#ackerpowers

A few meta-type thoughts about Bad Boy, now the dust has started to settle.  There could hardly have been more hype in the run up to the release of Shingeki FLY, but Bad Boy certainly delivered.  It’s classic Isayama; for such a short chapter it really packs an emotional punch, blending real pathos and tragedy with shockingly graphic violence and body horror.  It doesn't really add anything to the over all plot, which is to be expected, but it does provide insight into Levi’s character and answers one question that fans have been speculating about for years.

The story of why Levi holds his tea cup in such a peculiar way isn’t new. Isayama mentioned this in a magazine interview (I think?) way back in 2014

Q: …why he has such way of holding cup? Isayama: About that, I was thinking of drawing this one day. When he was a kid, Levi was living in slums and poverty. He was yearning for a life in clean & neat environment (not rich life). When he finally obtained the tea and tea set those he has been desperately wanted, he was rejoicing that finally he can drink it. But when he started to grip on the handle and lift up the cup, the handle came off and his cup was shattered. He was so traumatised by this experience and that’s why he changed his way of holding cups to not using the handle.

However we now know that the cup belonged to his mother and the extraordinary lengths Levi went to recover it. What is new is that we finally have confirmation of when Levi’s Ackerpowers were awakened.  Fans have been arguing about this for years; some thought it was when he killed the man with the knife immediately before Kenny left, others suggested it was when Farlan and Isabel were killed. Now we finally have an answer.  It’s not exactly clear how much time has lapsed between Kenny taking Levi in, his powers awakening, and Kenny leaving, however the fact that Kuchel’s tea set hadn’t yet made its way to the surface suggests that not much time had passed at all. 

Levi’s description of his powers awakening is fascinating;  

“Strangely enough I didn’t doubt what was happening to me at that moment. The pain had vanished, my head was calm, as if it had been immersed in water. Clear instructions on what to do came to my mind. I simply followed them one by one.”

This is the most information we’ve ever had about the famous Ackerpowers and goes some way to explaining Levi and Mikasa’s preternatural calm and focus when they're fighting.   They really only succumb to panic and despair when their loved ones are threatened.  Think of Mikasa in Shiganshina and at Fort Salta, and Levi when Farlan and Isabel die and when he allows Zeke to escape after Erwin rode out to his death. 

The panel illustrating Levi’s powers awakening is also interesting as it looks very like a Titan transformation. This suggests there is more than a grain of truth in what the Yeagers said about Ackermans being a by-product of Titan science, who were able to access the power of the Titans without becoming Titans themselves.   

It’s not difficult to draw a direct line between the abuse and persecution Levi suffered as a child, with his determination to use his power to protect those in need.  Initially he used his strength to protect the vulnerable people of the Underground, such as Isabel, however once he met Erwin he was able to exert his power to serve an even higher goal - saving humanity. Isayama discussed this in the Answers Guidebook way back in 2006 and I think his comments are worth repeating here. 

Isayama With the heroes of American comics, conflicts dealing with the situation “with great power, comes great responsibility” have been depicted. In Levi’s case, if he had no power, he would probably have been an ordinary person with no responsibilities but, as a consequence of having power, that he became a person excessively burdened with responsibility. Kenny talked about “everyone… was a slave to something…”, when he put the question to Levi “what is yours!?”, Levi himself too perceived it. That he himself too was a slave in regard to his own strength. The sense of duty that “I must become a hero”. …the same thing can be said of Mikasa too but…, for the Ackerman family, in the service of their master, there are many people who are able to manifest their power to its maximum.

[Translation by @tsuki-no-ura]

I think it's also very in keeping with Levi's character that he remained devoted to saving humanity after the Rumbling; providing succour to the children in the refugee camp, and working to renew the environment destroyed by Eren's genocide, despite his injuries and regardless of whether he retained his Ackerpowers.

The title of the chapter, Bad Boy, is also interesting. No one actually calls Levi a “bad boy” in the chapter (though he is called worse) which suggests that this is how Levi sees himself.  It makes me wonder how much he internalised the thug’s insinuation that his mother would have been disappointed in him, and it also recalls Levi’s speech to Historia and the 104th, where he says he’s fine playing the role of the violent lunatic.  Poor baby.

Another point the chapter clarifies is the origin of Levi’s belief that Kenny was his father.  To be honest, it’s hardly surprising that Levi assumed this considering Kenny clearly had some kind of relationship with his mother and took him in without question. Still, knowing that the seed of that belief was planted by a thug who was willing to torture and kill a child, or sell him into sexual slavery, really twists the knife. 

[Translation by krtk.]

