LADS

MDNI Random thoughts of a Levi shipper. Banner image: Levi Ackerman with OC: By Lis Ackerman @hilu.art on Instagram. Used with permission. https://x.com/LeviAckermanDS There is no right or wrong way to write about a character. My opinions are subjective and shouldn't be taken seriously.

[levi-ackerman-ds]

AOT ANSWERS Guidebook

I will update this list as the book is translated from the German Version. I'll provide the whole context with whole pages, with nothing left out or edited. I will also include supporting pages from The Character Encyclopedia.

If you use these as a reference, please credit! Thank you!

Levi and Erwin- Tragedy and Trust

Pages 148, 149, 150, 151

Pages 152, 153

The Character Encyclopedia Pages 154-157

Kenny and Uri- Birth of Kenny

Page 78, 79, 80

[lis1985]

[scarletskiesinthepaths]

What do you think levi would be like if his mom was still alive? Like if she got to raise him, and maybe she somehow escaped prostitution with him? Sorry if someone has already asked this or you dont like answering this question lol.

Hi anon, thank you so much for this question—and for your patience! I'm sorry it's taken me an eternity to answer; I’ve had this message in my inbox for many months and truly didn't mean to leave you hanging. I hope you're still around to read my response! And, please don't worry, I actually love this question, lol.

This is a challenging question because Levi is so profoundly shaped by his grief and trauma. That’s not to say he is his trauma (he isn’t defined solely by what happened to him), but it’s clear that our life experiences, especially severe hardships, play an enormous role in forming who we become. Memories and experiences shape our worldview, our coping skills, and our sense of self. Yet, Attack on Titan also shows how innate character traits matter, and Levi stands out as a prime example—particularly as a foil to Eren, who repeatedly insists he was “born” the way he was. In contrast, Levi’s innately good nature shines through, even when he’s compelled by circumstance to act violently. Or even when his violence as one of his flaws is highlighted.

So, when asking how Levi might have turned out if Kuchel had lived and raised him, the core of the question becomes this: how much of Levi’s personality is innate, and how much is shaped by the instability and loss that marked his early life? Put differently, if his basic needs had been met by a loving, stable caregiver, would his protective instincts and kindness have emerged in less violent, less self-destructive ways? What was always within Levi, and what did the world force upon him?

Levi's Self-Esteem

Throughout the series, Levi often displays signs of low self-esteem. When kids gush over “Humanity’s Strongest,” Levi’s flat affect and “somebody please shut up these goddamned brats” quote read as a rejection of hero worship and a reflex to deflect admiration. It demonstrates a discomfort with praise.

Special Chapter: "Captain Levi"

In the "Uprising" arc, Levi calls himself “not normal… an aberrant person,” useful because he can “respond faster than anyone” in abnormal circumstances—framing his value in terms of utility rather than inherent worth  (Ch. 56).

Chapter 56: "Role"

In the "Female Titan" arc, he redirects credit to the backup squad who bought them time with their lives, an instinctive self-effacement that centers others’ sacrifice over his own contribution. This implies an inclination to minimize his own achievements.

Chapter 26: "The Expedient Path"

In the lead-up to the final battle, Levi stated, “If I sleep longer than this, you’ll just forget about me.” That lands like a fear that he only matters if he keeps performing.

Chapter 132: "The Wings of Freedom"

These beats reflect a broader pattern in canon: Levi often talks as if “all I can do is fight,” treats a better life as unattainable for someone like him (in "ACWNR"), and rarely takes pride in heroics. He acts like a man doing grim necessities, not a hero basking in them.

This subdued sense of value is a hallmark of someone who never received stable affirmation growing up and had to rely solely on survival skills. It also connects to how Isayama himself described Levi and his role:

In order to reach the standard of being a “Humanity’s Strongest”, one has to pay unusual efforts. One will not flinch even to the extent of destructing oneself in order to achieve the goal. So the dark circles under Levi’s eyes are the proofs of his sacrificial performance. (source)

Nature vs. Nurture

Levi is both extraordinarily kind and ruthlessly violent. On one hand, he commits extreme acts of brutality: his takedown of Kenny’s squad during the "Uprising" arc (Ch. 58) shows that he can—and will—kill quickly if the situation demands it. He’s also relentless in battle, as we see in his scuffle with the Female Titan (Ch. 30) and his battles against the Beast Titan (Ch. 81, 112). These moments highlight his capacity for lethal force.

Yet Levi is not inherently violent by nature. His childhood circumstances forced him into that role: growing up in the Underground meant that survival required fighting, and Kenny modeled aggression as the appropriate way to solve problems.

Chapter 69: “Friend”

As an adult, this learned violence sometimes spills over into flaws—such as when he manhandles Historia, or when he threatens Annie and Zeke. These are moments where his instinctive reliance on coercion or intimidation becomes a shortcoming.

Chapter 56: “Role”

At the same time, Levi’s innately good nature is undeniable. Compassion was never modeled for him—Kuchel died when he was very young, Levi barely remembering her, and Kenny offered no warmth—yet Levi demonstrates compassion again and again throughout the series.

He honors fallen comrades, quietly tends to his squad, and shoulders pain to protect others.

His kindness, Erwin noted, is part of what inspires loyalty:

Erwin: He just has a rude attitude…but he cherishes his comrades’ life more than anyone else. His reputation cannot be established based on strength alone, Humans can subconsciously detect how much concern others have for them… and when they notice this kindness, it inspires power (AU Smartpass - Erwin & Levi Close-Up Interview Part 2)

From a psychological perspective, attachment theory helps explain Levi’s guarded demeanor. As a child growing up in the Underground, he met all of the risk factors for reactive attachment disorder (RAD).

DSM-5-TR, American Psychiatric Association

Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) in brief

RAD is a childhood disorder that arises after extremes of insufficient care early in life. Core features (DSM-5-TR) include:

Inhibited, emotionally withdrawn behavior toward caregivers (rarely seeks or responds to comfort when distressed).

Persistent social/emotional disturbance (limited positive affect; minimal responsiveness; episodes of unexplained irritability/sadness/fearfulness even in nonthreatening interactions).

History of neglect/deprivation, repeated caregiver changes, or rearing in atypical settings that severely limit opportunities to form selective attachments.

Onset is before age 5, with developmental age of at least 9 months.

Importantly, RAD is a childhood diagnosis. In adults, we don’t diagnose RAD; instead, we discuss long-term attachment patterns (e.g., secure vs. insecure) that can follow from early deprivation.

Levi’s childhood risk factors (why he was “high-risk” for RAD)

Canon gives Levi a cluster of adversities that map closely onto RAD risk conditions:

Loss of primary caregiver very early: Kuchel dies when Levi is still a small child—based on "Bad Boy" age estimates, he was likely age 4 when Kuchel died.

Extreme poverty & unsafe environment: the Underground entails chronic scarcity (food, shelter, medical care) and constant threat—classic conditions that derail secure attachment and emotional regulation.

Replacement caregiver with low sensitivity/instability: Kenny provides sporadic, instrumental care, models aggression as problem-solving, and offers little warmth.

Minimal opportunities for selective, consistent attachment: instability, hunger, and violence leave little space for comfort-seeking to be reliably met with comfort.

Chronic stress/trauma exposure: malnutrition, violence, and grief during sensitive windows of neural and social development.

Taken together, these are textbook insufficient-care conditions. While the manga doesn’t depict toddler-age attachment behaviors in detail (so we can’t say he had RAD), it’s fair to argue Levi was high-risk for it.

