The Hearts They Gave: A Character Study of Levi Ackerman (Attack On Titan)

[@niloticnya]

levi is physically, mentally, and emotionally, humanity’s strongest soldier

[@EmmaBGames]

I love Levi. He makes the best choice for him, the one he can bare to carry with him over the other options. Yet, every action he takes is still in servitude to humanity. He gives all of himself over to the cause, he feels so much emotion, and yet very little of it is shown in his facial expressions. He is a child of trauma, a teenager of grooming and trafficking, a man in service to the military, and in the end of the story he has given everything he has until there is very little of him left and every sense including physical...the world finds relative peace...and he is broken for it. He was abused, used as a tool for the sake of humanity, and expected to be a person at the end of it all. At his peak, his limitations infuriated him and caused him great depression...can you imagine how it all must feel now that he can no longer walk, can no longer see the world the same, can no longer hold, or write or do anything as he once did? Even his physical beauty, his face, tarnised by scars. The fight is over, what becomes of him now?

[@EmmaBGames]

A correction to your analysis: Erwin was not his dearest friend. Erwin was his keeper, his master, his reason for exsisting as he is in the story. Erwin saved his life...by essentially buying him and keeping him as a tool for his own gain in the military...by making Levi his DOG. Erwin was not a kind man or a good friend; he saw a teenage boy living in the slums who would make an excellent soldier and filled all the paperwork out to ensure that Levi, rather than go to jail or find his own way through the world, would be in servitude to him...and Levi with all the conflicting emotions he has towards this man, was GRATEFUL for it. He was grateful to be this man's dog, he was grateful to serve and have someone else do the big thinking and strategising and to just tell him what to do and he would do it. ...and when Levi lost Erwin...he lost his compass in life, and the only thing that kept him going from then was to kill the man who took that compass from him. His last instruction from that compass, from Erwin was to do so. He has the opportunity to bring Erwin back, and he didn't take it, not because Armin was the better choice...but because Erwin was the worse one. "Erwin, I did not pick you, and I have no regrets about that." Levi had never picked Erwin, Erwin chose Levi...Levi chose Humanity and what would be best for humanity...Erwin was not what was best for humanity... and it hurts.

[@Tatakhae]

OKAY! you didn't have to make me cry like this😭💔

[@thomasdeen2099]

He's able to work to some extent in the last extra chapter his body must've somehow recovered enough to do so, there's at least that.

[@jamie3801]

“We Stan a short king in this house” 🙌

[@Collin4486]

Well said, brother. Levi is only so short because he was starved as a child. Otherwise, I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up as a heroic 6'2".

[@thes0mething]

This is an amazing analysis. Levi is an incredibly hardened character because if the world he lives in, but I feel like it's often missed how much empathy he has. At the same time he's not deluded that tough choices might occasionally need to be made. I image he was probably partially Erwin's rock too.

[@redefinedliving5974]

they are unsaid bffs

[@niloticnya]

i think that Levi is one of the most empathetic characters compared to Mikasa, Eren, Erwin, etc. since he takes time to grieve but maintain composure

[@juliaperez9116]

I absolutely agree on the Erwin point. Just as much as Levi needs direction, Erwin needs people he can depend on to carry out his plans. And beyond that, Levi's brutal honesty and independent loyalty (he never has blind faith in Erwin, only consistent, earned trust) has to be a relief to someone constantly doubting the morality of their choices.

[@lilcutthroat_]

Hes got survivors guilt.

[@Tatakhae]

Can't thank Isayama enough for creating The legendary Levi Ackerman❤

[@morisakarleign3014]

I'm so intrigued with the concept of military, which is just like in real life as in AoT. You as a person sign away your life and your right to live your life once you enter the military so that others can live a life of peace. It's a self sacrifice. Kinda like noble suicide. You know you're gonna die one day so a baby can one day be born to live a life without global threat.

[@novakaizr]

I really hope people are wrong about the anime only ending because I think the manga ending fits so well with the overall themes of the story, even if some people can't see that. Levi's salute at the end of the series is the perfect example of that

[@pluckybellhop66]

I liked it too. *spoilers I think it makes sense that Levi ended up with Gabi and Falco and Onyankopon. Someone else pointed out to me that there was a passing of torches from one generation to the next. Levi was in between the older and younger generations and had so many moments both as a soldier and a young man where he was looking out for others, it makes sense to see him adopting a couple of orphans, making a squad, and continuing the work towards peace so he could ensure his efforts, and those of all his soldiers, never went to waste.

[@shadowmomochiuchiha6839]

I love how even when he lost two fingers and was still in bad condition he still was overpowered.

