#snk character analysis

[avariantflaire]

Why Levi and Petra?

Of course, upon general viewing of SNK and its characters, it's clear that they have established Erwin, Levi, and Hange as the leading trio of the Survey Corps. They represent this faction of the military and in interesting ways, mirror the main protagonists of the series.

While there is a lot to be said and appreciated about Levi's relationships with Erwin and Hange, I have come to find that the character who humanizes him is the lovely (albeit forgettable) Petra Ral.

Early in the series, we are introduced to Levi as Humanity's Strongest Soldier. Erwin makes use of his abilities in this sense, and Hange often relies on his strength in combat as well. That is not to say this is the extent of their relationships: we have Levi's iconic "Give up on your dreams and die" scene with Erwin (S3 E16) and the infamous "Maybe we should just live here [away from my responsibilities] together" request from Hange (S4.2 E8). However, something to note with both scenes is that while they give depth to Levi's relationship with both characters, he essentially serves to highlight others. In the former, Levi's response directly challenges Erwin's dream, and allows this commander a defining moment of growth. Similarly in the latter, Levi is used as a means for Hange to express and eventually overcome their fears and insecurities about the deal they've been dealt as the new Commander of the Survey Corps (which at the time was rapidly disbanding under the Jaegerist movement).

In other words, Levi is the "subplot character" to Erwin's and Hange's individual arcs. (According to John Truby, 'The subplot character… provides another opportunity to define the hero through comparison and advance the plot.')

Which begs the question… at what point in the series, if any, is Levi defined as a character in and of himself?

Two prominent scenes from season 1 come to mind, which are namely: 1) The dying soldier scene (S1 E9), and 2) Petra's conversation with Eren in headquarters (S1 E15).

In the first, Levi comforts a dying soldier and vows to carry on their will and exterminate all Titans. When the soldier passes before he can reply to Levi's words, Levi turns to his fellow soldier Petra and asks her if he was heard. Petra provides confirmation, emphasizing the peaceful expression on the soldier's face.

In the second, Petra confronts a gloomy-looking Eren, who has been tasked to clean headquarters along with the rest of the Special Operations Squad (aka the Levi Squad). She specifically points out how Levi is 'not the hero he's expected to be' in the sense that he has a terrible personality, though she does so while smiling almost fondly, as though it doesn't matter what his personality is because they can always put faith in him as their Captain. It seems she wants Eren to understand this - or a notion similar.

It is in both moments that we are able to clearly see Levi beyond being a powerful soldier. Always, he is a threat. When he enters the scene we expect the shift in the dynamic of the battle - we expect him to win. He's a trump card. Erwin's last words to him are an order (S3 E16), and Hange's last words about him is "he's [Armin's] underling now, so really put him to work" (S4.3.1). Levi acknowledges Erwin's and Hange's humanity, bolsters it even, with the conviction of "dedicating your heart". In SNK he is the symbolism, the embodiment, of a soldier. That's all he really ever gets to be. Even his softest moments with - heck, anyone in the series - are meant to deeply reflect on the guilt, the burden, the purpose of getting the job done. ("So… you're telling me… I've spent all this time and energy running around killing people?" (S2 E12) / "Just think, if your hands were still clean... Jean wouldn't be here right now." (S3 E2) / "If we just run away and keep on hiding, what will we have left?" (S4.2 E8))

But for those singular moments in season one, he's more than just the threat. We see him as a human not only with (personality) flaws, but also with dreams and convictions, tied so seamlessly with his comrades' cause that we are reminded painfully, at the end of the series, that it was Levi who carried them all to the end. Throughout the story we see Levi lament fallen soldiers; we are exposed to how much he empathizes with his comrades and their deaths, to the point where it can be said that no one keeps us more aware of the lives that have been lost throughout the show more than Levi himself.

In this manner, Petra was the subplot character to Levi's hero. She gave the audience a (subconscious) glimpse of the Humanity within "Humanity's Strongest" and built the bridge that would lead us to compelling and important revelations about Levi's thoughts and actions as the show progressed. It's Petra whom he finds tending to a dying soldier; Petra whom he asks for confirmation that the soldier heard; Petra who, against all expectation, asks Eren to see past the station, the status, the soldier, to the person himself.

"He's not quite the great, perfect hero society makes him out to be, huh? The real Captain Levi is shorter than you'd expect, temperamental, crude, and unsociable. (…) You thought that because he's skilled, he doesn’t have to follow the rules like everyone else?" (S1 E15)

It's even Petra who, despite her rank, asks Levi to step aside when Eren becomes a half-baked Titan. Here, Levi's robust intuition and split-second decision making skills are shown even away from the battlefield. It's Petra who leads the Special Operations Squad in their apology to Eren (S1E19 "Bite"), who first instills in us (narratively) the notion of trusting your fellow comrades. More specifically, she is who convinces Eren to place his life in their hands. It's this notion that Levi carries with him even until the final arc - "I've saved Eren countless times over - each time, more comrades dying. All because I believed he was the hope of humanity." (S4.1 E13) In the manga (Ch112), it's Petra we see at the forefront of this belief.

"Do you, Eren? Do you find it that hard to trust us?" It's Petra who dies, her words the final say in convincing Eren: "I believe my squad will be victorious." (S1 E21)

"It's like some awful joke," Levi reflects later on, as his comrades' dying hopes and dreams flash by in the canopy of the forest. "What the hell was the hope that we saw? Such bullshit. It's not even funny." (S4.1 E13) "We" here could definitely mean the soldiers who've given their hearts, but the metaphorical representative of this heart is Petra herself... "Eren! Trust us." (S1 E19)

And in the end, it's Petra in the forefront alongside Erwin and Hange, representative of her fellow soldiers, the one (experienced/veteran) Scout we've seen and interacted with in the entire series to have professed the values of hope, of trust, of belief, which is henceforth carried on by Levi himself, his own convictions, his own dreams. They are, in the entire series, the glimpse we get into the Scout Regiment beyond the series' titular character and his comrades in the 104th, and a thorough dive into what makes Levi Humanity's, not simply its strongest.

Her character song, "The Light of Dual Wings", can literally be taken as an allegory of the dreams the Scouts have entrusted to Levi. That's how prominent she is as a Scout; how coded her devotion to Levi is, whether interpreted platonically, romantically, or narratively, as the dedication of hearts.

So, yes, I love them together. I love their scenes, the implications of them narratively, the values Petra professes so effortlessly in the air, washed away by the higher tides of the Female Titan arc. I love that it's still Petra at the forefront, in all of Levi's reflections moving forward, because she is our first glimpse into Levi's character, the real him.

In the end this is just a ship post struggling to keep from delving too much into the symbolism of Levi and the Scouts (how Levi is the face of the Scouts more so than Erwin himself, really), the truest depiction of humanity's collective fight for freedom in this entire series. In his early days, Eren wanted to be a Scout, after all. It is Levi and Petra who push him forward into 'that hell' - for better and worse, respectively.

#levi ackerman #petra ral #rivetra #levi x petra #levipet #aot #snk #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #levi character analysis #levi petra relationship analysis #aot analysis #snk analysis #i even cited episode numbers! #i was too lazy to get the overall episode number though xd #so you get dumb citations like S4.3.1 lol #analysis.vtf

[moonspirit]

Armin is basically your guide to leaving the forest. He is what Humanity needs to retain its Humanity.

Armin is hated on so much after S4 for being "useless" and "not living up to Erwin" but people forget, Erwin was so good because he had YEARS of experience. When Erwin died, he was what, 40-ish? At 15-19, Erwin was much the same as any ordinary cadet, you can see in the flashbacks in S3 Part2, a very young Erwin crying with a wounded/dead soldier and trying to fend off a Titan.

Armin is the embodiment of what the survey corps stands for - "Understanding". He is a pacifist and optimist but not naive, he knows that he has to kill when push comes to shove. He doesn't like violence but agrees that it is necessary sometimes. There is nothing wrong with that. He's a very relatable character. Don't forget that Erwin recognised his potential. He literally looked shocked when Armin theorised Reiner to be hiding inside the walls in RTS arc. Armin is the first character in the whole show to internalize his enemies thoughts and actions and try to understand it from their pov. He always tries to talk first and when that doesn't work, he pulls the trigger. You can tell me "his talking doesn't work!" but that doesn't mean you don't try. He's convinced and manipulated people plenty of times. If your only option is always to kill first before anything else, then you're not in your right mind.

A character is not weak simply for wanting peace. Armin doesn't run from his conflicts, he always faces them head on whether he likes it or not. His yearning to choose the method with the least bloodshed is actually admirable - it's easier to just pull the trigger in a world like SnK where people hate you, no? Why go through all the effort of trying to make people understand? He's a very strong character because he stands by his convictions.

It's unfair to burden him with Erwin's legacy at this age. He's also selfless to a fault. While Erwin did care for his soldiers, he never hesitated to use them as bait. Armin lacks that trait - being ruthless. Instead he has shown time and time again that he'd rather sacrifice himself so others can go unharmed. Despite the lack of experience, he still came up with some of the best plans, strategies and deductions in the show, some of them conjured up within seconds, and all that when he was even younger than he is now. Reiner was sweating and shitting his pants when Armin figured out the Female Titan's intentions in under 30 sec. At 15, Armin secured the collosal Titan for the scouts with just 1 casualty - himself. Just a few examples. He lacks Erwin's experience and deals with a severe lack of confidence, but for his age, possesses a lethal brain and outstanding intellect.