How childhood RAD risk often shows up later: insecure attachment in adulthood

Even though RAD isn’t diagnosed in adults, children with severe early deprivation often develop insecure attachment styles later. There are three insecure attachment styles:

Anxious/Ambivalent (Childhood) > Anxious-Preoccupied (Adulthood)

Anxious/Avoidant (Childhood) > Avoidant-Dismissive (Adulthood)

Disorganized (Childhood) > Fearful-Avoidant (Adulthood)

(Yes, how many different names they go by is confusing, lol)

The most common adult insecure attachment styles following a diagnosis of RAD in childhood are avoidant-dismissive and fearful-avoidant (anxious-preoccupied is most common following a diagnosis of disinhibited social engagement disorder, a different childhood attachment disorder).

Levi's Attachment Style

In Levi, you can read a fearful-avoidant attachment style.

This pattern combines high attachment anxiety—craving closeness, fearing loss—with high avoidance—distrusting dependence. It often develops after inconsistent or frightening caregiving and plays out in approach–withdraw cycles: the person longs for connection but expects harm or rejection, so they manage vulnerability through distance, control, or hyper-competence.

As the Attachment Project notes, people with this style “deeply want connection but are also terrified of it.” Levi embodies this paradox. He forms strong loyalties—most notably to Erwin, Hange, and his squad—yet keeps emotional distance, rarely allowing others to see his vulnerability. Isayama himself noted:

Interviewer: So…so that’s the situation…(Shock) Levi keeping his distance from most people, and avoiding in-depth relationships - that’s also because he takes his power into account? Isayama: It’s likely because he is afraid of forming close relationships. Because he exists in a world where one can be eaten by a Titan at any time, he consistently avoids building “family”-like connections with others. (2016 Answers Fanbook)

And crucially, it’s implied in canon that Levi didn’t make his first friends until his young adulthood. The AoT ACWNR visual novel (not to be mistaken for the ACWNR manga)—which I generally don’t like, but is the most direct information we have—states outright:

“From the time he was born until now, Levi had not really been able to make any friends on his own—however, Furlan and Isabel were perhaps the first people who he could truly call ‘friends.’”

This detail reinforces a fearful-avoidant reading of Levi’s attachment style. It suggests that his long isolation wasn’t only circumstantial, but also psychological: a deep fear of loss or abandonment, likely compounded by Kenny’s own abandonment of him. That mix of yearning for closeness yet holding back out of fear is exactly what defines fearful-avoidant attachment.

Another hallmark of fearful-avoidant attachment is oscillating between seeking intimacy and withdrawing. Levi can act warmly or protectively, but then step back, deflect praise, or erect barriers. His pattern of connecting deeply but cautiously reflects that tension. It's notable that one of the primary ways he demonstrates closeness is by engaging in playful insults, like with Erwin or Hange.

Additionally, people with fearful-avoidant attachment may dissociate from uncomfortable emotions or swing between over-disclosure and retreat. Levi fits this pattern: most of the time, he has a flat affect, suppressing or isolating his suffering. Yet he also shows extremes—explosive anger, like when he manhandles Historia during the "Uprising" arc. And while he kept his childhood private for most of canon, he suddenly trauma-dumped his past to Gabi and Falco in “Bad Boy”. That mix of suppression and abrupt disclosure mirrors the push-pull dynamic of fearful-avoidant attachment.

In the Kuchel-lives scenario, a steadier, nurturing base would likely nudge him toward greater security, letting the same protective instincts express with less distance and self-erasure.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs also sheds light on Levi’s circumstances. Early in his life, he had to struggle for even the most basic physiological needs like food and safety. If you’re constantly fighting for your next meal, psychological needs like esteem or self-actualization are hard to prioritize. This might explain Levi’s low self-worth—he never had the chance to develop healthy self-esteem when all energy was directed toward mere survival. Had Kuchel survived and removed him from this environment, Levi likely would have had more of his foundational needs met. A stable home, plus a mother’s love, would foster secure attachment, healthier coping mechanisms, and more self-assurance, potentially letting his innate kindness flourish without such reliance on violence.

If Kuchel Had Lived

So, how would Levi differ if Kuchel had escaped prostitution and raised him in a safer environment? Levi’s nature—loyalty, protectiveness, empathy—would still be there. With nurture providing:

Secure Attachment: Providing a consistent source of emotional support, reducing his guardedness.

Basic Needs Met: Access to consistent food, shelter, and safety, freeing him from the desperate scramble for survival. Would have allowed him greater opportunity to develop friendships during his adolescence and build a healthier self-esteem.

Positive Role Model: Instead of learning violence from Kenny, he might have learned affirmation and conflict resolution from a maternal figure.

Levi would still likely be reserved—some elements of personality are innate—but he wouldn’t equate his only “worth” with combat ability. More importantly, without violence being modeled as the primary way to solve problems, his protective instincts could have manifested in gentler forms. His innate compassion, which already shines through despite everything, would have been allowed to flourish without being held back by the violent habits his childhood instilled.

Other aspects of Levi would probably remain unchanged. His love of tea, for example, seems to trace back to Kuchel, and would likely still have become one of his defining comforts. Likewise, Levi would almost certainly remain short—he’s short even in canon alternate universes like the School Castes AU, and Isayama has mentioned that Levi’s father was also short. Since Levi’s canonical height (5’3”) is listed as slightly shorter than Kuchel’s, he might still have ended up small in stature, though with better nutrition and more sunlight he could plausibly have grown an inch or two taller (perhaps 5’4” or 5’5”).

His sleep, however, might have looked very different. In canon, Levi’s sleep is notoriously poor—he often appears exhausted, with the “dark circles” under his eyes explicitly linked to his sacrificial efforts. But growing up in the Underground, cut off from natural light, likely disrupted his circadian rhythm. A lack of exposure to sunlight often results in sleep disorders, such as non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, which may explain why Levi struggles so much with rest in canon. In a world where Kuchel raised him above ground, with natural light and less trauma, Levi might have had a healthier sleep cycle, one more in line with human rhythms rather than the severe insomnia we see in the manga.

In that alternate life, Levi’s kindness would not have had to coexist in constant tension with brutality. Instead, it could have been expressed openly, without fear, and without the lifelong scars of deprivation and violence.

[scarletskiesinthepaths]

(Tags via @bitchymanlet)

Oh absolutely, I agree with you! These are excellent points. My original post assumed a “best case” scenario—Kuchel survives, escapes the Underground, and actually has the resources and stability to meet Levi’s emotional needs. Under that version, he’d have a much better chance of developing secure attachment. But if she survived without escaping poverty, or if her own trauma left her too depleted, then it’s very possible Levi would still have ended up with an insecure style.

This is where adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are a useful framework. To put it simply, the ACEs framework catalogs common childhood adversities and shows how exposure to multiple categories correlates with negative outcomes in mental, emotional, and physical health later in life. A person’s ACE score is simply the number of categories they’ve experienced. The higher the score, the greater the risk for insecure attachment, chronic stress, and later problems like depression or PTSD. For example, this is a basic questionnaire that demonstrates how an ACE score is calculated:

For Levi, in canon, his ACE score is already extremely high: parental loss, neglect, poverty, exposure to violence, and household dysfunction. Even if Kuchel had survived, unless she managed to remove him from the Underground and provide consistent stability, his ACE score would have remained elevated.

