#isayama q & a

[lostcauses-noregrets]

Sorry for my bad English but I really want to write this down. After Bad Boy, I've always thinking about a fic where Kuchel is alive and moved to the surface with Levi when he joined the Survey Corps. Every time he lose his comrades, he would come home and his mother would make him tea and pat his head until he fell asleep. I like to imagine him being very tough and serious while talking to his subordinates and then Kuchel came to visit him unannounced, bringing him very good food and new clothes, he immediately acted like a harmless kitten and his voice and gesture became muchhh gentler. Everyone was extremely surprised, even Erwin. Oh and Kuchel will give Levi a lot of good advice when he conflicts with Erwin too. She's such a wonderful mother, I love her so much.

Ah that's so lovely Anon ♡ Please don't apologise for your English, it's perfect!

This reminds me of Isayama's Bessatsu Shonen Q&A from 2019, translated here by the wonderful @tsuki-no-ura

Levi is a mama’s boy True-ish depending on the definition? Bessatsu Q&A 2019 January issue: Q. クシェルさんが生きていたら、兵長は親孝行していましたか？ A. きっと楽をさせたかったでしょうね。 Q. If Kuchel-san were alive, would Heichou have been filial? A. I think (he) surely (would have) wanted to let (her) have an easy life. To be a filial child by dictionary definition is to be respectful of the duties and attitudes of a son or daughter toward their parents, so in terms of being mama’s good boy the answer is yes.

[ourmondobongo]

So this is one of the Q & A translations from last week's snk things:

Idk how accurate the translation is, but it both adds and changes perspective

(And oh - so Levi is kinda wary of the ocean...)

[troythecatfish]

[leviismybby]

One note for some people

If you have a problem with people writing "Levi x fem!reader" because "knowing damn well Levi isn't attracted to women, Isayama said so himself" please do the research. He never said that, NEVER. Levi's sexuality was never confirmed and I know this person is talking about that q and a in 2014 that has 300 different translations and never a valid source. In fact in every translation he doesn't even say that Levi doesn't like women, just that he likes taller people. It's the most unimportant thing about Levi and his character.

Sick and tired of people coming for anyone who writes any kind of Levi x reader, grow tf up. Even if his sexuality was confirmed, people can still write him how they want because he is a fictional character. I got a few anons too asking me to confirm some kind of interviews where Isayama apparently says this and let me tell you again, he never did it with Levi or any other character for that matter.

[nenithil]

In the Aot bessatsu magazine there is a Q&A with Isayama about Hange. He said that if they had lived, they would have traveled. Are you planning to translate these?

Q: Among main characters, only Hanji-san's family has not been described. Does Hanji-san have some brothers or sisters?

A: There is an impression that she is distant from her family

Q:If there is a world line that Hanji-san is alive, would she live with Levi/Falco/Gabi together?

A: I feel that the role she's going to take on will be busy and flying around, so I don't have the impression that she will settle down(定住).

[hanszoe]

Q: In a universe where Hansi was alive, would [they] live with Levi, Falco and Gabi? A: I feel like [they] would bear a role where [they] would be busy and going all over the place so I don't have an image of [them] settling in one place.

Q: Of the main characters Hansi is the only one whose family wasn't illustrated. Does Hansi have brothers or sisters? A: I have an image that [they] are estranged from [their] family.

Q: Hansi easily made a stew, so aren't [they] good at cooking? Or is that the degree of cooking that everyone in the regiment is capable of? A: It's one of the skills of a soldier, so everyone is capable of cooking.