One of his most forgotten contributions is during the Scouts vs Kenny's squad. It was his analysis of the anti-personnel ODM gear, and following strategy, that allowed the scouts to exploit the weaknesses of their opponents' weapons. They wouldn't have won those fights with such success otherwise. He's extremely perceptive. Notice that when he fucked with Bert's mind back in S2, it was bec apart from Reiner (who knew from long ago), only he had noticed Bertie boi had a thing for Annie. He pays attention to his surroundings. He picks up on every little detail. He knows where to hit where it hurts. His 'Annie' strategy with Bert in S3P2 fails because he didn't realize Bert was a different person, someone who had stopped Annie from being his weakness. That was a crucial lesson Armin had to learn, but he learned it. He's very good with his words. People don't want him to open his mouth and change their minds (eg, Connie with Falco, Daz & Samuel). He's a genius strategist and war tactician in the making, give him a few years and see what he becomes.

One of my most favourite moments is during the table scene with Eren before getting beaten up, the only psychological attack Eren fired at Armin ("You're only visiting Annie cuz of Bert"), did not sting Armin at all, it only shocked him that Eren would try to bullshit him into that false logic when clearly Armin knew better. So Eren chose to beat him up, but Armin still had the final word. "You're the slave Eren" absolutely got under Eren's skin.

He isn't dumbed down post S4, it's just that the stakes are infinitely higher.

There's a lot of blame on him for "not doing anything in those 4 years despite having a genius brain" etc etc. Armin wasn't commander. They were dealing with a hostile world which they were desperately trying to understand for the first time in a 100-year history of being isolated inside the walls. It is one thing to understand people inside the walls and fuck them up (like Erwin did multiple times) but another entirely to deal with several countries in a world you discovered overnight. Politics and diplomacy is hard af. I doubt Armin would have been able come up with some 20/20 vision plan at that point to end the whole conflict anyway. Pixis didnt. Hange also didn't. Nobody did! The island had other intelligent people too!

Regarding Erwin, the whole point of his death was to show that he was put to rest from his suffering. It is the end of Erwin's story.

I dare say that if Armin had become Erwin 2.0, the haters would have said "Oh, he's just a copy of Erwin, he's not his own person!" So, conclusion: he's not supposed to be Erwin. He's his own person with his own methods and he's 19, leave him alone and please compare people with comparable experience.

Dude also went through a ton of issues as a young kid and has a severe inferiority complex, guilt at being revived instead of Erwin and the constant pressure of living in Erwin's shadow. Add to that his best friend of 19 years disappears, forces him to nuke a port and kill people against his desires, then pushes him away, doesn't explain shit, snaps and goes on a mass murder spree - you have a guy under extreme duress and he's still thinking of the big picture on Paradis, that genocide is wrong even though it's his best friend doing it. He has already subconsciously realised that they cannot stop Eren without joining hands with the same enemies they tried to kill a while ago. So despite having a mental breakdown, he still goes to get Falco back, because as a person, he values humanity and understanding above everything and can't watch another one of his comrades lose his shit and feed a lil kid to a Titan.

I also believe that Armin knew Falco was a decent kid, considering what he was taught in Marley, and choosing to save him was symbolic in that Armin wants to save the one kid who sees through the fucked up hate. In this moment he was the closest he'd ever been to Erwin (since Erwin's death) with that calculated risk, but also very true to being *himself* , very Armin, because he jumped to his death, aka, selfless. Rescuing Falco was a v good call, not only because the kid is a shifter and therefore necessary to form the alliance, but also cuz if you are a manga reader, well, you know why. He slapped sense into Connie, rescued Falco, showed a young Gabi what compassion meant and won her trust , and laid down the foundation for the Alliance before even knowing Hange and Levi were alive. He always sees the bigger picture.

And don't even start with the whole AruAni hate, they had a thing going on right from S1 during training years. If anything, Bert's memories of Marley only reinforced his already existing feelings for Annie and he "understood" her. He didn't forgive her. He "understood" her. See what I'm getting at? AruAni only further supports the fact that children of war are just children in the end, and love can permeate even that imaginary barrier of being on "opposite sides". It's a beautiful ship and I'm fucking glad it's canon. Something to smile about in this depressing show T_T

Kenny's ideology of "everyone being a slave to something" applies to nearly everyone on the show. But not Armin. From his birth, he has only been motivated by one thing - curiosity to see, curiosity to understand, curiosity to experience. There is nothing that ties him down so much that he can't die and give up. He is arguably the most "free" character in the whole of SnK.

Eren sets out to achieve freedom at the cost of freedom itself. But for Armin, freedom is simply the beauty of simple, little things. They are the two sides of the same coin.

I'm not being aggressive in any way, my comment is only to throw some light on Armin's character. I respect everybody's opinions at the end of the day and I'm not engaging in any wars.

#aruani #armin arlert #armin #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aot #snk #armin character analysis

[sonofthesaiyans]

Hats off to Jean Kirstein, the Scouts' unlikeliest hero.

Honor dictates that I say a few words to honor the birthday of one of the 104th's strongest and most naturally gifted soldiers.

Jean Kirstein is a character who, at one point, I would have said had one of the most impressive arcs of any individual character in Attack on Titan. Once content to keep himself to the sidelines in service of the royal government, Jean has really come a long way from when we first met him in the early days of season one.

Jean has always been abrasive and cynical, holding on to no fantasies about the miserable world he and his friends have long been trapped in. But in spite of all he's gone through, he's shown a keen sense of judgement and natural leadership that has allowed him to survive again and again in a situation he at one point would have been all to happy to look the other way, and never turn back. In a world where insanity dominates between the Titans and humanity, Jean always seems to know what to do even when he's at an utter loss of what the outcome could be, and he's so often been a voice of reason when faced with the panic of his comrades or the zeal of his friendly rival turned mortal enemy, Eren.

His old pal Marco recognized this potential in Jean, and it seems Marco's words have resonated strongly with Jean long after his own demise. Understanding what was at stake, he took a hard look at what he signed himself on to and charged at it head on. Through and through, he's proven a dependable ally to those serving by his side and ultimately, under his own command. One of Jean's greatest assets, and perhaps in his own mind his greatest curse, is his nobility. Whatever his faults and failings, Jean has always sided with the greater good, and is one of the most incorruptible characters on Paradis. He's been pushed to his limits every bit as much as the rest of his circle......And through it all still stands tall.

By no means flawless, and I actually have some far stronger opinions about Jean in spite of the fact that I rarely ever comment on him around here.......And that's a discussion for another day.

For tonight though, gotta acknowledge the impressive track record of a guy who probably never should have been a Scout in the first place.......And somehow has lived to speak of the experience after going through Hell and back time and time again.

Seriously, Jean Kirstein would have been a worthy contender to become Commander of the Scout Regiment, or second-in-command under Hange and/or Levi. Whatever the case, he's certainly been an asset to the greater cause of freedom, and perhaps understood the meaning of what that was far better than Eren himself EVER did.

Keep moving forward as you always have, Commander Jean.

Happy Birthday to a man worthy of wearing the Wings of Freedom.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, and one last thing; If you really do truly love Jean, then for the love of all that is good and just.........

Do NOT even think about it with the lame as hell Horseface jokes. I think the fact that I acknowledged not just Jeanmarco, but also "Jeankasa" up here is being pretty generous as it is. So please, don't push it, alright?

Besides, I can name five other characters who look more like horses than him.....

#jean kirschtien #jean kirstein #jeanmarco #jeankasa #attack on titan #shingeki no kyoujin #aot jean #snk jean #snk anime #aot anime #snk manga #aot manga #snk fandom #aot fandom #shingeki no kyojin #eren yeager #mikasa ackerman #hajime isayama #armin arlert #snk spoilers #levi ackerman #scout regiment #survey corps #snk hange #hange #hange zoë #hange zoe #snk analysis #character analysis #armin attack on titan

[razzmatazz-2994]

Just saw the most HORRIBLY inaccurate dissection of Zeke’s character and absolutely had to weigh in to defend my favorite monstrosity monkey. AoT SPOILERS AHEAD.

(Pictured above: me coming to explain my favorite fictional character.)

SO, let’s start with Zeke’s backstory, which seems to be a point of some contention. The post in question accused Zeke of fabricating the narrative of being a victim and callously killing his parents. There are many reasons this ISN’T the case.

For one, Zeke was a child, both a member of a marginalized group in an oppressed society and the victim of an abusive household. Perhaps not traditionally, physically, abusive. But Grisha and Dina forced this child to join the MILITARY. Not only that, they hoped he would become a Warrior (which means becoming a Titan and REDUCING HIS LIFESPAN TO A MEASLY THIRTEEN YEARS) all in the hopes of reclaiming the Founding Titan.

