#armin analysis

hmm. I made a post about this some time ago, but it does bother me when only one of the character's mental struggles is addressed and the other exists primarily as support. and I don't mean in a short fic where Armin is helping Eren through his depression or something like that. I mean when Armin's entire characterization is being a meek, anxious mess and Eren is his overbearing protector alpha type. or when only Eren's angst and poor coping habits are featured and Armin exists as his emotional support and little else.

actually, I think a big part of their divide in season 4 is Eren realizing he can't look to Armin as a beacon to fix everything anymore because the world isn't as they imagined it. Eren felt a severe loss of hope, and perhaps even a sense of betrayal upon that revelation. In contrast, Armin's admission in the finale that he's felt the same way as Eren does is what brings them back together for their final farewell.

a key aspect of Armin and Eren's relationship is how reciprocal it is. Armin and Eren are mentally ill in similar ways: frustration at their lack of usefulness resulting in a willingness to sacrifice themselves. Armin's ability to push back and truly empathize with Eren's struggles, instead of being a mere sponge for Eren's pain, is half of what makes their dynamic so special. the other half is Eren's ability to draw Armin out from his anxious spirals by seeing and putting his faith in Armin's strengths; not by babying him.

Sometimes I think about how Armin was originally part of Jean’s character in the early versions and I wonder how different things would have been if they hadn’t been separated… Armin is such an important character. The story depends on him heavily.

Looking at them now, I think it’s no coincidence that these characters have such an impact on the growth and survival of the other.

That Jean pushes Armin through his fear of making hard decisions in the heat of the moment.

That Armin saves Jean by confronting this fear and committing to his choices.

Armin has always been determined to stand up to others, so not to be seen as weak, but the fight with himself is what challenges him the most. I think it’s kind of cool that Jean, the character he was born from, gives him strength to tap into his own power. It feels symbolic.

I think that as Armin established himself more as he grew up, he developed better interpersonal skills that compliment his rhetorical prowess. I think he's the type of person who sees value in life and in minimizing harm. He offers kindness to his friends and understanding to all. But I don't see him as particularly "friendly"

but hey at least we got a fun new nickname out of it:

Anyways, yes, Armin plainly has androgynous features. It's something that actually gets him hate from the more homophobic corners of the fandom (which is likely why this homophobic Armin fan is so adamant that he is definitively masculine).

Now, whether Armin the character likes being seen as more "feminine" is not explored in the text of AoT. So, putting down other fans based on what you think that Armin (a fictional character) would be uncomfortable with is ridiculous.

But I do have thoughts! I personally go back and forth on it a lot. I feel like Armin would feel insecure about being perceived as feminine because it has the connotation of weakness (because societal misogyny) and Armin is insecure about his physical strength. But I don't think it would bother him if there was not so much emphasis on physical strength as there is in the world of AoT. So, in a modern au where there aren't titans threatening humanity, maybe Armin would embrace his more feminine features.

The other complication towards how Armin may view himself is what happened to him when he was dressed as Historia. It's possible Armin would be left feeling unsafe wearing decidedly feminine clothing :/

There's also a difference between Armin's features and how he chooses to express himself. While his physical features may be considered more "feminine" (soft features, round face, big eyes, short and slim: he pretty), do the clothes Armin chooses to wear reflect a more feminine, masculine, or androgynous presentation?

Side note: I do not believe that femininity should be restricted to the features I listed. People with all sorts of different features should be able to consider themselves feminine and be viewed as such by others. I'm simply identifying some features that my surrounding society associates with femininity. What is considered "feminine" clothing also differs from society to society.

Outside of his work uniform, Armin is primarily shown wearing a pale blue or green sweater over a white button up shirt, sometimes with a light jacket over top. Armin dresses very cozy, yet coordinated:

like bro is always in that light blue cardigan

Another consideration is that what is perceived as "masculine" or "feminine" depends a lot on cultural context. Like, if I wore most of these fits where I live in the US as a girl, they'd be seen as pretty neutral; the sweaters leaning more feminine, the plain button-ups leaning more masculine (the suspenders would be seen as simply out of style lol).

Anyways, while I would say Armin's personal style is more masculine than feminine, it comes across as less masculine than the personal style of other men in AoT, due to his soft color and fabric choices.

Honestly the style really suits him and it's super cute :) (Armin light academia king)

It goes both ways. They have such understanding of each other, such kindness and respect they reserve only for each other (& Mikasa of course).

And it's not only his own self-hatred and the destruction he personally dealt. It's Eren too. Armin was the one to inspire Eren, to give him a glimpse of something through the ceaseless boredom - freedom. This dream they shared, perverted into something so ruinous...there's no way Armin doesn't tie this abomination to the ocean. To any dream of his. It's all destroyed.

Armin and Mikasa want Eren to stay, but they don't want him to run further because of their pursuit

He pushes them back when they try to push against him, there's no stopping it, they know it's inevitable, and yet it's still agonizing when it happens

It's the pattern, it's his nature he refuses to contest, it's what they hoped he would

Yeah Eren, you're not special, you're not the only mentally ill person alive 🙄

Eren when the person who inspired him to take such a horrifying action has also felt the same way: 😱