From the beginning of Attack on Titan, Hange is an important supporting character. She made her debut in a special chapter [9.5] in the manga called “Captain Levi.”
The final face-off against Eren came with a price in Attack on Titan, and that expense is none other than Hange’s sacrificing themselves.
FYQ: We will use the “Them” pronoun to address Hange as a gender-neutral character in the manga.
This unique character made their debut in episode 9 of the show. As of now, Hange is still alive in anime, as the series has yet to catch up to Chapter 132 of the manga, titled “The Wings of Freedom.”
Hange’s obsession with the Titans helped Paradis Island to engage in research on Titans to get to know about those creatures more. Before their demise, Hange Zoë was the 14th Commander of the Scout Regiment. So, How did Hange die? Let’s learn all about their death in Attack on Titan.
How Did Hange Zoë Die In Attack on Titan?
Hange sacrificed themself, or we can call it the death of their choice. While fighting the Titans, They died because of severe burn injuries, which made them fall from the sky. Hange’s fight against the Colossal Titans was the final battle in her Survey Corps career.
Hange’s decision came because they knew they would add less value than the other young soldiers in the final battle. As the senior member, They knew it was their duty to help the young members survive.
How & Why Did Hange Zoë Really Die In Attack on Titan?
After arriving at Odiha, Hange designed a flying boat with the help of the Azumabito mechanics to reach the next destination. As the preparation concluded, Yeagerists and the old Survey Corps comrade, Floch, attacked Mikasa, Hange, and the others to delay their departure. At the end of that fight, Mikasa manages to injure him mortally. However, Floch sacrificed himself by harming the flying boat’s fuel tank.
Azumabito mechanics informs Hange that repairing the system will take hours. Meanwhile, the group is aware that they are not alone anymore as they can feel the ground rumbling of Eren’s army of Colossal Titans getting near.
To escape this death march, someone from that group must stay behind to stop those Titans so they can repair the flying boat and escape before those Titans reach them. As the commander of the Survey Corps, Hange decides to stay behind and makes Armin the new commander of the group.
Hange announced they could not lose any Titan Shifters at any cost as they have a vital role to play in facing Eren in his Founding Titan form.
While stopping the Titans, Hange at first uses up their two Thunder Spears to kill two Titans. They realize that the group will need more time to prepare, so they start using their blades to kill the Titans.
The Colossal Titans emit a large amount of heat and vapor from their bodies. So, Hange immediately starts suffering burns. However, they endured that pain long enough to get the flying boat to take off. Hange’s death was not appropriately shown, as the readers found no dead body. However, the chapters end with Hange meeting with all the fallen comrades.
Why Did Hange Decide To Sacrifice?
Hange’s decision has a lot of influence, as revealed earlier. While preparing for the next stop, they asked Levi if he believed that their long-gone and fallen comrades were watching their actions.
Hange also gave a logical reason in the final moments of AOT chapter 132. They cannot afford to lose any of the Titan Shifters at any cost before the final face-off against Eren’s Founding Titan. So, their sacrifice later helped them to win against Eren in the conclusive battle.
However, we have a few theories about Hange’s coming to this kind of Kamikaze decision. This discussion will further follow in the below part of this write-up.
Was There Any Meaning To Hange’s Death?
Hange’s death had a critical effect on the final arc of the AOT plot. Hange’s last decision to make Armin the final commander of the Survey Corps was one of the important decisions in the anime. One could argue that this decision alone helped the Survey Corps win against Eren.
As the Survey Corps commander, Armin’s genius level of decision-making helped them win against Eren and his Titan Rumbling. Though Levi survived, Hange was aware of Armin’s strategic decision-making skills. However, the other senior officers are either dead or turned rebels.
What Episode Does Hange Zoë Die?
Hange sacrificed their life in Attack on Titan manga chapter 132, titled “The Wings of Freedom,” to rescue their comrades, who were trying to save the world from Eren’s rampage. Hnage’s sacrifice helped the remaining Survey Corps to escape with the flying boat to take off before the rumbling reached them.
What Happened After Hange’s Death?
After Hange’s death, they awaken on trampled ground. They kept asking if the flying boat had left the island successfully. However, long gone, Erwin reassures them that their sacrifice has really paid off.
Isayama did give Hange a proper send-off, as they were happy to be reunited with all the fallen soldiers. This is where Hange always saw themselves during all their years as the Commander.
However, the manga continued, and Hange’s sacrifice was not wasted, as Eren was defeated by his friends at the end of Attack on Titan manga.
Was Hange’s Gender Ever Revealed In Attack on Titan?
The most fascinating part of Hange’s character is that their gender has never been revealed. The AOT manga author, Hajime Isayama, has left the gender and sexuality parts to the readers’ thoughts. Hange gives the vibe of both males and females to the story. However, the anime has presented Hange as female, and other translations of the manga have followed the same to end the confusion for the larger audiences.
In 2015, Isayama revealed that the song “True to Oneself” by Shinsei Kamattechan was for Hange. The lyrics of this song defy conventional gender stereotypes.
The actual manga also keeps Hange’s gender identity mostly kept hidden. Moreover, Kodansha Comics was always instructed to remove gender pronouns to keep Hange as gender neutral character throughout Attack on Titan’s run. Followed by that, Kodansha did remove the gendered pronouns and left it to the subject of the reader’s interpretation.
Does Hange Leave Any Descendants?
Neither Attack on Titan anime nor the manga has ever revealed any descendants of Hange. This is simply because most Survey Corps members do not survive that long to have a family, but fans of Hange always thought they had the best chemistry with Levi among all the Survey Corps soldiers.
In a character interview, an incident was revealed that Levi forcefully bathed Hange by knocking them unconscious. Even though Hange has no family left, the character leaves a great impression on the audience.
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Was It Really Necessary For Hange To Die?
Hange’s death or sacrifice comes in chapter 132, and the manga ends in chapter 139. So, their sacrifice plays a vital role in the story’s ending. We should also keep in mind that Isayama was fascinated with the character of Hange. The mangaka once claimed Hange’s personality was on one of his childhood friends.
At the beginning of the character’s introduction, Hange reveals that they are fascinated with the Titans. Even before their death, Hange takes a moment to admire the sight of the Rumbling of the Colossal Titans before engaging them.
It was a hazardous aspect for the character to lead the final battle. Their understanding of the Titans made them the first and best ones to comprehend Eren’s motifs next to Armin. So, it was maybe Hange’s decision to end their life that way.
From the plot point of view, they were less significant characters to move the story forward. Yet, Hange is an important character whose sacrifice will add volume to AOT’s unpredictable deaths and serious plot.
Hange’s death also helped Armin to grow as a character to face his best friend one last time as his rival. So, Hange Zoë served their purpose perfectly as a character in the story development.
As AOT readers, We all know that Hange Zoë was one of the longest-serving members of the Survey Corps, but their death was the most beautiful in the whole series and also one of the most shocking ones as well. So, let us know your thoughts on Hange’s death, and also disclose if their death really surprised you.