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purpleheartskies · 2 months

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Robby won captain

... because it fits his character development and character journey

After s5, I made a post called Robby as a leader that talked about how the writers have been building Robby out as the leader amongst the teens.

These are the main points in that analysis. That post has explanations for each.

Robby isn't a blind follower, which is important for a leader.

Robby doesn't actively seek out and hurt people to be vindictive, another good quality for a leader to have.

Robby honors the rules he sets and is an honorable leader.

Robby had some equal standing alongside Kreese and Silver in s4. Robby was the sole person in Cobra Kai who could teach Miyagi-Do to the students, meaning Robby probably led a lot of the classes.

Robby also tailored his lessons to the Cobras and didn't have them do chores. This shows he's able to identify how best to lead his group and change strategies to be more effective and to suit them. He did the same with Kenny, teaching him to use his speed to his advantage.

Robby was the first kid to mentor another kid. Robby was a great mentor to Kenny---despite what Robby believes, as he's too hard on himself.

Robby has been shown to be a strategic thinker who is at times willing to take risks, a good leadership quality to have.

Silver recognized Robby as a leader and even as an equal to the senseis, including himself, given how Silver responded to Robby in s5e9.

Robby was shown in a central, forefront position for the students in both dojos in s5.

These scenes were also in conjunction with Robby having a significant interaction with Daniel and Silver, respectively. The first one kicked off Miyagi-Dos return in s5. The second one was the first move against Silver by Miyagi-Do at the end of s5.

Robby's standing amongst the senseis is especially something of note. Robby is narratively an equal to the senseis.

In s5e9, Robby walked in after Silver and Kim talked about LaRusso, Lawrence, and Toguchi being pests and that they'll swat the next one. Robby then made his speech to the students, even daring to call Silver the enemy. Silver then swat Robby down with Silver's "they hear you, but listen to me" demonstration.

Another great example is s4e3. Robby became Kenny's mentor, while Daniel worked with Miguel and the Eagle Fangs alone for the first time and Johnny worked with Sam and the Miyagi-Dos for the first time.

And of course, Robby did what neither Daniel nor Johnny could accomplish in s4. Robby taught a dojo of students another style of karate and all of his students used that other style effectively in the tournament.

Robby is also the only kid to have teamed up with a sensei in a fight.

Hope we get at least one more team up between these two.

The matches in s6e5 were being used to determine who should be captain. The girls fight had no conclusion to it, and both girls became captain for a dojo. Not only did the girls each become captain, they also had a true resolution to their rivalry in terms of hashing things out properly. It's interesting, then, that there was a definitive decision for the boys for captain, although they haven't yet had a true resolution for their rivalry in terms of hashing it out properly. In fact, it was Robby only who took accountability and apologized, and Miguel didn't do either. Overall, the 3 kids who took accountability and apologized each became captain.

Robby became the captain after cleanly winning the only fair fight that he and Miguel have had. 😊 You go, kiddo!

It's important to note that being the best fighter doesn't make someone the best leader. imo Robby is the best fighter and the best leader amongst the boys (and teens). Even if Robby hadn't won the captaincy match, Robby is still the boy, between these two, who's better suited to lead. Robby is the kid overall who has been built out the most narratively as a leader.

Another important thing to note is that Robby is the teen that most naturally and closely follows Miyagi-Do, and as I point out in my Robby is the protagonist post:

Robby carries the essence of Miyagi-Do with him, wherever he goes, including juvie (The Heart of Miyagi-Do - Part 1 and Part 2). Although, this show is called Cobra Kai. Cobra Kai represents the generational trauma that is being passed down from Kreese to Johnny to Robby and from Silver to Daniel to Robby. Miyagi-Do is presented as the opposition to Cobra Kai: The goal of Miyagi-Do is to teach a better way. In fact, all the important avt final matches and the ST trial matches were Miyagi-Do vs Cobra Kai. The whole goal is to take down Cobra Kai. In s4, Robby beat the whole Cobra Kai dojo using Miyagi's teachings. Of course, the kid who carries the essence of Miyagi-Do will be the one to take down Cobra Kai for good in the end.

Robby, while wearing a Cobra Kai gi, used Miyagi-Do to take down the Cobra Kai students in their dojo. He then assumed his position as the leader (with Tory as a co-leader) and started teaching the Cobras Miyagi-Do.

It's important to note that Miyago-Do purely has yet to win a tournament. In s1, Robby was using pure Miyagi-Do to fight, but Miguel cheated to secure the win for Cobra Kai. In s4, Daniel told Hawk to put Robby on defense, which is Miyagi-Do, and encouraged Hawk to use Cobra Kai. Although Miyagi-Do won the boys championship by name, Hawk primarily used the Cobra Kai style to win. Sam was also using both styles to fight against Tory. Silver cheated and secured the win for Tory, so Miyagi-Do lost the girls championship and lost the tournament overall.

No other kid, especially not Miguel, has been built out the way that Robby has as a leader and as the teen who follows Miyagi-Do most inherently, even in his fighting style. According to Tanner and one of the stunt coordinators, Robby uses the traditional Okinawan style, but switches it up only when he needs to.

Miyagi-Do has to win a tournament purely as Miyagi-Do in this series. Miyagi-Do is the legacy of this franchise, and the whole point of this series is that Cobra Kai, including Eagle Fang, is a poison and must die.

In s6 part 1, the new development about Mr. Miyagi's backstory is interesting. When Johnny called Mr. Miyagi "a liar and a thief", I immediately thought of Robby. The earlier reveal that Miyagi had committed an assault and robbery and went on the run is a possible significant parallel with Robby, who shares other parallels with Miyagi. This reveal about Miyagi has shattered Daniel's perception of him. Maybe, as Daniel learns more about Miyagi's past, Daniel will also learn to listen to and consider all sides to a story before making rash judgments about people (..coughs... Robby...) in those situations.

In relation to Robby's character journey, the two King Cobras each told Robby, the kid who carries the essence of Miyagi-Do, that he can be a champion. Kreese even told Robby that he needs to show it to the world. Both of these conversations were also in the context of Robby not turning out like Johnny, which is a big part of Robby's character journey. Robby's "lie"/fear is that he believes that he's like Johnny and will end up like him ("second place" being one aspect of that).

Kreese to Robby (s4e1): "Trust me. You've got even more talent than your father. You just need to show it to the world... It's not about the trophy. It's about being a champion. Win or lose, that reputation will follow you for the rest of your life. Just ask your father and LaRusso."

Daniel's reputation as a winner has followed him. Johnny became... the person that Robby doesn't want to turn into. Kreese had also told Robby that Johnny squandered his talent.

Silver to Robby (s4e4): "If you want to be a champion, you need to dig out that fear and face it. Whatever it is. Because if you don't it's going to hold you back forever."

Robby later went to Johnny and told him that Robby's biggest fear is ending up like Johnny, but Robby isn't going to because he is better than Johnny. Robby has been trying to not be like Johnny in different ways.

It's notable that Johnny's "second place" trauma, especially in relation to his standing wrt Daniel, was being depicted alongside Robby's "second place" trauma in s6e5.

Kreese rooted Johnny's "second place" trauma in him when he told him "Second place is no place! ... You're nothing. You're a loser", strangled him, and then abandoned him. In s4, Kreese rubbed in Johnny's face that he's playing second fiddle to LaRusso. In s6e5, Johnny spent most of the episode dealing with his insecurities about being less than Daniel.

Johnny has rooted Robby's "second place" trauma in him by choosing Miguel over him since s1e5 and the plot device baby over him since s5e5. In s6e5, Robby was dealing with his "second place" trauma too.

Robby's struggle to not become like Johnny continues. From his lack of future prospects to being "second place", Robby still sees a bleak future ahead of him. Tory however gave Robby inspiration to fight for and believe in himself again. Robby is now ready to try once again to change his future by becoming a champion.

Also, to note, Tory is connected to Kreese and Robby, and Johnny brought up his mother's death after hearing about Tory's mother's death. Johnny's mother's death led him to abandoning Robby. All these strings are intertwining as part of the main plot, and Miguel isn't a part of this.

Robby definitely earned and deserved the captain position, and narratively, it was always going to be his.

Robby's Johnny's son. Of course, Cobra Kai is Robby's story, as much as it is Johnny's, maybe even more so.

I ended the Robby as a leader post with this:

I'd also love to see Robby get at least one mentor he wishes he had when he was younger (a strong support system of genuinely caring and compassionate adults would be ideal). Although Robby has many leadership qualities, he also still needs an adult in his life who is mature and grounded. He needs a mentor and supporter who he can look up to, who will be there for him and believe in him, and who can lead him.

It's become pretty clear in s6e5 that an important part of Robby's journey that makes him THE underdog and Karate Kid of this generation is that he's all alone. Robby is a leader, but he's still a kid; one who still has no support system and no real mentor.

In s6e1, Robby told Kenny that he should join their dojo so that he could go to the Sekai Taikai and "with the right mentors...". Shawn cut Robby off then, but Robby calling Johnny and Daniel the "right mentors" shows how much Robby has internalized the flaws in this relationships with Johnny and Daniel as being his own fault. Johnny and Daniel are the ones who have absolutely failed Robby, especially Johnny. They're not "the right mentors". Both refuse to acknowledge and understand Robby's side of the story. (My post The Neglect of Robby Keene covers this.)

Around the time that s1 came out, Ralph said about the first Karate Kid movie:

"It's a story about a boy who needs a mentor, needs a father, and he’s got all the odds against him."

This is definitely Robby as he goes into the Sekai Taikai. Robby has two "mentors", one of which is his father, but Robby obviously doesn't feel supported by either of them. Robby's balance is going to be really off as he starts the tournament, and I'm curious to see how it will affect his ability to lead and fight.

In s2, Robby had told Johnny that Miyagi-Do had helped Robby a lot and that maybe Johnny and Daniel can learn from each other.

Robby wanted Johnny to become Miyagi-Do even back then. He wanted him and Daniel to learn from each other. Now Johnny has joined Miyagi-Do, but he needs to become Miyagi-Do, like Robby is.

Johnny and Daniel are still not on the same page, though, and are still failing Robby and all these kids. Johnny and Daniel seriously need to step up. I really hope they do. Robby needs to believe in himself again, but it shouldn't be that this kid has to go it alone, not again, not anymore. Johnny and Daniel need to redeem themselves to Robby, and they need to be there for him.

Can you imagine Robby winning it with Johnny and Daniel both in his corner, all three as Miyagi-Do? 🥹 As much as I want to throw Johnny away, I know this would be a dream come true for Robby so I want it for him too. I hope it happens, and that it happens after they've validated Robby and all of his traumas and experiences, especially those caused by them and the person they blindly chose over him.

Robby wasn't second place for the first time, and his dad acknowledged him and his achievement. ❤️

#cobra kai is robby's story #robby keene

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hangmatts · 23 days

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jungle boy goes to matt for help.

[ set before full gear 2022 ]

—

word count: 1,036. also posted on ao3

—

Jungle Boy very rarely gets frustrated. He’s a very calm and relaxed person. But, when he keeps messing up his hair, he can’t help but get mad. He throws the hair tie down on the floor and tries not to yell.

It’s a basic hairstyle, one that he’s done many times. His hands can’t help but shake because of his nerves. He tries sitting and thinking about what to do. He listens to the pre-show talk about the in-ring return of the Elite when the idea hits him. If anyone knows anything about hairstyles, it’s Matt Jackson.

—

He finds himself at the door of the Elite’s locker room, afraid to knock. He’s not even sure Matt likes him or if visitors are even welcome. He comes to the conclusion that he needs Matt’s help. He quickly shakes off the nerves and places a knock on the door.

