Can we please just talk about our Warriors?
Manga spoilers!!!!!! So many!! You have been warned!!
Yeah I’m talking about Annie, Reiner and Bertoldt. They did shitty things, yeah whatever. Just think about what it would’ve been like to be the, tho??? They had like…the shittest lives imaginable??
From a young age they were taught that Eldians are evil and terrible people, and blinded by the Marleyan lies, they accepted their roles as the Titans and set off on their mission, hoping to be the hero they thought Marley needed. Keep in mind they had a couple years of relentless training, so they’d probably be around what, ten? Marleyans trained ten year olds to be murderers.
And yet, before even reaching the Walls, one of their best friends were taken from them and eaten in front of their eyes. These poor kids were probably around twelve, if you think about the thirteen year rule and the times when everything happened.
They knew they had some troubles they’d need to face, so despite the trauma that gave them, they kept moving onwards on their mission.
When they joined the 104th, Annie had the right idea. Stay distant and don’t grow attached to them. Reiner and Bert, trying to fit in, became friends with the cadets. That was one of their biggest mistakes, and they took Annie down with them. By befriending the enemy, they realised that not all Eldians are heartless monsters. In fact, barely any of them were. Instead of finding heartless monsters, they found hearts full to the brim with passion and longing. Longing for freedom.
But they couldn’t undo what they had done, and they couldn’t turn back on their mission. So Annie, who forced all that down and suppressed her emotions, continued on with her job while Reiner and Bert let their hearts take over and chose to join the Survey Corps instead of infiltrating the kingdom in the Military Police. You can argue that they just wanted to keep an eye on Eren, but that was probably just the excuse they made for themselves and for Annie. Annie knew what was up. But she didn’t let any of those emotions get to her.
She didn’t hesitate to do what she set out to do and complete her goals. Because after all, she had thirteen years to live and her father believed in her. She should’ve never befriended the 104th. She knew that. And she ended up in a crystal so she wouldn’t have to face them ever again until the time is right.
//Annie is the most mentally driven character and the most emotionally strong character I have ever seen in my life.//
She had such powerful control over her mind and heart to do that. She was //strong.// I honestly cannot begin to express my admiration towards Annie for what she did. Such strength to be able to bring herself to do it. I’m not saying it was the right thing to do; I’m applauding her for not letting anything get to her the way Reiner and Bert did. She was so strong and I love her so much. She deserves so much better and I hope when she finally emerges from that crystal, she escapes and lives. Even though she will die within a few years. Maybe she doesn’t pass on the power on purpose so that nobody else has to go through what she went through and the Female Titan is lost forever, and Annie dies peacefully in a forest or something. I really hope that’s what happens. She deserves the world for her accomplishments.
Enough about Annie; now Bertoldt. This boy had always been disclosed and shy; yet he still took up this impossibly difficult task. I don’t know why he did, but I bet he was in a similar situation as Annie. Blinded by Marley’s lies and hoped to be a hero.
He had one of the toughest tasks of all; to breach the first Wall. That marked such a dark day for humanity that was told as a tale everyone would know; a tale that would go down in history for all the wrong reasons. He knew what he was getting into. Can you just imagine the guilt he would’ve felt for doing that? That single kick marked at least what, 30% of humanity good as dead. That guilt, for a guy such as Bert, must’ve been unbearable. But he beared the unbearable.
Shy as he was, he fit into the 104th, and everyone loved him as much as he loved everyone. Bertoldt is a lover, not a fighter. He thought he was doing what was right and fighting monsters. But as he befriended all these Eldians, he realised who the real monsters were. Them.
Bert chose to follow his heart and go with the Survey Corps, manipulating himself into thinking it was the wiser course of action. But //he left Annie behind.// and as you would’ve saw, he loved Annie. I don’t blame him. She’s the strongest person in the whole series. Sure, Levi was emotionally strong enough to repress his emotions and face the amount of death he saw, but as bad as Levi’s life may have been, it doesn’t compare to the Warriors’. He was raised in a shithole and his closest friends died in front of him; but he got to fight for humanity and the chance to avenge them by beating the Titans. All the Warriors got was death and guilt and murder and the hope that their families back in Marley would be proud of them for being //murderers.// Bertoldt loved Annie. You could tell. He knew how strong she was, and he was envious of her strength, like anyone else would.