I am a little sad that we didn’t see more of Kenny in the chapter, but his presence certainly looms large.

I had expected to see more of Kuchel but at the same time I’m almost glad we didn’t.  Her life was brutal beyond measure and we’ve already seen her tragic death. Several fans have suggested that the reason we only see Kuchel in partial profile is because Levi’s memories of her are so hazy, all he really recalls is her grace 😢

It’s remarkable that Kuchel was able to retain such poise and grace despite living in such desperate squalor.  @momtaku has made the point that Kuchel appears to have been born into at least modest comfort, judging from Grandpa Ackermans’ home, which would explain where her elegance and also her fancy china came from.  It’s heartbreaking that both she and Levi clung on to this small memento of a better life. 

Levi’s devotion to his mother, his desire to emulate her grace and cling on to her belongings is devastating, is very much in keeping with everything we know about his character.  Levi has boundless compassion, is deeply loyal, and never forgets those he loves, whether it’s Farlan and Isabel, Erwin, or his squad.  He’s also very sentimental; saving his mother’s tea set, and drinking tea evokes a direct connection to Kuchel and the only good thing he remembers from the squalor and cruelty of his childhood. This makes Erwin’s willingness to indulge his sentimentality and bend the rules to procure a steady supply of high quality tea for Levi all the more poignant. 

There's been some debate about Gabi's reaction to Levi's story in the final panel...

Some people have interpreted her expression as holding back tears, while others have suggested she's trying not to laugh. I'm definitely in the stifled laughter camp. It just seems so very typical of Gabi and her relationship with Levi...

Gabi: - winds Levi up - Levi: - trauma dumps - Gabi: - stifled laughter / more wind up - Falco: - actually upset - "Would you guys stop??" Onyankopon: - shade -

It's also very typical of Isayama to poke fun at his characters like this, and it stops the story from tipping over into bathos.

There is one burning question that Bad Boy doesn’t answer and it’s this - what tf was kid Levi doing in Mr Smith’s classroom?? 

The idea that Levi activated his ackerpower in No Regrets when he avenged Isabel and Farlan’s death was pretty common for awhile, and I liked that theory a lot, but after chapter 69 many of us believe it happened while he was with Kenny.

Kenny abandoned Levi while he was still young, but we know from chapter 63 that they had a conversation about ackerpowers before he left. Kenny told kid!Levi that he had a moment “where he felt a stupid amount of strength surge through his body and he knew what to do.” Kenny stayed with Levi long enough to make sure Levi felt the same power.

While it’s never spelled out, I think the subtext is there that the fight with the brothel owner was arranged to awaken Levi’s power. I also headcanon that Kenny advertised the fight to ensure a large audience. A child alone in the underground would be a target. By arranging a large group to see this fight, Kenny made sure no one would mess with Levi.

As far as Kenny’s ackerpowers, I’ve honestly never thought about it. I see Kenny as a character who recognized his limitations when it comes to feelings like love, friendship and empathy. He only understood power. He spend his life chasing those feelings and ultimately died in his quest to understand them. If it was part of his quest to understand love and not violence that awakened his power, I would be onboard with that.

I think most of them never had their powers awakened because they were never faced with a situation in which they had to rely on those abilities/never stumbled upon a suitable host in the first place. Regardless of whether what Eren said is true or not, it seems like they do have to go through specific triggers to obtain their Ackerpowers.

For example, Grandpa Ackerman didn’t seem to have awakened his powers. In Kenny and Levi’s case, they were both exposed to violence throughout their lives. In Mikasa’s case, she underwent a traumatic experience. If you look at her dad, he too didn’t seem to have had any powers. If he did, he should have been able to evade the attack because that’s just how overpowered the awakened Ackermans are shown to be.

I figure he’s been in there for almost two months. While that doesn’t seem like that long for his hair to grow or for him to lean out so much, I was referencing the manga, wherein Mikasa lost all that weight when she and Eren were jailed in chapter 89. I’m kinda fudging things a little, but I think it’s not too unrealistic given the unusual nature of the Ackermans; Mikasa’s bones are healing quicker than normal, as referenced in the beginning of the chapter. Idk but I have this tiny headcanon that Levi has to constantly cut his hair because it grows so flippin fast lol.

Much speculation has been made about the way Levi and Mikasa heal from their injuries and the inconsistencies regarding the process. How Mikasa’s broken ribs healed within a week yet Levi’s hurt ankle took longer than that. Or how the scratch on Levi’s cheek disappeared within hours and yet Mikasa’s cheek scar remained.

We have yet to receive an explanation but if I may, here is my take on the subject.

This theory borders on crack and I will most likely fic it one day, because why not?