Nick opened the door, peeking his head out. He looked confused when he saw the young man standing in front of him.

“Jack?” He asked. “What’s up?”

“Oh- um, is Matt here?”

“Yeah? You need to talk to him?”

“Yeah, please? If that’s okay?”

“Of course it’s okay! Come on in!” Nick smiled and opened the door to invite him in.

—

Jungle Boy looked over to see Matt in front of a mirror, trying to style his hair.

“Matt, you have a visitor.” Nick said before sitting back down on the couch.

“Hm?” Matt turned around. “Oh, Jack! So nice to see you! What can I do for you?”

“Um. I was hoping you could help me style my hair?”

Matt’s face immediately lit up with excitement. He jumped out of his seat, causing Jack to step back.

“I would LOVE TO. Come sit in front of me.”

Jack sat in the chair in front of the mirror, inspecting everything. He messed with the tiny butterfly clips. He color coordinated the hair ties. He picked up Matt’s silver, dangly earrings and started messing with them.

“Do you like the accessories?” Matt asked.

“Oh- yeah, they’re fun. Sorry, I didn’t mean to touch them.”

“It’s okay. You can mess with them as much as you want.”

Matt leaned down to whisper the next part. “I can tell you’re a little nervous and if messing with my earrings calms you down, go ahead.”

“Thanks- thank you.” Jack smiled.

“So, what hairstyle were you thinking?”

“I just wanted a half up ponytail.”

“Oh, a classic! One of my specialties too! You came to the right place.”

“I tried doing it myself but I couldn’t get it. It always looked wrong or bad.” Jack explained.

“I get it. I mean, I truly believe if your hair is wrong, your entire life is wrong.”

“Who said that?”

Matt tilted his head, trying to think.

“I don’t know but I say it all the time so, I’m gonna say it’s a Matt Jackson original!”

Matt smiled, proud at himself for that answer. Jack just nodded in response. Nick overheard and rolled his eyes.

—

Matt grabbed out all the tools he needed.

“Now, do you want a silent appointment or do you want to talk?” He asked.

Jack lowered his voice. “I’d love to talk but I would prefer if it was just us? Is that okay?”

“Of course!” Matt responded before turning to face Nick. “Nicky, please leave.”

“What? Why?” Nick was confused.

“I prefer to work in a less crowded environment.” Matt made it up on the spot, just to make sure Jack felt comfortable.

“Crowded? I’m ONE person.”

“NICK! Go find Kenny and talk about sports or something!” Matt pointed towards the door.

Nick rolled his eyes, mumbling something about Matt being dramatic as he walked out of their locker room. Matt rolled his eyes back.

—

“So, what’s on your mind?” Matt asked, picking up the first tool he needed.

“You know what it’s like to fight your best friend, right?”

Matt nearly froze. “All too well.” He answered.

“How do you go on after? I feel like everything is gonna change. It already has changed, but it’s gonna be so different when this match is finished. What do I do with myself? How do I move on?”

“Well, everything is gonna change.” Matt started as he brushed Jack’s hair back. “But, that doesn’t necessarily mean for the worse. A lot of the times, change is good. You will find your way after this ends. It’s always difficult to move on but I just know you’re gonna go on to do greater things.”

“What do you mean?”

“When this match is over, when this whole mess with Christian is over, you should put it all behind you. You’re amazing at what you do, Jack. I truly believe you’re gonna be a world champion someday. You are a star.”

“You think so?” Jack asked, fidgeting with Matt’s earring.

“I know so.” Matt smiled. “And soon, the entire world will see it. You’re so special. One day, you’re gonna realize that.”

“That means so much coming from you.” Jack awkwardly smiled back.

“Well, I’m glad I could help. I’m all finished. What do you think?”

Jack examined his hair in the mirror. Something so simple, yet so efficient.

“It’s perfect. Exactly what I wanted. Thank you so much for helping me.”

“Of course! You know, you should come by some other time. I can put some of these clips in your hair. We could try out a bunch of different hairstyles together.”

“Yeah… I’d like that, actually.”

“Great! I’ll text you when I’m free.”

—

“Well, I should probably go. My match is on first.” Jack got up from the chair.

“Right, of course. One more thing.”

Jack looked at Matt confused. Matt leaned up to place a small kiss on Jack’s cheek.

“Good luck.” Matt said, pulling back.

Jack tried to ignore the blush quickly creeping up on his face. Matt noticed.

“Right! Thank you. I will see you some other time. Um- thanks for the hair and talk. Bye.” Jack quickly shuffled out of the room.

Matt couldn’t help but giggle at how cute Jack looked nervously blushing. He put his dangly earrings in and turned on the TV just to watch Jack’s match.

#my writing #matt jackson #jack perry #jackmatt #mattjack #fluff #nick jackson #jungle boy

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ackersmithen · 3 months

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Levi chose Erwin over humanity?

Whether you ship Erwin with Levi or not, this seems to be the true. Let me explain why:

I do believe interpreting Levi as angry at Erwin when he revealed he cared more about his dream is valid. But that doesn't mean he wasn't worried about Erwin's life too. Levi is complex and human, both feelings can coexist inside him.

This is my personal take on the scene:

Logically, Levi's request makes no sense. The main strategist and leader of the Corps not being in their most important mission is nuts. Being there is Erwin's duty. So when Levi asked him to stay, it's not crazy to say it came from a personal place. Levi is just trying to give Erwin a 'logical reason' to stay behind.

When he asks Erwin to drop the noble excuses, what Levi is truly looking for is what drives Erwin, what is the reason he can't convince him to desist. Why is he so eager to go, if he could die? He knows that is must be about Erwin's dream. But he doesn't know how much Erwin wants it.

Levi stumbles to the answer without meaning to. When he and Erwin are alone, he doesn't ask about Erwin's dreams. He asks Erwin not to go to battle. He accidentally discovers why he wants to go so much.

What makes Levi truly angry and sad is that Erwin wants his dream so much that there's no way to convince him to stay behind.

The question isn't really "Is your dream more important than humanity's victory?" That is what comes out of Levi's mouth. The question does not mean that Levi thinks Erwin would ditch the Corps in a selfish pursuit; he wouldn't follow Erwin if he believed so. Humanity's victory, in Levi's mind, equals Erwin being alive. So what he truly is asking Erwin is "Is your dream worth risking your life?"

Erwin's answer is "Yes."

If Levi was really worrying about humanity, he would want Erwin to go to Shiganshina. It's their most important mission. They need him there to win. He is the strategist. It's illogical for Levi to think Erwin's brain would save humanity, that if he dies 'they are screwed', but then tells Erwin to leave their most important mission to Hange. So, is Erwin truly that important or is he replaceable by Hange? Levi is contradicting himself.

I believe Levi asking Erwin to stay behind was an emotional request backed up by a logical reason to convince Erwin to stay.

(Friendly reminder that Levi had just saw Kenny die. It makes sense he would be worried about more people he cares about dying.)

But this scene can be interpreted in many ways. There's really nothing that can confirm or deny the interpretations because everything about the scene is subtle. Maybe it is 100% about Levi being worried about humanity if Erwin dies and not Erwin himself.

Only analyzing the "I'll break both your legs" scene, I think it's a valid reading that Levi wants Erwin to stay behind because he is worried about losing humanity's best hope against the Titans, and not because he cares for Erwin himself. But that reading only works in that scene in particular.

Other scenes? Not so much.

It's better to see everything as a whole rather than one scene. To truly see Levi's feelings about Erwin, we have to take a look at the whole situation and draw conclusions and interpretations from there.

Levi's goal is to protect and fight for humanity. That's canon and out of the question. The question is: was Levi's personal and emotional feelings involved during his request for Erwin to stay (and later his decision to give him the serum)? Or was Levi solely ensuring humanity's best hope?

To me, the answer is both. It's both until it is not.

By reading the situation as a whole, I say that Levi's actions were mostly emotional, regarding Erwin as a person and a friend.

Levi wasn't just angry at Erwin because he was putting humanity's victory at risk by risking his life, he was also worried about Erwin because he cared for him personally.

How do I know? This is shown during the whole serum situation.

Isayama's portrayal of the conflict shows without question that Levi's choice wasn't objetive at all, and that in that moment, he was being driven by his personal feelings for Erwin.

This is portrayed by 1) The paneling

Levi's famous "I can only save one person" panel shows how the idea of giving the serum to Erwin pops into his mind. The art portrays Levi's idea is purely driven by feelings in that moment.

Manga is a visual medium. The way things are presented, its composition and expressions matter a great deal to convey the feeling the author wishes the reader to feel/understand.

In this panel, Isayama shows very clearly that Levi is thinking of Erwin not as a commander, not as humanity's hope, but as a person Levi cares about.

If Isayama didn't want us to think so, he wouldn't have made the panel have so much emotion:

Levi looks very distressed but the most important part is how Levi remembers Erwin. The way he remembers him show Levi's feelings on the matter.

Levi's panel is not portraying "I have to save Erwin because he means humanity's victory", it's portraying "I have to save Erwin because I care for him."

If you don't think so, let me illustrate it more clearly with the magic of editing.

In these two variations of the panel, Levi's feelings are "I have to save Erwin because he means humanity's victory":

This panel shows Levi's feelings are "I have to save Erwin because I care for him":

The contrast makes the intention of the original panel blatantly obvious. Levi is not remembering Erwin as the Commander and humanity's hope, not as the determined, driven man full on conviction. He remembers Erwin as Erwin, a person, a friend. He remembers him in his most intimate, vulnerable moment, when he opened up to Levi and smiled at him softly.

And later reinforced by 2) The dialogue

It is also hinted via dialogue that Levi wants to save Erwin based on personal feelings.

When Levi tells Eren to "Keep his feelings out of it" Eren goes "My feelings?" it implies Levi wasn't really thinking objectively, and he was being emotional.

Erwin being the best choice for humanity was, while true, also an excuse to hide Levi's emotional reasons...and it works for him at first. The choice to save Erwin is a win/win situation for Levi: he was ensuring humanity's victory (his goal) and saving his friend the man he loves at the same time.

People may ask 'But then how do you tell Levi wasn't thinking about humanity? You can't be sure'. I do think he was thinking about humanity, of course. But then, he didn't anymore. Yes, I am very sure of that and that leads to our final point:

At the end it is finally confirmed by 3) Levi's last choice

Like I said, it was always an emotional choice for Levi since the very beginning (the "Only one man" panel). But is truly shown when Levi actually has to choose between humanity OR Erwin.

Levi was 100% going to give Erwin the serum. At first, saving Erwin and ensuring humanity's victory is the same. I'm sure Levi thought, at first, that Erwin would be happy to be back: He would keep living and fulfill his dream to see the basement.

But it's not until Floch opens his mouth that Levi realizes what bringing Erwin back would mean: again he would feel the crushing guilt of being the commander.

And that is when everything changes for Levi.

He wanted Erwin to live because he loved him, but then realized that Erwin living meant Erwin suffering. So, he decides to let Erwin rest. He doesn't choose what's best for humanity—the logical and objective choice—He chooses to save Erwin's soul and let him die.

Let's think this from a very logical, military perspective: between reviving a soldier, no matter how good, and their leader, Levi (as the Captain) should have prioritized Erwin no matter what. No matter who else died, no matter his feelings about him.

Therefore, he loved Erwin so much that he put aside his duty (humanity) and even his personal feelings (wanting Erwin to live because he cared for him) and instead did "what was best for Erwin".

This is the only time Levi takes a decision that is not for humanity. That's how much he loved Erwin.