They attempted to quite literally sacrifice the life of their only child for a mission, forcing him into a role he didn’t ask for, pressuring him with the FATE OF THE WORLD. OF ALL ELDIANS. You cannot tell me this wouldn’t affect a child.

This person also claimed Zeke never asked Grisha to play catch, but got mad when he didn’t. The only reason this is even technically “correct” is because the one time he tried to ask, Grisha interrupted him so he could spend more time devoting himself to his righteous mission.

What’s more, it wasn’t even Zeke’s idea to give up his restorationist parents to Marley. By the time Zeke tells on them, they had ALREADY been found out — he overheard a Marleyan confirm as much during his warrior training. He went to Mr. Ksaver, the closest thing he had to a parent, to say goodbye — to meet his fate and become a Titan with the rest of his family as punishment. He was going to die.

The ONLY way he could’ve saved himself and his grandparents was to give up his mom and dad. He never wanted to do it. And even if you wouldn’t do the same in this situation, you have to understand the monumental weight of the choices thrust upon him. The lives of his family and people he cared about, even those that mistreated him. A mere child was expected to make such a gut-wrenchingly horrible choice.

Now, for his motivations. Zeke, who has persecuted and abused his entire life for being Eldian, chooses to outwit the Marleyan government, befriend the Founding Titan and, with his royal blood, prevent Eldians from reproducing.

It sounds horrible. It is. And though it sounds contrarian, I think it’s purely the most empathetic course of action from his point of view. He knows better than anyone the persecution the Eldians face, the hate and superstition the rest of the world feels that would simply be impossible to overcome. He cannot change the world’s hateful perception of his people. So he chooses the greatest mercy he can think of. He will peacefully eradicate the Eldians and the power of the Titans, not through bloodshed, but by allowing the final generations to live out their lives in peace. It would also spare them persecution and the world the threat of the Titans.

Now, obviously, his plan is still pretty despicable. His worldview is twisted, to the point where he considers killing to be a mercy — that it would be better for no one to have ever been born. And though he tries to resolve the Eldian problem as peacefully as possible, he still kills thousands of people, if not dozens of thousands. There’s no arguing that he’s a just and moral person — it’s part of the reason he’s the antagonist — but consider the alternatives.

Eren’s plan is genocide. Instead of allowing the persecuted minority to die out, Eren chose to kill billions of people — to try to kill the VAST majority of the world’s population. And though the Marleyan government is pure evil, most of these victims are innocent. Completely undeserving of the cruel fate they would face. As horrible as Zeke’s plan and methods are, it’s hard to say that Eren’s is any better. If anything, the sheer number of people killed makes it even more appalling to me. After all, Eren becomes an antagonist, too. They are both flawed, traumatized men with the weight of the world on their shoulders and unimaginable power in their hands.

The most reasonable plan, of course, is Armin’s. To unleash a small-scale version of the rumbling and destroy Marley’s fleets in order to buy Paradis the time needed to negotiate. But his plan, too, has one huge flaw.

The Founding Titan needs royal blood to be unlocked — something only Zeke and Historia possess. And by Season 4, Zeke has less than a year left to live, and Eren only has about four. It’s not enough time to negotiate, to change the world’s hateful perception of the Eldians. And this time pressure is exactly what pushes Zeke and Eren to take such drastic measures.

Eren would never allow Historia to become a Titan. He wouldn’t stand to see her used and controlled the way her father manipulated her, nor would he allow his friends to live their lives struggling to survive against an ignorant world. His obsession with freedom was too much. It practically controlled him — it, or the will of the Attack Titan. He had to ally himself with Zeke. To him, there was no other choice.

As I said, Zeke knows better than anyone the pain and persecution that comes with being Eldian in this world. He could have passed his blood and Titan to another, but that would bring its own kind of pain, one he knew intimately. He knew what it was like to have a role forced upon him as a child, to be controlled and used and sacrificed for his father’s ambitions. Why would he ever inflict that pain upon someone else? To him, there was no other choice.

We may never know who was right — or if anyone was — and I can’t blame anyone for despising Zeke after all the killing he’s done. But it’s also why he realizes he’s wrong and sacrifices himself to stop the rumbling. He realizes life is beautiful even in the small moments, and that despite the pain, whether someone dies is not his choice to make. Once again, he gives his life for a goal. But this time, it’s not the lesser of two evils or even a misguided man’s vision of mercy. It’s pure selflessness. After a long, miserable life, he has finally realized the beauty in the world — and willingly, he gives it all away.

Zeke Yeager. The wonderboy.

#attack on titan #attack titan #shingeki no kyoujin eren #shingeki no kyoujin #shingeki no kyojin #snk the final season #snk eren #snk fandom #snk #aot the final season #aot anime #aot #eren aot #eren yeager #eren jaeger #zeke jaeger #zeke yeager #aot zeke #beast titan #founding titan #the rumbling #grisha jaeger #grisha yeager #analysis #character analysis

[levmada]

You said you could write an essay on S3 Eruri poster, DO IT 👁️ 👁️

THANK YOU FOR ENABLING ME😩BTW TELL ME HOW I WROTE A 7 PAGE ESSAY ABOUT ERURI IN LIKE 2 HOURS BUT MY ACADEMIC LIFE IS SUFFERING😭 | 2.2k

alright. (here it is in the best quality i could find:)

this image was a promo for season 3. i believe it refers to both part 1 and part 2, even though Erwin’s major character arc is finished in part 2.

first of all, before dissecting the image i'm going to lay out all the puzzle pieces needed for us to do that. let’s focus on Erwin’s father first.

Erwin’s father’s suspicious death is what drove him since he was a child. he resolves to find out the truth about his death, and that expands to proving his father right about his theories concerning the world that they live in—by any means necessary. his curiosity and sense of justice is a major motivator for him, but arguably the biggest is Erwin's sense of guilt, that he got his father killed for sharing his theories with his classmates.

Erwin becomes a soldier (assumably, as soon as possible at age 12). and at first, he is still open about his curiosity, his hopes and his dreams. in one scene as a cadet he’s insisting to Nile that there’s more to their world than what’s presented to them all, especially concerning the mystery of the Titans, but Nile brushes him off. furthermore, during Erwin’s monologue, we learn that everyone dismissed him as a naive boy with an overactive imagination, as well as a death wish for his intentions to join the Scouts.

[youtube link of Erwin's backstory - a couple second-long clip]

because of that, Erwin became much more closed off. he learned that if no one would take him the slightest bit seriously or even give him the time of day, he would have to present himself as someone powerful and worth listening to. he can’t find the truth solely on his own.

so, Erwin manipulates and schemes to further his goals. only in the no regrets side story do we see that for ourselves before he became commander. and hell, he was practically commander already in every way except in name. he came up with an actual planned formation that decreased soldiers’ deaths; he made the battle plans; he was given full authority over Levi and his friends (notable since they were known as a couple of thugs from the underground at the time) with Shadis having next to no part in such a thing. he blackmailed the powerful politician that wanted to disband the survey corps, he was smart enough to figure out Levi, Isabel, and Furlan’s plans and trick them too. hell, when Levi had the sword to his throat to kill him anyway, Erwin physically gripped the sword and held him back, and convinced Levi to join their cause instead. Levi back then, whose actions always centered around his friends’ survival, who had a clear ego himself.

Erwin must’ve gleaned something from his conversation with levi in the castle, after his first Titan kill. that Levi was fascinated at the idea that he could protect others for a cause.

+

so in short, Erwin is a genius. he has the intelligence, strength, and charisma - and if not, he gains it - to ascend the ranks as well as keep himself alive.

because of Erwin’s actions and how he reacts to the consequences, it’s easy to conclude that he’s a shameless ego-maniac that believes, and will, do whatever he wants with no regard to anyone else.

that’s not it.

Erwin is universally loved by the entire survey corps in the present. for example in season 2 after Eren is kidnapped, and many are injured after the Colossal and Armored Titans appeared again. everyone appears comforted and in higher spirits when Erwin and his backup appears to assess the situation.

and it’s true. without Erwin’s leadership, the morale and the Survey Corps’ successes aren’t nearly what they are.

but in his conversation with Levi in season 3 part 1, Erwin sees himself as replaceable without a doubt. and that's only the tip of the iceberg.

earlier in that season when Erwin is talking to Zachery, Erwin expresses that he doesn’t know if the coup is right, or whether it’ll just lead to suffering. he has plenty of doubts. he’s actuely aware that his actions are drastic, he holds lives in his hands that he has willingly let slip through his fingers for the sake of the truth.

hell, he isn’t bothered when he wakes up with his arm missing. he will pay the rest of the price when he ‘ends up in hell’. it’s spoken like a joke, too, and after that, Levi helps to ease the tension. in his own way, he tries to make Erwin feel better by teasing him.

later in that scene, when Hange gravely shares their theory that the titans are actually human beings, Levi seems devastated and the mood is clearly solemn, but Erwin smiles. because this was proof that his father’s theories held water, that they’re one step closer to learning the origins of the Titans and the truth of their world.

while a village of people are either titanized or dead. yes, Erwin was extremely selfish in that moment. he is selfish, but he’s not heartless.

if you still have any doubts at all about that, just go and watch the entire crate scene(link). i won’t add screenshots because there’s simply too much to put lol.

