I think about this dialogue from S1 all the time; to me, it succinctly sums up the differences between Erwin and Levi’s perspectives and motivations.
When it comes to Erwin, it’s much like what Armin said in S1: the people who are capable of making change have to be able to throw everything away and abandon their personal humanity in order to save the greater humanity. Erwin embodies this perfectly—he never hesitated to sacrifice the lives of others on behalf of a greater cause, and even knew how to inspire them into willingly self-sacrificing.
What was that greater cause? For Erwin, it was his dream of finding out the truth and avenging his father—it just so happened that this aligned with what was best for Paradis. If it weren’t for his own personal ambitions, I don’t believe Erwin would have had the same level of commitment or drive.
Erwin knew that all of the deaths of his soldiers and the civilians caught in the crossfire were potentially pointless (and we eventually see that catch up to him right before his death); but at the same time, he knew each death and sacrifice was a necessary step in uncovering the truth.
That’s not to say he saw no value in human life or that he was an evil person—it’s just that he saw more value in the bigger picture and the greater cause, and he didn’t have time to consider his personal humanity in that pursuit. Erwin knew that he needed people like Levi and Hange to stay alive in order to achieve this bigger picture goal since they filled in the gaps of skills he lacked himself.
This also isn’t to say Erwin is purely selfish, nor is he the only one with personal motivations—Eren was motivated by his mother’s death, Mikasa was motivated by protecting Eren, Hange was motivated by learning about Titans. The list goes on.
Levi is uniquely one of the few characters without selfish motivations and dreams (which is ironic since people view him as cold and heartless). Levi had no ulterior motives pushing him to the other side of the war, and nothing personal to gain.
He chose to follow Erwin because of that look Erwin had in his eye—the same look Armin had in his eye—hope for the future, like he could see something no one else could. Levi, simply, didn’t want to make choices he would regret, even though he openly admitted that he never truly knew or understood what the outcome of those choices would be. He believed that following Erwin’s command—and eventually choosing Armin—was the best way to do this.
Levi doesn’t view the lives of his comrades or squad members as disposable. He has a fiercely protective and loyal nature. We see this time and time again—when he adamantly tells a dying soldier that his death wasn’t in vain and that he’d made a difference, how he doesn’t ever truly forgive Annie and Reiner for the lives they took from the Scouts, and his incessant need to avenge Erwin’s death, to name a few.
To me, Erwin and Levi are somewhat of a yin and yang in this way—Erwin was willing to do everything it took to achieve his dream, no matter the sacrifice, and Levi was willing to do everything it took to make sure those sacrifices weren’t made for nothing.
Erwin had to be willing to send people to their pointless deaths; Levi had to make sure those deaths weren’t pointless in the end.
This is a little bit of a half-baked ramble, but I always found this exchange so interesting and telling.
We often address that he did all of that after being blown up, with just one eye, broken bones, a bunch of stitches, but one thing we don't talk enough about is that Levi did all of that with his thumb, ring and pinky fingers.
Let’s just go over the diagram and list what each of the parts of the handle does, and which fingers they used to control them.
Trigger 1/Fire anchor: Index finger
Trigger 2/Gas: Middle finger
Lever/Retract cable: Ring/Pinkie finger
Joystick/Aim of the anchor: Thumb
So to use the ODM fully, you need 4 fingers at least. My question is how the hell did Levi do all of that with just 3 fingers? What would the placement of the fingers be? Or would he just depend on his left hand more?
In this picture we can see the placement of the fingers, and this was possible since he used the technique of holding the blades in opposite directions (one to the back and the other to the front). Him positioning his hand like this meant his thumb was away from the joystick, and having no control over it. But if he did it like that, then here is what needs to be addressed:
The only fingers that he had on his right hand were the thumb, the ring finger, and the pinkie.
You could have noticed that your ring finger and pinkie move together; it is almost impossible to move one without the other. That happens due to interconnected tendons and nerve pathways in the hand. Ring and pinkie fingers share tendons and nerve branches, which makes it difficult to move them separately. (see the diagram )
So not only did he use those two fingers, but he also managed to move them independently (which biologically is almost impossible), and he did all of that days after being blown up? INSANE!
I have no idea how to conclude this...
Yeah, I basically did an anatomical research to write this, and I'm just gonna end this by saying that he and his skills are beyond our understanding of the human body and biology.
I don't think I will be able to articulate this well, I might even another post that explains this better, but I really love Eren and Zeke's dynamic. It is a complicated and messy bond; I really do feel like they both wanted a brotherly relationship, even when everything around them prevents it. It is easy to think that Eren hates Zeke, end of story, but that really isn't the case.
Eren's expressions here feels like a small tiny break from the walls he has put up in Season 4. The way he relaxes when hearing Zeke come to help him, the way he softens his expression and look at Zeke with so much pity before betraying him, and how he looks over to the photo of Zeke's childhood. It is brief, but it gives hints that Eren's feelings about Zeke is more than just hatred.
He answers Zeke's questions truthfully, even when he didn't have to.
He also let's Zeke get closure with Grisha.