Isayama's answers to questions about Hansi from the SnK 15th anniversary edition of Bessatsu Magazine

[cosmicjoke]

In a recent interview in new Bessatsu magazine, Isayama officially confirmed the disappearance of Ackerman's powers and said that Mikasa is now bad at the sport because of it. What do you think about this? I'm putting the link here in case you're interested in Q&A about Levi and other characters. https://x.com/conviviality104/status/1854060034722070831?t=Mr432wAsnzaQ6GiiPrFUjg&s=19

I did see that, yes. So I guess all my theories about the Ackermans still retaining their powers were wrong, lol. I just always wondered if it was a possibility, because other than the power of connecting to the knowledge of past Ackermans, the Ackerman powers themselves really didn't resemble that of the titans, and there was also the fact that Ymir had no control over the Ackermans, so I thought it made sense that their powers didn't actually come from her. But I suppose with the dissolution of the Paths, the Ackermans lost their powers with that.

Anyway, I'm totally cool with it. I think it's actually a really interesting idea to think about, what it must be like for Levi and Mikasa to have to adjust to life without their physical strength and power that separated them from everyone else. I mean, that was already something Levi was going to have to adjust to, given he ends up disabled and needing a wheelchair. But I imagine it must be really hard, in a way, losing those extraordinary abilities they had, no longer able to do the things they once did, etc... I would think it must leave both of them with a sense of vulnerability that's pretty alien to them, that they wouldn't have felt since they were both young children, even, and that would be scary, I imagine. For Levi in particular, I think on top of the loss of his powers, he's probably also dealing with chronic pain and a simple loss of mobility, which makes it exponentially worse as well. So I think the adjustment is probably tough.

But I spoke about this when the anime ended last year, and with Levi especially, when we see him handing out candy to the children in the refugee camp, I think what that highlights is that it was never his Ackerman power that made him an extraordinary person, or that made him a hero. It was always his exceptional compassion and kindness that really defined him as such. The fact he's lost his powers, lost his mobility, lost the full use of his body, lost his strength, and yet he's still out there, doing all he can to help others, doing all he can to improve the lives of people and bring them whatever joy he can in a ruined world, that's what really defines Levi as a hero, in my eyes. He continues to fight for others, even when he no longer has physical strength, and that shows that he was always going to fight for others, whether strong or not, because that's just in him. That heroism, that compassion and that empathy is just a part of who he is. He sees and cares about other people, and that's what compelled him to use his exceptional strength toward helping them in the first place, not the strength itself. He doesn't need to be "special" in order to be a hero.

And the same for Mikasa, too. Mikasa learned over the course of the story to let go of her own, selfish dream of being with Eren and giving up what was most important to her to help others, and like with Levi, it's that which made her a hero, not her Ackerman powers.

While their badass-ness is maybe what initially drew people to their characters, it was never that which made them stay. Levi and Mikasa both are much more than their Ackerman powers. It's who they are as people that matters. So them losing them in the end really isn't a big deal at all.

[rorynni]

Hi! do you have some resources for canon facts about eren? Ive been trying to collect some, like the alcohol one, him not succeeding with odm, etc etc but theyre hard to find. Im not on twitter so im at loss. Thankyou

Hi!

Canon facts can be tricky these days! A fair amount of the facts that are often compiled in TikToks or Instagram posts are actually originally headcanons that have been passed around so much that people are no longer aware of where they came from (not that there’s anything wrong with headcanons, but many people get them confused with canon material).

Eren’s page on the Attack on Titan Wiki is a good place to find canon information. All of the material on there has sources cited from various guidebooks, interviews with Isayama, and of course the source material — the manga. You can find it here:

I also have the Attack on Titan guidebooks! They’re super fun to read and have lots of fun facts and interesting information, not just about Eren, but all of the characters and also the world they live in.

Interviews by Isayama are often translated either officially or by fans and can be found in excess here on Tumblr if you know where to look. Normally just searching “Attack on Titan interview/Q&A” will get you some good results.

Thank you for the ask! I hope this was helpful! :)

[lostcauses-noregrets]

Hello! Is there any official arts where Levi is drinking? Does Levi even drink alchocol?.. Please, would you help me to clear that fact?

Thank you!!

There are indeed! This is one of my all time favourite pieces of official Eruri art. It's from the old 3DS game, and the text that went with it as translated by @oscarforjm.