[@Goldenxbih]

As an extreme berserk fan, I actually agree. He’s up there with berserk cast.

[@theravenscout4569]

He should get his own show

[@ziadadel1427]

I teared up man. I never actually read the mange but some of the panels were spoiled for me and when I realized the context I just couldn't help but feel really happy for him. He finally....finally can have his peace that he fought so hard to get. Levi is a living testament that the dream the scouts shared and died for was indeed possible.

[@ceciliaslepmet4840]

levi: is 100% convinced he needs to bring back erwin. floch: tries to convince more. levi: "actually I changed my mind"

[@nuke2625]

I think for me AOT really nailed the soilder theme to the point I respect soilders now more than I did. Just because of aot. Erwin giving the speech about their lives will give meaning to the ones who will come after them & the imagery of scouts harmless flares against the beast titans devastating rocks in air. Made me cry like a little baby, honestly unlike i ever did about anything in life up to this point.

[@redefinedliving5974]

that episode got released shortly after my grandma died bc of hospital malpractice and my own relatives ignorance. i sobbed like a baby and it somehow inspired me to go on

[@nuke2625]

​​@@redefinedliving5974amn that's heart breaking, brother.

[@AraAraArisan]

I am SOBBING 😭 your script is amazing and I honestly got chills. You articulate the thoughts I couldn't convey to others. These characters are so complex and broken. Yet, each one, even characters with no lines, hold so much weight. This story was so crazy and thought out I hate that most people bashed the ending at first. Isayama was so iconic and nonchalant that people thought he was just joking when the anime first dropped. "Eren dies in the end." "The first scene takes place in the future." "Armin is the main character." The title of the first chapter/ ep being "To you, 2000 years from now," eventually having the counter part "To you, in 2000 years." There are so many things I wish I could link but I can't find them before 2020 and it makes me upset but this video is amazing!!

[@elsatimtim492]

PERFECT HUMAN HIS PERFECT FACE AND HIS PERFECT BODY 5.2

[@nicolenicolereis6783]

Man, I am in tears. Thank you so, so much for making this video and sharing it with all of us. You captured so perfectly and so beautifully what makes Levi such an incredible character, such a good man, and a true hero. Thank you so much. I'm in awe, and only wish more people could understand Levi with the depth and nuance and intelligence that you do.

[@prestongarvey57]

Levi before the charge: throw away your emotions Levi five minutes later: doesn’t save Erwin because of his emotions

[@abdolrahmanhamed2821]

How because of his emotions ?

[@prestongarvey57]

@@abdolrahmanhamed2821 he put Erwin’s emotions before “humanity”

[@mrreyes5004]

@@prestongarvey57 Except no. Because this video already explains that Levi DID throw away his emotions to save Erwin. The man was Levi's best friend and his trusted leader. But even though Levi truly wanted Erwin to live, not allowing Erwin to be released from the pains of his life as the Survey Corps commander would be incredibly selfish of Levi. Right there at 13:33 in the vid. It's also why Levi doesn't bother responding to Floch when Floch yelled at him for not saving Erwin, because he knew Floch was full of shit and ignorant about how Erwin felt. Pretty ironic that Floch said that "it was too difficult to let go of someone important", even though Levi DID break through that difficulty to let go of Erwin AKA the most important person to him. Floch is ironically the one who got caught up in his emotions; Floch sacrificed everything he had to support Eren, and Floch ended up dying and failing to achieve his goals as a direct result of that devotion.

[@prestongarvey57]

@@mrreyes5004 “because of how Erwin felt” so, emotions. The truth is that saving Erwin is what they needed to do, Levi let Erwin die because he FELT that Erwin deserved to rest, which is true but Erwin’s survival would have stopped a lot of terrible events that happened in the show

[@BigV24]

@@prestongarvey57 Erwin was too obsessed with Eren's basement. It's difficult to say what happens after that tbh. But a lot of people share your viewpoint so it's interesting nonetheless.

[@argaming9003]

i think everyone loves levi because we all know whenever we see him that this guy would never turn out to be the wrong one and that's the reason for me at least to admire his char.. he is the one you will always believe to be on humanity's side no matter what

[@LSPandaExpresss]

Keep making more man, this is high quality analysis

[@SpaceCowboyYouTube]

Thank you! I’ve been pretty overwhelmed by school this semester, but I’m finally starting to get some time to work. I’m finishing up a shorter video about To Your Eternity right now, but after that I’m gonna finally get to work on the Erwin video

[@lorenzosidotiarminarlert]

GOD I LOVE THESE CHARACTER STUDY. need to see more! will you ever do one about armin?