It proves Levi was just trying to justify himself and convince Eren to let Armin die. If Levi truly had only cared about humanity (and not about Erwin) he would have given Erwin the serum anyway since Levi truly thought Erwin was most vital for humanity. He wouldn't have cared about Erwin's suffering or guilt. But he didn't give it to him because he cared about Erwin's peace more.

Isayama wanted to show that even Levi wasn't truly being objective as he wanted the rest to believe, which makes Levi very human. This is the ONLY thing Levi ever does that goes against his goal to save humanity. His compassion for Erwin was bigger than his duty to the world.

I need to add that I don't think Levi left humanity defenseless when choosing to let Erwin die. Levi is a responsible man that will fulfill his duty to humanity. If it hadn't been a choice, if the fate of the world relied on Erwin being alive, he would have chosen to inject Erwin. But all the circumstances led him to the opposite: having Eren and Mikasa begging to save Armin, Floch wanting Erwin to keep being the devil, etc. Levi ended up choosing to trust that Armin and Hange would be enough so Erwin could rest. So he chose Armin not because Armin was 'better' but because it meant Erwin would not have to be the devil and a monster.

In conclusion, Levi wanting Erwin to stay behind and his choice to give Erwin the serum was —while convenient for humanity— portrayed as emotional and personal. And that is solidified when, between choosing humanity or Erwin, he finally chooses Erwin.

But I feel I have to add: I do not wish to muddle the narrative meaning of Levi's choice.

We can say Levi chose to be compassionate and humane. He did not want to bring Erwin back into hell, no matter if that was the logical choice. He decided not to sacrifice Erwin's own humanity for the sake of all humanity.

He chose to trust Armin would be good enough and that maybe they wouldn't need the devil but rather someone with the same glint of curiosity and wonder in Erwin's eyes before it got lost in all his pain. The choice represents choosing hope over cynicism, in a way. Maybe the devil isn't needed for the future to come.

We can say Levi wasn't wrong about trusting Armin. But that doesn't make choosing Armin 'the right choice', so to speak. Maybe Erwin could have stopped the rumbling too. Or maybe not. We won't know.

Levi, in a very Erwin fashion, took a gamble by choosing Armin and Levi knows this. Levi himself confirms he did not really chose Armin, but chose to let Erwin rest. Levi could have made the wrong choice if Armin failed in the future. He wanted to trust his final decision: Levi choose to be hopeful and let Erwin rest.

In the end, Armin did save the world with his voice and compassion rather than violence. Levi wasn't wrong about him.* So Levi's whole choice is based on his compassion, humanity and hope: his compassion for Erwin and his hope for a future where his role of devil wasn't needed. His compassion for Mikasa and Eren who love Armin, and his hope that Armin’s own humanity could be what is needed.

*There is a case to be made about the choice, and if it was 100% correct. Levi was hopeful but also quite selfish on his choice. It's very layered. What if Erwin had been able to stop the rumbling before it started? What if Armin’s compassion for Eren created more death? I point this out because not only I believe Isayama killed Erwin because he was too smart and would have probably managed to avoid at least a big part of the rumbling, but because the narrative itself seems to punish Levi for letting Erwin die. His actions had terrible, terrible consequences and the symbolism behind losing the two fingers he had used the injection with is a big indicator of this. The truth is maybe there was never a better or correct choice, but rather just a choice and the consequences that choice carries.

Maybe Erwin would have stopped the rumbling, but dooming Paradis in the process, coming at another great loss. Which would be equivalent to the losses after choosing Armin.

The objective truth, I think, is that—even if it "turned out well" in the end— Levi did put humanity at risk when he chose to give the serum to Armin. And he did that for Erwin.

#erwin smith #levi ackerman #eruri #meta #aot #snk #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #bless you if you read all this rambling

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vctrvn-ls · 1 year

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Beta Squad members as The Weeknd songs {and why}

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・. .・

AJ: Shameless

guys guys guyyyssss , listen to the fvcking lyrics and tell me that’s not how you imagine being in a relationship with him!! the melody too, like it just gives off such Aje vibes you know? trusstt this is his song 100% , im sure with this one

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・. .・

Niko: Losers

now now now, why would I pick a semi-basic song for my husband? well it’s not really basic though. listen to the words and fricking tell me that it doesn’t sound like a Niko thing?? like the lines “cause stupid’s next to I love you” and obviously “only losers go to school” ahahah. and the melody is so upbeat but not too over the top at the same time, just like Niko, you guys get me??? like plz I put a lot of thought into this one ahahah

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・. .・

Sharky: Rockin’

sooo I was stuck in between this song and ‘Next’ but then I came to a conclusion that the latter is too too chill (almost sad) and the lyrics wouldn’t make sense. maybe the lyrics of ‘Rockin’ don’t all apply to Sharks, but the melody is his 100% because of how catchy and easy going it sounds!!! and you would totally be rockin’ together. being with sharky would be like dating your best friend no? j think ab it, he loves to gossip (podcasts r there for a reason), he dresses sooo well (outfit matchy matchy), great listener and an overall sweetheart!!! and the line “you don’t have to waste your energy”!?!? a slay line, defo cause he’d be so carefree w u and feel amazing. Sharky ily sm <3

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・. .・

Kenny: Gasoline

ssshhhh guys,this is such an underrated song Im telling you, j like Kenny. this song is j *chefs kiss* for him, despite the fact that I can’t explain why the main chorus of the song has me thinking ab Kenny when the lyrics have nothing to do w him. Ik it feels like I j wasn’t bothered for poor Kenny, but that ain’t the case. really like, here you either get it or don’t, it’s j all ab the vibe rlly. (also the OD line in the chorus kind of resembles his boxing to me..like if u were to be in a relationship you’d obviously help him, help him stay motivated, always be on his side and support him no matter what, that’s why it’s “I know you won’t let me OD” , cause he would literally trust you w his whole life!!)

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・. .・

Chunkz: Ordinary Life

lyrics lyrics lyrics is all I can say guys. maybe don’t listen to them too deeply, but off of the surface vibes we get religion, fame and the contrast of the two. we all know Chunkz takes his religion seriously, to the point where he gave up music, and we all know he is considered a very successful individual. so connecting the two, he probably does have a hard time balancing them which only makes sense because usually religion is more ab the spiritual world rather than the material. additionally the main chorus is lively tuneful but still sounds kind of mature (u get me guys? I hope so) which is literally a description of our bby Chunkz <3

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・. .・

BONUS:

Filly: Best Friends

honestly self-explanatory hahaha, like this man always talking how he doesn’t want a serious relationship or anything like that, like he a fwb typa guy. lyrics v fitting if like someone ends up falling for him (me), I mean cmon like who wouldn’t…it’s Filly. looks, charisma, vibe, j a dream man fr. the melody lowk calm, drk if it’s v Filly but in some way I would say yes..

#beta squad #youtube #niko omilana #chunkz #aj shabeel #king kenny #sharky #ndl #niko omilana x reader #aj shabeel x reader #kenny x reader #sharky x reader #chunkz x reader

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duckiemimi · 10 months

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okay let’s talk about 243 yea,,,

mm i think their plan is to divide tasks, so yuuji and higuruma take on sukuna, yuuta and takaba take on kenjaku, so that leaves maki and maybe another character along with her? with the pov switch a couple chapters back, i’m guessing next week will be another pov switch, either back to yuuji or to maki. (who knows, though.)

i don’t think kenjaku is dead considering they need their hosts dead before they take over the bodies. yuuta could’ve stabbed them in the head (mirroring HI gojo’s “death”), but he sliced it off, effectively incapacitating kenjaku. i’m thinking that yuuta and the others might use/force kenjaku to stop everything, and since they can’t risk another brain transfer, the best option was to render them unmoving. brains have their own RCE anyway and considering the nature of kenjaku’s existence, they’re definitely not gone.

now about that “inherited” line…again, kenjaku has been the puppet master since the very beginning, way before the actual culling games (they’re the reason why some people are born as vessels and some people are born with latent CTs), so i wouldn’t be surprised if it has anything to do with one of kenjaku’s “offsprings” (like yuuji, like choso and his siblings). maybe someone/something has been programmed to awaken/mobilize/idk upon kenjaku’s defeat, like it’s been coded into their system. between whatever or whoever that could be and sukuna/uraume, kenny could still be a big threat (most likely).

as bad of a habit it is for gege to one-shot his characters (like yaga) and write unreal sequences to distract from the lack of a conclusive battle (dreams, flashbacks, whatever that hrhn sequence was), kenjaku is the big bad in jjk. no way they were that easy to kill off after a millennia and more of planning.

#jjk 243 #jjk leaks #jjk spoilers #kenjaku

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spacedlexi · 7 months

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are there any narrative decisions/themes in twdg (the entirety of the series) that you really disliked/thought could be handled better?

*gestures vaguely at seasons 2 and 3* i dont think i really have anything new or groundbreaking to say about the ways those seasons were handled

honestly for the most part though even when i find the narrative decisions to be lacking or disappointing theyre able to at least stick to their themes and emotionally come to satisfying conclusions. clems personal running narrative throughout the series i think holds up pretty well. and her journey is like... the whole point of it all. so other characters or aspects of the series falling through the cracks is unfortunate but acceptable for me if its still working towards developing clementine as a character. seasons 2 and 3 might be messy and contentious among fans but like.. regardless of the issues i have with them i like where they push clem emotionally

leads to the kind of situation where i might not agree with the decisions that got us here, but i can at least appreciate what the Intended goal was narratively and thematically

but since im talking about clem the ONE thing i will say is: they pushed the "mother" shit especially in s3 way too hard. she got called a big sister Once and then they promptly moved on. other characters telling clem how motherly she is? sick ew yucky nasty. clementine herself choosing to raise aj because hes all she has left in this world and wants whats best for him? yes and also im crying. at least if you take the alone endings you dont hear that dialogue from kenny or jane so its less in your face but ugh 🙄 i actually liked in s2 that after aj is born clem can be uncomfortable with him or completely uninterested, but by the end of the season (especially if shes left all alone and its partially why i like the alone endings so much) clem decides to look out for him regardless, because theyre all each other has. hed die without her. and she needs something to fight for, to remind her that theres still good out there, because the toll this world has taken on her only continues to rise. they need each other equally. in a normal world they could have just been normal siblings. but in this one? shes ajs everything. and hes hers. and we can see All of that without characters telling clem what a "natural mother" she is 😒

#i usually HAAAAATE HATE hate hate when female characters are turned into 'mothers'#but in clems case her becoming ajs guardian works narratively as it mimics her relationship to lee and how he took care of her #lees influence on clem leading her to want to do the same for someone else because she personally knows how important it is #it works well as an overarching theme and it does it without reducing her down to just a 'mom' character #i like in s4 that they add more guardian pairs to the cast #vi and tenn/minnie and tenn. mitch and willy. comparing them to each other and to clem and ajs relationship is fun and interesting #twdg #incognito #replies with lexi

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terrence-silver · 8 months

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Oh, I so agree with you about the lack of Terry in promos being... unsatisfying. So many things they're playing with this season were set in motion by Terry. Terry mentioned Kim Sung Young first, who they now have cast. Terry wanted to go to the Sekai Taikai. Terry introduced Kim Da Eun. If they can get Kreese out of prison with a box of Jell-o, no way can they keep Terry in jail for more than three hours. If he can spin heading Dynatox into being a green philantropist, he can doctor this. If Kenny still has a major part to play, well who mentored him?