The New Joiner Welcoming Party

The time is before the 57th expedition. Erwin is hosting a welcoming party for the new Survey Squad joiners (i.e. 104th). Erwin does not join the party and sits somewhere away from the crowds drinking alone because he thinks the kids cannot really relax if he is also in the party. Levi finds him.

Erwin “In order to save human race, I will have to send these new kids to death”

Levi “To me, as long as titans are being killed, it’s fine. You know about it right?” (Note: Levi is trying to comfort Erwin saying that Erwin is not doing something evil and he wants to re-confirm Erwin that he will never deny Erwin’s choice :)

Erwin “Yes……………I totally rely on you, Levi”

Levi “Huh……………..are you drunk?”

Erwin “……………………..may be I am”

You can also see Levi drinking in the manga in chapter 72 and again in a flashback to the same night in chapter 130.

Levi also appears to be drinking some kind of alcohol in this visual for the official Shingeki FLY Afterparty event.

In terms of Levi's alcohol tolerance, there was an article in Kodansha's FRaU magazine back in 2014, which included an interview and Q&A with Isayama. @fuku-shuu posted a partial translation from the Chinese:

Q: Captain Levi loves his tea, but does he drink alcohol? What about other characters like Hanji, Moblit, Erwin on the veterans’ side? Who has the highest tolerance? A: Levi can handle his drink, but the unfortunate Moblit drinks the most.

Before leaving this topic, I'm also going to include this one just for funsies. Please enjoy Levi getting hammered with Rascal the Raccoon.

[ourmondobongo]

Isym is so observant.

It's incredible how such an innocent reaction from a stranger middle school boy could affect him so positively.

[sunflowersunite]

My delulu ass: The Ackerpowers aren’t connected to the Founding Titan. Mikasa will be fine!

Narrator voice: She was, in fact, not fine.

Isayama 😠

@mathismykryptonite Isayama said a lot of weird stuff in that Q n A that didn't make any sense and I agree with you wholeheartedly. I'm personally offended by the fact that Mikasa lost her powers and is supposedly "bad in sports" now.

How did she lose them? Are the Ackermans not detached from the power of the titans in order to resist it in the first place? The Founding Titan can't control them whatsoever. Therefore shouldn't they be separate from the titans and keep existing as they were even without them? Or is it that because the Ackermans were carrying titan power in them, which was a piece of that world's magic system, that it disappeared along with the rest of the magic system?

What we actually do know is that the Ackermans were a result of experiments about titans on humans. I wish I know what that meant. I wish Isayama himself knew what it meant. I doubt he expanded on it, which... why? The Ackerman clan is such a fascinating concept and they're so underdeveloped.

In my humble opinion, it would've been so fun to have the Ackermans be detached enough from the Founding Titan that the disappearance of titans wouldn't affect them. They'd be the final bearers of that sliver of titan power which would inevitably die with them, since both Levi and Mikasa died childless.

Alright, even if the whole "losing her powers" deal was true, how is Mikasa suddenly bad in sports now? Has she not bulked up and gained incredible grace in her movements during all those years of training? Even if that superhuman power disappeared, she has muscle memory. She can become the greatest again and she will.

In my humble opinion, again, Isayama is confused and Mikasa never lost her powers because that just doesn't make sense. She's humanity's strongest now, with Levi's full support.

thank you for the ask, it was fun to draw that little thing!

edit: I forgot the scarf. I forgot the damn scarf. Years of training gone to waste

[kachuusha]

I was minding my own business but then someone pulls this clip of junho from 2pm saying let's live together on japanese national tv because he was asked how is gonna propose

see how the hosts reacted? "it's straightforward"

the point here is that let's live together is a common way to propose

and there's even that anime magazine q&a thing with eren proposing in a similar manner

sorry for bringing this up again, I'm just sick and tired of levihans constantly being told that we are delusional for thinking ifkk is a proposal and that is has romantic implications

and given the context was of the forest scene was right after levi almost died and hanji hauled him away from danger. I mean what else could isayama be trying to pull

and then there's also this?

hanji blushing upon learning that levi heard them? and no don't give me the whole it wasn't in the anime and or how it was only meant to be shadow lines? isayama doesn't draw shadow lines horizontally. slanted lines drawn under the eyes and right above the cheek? that is how he had always drawn blush lines.

