#k-21

Let's start with Before Lights Out & Chapter 81.

These two link together because chapter 81 of the manga contained the result of the suicide charge, the beast titan fight, and Levi's promise - with the chapter literally being titled 'Promise'. In the anime, the soundtrack paired with the suicide charge is the instrumental version of Before Lights Out.

Considering in the newest episode, we have Levi thinking of his promise to Erwin again, and hoping that he may be able to finally fulfil it, it actually makes sense to re-use this piece of music from the original suicide charge as Levi stares into the eyes of what were once his comrades, and prepares to slice them to pieces in order to pursue Zeke.

Wait ... so then, Levi really is cutting down his men all in the name of revenge, to fulfil his promise to Erwin?

Not exactly. While the vow absolutely is something Levi wishes to fulfil, I believe there's more at play here. What's giving him the resolve to push through this dreadful event isn't simply a thirst for revenge or a need to keep a promise to his fallen mentor and friend.

In Attack on Titan: Chronicle, we actually have the version of Before Lights Out with vocals played over the Levi vs. Zeke fight.

Here are the lyrics:

Freedom! Freedom! Forgive Me! Retake Maria! Victorious, triumphant! All of my kingdom For your return I will let it burn! I will let it burn! Dear departed I’ll cry for you in a dream Now I must rise to be queen Be worthy Be worthy

This doesn't really fit with Levi or even Erwin's POV, but more ... Historia's? But what does Historia have to do with any of this?

Well. I'm not going to get into a big analysis on the manga side of things here, that's a whole other post, but we had Levi's entire dialogue about Historia, her pregnancy, and the idea of turning her into a titan cut from the episode (or moved), leaving a lot of manga readers scratching their heads. So was it not important? Well, yeah, it was. But I think it was misinterpreted by too many people, so instead, it was cut or moved. Historia is absolutely important to Levi's story, because their families are intertwined. I'll go further, too, and say that Historia is as much a key part of Levi's underlying motivations when it comes to his relationship with the Beast Titan as Erwin and his vow are.

The second soundtrack used in this scene only serves to cement this idea of Historia's importance to Levi's arc. Let's look at where K-21 was used previously in the anime ...

We have the initial fight between Levi and Kenny, during the pursuit in Trost where Levi and the squad end up losing Eren and Historia after giving chase. The second occasion is in the cavern beneath the Reiss Chapel, where again, Levi confronts Kenny in a bid to rescue Eren and Historia.

Mikasa is also present in both of these chases, her driving factor being Eren.

Two Ackermans on the same team. Two targets to acquire.

Kenny, their older relative, the obstacle in the way as they try to save their charges from the fate of Historia’s ancestry and the Titans.

Just like Zeke is Historia's older relative, is linked with the prospect of her becoming a Titan, and the obstacle in the way of her future.

K-21 plays again in episode 73 because Levi is once again fighting for Historia's future.

K-21 has been described as literally Kenny's theme, too, so it might also be interesting to draw some parallels between the lyrics and Kenny's position in Season 3 vs. Levi's position now.

Got the ear of Royalty

Kenny described himself as the 'Reiss' dog.' He fought for the crown as part of the Interior MPs after re-connecting his bloodline with the crown and gaining Uri's trust, moving past the old family feud. He was working for Rod when the soundtrack was used initially. So then, can we assume that Levi is working with or to protect Historia - the next generations of Reiss and Ackerman now paired once again - as he pursues Zeke in that forest?

If you look at it this way, suddenly the soundtrack choices make such perfect sense, it hurts. When manga chapter 139 comes out, people are going to look back at this scene and go OH.

One more small thing I noticed from the scene ...

When Levi blew up Zeke's nape, visually it felt like a call back to the scene where Historia defeats her father with the way the chunks of flesh flew through the air.

We've seen apparent call backs to this in recent manga chapters too, during the moment Levi takes out Zeke by severing his head. The nature of his movements and his reaction seem to mirror Historia's.