Levi’s ACE Score:

Abuse

X Physical abuse (violent environment, harsh discipline modeled by Kenny)

X Emotional abuse (neglect, hostility, lack of affirmation)

(Sexual abuse not depicted in canon)

Neglect

X Emotional neglect (no consistent caregiver after Kuchel’s death, little warmth)

X Physical neglect (malnutrition, unsafe housing, lack of medical care)

Household Dysfunction

X Loss of a parent (Kuchel’s death when Levi was ~4)

X Caregiver abandonment (Kenny leaving after inconsistent caregiving)

X Household violence (routine exposure to gangs, weapons, death in the Underground)

X Household trauma/mental health issues (not explicit, but implied instability)

Community/Environmental Stressors (not in the original 10-item ACE scale, but strongly associated in research)

X Chronic poverty & hunger

X Living in a violent neighborhood

X Social marginalization (Underground residents treated as disposable)

Estimated ACE Score: 6–8+

(Depending on interpretation, Levi’s ACE score is very high—which research links to higher risk for insecure attachment, PTSD, and chronic stress responses later in life.)

This tally makes clear that Kuchel’s survival alone wouldn’t automatically guarantee Levi a secure start. If she remained trapped in poverty and ongoing danger, many of these ACEs would still apply. Only if her survival also meant escape from the Underground and the ability to consistently meet his emotional needs would Levi’s ACE score —and thus his developmental risk—meaningfully decrease.

Risk and Protective Factors:

The CDC emphasizes that ACEs don’t occur in a vacuum: outcomes are shaped by risk factors (conditions that increase the likelihood of adversity) and protective factors (conditions that buffer against it).

Risk factors in Levi’s case:

Family poverty and chronic scarcity

Caregiver trauma or stress (Kuchel’s own exploitation and stigma)

Inconsistent caregiving (Kenny)

Community violence, crime, and lack of safe housing

Social marginalization of the Underground

Household instability (frequent upheaval, no reliable routines)

Protective factors that could have helped if Kuchel survived:

A safe, stable, nurturing relationship with her (predictable affection and co-regulation)

Consistent access to food, shelter, and health care

Healthy conflict resolution and parental sensitivity

Supportive relationships outside the family (mentors, trustworthy adults)

Community resources (schools, safe neighborhoods, social support networks)

Norms that reject violence and support social cohesion

Even if Kuchel had survived, if she and Levi remained trapped in the Underground, many of those ACEs would still apply. He might still grow up with food insecurity, unsafe housing, and constant exposure to violence, all of which increase the risk of insecure attachment. A “low ACE score” environment is what allows attachment to trend secure—and Kuchel surviving wouldn’t automatically lower his ACE score unless other circumstances also changed.

And then there’s Kuchel herself. As you said, she wouldn’t automatically be a “bad mom” like Kenny, but her own trauma matters. Parents who love their children deeply can still be too stressed, traumatized, or overworked to provide the emotional responsiveness kids need. Kuchel’s life in canon is marked by exploitation, poverty, stigma, and exhaustion. Even if she tried to be present, without support or systemic resources, her own depleted state could have limited how much attunement she could offer Levi day to day. That doesn’t mean she would neglect him deliberately, but it means her survival stress might get in the way of consistently meeting his higher emotional needs.

Temperament: Thomas & Chess’ Lens

Which brings us to the other point you raised. Beyond ACEs, temperament matters. Thomas and Chess’ research (the New York Longitudinal Study) (it’s difficult to find a non-paywalled link to their research, but here’s a page where you can read a bit about it) identified nine traits of temperament, such as adaptability, intensity, mood, persistence, and approach/withdrawal, and grouped children into broad categories: “easy,” “difficult,” and “slow-to-warm-up.” Their research also highlighted goodness-of-fit: outcomes depend not just on temperament but on how well the caregiving environment meets the child’s innate needs.

Levi, from what we know, likely falls into the “difficult” or “slow-to-warm-up” category: emotionally intense, persistent, deeply sensitive, and cautious in forming new relationships. A child like this thrives when caregivers offer consistent, patient, emotionally-attuned support. In that case, his intensity becomes determination, his sensitivity becomes empathy, his caution becomes discernment. But, without that level of caregiving, those same traits increase vulnerability to insecurity, fear, and withdrawal.

This is why two children in the “same” environment can diverge. An “easy” child might weather poverty with relative security, while a sensitive child like Levi could develop insecurity if their heightened needs weren’t met. Kuchel’s survival would not automatically guarantee security; it would hinge on whether her circumstances and her own trauma allowed her to consistently provide the level of sensitivity Levi’s temperament required.

—

So yeah, I think you’re right on the money. I think we end up with a nuanced conclusion. If Kuchel had survived and been able to escape poverty, provide stability, and consistently meet his emotional needs, Levi’s temperament might have allowed him to thrive securely, with his compassion shining without the violent reflexes we see in canon. But if she had survived without escaping poverty, or if her own trauma had left her too depleted, Levi’s high ACE score and sensitive temperament would likely still have pushed him toward insecurity.

Either way, the Levi we know—loyal, principled, and compassionate—would still be Levi. But whether those traits came through guarded by hyper-vigilance and violence, or softened by stability and nurturance, depends on the interaction of three forces: his ACE score, Kuchel’s caregiving capacity, and his temperament as a sensitive, slow-to-warm-up child.

Anyway, thank you so much for your tags! Lol. They allowed me the opportunity to elaborate on points I wanted to discuss in the original post but didn’t know how to fit in directly.

[littletigerburningbright]

Levi is What Historia Pretended to Be

One of the things that the fairly prevalent claims I see about Levi "forcing" Historia to become Queen, or "forcing" her to accept eating Zeke, or just the general complaints I see about how Levi "treated" Historia, gets me to thinking is how Levi is everything Historia only pretended to be.

When we first meet Historia, she's going by the name Krista, and she presents a personality and image which, on its surface, appears to be exceptionally selfless and compassionate. She's constantly asking after others, going out of her way to inquire as to their well-being, standing up for them and seemingly sacrificing her own comfort and self-interest to their benefit. But, in the same way we eventually learn that Krista isn't her real name, we also come to find that Historia's personality is just as much a facade as her false name. We get our first exposure of the selfish and self-serving girl underneath during the scene between her and Ymir, during their training exercise through the mountains in winter, when Ymir calls Historia out for her secretly selfish behavior. Historia tells Ymir to go ahead by herself to base camp, while she carries Daz by herself, and Ymir points out that if Historia really wanted to save Daz, she would have asked Ymir for help, since Ymir was stronger, and thus had a greater chance of saving Daz than herself. But she doesn't ask for help, because she wants Ymir to tell people about about her selfless, final act, sacrificing her life to save another's. Here we see exposed for the first time Historia's willingness to sacrifice others for her own, selfish gain. She pretends to want to save Daz's life, but in reality, she sees him as an acceptable sacrifice for her own glorification.

Of course, this is all wrapped up in Historia's childhood trauma and the feelings of rejection she faced from her mother, tied in with what Frieda told her about how to ingratiate herself to others by being a "good person". But the fact remains, Historia is exceedingly selfish, and we get our first glimpse of that selfishness here. Something that she herself at last admits to in the scene with Eren, in the underground cavern beneath the Reiss family compound. She calls herself "the worst girl in the world" as she finally casts off all pretense in trying to win her family's approval and love, rejecting her father's offer and embracing her own, selfish desires. She tells Eren that she doesn't care if all of humanity perishes, something that we come to realize is foreshadowing, when Historia's selfishness culminates in her standing by and doing nothing to stop Eren's genocidal plans, simply because it allows her to continue living.

