Connie try to stop Reiner after he rises once more and attempts to attack Eren. Mikasa blows apart his knee while Connie and Sasha try to make Reiner open his mouth by destroying the sides of his jaw with Thunder Spears so Mikasa can hit the nape from the inside, but Reiner swipes at the roof Sasha was standing on and barrages her and Jean with wood debris. This causes Sasha to be greatly wounded and fall unconscious, missing the Thunder Spear she was supposed to fire at Reiner; although Connie successfully hits the other side and swoops in to save Sasha.

Though Reiner's jaw is only half open, Mikasa decides to attempt to blow him apart from the inside anyway, much to her teammates' dismay. Before she can take off, Hange appears from behind a building and uses her last Thunder Spear to blow apart Reiner's jaw and open his mouth. Hange then urges Mikasa to go for the kill. Shocked, Mikasa flies in and propels her Thunder Spear into Reiner's mouth, exploding him out of his Titan's nape. Moments later, Hange and Mikasa look on in shock as the Colossus Titan falls to its knees and Eren drags the completely dismembered Bertolt down next to the dead, burnt body of Armin.

After Reiner was blown out of his Titan's nape, he desperately attempted to retrieve a metal case that had been found inside his chest; before his arms and legs were severed. As a blindfolded Reiner leans against a building, Hange interrogates him about the case and he reveals that it is a letter from Ymir to Historia. Hange agrees to give it to her after they have examined it, and then draws one of her swords. After Reiner refuses to give information, a worried smile appears on Hange's face as she thanks him for making her next job easier. She then begins to force her blade horizontally through Reiner's throat but is halted by Jean who recommends they feed Reiner to someone injected with the Titan serum. Hange begins to show anger and claims that they should kill Reiner now, stating that she could lop his head off and still would not let her guard down. Jean states that Hange is acting unlike herself and meekly lectures her for being content with leaving things unknown, claiming that they will never defeat the Titans that way. Hange pauses and then sends Mikasa to retrieve the serum and send a signal flare if for some reason she cannot, also giving Hange the go ahead to kill Reiner. After she leaves, Hange tells Jean that this was her call and wonders who it is she could use the serum on.

Just as Mikasa fires her flare, Zeke and the Cart Titan appear behind a distracted Hange and attempt to kill her by crushing her between the Titan's teeth. Jean quickly reacts to this and is able to propel himself toward Hange and tackle her out of the way. Hange is immediately to her feet with her blade ready when she sees Cart Titan holding Reiner in its mouth. It then makes off with him and Connie attempts to chase them but is stopped when Hange explains he will only be killed if he tries. Jean curses his decision to intervene, but Hange again reminds him that this was her choice. She stares at the enemy as they run away and numbly orders that they rendezvous with Eren's group. When Hange arrives with Levi's squad to see Eren's group, she finds Mikasa about to harm an intervening recruit named Floch while pinning Levi in an attempt to steal the Titan injection from him so that Armin may be saved from death; despite Levi's choice to save Erwin who had been brought to them by Floch. Hange surprises Mikasa by apprehending her from behind by holding her arms under Mikasa's as Levi immediately prepares the injection for Erwin. Mikasa shrieks in fear and anger, and Hange tries to convince her that humanity needs Erwin to be saved. Hange explains that humanity will lose its symbol and the flames of hope. She tells her that they still require Erwin's leadership but is stopped when Mikasa tightly grabs her wrist, causing Hange to become quiet for a moment. Hange tells Mikasa that she too has people she wishes she could bring back, hundreds of them. Mikasa pauses and Hange tells her that since joining the Survey Corps, it is been nothing but goodbyes. She recalls her last moments with her assistant Moblit, who died saving her by pushing her into a safe well before being blown away by Bertolt's transformation blast. Hange recalls the wreckage she saw when she surfaced, and tells Mikasa that everyone has to say goodbye someday. Hange goes on to express her hurt and pain, saying that she can barely stay sane knowing this. But, Hange says, nevertheless they must move forward; as she hugs Mikasa with sorrow from behind. Eren begins to plea with Levi, but he decides to move forward with saving Erwin anyways as Hange takes Mikasa and clears the roof with everyone else. However, when Levi regroups with them, he returns with Erwin; and Armin's Titan can be seen eating Bertolt. Levi expresses that they would have just been dragging Erwin right back into the hell he had finally escaped from. He then proclaims to Erwin that he will fulfill his promise to kill the Beast Titan. However, Hange tells Levi that Erwin has already died. The two sit with their fallen commander as the other soldiers go to greet their reborn friend Armin.

