 Kenny Ackerman in his final moments told his nephew that they are all slaves to something. Kenny was a slave to power. To Kenny, power was a universal language, one that everyone understood, and one that everyone respected. When he found his sister's child knocking on death's door, he decided to raise the boy and teach him the only thing he knew, violence. For a man who appears so cold and ruthless, Captain Levi's warmth lies in his actions. Whether it's checking up on and ensuring that Aaron is rested, saving the same civilians who berate him, or saving a random little boy from trouble, Levi's actions always demonstrate his heart, a man who has a personal relationship with death. And so he treasures and values life more than anyone. He is an individual who would truly do anything to ensure the survival of mankind. Levi's arc as a static character is rather impressive in a world where the people around him and the world around him is rapidly changing. Levi's morals and ideals never change. The Ackerman soldier does get tested and tempted to giving in to the world, giving in to hatred and into vengeance, and he even gets tempted to give up on his crusade. But Levi stands strong in a world that is built for people to be changed by it. And after all the death and sadness that Levi has encountered, the lives that he's taken, the lives of his friends that have been taken, he still sees life as something to be valued. If not for today's world, then for the world of the future, and for the next generation. This kid that we see here physically is always so jarring to me. This is life in the underground, malnourished and surrounded by people who only knew that to survive was to fight. Levi's life has always been suffering. He has only known it, death and suffering. Kenny taught Levi how to navigate the world that he was surrounded by. Kenny taught Levi how to survive, and how to become important. By teaching him how to wield a knife and how to greet people in their world, Levi was never taught the social skills that a more tame upbringing would provide. Instead, the young Ackerman learned how to command respect. He was taught the singular most important idea in Kenny's world. That power trumps everything. This unique relationship to power and to violence pervades everything that Levi does. The way he interacts with people, what he does in stressful situations, and most of all, it pervades his self-worth. Everything can be traced back to power. In combat, physically or verbally, Levi finds tremendous comfort. When he is introduced to the series, he shows exactly why he is humanity's strongest soldier, as the man who is as powerful as an entire squadron takes down a group of Titans. In his second appearance, only a few chapters later, he does the same thing. Following that, in front of all the higher ups, Levi beats a defenseless air into a pulp. In that trial where it was word against word, Levi once again uses the one thing that has gotten him this far. The one thing that he knows people will listen to and respect. More than any word. Yelena would go on to remind Levi that violence is the one thing you can't take from humanity, and Levi knows that more than anyone, the role violence plays in their world. Levi understands when to resort to violence, and he understands the consequence of it. In their world, to keep hope alive, he says, you have to be willing to act without hesitation, without compromise. He and his squad must strike first to survive. The consequence of that is that he cannot claim to be a good person, and nor does he, and he consoles Armin when he was feeling guilty over what he had done. Levi doesn't know whether he is right or wrong, but he does know, and he relays this to his team, is that from the bottom of his heart, everything he does is to ensure humanity's survival, and that is a life that he lives without regret. If we go back to Levi's introduction on the battlefield, his first words are to order Petra to look after the other soldiers. He then displays his iconic obsessiveness over being clean, not wanting his cape to be filled with blood, but following their short battle, a soldier's bloody hand reaches out to him, and without hesitation, Levi emphatically swears to the unnamed soldier that his death was not at all in vain, and he even looks to Petra for validation that in death, that unnamed soldier hurt him. This desire to protect and to value life is the core of Levi's character. In a world full of selfish dreams, he doesn't dream of freedom, he doesn't dream of love. Levi dreams of humanity's survival. Levi Ackerman is humanity's most empathetic, most compassionate soldier. He also happens to be its strongest, its most violent. A similar type of juxtaposition is also seen throughout Levi's story, and most notably in the characters he is displayed with or against, Kenny, Erwin, Aaron, and Zeke. Going back to Kenny, Kenny says it himself that he could not be affectionate with his nephew, but Levi, as any child would, craved his attention and love. He thought that he could gain it through their common understanding of power. When Levi becomes the strongest in the underground, Kenny left him, and