[@SpaceCowboyYouTube]

Glad you're enjoying them! I plan to eventually cover the main cast. Right now Erwin and Ymir are next. I'm waiting for the ending to be animated to put out an Eren video. After that Armin and Mikasa will be next. I've had to slow down a lot because of Uni, but when summer rolls around I'll be putting them out a lot more frequently.

[@theravenscout4569]

This makes me want to rewatch aot again

[@r-saint]

Expeditions on average are every 20 months, not every month. But they probably didn't start until the first king died, so that would be every 1,5 years.

[@clmberserker245]

In the Erwin era, they are every month

[@r-saint]

@@clmberserker245 🤔

[@samuraijaeger]

This channel is extremely underrated

[@SpaceCowboyYouTube]

Thank you! I plan on releasing a lot more frequently when Uni lets out for the summer!

[@cherrycamaro3577]

I was a little confused on how the alliance worked but now I understand that the scouts goal was not only to save the world but get rid of all the titans and the warriors just wanted to save the world but had the intention of titans still being controlled by a government because Marley was wiped off the face of the earth

[@SpaceCatBASE]

ending was actually really motivating. thanks man

[@madmouse1016]

WHY AM I CRYING AGAIN, DAMN YOU!!

[@xhin15]

I wholeheartedly agree with every single word said in this video🥹

[@Mrjoshstaff2]

This is amazing man. Keep it up

[@SpaceCowboyYouTube]

Thank you! I’m planning to try and put out a video a month this year. I’ve been scripting a To Your Eternity video that should release before the end of January, and after that I’m finally going to get around to the Erwin video.

[@diegomedina4145]

These AOT character analyses are awesome. I’d love to see more and if I could make a recommendation for an anime to review, either Berserk or Jin Roh. I’d feel that your input would be awesome.

[@SpaceCowboyYouTube]

I’ve not seen Jin Roh, but I’ve been thinking about making a Berserk video for a while now. It’s my favorite series and I’ve definitely got a lot to say about it. I’ve not seen either anime adaptation, but I’ve read the entirety of the manga. I think once I’ve finished up character studies for Erwin and Ymir, I want to tackles at least Guts, Casca, Griffith, and Farnese. I’ve also thought about started a series about arcs I think are perfect and if I do that, the first arc I talk about will be one of Conviction, Falcon, or Return to Shiganshina. I’ve been pretty swamped with Uni, so I haven’t been able to put out as many videos as I’d like, but once this semester winds down I’m gonna start putting them out a lot more frequently!

[@dyingflame]

What a beautiful video for a beautiful character. Thank you

[@shadowmomochiuchiha6839]

Those people who think Levi being badass is all there is to him are dead wrong.

[@00vie80]

Underrated channel

[@xx_luvbitez_xx]

I love this analysis I rarely find Levi analysis videos that make me feel actually emotional or sad but this did it for me nearly cried listening to it. amazing work! ❤

[@SingleDaddyLove]

Best channel I've found in a while. You're a skilled story teller

[@dgc1570]

Well, frick. Now I want to go back and play those games

[@robinronin]

I genuinely teared up at the end. It somehow hits harder because it’s just the text on a black screen. Damn.

[@titan_theory]

I started watching this video absolutely months ago, but I stopped before you went into chapter 139 because I didn't want to see any spoilers before the anime ending came out. I'm now caught up in both the anime and the manga, and I'm so glad I came back to finish watching your analysis. I think you either get Levi better than any other video essayist I've seen do a character analysis on him, or you're better at expressing your thoughts and feelings towards him than anyone else. We DEFINITELY watched the same anime! Thank you so much for making this.

[@thezerowulf2046]

It's strongly hinted that he had a thing for Petra, but even that he sacrificed his momento of her for comfort to another. His burden was so heavy

[@bertybell4781]

I agree. There is a lot of subtext before her dad’s bombshell that suggests he did have feelings for her. In my opinion, if you say that he didn’t have any sort of romantic feelings for her, it reduces the scene he gives her patch away. That’s why the scene is so beautiful. Imagine that you had lost someone you were in love with or felt you might be falling for, and in that brutal way. I don’t think that many of us would be able to do what he does in that moment. Most of us would be selfish, punish Dieter and wallow in our grief. I’ve heard a lot of people say that’s what they expected him to do. These moments are crucial to Levi’s character. We don’t get another reference to it all till season four, that suggests perhaps he still thinks of her, and it still hurts him. This proves everyone wrong who ever said that “Levi has no human emotions.” or “Levi is a sociopath.” I know that it’s meant to a joke most of the time but it does get a little old.😅

[@spamzzuggh]

@@bertybell4781 spoiler alert Actually levi lost every female he Labeled as important in his heart, starting from his mother, then Isabella, then Petra and finally hanje as well.. (she died too)... I think levi maybe had something for Petra, but he didn't wanted to focus onto that, his soldiers were always his priority.., when zeke said to levi that "you weren't popular among ladies, were you", levi said "I was popular enough", but he turned his head, and said in depressing voice, it depicts that he was sad too that he couldn't give himself love life, because of all the sh*t going around. Infact levi did had something for hanje as well. His feelings weren't restricted to a particular female..