I think Historia and Levi are a perfect study in contrast precisely because there are some similarities between the two of them in terms of their childhood's and trauma.

Both experienced abandonment and rejection as children. Historia by her mother, Levi by Kenny. Both, I think, suffer from fear of abandonment and this pervasive sense within them that they were abandoned due to some lacking quality in themselves. We see this with Levi in him questioning Kenny about why he left him, and later, in his comment to Armin about how if he sleep's any longer than he already has, they'll all forget he even exists. We see how both Levi and Historia's sense of self-worth is wrapped up in this idea of being useful to others. How their lives will only be of worth if they're able to somehow be of benefit to others.

But while Historia's abandonment issues manifested in her pretending to be a good and selfless person who, in truth, only "helped" others so long as it benefited her somehow, and who's selfless acts served as cover for her self-serving desire to be accepted and loved, Levi's selflessness was never an act, and his desire to help others was never rooted in some secret scheme to get others to like or accept him. While Levi might feel he's of no worth to others unless he's useful to them in some way, that was never the actual motivation behind his selfless actions, never the motivating drive. I think Levi's low sense of self-worth, in fact, only serves to highlight the genuine quality of his selflessness, because he never uses his actions to win himself praise, even as, surely, he feels bereft of love or acceptance, the same as Historia.

I think this is most clearly demonstrated by the fact that Levi, in sharp contrast to Historia, never engaged in behavior that was designed to ingratiate him to others, and in fact, is markedly the opposite of that, often behaving in ways that serve only to win him people's ire and, at times, even repulses people from him. People see Levi as rude and cold-hearted and without feeling. They see him as uncharismatic and crude, and often display lowly opinions of him, or even disappointment upon meeting him. Zeke even comments on this, accusing Levi of being "unpopular" because of his blunt assertions about what sort of person Zeke is, accusing him of being a "know-it-all". We see other soldiers accuse Levi of being heartless, accuse him of getting other scouts killed, accuse him of being insane and a bad person, and Levi never fights these accusations, never defends himself. He accepts all of this criticism without complaint or personal offense, and without ever trying to convince anyone otherwise about his character. He's never tries to convince anyone he's a good person.

Where Historia had pretty much made an art of ingratiating herself to others, of wearing a mask of humility and generosity and kindness, fooling people into believing her to be all of those things, Levi has never been able to do the same, and further, he never tried, because, unlike Historia, whether he was well-liked or not was never something that mattered to him. It was never the underlying motivation of his selflessness or compassion. It doesn't matter to him what people think of him. What actually matters to him is helping them.

The fundamental difference between the two, then, is that Historia's selflessness was always an act, always a ruse to win her approval and acceptance, whereas Levi's selflessness always just was what it appeared to be. Actual selflessness, acts committed for no reason beyond the benefit they would have for others.

And we see that fundamental difference between the two demonstrated, also, by the fact that Historia is willing to let harm befall others, particularly, other people who never did her any harm or posed her any threat, so long as it benefits her in some way, (i.e. Daz, and the entire human population on earth) while Levi has never been willing to let harm befall anyone for any sort of self-gain, again, particularly, anyone who wasn't already threatening his life or the lives of others, and, in fact, often sacrifices his own well-being for the benefit of others.

It's just amusing to me how often people will criticize Levi for being "mean" to Historia, or how many people make the false claim that Levi forced Historia into any sort of position or burden that she hadn't already committed herself to previously, because Levi is everything Historia only ever pretended to be. He's selfless to an extreme fault, not only not seeking recognition or acknowledgment for his selfless acts, but outright rejecting it when he does receive it (i.e. Erwin trying to thank him for helping capture the Female Titan, Hitch trying to accuse Levi of thinking he's a hero, his disdain for his title as "Humanity's Strongest"). His compassion is such that he'll sacrifice his own comfort and peace of mind if it means easing the burden placed on the shoulders of others (letting Erwin die, giving Petra's patch to Dieter, torturing Sannes, killing for the sake of saving others lives...), his belief in the worth of other people's lives so powerful, that he actively seeks ways to ensure those lives are proven to have value by imbuing their loss with meaning, and is absolutely unable to abide the thought of anyone dying a meaningless death, his care for his comrades so immense, that he would destroy his own body to protect theirs. He has no dreams of his own, but instead dedicates himself fully to the dreams of others, fighting with all his strength toward that end, not to win acceptance or praise, but simply for the fact that he feels it's his obligation to help, a sense of obligation born out of a deep, inborn compassion.

Historia was always purely motivated by people liking her and seeing her as "good", her altruistic behavior and actions designed to garner her that image and acceptance, never out of any, genuine desire to help, and we see that core truth about her eventually manifest in her willingness to let so many innocent people die for her own life.

Levi, by contrast, was always okay with people hating him, with people thinking he's a lunatic or a monster, as long as it meant those same people would be okay, would be protected from having to experience the same horrors he had.

[littletigerburningbright]

Levi and Zeke and the Way "Bad Boy" Demonstrates How Empathy Can Overcome Hardship:

One other point I want to make about how “Bad Boy” demonstrates Levi’s inherent goodness is by comparing what we realize is Levi’s single, good remembered experience with his mother, to Zeke’s own, multiple good experiences growing up, and how through their responses to those experiences, and through their divergent outcomes, we once again see the prevailing of nature over nurture in the world of “Attack on Titan”.

Zeke had numerous, clear and solid memories of being loved and cared for, both by Mr. Ksavar and by his grandparents.  He had the love of Mr. Ksavar in his life into his late teens, and of his grandparents throughout his entire adulthood.  Mr. Ksavar would play catch with Zeke and spend quality time with him just for the pleasure of his company and because he cared about Zeke’s well-being.  And we see Zeke’s grandparents overjoyed at Zeke’s safe return from Marley’s war with the East, greeting him upon reentering Liberio, plainly relieved.  They clearly loved him deeply.  It's interesting to note, though, how Zeke could never see it. He was blind to it, and dismissive of it, because Zeke was always filled with this bitter hate, too wrapped up in his anger toward Grisha to notice he was loved by others all along, too addicted to his resentment to appreciate and cherish the love he had.  He rather chose to believe he was unwanted and uncared for, giving in to the world’s cruelty because he was always cruel himself. 

Levi, by contrast, had no clear or solid memory of his mother.  All Levi had was a vague impression of her beauty.  Of her elegance.  A single memory from early childhood of them sharing tea together, and her smiling at him. We know it's only a vague impression that remains of her, because Levi says so, that the only thing he remembers clearly of her is her elegance, and also through the fact that, from Levi's perspective, we never see a fully clear shot of Kuchel's face.  And yet, despite the obvious hardship of their lives together, the poverty and despair and deprivation, the filth of their surroundings and the hopelessness of their circumstances, and despite his final experience with his mother being one of pointless death and suffering, he remembered her with great fondness, and fought to preserve her in his memory.  He held on to his one, good memory of her with fierce dedication and cherished it with all his heart, even romanticized it in his mind as being better than it surely was.  Because Levi was always filled with kindness and compassion and gratitude, and always believed in those things, in spite of the suffering in his life.  He even rebelled against the ugliness of the world by refusing to give up his one, good memory to it.  He refused to give in to the world’s cruelty because he was always a good person.

And yet, it’s clear to me that that fleeting image of kindness from his mother wouldn't have been enough to overcome the years of cruelty, abuse and violence Levi was subjected to afterward unless Levi himself was already predisposed to being kind and compassionate. If he wasn’t simply naturally empathetic.

