The urge to monologue is too strong…must…rate…
Deimos as Mikasa: yes 10/10. Not only do they look so much alike that I occasionally mistake Mikasa for Deimos if I’m not paying attention, but they are both quiet, deadly bladeslingers with no immediately apparent living family who cling obsessively to one jerk who was nice to them once in a moment of crisis, and eventually, reluctantly decide that his dastardly behavior must be stopped…but still don’t want him to get hurt. Originally I thought Deimos looked like Annie, though…they have the same eyes, similar attitudes, and they tend to treat large men in similar ways.
Cain as Eren: Hamlet did once draw Cain as Eren’s titan so this is a pretty natural idea. 8/10. Cain is very unlike Eren in personality and manner, but they do share certain qualities (other than stringing along Deimos/Mikasa by giving them just enough scraps that they stay but never enough to make them feel secure or wanted), such as double personalities created by being pulled into a war full of plots & intrigue that they (supposedly) never really wanted but get really into. Sometimes. They’re both very wide-eyed and respectful of authority and then go do exactly what they want anyway. They’re both pretty enthusiastic about learning hand-to-hand combat, even if they have some initial trouble with it, and they seem to like ripping faces and also genocide (come on you know Cain would wipe out the Colterons if he could). The main difference, as far as I can see, is that Cain wants to be menacing and ultimately fails, while Eren does not want to be menacing, but succeeds beyond everyone’s wildest nightmares. I almost think Cain is more like…Gabi? If Gabi were a slutty grown man instead of a brainwashed child soldier. They both like shooting things and they’re a little too full of themselves because they’ve created so much hype that they started to believe it…and then of course it pops dramatically. Ymir and Historia also remind me of what Cain and Abel could have been like if Cain hadn’t decided to act like a psycho. Look to the lesbians, Cain…no, not like that.
Abel as Armin: 2/10 no. Blond and smart and a skinny nerd, sure, but this describes 98% of the navigator population. Abel is not enough of a nerd and frankly does not have the inner steel to be Armin. For this you need superdork cinnamon roll Ethos (not pictured). Although to be honest I have trouble seeing Ethos murdering a bunch of civilians, even if it was to stop a genocide. I think the Starfighter guys just aren’t built that way and realistically they would perish en masse like Marco…but if you had to pick an Armin equivalent, it’s Ethos.
Helios as Levi: ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha well I guess they’re both orphans and grew up on the streets? And have undercuts and light-colored eyes and ambiguously twunky bodies? And some people ship them with a big tall blond guy? The resemblance ends there. That’s actually more than I thought though.
Selene as Hanji: 3/10 Smart, vaguely androgynous-looking, had to take charge and try to fix everything once it suddenly went completely to shit but no one appreciates their efforts…may possibly die in the process…often paired with undercut guy in canon materials….ok maybe 5/10. Looks and personality and other issues completely different though.
Hayden as Erwin: HOW VERY DARE YOU. Poor Erwin. 0/10. Hayden is a one-trick pony and I do mean trick. Can you imagine him in charge of the Survey Corps? He’d seduce half the male cadets before the first mission and then everybody would die. 100%. Yes including Levi. He would find some way to accidentally sabotage even Levi’s effectiveness. Zeke would be in awe.
other characters who are not pictured who I think have some similarities…
Encke: looks fairly similar to Onyankapon but buffer and butcher (still a sweetie pie though)
Keeler: Historia!!! Childhood isolation, feeling of emptiness, joining the military under a false identity…suddenly there is a hot butch who is kind of mean to everyone else but will give up everything for them…
Praxis: looks uncannily like the adult Samuel Linke-Jackson, but with an eyepatch. You could substitute their heads for each other and no one would notice. Personality is exactly Marlowe, but gay. Then again maybe Marlowe IS gay.
Porthos: I was going to say Reiner because of his build and manner but you could also make a case for Moblit, weirdly, since he is the devoted henchman/bodyguard who is clearly in love with the person he follows but their actual relationship is a bit ambiguous.
I’m going to go out on a very weird limb and say Phobos = Annie…they’re both hardheaded little blonds who are empty and miserable inside and tend to lash out in destructive ways. They also hang around with a tall muscley blond guy and have strained but intense relationships with the black-haired quiet knife character. The main difference is that Annie has a functioning brain (also she is entirely emotionally honest with herself).
Valentina: Frieda. Mysterious. Big. Sis. Benevolent but…absent and has possibly turned into something unnerving.
RBG: Just gonna say it: Falco. Don’t you want to see RBG turn into a giant bird thing and carry everyone on his broad feathery back as he soars improbably and majestically across the skies?