Levi Ackerman is one of the most popular characters in Attack on Titan. From all the things he has accomplished and the epic battles he fought throughout the series to his painful past that led him to becoming humanity's strongest soldier, there are many reasons why he is so beloved.
However, there are many harsh realities to being humanity's strongest soldier. Here are some of the worst things that Levi has had to deal with throughout the manga as well as the spin-off, Attack on Titan: No Regrets.
10 Levi Grew Up In The Underground
The Underground is one of the worst places to live in Attack on Titan's universe. Located underneath Wall Sheena, it is where many criminals and poor people live. Levi was born and raised there, causing him to have a tough childhood. He needed to learn how to survive down there from a young age, which is why and how he learned how to fight. It wasn't until he joined the Survey Corps when he finally left the harsh conditions he had to deal with for so long.
9 He Almost Starved To Death
When Levi was a child, his mother, Kuchel, passed away after getting sick. As a result, nobody was able to take care of Levi, and he nearly died from starvation. Luckily, when Kenny decided to visit Kuchel, he found Levi instead. Kenny helped Levi out until he was sure that he would be able to take care of himself. If he hadn't, then Levi would have continued to suffer and never would have been able to become humanity's strongest soldier.
8 Levi Didn't Know Much About His Family
Though Kenny took care of Levi for a while, he never told him that he was his uncle. Besides Kuchel, Levi didn't know any of his relatives. He didn't even know his last name. However, once Kenny revealed the truth as he passed away, Levi found out that he was an Ackerman. This also meant that he was related to Mikasa. Learning all of this decades after not knowing where he came from was shocking.
7 His Ancestors Were Persecuted
Being an Ackerman did not only mean that Levi was related to Kenny and Mikasa, but also the Ackermans who were persecuted by the royal family years prior. The Ackerman Clan originally served the Fritz family as they had the strength of the titans.
However, when Karl Fritz brought the Eldians to Paradis and took away their memories, he was unable to remove the memories from the Ackermans. This led to Levi's ancestors being hunted down for generations. If this hadn't happened, Levi probably would have had a much better life.
6 He Had A Lot Of Enemies
By being humanity's strongest soldier and a captain in the Survey Corps, Levi was one of Attack on Titan's characters with the most enemies. Soldiers from other branches of Paradis' military saw him as a threat to their goals, while enemies from outside the walls, especially the Warrior Unit, were afraid of him. While Levi's comrades had to deal with these enemies just as much as he did, he was often the one who was targeted the most.
5 Levi Was Expected To Defeat All Of The Survey Corps' Enemies
Due to how powerful Levi was, those around him relied on him more. The biggest example of this was when the Survey Corps and Warrior Unit fought in Shiganshina. Many of Levi's comrades willingly sacrificed their lives, hoping that Levi would be able to kill the Beast Titan. By failing to do so, it became Levi's greatest goal to avenge all of them. For some soldiers, killing even a single titan is difficult, so it was especially hard for one person to be expected to defeat even stronger opponents.
4 He Found Out That The Titans He Killed Were Originally Human
When Connie discovered that his mother had transformed into a titan, the Survey Corps began to realize that their predators were actually innocent people. Levi was shocked to discover this as he had killed so many of them.
Though he was still willing to do what was needed in order to accomplish his goals, it was more painful to fight the giant cannibals after that, especially when he had to fight ones that he knew when they were still people.
3 Levi Lost A Lot Of People Throughout His Life
Levi joined the Survey Corps with two of his closest friends, Furlan and Isabel. Unfortunately, they died shortly after becoming soldiers. Throughout the years, Levi lost even more people who he became close to, such as the original members of the Special Operations Squad, the commanders he was friends with, and more. By the end of the manga, everyone who he deeply cared for had died, with Falco, Gabi, and Onyankopon being all that he had left.
2 He Suffered From Injuries That Made Him Weaker
Though Levi was known as humanity's strongest soldier throughout the majority of the manga, the members of his squad eventually surpassed him. After a battle between him and Zeke, he nearly died in an explosion. Luckily, Hange was able to help him, but he lost fingers, his face was scarred, and it became difficult for him to walk. This resulted in Mikasa taking over the role of humanity's strongest soldier, with other members of the Survey Corps also being able to fight against Eren and the Rumbling more than Levi was able to.
1 Levi Became A Traitor To His Nation
After Eren started the Rumbling, the Survey Corps and Warrior Unit teamed up to fight him. As most of the people in Paradis believed in Eren and became Yeagerists, they considered the Survey Corps to be traitors. Despite having the people he once fought for now hate him, Levi did what he thought was right by killing Zeke, helping his comrades defeat Eren, and saving the world.