[@bertybell4781]

I know a lot of people see Hange and Levi being a thing. And it is the more popular ship, but I just don’t see it personally. I like seeing them as just really good friends. But that’s just me.🤷🏻‍♀️ I’ve seen people say it’s canon that they were in love by the end but from what I’ve seen it doesn’t seem like it.

[@morisakarleign3014]

@@bertybell4781 personally, I don't see any hint of romantic feelings between the two. Hanji is sort of like another girl-bro to Levi, a very close friend, maybe not like a sibling or a lover but something close to those two without the romance part. The closest thing to describe their relationship is being close friends.

[@bertybell4781]

@@morisakarleign3014 agreed

[@natalielettuce7029]

i was listening to this and the reiner video in the car and I was sure I was listening to a video with over 700k views from a popular channel

[@SpaceCowboyYouTube]

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed. I’ve been swamped with university these past few months but I plan on putting out a lot more in the summer

[@CallaBarlowe]

Wait oh my gosh- I didn't even look at the subscriber count until I read this comment, but I expected this to be a channel with hundreds of thousands of subscribers as well- it's so shocking to me that it isn't. These videos are so thought out and just absolutely amazing

[@jvssicaa]

this video made me so emotional, he’s such an amazing character, and your video was great

[@reveriexxx]

wow what a great video, thank you!!

[@Blackpyre10]

God damn....I have watched AoT five or six times now, and never noticed some of the small details you pointed out. Can't wait to see what you have in store for the main characters when we finally get the ending to the anime!

[@bromar810]

Absolutely great video! The Riener one is fantastic too! Keep up the great content and you’re growth is imminent 😎

[@SpaceCowboyYouTube]

Thank you! I’ve had to take a bit of break because of uni, but when the break starts I’m going release way more frequently!

[@bromar810]

@@SpaceCowboyKZbin I am also in uni so I totally understand! The hard work pays off Im excited to see you go places

[@SpaceCowboyYouTube]

@@bromar810 I really appreciate it, and I’m excited to have the chance to get back at it!

[@fernitron007]

That ending damn.

[@noodle8061]

I'd love to see more from your channel. You're a god at character analysis

[@SpaceCowboyYouTube]

Thank you! I’m currently finishing up the semester at uni. I’ve had to take a bit of a hiatus because this semester has been particularly difficult, but after I’m free for the summer, I’m going to finish a shorter video I’ve been working on and immediately start working on the Erwin video.

[@guardianoftime2]

Beautiful analysis!!!

[@jeffreytan2948]

Man, you just made me cry again

[@ttowen]

Just found your channel and binged your vids! Awesome insights. Subscribed for sure!

[@SpaceCowboyYouTube]

It’s much appreciated, and I’m glad you’re enjoying c:

[@lovableairheadmile6809]

Happy 1k bro

[@charlesjenkinsiii7082]

I really enjoyed this thank you

[@jona_hehe3768]

I love Levi because he's a bad ass and Levi and Hange are hilarious together

[@AbdulMalikAllie]

I was about to comment how this relates to cowboy bebop but I see you saw the connection before me

[@seandohe9979]

SAO's biggest crime. Was not giving Klien enough screen time.

[@SpaceBabyFlaz]

🔥🔥🔥

[@RhythmLP]

Amazing vid dude, btw you've misspelled "character" in your title lol

[@SpaceCowboyYouTube]

That's hilarious, I can't believe I never noticed that, thanks again!

[@RhythmLP]

@@SpaceCowboyKZbin no problem dude lmfao

[@masqueraze4449]

Amazing

[@lovableairheadmile6809]

Here's a sub to make you 1k

[@shawntaylor8748]

He did not make a video in 3 years

[@aliceDarts]

Levi is literally my height. 5"3. I have never met a man as tall as me. It's an interesting useless fact.

[@thezerowulf2046]

How many titans have you killed though?

[@aliceDarts]

@@thezerowulf2046 *laughs in uselessness*

[@theravenscout4569]

He’s my height but I’m a girl

[@elshebactm6769]

👍🏿🤠👍🏿

[@SM-td4vz]

Thumbs down for no CC