I could have understood it if they wanted to shift away from the Terry storyline and focus on what the show started as, reclaiming your life through karate. But then, it would have made much more sense to keep Kreese in prison, send Chozen and Da Eun home, and not focus so much on Tang Soo Do. But if they're setting that legacy up as the überthreat, it makes no sense for Terry not to be involved. The Sekai Taikai was his baby, moreso than Cobra Kai, even. Maybe the CK brand has been compromised, but so what? Hearsay. Simply rebrand.

Terry completely revitalised a show that had milked everything out of Johnny-Kreese there was to milk, keeps shying away from consequences with Robby and Miguel and would never give Sam and Tory the gay awakening that drives them. To dump him and keep Chozen and Da Eun around makes no damn sense!

Exactly. Precisely.

Terry Silver is the lifeblood that keeps this show running.

Because what else is there to do with this plot?

A lot of storylines got tragically milked to completion seasons ago.

And I don't think for the life of me Da Eun, who quite literally got flown into the plot during the penultimate mid-season is a strong enough character to be the end all-be all final boss villain. She doesn't have the charisma to pull what Thomas Ian Griffith pulled in TKK3. She was just introduced pretty much last minute and our attachment to her is at best nonexistent to miniscule with her only connection to anything going on in the plot at all is through Kreese, Silver and their mutual history with the sport. In the plot itself, girl even seemed like she was begrudgingly in the States in the first place and had to be talked into staying by Terry. To carry the whole endgame conclusion of this show and well over forty years of lore between the characters as the ultimate bad guy? Yeah, nope. Don't see it. There's just no development there. No meat.

As you said. It makes no damn sense.

And I will be in the minority here, which is entirely alright for me, but I really have an abject allergy for fan concoctions like brining back Julie Pierce in Season 6 or having Chozen and Da Eun have a showdown to fill in plot gaps. Shoehorning in Julie Pierce for a random, out of nowhere cameo when the one attachment she had to the plot was vaguely through a character dead for well over forty years just so she could tutor female character x and y for a short period of time is unnecessary at this late stage and I don't think Chozen and Da Eun warrant enough stakes to suddenly become mortal foes that take up space like that in the last season, but hey, that's just me; like, where are these rivalries even coming from? They met like yesterday. Do you two even know each other's full names!? Like!?

Terry Silver, John Kreese and the Sekai Tekai are sole the points of interest left.

After all, show's called Cobra Kai and they are Cobra Kai.

#funnily enough your post gives me hope #that there's no way tig could be left out #and i thank you for that #cobra kai #cobra kai season 6 #terry silver

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11x13kyle · 1 year

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what was stan and kyles shift from friends to boyfriends like in mcau? who asked who etc, how did it happen?

stan and kyle are basically orbiting around each other their whole lives but it gets REALLY bad when they get to high school. just this palpable tension that cartman is driven insane by and kenny finds the funniest thing ever. all of these almost moments that are made worse by the fact that kyle KNOWS that he’s into stan and has known for a while but refuses to say anything bc he’s convinced that stan will say no. and stan doesn’t realize that he’s gay so by extension doesn’t Get that he’s in love with kyle.

stan starts actually putting his music online when he’s like 17 so circa 2012 he’s putting his songs on bandcamp. they’re produced so shittily that they border on incomprehensible but the lyrics are understandable enough and anyone who listens and knows him can tell exactly who he’s talking about in his hyperspecific subject matter. kenny teases kyle about it and is like “dude. this is very much about you.” and kyle is so stubborn about thinking his attraction isn’t reciprocated that he refuses to accept it (not that he doesn’t get his “haha what if this IS about me lol” jokes in too!) once again all this is made even more insane because of the fact that stan Doesn’t Know That He’s Gay Yet.

anyway. eventually it gets to a point where kyle can’t deny any longer that these lyrics are so obviously about him, but instead of coming to the conclusion that this may be some kind of confession, his brain that refuses to accept someone genuinely being romantically interested in him leads him to convince himself that stan is actually making fun of him with these lyrics. and, because this is them, kyle comes to this conclusion around the same time that stan realizes that he is very much a gay homosexual (and subsequently that he’s in love with kyle, which is very natural for stan to realize once he gets that he’s gay)

this leads to stan running over to kyle’s house to let him know that “hey! i’m gay! and also i’m madly in love with you and want to spend the rest of my life with you! isn’t that so cool!” but before he can say anything kyle opens the door pissed as FUCK like angrier than he’s ever been at stan and he’s yelling in his face about how he would never have thought his best friend could be so cruel and mock him so openly and why would he do that and what is his fucking problem etc etc. and stan is SO confused and is like. what are you talking about. which makes kyle even angrier. eventually in this altercation kyle starts crying which sets something off in stan’s brain and leads him to just grab him and kiss him. and it’s not a good kiss it bonks kyle’s teeth and really hurts but kyle is like. oh. well. hmm. sorry i didn’t give you the benefit of the doubt. you’re gay i didn’t know that. and stan is like ME NEITHER!!!!! :D

#asks #microceleb au

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kenlvry · 2 years

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craig x reader x tweek

an: HELLO someone requested this and i did it but then i deleted and i was so pissed but i loved the concept too much to not do it again sorry to 🦢 anon 😞, fem reader, ages 17-19,

when you came to school during 9th grade everyone had eyes on you, you were awfully pretty and so elegant. when you moved in the main 4 was the first to greet you and kyle had asked you to sit on their table when school reopened. everyone except tweek and craig knew you, tweek didn't come to school on monday because he had to help his parents and craig got sick. when they came and saw a random girl they were like wtf ?? but then you turned around smiled and greeted them "hello, you must be tweek and craig right?" you said slightly turning your head. tweek felt anxious because of how pretty you were and craig too was surprised, they just stared at you not returning your greeting. "dude" kenny had to stop them for daydreaming and greeted you back, now at first tweek and craig didnt tell each other about the feelings they had for you, they felt bad for each other. everytime you greeted them you looked so angelic, how can they not like you?? after like two years of getting subtly flirted by the two without each other knowing. tweek decided it's best to tell craig bc he didn't want their relationship to be one sided. so he sat craig down down at tweek bros before closing down the shop and explained, anxiously ofcourse , craig at first was mad and told him he liked you first and they got in a small argument. they come to the conclusion they both like you and each other at the same time, so they made a plan to 'subtly' flirt with you,with each other knowledge of course. they would meet up to make a plan to flirt you. like they would separately dm you flirting at school would openly flirt with you and then ask to accompany them on dates as a three or would ask to be at dinners tgt. you didn't want to assume things bc they were in a relationship! but you had enough and asked them to meet them at tweeks shop, "whats the fuck is going on, its like you guys like me or smthn you two are really freaking me out" you said JOKINGLY. you laughed at your little sarcastic remark but they didnt. your heart was beating so fast when they both confessed. tbh romantically they like each other but sexually they prefer girls, but they also like you romantically. so now you would often be sandwiched by the both at them while cuddling or if you turn to tweeks side craig would get all jealous and say you're not paying att to him. or if you would talk to craig at school tweek would get mad and just whined but not tell you what his deal was, poor boy. they both love you equally and when they would see you in the school halls they'd hug you at the same time, or if you three are walking somewhere they will always be by your side tweek on the right and craig on the left. if they needed to be somewhere and said goodbye they'd kiss your cheek at the same time, like one on the right and the other on the left. all in all being in a relationship with them is the best thing that happened to you<3

#craig tucker #sp craig #sp craig tucker #craig tucker x reader #south park tweek tweak #sp tweek tweak #sp tweek #south park tweek #tweek tweak #tweek x reader

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green-alien-turdz · 1 year

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What are your headcanons for the main five, if you dont mind answering. I really like your take on all of them (Especially Kyle!!) and id love to hear more of your takes on them, aside from what you include in your art.

I'm curious as to which headcanons you're really interested in, but I will do my best to try and cover as much ground as possible.

Keep in mind that this is all teen headcanon's (so like 17-18)

STAN: Doing his best to not fall apart at any moment. Home life is still pretty ass and Randy is a dickwad like always. Sharon is a good constant in his life, and she's become much more lenient with him over the years, knowing that he's got a lot of shit on his plate. Is still in Crimson Dawn because it helps him vent his frustrations. Worked rather hard to not be an alcoholic, but doesn't turn down drinking with Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny. Genuinely making an effort to try and take care of himself and trying to get Kyle to do the same. He is also going to be narrowly graduating by the skin his teeth with help from Wendy (who is simply a friend), and Kyle. He also became much more into protest groups, but to the dismay of his friends who are forced to watch hundreds of documentaries and listen to him read articles. (The intensity of this passion came from trying to find a purpose in life when he was at his worst, mentally.)

/\ Both like one another but have no clue where to go from there \/

KYLE: In desperate need of anger management classes. The pressure of always trying to be perfect and excel at everything caught up with him in about 6th grade, where he'd start trying to control every aspect of his life in the worst ways possible. Sheila and Gerald are completely blind to any of this, seeing as the grades never dropped, so they assume all is well. Despite that, he does still preach about self-care and the importance of letting out "pussy emotions" to the rest of his friends, who are all well aware of his issues (sh + ed) but aren't sure how to fix them. He is also Crimson Dawn's biggest supporter and is usually wearing the same shirt because he finds comfort in it.

CARTMAN: Thriving in his own sense. He still has an insane amount of unwarranted confidence, but he does still have some insecurities (the narcissism often cancels it out though). He has become more barrable with age, but that's not saying much. Somehow, he still can't grasp why no one outside of his friend group even likes talking with him. Has a thing for Wendy again, but it's very on again and off again between the two, seeing as Wendy will usually get bothered by him and then dip. Genuinely does care for his friends (in his own way), but masks it with insults and fighting. May or may not purposefully drive away all of his mom's boyfriends, afraid of losing her care and attention. - EXTRA: Worked at the sewerslide hotline as a joke for about a week before getting fired -

KENNY: Can't take a single thing seriously because if he does, it'll break him. Takes pride in being the most comedic person in the room, always trying to one up the next guy, typically with gross out humour. Spends most of his time away from home, unless it's to take care of Karen, but he often takes her out with him, even to his jobs. He still works at City Wok, but also picks up other odd jobs around town. Stan will also give him a shit ton of Randy's supply to sell around to minors as a way to get some extra cash. Similar to Stan, he's not doing so great school wise, seeing as he spends so much time working, and would rather be with friends in his free time, but Kyle also helps him to make sure that he's going to graduate. When it comes to his friendship with Marjorine/Butters, he's the main supporter, doing what he can to help out. -EXTRA: While he doesn't have time very often to do so, he does try and go out as Mysterion when possible)

BUTTERS/MARJORINE: Get this bitch out of her household now. After many years of uncomfortable confusion, finally came to the conclusion that being Marjorine was what she wanted. Despite an unaccepting homelife, she is very openly feminine once out in public, getting dressed into clothes she likes in public restrooms. Going to graze over the home abu$e we know occurs. She mainly hangs out with Kenny and everyone else when she can but spends a lot of time grounded. Getting a job at the mall has helped with being able to get some time to be herself. She also really enjoys being the guitarist in Crimson Dawn and is one of the few times she'll actually let negative emotions out. Although there is still the occasional outing as Professor Chaos.

As a whole, they're all still dickwads who love going around town and fucking shit up. They are NOT well liked because they're so obnoxious, and they're very likely going to be the ones behind random destruction and vandalism. They still love scheming and ruining the lives of others, but try to be less open about it as to avoid getting in trouble with the law as an adult.

(If you have any specific headcanon's you were looking for, feel free to send an ask! I'm not sure what it was you were looking for, so please let me know if I missed anything you were curious about.)

#south park #asks #sp headcanons

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dear-wormwoods · 2 years

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I forget if I've ever made a post about this before, but I have some thoughts on the Black Friday trilogy that I was reminded of when I was watching it last night.

