Are you an Attack on Titan (AOT) fan? If you are, you’ve probably wondered a lot about Levi Ackerman. How old is he? Why is he so powerful? What is his backstory?
Most of these things are covered in the show, and if they aren’t, you’ll probably find the answer in the manga. Luckily for you, we compiled everything you’d be interested to find out about Levi here.
How Old Is Levi?
According to the show, Levi Ackerman is currently 33 years old.
At just the prime age of 33, Levi had tackled endless challenges. Let’s go through the story of Levi as he grows and find out what made him “humanity’s strongest soldier” on AOT.
Since we’re going to be describing events that took place in the show, expect some spoilers for seasons 1 through 4 ahead!
Attack on Titan
In case you’re not familiar with the show. Let’s delve into a crash course on AOT. AOT takes place on Paradis Island in 845.
The story sets up a world where towns live peacefully with three enormous walls surrounding them. The walls are meant to protect them from huge human-like monsters that range from 10 feet tall to a staggering 200 feet tall height.
The main villain or the “big boss” of the show is the Colossal Titan, who is known for his terrifying appearance, having muscles covering his whole body.
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He appears out of nowhere, causes mass destruction to the town, then disappears. That mystery is one of the first challenges of the show.
Who Is Levi Ackerman?
In the beginning, Levi Ackerman starts as a captain of the Survey Corps—a group of fighters set to protect their town from titans.
He possesses a sullen and silent attitude that comes off as nonchalant. However, contrary to what viewers first think, Levi is caring enough to work on protecting humanity from the fearsome titans.
At that point, Levi is only 21 or 22 years. He later becomes the squad captain of the Special Operations Squad, which is known as an “elite squad” in the Survey Corps.
Currently, he is 33 years, and after a worrisome war, Levi is injured and ridden to a wheelchair with several fingers lost. So, he is no longer a fighter and instead rests out his retirement with friends.
His Backstory
Levi’s childhood is not a pleasant one. He was born on December 25 when his prostitute mother, Kuchel Ackerman, got pregnant from one of her clients.
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His loving mother raised him in a brothel in the Underground City until he was nine years old. She then got sick and passed away. Levi was found alone by his uncle Kenny Ackerman, and so Kenny adopted him and raised him for the next 3 to 6 years.
Kenny taught Levi everything about fighting and violence, which made him extremely powerful but left Levi cold and calculated because he didn’t grow up in a warm environment.
Kenny finally left Levi on his own when Levi won a fight without any help. When he was around 15-16, Levi became an infamous thug in the Underground City.
Then, at around the age of 19, Levi joins the Survey Corps as a soldier under the command of Keith Shadis.
Levi Ackerman’s story is so interesting that a spin-off was made for him, called No Regrets. The spin-off sets in the time that Levi is 20-21 years old, enrolling into the Survey Corps.
It tracks down his journey of starting off as a low-life thug who was raised in conditions that turned him evil. Then, turning into humanity’s strongest soldier.
The Ackerman Clan
Levi Ackerman is a descendant of the Ackerman clan.
The Ackerman clan were victims of experimentation by the Elden Empire. They became a bloodline of warriors whose duty was to protect the Eldia’s king.
Because of the experiments, Ackermans have the powers of a titan without actually turning into one. However, this power is awakened only at certain points in an Ackerman’s life.
They’re also immune to the powers of a titan, like memory alteration. These abilities made Ackermans very powerful and respected.
But after they rejected Karl Fritz’s ideologies, which believed in exterminating the Eldias, the Ackermans were close to being extinct after only two members of the whole clan were left.
Levi Ackerman’s Challenges
One of Levi’s bizarre enemies is sleep. The character struggled with insomnia for the longest time. He was able to get only a few hours of sleep in a day.
He sleeps so little that he does not even bother having a bed or pajamas. Some speculate that his insomnia was caused by his need to be alert in case any danger occurred.
Another ongoing challenge Levi faces throughout the show is his struggles with the man who raised him—Kenny Ackerman.
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Kenny Ackerman was an infamous serial killer who raised Levi to be a thug. Because of this, Levi grew to hate him and the environment Kenny placed him in.
He struggles with this hatred throughout the show and fuels the anger he feels for Kenny into worthwhile activities like fighting titans.
Lastly, a challenge Levi overcame was gaining his peers’ respect in the Survey Corps. Being a thug from the Underground City, Levi was not trusted or treated well.
Over time, he displayed his worth through his skills and integrity, and slowly, he grew in rank and respect.
This posed the perfect underdog story that made us love Levi even more.
Conclusion
Levi Ackerman is an iconic character in AOT for multiple reasons: his power, his personality, his accomplishments, and his values.
And the fact that he lived such a long life in a short span of 30-35 years is remarkable. Although he is a complex character, no AOT fan can deny that he is a hero in many ways.
As we await the new season, we look forward to finding out how Levi lives out the end of his story or even if his story is ending at all.
All we wish for is a happy life for Levi after all of his hardships and challenges!
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