Levi Ackerman, known by many as ‘humanities strongest soldier’, the man possesses formidable physical strength and is the most valuable man in combat. However, where did he start? How did he reach this point? And who truly is he?

-thread contains s4 spoilers-

Born underground, the son of Kuchel Ackerman. His mother, whom he heavily resembled, worked as a prostitute in the underground city to make ends meet. From what we know, it was clear she did whatever possible to raise her son.

Furthermore, the underground city is a location of the extremes. With poverty being heavily prevalent. Following the death of his mother to an unconfirmed illness, the cruciality and severity of survival was something Levi had to learn at a very young age.

After spending days being sat alone and next to his mother’s decaying corpse, he was finally found by his Uncle Kenny, severely malnourished. The death of his mother would emotionally scar Levi for life.

As such, the most efficient way to survive the cruelty and harshness of the underground city, was to fight, and with that, have power. Thus mentioned by Kenny Ackerman, who believed that these components were the most effective way to survive.

It is mentioned by Levi himself that much of his own way of thinking had been heavily influenced by Kenny’s teachings and philosophies.

Despite his A-class education in fighting techniques and skills to survive. Levi, upon the death of his mother, was never shown any particular displays of affection or love. As such, he was thrown head first into the harshness of his world, and had nothing.

To only add to his traumas, the man who taught him all he knew, the man who he thought may have been his own father, left his life also. Abandoned, he was forced to make ends meet by himself. Levi was never able to experience a loving childhood.

His upbringing, specifically referring to his surrounding environment and the two incidences involving his mother and Kenny, will have had a profound effect on his social and even emotional development. To some, he is branded as, “cold”, but I could not disagree more.

Beyond the surface of his usual serious demeanor, there stands an extremely emotional man who cares greatly for those around him. His upbringing in no way means he is solely “cold” or “emotionless”. No, Levi isn’t one comfortable with hugs and kisses, but he IS a man of his word.

From raising Isabel after discovering her as a child underground, to despising meaningless deaths and doing whatever he can to ensure his comrades sacrifices were not in vain, these and many others provide the kindness and generosity he has to offer.

Levi does not often say a considerable deal. However, when he does come to speak, his words are usually hard to forget. These few words carry as heavily impactful, one in particular is his personal philosophy of “no regrets”.

The complication in this is that despite his will to fight on with no regrets intact. It is probable in contrast that he indeed does carry regrets, he is human, after all. I believe we may see Levi struggle with this in future chapters, particularly more so with his promise.

Additionally, people tend to forget that despite his extreme strength and physical capabilities, his own humanity will mean there is only so much he can take. As of current with his injuries, we’ve seen the man, known for incredible abilities, become a shell of who he once was.

he must also be left with the job of saying his goodbyes, and more so, even pushing his friends onwards to make their sacrifices. This is a lot to carry, and the fact that he tends to read people very efficiently in these scenarios, goes to show how deeply complex he is.

An example of this would be through his final conversation with Erwin Smith. There, for the first time ever, did he witness his dear companion, of whom he greatly admired, finally snap.

Levi was capable of reading through Erwin, and stating what he at least believed Erwin was wanting to hear. Furthermore, he was correct in his judgement. Not only is he talented at reading situations, he tends to be capable of the same with people and emotions.

Levi began as a man of many selfless acts of which he has thus carried, but as the story reaches its end, his own personal goal, has sat at the very front of his mind. For once, he is doing something for himself, but for the sake of a vow he once made.

“He is currently dangling rather aimlessly, but he still has the goal of killing the beast Titan”. He clings to this as if it’s truly the last thing he has, the last thing he wants. The emphasis on “rather aimlessly” heavily portrays how he has slowly faded away.

He fights onwards, admirably so, but we’re slowly seeing him work backwards, with his strength stripped of him and his grasp for this one vow, it’s as if we’ve gone back to the beginning for Levi, even though we are actually at the end. He has, in all, gone in a circle.

His development if anything has gone backwards, traveling in reverse. In conclusion, I think this in its entirety truly portrays how much of a complex character Levi really is and provides why he is the one I stan.

-end-