we see Levi watch his father figure walk out on him. Isayama notes that in this moment, Levi questioned the meaning of all his power. Why was he so strong, and yet he couldn't gain the approval of the man who raised him? This abandonment stuck with Levi, and we see it rear its head during the uprising arc. The sheer rage he had towards his uncle. He even tries to get back at Kenny using the same language that they both know. Levi didn't continue, because he wouldn't jeopardize his mission with his personal desires. Kenny was selfish, a true slave to power, and would do anything, including take down his own nephew, if it meant he could gain the power of a titan. But at the end of this arc, when their paths cross for the final time, Levi sees the man so obsessed with power, with it in his hands, and instead, Kenny decides to give it up for the better of humanity, and die. He chooses death. Being the man he considered his father, give up his lifelong dream, and allow Levi's dream to flourish in his place, it changed the young acrimon. The attention and approval he sought from Kenny all this time was given to him in the form of a serum. It also gave the young acrimon the ability to finally move on. But following Kenny's abandonment, the devilish commander would be the next person to influence Levi, this time for good. When Ervin first recruited Levi, Levi was drawn to one thing. At this point, the one thing he respected more than violence and power was a strong heart, but it wasn't only the words that Ervin spoke that first drew the young acrimon in, but rather his conviction, the resolve in his eyes. Ervin embodies what the Survey Corps is, what the wings of freedom are, people who are willing to do anything to see the other side, to find something to free them and their people from their despair, to save humanity. That is the type of man Levi is willing to follow, to fight for, and to die for, a man who will make sure that no one dies in vain. Under Ervin and the Survey Corps, Levi danced with death at every mission. He's probably watched hundreds of his comrades get eaten. In the underground, their threat was each other, mankind. Inside the walls, the Titans were a different monster, a nightmare, as he calls it. As he and Ervin grew, and their relationship evolved, a continuous theme in their encounters was that Levi, the strongest soldier, still continues to trust Ervin's judgment. However, as time passes, Ervin begins to show the other side of him, what could be argued to be his other side, or his truest self. When Ervin learns that the Titans might have possibly been humans, his reaction is a twisted smile, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. When the captain hears that very same piece of information, he's deflated by it. You could see it in his eyes, the disappointment in them. Killing humans is the very first thing that Levi thinks about, while Ervin first thinks to his dream. It's moments like this that Levi witnesses that has him question his choices, but ultimately he continues to follow him. Levi believes in the good that lives inside of Ervin, that the good outweighs whatever selfish dream that may exist. When Ervin's inner struggle reaches its breaking point in Shiganshina, we see Levi shouldering the weight of a dream. Levi's compassion is in full effect here. He watches his commander, his best friend struggle between his dream and his duty. But the fact that Ervin even approached Levi with this idea, with this struggle, cemented Ervin's nature for him. And so, Levi took the decision out of the devil's hand. He forced his friend to give up his dream, and die for the cause that he made so many die for. That instead, Levi would shoulder the weight of the Survey Corps and of their sacrifices. Shortly after, when Levi is given the opportunity to revive the commander, he doesn't make the choice as Levi, captain of the Survey Corps, but as Levi the friend. It was only a few chapters prior where he watched Kenny sacrifice his dream, the thing that he was enslaved to for something greater than himself. Now, when it was his choice to bring back the commander, he thinks back to it all. To the boy who dreams of seeing the sea, to Ervin's past words, and the last thing he thinks about is Kenny's final words. Levi has been given the chance to free his friend from the chains of the truth, the chains of that basement. Levi can let him let go, just like Kenny did. Kenny, choosing humanity, choosing death, allowed Levi to send his commander off with similar feelings. Death has plagued Levi, and for once, the captain has willingly accepted death's embrace. In fact, he has chosen it for his friend. A selfish yet incredibly selfless choice to let his friend move on. To allow Ervin's sacrifice to truly mean something. To both Ervin himself and to all those soldiers who followed their commander in death. Levi understood that Ervin was human, that though he had this childish dream clouding his vision, Levi followed him without regrets because he truly believed and knew that at the bottom of his heart, Ervin could put his responsibility over his personal goal. And he did just that. With great power