Erwin’s guilt is endless. he confesses to Levi that he felt suicidal many times, but his motivation to keep going was for his father, and the truth. it’s a complex in his head that he dissects then and there: that all he’s done, he’s done for the sake of humanity, justice, of bringing freedom to everyone in a world safe from the titans.

but his intentions are also horribly selfish. at his core, he’s still a hapless child who just wants to see what’s in the basement. the truth.

in that monologue, Erwin’s self hatred is completely exposed. he feels that he tricked everyone, including Levi, into ignorantly joining his selfish ploy. that he’s irredeemable, and he deserves a fate even worse than death.

back in the hospital room, it’s canon and has been expanded upon that in that moment when Erwin smiled at the news that Levi realized that Erwin’s true intentions are selfish. but what did he do? he did what he’s always done ever since that fateful day in the storm. Levi learned that there’s a darkness within Erwin, but he still cares for him. even without an explanation, he feels that way. regardless of whether you see their relationship as romantic or not, Levi loved him and that’s undeniable.

back to the crate scene, after Erwin shared all of that with the extra visual of Erwin standing upon a mountain of corpses so high that the ground wasn’t visible underneath, Levi kneels and reassures him. “You have fought well. It's only thanks to you that we've come this far.” and he promises to kill the Beast Titan (furthermore, Levi’s devotion is clear in his obvious passion in season 4 to do just that).

but Erwin’s love for Levi is the same. Levi is also in the image beside Erwin’s father.

back in No Regrets, Erwin is outright smitten with Levi from the beginning when he first saw him using the ODM gear in the Underground. (i'm out of images i can add.. curse you tumblr.)

he needs him to join his cause. and he goes to great lengths to do just that.

Erwin knows that Levi is invaluable. for example in season 1 after Levi announces that he’s going back to his squad, Erwin stops him and makes him refuel his equipment when it was pointless. the truth is that after seeing what the Female Titan was capable of, the last thing Erwin was about to do was risk Levi’s life. ERWIN, the man who’s known for taking risks and making deadly gambles, won’t risk Levi’s life.

in season 3 part 2 the first idea Levi proposes is for everyone who’s still alive to escape on Eren while he fights the Beast Titan. Erwin immediately states that he won’t even get close to him and dismisses it. the most important battle of humanity (said Erwin), Erwin who has gotten countless comrades killed, committed so much sin, has shown himself to be incredibly selfish, would rather die without his life goal being completed than get Levi killed.

you could argue: well obviously not. in both those cases, Levi is in invaluable asset. he’s a tool. of course Erwin would take costly action to keep him alive.

but even if Levi did die to the Female Titan in season 1, Levi wasn’t needed for the operation in Stohess to succeed. in fact, he was injured. assumably he twisted his ankle, and Erwin put him out of commission for weeks. including during that battle against the Colossal and Armored titans, as far as they know the biggest threats to humanity. Levi wasn’t allowed because he had a minor injury. if Levi was just an important tool, Erwin would've gambled Levi's life on killing the Female Titan when he had the chance. Erwin would’ve had Levi join everyone else in rescuing Eren too.

Erwin wouldn’t be able to live with himself if Levi died under his orders. while Levi has expressed many times that even if Erwin were to lead them all into hell, he wouldn’t regret it for a second.

and in season 3 part 2, Erwin sacrifices himself (on top of scores of teenagers in classic Erwin fashion) in order for Levi to have a chance to succeed. for Levi to live, and for there to still be a hope of making a peaceful world.

with all this in mind, we have the tools to understand this promo image (god i'm such a loser).

Erwin’s conflict in season 3 part 2 is between finding the truth for his father’s sake no matter the cost, or continuing living for his duty’s sake symbolized by Levi. selfishly following his personal dream, selfishly pursuing the basement regardless of how many people die. or, selflessly bringing justice to his father’s murder by proving him right even if he can't be a part of it, selflessly leading the fight to finally bring back the hope and strength that Levi represents.

canonically, Levi is also Erwin’s last bastion of his humanity. without him, Erwin would have no qualms of acting like the monster Floch later portrays him to be. (i can add a link of proof later if anyone actually reads this lmao.)

Levi, and Erwin’s father are important to him. they give Erwin his reason to live in different ways.

this is represented by their positions on the poster. both of their profiles are visible, taking up the same amount of space in frame, both are looking back, presumably at Erwin with suggestive looks, as if waiting for Erwin to act.

specifically, let’s center in on Erwin’s father. he’s on the left, notably the side that Erwin lost his arm. this isn’t a coincidence. here, Erwin’s father represents his selfishness, even his suicidality (think back to Erwin’s comment about paying the rest of the price for his sins on hell while referring to his arm). to be succinct, Erwin’s father represents loss. and in a related meaning, he represents Erwin failing, and losing his life.

his father’s expression is different from Levi’s. his head isn’t turned towards him as much as Levi’s is, implying either a lack of confidence in Erwin, or that he isn’t supporting what he plans to do, and yet in his expression, he looks at him imploringly, worried. he’s asking for something. Erwin to stop all this self-torture? Erwin to bring justice to his death and find the truth about their world? pity? it’s not clear.

Levi is on the right. “his right hand man” right? (isayama is a genius by the way). Levi also appears to be in front of Erwin, but he’s looking back much more purposefully. he isn’t afraid, and he has no doubt. his brow is furrowed and he’s looking at Erwin pointedly, also expecting something from him, and that’s to lead him. Levi looks sure of himself, but he’s noticeably frowning, showing that he’s not completely confident. as well, Levi isn’t in uniform. actually his shirt and collar are that from no regrets when he met Erwin.

finally, Erwin. you don’t need to take more than a first glance to understand that he’s in turmoil. although most of his body is in frame, the perspective of the picture is from above him, while his father and Levi are at level with the viewer. as a result Erwin looks smaller, almost powerless. his cape billows behind him so that he isn’t shielded by it at all. symbolically, Erwin the man, and not Erwin the soldier, is being exposed here. one of the lapels of his jacket is blown aside, his commander’s necklace is strewn, and one of his legs appear to be raised as if in the middle of the motion to step back. his fist is loosely clenched by his side, further exuding his lack of confidence. he looks worried.

he’s worried about judgment from both Levi and his father. he has a choice to make that will undermine the other. he’s unsteady, and isn’t sure how to proceed.

this image literally says a thousand of words without saying anything. as i’ve explained, Erwin’s conflict between executing his father’s wish regardless of the consequences and who may die (including Levi, if Erwin were to agree to Levi's plan), or to fight valiantly in pursuit of a peaceful world with everything Levi represents: compassion, strength, sacrifice.

and of course, we know what he chose. he chose Levi. he gave up on his dream, this thing that gave Erwin the will to live, and willingly charged into a battle he knew he wouldn’t live through, let alone win.

even in near-death, coincidental or not, Erwin’s arm raising away from the syringe and his words - the question to his father in the classroom that started Erwin's whole journey - affected Levi’s choice. specifically, Levi recognized that Erwin’s dream was killing him from the inside, and it has all this time. he had become a slave to it like Kenny had. that is one of the reasons Levi let erwin rest, and erased all his burdens with death.

essay complete😈

#i had to reread midnight sun and erwin and levi's last conversations for this essay so i expect compensation for my upcoming therapy visits #/j #aot #aot manga #snk manga #aot official art #snk promo image #eruri #aot analysis #snk analysis #attack on titan manga #snk official art #snk levi #aot erwin #erwin smith #character analysis #erwin snk #erwin aot

[cruilsummer]

the curse of freedom vs ymir's curse

Last night I finished attack on titan - it was something i had been dreading and postponing for a while, having received a few spoilers from the manga and seen mixed reactions from fans.

I'm not here to judge wether it was good or bad, or to make huge analysis of it as a finale - after all, i'm still digesting and understanding where i stand regarding that.

However, while watching these last chapters, I felt really close to Eren's character. It's funny, because he is purposefully pushing everyone away from him, and for most of the season, we barely see him. He is hiding not only from his friends, enemies and from everyone in between, but also from the watcher. And weirdly enough, that's when I got time to really think about him - and specially after the finale, i felt like sharing some of those thoughts.

When we think of young Eren, the child we are first introduced to, we know that freedom is a very important part of his character. He wants to see the world, to know the truth, to go beyond. He's also obstinate, vengeful and stubborn. Eren is a great main character not because he is the most powerful, the smartest or most skilled, but because he has a personality that is intersting to watch. He is flawed, he is human. And even after getting it wrong multiple times and not being the best, somehow he is magnetic enough to keep the best, wisest and most skilled around - either to protect him of protect others from him.

Jean Paul Sartre says that humanity has the curse of freedom - a burden. It makes us responsable for our choices, making it both a gift and a curse. I kept thinking about it the entire time I was watching this last part of the anime.

Because freedom has always been a key element to Eren's character. Both literally - the freedom of being away from the walls and seeing the world, and figuratively - the freedom of making his own choices, deciding who to trust, fighting for what he thought was fair...

