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[lvhns]

Levi’s Eye Panel in Chapter 132 Shows the Stages of Grief—Except Acceptance

If you're a Levihan shipper like me, you already know the infamous scene between Hange and Levi in Chapter 132, or what we collectively call “Levi’s goodbye and Hange’s sacrifice.”

The most memorable moment in that chapter is Levi giving Hange the modified Scout salute. But what I want to focus on is Levi’s eyes. His eyes were drawn in three distinct panels, which, to me, means Isayama wanted us to feel Levi’s inner turmoil. Each panel expresses a different emotion—and what amazed me is that the anime added/changed the final panel.

If you notice, the anime version conveys the same emotional weight—except for one detail: the scrunched nose (attached on the coming paragraphs). That small change, for me, added a different layer. In the manga, it was despair. In the anime, it felt like… anger. And that shift gave us a new perspective.

So I placed the panels side by side, and what resonated with me was how they mirrored the stages of grief—except acceptance.

A quick psychology note: the five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These stages can vary in order and intensity depending on the person.

Let’s go back to Levi’s eye panels.

The eye panel happens after Hange says, “So just let me walk away.”

Her words sounded like an order—firm and final. There was no convincing her otherwise. That’s how it came across to Levi. They refused to look at each other, but if you pay attention to Hange’s eyes, she’s scared. She doesn’t want to die, and she doesn’t want to leave Levi behind.

We all know what Hange looks like when she's obsessed with Titans—excited, animated. This wasn’t that. This was fear disguised as courage. But she could never fool Levi.

Now look at the manga panels (Right to Left): to me, they look like Bargaining. Depression. Denial.

And the panel added in the anime? That’s ANGER. The fury of a man who has lost too much to cry.

Remember the nose scrunch I am talking about that is not in the three panels above?

Now let’s try to digest each stage of grief through Levi’s eyes based on how I interpreted them. (This is deep headcanon territory—so you’ve been warned.)

Bargaining (laced with regrets)

Is there any other way?

Should I stop her?

What if I stayed behind instead? Could I buy us more time? Think—there must be another way. I can’t lose the last person I truly care about. Why does everything I touch die?

We can almost hear the chaos in his mind. Bargaining is desperation dressed as strategy. Levi’s a soldier. He’s trained to assess, recalculate, find alternatives. But in this moment, his calculations are just grief trying to negotiate with fate.

And Levi, in that instant, is willing to offer himself.
But deep down, he knows—Hange won’t let him. She’s already chosen.

If I wasn’t injured, maybe I could do it.
If I were faster. Stronger. If I hadn’t made so many damn mistakes.

Bargaining isn't always with God—it’s often with yourself. It's guilt trying to rewrite the past. It’s the need to trade something, anything, to undo the inevitable.

And he respects her too much to strip that choice away.

Depression

Paralyzed. Defeated.

Levi can’t move. He’s stuck. All he hears is the rumble of the approaching Colossal Titans. The ticking clock.

Why am I still alive?

What’s the purpose of being here, existing and surviving if I just kept on losing the people I care about. Kuchel, Petra, Olou, Erwin, My Squad, and now Hange. For the freedom of humanity, yes, what does that mean really? Is surviving and choosing humanity worth all the pain I suffered? I hope so…

If only I wasn’t injured, we wouldn’t be in this situation where I have to lose someone again.

If I wasn’t injured, I could’ve fought—either instead of her, or at least alongside her. Why?

Denial

Levi knows Hange doesn’t want to die.

Imagine spending years protecting this one person. (Even if you're not a shipper, let's agree that after Hange lost her left eye, Levi is always seen standing on her right—call it platonic or romantic, it's protection.) He even pauses during missions just to check on her. Now, that same person is ordering him to let her walk to her death and he was supposed to just accept it.

Levi’s inner turmoil:

We had hope. We could’ve flown the plane.

We could’ve stopped Eren in time.

Why is this happening now? Why do I have to choose again—Why does it always come down to this? This is too much, I refuse to accept this.

Then the added anime panel:

ANGER

Have I not sacrificed enough?

Will her death finally mean something?

What the hell was it all for?

If I let her walk away… will we be free then?

This isn’t hot, screaming rage we used to see in Levi. It’s quiet and suffocating. The kind that eats you alive. It’s not directed at Hange. It’s directed at the world. At himself. At the cruel cycle of sacrifice and survival.

Why am I even called “Humanity’s Strongest” if I can’t save a single one of them?

Then, the panels move away from his eyes. We don’t see them when he gives the modified salute and says, “Dedicate… your heart.” Notice the ellipsis. The pause. We can assume it was hesitation.

The eye panel missing here, I believe, is acceptance. Because Levi doesn’t really accept it—not in that moment at least. But he has to let Hange believe he does. He pretends to accept it without looking at her. He doesn’t want her to see the pain. He doesn’t want her to regret her decision. He respects her, her resolve, her sacrifice.

Or maybe—he refuses to look at her because he can’t. He knows he’ll break if he does. He doesn’t have the willpower to watch her walk away. And maybe the salute was acceptance, in its own way. Like, this is it. It’s too late. But I want you to know how I really feel.

I know it won’t change anything. But I heard you, back in the forest. I’m letting you go. My heart is yours. Do what you want with it. Trample it. Reject it.

But if you can… please come back alive.

So that’s my how I interpreted Levi’s detailed eye panel in the manga and the anime. Tell me what you think, let’s exchange ideas!

-Lauren

[lvhns]

Here's the actual link to YouTube if you'd rather watch there

To all the levihan enjoyers I highly recommend watching this even if you don't know the au ;) tho of course you're welcome to look it up here on my blog first if you're so inclined

Never in my life have I finished an animatic this fast, I started it thursday night and finished this morning, which as I said on my side acc was the result of self inflicted crunch time and quite a few all nighters too but I had so much fun I regret nothing >:) just don't expect this level of speed of me ever again lmao

It's funny like I had the idea when I was going through my playlists for songs that remind me of this au (I have a whole playlist for it too lmao) and this one just hit in such a way that I just immediately sat down and started drawing.

Some translation notes: Pettäjä in the song's context actually means cheater but it can be translated as betrayer and with the blessing of my friend I changed it into traitor even tho it's a tiny bit of a reach (traitor would be petturi) XD but close enough and it has better flow. Also the "this is how we sit" part references a children's game but in the song's context it's like here I sit in indecision about this choice I have to make, thought that might be a little unclear if you're not finnish idk. Also "kämppä" means place in the way a flat means a place, like an apartment xD but let's just ignore that.

Kudos to Sanni also, she's a very nostalgic and dear artist to me since hers are the first two live gigs I ever went to and I've had the luxury to see her many times after those too by chance. :')

[lvhns]

dingo ☆ he/they ☆ levihan blog

making a while sideblog cause im hyperfixated on this fucking ship? it's more likely than you think

15 aus and counting. i'll make a tag guide for them if i ever get brave enough

um i am terrified of social media and dont usually enjoy posting my art cause it makes me seem WAY younger than i actually am but. i'm feeling brave 4 once. cannot guarantee activity all of the time