Constant inconsistencies may be a bit harsh for a discussion of Hannes' character, but there are certain aspects of his character that are hard to make sense of. Just like Eren's narcissism stretches the imagination with its infallibility, Hannes' ignorance forces fans to stretch their imagination one time too many.
Since Hannes first encountered Grisha Yeager in a jail cell, he ignorantly propped the invader up on a pedestal well before he ever unabashedly cheered on Eren's violent tendencies. Hannes is a tragic character that is well respected amongst AoT fans, but there are actually quite a few things about his character that make no sense at all.
10 Hannes Supported Eren's Childhood Aggression Despite Being A Passive Old Man
Whenever viewers of Attack on Titan are taken back to Eren's childhood, there always seems to be a fight brewing between Eren and some local bully. The only one willing to break up these fights is Mikasa. Hannes and the rest of the Garrison Regiment just sit back and watch the young man fuel his aggressive sociopathy with each punch he throws.
Hannes even goes as far as to promote Eren's violent behavior by drunkenly cheering him on. Even without the threat of Titans immediately pressing down on Paradis, Hannes' habit of drinking and cheering on Eren is so destructive that it is hard to make sense of.
9 Hannes' Drinking Habits Might Seem Normal, But In A World Tormented By Titans It Makes No Sense For A Guardsman To Let Down His Guard For Even A Moment
On the two separate occasions that the Colossal Titan breaks through the walls of Paradis, they do so in a matter of seconds after appearing out of nowhere. Though Hannes' drinking seems to be motivated by a sense of boredom caused by a lack of Titan attacks, he dooms himself from the start of the show by settling into the destructive habit and promoting it in front of Eren.
From the very first episode of the series, Hannes has demonstrated that it is okay for men in authority to take half measures. How any man could willingly get drunk while the threat of Titans looms over their head makes no sense at all, especially when considering Hannes' own history guarding the wall.
8 Hannes Confronts The Smiling Titan A Second Time After Being Humiliated The First Time
Fans of Attack on Titan can say what they want about Hannes' tragic character arc, but if his death at the hands of the Smiling Titan proved anything, it is that Hannes is an idiot for trying to make up for his past mistake by overestimating his skill with the ODM gear.
For some reason, after a lifetime of drinking away his boredom as a member of the Garrison Regiment, Hannes commits to joining the Scouts on a rescue mission that entails direct contact with the Titans. Not only that, Hannes commits to confronting a Titan that he has a history of trauma with in an environment that does not benefit the use of ODM gear. For all intents and purposes, Hannes' decision to attack the Smiling Titan makes no sense, especially when considering how Eren handled the situation after Hannes was devoured.
7 Hannes Is Married, Yet He Devotes His Life To A Group Of Young Adults That He Only Knows For Causing Trouble As Kids
The reason that Hannes is so devoted to Eren and his family is because of the actions taken by Grisha Yeager. After sneaking his way into Paradis, Grisha took up a job as a doctor and helped save the men and women trapped inside the walls from a plague. One of the citizens of Paradis saved by Grisha was none other than Hannes' wife.
The fact that Hannes is married makes it even harder to believe that this man is willing and able to throw away his life for the sake of Eren and Mikasa. Though Hannes' sacrifice for the younger generation is something that deserves respect, considering the state Eren is in now, he should have just stayed at home with his wife rather than following a bunch of kids into a suicide mission.
6 Hannes Takes Direction From Eren Despite Being The Boy's Senior Officer
When Eren and Hannes reunite years after their last encounter in Shiganshina District, Eren walks with Dot Pyxis and orders Hannes to focus on his work. While Hannes' devotion to Grisha Yeager makes sense when considering the way Eren's father saved Hannes' wife from disease, Hannes has no reason to sit idly by while Eren disrespects his military rank.
Regardless of the history between these two characters, Eren's disrespectful behavior is inexcusable. It is honestly shocking that Dot Pyxis doesn't throw a quick back hand in Eren's direction after witnessing his irreverent behavior.