After Armin awakens atop the Wall, Hange and the others regroup around him and go over the situation from the past four hours and the previous battle. Levi explains that it was ultimately him and his emotions that chose to let Armin live. Hange notes that she believed Erwin should have lived as well. She then says that there is nothing more to say about their current situation, and that she and Armin will have to carry on in Erwin’s steed; Hange as the commander and Armin as a Titan who is entrusted with Erwin's life. When a delirious Sasha tells Levi to shut up as he talks, Hange laughs it off and then moves out with Eren, Mikasa, and Levi while the others stand watch. After a bit of walking, the four approach the previous home of the Yeagers. Using wooden beams, they pry off the rubble atop the cellar door and open it then head down the stairs. Eren shakily takes out his key and attempts to open the basement door but finds that he does not have the right key. This shocks everyone, but Levi is able to break down the door with a kick and everyone walks inside. At first glance, the basement looks like an average work place and Hange theorizes that the basement was meant to look very plain and obvious. When Eren and Mikasa start looking, a small keyhole is found on the side of the desk that fits Eren's key. It reveals a small, empty drawer which Levi finds a false bottom in. Underneath are three books that Hange believes were treated to keep moisture and bugs away. Together, Eren and Mikasa open the first book and find a piece of paper inside. When they returned to Trost District, the four Survey Corps members recall what they had seen. Originally thought to be an illustration, Hange notes that the paper was too elaborate for any human to draw. On the back, a note from Grisha reads that the object is called a photograph. He goes on to say that he is from beyond the Walls where humanity lives a refined existence, and that humanity has not perished.

While serving their punishment in jail cells, Mikasa and Eren discuss the journals and Grisha’s memories until Hange, Levi, and Armin interrupt Eren and provoke them about what they were talking about. After they appear stubborn to answer, Levi accuses Eren of going through a phase as a teenager and lets them go, claiming that their sentence is being cut short because of their low numbers and their superiors failure to catch the Armored and Beast Titans. The group, now with Jean, meet Historia afterward to speak with her after she finishes reading a letter left to her by Ymir. After meeting, Hange proposes they move on to their official business and everyone, including all other military commanders and officials meet to discuss the recent expedition, the journals, and the huge loss of life. Darius Zackly asks Hange, as the new commander, to give her thoughts on the situation. Hange explains that although they were able to retake Wall Maria at the cost of many lives, they as humanity are still in a very dangerous situation, and that their true enemy is not the Titans, but other humans. Hange then elaborates on the journals claims of their role as Subjects of Ymir and how they are being hunted by others for once ruling the world and having the potential to rule it again. Hange then continues to speak about Grisha’s successful mission to take the Founding Titan and give it to Eren. She then claims that the vow to renounce war actually manifested itself as insanity in the holder of this power due to the First King’s ideology. Then, after speaking about Eren’s previous ability to control pure Titans, Eren lashes out in the court room without explanation. Hange then explains that he is going through a phase which is causing him to show off and shout as he quiets down and the meeting continues. As the meeting goes on, Military Police reps express concern about revealing the outside world to the people within the walls. However, when Pixis voices concerns over lying to the people again, Historia decrees that they will return the memories stolen from the people a century ago and unite.

Once the news is released to the world, Hange and Levi meet with Roy and Peaure to discuss the revelations and how the public are handling it. Roy tells Hange that the people have taken several different reactions, some accepting it, some claiming conspiracy theories, and some laughing. In general, the people within the walls are greatly confused. Roy then asks the two of them what is going to happen to their world, fearing that the people outside their walls and the Titans will not stop until Eldians are annihilated. The royal government plans for the Survey Corps to be awarded with medals in a ceremony for their bravery and success. Over hearing a fight breaking out among the younger recruits, Levi cuts in to stop them and tell them to prepare for the beginning of the ceremony. A military audience gathers in a large room where Historia presents each of the nine soldiers with a medal of honor in the form of a dark bolo tie with the wings of freedom on it. Beginning with Hange, Historia paces the tie around her neck and Hange kisses her hand. She then continues with this pattern and presents each member with their medal. Months later, in the summer season, Shiganshina District is once again populated with people as all the Titans had been cleared out. Finally, the Survey Corps once again ventures outside of Wall Maria on an expedition for the first time in six years. Leading them, Hange reports very little Titan activity along their path until the come into contact with a Titan that lacks the proper limbs to walk. They see the trail left by it crawling and follow it until they reach the edge of Paradis. Here, the Survey Corps sees the ocean for the first time. The soldiers dismount their horses, roll up their pant legs and step into the water in awe. Jean, Connie, and Sasha begin splashing and playing while Hange gleefully picks up never before seen ocean materials such as coral much to Levi's dismay.