Levi’s childhood, I think, is meant to be directly contrasted with Zeke’s in particular.

Levi had a worse life than Zeke, and a worse childhood, by far, and yet, he remained a good man.

Zeke, by comparison, became an ever-increasingly bad man.

"Bad Boy" in many ways demonstrates to us how one’s nature, ultimately, is what decides who we are, not our environment, and also, I believe, how empathy, and the presence of empathy in our hearts, is what ultimately makes us strong, not weak.

Our environment can serve as a trigger for certain aspects of our natures and personalities coming out and manifesting, but it's never the root cause. It’s never the thing that creates those aspects of our personality.  Those things have to be inborn.  We have to have a predisposition to developing them.  The same as how certain people are more predisposed to developing certain diseases than others.

It was Levi's inborn nature that allowed him to overcome the brutality of his childhood. An inborn strength, rooted in his inborn empathy.

Anyone who thinks Levi is weak for having been a victim, and for continuing to be impacted by the abuse he suffered, completely misses the entire point of this story. It's Levi's empathy that makes him strong. And yes, his sensitivity of heart makes him such that he's deeply impacted by and affected by his traumas. And yet, that in itself is the symbol of his strength. It's exactly because Levi is still impacted and still suffers the trauma of what he went through as a child, but in spite of that, continues to be the kindest, most compassionate character in the story, that marks him out as "humanity's strongest". It was always his heart that earned him that title, not his physical ability. That's what this story is, at it's center, actually about.

In contrast, we see demonstrated for us Zeke’s weakness.

Zeke allowed his childhood experiences to bring out his own, inherent cruelty. Zeke gave in to the cruel circumstances of his upbringing because of an inborn lack of empathy, and an inborn narcissism.

After all, one of the defining traits of narcissism is a lack of empathy.

"Bad Boy" demonstrates in the most stark terms a direct contrast between Levi’s childhood and Zeke’s, as well as Levi’s and Eren’s, and shows us how much stronger Levi always was than either of them.

Empathy, and the importance of empathy, is one of the core themes of AoT as a whole.  So, it makes sense that the presence, or lack of it in each of these respective characters would serve to demonstrate that theme by showing us where each of them ends up as a result of either having or lacking empathy.

Through the divergence in Levi’s and Zeke’s paths, we see how it is that empathy actually makes us stronger, not weaker.  We see how those with sensitive and kind hearts are the ones with true strength.

I think we also see this contrast between Levi and Zeke in their respective views of their abusive parental figures.

For Zeke, even his perception of his mother’s and father’s treatment of him is warped by his lack of empathy.  Because, while they were certainly extremely abusive toward him, they still treated him as special and even necessary, not as unwanted or uncared for.  He hated them, and particularly, he hated Grisha, and even wanted to exact revenge on him by accomplishing the exact opposite of what Grisha fought for, by destroying the Eldian race entirely. That is, for Zeke, really the underlying, root cause of his euthanasia plan, despite what he says about wanting to end other people's suffering.  Zeke was absolutely convinced, through his self-absorption, that his parents didn’t want him, despite them never, really sending him that message, and he essentially decided to take his bitterness over that belief out on everyone else. 

This is supported, I think, by the fact that Mr. Ksavar, whom Zeke got his antinatalism philosophy from, didn’t impart that philosophy to Zeke until Zeke was nearly full-grown, well out of any truly vital, childhood developmental stage.  And Zeke’s idea to euthanize the Eldian race didn’t come from Mr. Ksavar at all.  That was entirely Zeke’s own brainchild, rooted again, I think, in his desire to get back at Grisha, by destroying what he thought was Grisha’s dream.  More important to note, still, is that before all this, Mr. Ksavar actually sent the distinct message to Zeke that his life mattered and that he was loved and wanted by telling him to turn his parents in to the authorities to save himself.  He sent Zeke the message that his life was more important than his parents, that Mr. Ksavar himself saw it as a fair exchange, Grisha’s and Dina’s lives for Zeke’s.

For Levi, despite Kenny’s abuse and eventual abandonment of him, and despite introducing brutal violence and a disdain for life into Levi’s world by exposing him to and teaching him the practice of killing other human beings for sport, Levi never actually developed any, real hatred for Kenny, and never sought to exact any sort of vengeance on him, despite the trauma he subjected him to.  And Kenny, by abandoning Levi without any explanation, truly did send Levi the message that he was unwanted. And yet, Levi never blamed Kenny for abandoning him.  He never blamed Kenny for not wanting him.  He blamed himself.  He thought it was something inherently wrong in himself that made Kenny leave, some inherent lack of worth in himself.  Despite all that, Levi still held the strong belief that the lives of others mattered.  That the lives of others were worth protecting and preserving and fighting for. 

Again, that comes down to empathy.

Levi was shown just as much as Zeke that his life was worthless; through his environment, through his upbringing, and through the people he found himself surrounded by growing up, through their treatment of him.  And we see that feeling of worthlessness in Levi demonstrated in “Bad Boy” through his plain suicidal ideation and actions. 

But we never see Levi project that sense of worthlessness onto others the way Zeke does. 

Again, because he has empathy.  Because it’s a quality he was born with.

Levi is able to see and recognize the thoughts, feelings and desires of people outside of himself.  Because he’s able to see and recognize other people as individuals, and because he doesn’t need to be able to directly relate to or see himself in people in order to respect them and acknowledge them as legitimate and real.  He doesn’t need to be able to directly relate to other people in order to connect with them.

Zeke wasn’t able to do that because Zeke never had empathy.  It was a quality he was born without.  It’s why Zeke believes so strongly that the lives of everyone are worthless.  Because he’s unable to recognize that just because he feels and believes his own life is worthless, that doesn’t make it true for others.  It’s why he’s unable to understand that his own experiences, beliefs and feelings don’t give him the right decide that for others. It's why he does project his feelings onto everyone else, and why he sees everyone else as suitable tools for enacting his revenge against Grisha.

Because he’s incapable of, and further, unwilling to see or recognizing the thoughts, feelings or desires of anyone outside himself.  Because he’s incapable of seeing them as individuals.  Because he needs to be able to recognize himself in other people in order to respect them and acknowledge them as legitimate and real. 

It’s why Eren is the only person Zeke ever pretends to love and care about, because he sees Eren as an extension of himself, as someone who went through the exact same experiences as him, and so, as the only person capable of understanding and worthy of sharing in his master plan.  It’s why, in the end, Eren was able to manipulate Zeke so easily.  Because Zeke didn’t see Eren as a real person, or as an individual outside of himself.  He couldn’t conceive of Eren having his own thoughts, feelings or desires, because to him, Eren was just an empty vessel for him to project his own thoughts, feelings and desires onto.  The same way Zeke did with everyone, in the end.

Again, that comes down to a lack of empathy.

I think all of this demonstrates the fundamental difference between Levi and Zeke, and proves beyond doubt that, though their upbringings and the environments they were raised in definitely had an impact on certain, surface-level qualities in their characters, their most essential, core selves are fully the product of their inherent natures and innate personalities. 

Levi overcame the wretched circumstances of his childhood because he always had empathy in his heart.  Because he was always innately kind and compassionate.

Zeke was unable to overcome the wretched circumstances of his childhood because he always lacked empathy.  Because he was always innately narcissistic and cruel.

