Attack on Titan Attack On Titan is no stranger to romance, but one often-forgotten pairing plays a key role in establishing the series' elements and themes. From a distance, Attack On Titan may not seem like a series that places a heavy emphasis on romance. However, one only has to look at Armin's persistent visit to the crystallized Annie or Jean's eventual pairing with Mikasa after Eren's death to realize that Attack On Titan simply leverages romance in a unique wayIn Attack On Titan, romance serves as a tool for world building and the connections within it.
For that reason, Attack On Titan's romances are often unexpected, serving to reinforce larger themes or building entirely on the series' legendary foreshadowing—to the point where they're effectively hidden before they finally appear. Few romances are as important as the relationship between History And Ymir. Because this relationship is ultimately fleeting compared to many of Attack On Titan's more solid relationships, and because it's somewhat indirect, fans of the series often do not devote time and attention to this core coupleIn fact, Historia and Ymir are the most groundbreaking works of Attack On Titan.
Historia and Ymir show each other how to navigate the cruel world of Attack On Titan
The unlikely couple builds trust and confidence in each other
The origin of their relationship is when Ymir discovers Krista's true identity while eavesdropping on a discussion about her, found her attractive enough to join the 104th Training Corps.. Ymir is a Titan who, through unknown means, infiltrated the walls of Paradis. A basic trust eventually developed. Historia was very skeptical of people's intentions because of her royal heritage, her feelings of being an unwanted child, and the abjectness others would impose on her. Conversely, Ymir was made the leader of a cult that would try to bring her to her death, causing her to become completely misanthropic and detached.
The mutual mistreatment of powerful individuals leaves both characters protected. However, after Ymir saves Historia by transforming into a Titan (season 2, episode 5), Ymir The first person Historia revealed her real name to. Ymir develops deep love for Historia despite her misanthropic attitude. The two frequently saved each other until Ymir was taken away. Historia's relationship with Ymir had a major impact on her personality: she became much more confident, but always carried fear—especially when she realized (contrary to her expectations) that Ymir had died, her Titan powers having been given to someone else.
Historia and Ymir Challenge Conventional Images of Lesbian Love in Anime
Attack On Titan Reaches the Easy Peak of LGBTQ+ Representation
As a general rule, anime has become more progressive in its mainstream depictions of same-sex relationships. However, this progressivism has sometimes come at the cost of well-intentioned but ineffective (or even harmful) representations. It's not necessarily a point in Attack On Titan's favor to have a ease in portraying same-sex couplesBut it's true. The fact that Historia and Ymir are same-sex lovers is not downplayed or exaggerated. Attack On Titan leverages this relationship to all the emotional effects that a heterosexual couple can have.
Given its history of “hysterical” depictions of women loving women, there’s a natural wariness about the unwavering devotion Historia and Ymir have for each other. In reality, however, the relationship feels more Shakespearean than over-determined by metaphors. Perhaps unintentionally, Attack On Titan has delivered its most tragic and heartfelt romance yet. with two women taking on roles that are traditionally opposite.
Ymir willingly sacrifices herself for Reiner and Bertholt so that they don't return to Marley empty-handed. It's an act of self-sacrifice for Historia, done by someone who hates sacrifice. It becomes clear then: in a world constantly praised for its realism, Attack On Titan makes room for exactly one “storybook” romance — the kind of romance that's least likely to be found in a real-life story. Ymir leaves Reiner a letter for Historia before she dies; the last line expresses her regret that they would never get married.
Attack On Titan's tragic couple is, in the end, sweet
This duo is Attack On Titan's attempt to show that reason doesn't rule over love.
There's a tendency with more masculine anime like Attack On Titan to validate emotional aspects by intellectualizing them so that they represent a broader, “necessary” purpose. While it's clear that Historia and Ymir are vehicles for broader narratives about control and geopolitical situations, there's something else about their relationship that deserves recognition among Attack On Titan's pairings: its sincerity. What makes this combination so groundbreaking, at least in part, is its spontaneity: it had no real “reason” for coming together, but it did, and it came together with total commitment.
To clarify, we can compare other shōnen pairings. In Naruto, we have Naruto/Hinata, Sasuke/Sakura, or even Shikamaru/Temari—all relationships that seem to be built logically on a coherent attraction or connection that dates back to the earliest moments of the series. Dragon Ball has Goku/Chi-Chi and Vegeta/Bulma; Seven Deadly Sins has Meliodas/Elizabeth; YuYu Hakusho has Yusuke/Keiko. While recent efforts like Komi Can't Communicate take more pains to show spontaneous romances that reflect the element of strange randomness that permeates everyday life, on the whole, shōnen has placed an excessive emphasis on “appropriate pairings” through the pragmatism created.
The fact that a lesbian couple can appear so casually, without fanfare, outside commentary, or a sense of logical arrangement beyond coincidence and circumstance, shows how forward-thinking Attack On Titan is. This isn't to say that real-life romances happen for no reason; they're just complicated — much more complicated and less convenient than shōnen usually admits.. All of Attack On Titan's romances have an element of believability and humanity. Where romance is built, it's built thoughtfully. But there's simply no romance in Attack on Titan groundbreaking and profound like Historia and Ymir.