5 Hannes Didn't Notice Grisha's Odd Behavior Or Question His Incredible Knowledge Of Medicine
Hannes was present the day Grisha Yeager invaded Wall Maria but he never noticed the Marleyan acting suspiciously. While it is not made clear that Grisha acted in any manner that one would consider odd, it is safe to assume that a few of his foreign habits would appear odd to someone in Hannes' position.
Considering the friendship that developed between Hannes and Grisha after Grisha saved Hannes' wife from the plague, it would make sense for Hannes to have noticed a few odd quirks in Grisha's behavior. Instead, Hannes maintains a blissful ignorance up until the day he is killed by Grisha's former wife, Dina Fritz.
4 Hannes Witnessed The Wall Get Breached, Then Told Eren That The Walls Would Never Be Breached
The anime and the manga of Attack on Titan make it clear that Hannes was a part of the team that found Grisha Yeager outside of Wall Maria. Though Hannes was led to believe that Grisha had only drunkenly escaped from inside the walls, he has to at least accept the fact that Grisha managed to slip past their security detail one way or another.
Still, Hannes demands that Eren accept the idea that Wall Maria had never been breached since he was stationed there as a member of the Garrison. If Hannes is willing to ignore the fact that Grisha Yeager snuck past him, then what else is he hiding from Eren at this moment? Does it even make sense for him to confidently proclaim Eren's safety when Grisha's actions made it appear as if a drunk citizen could just stumble past the Garrison without any repercussions?
3 Isayama Propped Hannes Up As A Father Figure, Despite Eren Having A Father
When Hannes was defeated by the Smiling Titan in the second season of Attack on Titan the Garrison captain was propped up as a father figure sacrificing himself for Eren and Mikasa's sake, but viewers saw things differently. Despite what Isayama was trying to do, by the time Hannes was reintroduced in season 2, many fans had forgotten that the blonde-haired man even existed in the first season.
The first season did not set Hannes up as the parental figure that he was played up into during the second season's finale. Anytime Hannes interacts with Eren in the first season, it is clear that he is simply an adult that is willing to hype up the young man whenever he gets passionate about something. It doesn't even make sense for viewers to look at Hannes as Eren's stand-in father figure because, at this point in the story, fans are left to assume that Grisha Yeager may still be alive.
2 After Bertholdt Fell From The Top Of Wall Rose, Hannes Survived The Colossal Titan's Explosion Without Injury
The Colossal Titan isn't the most versatile of the nine intelligent Titans, but Bertholdt and Armin demonstrate on a number of different occasions that the power of the Colossal Titan cannot be underestimated. The explosive power of this Titan is similar to a nuclear blast that leaves nothing but the Colossal Titan standing.
Bertholdt was seemingly capable of controlling the power of the Colossal Titan's explosive abilities, but it still makes little to no sense how Hannes escaped injury when Bertholdt dropped the Colossal Titan on top of Eren and Reiner in the second season of the anime. Nearly every other human character was rendered unconscious by the explosion, but Hannes stands tall by nursing Mikasa and Armin back to health before joining the scouts on their impending rescue mission.
1 Hannes Devoted His Entire Life To Proving His Strength In Front Of Two Revolutionaries
All things considered, the number one thing that fans need to consider when making sense of Hannes' character is whether or not it is reasonable for him to be so devoted to both Grisha and Eren Yeager. The fact that Grisha saved his wife offers a soft explanation, but as soon as fans consider the fact that Hannes is the exact opposite of a revolutionary, it makes very little sense that he would be willing to devote so much of his time to helping these two people.
Eren is especially rude and forward when addressing Hannes, simple demonstrations of the young boy's habit of disrespecting the past while working to build a better future. Hannes is the embodiment of complacency when first introduced. It makes no sense for him to follow after Eren's lead. In fact, the one thing that does make perfect sense about Hannes is that following Eren led to his demise.
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