[leviismybby]

I appreciate that when you talk about your headcanons for Levi that they are based off of canon manga not some third party interview that a random fan said happened

Hi anon!

I don't believe them that's why, I only believe ones that are actually at the end of the manga. I do not have a problem with people taking "interviews" as facts if they want to however I do believe that stating that they are facts comes from a deep bais they have for whatever reason since even if these interviews and q and a were real, not many people will ever hear about them. Shit, I see a "fact" in an interview that allleinges with my headcanons sometimes but I never take it as a fact because most of the time it isn't real or just falsely translated. Besides when looking for facts, canon manga and anime are the only metrial I use because, let's be honest, 90% of people who read or watched aot will only ever see the canon source metrial. Levi is to be seen as Isayama potryed him in his canon metrial, same with every other character. It's exactly why I don't take offical art seriously, it's just to promote a product most of the time and bringing them into arguments is ridiculous.

[pisspope]

okay wait i OFCCCOURSE am going to glob on the zeke q train, but then i'm actually so curious to hear you give a freebie chara take as well; 11 + 22 for Zeke and anyone else you want :)

AIGHT freebie character lets say... lets go with reiner bc he was my main squeeze before i lost my mind :)

11. Would you date this character?

zeke: ... no (pics unrelated)

rei: yes but it wouldn't work out :( i'd get bored of a man who wasn't mean to me and then he'd get upset bc i was mean to him :(

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

zeke: oh GOD okay so there's this fic,,, it's called uh...... chainsmoking his love.... idk if you've heard of it.... i just feel like the zeke in that is damn near perfect characterization? like it's the mold for me. i love it when fic writers aren't afraid to make him scummy bc news flash ?? he's scummy. but when he's scummy AND falls for reader slow???? licking my fingers, ******* a ***** up my ***** and leaving it there bc [redacted] [redacted] TWICE

something i don't like ??? frankly im pretty tolerant of most characterizations but I'm not a big fan of fics where he's just Straight Up Evil. Like yeah yeah yeah he committed war crimes yeah he's for euthanasia yeah he's killed with glee. but he can be sexy about it. let him be sexy about it. isayama literally made him shirtless in his first AND last appearance. he is canonically sexy about it.

rei: when writers make my boy sooooooo damaged. that's peak. i can't fall for a man who's stable, it's not in my DNA. let him have nightmares. give him a personality disorder. i won't fuck a boypussy unless it requires medication.

so for things i don't like?? I'm not a big fan of rei being overtly confident. like cadet rei talked a big game but he NEVER asked his crush out in those three years. he doesn't spit game and that's great! i love that he's this hulking handsome man but the second he likes someone he goes docile. don't take that shyness away from him, it's fundamental.

[hanszoe]

disclaimer that snk contains fundamentally problematic premises, themes and messages. isayama is a citizen of a country that committed terrible war crimes and culturally is not much better today, which is reflected in his own ideals and morals as depicted through his storytelling as well as in corroborative statements made by him about japanese imperialism. i recognize that he is not much more ignorant than the average racial majority in any imperialist country or beneficiary thereof, but i personally believe in individual responsibility and the possibility for a better world which will only be formed through accountability. with that said, it should be clear that i disagree with almost every message of the narrative. i am just here because i am in love with hansi.

on use of my translations: repost is fine as long as you do not edit or claim as your own, especially not to misgender or misspell hansi's name. would prefer to be credited in case someone has a question, but without is also fine.

