Warning: The following article contains spoilers for part three of Attack on Titan‘s final season, as well as the manga’s ending.
Set in a world where being eaten alive by a titan is a very real threat, Attack on Titan has never had romantic relationships at the forefront of its narrative. Granted, love has been present in the series but romance in general tends to be overshadowed by more pressing matters, something that is both understandable and even appreciated.
When the story does focus on love, however, it usually is the platonic kind — the love characters have for family, friends, comrades, and in some cases, humanity itself. That said, being a series that doesn’t shy away from tackling emotions realistically, or humanizing its antagonists, Attack on Titan does portray romantic attachments. Of course, the most obvious example is Mikasa and Eren, but Armin and Annie are another great one.
Annie might have been out of commission for most of the series, stuck in a crystal prison of her own making, but that didn’t deter Armin’s feelings. Although some considered his love to be merely a result of inheriting Bertholdt’s memories, four years is a lot of time to be holding one-sided conversations. Armin’s romantic feelings have only grown stronger during that time, and as the anime adaptation approaches its ending, fan curiosity regarding these characters’ fate is growing.
Warning: Spoilers to follow.
Do Annie and Armin become a couple in Attack on Titan?
In chapter 131 of the Attack on Titan manga, “Rumbling,” which was adapted in the first half of season four’s part three, Armin and Annie share a bonding moment. In it, Annie thanks her friend for keeping her company for years, and questions his motivations for doing so. Indirectly, Armin confesses his feelings by claiming he wanted to see her, and although Annie attempts to brush that off as him simply being a good person, it’s clear she is affected by the words.
Later, even Mikasa puts together that Annie returns Armin’s feelings, but unfortunately, after the two part ways, their romantic storyline is left at that. This means that despite Armin and Annie’s feelings for one another being hinted at enough times, in the manga, there is never a confirmation of these characters’ romantic relationship.
Some fans consider that in the epilogue of Attack on Titan, the story implies the two are together, but the evidence for that is not strong enough. Thus, without explicit confirmation, it’s impossible to consider this a canonical relationship. That said, the anime has expanded on the source material in the past, so there’s no way to tell if Armin and Annie will end up together in the adaptation.
Part three of Attack on Titan‘s final season will continue later this year.