First: the garden scenes. I think it's just really in character how each of the boys react to Cartman's roses.

Kenny accepts the rose immediately and smells it twice before secretly, discretely disposing of it. This, I think, symbolizes Kenny being Cartman’s ‘best friend’ and going along with his schemes fairly regularly, especially in earlier seasons, but gradually growing to dislike Cartman in the later seasons, particularly after Poor and Stupid and his Mysterion arc. However Cartman doesn’t know Kenny secretly hates him now, because Kenny still goes along with him and acts friendly, and he thinks they’re still best friends even in Post Covid.

Butters immediately accepts and sniffs the rose no questions asked. Obviously this is an indication that Butters, barring his rant in Going Native, is largely a lackey who is a) extremely gullible and susceptible to Cartman’s manipulation and b) ready to go along with almost any scheme without a second thought.

Kyle accepts the rose but looks at it warily before sniffing it, and then keeps it. This is an interesting one because of Cartman and Kyle’s dynamic. Even despite everything he’s gone through, Kyle wants to trust Cartman and find the good in him, so he initially accepts the rose. However, because of their history he knows he shouldn’t trust Cartman, so he looks at the rose with uncertainty at first. But, because he’s often susceptible to Cartman’s manipulation tactics and moments of - I don’t want to say affection but it’s adjacent to that - in spite of his best efforts not to be, he gives in and not only smells the rose but holds onto it, because he actually clings to those moments of respite. Those moments are what keep him tied to Cartman, and it’s just another manipulation tactic - Cartman knows Kyle wants to see the good in everyone, so he grants him moments of peace and friendliness in between the torture. The fact that the Black Friday trilogy directly follows Ginger Cow and Kyle sides with Cartman is not lost on me. The cycle of abuse is real.

Stan just holds the rose and doesn't smell it at all. He literally doesn’t care about Cartman’s manipulation, and he’s as unfazed by the rose as he is by nearly everything else Cartman does or says. He associates with Cartman, which is why he holds onto the rose, but he’s largely unaffected by him, which is why he doesn’t interact with the rose. He only reacts to Cartman after he finds out about the betrayal being Kyle’s idea, and even then his response is not to engage with Cartman but to leave.

Which brings me to my other thought. I’ve talked at length about Stan and Kyle’s interactions in the Black Friday trilogy in another post about their relationship, but something else occurred to me last night. We already know that the difference between Stan and Kyle in these eps is that Kyle literally sees it as JUST about the console war and playing Game of Thrones, but to Stan the whole thing is actually very personal and a test of friendship. We also know that their friendship has been on a decline for a while now. But I think these episodes actually tie back to Guitar Queero in a pretty significant way. Stan in THAT episode initially acted like it was more about the game than their friendship, at least until he spiraled, while Kyle was the one who was like “I guess I didn't realize it was just about the points" and was incredibly hurt by Stan’s betrayal. SO in the Black Friday trilogy I think Kyle is purposefully treating it as just about the game, because he thinks that’s what Stan is doing too. But this time Stan's the one who's viewing it as a serious thing on which their friendship hangs in the balance. So in conclusion, they’re both dramatic.

Anyway those are my stray observations from last night.

#rewatching the series always leads to this #south park #kyle broflovski #eric cartman #stan marsh #kenny mccormick #butters stotch #sp meta #my meta

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annalyticall · 1 year

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Thoughts on Attack on Titan

Me being 10 years late to things, I was recently convinced to watch Attack on Titan and I ended up binge-watching the entire anime (and reading the final manga chapters) these last two weeks. I had purposefully been dragging my feet about watching this show since I had heard so much controversy surrounding it; that it was sexist, pro-fascist, pro-nazi, pro-imperialist, pro-propaganda, and heavily anti-Semitic. All pretty good reasons to stay away from something, I think.

But then I saw a video about how the criticisms leveraged against it were not quite so black-and-white, and how the show was more complex than those labels gave it credit for. Admittedly, that piqued my interest. I want to come to my own conclusions about the media I consume, so I decided to watch it with an open mind and a discerning eye.

And boy did I discern... a lot.

I am recording my very very lengthy opinions about Attack on Titan and its manga ending under the cut, mostly so that if anyone asks how I feel about certain things portrayed in the show, I can reference them to this post. Here's a quick table of contents:

The Themes

The Good

The Bad

The Problems

The Characters

Conclusion (and why Jean is the best character you can't change my mind)

Anime and Manga spoilers ahead.

The Themes

Attack on Titan tackles a lot of different themes throughout the course of the story. Possibly too many. Right now, I'm listing the big ones I noticed here because I will be referencing back to them later. Also note I am stating these themes as they are presented in the text, not as my own personal beliefs.

The human desire to create meaning in life and death. Does dying for a cause give life meaning? If the cause is hopeless, would dying for that cause be in vain? Is it enough to know that the living will continue your legacy after death? Does honoring the dead give their life meaning? Is the gift of life itself meaningless if not used to ensure humanity's ongoing survival? Is it enough to simply exist? Characters that most embody this theme: Zeke, Eren, Armin, Jean, Levi, Hange, Erwin, Historia, Ymir (of the Cadets), Marlow.

Everyone is shackled to a dream. Does the desire to fulfill a dream make you a slave to it? Will devoting your life to a dream of freedom make you paradoxically a slave to the very ideal? Will the hope of achieving a dream drive people to do terrible things they never would have otherwise? Is true freedom in the ability to let go of a long-held dream? Characters that most embody this theme: Erwin, Eren, Levi, Kenny, Armin, Jean.

The corrupting power of love and loyalty. Similar to an enslaving dream, will blind devotion to someone (in a romantic, platonic, subordinate, or familial relationship) drive that person to do terrible things just to be with them or make them happy? How far can that love go? Is blind devotion even love? Is it wise to love if it creates fatal weakness? Characters that most embody this theme: Mikasa, Armin, Eren, Zeke, Annie, Reiner, Falco, Historia, Ymir (of the Cadets), Ymir (The Founder).

The cycle of violence is endless. As long as more than one person is alive on Earth, there will always be conflict. Is it worth fighting to break the cycle when the cycle is inevitable? Is it necessary to perpetuate the cycle in order to survive in a world that forces violence? Is humanity worthy of saving if saving it demands the loss of one's own humanity? Characters that most embody this theme: Erwin, Eren, Armin, Reiner, Jean, Floch, Hange, Levi.

The pursuit of truth and wonder are the driving forces behind humanity's ability to work together. Propaganda and the obstruction of truth might work to pacify the populace short-term but will always be defeated once people put in the effort to truly understand others and the world they live in. The promise of discovery and truth are invaluable sources of hope and ingenuity. Characters that most embody this theme: Hange, Armin, Erwin.

People are people. Everyone is capable of great evil or great kindness, regardless of what nation, class, or race they were born into. Everyone has strengths and everyone has weaknesses. Everyone is influenced by their own hopes and dreams. The recognition of these innate similarities is crucial for forgiveness and acceptance across boundaries. Characters that most embody this theme: Reiner, Jean, Eren, Armin, Sasha, Gabi, Falco.

There is no accurate measure of good and evil. Being a "good person" is subjective, based more on personal goals and cultural ideals than on a base standard for "good." When faced with a difficult decision, perhaps it is best to choose whatever option will cause the least regret, a measure that is unique to everyone depending on an individual's values and on unknown outcomes. Live a life you can be proud of. Characters that most embody this theme: Armin, Annie, Levi, Jean, Eren, Reiner, Gabi, Ymir (of the Cadets), Historia

As you might have noticed, I chose to summarize many of these themes in a list of questions, and for good reason: oftentimes, the theme is raising a question but is almost never interested in giving it a straightforward answer. Instead, AOT will often raise a question, and over the course of the story, you get to come to your own conclusions depending on how the characters act. For example, I listed Jean as a character that embodies "meaning in life and death." Does Jean give Marco's death meaning by honoring his memory and values each time he's faced with a moral dilemma? That's up for the audience (and Jean) to decide.

Compared to other shonen that tackles similar themes and questions, this freedom of interpretation was novel for me, and for the most part, I loved it. Fullmetal Alchemist is the only other shonen I can think of that I've seen that touches on similar subject matter, but the tone of FMA is not nearly as dark, bleak, or ambiguous. While I also love FMA, the world of AOT is much more harrowing to navigate, and I found it exhilarating to have my preconceptions of its world challenged at every turn. Such a thematic approach felt grounded since real life is also not so easy to navigate. Unfortunately, this also has a glaring downside, which I will discuss in my "The Problems" section.

The Good

The first 3 seasons and almost everything that entails. To be quite honest I have very little to criticize about this show before the basement reveal. The pacing is almost perfect and I was always on the edge of my seat wanting to know more. The mysteries are intriguing and, upon slowly getting more and more answers, the narrative either only raised more tantalizing questions or completely recontextualized previous scenes, constantly giving the show new breath. The action is exciting, the stakes are heart-poundingly high, the losses are devastating, and the gore is graphic and stomach-churning but I think it necessary to absorb the horrifying and hopeless nature of the setting, which serves to heighten the few victories the characters actually do get to experience. There also isn't much of The Problems yet in these seasons.

The music. The soundtrack is undoubtedly one of the best aspects of this show and is quality throughout.

Animation. While I prefer the fluid and expressive animation of the first three seasons compared to MAPPA's comparatively stiffer animation of the final season, MAPPA still gave plenty of jaw-dropping sequences for the most impactful moments.

A tragic, queer, CANON romance. The fact that Ymir is canonically lesbian is amazing to me if only because I haven't watched a shonen yet where one of the main cast is actually lesbian, let alone has a significant portion of screen time devoted to establishing her unambiguous feelings for another woman who also reciprocates her feelings. AND THEN their romance ends tragically in-universe not because it's gay but because of narrative circumstances that were simply beyond their control or understanding. "My only regret is not marrying you." How romantic is that?

Female character design. Specifically all the big noses. As a big-nose-haver it makes me happy to see women have big noses and still being seen as pretty. That, paired with the fact that women are hardly ever sexualized and are often portrayed just as strong if not stronger than the men was nice to see after being exposed to so many infantilizing and sexualizing shonen tropes. That said, there could have been more diversity in body shape and skin tone.

The setting (of Paradis). I am going to stress here that I strictly like the world-building of Paradis, which is the main setting of the first three seasons. Marley and the rest of the world after Season 3? I'll get into that later.

Erwin vs. Armin. I consider Levi's decision to save Armin over Erwin to be the true thematic climax of this story, and I thought it was exceptionally well done. I've seen endless arguments about whether or not saving Armin was the right choice, so I'll throw in my two cents: if you think Levi should have saved Erwin, you are Missing The Point. In this moment, Levi, a character who fights for the greater good but is not quite as pragmatic as Erwin and who has a deep hope for humanity's future but is not quite as idealistic as Armin must make an emotional choice here, not a tactical one. Maybe saving Erwin might have been better for the Scouts, but the truth is Erwin was selfish, and Levi had already come to terms with this when he told his old commander to "give up on your dream and charge to your death." Armin, on the other hand, had a pure and selfless dream about the world outside the walls, and that is what Levi decided to value for humanity's future. That is the symbolic meaning of that decision, not whether or not Erwin would have been a tactically better commander.

It is enough to simply exist. Manga spoilers for the final chapters ahead. I said this was a question raised by one of the main themes of the story, "Is it enough to simply exist?", and I was pleasantly surprised that the ending gave it an answer through the conversation Armin has with Zeke. After so much deliberation about genocide, sterilization, war, the inherent and unbreakable cycle of violence, and so many other depressing themes surrounding the depraved nature of humanity, having the main takeaway for the series be "we were put on this Earth simply to enjoy it and to enjoy each other" was a cathartic release. I know I'm probably going to cry when that bit is animated.