comes great responsibility. This is another line that Isayama mentioned when talking about Levi. The captain feels such a strong sense of responsibility with the power that he holds, and when he doesn't live up to this role, a greater burden falls onto his shoulders, guilt. Levi is often referred to as emotionless, but he is a very emotional man. Levi's eyes are his most expressive feature. They tell us when he is angry, shocked, and even happy. In chapter 112, they are filled with tremendous sadness, and for a brief moment, regret. Levi's guilt and sense of responsibility goes back to even before he became captain. The choices that Levi makes are and remain a large part of his story. In no regrets, we see the first instance of that weight that surrounds Levi's choices. His singular choice in their battle with the Titans led his only two friends to their deaths. With this, he makes a choice to follow Erwin, a choice to protect Eren, and a choice to save Armin. He learns to not regret the choices he makes, but he still mauls over his choices constantly. That is the price of his power. Levi is so powerful, so capable with a weapon in his hands, and yet he suffers the most loss. All of those people who he swears to protect die, whether it be in his arms or holding his hands. Death has plagued him. During the battle in Shigen Shina, it was Levi's call to make those sacrifices. He took the decision out of Eren's hands. These sacrifices are to be honored by him and him alone, and if he doesn't, they will be weighing him down. They are watching and waiting to see what will come out of their offering, and four years later, nothing has changed. Instead, now Levi has additional guilt about Eren. They've been through so much together, from seeing the kid as a monster to an actual friend that he respects and values, now to potentially humanity's biggest threat. And there is hesitance, anger, and guilt when it comes to taking down the attack Titan. Levi came to truly consider Eren a friend, almost like a little brother, that he now might potentially have to put down. In chapter 133, even Levi joins Armin, Mikasa, and the rest in their hesitance to take Eren down, and so he suggests killing their friend as a last resort. Not even Levi can bring himself to kill Eren. Levi has sacrificed so much for Eren's survival. He has chosen Eren's life over so many others, and he himself says that he did it because he truly believed that Eren was humanity's hope. Levi has given up dozens of lives, the most important thing to the captain for one singular life, who has now wasted all of these sacrifices. This is Levi's burden. He cannot live one moment of his life without a sacrifice looming over him like a shadow. Every decision he makes, it feels that much grander because he is humanity's strongest soldier. Because he feels like he needs to be a hero. Because he is a slave to it. In no regrets, Eren teaches Levi that by fighting for humanity and donning the wings of freedom, he can fight for something that will free them. Something that will save humanity, save his friends. After making these wrong choices, Eren instructs Levi that he is not to blame. But that he owes it to his friends to now play a part in ending their nightmare. Levi tries to relay a similar message to Historia during the uprising arc. This moment is fascinating to me because it shows you the inner workings of Levi's mind. Levi uses the one thing he knows best to enforce the point he is trying to make. He violently grabs the future queen and uses a potential scenario to implore her to fight, to try to make her understand how he thinks. This idea of playing a part of fighting, that has been Levi's life. Not knowing whether he will survive the next day, not knowing if he will even live to his next meal, knocking at death's door. That is how the young acrimon was described. No matter what Levi must do, no matter what role he might play, he will do anything. Whether it's being humanity's strongest soldier, or if it's being the Survey Corps's last standing soldier, Levi will continue to fight if it means ending their nightmare. If it means all of humanity doesn't have to be damned. And Levi's message here turns out to be incredibly persuasive. Moving back to Levi's relationships, the one person that directly goes against everything that Levi stands for is Zeke Yeager. In order to send Ervin off, Levi made a promise to the commander. Levi failed to kill Zeke only because he had humanity's best interests at heart, searching for a way to truly eliminate the beast Titan as a threat. I think there's this idea that when Levi fails to kill Zeke, he falls into an archetype that many people want Levi to be. An emotionless killing machine motivated solely by vengeance. That killing him is all he wants and that he even defied death for it. But I don't think that's the case. Levi is a much better and deeper man than that. Yes, of course, he wanted his revenge, but it's more than that. If Levi was solely motivated by killing the Titan, he would have killed the beast in Shigen Shina, he would have killed him in the forest, he would have killed him on the plane in Liberio. There were so many