And the worst thing that could happen to him, happens: he is the titan that bares the memories from everyone who has been in that position before. From the moment the touches Historia's hand on, he can't go back - now past, present and future coexist, and his choices don't feel like his anymore - it's just fate.

It's Ymir's curse robbing him from the humanity's curse.

He sees the outcome and knows it cannot be changed. It's impacting because, being Eren, he will try to change it. It's who he is: stubborn, obstinate, vengeful. Obsessed with justice, obsessed with freedom. But now he can't. His entire life he felt in charge, deciding his own destiny based on his perceptions of justice, his bonds, his story. But now he is not so sure - how much was already decided? How much was like that because of the ones that came before? And how does one just keeps living like that, not only questioning everything, but also being aware of all those different memories that used to constitute very different people? But how different can they be, if they all share the same memories?

That's the beginning of the end for him. And he knows that reaching the sea doesn't mean he is free, like he used to believe. He knows that killing every titan won't make him free either, and killing everyone outside Paradis won't either. He's lost his freedom, his gift.

On the other hand, we have Mikasa. Eren tells her that (just like him), she is not free. Her every action to protect him, her love for him, is just the Ackerman's curse. And that's where he gets it wrong. Because Mikasa is free. And it's a burden and a curse for her, unlike for Eren, because it would be easier if she didn't have to choose between saving the world and saving her best friend, the love of her life.

Parallel, Ymir's love for the King kept her hostage, wasn't healthy, made her unable to stop what became her curse, what would haunt all Eldians.

Mikasa loves Eren - and not because of her clan's curse. It's hard to explain what exactly makes us love - we simply do. But to make a long story short, and in an oversimplification, she loves him because of everything they lived together and because she knows him. And her love could be like Ymir's, and keep her hostage too. For the most part of the show, fans made fun of Mikasa for her love, called her a simp, said it made her weaker. But she was the one who killed Eren, because she knew that it was the right thing, even if it was the hard thing. She knew there was no other way. And, deep down, she knew that it was not Eren anymore - and at least she could be the one to, at last, free him. Give him what he had been seeking his entire life.

And that act alone is what touches Ymir and frees her as well. It's not Eren's death. It's Eren's death by Mikasa's hand. It's knowing that love can coexist with all sorts of mixed feelings, and that the freedom that comes with our condition as humans sometimes means that we make choices not only based on our love, and not only because they're easy.

Staying is easier because it means not changing anything - and it feels like no choice was made. We trick ourselves into thinking that leaving, changing and doing the hard things are the only decisions, because they imply movement. But staying is also a choice. Not changing is also a choice. That's our curse: living with the outcome of everything we chose to do and everything we chose not to do. Owning up and taking responsability for staying and for leaving. For hesitating or killing.

And don't get me wrong: it is not easy. As humans, we also have the burden of emotions, mixed feelings, traumas. Ymir's choice - and her love - were so complicated that they paralyzed her. And it was seeing that Mikasa's love was so equally deep that ultimately it made her move to do the right thing what moved Ymir too. And she could finally let go, even if it was the hard choice - because she had Mikasa's example.

Mikasa didn't stop loving Eren just because she killed him. She hadn't stopped loving him when he was terrible to her. She never loved him because of the Ackerman's curse - when the curses ended, she kept the scarf. She loved him when she mourned, and loved him even when she was ready to move on, and she died loving him still - altought love can change troughout somebody's life.

Setting Eren free, she sat Ymir free. And that made all Eldians free - well, as free as one can be, still bearing the burden of humanity. The ending shows exactly that: we can't control what people do with their freedom: what wars are started, whos justice empears, which cycles are repeated. But we can control what we do with our freedom, our choices.

And, just like it was Ymir's curse that ended Eren's freedom, it was humanity's curse, Mikasa's freedom, that ended Ymir’s curse.

#attack on titan #snk #snk spoilers #aot #mikasa ackerman #character analysis #attack on titan finale #eren yeager #eren jaeger #ymir #curse #ymirs curse #freedom #shingeki no kyojin

[the-last-hipopotamovolador]

I dont know how many times I have to say this but the biggest misinterpretation of Eren's character is that he is a fascist/racist/xenophobe.

YES HE IS A GENOCIDAL AND HIS ACTS ARE UNFORGIVEN , but NONE of his actions were based on a moral belief of "the people of paradise are superior to the rest of the world, all the rest of the cultures/nations/races have to be eliminated because they are inferior".

He is a 19-year-old boy who grew up all his life in an environment of fear, violence, extreme need and total lack of freedom. He is a character deeply marked by trauma. He always was a violent and impulsive boy with radical beliefs thinking that the world is "us" and "our enemies" and that life is kill or be killed.

But he is NOT a person who committed genocide based on discriminatory beliefs. He did it because in his way of understanding the world the only way to be free was to live in a world without other humans who threaten to take away his freedom. In Eren's eyes all the people outside of paradise are enemies, people who were guilty that he and the people he loved grew up locked up in a tiny piece of the world without even knowing why or how, and people who want him and anyone else from paradise to be dead. He is the definition of "a monster created by hate."

If you watched/read Shingeki no Kyojin and your interpretation of Eren is "anime hitler lol" then your levels of analysis and reflective thinking are at rock bottom.

#mio #snk #snk spoilers #shingeki no kyoujin #shingeki no kyojin #character analysis #eren analysis #eren rant #snk rant #aot #attack on titan #aot spoilers #eren jaeger #eren yeager #rant post #manga #anime

[authenticleviackerman]

What i think about Levi (having to) be miserable about the rumbling

this topic has been mentioned by user: @leviismybby

Some people think that after all the trauma of the rumbling happening, levi HAS to be miserable. After all, he's seen thousands of innocent people die and others died out of his sight, which must have scarred him to a degree for sure.

I think that after the rumbling, Levi would be traumatized. The rumbling is of course an allegory to a world war, and the fact is, no soldier has been quite the same after a war, and no person has been the same after various type of trauma. Looking up the definition of the word, you'll stumble upon this:

So in other words, each of us could be affected by trauma at any point in time. The difference between regular fear or sadness is that trauma affects you DEEPLY. It is something that could lurk inside of your head for years, sometimes even your entire life. Next, we'll look up at how trauma can affect a person.

Of course let's remind ourselves that what we're talking about is only fiction, but Isayama actually did a really good job at writing Levi. Looking at the symtoms, Levi has undirectly displayed quite a few of these symptoms, even if they were subtle.

RECURRENT, UNWANTED MEMORIES OF THE EVENT:

This symptom is not that present with Levi, as he often keeps a stoic, often numb outlook on things while Eren expresses distress over these. However, given the age gao between Eren, Reiner, Mikasa, or everyone else and Levi is that he has more experience with them. He is never questioning their sanity or doubting them in any way, but calming them down, since he probably has had his own fair share of experience.

FLASHBACKS

Again, this isn't something that occurs to Levi often, or *they aren't obviously shown* to be precise. But you see, he most likely does experience some form of them from his childhood back in the underground, by feeling the need to clean things up even when it wouldn't bother other people. He probably gets reminded of the little room he lived in with his mom and how he felt insecure about it since coming to the surface, as we've seen in the No Regrets OVA.

Thus, i doubt that rumbling hasn't left a mark on him.

UPSETTING DREAMS OR NIGHTMARES ABOUT THE EVENT

We all know that Levi suffers from insomnia. And honestly, all things considered, it makes sense.

SEVERE EMOTIONAL DISTRESS OR PHYSICAL REACTIONS TO SOMETHING THAT REMINDS YOU OF THE TRAUMATIC EVENT

This was all i could think about at the scene where he brutally kept slashing Zeke's limbs in order to prevent him from regenerating back. Some people could argue that it was simply to prevent Zeke from turning back into a titan, but i would argue that we've seen a much more efficient method back when Eren infiltrated Marley (specifically tying up his leg in a bandage, which has been proven as a functioning disguise)

So, Levi's judgement has been rash and unplanned, out of control even, since he not only endangered the life of someone he had to restrain but KEEP ALIVE, but his own, as well.

TRYING TO AVOID THINKING OR TALKING ABOUT THE SPECIFIC EVENT

This is also subtly alluded in the show, as he never told anyone about the past with his mother.

AVOIDING PLACES, ACTIVITIES OR PEOPLE THAT REMIND YOU OF THE TRAUMATIC EVENT

Now this is an interesting part, because Levi doesnt avoid much from his past, except the underground. But, who he has a complicated relationship with, is Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. He acts cold with them at times, harshly at others, but ultimately, he's trying to subconsciously fix his past mistakes.

The physical resemblance to his past friends is probably no more than a coincidence, but they do share aspects of Isabel's and Furlan's personalities that Levi sees in Eren and Armin, such as Isabel's undying curiosity about the outside world, and Furlan's analytical strategist mind, similar to Armin's. Now, you would think that the one Levi sees himself in the most is Mikasa given their ties to the Ackerman clan, but the thing is, Levi didn't know he was an Ackerman unril Kenny told him, meaning he saw her strength and want to do everything alone as simply something they shared. Eren however is also similar to younger Levi in terms of being hot headed, just like he used to be. As we all know, Furlan and Isabel died because he gave in and let them go on a mission he knew they could not survive, so now he had to watch Erem, Mikasa and Armin grow up, subconsciously being reminded of them, because their deaths caused him a lot of emotional distress.

NEGATIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT YOURSELF, OTHER PEOPLE, OR THE WORLD:

In this part i'd like to leave some screenshots, which i believe speak for themselves.

and also this one

This might not seem like much, but his thinking and personality HAVE BEEN AFFECTED, no matter how stoic his face might be.

HOPELESNESS ABOUT THE FUTURE

Now, this is a 2 sided topic. When watching attack on titan, i noticed Levi's and Mikasa's loyalty, which however feels almost *passive*. You never see Mikasa or Levi having dreams like Armin who wants to see the sea, Erwn who wants to be free, Annie who wished to live a peaceful life, or Jean who wanted to date Mikasa.

Mikasa nor Levi have never expressed having a single wish which would not involve a person important to them. However, even Mikasa had something Levi didn't, and that is, hope for the future. Mikasa wanted to live a life with Eren. When it comes to Levi, he never really expressed any wish or hope because truth be told, after losing Erwin and Hange, he didn'thave any. His only goal was to complete his mission and prove that his comrades didn't die in vain.

I know what you might be thinking, but he opened his own teashop because he loved tea! Yes he did indeed do that, but again, he wasn't alone. He took in Gabi and Falco, so he had a reason to keep going. Now, some of you may say that that's not how a broken person would think, but oftentimes, we TRY to find a reason to survive. We TRY to keep going. We WISH TO WANT TO KEEP GOING. That said, Gabi and Falco are an important part of his life, they definitely help him stay grounded after the war. After all, he has been thrown from one kind of chaos to another where you have to adjust to a vastly different life in a short amount of time, but they undoubtedly do help him get by, maybe even find joy of the little things in life that he had no time to appreciate earlier.

MEMORY PROBLEMS, INCLUDING NOT BEING ABLE TO RECALL CERTAIN PARTS OF THE EVENT.

this is an aspect i can't really explore so far, as we know almost nothing about Levi's life post war. Maybe the new manga coming out will give us more insight.

DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS

This one is pretty obvious. Levi did say women were quite interested in him, but he didn't seem to think of any of them in a romantic way. In fact he was mostly reserved even towards his own squad, only chatting with Hange who considers Levi a very good friend, and Erwin, whom he is loyal to as Mikasa is to Eren.

FEEKING DETACHED FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS

This has been described in the previous paragraph at least for the most part, but i think it should be important to mention that he didn't really show an interest in Hange suggesting they should live together in a hut somewhere (that doesn't mean that he disliked or liked the particukar idea, i just wanted to show an example)

LACK OF INTEREST IN ACTIVITIES YOU ONCE ENJOYED

We know that Levi doesn't really seem to show fondness towards any hobby other than cleaning (which is mostly a trauma response) other than drinking tea perhaps, but i don't think there's anything else i could mention other than the fact that we've never seen him relax. Even while they were at the sea, he just awkwardly stood there. I am the kind of person which is mostly quiet among people reading my book, though it doesn't necessarily mean i feel bad in any way, so again, we might gain some more insight in the new manga chapter.

DiFFICULTY EXPERIENCING POSITIVE EMOTIONS

Again, he didn't seem to be happy about any of their accomplishments as soldiers.

FEELING EMOTIONALLY NUMB

Now, contrary to the popular belief that Levi is "stoic" (which is mostly his face going numb at best, you see where i'm going?)

Levi feels intense emotions. Problem is, it happens rarely. It happened when he saw Isabel and Furlan's deaths (the moment when he went emotionally numb) and when he saw Kenny for the first time in years for example (or turning Zeke into a kebab).

In short, please don't confuse stoicism with Levi's unhealthy way of not expressing emotions. Stoicism isn't about that. He just feels constantly on edge.

(And to be honest i don't think Kenny was the type of a parental figure to encourage Levi to express how he feels)

BEING EASILY STARTLED OR FRIGHTENED

This is something that wasn't expressed, so i won't talk about that.

ALWAYS BEING ON GUARD FOR DANGER

again same as the previous point however i think this is very likely as Levi was able to tell an attack was going to happen a second before it actually happened.

SELF DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR

This is something Levi does. He always wants to work and fight, even if he's in pieces. He doesn't care how much he gets hurt. He just wants to save his comrades and complete his mission, blocking out everything else, including his own well being, which can be self destructive behavior. After all, just remember the screenshot i put above.

TROUBLE SLEEPING

an obvious one, definitely continues after the war too.

TROUBLE CONCENTRATING

Levi needs someone to guide him. Otherwise, his own thinking rarely ever ends well

IRRITABILITY, ANGRY OUTBURSTS OR AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR

I'm just going to provide a manga exerpt here. No matter what the circumstances were, it was aggressive and they changed it in the anime too.

OVERWHELMING GUILT OR SHAME

There have been instances where Levi felt guilty and sad. For example when he could do nothing but watch Hange die, all of his other comrades, when he burdened his squad by allowing himself to be severely injured.

Even before, back in the no regrets special he felt ashamed for the soldier calling his room dirty.

Overall, I'd say that Levi was definitely affected by his experience a lot, but Gabi and Falco give him a reason to keep going, as even the biggest problem won't feel as impossible when you're not alone.

If you ever feel anxious, depressed, alone or just need someone to talk to, feel free to message me. My DM's are always open <3

In the end, i'd like to say that Attack on Titan is a work of fiction and is not reflective of real life, on the other hand, i believe that talking about things like this can help people learn. By writing this post i don't mean to hate on Levi's character at all, i just simply wanted to express my POV. He's a character which is very close to my heart as we're similar in a lot of ways, and he actually helped me deal with many of my issues. I AM ALSO NOT A PROFESSIONAL, JUST A NERDY STUDENT WITH SPECIAL INTERESTS.

Thank you very much for reading. ^-^

Authentic Levi Ackerman

#attack on titan #anime #shingeki no kyojin #levi ackerman #anime and manga #snk #aot #fictional characters #character analysis #eren yeager #eren aot #mikasa ackerman #armin arlert #attack on titan fanart #my writing #original writing #special interest

[lesbiankordian]

Quick ramble about Armin's eyes

(spoilers for the manga)

Armin and his eyes are the literal reason why Eren first realized he wasn't free and thus wanted to go beyond the walls. They're the symbol of the ocean and the unexplored world waiting for them (not just for EMA, but the whole humanity - remember the conversation Levi eavesdropped on before the Return to Shiganshina arc? They were talking about Armin's dream, and Levi remembered it when making the decision who to save) on the other side of the walls.

Armin assures Eren it's going to be okay - they hold eye contact

Eren helps Armin after he was chosen and reminds him of his dream, the ocean - they hold eye contact, emphasis on Armin's eyes in the panels. (Here it's interesting that we also got a panel just for Eren's expression. The fact that his memories and knowledge about past, present and future blur together and how stressed he looked might mean he knew it wasn't going to be any of these things - flaming water or snowfields - but hatred, yet he still wanted Armin to feel better. (If his memories didn't blur before he kissed Historia I apologize, I haven't thought about aot in a long time). Eremin for the win!

The fact that on the vol 33 cover, where he's trying to kill Eren, his eyed are hidden, breaks my heart. In fact, he's the only character, except for Eren, whose face we can see - but his hair cover half of it. You really can see his determination and how his (and Eren's and the others') worldview has changed (tho later it comes back to this curiosity of his (to some extent)).

#i love armin arlert my baby #tbh I wanted to write 'important panel' or 'emphasis on Armin's expression' everytime but then I thought it might be bc I'm biased #but I do think Armin's expression and how he looks at Eren are absolutely important #ESP THE ONE BEFORE HE'S ABOUT TO SACRIFICE HIMSELF GAHHHHH #i haven't thought about snk in a while and it's not going to change except for the occasional thoughts about Historia and Armin my beloveds #but just know one day I'll drop a 10 page essay on Historia's character bc she really is one of the most interesting characterd I've known #so yeah I love armin I love Armin's eyes #armin arlert #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aot spoilers #aot #snk #eremin #eren yeager #eren aot #armin #aot analysis

[pandasan-power]

Zeke is my favourite fictional character. He's just so... fascinating. He's initially presented as weird and mysterious but he turns out to be a giant dork and a huge loser with the most severe daddy issues I've ever seen.

I love him so much. Here's a very long ramble that's kinda sorta a character analysis (it's bad though).

He gives off Reddit mod energy (then again, Eren has Discord mod energy (disclaimer: I love Eren too)), has the sense of humour of a 12 year old, hangs around people who are quite a bit younger than him (granted, his only other option is creepy old military men), has smoked since he was probably like 15 and spends his life "pretending" to be stupid.

And yet he genuinely cares about other people in his own way. He really did just want to make it so that Eldians didn't have to suffer. He assumed that because he had a shit life and was treated terribly (as were his parents), everyone else was in the same boat. It never occured to him that other Eldians were happy, because, like, why would they be?