Intelligence
Hange's abilities as a soldier are an extremely valuable asset to humanity. Her different approach to Titans has yielded an impressive amount of information and research. Her capabilities are noticed by her team mates, especially her superior Erwin Smith who named her his successor. Her persistence and drive for knowledge often aides her in acquiring information. She will spend hours studying Titan subjects and Eren Yeager when he is transformed. Thanks to information left behind by Ilse Langnar, she was able to get authorization to resume Titan capture operations in the Survey Corps despite being turned down several times. This information has aided Hange in a great deal of her work with the Titans. However, she is often reckless when working around Titans and because of this she often endangers herself and sometimes others. Hange demonstrates and impressive resolve when put under great pressure, as she able to use her intelligence and wits paired with any means necessary to devise cunning plans and inventions. She also can lead people who oppose humanity to do what she needs them to do, such as Minister Nick, Djel Sannes, Flegel Reeves, Roy and Peaure of Berg Newspapers, and even Erwin and Levi. Despite being a quick thinker, Hange is known to show great anger from time to time and little remorse when faced with people who have the means to help humanity but do not.

Vertical maneuvering equipment
Hange's intelligence and wits are not her only valuable features. She displays superior skills when operating her vertical maneuvering equipment. Due to her passion for Titans, she is constantly very close to them and because of this, has developed an impressive reaction time that helps her to always slip through their fingers. Her many years in the Survey Corps have helped her to master the equipment and she is easily able to take down Titans with her blades.

Relationships

 * Levi Ackerman - They work well together as senior members of the Survey Corps, and Hange appears to enjoy teasing him on occasion. Levi often uses insulting terms to refer to her and seems annoyed by her eccentric behavior. Though the two may clash every now and again, they trust each other's ideas and plans for serious situations, such as missions or the break in on the Reiss chapel.
 * Erwin Smith - As her commander, Erwin was a respected figure and tactical partner to Hange. She strategized with him often and turned to him at the Survey Corps' most vital moments. Hange and Erwin had a relationship of deep trust and respect, dating back to even before the fall of Wall Maria. Erwin included Hange in top secret missions such as capturing the Female Titan and later on, in his career, he named Hange as his successor. Erwin worried for Hange's safety during the Survey Corps' clash with the government, warning her to get away from the area she had come to. Even when Erwin was on the brink of death, Hange fought for him to be the choice to live and commended his leadership and symbolism to humanity. When Hange declared Erwin as deceased, she sat with him and Levi on the roof with sorrow.
 * Moblit Berner - Moblit was Hange's assistant, and their relationship has always held a great deal of tension as Moblit constantly fretted over Hange's safety. His main job as her assistant was to be with her on important tasks such as research, interrogation, and missions. However, most of the time he played the role of a bodyguard from others and Hange herself. To Hange, Moblit was her right-hand man and went everywhere with her on almost all of her business, an important friend, and comrade. Even though he was under constant stress, Moblit fulfilled his duty to keep Hange out of trouble to his last breath. Just as she was to be blown away by Bertolt Hoover's transformation, Moblit yelled out to Hange as his commander and pushed her into a well; protecting her from the blast. As Hange turned around before falling, she saw Moblit stare at her as he was obliterated after his sacrifice.
 * Eren Yeager - Hange is one of the first to welcome him into the Survey Corps, and is put in charge of studying him. She takes to this with great enthusiasm and becomes one of his most ardent supporters, despite her enthusiasm startling (and slightly unnerving) Eren when they first met.
 * Ilse Langnar - While a close relationship was not shown, Hange recognized Ilse's armband knowing she had died during the 34th expedition. Hange was also said to have inherited Ilse's will as it was from Ilse's notes that she took up trying to communicate with Titans. It was later shown as well that it was from her notes that Hange recognized the name of Ymir.
 * Keith Shadis - Hange once respected Keith as her commanding officer when he previously led the Survey Corps, however, when she and Squad Levi sought him out for information, she learned of his 'foolish' ideas and develops negative feelings for him, saying he is not worth their time. When Hange later exits a meeting with Erwin and other corps members, one of them remarks that Hange once had a crush on Keith, to which she responds with annoyance and embarrassment, telling the soldier to shut their mouth.

People Killed

 * At least 1 member of the Military Police Brigade

Failed attempts

 * Traute Carven
 * Reiner Braun

Trivia

 * The manga's author, Hajime Isayama, has left Hange's gender open to interpretation as he told his editor that 'either one is fine' and instructed Kodansha Comics not to confirm any gender in their translation. Since then, Kodansha has removed gendered pronouns for Hange in their translation and clarified that indeed, Hange's gender is up to the reader's interpretation. The anime and the live-action movie, on the other hand, have consistently depicted Hange as female.
 * Hange believes she gets along with Levi best among the Survey Corps soldiers.
 * In Levi, Erwin, and Hange's character interview, it was said that Levi forcefully bathes Hange by knocking her unconscious.

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Ханджи Зое Hanji Zoe Hanji Zoe Hansi Zoe ハンジ・ゾエ Hansi 漢吉·佐耶 Hange Zoë هانجي زوي Hanji Zoe