His bro Reiner told him to confess to Annie. I bet you he was planning to. But instead, he was killed for Armin’s sake…I love Armin don’t get me wrong, but imagine how that must’ve felt for him. Mixed emotions. Emotions of fear, relief, guilt, anger, helplessness….he didn’t want to die. He was tricked into doing his job. Manipulated, with no way out other than to finish it, so he wanted to live. But at the same time, he probably wanted death from all the guilt of the people he’d killed. Sadness that he never had the chance to tell Annie how he truly felt, know Annie would’ve been strong enough to do that much. But in the end, I think he was happy that he saved Armin. Relieved he could finally let go and not live in that hell anymore, and a much more worthy life lived.
Bertoldt deserved way better; he had a heart of gold and deserved the world.
And last but not least; Reiner. Reiner I think by far has the shittiest life and situation out of everyone in this fucking series of fucked up depressing shit. Just think about it. Annie sealed herself in a crystal for some sort of hibernation, and she was strong enough to actually go through with joining he MP. Bertoldt got the sweet release of death knowing his time was over and his hell was over too. But Reiner? Reiner saw two of his best friends get eaten and unable to do anything about it. He was thrown off by those thunder spears so he couldn’t do anything, that same helpless feeling of being unable to save someone like when he saw Marcel die. And now Bert. And seeing Annie crystallise. He saw all of that and kept going. Not because he wanted to, but because he literally had no choice at all. It was the only path for him to take.
I bet you all $20 that he now has severe PTSD. Also that Cushing guilt he cannot get rid of, as he has the curse of living. He’s probably counting the days left till sweet death comes. He had the power of the Armoured Titan and yet, his friends were taken from him one by one, and he was turned against the only friends he had left, that he knew full well he was going to betray from the start. He has nobody left in this world to be there for him. Except Zeke, but he didn’t grow up with and spend years with Zeke like he did with the 104th. They all went through so much together.
And now, all he can do is sit and watch as these young, misguided souls compete for his power, his burden, that one day will burden them just as bad or if not worse. And he can’t even rest yet; he continues fighting until his last hours, his last breath. He has kept living all these years without Annie, Bertoldt or Marcel, or any of the 104th except maybe Ymir. What happened to her again?? She kinda just disappeared with them? I swear to god if the Marleyans killed her in revenge for Marcel or to pass on her Titan, I will actually grow a riot because Ymir deserved the world just as much as all the other Titans.
Reiner must be so lonely, depressed, guilty and have no drive to keep going other than because he has to. I hope he dies quickly and painlessly and can get it done and over with, put him out of his misery.
And then Ymir, who literally was a normal human who did nothing wrong and is now faced with all this shit?? She wasn’t trained for this. She wasn’t promised to be a hero, she had no purpose. She just existed at the worst time and place and got so much shit for it. At least Ymir had the luxury to find love during her shithole of a life; thank god Historia exists. //Ymir did nothing wrong!!//
You know, when you put it like this, Eren, Mikasa and Armin’s lives seem like a stroll in he park. Heck, you can even argue that Levi’s life looked alright in comparison to these guys. I am a huge Levi fan so I’m not trying to hate on him, I love him to death and feel so sad for him but when people say he’s had it the hardest…I can object.
Once they had accepted the Titan powers, the Warriors were already marked for a shit life. They probably had around 9 years of peace as a child and that’s all they got before hell began.
This wasn’t meant to get this long oops. But I just felt the need to express my love for these characters, they don’t get enough of it in the canon and even in the fan base. Someone please just write a fanfic where they’re all happy and none of this happened, I need it pls.
To conclude this hell of a rant:
//WTF ISAYAMA. ANNIE, BERTOLDT, REINER AND YMIR DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER.//
Fuck I forgot to talk about Zeke. Oh well, he had it easy and seemed to feel little remorse and I should sleep lmao. Nyx out.