chances. We know from as early as the female Titan arc with Mikasa about Levi's feelings towards jeopardizing a mission with personal desires. When it comes to Zeke, Levi is always able to put his own personal objectives aside and after those four years, there was a possibility that Zeke was working in the favor of humanity. Levi was willing to wait so long for that confirmation that Zeke was in fact the enemy. He essentially had to break bread with his foe. Look after him and endure his tirades. If Levi was truly a man motivated by vengeance, Zeke would not have survived that first encounter. Moreover, if we look at the moment that Levi is given said confirmation, he immediately goes back to his promise, to his vow. Levi constantly says that he promised Erwin and later he says your deaths had meaning, at last I'll be able to prove it. The captain has one goal, and that's to ensure that their sacrifices were not made in vain. Going back to Zeke, the beast Titan can represent some of Levi's biggest failures. Levi has failed to kill the beast Titan on two occasions. The result of that were all of those soldiers dead in Sheik and Sheena for nothing. In his mind, they died for absolutely nothing. And here in the forest, members of his own squad turned into Titans and forced to be killed by Levi's own blade. Even the decision to initially trust Zeke costed them dozens of soldiers and commanders, those who drank his wine. Meaningless sacrifices. That is what Levi hates most. The beast Titan is Levi's polar opposite thematically. Zeke opposes Levi mainly through his refusal to value human life. A man who feels no guilt for what he has done. Their conversation in the forest enraged Levi for that very reason. The beast Titan engulfed the entirety of Rageko village with his spinal fluid, turning them into Titans and effectively slaughtering an entire village of people. A group that Zeke calls that village. He didn't even know their name. In Sheik and Sheena he killed over a hundred soldiers while treating their lives like a baseball game. All the Eldians he fed his spiked wine to, turning even his own people Falco into Titans. And finally if we look at Zeke's main goal, it's to euthanize the Eldian bloodline. Zeke is a man who does not value life at all. And Isayama carefully placed Zeke against the one man who values nameless soldiers. The one man who wants to ensure that every single soldier who dies knows that their deaths will give Levi the resolve to keep going. When Levi fails to kill the beast Titan for the second time, he is severely injured. In this state, he is no longer humanity's strongest soldier. So what happens when a man who only knows violence, who only knows power and is so proficient at it, gets his weapons taken away from him? His body is broken, fingers lost and eyes severely damaged. He had to be carried around by Hanji until he made somewhat of a recovery. To an ordinary individual, they would falter. Levi's self worth here is challenged. Who can he be if he can't be the acrimon that enemies feared? What purpose does he have? It's so easy to give up and to let his dream die, right? But Levi's heart is even more powerful than his body. He is still able to motivate himself and even Hanji to keep going. In their final battle, he isn't the one performing the frontal assault, but now instead he's barking out orders, saving lives, doing whatever he can and whatever he must to keep them in this fight. Levi is a slave to his power, his duty, a slave to being a hero. Levi's dedication to this is both his greatest strength and weakness. He feels so personally responsible to anyone who sacrifices their lives, to make sure that they are honored and that they matter. But that dedication and responsibility weighs him down. He's already done more than enough for humanity. He's become so many things for humanity, and yet he feels like he must do more. So when Levi finally does kill the beast Titan, vengeance doesn't come up at all. Oftentimes in stories, people who are motivated solely by revenge, once they've gotten it, they become empty. Instead, we see Levi cry after everything he's been through. This is the first tear that Levi has shed. This is relief. Levi promised Erwin, and for four long years, that vow weighed on him. In this panel, Levi is immediately surrounded by his comrades, and now he can tell them that their sacrifices finally have meaning, that they didn't die for nothing. He has honored their sacrifice, his duty is now fulfilled. Now Levi can put the cape down, he can put all of his responsibilities to rest. The burden is lifted. He doesn't have to be a hero any longer, Levi doesn't have to bear that responsibility that guilt any longer. Now he can simply be Levi Ackerman. To me, that is the perfect ending for a man who has never known peace, for a man who has only known loss. And these tears that he sheds, that is the pain that has been building inside of him. He's shedding these tears for his two friends, Furlan and Isabelle, for Petra and the rest of his squad, for Hanji, for Erwin, for the unnamed soldier. Levi Ackerman no longer has to bear the weight of being humanity's strongest soldier.