And go to him for relationship advice.
I also notice a pattern that whenever Eren "hates" Zeke it is usually done just after he breaks character.
He says this after he helps Zeke get closure.
He insults Zeke and tries to create a distinction between the two after answering his question on why he refused to do the ethunesia plan.
He tells Zeke he was manipulating and using him from the start after making that pitying expression (and immediately soften his eyes once he saw Zeke's reaction).
To me, it reads as Eren pushing Zeke away as he did with Armin and Mikasa. He needed to make himself seem like an uncaring monster for everything to work, but the thing is, Eren isn't uncaring, and these small details really show how conflicted Eren was about his relationship with Zeke. As much as he wants a close relationship with his brother, he also couldn't let himself be vulnerable and accept that he really did want Zeke's care and support.
You know I've gotten to thinking again, we all love and adore Hange. Aside from Eren, Mikasa, Levi, Armin and Commander Erwin, she's undeniably the most consequential member of the Scout Regiment.
Shocking, isn't it then, that we really don't know all that much about her or her past.
We've had our share of glimpses into her life as a scout, but ONLY as a scout. What was Hange's life before she became the eccentric genius we know and love? WHO was Hange Zoe before she took flight in her ODM gear for the first time?
Was her life a struggle like it had been for Levi? Was she lucky enough to avoid the traumas experienced by the main trio? We've never had so much as an OVA dedicated to her. Which is utterly insane when you think about it.
She was Erwin's hand-picked successor. I think she warrants that much. And we were owed that much.
What headcanons do you have about Hange and her life before the Scouts? What sides of her remain unexplored behind her infectious enthusiasm when studying and killing Titans?
Please share your thoughts here, absolutely anything.
There will be a poll coming up later that also ties into this so stay tuned.
cw: contains spoilers for all seasons, mentions of suicide & mental health issues.
“you don’t ever have to be stronger than you really are, when you’re lying in my arms, baby. you don’t ever have to go faster than your fastest pace, or faster than my fastest cars.”
whilst reiner initially comes off as quite a dominant, in control man, you can see the vulnerability seeping through the cracks on multiple occasions; whilst most obvious in season four, his vulnerability peeks through when marco dies, and when his mental state shatters. this vulnerability leads me to believing that reiner just wants someone who understands him — he wants someone to be okay with his vulnerability, someone who can handle him when he can’t handle himself, and someone who can take care of him.
“i shouldn't have done it, but i read it in your letter, you said to a friend that you wish you were doing better. i wanted to reach out, but i never said a thing. i shouldn't have done it, but i read it in your letter. you said to a friend that you wish you were doing better. i wanted to call you, but i didn't say a thing.”
reiner takes pride in taking care of himself and handling his own problems by himself. he’s often seen as hyper independent, reluctant to accept help from other people; a fatal flaw, one might say. even during the deepest depression of his life, where he couldn’t eat or sleep, he still refused to accept help from anyone. instead, he hides behind a mask of masculinity and strength, though it slips often during battle where his mental state shatters his physical ability.
“oh, i’ll pick you up, if you come back to america, just hit me up. ‘cause this is crazy love, i’ll catch you on the flip side. if you come back to california, you should just hit me up.”
this lyric in specific reminds me of after their failed mission in paradis, reiner went back to marley without two of his closest friends. he only had annie and bertholdt during his time in paradis, and though, before their betrayal was revealed, he genuinely loved the scouts and enjoyed his time their. his fractured mental state and what he’d done to marco haunted him in marley — because he was back home — where all of it began. he suffered a lot in marley; being a child warrior, being shunned by society and most importantly, his own father.
“we’ll do whatever you want, travel wherever how far, we’ll hit up all the old places. we’ll have a party, we'll dance 'til dawn. i’ll pick up all of your vogues and all of your rolling stones, your favorite liquor off the top shelf. i’ll throw a party all night long.”
now that he’s back in marley, he’s faced with his past trauma. he walks through the streets remembering his past, and as he observes the child warriors, he remembers his own horrific time training. a lot of reiner’s trauma stems from the warrior program, as he was trained to be a weapon and a shield rather than a person. zeke talks about how he’ll get a beating from magath for being late, signifying that abuse took place amongst them too; and as reiner already lacks that father figure, it only amplifies that past.
“you don't ever have to be stronger than you really are, when you're lying in my arms, and, honey, you don't ever have to act cooler than you think you should. you’re brighter than the brightest stars.”
reiner is no stranger to putting on a persona, making himself appear different from what he actually is, and somewhere along the way, he genuinely lost himself. he got so wrapped up in being a ‘big brother’ figure for the scouts like marcel was for him, that he genuinely lost his own identity, misconstruing it with how people need him to act. he puts on a cooler persona, so that people will like him, but also so they will trust him and feel safe with him.