The Bad

The frustrating thing that is Eren Yeager. I suppose this is biased but I really do not gel with Eren. Even in his Season 1-3 era I did not like him and his one-track angry boy mind, only ever finding him tolerable during the Uprising arc when he got a healthy dose of humility which he immediately ruined with his pitiful self-flagellation in the midst of a dire titan battle but I digress. This characterization does make a whole lot more sense though when he enters Season 4, when all of his personality traits are only slightly twisted in order to make him the villain, ala Walter White. Didn't make him any less frustrating.

The frustrating thing that is Mikasa Ackerman. She started out great. Then Eren turned into a titan for the first time and things quickly went downhill. After that, it seems like her character was retroactively changed from being the stoic and protective older sister to being the blindingly devoted and fussy love interest. I might have been okay with it if she had ANY other defining character traits, or hell, even any relationships outside of Eren and Armin. Manga spoilers, but she doesn't even have a strong relationship with Jean, who she apparently marries in the epilogue. Between Eren and Mikasa being two of the three main characters, I unfortunately felt very little towards them which was a not-so-small problem in my enjoyment of the series.

The humor is... fine. I get it, a show as dark as Attack on Titan probably shouldn't try to be funny, nor would I expect it to be. Still, the few attempts at humor it did have fell flat for me, especially when a lot of it leaned on Sasha's potato and meat gags (and a really uncomfortable torture gag after the Uprising Arc? Hey, what was that about? That was kinda fucked up, right?) Now that I think about it, the hardest I ever laughed while watching this show was when Reiner nonchalantly tells Eren that he and Bertolt are the Armor and Colossal Titans simply because I wasn't expecting the biggest bombshell reveal of the story thus far to be so casually dropped like that.

The Titan mechanics got so fucking convoluted. Don't get me wrong I love a good mystery and I don't necessarily mind the supernatural time-warping twists that the Titan storyline took up to a point. It's just that the story kept adding so many conditions to Titan powers and lore that it was getting hard to keep track of it all. Okay, so the Colossal Titan will create an unavoidable nuke during transformation even though it clearly didn't do that at the raid on Trost, sure. Okay, so Reiner can survive a fatal injury to his person as long as he manages to transfer his consciousness to the Titan body first, sure. Okay, so Eren can't awaken the Founding Titan's ability unless he's in contact with someone of royal blood, sure. Okay, so the Founding Titan's abilities can alter the biology of all Eldians, and also control all Titans, and also deactivate all Titan hardening, and also impose the will of the king onto all its future royal successors, but it's somehow NOT the Titan with the power to see the future? Sure? Okay, so Falco inherited the Jaw Titan, but because he was originally turned with Zeke's spinal fluid, he ALSO inherited aspects of the Beast Titan even though Zeke is still the Beast Titan and it's never been established that the spinal fluid used for the original Titan transformation affected the inheritance of Titan shifter abilities? Why not, at this point.

Uprising Arc and its overly simplistic military coup. I didn't dislike the arc as a whole, but it was a very lengthy detour from the main objectives the series was already on track for and added to the repetition of Eren getting kidnapped. Additionally, I thought the coup to overthrow the old government was too... easy? It was really only made up of two setups: one to expose the corruption of some random military police guy to the press and turn public opinion in favor of the Scouts, and one to expose the government's selfishness to the military commanders enough to convince them to depose their current leaders and pardon the Scouts. Then the Scouts essentially say "Hey Historia here just killed a Titan and has royal blood (trust us) so she's going to be the queen now. Please ignore the fact she is also a Scout and therefore could easily be a puppet queen for the military branch that was until very recently public enemy number one" and everyone just kinda accepts this. I don't know, it didn't do much to sell me on realism in a world that had done so up until that point.

Wow, the stakes are getting pretty high, I wonder if... WAIT, 80%?! That was kind of my reaction to the whole manga finale. I don't mind high stakes, but when we're talking about the horrific genocide of 80% of humanity at the hands of our main character, uh, that scale is a little hard to grasp. This also feeds into The Problems, which I'll get into later, but all in all, I think after a certain point the story just got too big for me to stay believably invested in what was actually happening.

Endgame plot thread irrelevance (especially for the female characters). Why did Historia get a whole story arc just to be sidelined and pregnant for the whole rest of the story? What happened to Yelena? What happened to Mikasa's relationship with the Azumabito clan? What's the deal with Ymir? So many things were rushed at the end that it was disappointing to see so much setup for very little payoff. Unfortunately, the female characters seemed to get the brunt of this.

The Problems

Okay, so this section is basically why I made this post to begin with. I want to address all of the criticisms I've seen for Attack on Titan and give my honest opinion on them because, yes, I do think it's more complex than I've seen people give it credit for, but neither is it free of harmful interpretations either.

On the topic of being Pro-Imperialist, Pro-Nazi, Pro-Facsist, and Pro-Propaganda: Attack on Titan is positioned against all these things. Just because a media depicts something doesn't mean it's condoning or endorsing it. Imperialism, fascism, and propaganda are all present in the story but are very often forces that the main characters must fight against. It might not go as far as to say "military bad" but it definitely says "war bad, genocide bad, euthanasia bad, blind devotion to one's country bad" and a whole host of other issues that it does not depict in a favorable light. Now, the viewpoints of the mangaka might be in question, and I can't say much about the way he supposedly views Imperialist Japan. I'm just saying, in the context of the show, I don't see an unquestioning approval of imperialism being portrayed here.

On the topic of Sexism: eh, maybe. It feels weird to be so nonchalant about that but to be honest, it's not prevalent enough to stand out compared to other shonen. Female characters might not always see fully fleshed-out arcs, but neither are they handled in a way I would deem sexist other than the very strange exception of Mikasa's one-sided obsession with Eren somehow mirroring the "love" a child bride sex slave had for her abuser 2000 years ago. That said, strong characters like Annie, Ymir (of the Cadets), and Gabi manage to have fairly compelling motivations and growth while also being love interests. There's really no fan service to speak of, and some of them even get to be gay. So, you know, I'll take it.

On the topic of Anti-Semitism (Disclaimer: I am not Jewish): yeahhhhhhh... so, up until the end of Season 3, I was confused about this claim. I mean, there were Titans, mindless man-eating monsters that could resemble the blood libel spread about Jewish people, but I thought it was a bit of a stretch. Besides, while the walled city is evidently based on 19th-century Germany, there isn't really a divide between the people who live there and the people who can turn into Titans; given the right conditions, any human character in the show could potentially turn into a Titan, so I didn't see the problem. If anything, I thought it was just a modified take on the zombie apocalypse genre.

Then the basement reveal happened, where it's revealed the walled city we had been following the last 3 seasons wasn't actually the last bastion of humanity as both the audience and the cast once believed; it is actually an island where distinct people called Eldians fled to escape the persecution they faced for their unique ability to turn into Titans. Turns out the rest of the world is populated by many diverse cultures who all hate the Eldians for their ancient Titan-enabled crimes against humanity. The Eldians who aren't trapped on the island of Paradis live in the gated ghettos of the Nazi-Germany-coded nation of Marley and are forced to wear star-embroidered armbands to denote their subhuman status.

Okay. Yikes, I thought. But I still gave it a chance, because as I mentioned before, just because something is depicted in media doesn't mean it's being supported or condoned. I was hoping that, at some point, the claim that Eldians committed atrocities with the Titans or the claim that only Eldians can turn into Titans would be proven wrong. Neither of these hopes came to fruition. It's revealed that Eldians did a lot of good with their Titan powers, true, but they also waged endless warfare in the name of a King that enslaved them. So, while they weren't really to blame, they certainly did commit the crimes that earned the world's ire.

This is a problem. If the imagery of the armbands and the WW2 ghettos were never involved, perhaps I could give the story the benefit of the doubt and see the Eldians as a fictional race created for the purpose of illustrating the cycle of violence and the need to relate to each other as humans first. But the problem is, they are very explicitly compared to Jewish people, thus insinuating, whether intentionally or not, that Jewish people do have these monstrous qualities and did commit crimes that earned them the oppression they continue to face when in reality, they did nothing to deserve it.

As an additional "yikes," there's also the questionable existence of the Tyber family, the only Eldian family in Marley allowed to have wealth and political influence. It's revealed that the Tybers have essentially been pulling Marley's strings the whole time, which... wow, really doesn't do much for anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that Jewish people are actually in control of everything, huh. Thankfully, the Tyber storyline is short-lived, but then there's the Yeagerists, a fascist Eldian party that wants to counter-genocide the entire world before it can genocide Eldians. Triple yikes. Let's throw in Zeke's plan for forced sterilization against his own people for a solid quadruple yikes.

However, there are also important distinctions to make between Eldians and Jewish people that are in the story's favor. While the Eldian people of Marley are mistreated and considered subhuman, Marley still puts in the effort to brainwash them into thinking they are the "good" Eldians in order to earn their unconditional loyalty and turn them into frontline soldiers in their war to conquer other nations and the island of Paradis, something that doesn't really mirror Nazi Germany and gives us a reason to sympathize with the Eldians who were once the "bad guys" of Season 1-3. There's also the fact that 95% of the show's main cast IS Eldian, and up until the basement reveal we've only known them as human. Everything until that point has essentially served to make us identify with Eldians more than anyone else. While the rest of the world may dehumanize them, we the audience react negatively to any mention of them being less than human because we've only ever seen them fight to survive in a world where they thought they were humanity's last hope. We want to see them make it out of this alive.

And here's where my internal conflict with the show lies; it would be so much better if it cut out the WW2 imagery. Sure, there would still be plenty of subtext that could lead people to compare Eldians to Jewish people, but it wouldn't be so distractingly obvious and spur additional real-world comparisons where there aren't any. The sudden jump to 20th-century Germany is also somewhat jarring and I wouldn't have minded if Marley was based more on just another nation of the same era rather than a 100-year jump forward of the same setting (though it does make in-universe sense, what with Paradis being 100 years behind technologically but I digress). Basically, I think a LOT of the story's problems with probably-unintentional-but-still-present anti-semitism could have been avoided if the war and race allegories weren't given the same tact and grace as a David Cage game.

But now that brings me to what I think is Attack on Titan's fatal flaw: thematic ambiguity. "But Anna," you may say, "you said the freedom of interpretation is what you loved about its themes." You're right, I did say that. I still do. But ambiguity is a double-edged sword: it gives the audience freedom to derive unique meaning from the text and connect with it in deep, personal ways, but on the other hand, if a theme is too ambiguous, the author runs the risk of either telling a meaningless story or telling a story that conveys an unintended meaning. I think an author must have SOME intention with a theme if it is to be included, and must provide some sort of guide (usually with a character or two) to point the audience in the right direction. I'll give an example of what I mean for both instances in Attack on Titan.

For an example of a well-executed ambiguous theme, I'll turn to the question "Is humanity worthy of saving if saving it demands the loss of one's own humanity?" that I listed under the "cycle of violence" umbrella. Specifically, this question is raised after the Battle of Stonhess, where Erwin allows a Titan battle to rage in the middle of a populated area for the slim chance he could capture Annie alive and extract information from her. This decision cost hundreds of innocent lives, and worse of all, Annie was of little use to him. Erwin stands behind his decision for the greater good and Armin rationalizes the battle as a net gain, but Jean presents Armin with a counterargument: "If it's that easy to let the fight turn us all into monsters, maybe we don't deserve to win." Still, we aren't given an outright answer to who's right and who's wrong here. Instead, the guide we are given is in the way ideologically-opposed characters like Erwin and Jean are treated by the story: Jean maintains his humanity, minimizes civilian casualties whenever possible, and in the end, is left with few regrets. Erwin, on the other hand, feels the weight of all the lives he callously sacrificed in the name of a "greater good," which we learn was perhaps more selfish than he let on. Upon resigning himself to death, he laments all the innocents who died at his command. It is through these characters that we learn who, ultimately, was in the right, and what that theme is trying to tell us (also coincidentally applying to the theme "live a life you can be proud of.")