He's willing to go to the ends of the earth and beyond to fulfill his mission, which he's held on to since he was a teenager. Even though Ksaver did plant the seeds for Zeke, Zeke came up with his plan himself. Ksaver never mentioned anything about reproduction, just that the Founder could be used to alter Eldian biology.

He's devasted when Eren goes "lol jk bro" and betrays him, because he finally found someone he thought he could trust (his first mistake was trusting Eren of all people). He couldn't understand why Eren went against his plan, or what Eren was even trying to accomplish in the first place.

Also, I think it's worth mentioning that Zeke's euthanasia plan undermines everything Ymir Fritz went through. She suffered severely, but I like to imagine that she really did love her daughters to the best of her ability. Zeke saying that Eldians would be better off not existing in the first place and that he's going to get rid of them is telling Ymir Fritz that all her suffering was for absolutely fucking nothing. Whereas Eren wants Eldians to live on, because that way, Ymir can be freed, and she can see that there is beauty in the world (which she did via Mikasa, as badly explained as it was lol).

Zeke never saw that beauty. He was brainwashed and abused and taken advantage of his entire life. By his parents, by Marley (yes, even Ksaver), and, later, by Eren. To him, there was nothing redeeming about the world.

Hence his final line where he talks about what a lovely day it is and how nice/clear the sky is, but that it ultimately is too late to realise that (? I haven't read the chapter in a while, I don't remember the exact wording). That's him acknowledging that he was wrong about the world lacking beauty.

Yes, Ksaver did care for him and did love him, but he did also use Zeke for his own gain. He was projecting his son onto Zeke, as he said so himself in canon, and he was also hoping that Zeke could accomplish what he (Ksaver) wasn't able to. Zeke may not have been as determined to save the Eldians (in his own way) if he hadn't spent time with Ksaver.

Zeke and Eren are fascinating to me, because Eren threw away his humanity in order to save the world/his loved ones, yet was very upset that he had to do so (given his paths convo with Armin), yet Zeke... was stripped of most of his humanity before he had a chance to even embrace it. My personal interpretation is that he never realised he was lacking humanity (which is something Levi kept trying to point out, especially in the forest with reminding Zeke about his Rakago crime) because death and killing were so normalised to him (and to him, his enemies weren't human because they were mostly Eldians and he, as an Eldian, wasn't considered human -- or at least he may have used that as a justification for his actions), and it wasn't until the very end that it hit him.

Lastly, part of why I love the dynamic between Zeke and Levi is that they're two sides of the same coin. They're both admired and feared by people (for different reasons), are traumatised in every possible way, and are similar yet also very different.

When they're interacting, neither of them give a shit about the other's status or powers or whatever. They fight like equals on par with each other and don't hold back. Warchief Zeke? Captain Levi? Nope. They're just Zeke and Levi to each other. (And they'd be friends if they were on the same side, maybe.)

ANYWAY Zeke Yeager is a great character and I love my monkeyman so much. He had such good character development and his backstory is really well done. The "I love you, Zeke" paths scene is my favourite since in all of SnK just for how much that means for both Grisha and Zeke.

#Zeke Yeager #Shingeki no Kyojin #SnK spoilers #Shingeki no Kyojin spoilers #Attack on Titan spoilers #AoT spoilers #Character analysis #I guess #I love Zeke and I needed to get this out of my system sorry #Long post #Text post

[dreahmdere]

Why I love how the “background characters” is written in Aot

Almost every main and side character in Aot has a chapter or episode dedicated for them in some kind of way. Which is not a special thing, as many other animanga does the same. But what about background characters? Aot sure have a lot of them. I’m gonna write this dedicated to Nanaba and Frieda.

It’s not a new thing to say that Isayama has the ability to turn one’s perspective for a character with just one scene. Say Kenny, we don’t even get his full backstory, yet his deathbed monologue tells us everything we need to know about his character. Ymir, she really really have a special place in my heart. I remember crying when I watch her in the paths with the ost playing, mind you I did not even cry when Erwin died. But there are also other characters that’s like Reiner, Mikasa, Eren, who’s character needs develop along the story in order to perfect it. I don't think characters who are written with steps better, because those are for the main and side characters. 

Background characters on the other hand, need to have informations about them known to the reader in just snippets of their screen time. Let’s pick Nanaba. We only have this character on screen for like how many episode? 3? 4? And even then none is like a dedicated episode for her. Yet we know about this character. How? Just a few lines from one can show a lot, and this technique is use by Yams in a marvelous way. 

Similar to Kenny, we get Nanaba’s character seconds before her death. It was shown when Nanaba’s limbs were already ripped off, and the titans devouring her alive. Her last words “I won’t do that again I’m sorry! Father save me!” is so traumatic and devastating, how can one being eaten alive can remember her days back when she was still with her father. Her fear and hopelessness when she was abused is probably similar to her feelings now when she was about to die. Her abuser harms her, yet she doesn’t have anyone to call out for help to, she calls out that same abuser. 

From that alone, we can guess Nanaba’s character. Nanaba may feel trapped during her childhood, yet she feels like she’s born for more than just.. this. The walls surrounds her also reminds her to this so Nanaba joins the survey corps to venture out and discovering new informations. It could also be an influence from a dead family member, say her mother. Because she did not call out to her name during her last seconds, in which that last seconds are a calling back to her childhood. This is all we can get from her last words, I think if we can get ONE spin-off for a background character, I would pick Nanaba. Sure Miche is interesting, we also have Mina, there’s Lobov, but somehow she’s the one who has most potential imo.

Then let's go to Frieda. For her, we have more information regarding to her character. Frieda’s promise to her father before she inherit the titan, “I won’t let the ghost of my ancestors affect me!”, then her reaction to Historia saying she wants to be her, tells us everything we need. Frieda, who sees Uri, probably have dreamed to change the way the Eldians inside the walls are living. She may or not may have know the truth via Uri, but it’s not a mystery that Frieda have a will to set her own path and change the current world from her last words before becoming a titan. 

But unfortunately, she still is not strong enough to defeat the will of the first king. That’s not her fault ofc, but it may result to some kind of self hatred, insecurity, or the feeling of failure. It answers why Frieda freaks out when Historia say she wants to be her. 

And no, Frieda still have this will living inside of her, it is obvious when Grisha suggest to free the Eldians minutes before he massacre the royal family. It was shown that she’s about to agree but her eye color then change, showing the influence of Karl Fritz. Such a tragic character, I’m genuinely feels sad when she have her life cut short. Uri may be curious, thus wants to inherit the founding, but Frieda is different, she wants to set her own path and change something (obviously Frieda see how walldians are living and ofc she’s not happy with that). The will of the first king is also the reason of her defeat against Grisha, because she has been influenced by Karl Fritz’s surrender.

#nanaba #nanaba analysis #aot #snk #Shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #side characters #main characters #background characters #how Isayama write background character #frieda reiss

[moonspirit]

One of the many things I like about the Connie-laughing-at-Annie-eating-pie scene is how we get a brief glimpse of Armin's protective side free of his usual self-sacrificial tendencies.

Because he doesn't think of himself as someone who can protect others. Armin sees himself as weaker than everyone else, lacking the ability to be someone stronger (say Reiner for example) and more confident (say Jean) who can protect others much better. The fact is that he's always been very protective of everyone he cares about; it's only that this trait of his character tends to show up most often at the sacrificial end of the spectrum. I think it tends to draw our attention away from his protective nature and puts greater focus on how little he values his life instead.

We see him always trying to get the others out of danger, starting with getting Hannes to come rescue Eren and Mikasa when Shiganshina fell, convincing the garrison not to kill Eren (tho his idea in this situation was to put himself directly in front of the cannons), sending Mikasa off in Trost with his blades, punching Eren for Mikasa, putting himself in front of Muller's guns at the end, so on and so forth etc etc, there are a million situations honestly---and in all of them, he tries to protect the others the only way he thinks he's capable of: by being the bait.

Which is why it always makes me so happy to see the pie scene, where you have a starving Annie stuffing her cheeks with pie, Connie making fun of her, and Armin's immediate reaction is to put himself between her and his harmless friend and indignantly yell, "She hasn't eaten in four years Connie, stop laughing at her!"

(Like, nevermind the fact that he's seeing Annie "alive" after four years, his girl's honour comes first lol. I bet he thought: I must protecc her chipmunk cheeks).

For once we see him defending someone without offering himself up in the process. It's just such a wholesome moment where we get to know that he's naturally protective, and in a light-hearted situation that doesn't drag his self-loathing and insecurities to the surface, "sacrifice myself" isn't the damned first thing on his mind.

How many more traits we'd able to see, both new and existing ones in a different light, if he'd been able to live in a way that didn't constantly fuel his hatred for himself?

#i woke up at 5:00AM and typed this up idk if it even makes sense #but whatever #if i get out of bed with armin thoughts on my mind #then nothing can beat me #armin arlert #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aot #snk #arminarlert #meta #character analysis

[sonofthesaiyans]

Okay, the ACKERTALK.....

Mikasa and Levi Ackerman, humanity's strongest warriors. The sole survivors of a powerful bloodline that's all but extinct on Paradis.

