Hannes

"I liked those days...if Eren were here, he might call them a time of false peace...but being a good-for-nothing, drunk soldier was enough for me."

- Hannes longs for simpler times

Hannes (ハンネス) was a unit captain (部隊長) of the Garrison. He was also a lifelong friend to the Yeager family and was responsible for saving Mikasa and Eren from a smiling Titan.

Appearance
Hannes was a tall, well-built man with short blond hair, a thin dark mustache. He wore the typical uniform of the Garrison Regiment along with a v-neck shirt underneath.

Personality
Hannes was a very kind, good-natured man, but he always drank irresponsibly. Although somewhat cowardly, he was determined to die if it meant freeing Eren from his captors. He was greatly ashamed of his lack of courage five years ago, and waited to encounter the Titan who killed Eren's mother, Carla Yeager, again, in order to slay it and make up for his past mistakes.

Hannes cared deeply for Eren and Mikasa and looked out for them after Carla was eaten. He ultimately gave his life to protect them.

History
From Keith Shadis' account of finding Grisha outside the Wall 20 years before Historia's coronation, Hannes expressed his view that anyone wandering outside the Walls was insane. He was countered by Shadis who said there was equivalent stupidity of drinking on his Garrison duties. Hannes partially sympathized with Grisha over his memory loss and situation blaming alcohol abuse.

He was later shown thanking Grisha profusely for the recovery of his wife at his hands from the disease; a debt to the Yeagers he became determined to repay. Hannes was also present at Grisha and Carla's wedding later on.

Fall of Shiganshina arc
Hannes is first introduced as being drunk while on duty, in the Shiganshina District shortly before Wall Maria fell. He and a fellow Garrison member, Hugo, are chided by Eren, who thinks they are being reckless by drinking as the Walls could fall any day. Hannes, however, is relaxed, saying that the Walls have stood for a century without a breach.

During the fall of Wall Maria and subsequent Titan invasion, Hannes arrives at the scene with Eren, Mikasa and Carla Yeager as she is trapped underneath her house that was hit by the rubble caused by the Colossus Titan's attack. She begs him to take the children and run but he wishes to instead kill the approaching Titan and rescue Carla as well. Horrified by the distinct wide, grinning face of this Titan, Hannes saves Mikasa and Eren from certain death, despite the fact that he does not have the courage to fight the Titan that devours Carla.

Moments after the traumatizing event, Eren punches Hannes repeatedly, crying out why he could not save Carla, and Hannes throws him to the ground. Eren continues his blind efforts of attacking Hannes, with Hannes tearfully explaining that the reason Eren could not save his mother was that he lacked the strength, further infuriating Eren, but Hannes says that the reason he himself could not save Carla was that he lacked the courage. He escorts the two away from the chaos.

Hannes escorts Eren and Mikasa on the boat escaping the district and shortly after participates in the evacuation of Shiganshina. He tries to reason with the other Garrison members, saying that if they close the gate the people outside the Walls will be devoured, however, the other argues that the Titans will invade the entirety of Wall Maria if they do not. Hannes attempts to stop the command, but the conflict is short-lived as an Armored Titan breaks through the Shiganshina gate, and Hannes watches in horror of the aftermath of the blow.

104th Training Corps arc
Eren meets Hannes again five years later in Trost District and compliments Hannes for earning the rank of Captain. Hannes reveals that he owes a debt to Grisha Yeager for saving his wife and many others who were ill with a disease by bringing in an antibody, and he regrets that he was never able to repay the favor.

Battle of Trost District arc
After Trost District is attacked by the Colossus Titan and breaks down, Hannes' squad takes up positions atop Wall Rose to serve as lookouts, in case the Colossus Titan returns. As Hannes admires the harpoons that were set up to catch any Titans near the wall, his subordinate Phil expresses his fear for their comrades, reminding Hannes that Eren, Armin, and Mikasa are members of the vanguard. Hannes calmly tells Phil that he is sure all three are still alive.

As Hannes works on the cannons mounted on the wall, he sees Eren walking with Commander Pixis. Seeing this, he feels relief that Eren is okay and survived fighting inside Trost. Eren signals to him to focus on his work, annoying Hannes that Eren would dare talk to a superior officer that way. Hannes deduces from Eren demeanor that Mikasa and Armin are also alright, and begins to wonder why Eren is walking with the commander as they leave.