For an example of a poorly-executed ambiguous theme, I'll turn to the question "Is it necessary to perpetuate the cycle of violence in order to survive in a world that forces violence?" that I also listed under the "cycle of violence" umbrella. This question is perhaps no more apparent than when the main characters are faced with the terrific power of the Rumbling, basically a Titan-powered WMD Eren uses to preemptively wipe out humanity before it can inevitably attack Paradis. While many characters deliberate the ethics of this, there are two characters who have starkly different viewpoints: we have Floch, a Yeagerist who is in full-hearted support of the attack and is uninterested in saving human lives if they are not Paradis Eldians, and we have Hange, who despite being a Paradis Eldian beats an impassioned fist against a table and delivers the rather on-the-nose line "Genocide is wrong!"

So who's right? Well, anyone with any sort of media literary sense will say "Hange, obviously." Because Hange is portrayed as a good person (usually) and Floch is portrayed as a villain (usually). The problem is both these characters fight valiantly in the name of their cause and incidentally die in the same scene while imparting their wishes to the heroes for how they want the world to be. Anyone watching who harbors even a fraction of Floch's nationalism might see that and say, "Floch was in the right. He righteously died for his country and he almost won against an impossible enemy." There's also the problem that Hange does not give an alternative answer to the Rumbling and even admits they don't have one, they just know the Rumbling is wrong, which doesn't do anything to add to the theme in question. Unfortunately, the Rumbling is presented as the only reliable line of self-defense for Paradis, as it's already established that diplomacy has almost no chance of working and that the only other plan is, of all things, sterilizing the Eldian people to appease the world that wants them dead with as little bloodshed as possible. What would have been the only other recourse, the order of a partial Rumbling to wipe out the world's military bases, is immediately taken off the table when it's revealed Eren never had any intention of doing that. Therefore, the story doesn't give us any answer to this question at all, since the characters never get to find an alternate solution for themselves and are forced to simply stop the Rumbling before it can kill too many people despite the risk of dying in the process or play along with Eren's predetermined plan. For a story so bent on saying "genocide is wrong" it does a weirdly good job of presenting it as a survival tactic.

Now, I wouldn't normally have that much of a problem if a story fumbled a theme or two. Not everything has to land perfectly. That said, Attack on Titan NEEDED to deliver these themes clearer than it did, because of one major reason: it was dealing with questions involving fascism, genocide, war, and eugenics. You should not casually raise these issues as a backdrop to a theme that can't be delivered on, because then you run the risk of attracting people who very much are pro-fascist, pro-genocide, pro-war, and pro-eugenics and will blatantly misinterpret everything in the text in order to warp it and fit their worldview (a risk I think FMA managed to avoid by being very blunt with where it stood on those same issues). On the flip side, you'll also repel people who otherwise might have loved the story because at some point they heard someone say "Oh yeah Attack on Titan is awesome, the Yeagerists are cool and I agree with the main character's plan for genocide," and rightfully be put off from that. Then they'll turn around and tell the next person, "Hey, don't watch that, I heard it's pro-fascist and pro-genocide," and that person will go "Oh thanks I didn't know that, I'll stay away from it," and that person will be me for the last ten years.

The Characters

Eren and Mikasa: I'm lumping these two together because I already talked about them at length, but I will say, for being the two main characters on which the finale hinged, I think they were both too simplistic to fully deliver on any of the complex themes they represented. Hell, when listing all the themes each character embodied, I only listed Mikasa under one of them, which is not great for a deuteragonist. Not only that, but Mikasa didn't even really deliver on her one theme: she broke the Titan curse by "letting go of her enslaving love for Eren," but did she really? She kissed and then absconded with his decapitated head to give him a proper burial, then returned each year to his grave with Jean and her family (who remained faceless) to leave a flower behind for him. I get it, he was important to her as a childhood friend and that alone means she should try to remember him despite the monster he turned into, but the framing of this suggests she never really let go of him and was shackled to his memory even as she tried to move on.

Armin: The thing about Armin is that while I ultimately think he's the heart of the story and the main driving force for good (as evidenced by the fact he's the only character I listed under ALL the themes I mentioned earlier), he also reads more like a symbol than a character. That's fine, a character doesn't need to go through an arc to be good, but for me, personally, a character in this kind of setting needs some form of growth for me to form an attachment to them. I'm not just talking about how Armin steadily grows okay with murder because that still doesn't do much to change his rosy outlook on life. The most excited I ever got about Armin's development was when he manipulated Bertholdt into thinking Annie was being tortured because holy shit that's kinda dark for Armin and I thought maybe his strategic mindset was going to start getting the better of his morals, but then that's never really touched on again. It's because I was never quite sure what the rhyme or reason was behind his actions that I found myself disconnected from him as a character, despite being inspired by him as a symbol.

Jean: My favorite character and a sorely underrated one at that. Won't say anything more about him here because I'm dedicating it to the Conclusion.

Levi: Second favorite character. Back when Attack on Titan's popularity was at its peak, I would see Levi on my dash all the time and I would roll my eyes thinking he was just another brooding anime bad boy the girls were fawning over. But I get it now. Yeah, he can brood, and yeah, he can be a bad boy as an ex-criminal who is no stranger to violence, but most of all he's compassionate. He cares deeply about the lives of his comrades and almost never values the "greater good" when decisions are left up to him. Granted, I think he becomes a little one-note after the Erwin vs Armin choice when he resolves that his only motivation from now on will be killing Zeke, but you know, after everything Zeke put him through, I think he earned it.

Hange: Third favorite character. They injected much-needed energy and sincerity into the story right from the start, and they only became more complex as the story went on and circumstances forced more and more responsibility onto them. I'm also glad that, while they are a good and moral character, they also don't mull over hard decisions that a veteran soldier probably wouldn't mull over. If worse comes to worst, they know they may have to resort to torture or violence to protect their comrades and the pursuit of truth. Still, they almost never push this any further than necessary, unlike Erwin before them.

Reiner: Fourth favorite character. I had basically no opinion on Reiner until Season 2 when he pushed Connie out of the way of a Titan's mouth and I thought "he's kinda cool." And then so so so much happens after that. I almost never knew how to feel about him. Is he the bad guy? He's killed so many people, he has to be. But then, why do I still like him? Why do I feel so bad for him? Season 4 only added to those mixed feelings, showing him to be suicidal and suffering from PTSD after all the violence he inflicted when he was just a child soldier. I think most of the themes about "people are people" is best illustrated in Reiner, and how he is able to overcome the pain of life through his dedication to the next generation and to the former friends he had hurt in the past.

Ymir (of the Cadets): Fifth favorite character. Like Reiner, I didn't really have any opinion on her until Season 2. While her contribution to the story is brief, it did a whole lot. Her backstory is technically our first introduction to a world outside the walls which also introduced a whole new mystery. Also, her love for Historia was probably the most genuine example of romantic love I can point to in the entire story, and the most emotionally touching one at that. She's also the one who introduces the theme "live a life you can be proud of" verbatim, which proves to be important for everyone.

Sasha and Connie: Truth is, I don't really have any favorites after Ymir, and how I feel about everyone else is some variation on neutral (except Floch). As for Sasha and Connie, I'm throwing them in the same bucket of "likable-enough comic-relief characters that have some semblance of a character arc but not nearly enough to justify their screentime." People might hate me for this, but I actually think Sasha contributed more to the narrative when she was dead than she did when she was alive. That doesn't mean I wasn't sad when she died, though.

Erwin: People might hate me for this too, but I think Erwin is overrated. I think many dudebro fans see him as the peak representation of heroic masculinity, as an unflinching and at times ruthless commander who takes charge and shows no weakness. That is not true. It's revealed Erwin does have a weakness, a selfish drive to redeem his father's suspicions about the outside world, a drive that makes him fear his own premature death, in the end. True, that drive has paved the way for the Scouts to clear impossible hurdles but also has it led to many senseless and brutal deaths that the story does not intend to justify. Erwin is flawed, incredibly so, and I wish more people could see that.

Historia: I had no opinion of her in Seasons 1-2, even during the love story she had with Ymir. It wasn't until the Uprising arc that she grew on me, as she started to mature beyond her "Disney princess" persona that had previously seemed so out of place in a story like this. That said, after she got pregnant in Season 4, I was disappointed to see that there wasn't much of a point to her character anymore despite being the literal queen.

Annie: I wanted to like Annie. I wanted so badly to like Annie. That's really only for aesthetic reasons because when the show was at its peak I saw her on my dash and fell in love with her as a fellow short blonde girl with a big nose and a name that starts with Ann. After getting to know her character... well, I don't dislike her. I think she served her role in the story well enough. She's just fairly simple once you learn her motivation, and she's hard to get attached to if you don't like emotionally-constipated characters.

Bertholdt: Oh, Berry. Unfortunately, every feeling I could have had for him I already felt 5x more for Reiner, so Berry became rather redundant. Also, his constant stare unnerved me. I did feel bad when he died though. RIP Berry.

Marlow: He didn't have a huge part in the story, but I think he was significant if only for one moment: the second before his death when he thinks of Hitch. Here we are given an everyman who wanted to rise to his calling and dedicate himself to the greater good, who was so driven by ideals and politics that he bravely gave his life for the cause he believed was right, but just before he meets his end, it's revealed to him that what he really wanted was a life with the girl he only just realized he loved. I think that one moment tragically encapsulated the main message of the story; we are here simply to enjoy life and enjoy each other.

Gabi: Again, people might hate me for this, but I liked Gabi. I think she did a good job of being a mirror of what Eren could have been had he been born in Marley, and/or if he had learned to sympathize enough with the enemy to have given up on his revenge plan. She went through a lot of horrors to get the growth she did, and I don't really understand the vitriol some fans have for her, even considering the fact she killed Sasha since killing Sasha and then learning that doing that was a bad thing through the kindness of Sasha's family was kind of the point. Also, as if Eren wouldn't have done the same thing in her shoes. She's a brainwashed child soldier, come on.

Falco: It was a breath of fresh air to have, like, one genuinely nice good kid for once. He's a necessary addition to Gabi's arc I think, since he's the one that keeps her grounded and helps her realize that the Paradis Eldians are not evil. His Jaw/Beast Titan powers are OP though.

Zeke: Hated him throughout all of Season 3 besides only knowing him as the Beast Titan. Season 4 rolled around and I did start to sympathize with him given his upbringing and the way his brother Eren used him after thinking he finally had a family he could be close with. I still didn't feel all that bad when bad things happened to him though, given the things he's willing to do to impose a sterilization "solution" to his own people.

Pieck: Getting into "they're fine but don't add much to the story" territory here. She's smart and has a sleepy-girl charm about her, I guess. She also has that one cool moment where she points to Eren as the enemy, but as far as her relationship with the main characters goes, she basically has none, which makes it hard for me to get invested in her.