The speed at which the Ackermans heal is directly proportionate to the proximity of other Ackermans.

Mikasa got her scar in Trost, before she was even acquainted with Levi.

After Levi hurt his ankle, aside from that one meeting re: Female Type Titan’s identity, he and Mikasa weren’t shown to be anywhere close to each other.

However, after Squad Levi 2.0 is formed and Mikasa and Levi are spending more time in close quarters, their injuries are shown to be healing faster.

And since we now know that the Ackermans are a “subproduct of Titan science”, quite possibly some sort of proto-Titans (maybe even the missing ninth Titan incorporated into a bloodline instead of a person - as per, I think, @falcon94ssy‘s theory), wouldn’t it be possible that their healing powers are amplified when they are together?

Because think of it.

Levi and Mikasa realize that their injuries heal faster if they are close to each other. Maybe they were on a mission and got some bumps and bruises and on the way back to base, they rode side by side and by the time they made it back, the injuries are gone.

And they notice the pattern eventually. Of course they do. Hanging out together after missions or a tough bout of training becomes a norm. That strained muscle that would have been uncomfortable for a couple of days? That dislocated shoulder? A couple of hours spent with the other Ackerman will make it fine again.

And maybe they keep it on the downlow at first, because they don’t understand why it works and what are the limits and they would rather not risk becoming test subjects for how far their healing can be pushed.

But they don’t go out of the way to hide the fact either. It’s actually pretty normal for someone to come into Levi’s office and find Mikasa there (they started doing their post-mission paperwork sitting back-to-back on the ground).

There was that one time when they were on different squads and both got hurt and in the infirmary, after their wounds were bandaged, Mikasa walked up to Levi’s bed and said: “Budge up, Shorty.” And he moved over to make space for her and she climbed next to him like she was used to it (spoiler alert: she is).

Basically, “We’re invincible together” takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to these two.

Mikasa attacking Levi - Ch. 84

Erwin didn’t on the spot yet, but Levi was thrown into a situation where his liege was between life and death. Prior to Flocke’s arrival, he thought Erwin was a goner and lost track of Zeke, the man he promised to kill. When an Ackerman’s vow falters, so does their strength. Their will to live are connected to it moreover. that’s why Kenny didn’t inject himself despite him dying or Mikasa acting reckless in Trost when she heard Eren “died”.

Huh, interesting question Anon. I mean you're right, Levi was driven to use his power to help Erwin to "save humanity". That's what Kenny was getting at chapter 69 when he said that Levi was a "slave" to being a hero. And Levi himself was blunt about the fact that he had no problem being the lunatic who kills people so all of humanity didn't have to be damned.

Whether Levi thought that fighting was the only way he could be of use to Erwin is debatable though. Something that's often overlooked is that Levi doesn't just lend Erwin his physical strength, he lends him his emotional strength too and that is arguably more important. Levi provides Erwin with unwavering trust and support, even after he learns that he is driven by his dream, not just the noble goal of saving humanity. That's why the crate scene is so significant, Levi gives Erwin the strength to make the decision to set his dream aside and to sacrifice his life to serve humanity.

I also think Erwin would have been at pains to convince Levi that he didn't just value him for his physical strength and willingness to kill. (This has always been fertile ground for fic writers to explore.) There's a lovely scene in the Smartpass Close Up Interview where Erwin explains to the interviewer that Levi's reputation among his comrades isn't just based on his strength alone, but on his kindness and warmhearted nature.

Erwin: …Alright. Starting with Levi…I think he is excellent at shouldering important duties. With the title “Humanity’s Strongest” as part of the SC, our reputations have also been elevated. On the battlefield, he has also faithfully completed the tasks I have assigned to him. Despite his warmhearted nature, I’ve asked him to carry out some cruel missions… Journalist: Is Captain Levi very…”warmhearted?” Erwin: You’ve already interviewed his subordinates, right? Then you must have heard just how much they trust their captain. Journalist: Indeed. I even heard the same thing from new recruits who are not from his squad. Erwin: He just has a rude attitude…but he cherishes his comrades’ life more than anyone else. His reputation cannot be established based on strength alone, Humans can subconsciously detect how much concern others have for them… and when they notice this kindness, it inspires power…That is something that I can’t do.

Levi was there with Erwin when he was being interviewed, so I hope he took his words to heart.

I don’t like sharing Eren’s thoughts here because I think he’s wrong about a lot of what he learned about the Ackerman clan. Still, there’s probably a grain of truth in each of his statements.

Eren talks about conditions needing to be met. In Mikasa’s case she chose to obey an order in the moment she was facing death which awakened her Ackerman blood.