[littletigerburningbright]

How Armin Represents Peace and Why, Thematically, That Made Him the Right Choice:

I think one thing that gets lost in the constant bickering over whether Armin or Erwin was the right choice during the RtS arc, among other things, is that Armin, from the start of the series, was really the greatest proponent for peace. Out of everyone, he was always trying to find non-violent resolutions to conflict, and I think what people don't understand is how Armin's commitment to peace itself represents the overarching theme of "Attack on Titan" which advocates for peace.

Everyone always gets lost in the weeds of this discussion, arguing with one another over whether Erwin would have been able to avoid the situations as they unfolded after the time skip, speculating over whether he would have been able to stop the Rumbling, whether he would have been able to stop the Yeagerist coup, whether he would have foreseen Eren's betrayal. I've spoken about this innumerable times myself, so I won't get into it here. But I think focusing on this aspect of Levi's choice really misses the point of Levi's choice, which is that, by choosing Armin, Levi essentially chose the narrative representative of peace above conflict.

Think about it. From the start, we see Armin adopt what amounts to a pacifist stance. Well before joining the Survey Corps, we see Armin refusing to fight back against his bullies, and this is contrasted directly with Eren's confused frustration, questioning Armin on why he doesn't fight back. Immediately this sets the tone between Eren's aggressive and hostile nature and Armin's pacifist and peaceful one. We're meant, in the end, to see Armin's stance as the right one, and Eren's as the wrong one. People just don't realize until the end, because Eren is the "protagonist", and so we think for a large chunk of the story that he's meant to be "the hero". Eren as much as lays this out during the argument in RtS, when he talks about how all he's ever known is how to fight, but that Armin was more than that, that he had dreams and hopes beyond the thought of fighting, beyond the idea of destroying his enemies. That he saw beauty in the world and how that made him uniquely equipped to save it.

There's countless examples of Armin's advocacy for peace, from the aforementioned way he deals with his bullies, to his, Eren's and Mikasa's first encounter with the Military Police, after Eren manifest a partial Titan husk to protect his friends, with Armin successfully talking the MP's down from killing Eren on the spot and negotiating to keep him alive. We see Armin attempt to negotiate with Annie in Trost before things go sideways, and we see him attempt the same with Bertolt in Shinganshina. And of course, in the culmination of this consistent trait, we see Armin convince Zeke to help stop the Rumbling and, afterward, talk what remains of the Marleyan forces down from slaughtering the Eldians and later going on to become an ambassador for peace, traveling to Paradis, hoping to lead the way to a lasting cessation of hostilities.

Armin was always an advocate for peace, and that's really the overarching them of "Attack on Titan". The story pushes this idea that, even when there's no chance of it succeeding, we should always strive for peace, regardless, because if we don't even try for it, then there's no hope of it succeeding at all, and we'll only ever be left in a perpetual cycle of violence and cruelty. Similarly, I think, to how the story advocates for compassion, in multiple ways, but no more so than in Levi's choice itself. And so it makes perfect, logical sense to me, how these two themes are really coupled together in Levi's single choice, how he ends up both choosing compassion over cold logic, refusing to sacrifice a single man's humanity for an ideological cause, and how he ends up choosing and believing in the hope for peace, even in the face of history's bleak insistence of the inevitability of war.

It isn't just a question of who was the better choice in terms of strategic value. It's a question of who better represented the overarching themes of "AoT", and I think, unquestionably, that person is Armin. By choosing Armin, Levi was basically saying he believed in the possibility of peace. I think that's why he says, at the end, that he has no regrets about not choosing Erwin, because he believed so much in the power of Armin's hope. He believed Armin's hope could bring about the better world that all of the Scouts had given up their lives to. Because Armin believed in that better world. More than Erwin. More than anyone, really. And I think Levi understood, in the moment he made his decision, that in order for that world to manifest into being, they needed someone who believed wholly in its possibility, the same way, I think, Levi understood that denying a suffering man compassion would only perpetuate the cycle of cruelty that had led them all to such bitter and hopeless circumstances to begin with.

Outside of any questions of pragmatism, Levi's choice was the right one because it was a choice defined by its refusal to give into the ugliness and despair which makes up so much of the human condition.

I think that's also why Armin never cast judgement on Levi the way so many others did, a kind of nonjudgmentalism, rooted in emotional intelligence, that's reflective of Levi's own. It's one of many similarities shared between Levi and Armin, this ability to empathize, and to refrain from passing judgement as a result. A willingness to understand and accept the thoughts and feelings of others. I think Armin always understood what was at the heart of Levi's actions, which was an unwavering belief in the sanctity of life, driven by an exceptional compassion, because Armin holds the same belief. It's why we see Armin be as willing and ready as Levi to dirty his own hands, to not shy away from acts of violence simply to preserve some claim of moral purity, so long as it means protecting others from having to do the same, so long as it means saving lives. Armin always understood Levi, because I think both of them have always understood that life had value without needing some great purpose to justify its existence. Subsequently, as I talk about endlessly, that's why Levi has always worked so hard to prove the deaths of his comrades had meaning, because he couldn't accept that the inherent value he saw in their lives could be snuffed out without purpose. That's a product of Levi's great belief in life's innate worth. To him, it was never acceptable or right, that something so precious could be wiped out for nothing.

That's why I find both Levi's and Armin's endings, with the both of them carrying on in their own ways, working toward that better future, still believing in life's worth and expressing that belief by continuing to live themselves, despite all the great suffering they've seen and all the great loss they've endured, to be so moving. I think, in many ways, both Levi and Armin each understand, better than anyone, the value in simply being alive. They, each of them, always fought for life fiercely, in their own, unique ways.

[ddsayu]

أحسدك على كل شيء، وعلى تلك الفتاة الصغيرة التي تعرف كل شيء؟ كلاكما سيئان مثل بعضكما، يجب عليكما قتل أنفسكما أيها الشقراوات الصغيرات!

Anon says: "You two little blondes should just kill yourselves!"

Hey Anon, how about you switch over to Facebook? There, you can find some people who will still celebrate you insinuating blondes are stupid.

Or are you envious? Wanna have blonde hair too? I can give you a link to a nice wig store, if you like^^

[levi-ackerman-ds]

Here's some advice for you, anon.

You're not getting your high school glory days back. It's time to move on.

Sorry to be the one to tell you.

If anyone is wondering, yes, this is the same anon using a translator.

[ddsayu]

why did you and levi-ackerman-ds stop following cosmicjoke (littletigerburningbright)? is it because you realized they’re a bitch?

Holy hell, Anon. If you are so bored, to read through mine and levi-ackerman-ds following list, then please do the dishes or go play fetch on the highway. And I really hope you learn soon that there is more in life then press a follow button.

[levi-ackerman-ds]

Oh lordy, this again. Hey anon, I haven't unfollowed anyone. Sorry to burst your delusional bubble. Looks like the account was deactivated. Good to see your weird behavior is still going strong, though.

[levi-ackerman-ds]

TITAN Studio - Attack on Titan Side Story Series 01 Levi

[i-am-pixxie]

I post some sexy Levi and the commissions start rolling in 🤣🤣 y'all are some thirsty bitches and I love you for it lol

[i-am-pixxie]

Full image available on my Patreon. See Bio for link. Second image... well, I just felt like being silly :)

[littletigerburningbright]

I saw @acmeangel's analysis post on this scene, which is fantastic and which everyone should read, and I was going to add my thoughts to their post, but then it got too long (as usual), and I didn't want to hijack their analysis, so I decided to just make my own, haha. This really is an important scene which essentially encapsulates the difference between Levi and Erwin and which I think ultimately showcases what makes Levi such a genuine hero.