Onyankopon, Yelena, Magath, and Kiyomi: Lumping all these characters together as the notable non-Eldians with their own agendas. I had no strong opinion on any of them. Onyankopon was cool, but I thought Magath changed his stance on Paradis too easily in the end, and Yelena and Kiyomi barely contributed anything that couldn't have been done by some other character. Their true purpose was really just to establish that there were different cultures outside of Paradis.

Floch: Saved the best for last. And by best, I mean worst. He's the anti-Jean, if you will; the everyman who, when faced with dire circumstances, turns to brutality and strength rather than humanity and compassion. It's fitting, I think, that he's the one who not only advocates saving Erwin, Jean's ideological opposite ("We need a devil!") but he's also the one who tempts Jean into a character regression since he's a representation of what Jean could have become if he stayed what he was like early Season 1. Other than that, he's a cupcake-head fascist whose dumb face I got tired of looking at even before he become a fascist. I just fucking hate Floch, man.

Every other character I either don't have anything much to say about, like Grisha, Shaddis, Pixis, Rod Reiss, and Hitch, or they died too early for me to say much about, like Porco, Petra, and Marco (although I did love Marco and I was incredibly sad when he died).

Conclusion (and why Jean is the best character you can't change my mind)

So, to take my thesis-length thoughts and distill them into one coherent sentence, my overall feeling on Attack on Titan is this: it's a well-paced, well-constructed story that is consistently engaging and thought-provoking about real-world issues, but is ultimately held back by its final act where the scale and allegory become too big and clunky for the story to properly handle. Many things that were so well set up in the previous three seasons sadly unravel at the finish line. That said, that doesn't mean there is no meaningful or worthwhile conclusion to be had in Attack on Titan; I think it still had a stronger finish than, say, HBO's Game of Thrones. I connected with it in a deep way that I haven't connected to any other piece of media lately besides maybe when I played Dragon Age last year, another story that raised thought-provoking themes about real-world issues but with admittedly clunky allegory. Most notably, though, I think my enjoyment of Attack on Titan was highly dependent on one character in particular, a character who acted as a reliable anchor point to come back to whenever the bigger ideas got away from the story.

Here's where Jean comes in. While Eren, Mikasa, and Armin are essentially mouthpieces and figureheads for the much-too-big themes they represent and are somewhat washed out as characters because of it, Jean delivers on all his themes perfectly while maintaining his believability as a character. In this world, he is basically just some guy; despite being talented, he's not as driven as Eren, he's not as strong as Mikasa, and he's not as idealistic as Armin. Jean himself recognizes all these things, but he also recognizes how their strengths also come with weaknesses that he can make up for. He sees Eren as cool but also suicidally reckless, he sees Mikasa as capable but also overly-dependent, he sees Armin as brilliant but also in need of a backbone. He then steps up to fill those deficiencies; to answer Eren's recklessness, he does everything he can to preserve his own life so that he can continue to serve others; to answer Mikasa's dependency on Eren, he makes his own decisions and creates strategies to get everyone out of trouble, not just Eren; to answer Armin's cowardice, he steps up and relays Armin's genius plans but with a stronger sense of leadership and authority.

But he wasn't always like this, and that's the most important part; Jean started as a selfish, cowardly, and entitled asshole. Floch says this outright. The only thing early Season 1 Jean cared about was securing his place in the top 10 and choosing a position among the Miltary Police where he could live the rest of his life in peace and luxury, the rest of the cadets be damned. I think this is a pitfall a lot of people in the real world can fall into: in a highly competitive and individualistic society, people have little incentive not to step on others in order to achieve a better life for themselves, and this is the very pitfall Jean nearly falls into. It's a relatable flaw, as little as people might want to admit it.

Yet, among all of Jean's negative pre-Trost qualities, he has two that can be seen as positive: his keen perception and his blunt honesty. Marco tells him as much. After the first battle in Trost, Jean, despite his reluctance to take up responsibility, sees opportunities to get his fellow cadets to safety and uses his insight into their strengths and weaknesses to guide as many of them as he can since he's the only one at the time who can take up leadership. Afterward, Marco tells him he makes a good leader not because he's strong, but because he knows what it means to be weak. He is able to lead because he doesn't delude himself with false hopes or illusions of grandeur; he knows exactly what is at stake and what hurdles everyone needs to overcome in order to have a chance at both winning and surviving. Jean is humbled and inspired by this, realizing that he would better serve in a field where he could potentially save lives instead of wasting his talents in the Military Police where he would have nothing to apply himself for.

But his real call to action is Marco's death. After losing his one true friend, Jean resolves to give up his dream of the Military Police and dedicate himself to the Scouts, where he can live up to the potential Marco always saw in him. If we are to take the theme of "true freedom is the ability to give up a long-held dream" to heart, then Jean is actually one of the first characters to achieve true freedom in this story. That doesn't mean it was easy. Freedom comes with the burden of responsibility, and his decision to join the Scouts isn't framed as triumphant or inspiring but instead as terrifying and traumatic. But that's another aspect of real life I think is captured by Jean's character: the decision to become a better person is not always easy, and it often requires a continual and conscious effort to push comfort zones, overcome bad habits, and step into the terrifying unknown, but you still have to do it.

While Jean does change for the better because of this decision (a change even his fellow cadets take notice of), his battle to grow as a person is never over. When faced with life-or-death situations as a Scout, he overcomes his cowardice to leap into action and save others whenever he knows he can. When faced with the selfishness of the Military Police, he is reassured by the knowledge that his decision not to join them saved him from that ignorant mindset. When faced with the consequences of "the greater good," he questions what it means for humanity if serving a grand purpose means they should turn a blind eye to the innocent. When faced with the prospect of having to kill other humans, he grapples with the morality of murder and what it means if he can't pull the trigger to save his friends. When faced with the crowning of Historia, he voices his concern against authority that they're forcing her into another role after she had just fought to reclaim her own identity from her father. When faced with the temptation to regress, ignore genocide, and settle for the easy life he always wanted in his youth, he resists the urge to fall back onto his dream and continues fighting even when it's the hardest thing he could ever do. When faced with the revelation that Reiner killed his friend Marco, he briefly gives into his resentment and anger but later works past it and admits there are more similarities between them than there are differences. When faced with no other choice but to stop the Rumbling, he's the first to bring Mikasa to the painful but necessary realization that they must kill their friend Eren in order to save countless innocent lives, as much as he doesn't want to do that.

Over and over again, Jean is presented with a moral dilemma, and over and over again, Jean chooses to come out of it as a better person despite it all. Because he achieved the freedom to choose who he wants to be so early in the story, the rest of his arc is a revelation that such freedom comes with constant and painful doubt. Yet, Jean never shies away from exploring the moral ambiguity of his world and the actions it makes him take. Because he is perceptive and honest, he's quick to question everything that is presented to him and never takes any one person's perspective as the only undeniable truth. Questioning life at every turn isn't easy either; it takes effort and courage and vigilance, and even when that way of life wears away at Jean, he does it anyway. If he doesn't, he'll end up just like the pitiful and ignorant Military Police he could have easily become. To me, that arc is so much more relatable than any other arc presented in this story. This is the very real struggle of a regular guy navigating a complicated world of war, eugenics, nationalism, and genocide, and is just trying to make it out as a decent person in the middle of it all. Really, isn't that all any of us are?

I think it's also telling that Floch tempts Jean to join the Yeagerists not with the argument that Eren and his plan for genocide is right, because deep down I think he knows Jean would have never agreed with that. Instead, he tempts him with the promise of comfort and a life free of resistance. I think that's the most revealing truth of all: Jean, the representation of humanity and its struggle with its own morality would never have gone along with genocide just for the sake of it. I think most people are too decent to think genocide is in any way justified when it's framed that way. Instead, Jean is only tempted by how the decision to join the Yeagerists and turn a blind eye would affect him and his own life, reframing the problem as a self-preserving one and retroactively justifying the Rumbling not as what is right but as what is futile for any one person to try to stop. That, I think, reflects the true struggle of humanity, the struggle to sacrifice your own self-interest whenever it conflicts with the need to help others.

While other characters like Mikasa, Eren, and Armin are more or less the same character at the end of the story as they are in the beginning, Jean is in a perpetual state of change, which means he also acts as a terrific mirror and foil for so many characters throughout the story depending on what stage of character development he's in. He starts as a foil to Eren, someone who harbors just as much hot-headed ego as Jean, but unlike Jean has all the conviction to back it up. As Jean grows, he continues to foil Eren by proving conviction can not only be gained but can be reigned in and redirected to be used as a force to do good instead of a force for destructive revenge. He then mirrors Armin, a character who is just as thoughtful and questioning as Jean but isn't as weighed down by selfish desires, but neither does that give much weight to Armin's moral dilemmas when he chooses to do the less moral thing than Jean does in his shoes. Jean and Armin eventually learn to work together, combining their respective strengths and weaknesses to become effective leaders in tandem. Interestingly, I learned that Armin and Jean were originally written to be the same character but were separated to reflect two different sides of humanity, perhaps to illustrate humanity's desire to reach outside the walls through Armin and humanity's struggle to resist the comfort of the walls through Jean. While I think that it was a good decision to separate them in the end, I also think that it robbed Armin of Jean's character development and robbed Jean of Armin's plot relevance. Then, of course, there's Jean's mirror for Floch, but I already touched on that in Floch's character summary so I won't retread it here.

But perhaps my favorite foil of Jean's is Reiner. More than Eren or Armin, Jean is inherently connected to Reiner through the death of Marco. While Reiner is positioned in Season 4 to also be a mirror for Eren, I think Reiner's similar loss of his friend Marcel (a friend who, unlike what Marco did for Jean, did the opposite of inspire Reiner by admitting that Reiner was never actually good enough for the role he got and only earned it by Marcel's intervention to protect his brother) positions Reiner as a more apt foil to Jean instead. Reiner is sent on a trajectory where he only clings harder to his dreams of becoming a hero for Marley, winning the affection of his mother and father, and proving himself worthy of his role, never willing to let those dreams go in the face of Marcel's death unlike Jean had done after losing Marco. Because he clings to this dream so dearly, he kills many innocent people to achieve it, again displaying the polar opposite mindset of Jean who fights instead to save innocent lives. But Reiner isn't without a heart, and eventually, the weight of his sins burdens him. How does he deal with it? Not by questioning or confronting reality like Jean does, but by compartmentalizing himself and rationalizing his actions through the use of multiple personas, essentially denying responsibility for his sins and avoiding the painful self-reflection he must undergo to accept accountability for what he's done.

Reiner is only able to truly self-reflect when he returns to Marley, where the reconciliation of who he is catches up with him and drives him to become suicidal, but neither is he deluded by the dream he once clung to anymore. Now that he's accepted responsibility, he joins up with Jean's group, admits he killed Marco, and accepts the brutal punishment Jean has for him. It's only after this moment that Jean makes the realization that they're the same because they are now. They've both undergone a change and while it took them in many different directions, in the end, they've come to the same point; despite their respective sins or lack thereof, they're both fighting to become better people than who they once were. And in the finale, it is Jean who reassures Reiner that he is and will always be a Scout because he's fighting to save humanity, just like they had sworn to do as youths. Jean never forgot what it was they were fighting for, and because of that, I think Jean earns his place as the true moral compass of the series.

Wow, this really got away from me; Do you love the color of the Attack on Titan thoughts post? Anyways, if you managed to read all of this, I'm flattered you stuck around to entertain all my ramblings on a series that is basically over after a decade-long run that I was too late to jump on. With all my thoughts out of the way, I'm going to go reblog some Jean posts now, because he's the best character and no, you can't change my mind.

#oh this is so long i am so so sorry #it's as my sister called it: do you love the color of the attack on titan thoughts post #just beware when clicking on the read more #anna watches attack on titan

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