WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Chapter #132 of Attack on Titan, "Wings of Freedom," by Hajime Isayama, Dezi Sienty and Alex Ko Ransom, now available in English from Kodansha.
After a few chapters' worth of marching across the ocean, Eren's Titan army has finally reached the shore of the continent and is tearing through the Marleyan population. Chapter #131 previously brought us down to ground level to demonstrate, at unbearably intimate proximity, just how inescapable the fate is that its citizens -- Marleyan and Eldian alike -- are currently facing. And, sadly, the same is true of those desperately fighting to stop Eren.
The last of the Survey Corps, Marleyan Volunteers and Titan shifters have banded together to try and cease the rumbling. So far, their efforts have gained them a ship, fuel and a flying boat, but robbed them of Theo Magath and Keith Shadis, who gave their lives to ensure the group could soldier on. Now, in Chapter #132, it's the turn of Hange Zoe to make a heroic sacrifice in what will go down as Attack on Titan's most heartbreaking death since Hange's predecessor, Erwin Smith.
The group makes port at Odiha so that the Azumabito engineers can replenish their supplies and make repairs. It's a risky move but one they can't afford not to take if they want to get the flying boat in the air. Little do they know the danger factor is about to increase exponentially: Eren has already caught up with them. Sudden violent tremors signal that the Wall Titans are practically right on top of them, descending from the nearby mountains after flattening Marley's main city. To make matters worse, the traitorous Floch Forster emerges -- having clung on to the boat after they departed Paradis -- and shoots holes in their flying boat's fuel tank.
Now the group has to work furiously hard to make even more extensive repairs before they're trampled underfoot. One engineer estimates they need an hour to finish and the soldiers among them know that this is too close a call. Taking out just a few of the Wall Titans might just buy them the precious minutes they need. Hange knows this and, with Erwin's suicidal charge at the Beast Titan in mind, knows what needs to be done as the current Commander.
Introduced as something of a "mad scientist" early on in the series, Hange's peculiar love for unlocking the secrets of the Titans was matched only by a fierce devotion to protecting and serving the people of Paradis -- even if that meant turning on its government. That devotion has only continued into the manga's darkest arc, as Hange's quirky personality refuses to be extinguished in the face of insurmountable odds. Even the uncaring Captain Levi would follow Hange into hell and back. Outside of Attack on Titan's world, fans have applauded Hajime Isayama for leaving Hange's gender identity up for interpretation, providing some much-needed gender non-conforming/non-binary representation in a genre that largely ignores it. Moreover, this facet of Hange isn't a defining one: Hange is simply allowed to just be Hange.
For all these reasons, Hange's departure from the story is an absolute tearjerker. Even Levi, understanding what his friend's intentions are, is moved enough to use the Corps' cheesy mantra as his parting words: "Devote your heart." Thankfully, Isayama spares us the added pain of seeing Hange's final moments on this plane of existence (a rare mercy). After cutting down as many of the Wall Titans as possible, the steam they let out becomes too much for Hange to handle. In reality, Hange falls victim to their enormous feet but in a fantastical vision, Hange is helped up by Erwin, among countless other fallen comrades.
Seeing the flying boat safely in the sky, Hange can rest easy in the afterlife knowing that the sacrifice wasn't in vain. But this is likely to deal a crushing blow to the rest of the group's morale, and Armin, Hange's successor, will feel that along with the added weight of responsibility that being the kind of leader to lay your life on the line for everyone else brings.