Hannes (Anime)

"Eren. You couldn't save your mother because you lacked the strength. And I...I couldn't stand up to the Titan because I lacked the courage!"

- Hannes to Eren

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

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

Personality
Hannes was a very kind, good-natured man, but he often drank irresponsibly. He was greatly ashamed of his lack of courage five years ago, and cared deeply for Eren and Mikasa. He looked out for them after Carla was eaten.

History
Before the Fall of Wall Maria, Hannes would often sit around drinking and socializing with fellow soldiers in Shiganshina District. On one of these days, Eren Jaeger got into an aggressive fist fight with three other boys and the soldiers were called upon by a merchant to stop them. However, a drunken Hannes claimed that someone more qualified to help would be along shortly. Moments later, Mikasa Ackermann came to help Eren with Armin Arlelt trailing behind. The soldiers then cheered on the children as they fought until the merchant threw a bottle at Hugo, calling him a waste of taxes. While Hugo attempted to fight him, Hannes claimed that the merchant was speaking the truth and stopped him until the merchant hit him in the face as well. The two then engaged in a fist fight until a Military Police officer came and stopped them, causing the three boys and Eren to run off.

The Fall of Shiganshina arc
While on duty, Hannes and his companions keep themselves entertained by drinking and playing card games. Their fun is interrupted by Eren Jaeger, who criticizes them for not taking their job seriously and demands to know what they would do if Wall Maria was breached by the Titans while they were drunk. Hannes in unconcerned with Eren's complaints, assuring him that the Walls, having stood strong for over a century, will never be breached. When this does nothing to calm Eren down, Hannes argues that he should be happy that the Garrison has nothing to do, as the day that they have their work cut out for them will be the day that Titans really do break in and threaten the peace of the Walls. Eren finishes the conversation by arguing that living inside the Walls their entire lives makes them no more than caged animals, and as he leaves, Hannes begins to worry that the boy wants to join the Scout Regiment.

During the fall of Shiganshina and subsequent Titan invasion, Hannes is informed in the midst of the chaos by Armin Arlelt that Eren and Mikasa Ackermann went to their house to see if it has been destroyed, and may be in danger. Going to their house, Hannes arrives to find them desperately trying to free Eren's mother Carla, who has been trapped underneath the rubble of the house. Carla begs him to take the children and run, but Hannes assures her that he will slay the approaching Titan and rescue all three of them. However, as he prepares to attack the Titan, he finds himself frozen in fear at the sight of it. Unable to bring himself to fight the Titan, Hannes grabs Eren and Mikasa and flees, leaving Carla behind.

After they have escaped, Eren begins punching Hannes repeatedly, insisting that he would have been able to save his mother if Hannes had given him more time. Hannes throws him to the ground, telling Eren that he would not have been able to save his mother as he was not strong enough. Enraged, Eren continues punching, but Hannes catches the boy's punch, tearfully explaining that he himself had not been able to save Carla because he lacked the courage to try. He escorts the two away from the chaos, apologizing repeatedly.

After escorting Eren and Mikasa to the boat carrying refugees out of the district, Hannes participates in the evacuation of Shiganshina. He tries to reason with the other Garrison members, saying that if they close the gate the people inside the district 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. Managing to escape the impact, Hannes retreats to the top of a nearby building and watches in horror as Titans pour through the destroyed gate into Wall Maria.

Humanity's Comeback arc
Hannes meets Eren, Mikasa, and Armin again five years later in Trost District and compliments them for graduating from the Cadet Corps, as Eren compliments him for earning the rank of Captain. After fooling around a bit, Hannes becomes serious and apologizes for not being able to save Eren's mother. However, Eren does not blame him for this, and claims that they will never let a tragedy like that happen again, before running off. Hannes briefly thinks to himself, wondering if he should be happy that Eren has grown up. He then wishes for him not to die.

The Struggle for Trost arc
After Trost District is attacked by the Colossal Titan and breaks down, Hannes' squad takes up positions atop Wall Rose to serve as lookouts, in case the Colossal 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 Walls and sees Eren walking with Commander Pyxis. 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's 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 Pyxis 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 Colossal Titan. He expresses shock once he sees the Colossal Titan atop the wall and angrily wonders why it showed up there. He asks Historia about Eren and she points towards the other side of the wall. Hannes is surprised when he sees Eren's Titan form for the first time. After the Armored Titan roars, Hannes watches in horror as the Colossal Titan starts to fall off the wall.

After the blast caused by the Colossal Titan's impact, Hannes watches over the injured soldiers atop the Wall. He returns with some rations, giving some to Armin and Mikasa, remarking that they are often the ones to get Eren out of the situations he finds himself in. He recalls that Eren has always charged head-on into his fights, regardless of how outnumbered he was. However, while Hannes had never seen Eren win a fight, he never saw him give up when beaten.

Hannes grows nostalgic for the days he used to share with the others before the fall, days which he believes Eren would consider a false peace. Desiring to return to those peaceful days, Hannes agrees to join Mikasa and Armin in their mission to rescue Eren from the traitors.

Hannes is among the many soldiers who take part in the operation to rescue Eren from Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover. After Eren is retrieved and the Smiling Titan appears, Hannes steps in to protect Mikasa and Eren. He engages the Smiling Titan in battle, and after a while, is caught. Neither Eren nor Mikasa can do anything to stop it, and Hannes' entire lower half is severed, tearing his spinal cord, killing him.

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

Relationships

 * Carla Jaeger - For unknown reasons, he owed Carla a debt. While Carla is trapped, he tried to make good on the debt by saving her and her family, Carla pleaded with him to save her family instead. He attempted to slay the Smiling Titan but lacked the courage, he grabbed Eren and Mikasa and decided to run, and Carla thanked him for doing the right thing. He still felt guilty about leaving her. Years later, he made good on the debt by saving Eren's life by engaging the Smiling Titan, and died in the process.
 * Eren Jaeger - Fired up, capable, stubborn and persistent that scared him, Eren did not resent Hannes for not saving his mother. Eren shared memories of more peaceful times with him and which he could go back to that time.
 * Mikasa Ackermann - He admired her toughness and referred to as the best fighter he ever saw. He saved her life along with Eren's on two occasions. He also shared memories of more peaceful times with her.
 * Armin Arlelt - He admired his intelligence and referred to Armin as extremely intelligent. He also shared memories of more peaceful times with him.

Trivia

 * In Season 2 of the Attack on Titan anime, Hannes shares the same Japanese voice actor as Flagon.