One of the overarching messages of AoT is that we shouldn't give up our humanity in pursuit of an ideological goal. I've talked a lot about how Levi puts his trust in Erwin and admires him so much because he sees Erwin's ability to set aside his personal feelings for the greater good as a virtuous quality, one which Levi hopes to be able to one day emulate. Levi sees Erwin as superior to himself for this ability, because Levi, no matter how hard he tries, isn't ever able to do the same. He's never able to set emotion aside. He's never able to make decisions detached from emotion. He's never able to send soldiers to their deaths without it tearing him apart and creating in him a sense of conflict. He's never quite able to convince himself that the thing these soldiers are dying for, which they choose to die for, is actually worth it, which is also why he works so hard to bring their goal to fruition. He can't accept that those lives were given in vain, but the only way to ensure that they weren't is to make their dream comes true. Because to Levi, it's their lives that have value, not the cause itself.

One of Levi's most defining traits, one which makes him stand out from basically every other character in the story, is that he has no dream of his own. Rather, he carries the dreams of others, makes himself the custodian of those dreams, and dedicates himself to their realization.

When he says in this scene that a pointless death doesn't suit anyone, what he's saying is that the cause Erwin is sacrificing soldiers for has to prove itself worthy of their lives, that it has to amount to something equal in value to those lives. Because that's the thing, Levi values life above all else. He sees each, individual life as being as important as the whole of humanity, and I think that aspect of Levi's character is demonstrated fully during the RtS arc, when he makes the choice to end Erwin's suffering. People argue and claim that Levi made the wrong choice here because they don't understand the thematic significance of it, getting caught up in speculation about whether Erwin would have been able to prevent the war between Paradis and Marley, whether Erwin would have been able to stop the Rumbling, etc... By getting caught up in that, they completely miss the point of how the story wants the audience to understand the importance of not giving up our humanity for any cause. It's trying to show us, through Levi's choice, why we can't let any cause or ideological movement turn us cruel. Levi's refusal to be cruel, his refusal to throw away his humanity, is meant to be seen as a good thing, and ultimately, ironically, it's Levi's humanity and compassion that makes him a superior man to Erwin.

Erwin tries to assuage his own guilt by telling himself that the lives given were for a cause greater than any, individual life. The cause of humanity. This is a narrative he clings to until he's forced to admit to himself that what he really was after in sending all these soldiers to their deaths was his personal pursuit of knowledge, in another attempt to assuage his guilt for the death of his father. Erwin sacrifices his humanity for a goal which is self-serving, and as he's forced to contend with that reality, his guilt grows tenfold, fracturing his psyche and self-identity. But even if his every decision had been for the so-called greater good, even if he'd been 100% dedicated to his duty as Commander, he still would have been left with a sense of guilt and self-loathing for sacrificing lives to this nebulous cause, just like Hange ultimately was, because the whole point of the contrast between Levi and Erwin is to show that, in the end, Levi is the one whom the audience should strive to emulate, not Erwin.

This moment in the story is driving home the point of choosing compassion over ideology, or even duty. Levi's choice is imperative in demonstrating to us that if we sacrifice our own, personal humanity, if we give into becoming cruel and unfeeling, if we lose sight of the very thing that drove us to wanting the world to be a better place to begin with, that being our compassion and desire to end the suffering of others, no matter how justified the cause may seem, we're essentially sacrificing humanity itself. Because it's when you start becoming cruel, for any cause, that everything turns to shit, both for ourselves and the world around us. It's cruelty that leads into justification of more cruelty, which leads into justification of atrocities. Bringing Erwin back, forcing him back into that role which was tearing him apart, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, would have been purely an act of cruelty. But Levi isn't a cruel man. He's exactly the opposite. He's a man defined by his compassion and kindness. And what is AoT advocating for if not greater compassion and kindness in the face of a cruel world? It's telling us that the kind of compassion that Levi showed to Erwin in his dying moments is how we should choose to fight against the world's injustices and cruelties.

Because all the bad things that happen in AoT, essentially, happen because of a willingness to sacrifice ones humanity for ideology or for personal, selfish desires, and because it's those of us who retain our humanity and compassion, despite the cruelty of the world, and despite any supposed duty to any professed cause, that end up being able to live, as Levi says, with no regrets. This idea of sacrificing what we know is right for some abstract, nebulous goal of a better tomorrow is what leads to the destruction and corruption of our inner selves, and that, ironically, makes a better tomorrow impossible. If we become corrupted, if we allow ourselves to be lost to this idea of the greater good, in the end, it will only continue on the cycle of destruction.

Levi never sacrifices what he believes is right, never acts in any way which goes against his conscience. He never betrays his humanity. He maintains his compassion from beginning to end, and he never wavers in what he's fighting for, which, again, is every, individual life. That's what makes Levi a hero. His inability and refusal to set his personal feelings aside is, in the end, meant to be seen as the correct course. Because Levi's personal feelings have nothing to do with a dream or a goal. They have nothing to do with an ideology or movement. They aren't rooted in self-gain or greed. His sense of duty isn't to a cause, not to a country or an empire, or a sense of retribution or revenge. His duty, his obligation, is to doing what he feels, in his heart, is the right thing, what his personal feelings tell him is the right thing, no matter the situation or circumstances, no matter, even, if it turns out to have been the right choice or not. And that ties back into Levi's extraordinary compassion and empathy. It's his compassion and empathy which dictate his personal feelings of right and wrong, and his dedication to not betraying that sense is what ultimately dictates all his choices.

Levi thought of himself as a lesser man than Erwin because of this. Because of the way he wasn't able to set his personal feelings aside in the choices he made. It's why he chose to follow Erwin, because he thought it made Erwin superior to himself. But in truth, it's that quality of Levi's, that deep seated empathy, that makes him the better man. He can't detach himself from his compassion, he can't make choices without considering the consequences and impact of those choices on others, or even without making that consideration the principle factor in his choices, and that's a good thing. That's humanity. That's what makes the world a better place. By caring about how our choices affect others. That's not meant to be seen as a bad thing. Levi's kindness and empathy isn't meant to be seen as wrong.

Levi never betrays who he is, and he never betrays what he believes in, even as everyone around him does, at one point or another. That's true strength, that's true courage, that's true heroism. Someone who cares so much about people that he can't make a choice without factoring in the thoughts, feelings and desires of those people. Levi is meant to be the audience's role model, the character we're meant to want to be more like. Not Erwin. Because no matter how noble the goal we pursue, if we stop caring about each other in that pursuit, it all becomes for naught.

[levi-ackerman-ds]

Mobile Power Studio Levi

[littletigerburningbright]

For People, Not for a Dream

Everyone always wonders about this panel, and why Levi didn't include himself when talking about what all his comrades fought and died for.

The thing is, Levi was never fighting for that ideal world, or to create an ideal world.

For him, it was never about a concept or an ideology, because he never believed in the possibility of an ideal world to begin with.

Even when he gives his monologue to the 104th, during the Uprising arc, and speaks about freedom and the chance to have a world without the threat of titans, he still says that both world's are hell, just that he chooses the hell of people killing each other over the hell of being eaten by titans.

So I think to understand Levi, it's important to understand that he never cared about or was motivated by any system of belief or philosophy. He never did what he did with the goal of creating some Utopian world or society. His actions were never driven by any sort of fanaticism.

