#I’m trying to emphasize just how much the show could benefit without his toxic hang-ups

[anxresi]

Wut.

ONE TICKET PLEASE.

[o-king-of-suns]

“exceeds his own”

I never realized that there is SO much toxicity in the AoT shipping community till  recently when I joined some social media platforms and saw how awful it can get. I also never thought that I will be involved in these stupid shipping wars till I saw how shippers, intentionally or unintentionally, twist Levi’s character to make him something that he is not. I never particularly minded any ship; I actually liked all the ships that included Levi (because I love Levi). It was all fun and games till I saw the horrible takes on Levi’s character and actions by shippers who care about nothing but try to prove something about their ship that isn’t there. So, I decided to rant about it here and I will post regularly about some of the controversial opinions that are circulated around when it comes to Levi and his relationships with some of the other characters.

In today’s post I will be talking about one of the famous lines that some people like to crop out of context, circulate around, and use it as some kind of proof for the validity of their ship. 

It’s the famous line where Isayama said that, to Levi  “Erwin’s  life exceeds his own”

This line gets passed around in the AoT shipping community as if it has some kind of romantic implications when it absolutely doesn’t! Some fans are naive enough to believe it and  they don’t even bother to check the interview.

Isayama said that the reason Levi always operates alongside Erwin is because he interpreted Erwin’s “For Humanity’s Future” as an altruistic intention that Levi never considered himself, so Levi ends up adopting it as his own life’s mission.” Levi always viewed and idolized Erwin as this selfless, altruistic visionary that he could never dream to become like. Not just him, almost everyone in the SC did. Erwin just had this power over people. Erwin showed Levi something that he lacked in himself and that’s why Levi trusted him blindly. Moreover, the reason Levi trusted Erwin so much is that Erwin could come up with schemes and strategies whereas Levi was really just exceptional at fighting. Without someone with strategic intelligence, Levi wouldn't know what to do, couldn't be pointed at the right targets. So trusting Erwin is partially based on Erwin's proven talents, but also partially based on necessity. Levi has to trust someone, has to believe someone else sees how to achieve the bigger picture. Levi himself admits that he’s no strategist in one of the chapters, but I can’t remember which chapter exactly. 

This is what Isayama meant when he said that "Erwin's existence exceeds" Levi's in one of his interviews. He also said, IN THE SAME INTERVIEW, that Levi’s trust in Erwin started to slowly change when he started doubting Erwin's true motivations. It first happened when Erwin smiled when they realized that titans might actually be humans and I'm quoting from the interview: “prior to this, he never actually recognized Erwin’s true nature, and thought Erwin’s existence exceeded his own.” He THOUGHT  it did, but he later started to realize that  Erwin's intentions aren't as "altruistic" as he thought they were. I can’t emphasize on the word  THOUGHT enough.

Initially, Levi didn’t analyze Erwin’s reactions any deeper and thought it has to do with Erwin just being mysterious, but Isayama said:  “But in volume 18, while facing an Erwin who wanted to command the mission no matter what - and could not be persuaded otherwise - Levi had to become a little angry.

The reason to why Levi was insistent on having Erwin stay behind  is because he believed that Erwin staying behind would have benefited them/humanity more than being dead because there was a huge possibility that this would happen since Erwin is unable to fight with just one arm. I’m sure that Levi worried for his safety as well (that’s how a good friend Levi is), but,as Isayama said, he also felt  ANGRY because Erwin’s true motivations weren’t clear to him and his decision to join the battle might lead to undesirable consequences. 

Isayama: His line of “I’ll trust your judgment, then” actually also contains a tinge of “If anything happens, you will have to take responsibility.” 

And it’s because Levi is such a good judge of people’s characters and a TRULY kind and compassionate man,during the battle, when Erwin talked about his dream of going basement, Levi quickly accepted Erwin’s child-like side (even though he felt betrayed as Isayama said) and helped assure him that they wouldn’t have reached that far if it weren’t for Erwin. It’s because of Levi’s words that Erwin became a adult who prioritizes his responsibilities over his dreams. Levi constantly does this with EVERYONE. He comforted Hange when they thought were responsible for Sannes death. He constantly motivates them. He comforted Armin when he killed a human for the first time ad assured him that if it weren’t for his decision, Jean would’ve died and he’s grateful for that. He also comforted Jean when he told him that not to beat himself up and not think back when he hesitated to kill the enemy. He did this with Eren MANY times. He quickly forgave Kenny for abandoning him. He quickly forgave Mikasa for almost killing him. He forgave Eren for disobeying him. He forgave Erwin for not being completely honest with him. This is how wonderful Levi is.

Levi is a wonderful character with complex motivations and a person who deeply cares about his comrades and friends, and to reduce him to a love interest is just NOT OK