Clash of the Titans arc
Hannes appears once more apparently giving a report to Dot Pixis when a Garrison member bursts in and informs them that Wall Rose has been breached. He is the commander of the Wall Rose counter squad and heads out to find the breach. Hannes is surprised to find no sign of a breach and in fact, no Titans near the Wall itself. After relaying this information to Hange Zoë, who is equally surprised, he begins to leave.

Hannes is unable to leave because he becomes involved in the battle with the revealed Armored Titan and Colossus Titan, and expresses shock once he witnesses Eren in his Titan form for the first time. He tries to warn Eren about the falling Colossus Titan but Eren reacts too late. In the aftermath, he is one of the few commanding officers left unharmed and helps to reassure the distressed Armin and Mikasa. Together, the three remember their formerly peaceful lives in Shiganshina and Hannes states his desire to return to such peaceful times. Along with Erwin and a commander from the Military Police, he helps lead the joint mission by the three military branches to rescue Eren. When they arrive at the Titan Forest, Hannes commands his forces and joins those heading into the forest in search of the traitors. Their arrival is too late, and he quickly takes to horseback in pursuit of the fleeing Armored Titan. He swears that he will rescue Eren, even if it costs him his life.

As the confrontation becomes more chaotic, he ends up separated from Armin and Mikasa. He later arrives at the feet of the Armored Titan, and shouts a warning to the former members of the 104th that Erwin has set up a trap. Along with them, he retreats from the oncoming Titan horde and watches in horror as they attack the traitors.

After Eren is retrieved successfully, he is among the soldiers who attempt to flee to safety when the Armored Titan begins to hurl other Titans at them. He comes to the rescue of Eren and Mikasa, when the same Titan that killed their mother 5 years prior attacks them once more. He proclaims that he has dreamed of this day, and promises to kill it. However, his efforts are ultimately in vain and the two children he once rescued are forced to watch as he is bitten in half and devoured by the Titan.

In the aftermath of the battle, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin grieve his death while they recall their childhood spent with him.

The Uprising arc
While speaking to Historia under the Reiss Chapel, Eren mentions Hannes as being among the victims he and Grisha Yeager are responsible for killing by stealing the power of the Titans.

Return to Shiganshina arc
When Eren and the others pay a visit to Keith Shadis in order to tell them what he knows about Grisha Yeager, he also tells minor information about Hannes.

The night before the reconquest of Wall Maria, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa mistake an old Garrison soldier for Hannes, which makes them think about the past.

Relationships

 * Eren Yeager - Hannes knew Eren for most, if not all, of Eren's childhood, as they both lived in Shiganshina prior to its fall in 845. Eren was often infuriated by Hannes's laid-back attitude towards his job, along with the fact that he was content with living inside the Walls for the rest of his life and didn't seem to view the Titans as a serious threat. Eren has criticized these points angrily, but was shown to harbor no resentment towards Hannes five years after his mother's death, which Hannes had tried and failed to prevent. When Eren was abducted by Reiner and Bertolt, it was revealed in a conversation between Hannes, Mikasa, and Armin that Hannes placed tremendous faith in Eren's determination, so much so that he called it frightening and was barely worried about Eren's return, believing him to be capable of holding out until the Survey Corps arrived to rescue him. Eren has been shown to exchange occasional banter with Hannes, and evidently cared for him, as he was devastated by his death.


 * Mikasa Ackerman - Hannes presumably met Mikasa around a year before the fall of Shiganshina, as that was when she was adopted by the Yeager family. He referred to her as one of the best fighters he had ever seen and remembered her for fending off neighborhood bullies with ease. When Eren was abducted by Reiner and Bertolt, Hannes reassured Mikasa, along with Armin, that Eren would be fine, stating that the days he spent with the three of them in Shiganshina were among the best in his life, and that he would not stop fighting until he brought them back. Mikasa was saddened by his death.


 * Armin Arlert - Hannes and Armin both lived in Shiganshina prior to its fall in 845. Hannes has described Armin as a genius and believed him, along with Eren and Mikasa, to be capable of surviving through dangerous situations. When Eren was abducted by Reiner and Bertolt, Hannes reassured Armin, along with Mikasa, that Eren would be back with them soon, as he would not stop fighting until the three of them were together as they had been in the "good old days." Armin was saddened by his death.


 * Grisha Yeager - Hannes met Grisha soon after the latter first set foot in the Walls. Later on, Hannes became very grateful towards Grisha for developing a cure that saved his wife, and seems to have remained on friendly terms with the Yeager family ever since.


 * Keith Shadis - Hannes appears to have known Shadis for a long time, as he spoke with him back when Shadis first found Grisha. The two exchanged slight banter and discussed what do do about Grisha.

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