He was only ever fighting for people. To help people. Even in their ugliness and with all their faults and failings. He accepted that about people and the world; he accepted their imperfection. He never tried to change anybody, he never labored under any sort of belief that he could weed out the bad elements of society and, as a result, force a better world into existence, or a more civilized society. He wasn't blinded to the ugliness of his own actions by a sense of moral righteousness or belief in the "greater good". He never believed any set of beliefs or principles or ideology was or could be made inherently superior to any other. He never believed people could be made better than what they were. And yet he still found their lives worth protecting, along with their right to choose what to do with those lives, whether it be good or ill.

I think that's a big part of why Levi never loses sight of his own humanity, why he never becomes cruel. Because he never loses sight of what he's actually fighting for. Not an idea or a set of beliefs or a dogma. But just people, even when they're not good people.

And we see that reflected in Levi's lack of any sort of dream for himself, and in his support of other people's dreams. He's not fighting for their dreams because he believes in them or their possibility, he's fighting for their dreams because he believes in the worth ofthe people who dream them. It's the people who have worth to Levi, not the dream or the ideology behind the dream. And he hoped to prove that worth by ensuring they didn't throw their lives away for nothing. That's why he lent his strength to those dreams. It was always for the dreamers sake, not the sake of the dream itself. To show their lives mattered by helping to realize whatever it was they gave those lives for. It's why he's so determined to kill Zeke, because those soldiers in Shinganshina gave their lives for that goal. It wasn't Zeke's death that mattered, but the lives of the soldiers that died for it.

It's why he says in the above panels that if it was going to be worth the price "you all paid", it would have to be an "exhaustingly idealistic world". Nothing less than that would be worth people's lives. I think it's also why Levi's expression is one of such sadness all through the final chapters, because he knows, and always knew deep down, that that idealistic world was an impossibility. That even without titans, the world would still be a hellish place, something we see proven by the final pages of the story, with the destruction of Paradis and the continuation of war. In the end, I don't think Levi believed the outcome was worth the price his comrades paid. It wasn't worth their lives. To Levi, the concept of a "greater good" isn't worth more than any, single life.

But it's also important to remember that Levi was never the type of person to tell anyone else what to do, or what to think, or how to live, and that in itself is testament to how much he values people. The worth he sees in their lives and existence is reflected in the respect he holds for their right to choose what to do with those lives, even if that choice is to give their lives for an impossible dream.

And so that's what he fights for. Not for any sort of dream, or for the realization of an ideal world, but to help people. To help them in whatever way he can, whether that's saving their lives, protecting their right to choose how to live those lives, or supporting the dreams they believe are worth giving their lives for.

It was never for the dream itself. It was for the people who dreamed it.

[cosmicjoke-deactivated20250918]

Eren Always Wanted to Destroy the World

I think this is the moment Eren begins to conceive of his plan to act on his own and betray his comrades. He knows if he can get to Zeke, he can gain the power he needs to enact the Rumbling, to bring about the future he saw a year earlier while touching Historia's hand.

By this point, Eren had already decided he needed Zeke to carry out his plans, so his insistence here that they spend their time exploring other options is, once again, just denial on Eren's part. After all, while supposedly trying to explore other options, leading his comrades to believe he was making that attempt, he was actually plotting with Floch, Yelena and Historia to overthrow the military in Paradis and bring Zeke to the island. This is what I think Eren meant when he told Armin that he "tried" to change the future he saw. All those efforts on Eren's part amounted to just lying to himself about his own intentions. Again, he never would have seen the future he did unless it absolutely came to pass. Eren never would have seen it if he'd actually taken real action to change it. He goes with the scouts to Marley, supposedly to support their efforts at negotiation, when in reality, deep down, he always planned to abandon them and infiltrate Liberio to meet with Zeke, regardless of the trips outcome. Remember, he had this plan in place at least nine months before their trip to Marley, since by the time they get back to Paradis, Historia is heavily pregnant, so his actions weren't at all contingent on whether the scouts were able to negotiate successfully or not, despite Eren trying to tell himself so. What's more, he didn't even give the scouts a chance to try before he went MIA and forced them into a conflict. He never made any, true effort to change the course of events because, again, he always wanted this outcome.

This is Eren straight up admitting to Falco that he wasn't pushed into the course of action that he took. This is Eren admitting to Falco that what he's doing is a path of his own choosing, that he decided to escalate things to this point, that he indeed had a choice, and he chose this.

It blows me away that there are still people that claim Eren had no other choice but to do what he did, or that he somehow didn't want to do what he did. He always did, from day one. That's the point, and his entire time leading up to and his time in Marley is basically Eren struggling to accept that truth about himself, struggling to come to terms with that truth. This exchange with Reiner further drives it home:

Eren is pushing Reiner here to confirm what he already knows, which is that both of them are people who were and are willing to destroy innocent lives to get what they want. He presses Reiner to confess it by playing to his guilt, giving him an excuse for his past actions in taking so many innocent lives by telling him he was just a child who didn't know any better. Because he knew that was just what Reiner told himself leading up to his and the other warriors attacks on the walls, just like Eren's been trying to tell himself the vision of the future he saw was to protect the people of Paradis and his friends. He knew the guilt of one of his victims giving him an out would drive Reiner to confess the truth. And as predicted, Reiner breaks down and admits that truth, that he wanted to he a hero and to be respected, which is why he pushed on. Not to save the world, but to improve his own life. And that's when Eren tells him "Like I thought, I'm the same as you.". He's telling Reiner that he's also willing to push on, no matter what it costs, to get what he wants. That thing for Eren is his personal freedom. And we all know what happens next. Eren kills countless innocent civilians, including children, and drags his comrades and friends into a war none of them agreed to. He claims to care about the agency and autonomy of his comrades and friends, he tells himself that's why he's doing what he's doing, while simultaneously spending the entire last four years of his life violating that agency, lying to them, manipulating and forcing them into actions none of them chose. Even Historia is no exception to that, despite her willing complicity in Eren's actions. He used her to assuage his own guilt, by telling himself he doesn't want her to have to carry the burden of Zeke's Beast Titan, while also ignoring her initial decision to take on that burden. He says he wants to ensure his friends have a choice, while in the same breath, taking that choice away.

Eren ends this exchange with Reiner by saying "I think we were born this way.", once again confessing what he did to Falco, that this path he's on was one of his own choosing, driven by his own, personal desire. He knows the people across the sea aren't his enemies, but he's doing this anyway, he's killing them anyway, just like Reiner knew the people of Paradis weren't actual devils, and he pushed forward, too, despite that.

Eren always wanted what he chose. It wasn't a case of him being backed into a corner and having no other choice. It wasn't a case of him being forced by external forces to do something extreme to save his people. It wasn't a case of him being made to go against his own will or being too dumb to see another way out of their situation.

It was a case of Eren manipulating events, both past, present and future, to get what he wanted, which was a world devoid of humanity, and using his genuine love and care for his friends as a convenient excuse.

By the end, he runs out of excuses to make to himself, and flatly confesses that truth to his best friend in Armin.

[levi-ackerman-ds]

Mikasa: Hey, Armin? Why is it that Eren always gets so far from us?

Armin: When you put it that way, Eren has always been running off on his own and leaving us behind.

Hannes: No different from all the other times. You've always had to take care of the messes that little brat got himself into, right?

Chapter 45: The Hunters

[i-am-pixxie]

New Ackerman chapters now available to read for free on TAPAS and WEBTOONS. Links in description.

https://tapas.io/series/ACKERMAN

https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/ackerman/list?title_no=979771

[i-am-pixxie]

Why so cute, Kuchel? Why so cuuuuuuuuuuuute!