“you’re scared to win, scared to lose, i’ve heard the war was over if you really choose, the one in and around you. you hate the heat, you got the blues, changing like the weather, oh, that's so like you. the santa ana moves you.”
this pre-chorus, in my opinion, is the one that perfectly explains reiner. reiner is scared of a lot of things; himself being the main one. he’s genuinely scared of what he’s capable of, and his past haunts him deeply. the physical war scarred reiner, and the constant fighting took a toll on him; he was depressed, losing weight, and he couldn’t sleep. the mental war however, pretty much destroyed him for the majority of season three and four. plagued by memories of what he done to marco — he hated himself, and the loss of bertholdt only added to his deep seated remorse and disgust for himself. reiner is quite level headed, but it’s clear that it’s put on. deep down, he’s a very emotional person, and he struggles deeply with what he feels. the constant mental switch between soldier vs warrior was completely exhausting for him, and genuinely drained him of all that he had. he no longer has passion for his profession, no longer seeing the point in being a warrior or fighting in the war. he tries to commit suicide passively and impassively; trying to shoot himself to end his suffering, then begging eren to kill him, and purposely messing up in battle to allow himself to die. it’s clear his suffering has consumed his entire being, stripping him of any purpose he’d ever had, leaving him as an empty vessel who wished to rest eternally. the santa ana weather is wild and the wind is strong, which spreads wildfires further; this could allude to reiner’s mental suffering intensifying when he came back to marley.
i hope you enjoyed this yap & analyis, let me know if you want any other characters analysed with lana songs; i’m thinking mikasa next 🤍
everyone hating on annie for saying "i'm so tired, i dont want to fight anymore" like girl you just slept four years be so for real, COMPLETELY MISSED THE POINT.
Annie Leonhardt. The girl who was raised as a child soilder by her father, her country, and her enemies. She was taught since BIRTH that her only qualities were based on how hard she could punch. She has been fighting since she came out of the womb, physically and psychologically. Hell, abandoned babies still go through trauma even if they can't technically remember it. Just for her to be picked up and thought of only as a weapon, her whole life. She fought and fought and fought, killing things that got in her way because it's the only way she was taught. Because she was only praised when she did. She fought until it almost killed her. She had to protect herself in the only way she could, essentially rendering herself completely helpless for what all she knew was forever. Sentient in her own mind but not her body.
Her only company those years were, presumably, soilders trying to figure a way to get her out only to continue to use her as a weapon, study, interrogate, or just flat out kill her. Armin, speaking to her about his guilt, which she can all but understand. The human qualities that they share, of doing things they know is wrong but feel like they have no choice in the matter, and they both hate themselves for it. Sitting in that crystal listening to him voice her own feelings out to her while she is helpless. And Hitch, complaining about boys. Experiencing the most mundane human emotions that Annie doesn't have the privilege of worrying about. Hitch wondering out loud to her why she had to betray them, and Annie again being unable to respond, apologize, or atone for everything that she did that she regrets.
Four years in a crystal, unable to break out of it herself, not knowing what the scouts know and don't know about the outside world. She had likley come to terms with the fact that she would never see her dad again, and that she would die in that crystal. Then, one day, the crystal melts away. She's free. And then she learns that she's only free because all the titans in the walls have been activated. The very thing her government had been warning her against her entire life. The very thing she was supposed to prevent. She is never going to see her dad again. And oh God she is so tired of fighting.
"Mikasa was obsessed with Eren" vs actual obsession:
To state the obvious: Mikasa was able to break from her previous glowing conception of Eren and think for herself, gaining a more complete picture of Eren as a person. If she was the shallow character people claim her to be, Mikasa would not have opposed the Yeagarists - she would've fallen in line, becoming an unthinking supporter of their fascist, genocidal reign. Instead, Mikasa killed Eren, not allowing her love to keep her bound, ending the titan curse.
Which is a stark contrast to Louise and Floch. They fell for the facade Eren presented them, unquestioning. Eren didn't give a shit about the "Eldian Empire." He used the Yeagarists for his own aim - an unoccupied outside world - ambivalent to their deaths. Eren preyed on their fear of annihilation, allowed their terror to fester and blossom into dehumanization, ultra-nationalism, and imperialist aims, all for him to use them as a tool to start the Rumbling, so he could "see that sight." Louise and Floch idolized Eren, whipped up into a fervor, unconscious to his true goal.
Eren himself recognized the humanity of the people living beyond the walls. He grew to understand differing perspectives, notably Reiner's. He cried to Ramzi, apologizing for what he knew he would do. Yet, he still did it. Empty without the "freedom" he sought, the look in Armin's eyes, an internal freedom he mistook as an external goal. Telling himself and others he was doing it for Eldia (despite trampling Eldians outside the walls), for his friends (despite not knowing if they'd live), anything to distract himself from his own selfish desire.
I do find Floch and Louise fascinating characters as a way to break down idolatry and how people can become radicalized into fascism. I actually find Floch quite entertaining, and I like that we get to see how he got to that place. And I like seeing how other characters (Mikasa, Jean, and Onyankopon) react to his takeover and his offer to join the Yeagarists. Louise and Floch almost serve to reflect alternative paths for Mikasa and Jean respectively, who they could've been if they gave into their worst traits - single-minded devotion for Mikasa, selfishness for Jean. Fascinating stuff all around
