Attack On Titan: Every Relationship Ranked (And How Long They Lasted)

The main characters of Attack On Titan are constantly battling something, whether it’s Titans, inner demons, or past traumas. The way they seem to get through it is by working hard alongside their friends and leaning into their relationships.

While there are not many canon romantic relationshipsin Attack on Titan, the few that exist are only signified in minor gestures. The friendships formed are at the forefront of nearly all the decision-making fans see from the characters (aside from survival, of course). Note: Manga spoilers ahead.

10 Grisha Yeager, Dina, & Carla

Grisha Yeager’s backstory revealed that, before he made a life with Carla Yeager and had Eren, he had a family on Marley. It seems that Grisha married Dina for their mutual passion for the Eldian restoration. Their marriage lasted only from 824 until Grisha went to Shiganshina in 832. Dina gave birth to their son, Zeke, making him the last member of the Fritz royal family line. Once arrested for treason, she was turned into an Abnormal Titan.

Grisha arrived in Shiganshina and cured a plague in 832 and had Eren with Carla 3 years after his arrival. He died at the hands of his son after giving Eren the Titan serum. Eventually, the Abnormal Titan arrives in Shinganshina and, in one of the saddest moments for Eren in Attack on Titan, eats Eren’s mother, leaving Eren vengeful. Grisha’s relationships seem the least complicated on paper but are, without a doubt, catalysts for many events in the series.

9 Hange Zoë & Levi Ackerman

Hange and Levi are one of the wittier and unexpected friendships in the show. Levi is hard to get along with because he chooses to be, but instead of bothering him about it, Hange just teases him for his behavior. Even in his annoyed state, he banters back.

As senior Survey Corps soldiers, they trust each other after years of training and fighting together, another rarity for Levi. They even create plans around each other’s ideas. The break-in at the Reiss Chapel causes Hange to look into it, and when she shares her plan with Levi, he investigates with his squad. Hange’s obsession with Titans puts Levi off, but after their bond grew, he understood that it was smart and necessary to trust Hange’s instincts.

8 Historia Reiss & Eren Yeager

Brought together by the Scout Regiment, unexpected friends Historia and Eren had been unofficially connected long before then, but their friendship unfolded only over the four years they fought together. Their connection through the royal family and original Titan family means they had the potential of being involved in each other’s lives much sooner had tragedy not occurred; It is even speculated that they would have married through an arrangement.

Eren appreciated that, as Historia instead of her alias, Krista, she was more straightforward. His honesty inspired her to stand up to her dad and attempt to save Eren’s life instead of consuming him for his Titan powers. This is a friendship that fans often “ship” because they work well together and their fondness grows naturally throughout the series, but it is nothing more than similar goals and a bond of protection.

7 Hannah Diamant & Franz Kefka

Hannah and Franz are side characters from season 1 that never got a chance to truly be a romantic focus because they’re fighting for their lives in this dystopian society. They try to play it off when they’re first discovered by Eren, who makes a joke about them being together. But when Franz is killed in the Battle of Trost and Hannah attempts CPR, he’s unresponsive, and she refers to him with the pet name “baby,” showing no signs of giving up resuscitation.

Romance isn’t at the forefront of the show, but this is one of the few romantic confirmations. Based on what viewers witness they were only together since their meeting in the Survey Corps and both died in the Battle of Trost.

6 Connie Springer & Sasha Braus

One of the most wholesome relationships in a world where they’re fighting for their lives, Connie and Sasha make the best of the time they have together. They tend to joke around and get into trouble together during training but would protect each other when they needed to.

Connie mentions that Sasha is special to him and her facial expression showed how much it meant for him to say that. They were friends throughout their time as soldiers, about four years, and after Sasha’s death, Connie announced it to the Corps with tears in his eyes.

5 Sasha Braus & Niccolo

Niccolo was formerly in the Marleyan military and continues his chef duties for the Survey Corps when he is captured. As an Eldian-fearing man, his relationship with Sasha starts just as rough as it is with the other members. But Sasha is obsessed with food, evident from the moment fans see her eat a steamed potato in their first cadet lineup. When Niccolo introduces her to seafood and other cuisines, she refers to him as a genius.

They were only in each other’s lives for less than a year or so, but they were close, and he loved how she enjoyed his cooking. When she died, he risked his life just to visit her grave, and he offered to cook for her family to honor her memory. It’s one of the best unconfirmed but wholesome romantic relationships in the show.

4 Armin, Eren, & Mikasa

Likely the most obvious and centralized friendship of the show, Armin Arlert, Eren Yeager, and Mikasa Ackerman grew up together and joined the Survey Corps. Eren, in one of the nicest things she ever did, grew up protecting Armin from bullies. Mikasa grew up under the Yeager family’s protection, also protecting Armin. And Eren could be considered the glue of the friend group.

All their lives had been determined by the outcome of how they would decide to take on the Titans, but it never seemed to be a question of whether or not they would do it together. Friends since 844, even through Armin and Eren’s Titan forms and Eren’s harsh words claiming he hated Mikasa, up until Eren’s death.

3 Ymir & Historia

Like many romantic relationships in Attack on Titan, nothing is ever explicitly stated between the two soldiers, but Historia (referred to as Krista at the time) and Ymir expressed their feelings for each other through their actions.

Ymir sauntered around with a cynical attitude in the 104th Training Corps but revealed her softer side around Historia because she wanted to protect her. Ymir doubled as the Jaw Titan and even after she revealed this form to Historia, Historia chased after her to tell her she would stand by her.

2 Erwin Smith & Levi Ackerman

Levi’s commanding officer, Erwin Smith, slowly earned Levi’s respect while they served together in the Scout Regiment. Levi, who is a tragic hero in Attack on Titan for many reasons, isn’t a character to develop close relationships with people. So when fans were able to witness moments like Levi begging Erwin to stay out of the fight after he lost his arm, it was truly a vulnerable moment and proof of his concern for his friend.

Erwin joined the Survey Corps before Levi simply because of their difference in age, but they were scouting together for at least two years. In that time, they built a friendship that was rooted in concern for humanity and respect for each other.

1 Mikasa Ackerman & Eren Yeager

Mikasa and Eren’s relationship is arguably the best and worst in the show, but definitely one of the longest in regard to friendship and underlying love. While Mikasa’s promise to protect Eren was due to his mother’s request, Mikasa protected him before that from bullies as well as from himself and his childlike decisions. At one point, Eren nonverbally exclaimed that Mikasa wouldn’t need to protect him, and her interpretation was that he wouldn’t ever leave her. Their unspoken exchange was the initial confirmation for fans that they sometimes felt like more than just friends.

Eren’s attitude wasn’t always caring toward Mikasa, but his eyes were opened when he realized her dedication to protecting him ran deeper than his mother’s request. Their love was one of the only constants throughout the show, even if it was not a focus.

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