Well the results of my most recent poll have confirmed my belief that the Ackertalk, or Ackerbond, whatever you prefer to call it is still a major point of contention among us AOT Fans.....And Ex-Fans. We all know that the Ackerman bloodline is unique in the Titanverse and that they're immune to the effects of Titanization. Still, for something that was set up to be a major plot point in solving the mystery of the Titans, it seemed to become an afterthought the longer the story dragged out. Unfortunately a pattern that is undeniably prevalent in this faux pas that's been mistaken for a masterpiece.

Mikasa and Levi, we know they're distantly related somehow, so it was natural to expect there'd be more development between the two that further clarified their unique position in this fucked up world they're trying to salvage. Yet somehow that relationship only got surface level acknowledgement, and I think we can safely say never came into full circle........Neither did really any aspect of Mikasa's heritage in regards to Hizuru and the Azumabitos (Did the Azumabitos even ONCE acknowledge Levi either in any of that btw?) Since this is the clear winner in the poll, one simple question: What did you guys hope to see from this Ackertalk had it taken place as was long anticipated? What questions were you hoping to be answered had it come to pass?

Please, don't like or reblog this post unless you intend to answer. I think we all agree Isayama owes us something on this front.

I genuinely have to know, what did you guys hope for most from this? Oh yeah ,and if you happen to be a Rivamika fan, NO you can't bring that discussion here. Thank you.

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #mikasa ackerman #levi ackerman #snk spoilers #aot spoilers #aot anime #snk anime #snk manga #aot manga #captain levi #mikasa aot #snk fandom #aot fandom #snk analysis #character analysis #aot angst #snk angst #hajime isayama #i hate isayama #eren yeager #armin arlert #fuck isayama #aot season 4 #snk season 4 #snk season 4 part 2 #anti snk 139 #paradise

[levihantrash]

in my fanfic, Shitty Comics and Their Shitty Artists i imagined how it would be like if isayama reflected on writing a story about levi, hange, and erwin

#aot fanfiction #snk fanfiction #meta #levihan #erurihan #isayama #character analysis #levi ackerman #erwin smith #hange zoe #ngl i had so much fun with the meta

[levmada]

*this doesn’t need to be read as a ship post

just thinking again about how Erwin and Levi in the manga are pictured to have crossed paths as children when that can’t be possible - as no regrets was definitely the first time they met. and during no regrets was also the first time Levi went aboveground.

i don’t think it’s a timeloop. it can’t be coincidental, i REALLY think that. because Levi is apparently there for the question Erwin asked his father that altered the course of his life.

i’m pretty certain isayama discussed this before in an interview (i might rb with proof later is someone is interested), but anyway, in the grand scheme of their lives Erwin and Levi really knew each other in a short length of time (6ish years?).

and by the way kid!erwin is portrayed and his seeming detachment emotionally in general?—he was probably a lonely kid. always had his head in a book, obviously, and felt alienated due to his attitude towards learning about their world versus others.

(and, Erwin was alone at his father’s funeral. rip.)

but so you see, Levi’s presence is so intertwined with his goals and dreams of the outside world, not only because Erwin believes they can’t ever achieve those goals and dreams without Levi’s strength, but also because Erwin trusts Levi; as in Levi is the only person *from the point they met at least* he trusts in not only so much of a personal way, but Levi is the only person Erwin fully trusts. we don’t ever see Erwin nearly as relaxed with anyone as much as Levi (for instance, the scene when Erwin woke up from his coma).

and because of their close relationship, for a lonely person like Erwin looking back at his memories, it would make complete sense in my mind that he would subconsciously mis-remember Levi being there because, well, he wanted him to be there, because Levi trusts and supports him, and Erwin relies on Levi in many ways (“the last bastion of erwin’s humanity” hello. “i really rely on you, levi” hi.)

i think the way it’s stylized in the s3 intro supports my theory. it doesn’t look… as though it’s a plot thing that happened like EMA’s parts of the intro are. seeing how s3 also delves into Levi’s and Erwin’s pasts (no hange though😔), that gives me double reason to believe them walking past each other is more of an analogy, and how close they are.

plus. i think it’s easier for Erwin to rationalize his guilt and immorality if, with Levi’s presence, his life that followed feels like it was all “a part of his plan”.

#i’m so half asleep rn but i just thought of this again #erwin smith #erwin aot #character analysis #aot manga #snk erwin smith #eruri aot

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

the aforepromised AOT analysis taken from my too-long tags:

There are certain characters who - had they been introduced as protagonists rather than villains - would have been beloved by their strongest haters. not because those haters would’ve excused their actions, but because their victimhood would’ve been the first thought, and not the afterthought. i am speaking of the Warriors once again. i feel it is important to note that, while Reiner may have had the mental breakdown, they were all raised under dysfunctional - perhaps traumatic - circumstances before they ever joined the Warrior program. especially Annie. holy crap let’s look at Annie for a second.

> born outside the internment zone. > discovered to be half-Eldian. promptly abandoned to the internment zone. > found by a bitter opportunist who abuses her from infancy into becoming the perfect human weapon. > one day, she cracks and beats him so badly she permanently cripples him. this makes him HAPPY because it means he’d succeeded. super normal response. > she is enlisted into the child soldiers program where the brainwashing gets cranked up x3000. she makes no friends and kills critters for...leisure? existential dread? > is forced to EAT A PERSON at 11 years old. at which point she knows she will die in 13 years. > is sent on a deadly mission at 11 YEARS OLD to eat MORE PEOPLE. as she’s leaving, her ‘father’ repents and begs her to come back. crying, she instantly forgives him, because obviously she is a child and this is the only parent she has ever known or wanted. but now she HAS to complete the mission because if she FAILS, she gets EATEN and her father gets KILLED. > on the mission, Annie watches as their leader (also a child) gets EATEN. she lashes out against Reiner in exactly the same brutal way she did her father. > when she tries to quit the operation, Reiner strangles her into submission. > Improvising without Marcel, Annie then transports Reiner and Bertholdt all the way to the Wall, at which point, she passes out from sheer exhaustion, and entirely misses Reiner and Bertholdt committing what is essentially a terrorist attack the likes of which we have never seen. an act of war and a mass slaughter.

> then, Annie assimilates into this society of monstrous devils who, to her horror, turn out to be merely frightened people. (this is the first place she makes a friend in her entire short life.) > Annie proceeds to complete ALL the mission reconnaissance herself, until she accidentally reveals her face to Kenny Ackerman. she tries to persuade Reiner to take the intel she’s acquired back to Marley, but he insists they must complete the mission if they want to live. > so, at age 15, Reiner & Bertholdt REPEAT the initial slaughter. > after Annie rescues Connie from a titan, Reiner essentially threatens to accuse her father of being a Paradis sympathizer unless she takes Marco’s 3DMG off him. > Marco begs her for mercy the whole time, and she cries as she sentences him to an agonizing death. > this is when she realizes Reiner has lost his mind. and maybe she will, too. > it falls to her to capture the Attack Titan. if she can do so, she will be allowed to return to her father. she jeopardizes this mission by sparing Armin’s life, not once, but twice. > she locates Eren (her first friend, the only person who’s made her genuinely smile) and, in her Titan form, decapitates his Titan with her bare hands. > she has killed everyone in her path, but she ultimately fails to take Eren, and cries when she realizes it was all in vain. remember, she is fifteen. > she is then tricked, cornered, and exposed by the last person she would've wanted to do so. the only person who’d ever called her kind, and the very person she'd made the mistake of sparing before. > in a fight she didn’t initiate, she accidentally crushes innocent churchgoers. this the first and only time she personally kills civilians, and it horrifies her. > she fails to capture Eren again. she fails a desperate escape attempt. > crying, she self-induces an indefinite coma on the off-chance she may be able to one day return to her father, knowing she only has 9 years left to live anyway. >  is actually awake the entire time, and can hear everything being said and done around her - including the silence - for four years. she is trapped not only in the crystal, but in her own mind, with her own guilt, for four years. her peers have spent them growing acquainted with relative freedom, themselves, and the rest of the world. but she is physically and experientially still 15, never having known anything but her mission and the internment zone. > she is forcibly de-crystallized into the middle of the Apocalypse. she has 5 years left to live. her father is dead.

So I dunno, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised when she says things a psychopath would say. maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that she single-mindedly clings to the one piece of human affection her 11-year old mind internalized. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised when she behaves erratically or brutally while still seeming like a child at times. by all accounts, she ought to be way more messed up than she is. but Armin was right. in spite of her upbringing, in spite of her brainwashing, in spite of her mission, in spite of the world, Annie wants to be a kind person.

#- HK #I"m just saying if Annie had been the main character we'd be like 'first of all this is way too depressing to be entertainment' #'and second of all if anything happened to her I would kill everyone in this room and then myself' #AOT #Annie Leonhardt #SNK #analysis #x #SNK spoilers #(not manga spoilers so nobody @ me. I be knowin) #can i just say Armin's face when she agrees to his duplicitous request wholly on the basis of his good opinion? hurts my feelings #he straight up did not expect her to think highly of him at all. mission failed successfully.