The hit series Attack on Titan has garnered so much traction over the years, for its nuanced narrative and compelling characters. And with the final season of the series steadily approaching sometime in the fall, fans have grown even more eager to what's to come of Eren Yeager and his friends.
Despite the popularity of the series and its characters, little is still known of the beloved Hanji Zoe. The person behind the research of anything Titan should deserve more representation. Without further ado, here are 10 things you didn’t know about Hanji Zoe.
10 Hanji's Origin Is Unspecified
Prior to joining the Survey Corps, not much is known about Hanji's origin. Series creator, Hajime Isayama, has kept that part of their life a mystery. Fans seem to know about all of the other main characters' backstories, even Levi.
Considering how low-key Levi is, it seems a little riveting that the writer was willing to give viewers/readers a glimpse into his backstory and not Hanji’s. Based on the over-eccentric personality Hanji encompasses, fans would know more about the mad scientist’s origin.
9 Their Name Is Spelled Two Different Ways
Most Anime characters tend to have different pronunciation or spelling of their said name. Zoro from One Piece is a prime example of that. There are often copyright issues with names, cultural spelling, and pronunciations, or just simple errors.
Apparently, Hanji's name can be spelled as either Hanji (female) instead of Hange (male). It seems Isayama does it have an issue with which way the individual spells Hanji's name, due to our next entry on our list.
8 Hanji's Gender Is Still A Mystery
In the anime, Hanji identifies as female; fans of the manga also believe Hanji to be a female, however, the author hasn’t confirmed Hanji’s gender. He claims the gender doesn’t define the character.
As a result, the production company, Kodansha, has taken action to remove gender pronouns for Hanji out of respect for the character. On that note, it ultimately doesn't matter Hanji's name is spelled, as previously mentioned, because the author has left the interpretation of Hanjis gender up to the fans.
7 Unknown Age
The mad scientist's background and gender isn't the only thing that’s been left in the dark by the creator. Just like the other characters' background, all of their ages have all seemed to be confirmed, but not Hanji's.
Hanji’s age may range from 25 to 30. Their age may be the same in close in age with Levi, who happens to be in his early 30’s. Its highly doubtful that they're around the same age as Eren and his friends, due to the fact that they're teenagers. It would seem Isayama favors keeping Hanji's backstory a secret. It does make their character more alluring.
6 Voice Roles
It may be unbeknownst to fans that some highly respectable actors have portrayed Zoe. Hanji is voiced by one of the most iconic voice actors in the anime medium, Romi Park. Her noticeable voice roles include Ed Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Temari, from the Naruto franchise, and Toshiro Hitsugaya from Bleach.
In the English dubbed version of Attack on Titan, Hanji is voiced by Jessica Calvello, who has done voice work ranging from anime to video games. Lastly, in the live-action feature film of the series, actress Satomi Ishihara has played the beloved Hanji Zoe.
5 They're In The Top Ten Of Most Popularity Polls
Fans can't get enough of Zoe Hanji, meaning that they are usually in the top ten of most Attack on Titan popularity polls. Again, this is interesting, since little is known of Hanji Zoe.
As of 2017, they were ranked number 3 on a popularity list, with 667 votes. On a list in 2019, they tied with Mikasa for a number 4 spot. That’s not a terrible feat considering how popular Mikasa is. Now that it is 2020, they may move up in the ranks.
4 Levi May Be Hanji’s Only Friend
With the exception of Erwin and Levi's friends from the underground district, Levi isn't fond of too many people,(that we know of) that is until Hanji made an appearance. During one of the episodes in the anime, in fact, we see both Levi and Hanji laughing hysterically. It was odd because prior, no one has seen Levi smile, let alone laugh.
To this day, that is still a trait that fans have seen him rarely show. Moreover, he's always open to listen to what Hanji has to say, especially when it has to do with Titan research. Levi’s not usually prone to listen to what others have to say, except for Erwin, of course. Hanji just seems to have that effect on people.
3 Levi Was Almost Tempted To Kill Hanji
The dynamic duo wasn’t always so close; as a matter of fact, Hanji was very close to losing their life to Levi. In the manga version of the spin-off series, Attack on Titan: No Regrets, Levi attempts to kill Hanji due to the fact that they may have mistakenly overheard a plan.
This event occurs when Levi and the rest of the Survey Corp were out one night. They decided to take a break and that’s when Hanji showed up. His squad was curious to find out if they knew anything, however, Hanji didn’t. They wanted to discuss a Titan that Levi had killed. Hanji loves Titans after all.
2 They Organized The First Expedition To Capture A Titan
Considering how much of a Titan enthusiast Hanji Zoe has become, this isn't remotely surprising. After they and Levi had a recon mission to undergo in the OVA, Isle Notebook, Commander Erwin Smith granted Hanji the first expedition to capture a Titan.
They were hoping to capture this Titan, which had been seen running through the forest outside of the walls. While Hanji didn’t capture the Titan, they did find a notebook a dead soldier named Ilse Lagnar had left behind regarding important Titan information.
1 Hanji Accidently Found About The Truth Of Their People Way Before Eren Did
In season three of Attack on Titan, it is revealed by Eren Yeager that everyone within the show was derived from a race of people that can turn into Titans. However, what fans might not know is Hanji had already stumbled upon this information in the OVA, Ilse Notebook.
During the recon mission, they found a notebook that the dead soldier named Isle had left behind. The notebook details the Titan being able to speak. The Titan said, "People of Ymir." Soon after, the same Titan chewed off their head and placed the body in the tree. Hanji may not have known what to make of that information since it was vague, but it was a brilliant foreshadowing.