Sasha x Potato-kun

Sasha × Potato-kun is the cargo ship between Sasha Braus and a potato from the Attack on Titan fandom.

Canon
The ship was kickstarted by and stems from a memorable, well-known scene in the 15th chapter and third episode of the anime adaptation in which Sasha is caught and reprimanded by her commander for eating a steamed potato during roll call in her regiment. In the sequence her commander yells at her and asks why she’s eating at such a time, to which she replies “Are you asking why people eat potatoes in general, sir?” He does not answer, and her comrades look at her, horrified and somewhat confused. She proceeds to break the potato in half, offering him the smaller portion. This action grants her five hours of laps, though apparently she was more disturbed to learn that she wouldn’t be receiving any food. After this scene, she is given the nickname “potato girl” by Eren Jaeger.

Sasha possesses a compulsive desire to eat. Her intense love of food comes from her upbringing as a southern hunter in a rural mountain village. Additionally, Sasha’s comrades use this trait to an advantage and often give her food to silence or bribe her—specifically, potatoes and bread.

They are also tasked with handling her when she gets into her rabid, hungry moods. To say she gets incredibly protective around food is an understatement—some people in the fandom joke that she “would die for potato-kun”.

Sasha is seen glaring at people while angrily eating potatoes throughout the series, striking fear into the hearts of her opponents.

Fanon
In fan-made fiction, writers often refer to the potato in the relationship suffixed by a Japanese honorific, such as “potato-kun” or “potato-chan”. It's one of the most popular written cargo ships, besides Levi and a mop.

The subreddit /r/potatogirl was also created in 2013, devoted to the fandom surrounding Sasha Braus. It has 5.2k subscribers as of January 2021.

After the third episode aired in 2013, YouTuber Rawr Taiga uploaded a video clip of the scene titled "potato girl" and gained 150,000+ views within two years.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

TUMBLR

Trivia

 * The rival suitors for this ship are Ramen-sensei and Bread-sama.
 * The roll call scene is also repeated in the spin-off Attack on Titan: Junior High!, but it’s adapted so she’s eating a sashimi rice ball instead.
 * Isayama has stated that there is not a food in the world that Sasha does not like.