cause it keeps coming up: generally, i dislike levi and eruri fan centrism and believe it is inseparable from the reason why hansi was killed. please do not tag me in levi or eruri centric metas, especially not to use hansi as a comparison to their relationship. eruri is subtextually canon, and i believe isayama had a responsibility to address it explicitly the same way he had a responsibility to address hansi's gender identity, but far too often is hansi ignored, sidelined, and regarded as less important by fans, and belittled and discredited by one of the men in the pairing. misogyny and transphobia are not negated by gay identity. i will always defend it, but too little do i see the same extended to femininity and genderqueerness. if levi being nonstraight is canon to you based on author commentary, hansi being genderqueer must also non-negotiably be so. i do not feel prejudice against any eruri fan nor do i dislike the pairing, but if you feel targeted by criticism of cispatriarchy then this blog is probably not for you.

-isayama has requested hansi's english pronouns be they/them ("avoid gendered pronouns") or "at least" he and she with equal frequency. using single gender for them is misgendering them (which kodansha usa and many other "official" sources do). please do not send me asks or tag me in posts misgendering them. -hansi's (smartpass) commentary on their romantic preferences is that "everyone sure likes that kind of topic".

if you're curious about my overall interpretation of parts of the narrative, please read my narrative analysis masterlist.

below are my page translations/commentary: -Hansi's conversation with squad Levi in 52 -Marlene’s comment to Hansi about Keith, its context and elaboration on the meaning of 憧れ -Full translation and commentary on the first 7 pages of 126 and additional commentary on misinterpretations of 大人しく and grammatical nuance of ん(の) in hansi's response -Correction of the mistranslation of Hansi's dialog to Yelena at the beginning of 132 -The last part of Levi's thought soliloquy in 136 and commentary on his use of お前ら

commentary on author commentary: -「役割を担う」 and 「飛び回る」 hansi in a post rumbling world -「疎遠」 hansi's relationship to their family -why these questions? bessatsu 20th anniversary edition q&a -「上位ではなかったですね」 "zoe" -「女性好きなんですかね」 does he like women though?

hansi-related: -name romanization (not my research) -estimated birth and training entry year isayama's comments on their age, as limited by age difference constraints, and final commentary -all pronouns -everything gender related -eye injury

translations -scenes of sheltering from rain volume 6 [originally 7] Nanaba & Hansi Zoe and discrepancies between my translation and the official english translation -hansi talking about being uncomfortable wearing a gendered uniform in the junior high spinoff -qna about hansi from the SnK 15th anniversary edition of Bessatsu Magazine

other -why is hansi depicted as fetishizing transfemininity in official derivative material -what did isayama mean by "female in the anime"

poetry that reminds me of hansi -october by louise glück -september by jennifer michael hecht -the poem by franz wright -meditations in an emergency by cameron awkward-rich -straw house, straw dog by richard siken

also my character songs how i feel about hansi are foreigner's god by hozier and je te laisserai des mots by patrick watson. foreigner's god for their shameless wonder, loving despite unbelievable suppression, the way our pasts are indelible influences on us, the nameless impression of power of the institution that hurt them in a way irremediable by me, and the pure grief of it transcending language. and je te laisserai des mots for how lonesome that loving ends up being, how it must be left unseen, unfelt in the hidden places, only to be held in quiet moments when you're alone (embrasse-moi can mean anything from "hold me" to "kiss me").

[cosmicjoke]

A lot of people forgot yams q&a when he said levi's father was probably a short man, so part of it was genetic as for his built, for a 65 kg Who isayama draws with muscles its pretty obvious(i used to draw inspiration from kevin hart to draw his body when i found out they're similar in height and weight haha)

Yeah, I think Levi was just always going to be short, whether he’d experienced malnourishment as a child or not. I’m not sure why it seems so hard for some people to accept that. I always thought everyone liked how little Levi is. It’s part of what makes him so cool. He’s this little dynamo whose appearance is deceiving, because he’s this unassuming looking guy who happens to be the strongest person alive, lol.