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Humanity's strongest soldier was dealt a rough hand during his encounter with Zeke Yeager in the Titan Forest, losing the index and middle fingers on his right hand in addition to suffering facial lacerations, such as one across his right eye. Nevertheless, as Attack on Titan's anime adaptation gears up for a thrilling finale, there is no doubt that Levi Ackerman will have a major role to play. Even with his injuries, Levi is a formidable foe to any Titan shifter, possessing a degree of speed and skill with his vertical maneuvering equipment that no other member of the Scouts can even come close to, perhaps save for Mikasa. He also has seemingly inhuman strength to boot, easily able to dispatch multiple Titans on the fly and even shred shifters as strong as the Beast Titan to a point where they are completely incapacitated.
Now, only the final confrontation between Eren and the remaining members of the Scouts fighting alongside the Warrior unit remains to round off the story of Attack on Titan. Levi's immense capacity for battle as well as his tactical acumen and ability to make tough decisions will be put to their most difficult test yet. From honoring those that have fallen before him in Paradis' fight for survival, to fulfilling his late Commander's dying wish, and finally, seeing out his complicated relationship with Eren and the rest of the Scouts till the end, here is a look at how Levi could help change the course of Attack on Titan's finale.
Erwin's Dying Wish
Heading into the climactic clash with Eren's Founding Titan and his army of Wall Titans, Levi's main objective, first and foremost is to honor his final promise to Erwin — that of taking down Zeke Yeager's Beast Titan. The pair have clashed directly on two occasions now: at the time of the Operation to retake Wall Maria, and during their time in the Titan Forest. Not surprisingly, Levi emerged triumphant both times, reducing Zeke and his Titan form to a helpless mess. Although there was an exchange between the two during the raid on Liberio, it was all orchestrated for Zeke to flee Marley along with the Scouts.
The events of the first confrontation were a direct result of Erwin Smith's final charge, a suicide mission in the form of head on advance towards the Beast Titan and his barrier of Pure Titans, to buy Levi enough time to sneak up on Zeke. Having given up his life and his dream, Erwin made Levi promise that he would kill the Beast Titan and eliminate the biggest threat to Paradis' reclamation of Shiganshina district. Sadly, just before Levi could deal the final blow to a debilitated Zeke, the Cart Titan snatched up his mangled body and fled the scene, preventing Levi from following through on his pledge.
On the other hand, their second real fight ended with Zeke, once again, defeated in the Titan Forest. As Levi dragged the utterly defenseless Beast Titan away from the scene of the battle in a cart, he fastened the fuse of a Thunder Spear on his neck with the tip piercing Zeke's stomach. Taunting him on the way while slicing off his limbs, one by one, Levi is shocked to see Zeke detonate the Thunder Spear, sending himself, the cart, and humanity's strongest soldier flying from the explosion. On awakening from this ordeal after being treated by Hange, Levi makes it his mission to eliminate Zeke, who is now fused into the body of Eren's massive skeletal Founding Titan. It remains to be seen exactly how this will play out in the anime, but rest assured, the story of Attack on Titan as rendered on screen cannot be complete without an end to this rivalry and the fulfillment of Levi's pledge to Erwin.
Taking Down Eren
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Beyond the simple act of eliminating the threat of the Beast Titan, killing Zeke might also have the added benefit of stalling the Founding Titan's power. This could be due to the fact that Eren needed Zeke, who is a Titan shifter with royal blood, in order to reach the world of the Paths and gain access to the Founding Titan power. However, since Ymir has essentially lent her power to Eren, this might not be as effective as first imagined. Notwithstanding this, Levi's unmatched prowess in combat is sure to play a role in the final battle, when considering the armada of Wall Titans and other powers at Eren's disposal.
As the second most senior officer in the Scouts after Hange, Levi will also have a huge part to play in marshaling them and the remaining members of the Marleyan Warrior unit as they gear up to take on their most powerful foe yet. His ability to make quick, informed decisions, and devise strategies on the fly, all while taking down Titans left and right, will be an invaluable asset to the group. Furthermore, Levi is also a capable mediator, as seen during the first season when he was able to secure Eren's life after the Battle of Trost. Beyond his immense skill as a seasoned veteran soldier, Levi is also a mature figure and a voice of reason who has been a mentor to many of the main cast as they rose through the ranks. This holds especially true for Eren.
Although their relationship got off to a rocky start, Eren and Levi gradually developed a student-mentor type relationship. As their trust in each other grew, from the many horrors they witnessed and trials they braved together, the pair began to rely on each other, both in battle and in their judgement. When Eren was assigned to Levi's Special Operations Squad, the latter took him under his wing, molding him into a capable soldier. All this took a turn for the worse during the raid on Liberio, when Eren defied orders and attacked Marleyan troops on his own, prompting Levi to reprimand and arrest him as soon as he boarded the Scouts' airship. With the bond now all but severed entirely, it remains to be seen how the relationship between the two will reach its conclusion.
Honoring His Fallen Comrades
A running thread throughout Levi's journey in the story of Attack on Titan has been the number of fellow soldiers he has lost along the way. One of the few survivors remaining from the original cast, he has gone through intense adversity with the remaining members of the Scouts, even before many of them joined the military. From seeing his closest friends Furlan and Isabel die before his eyes at the hands of Titans during their very first expedition, to losing his entire squad to the Female Titan, and more devastatingly, seeing his leader and friend, Erwin Smith lay down his life as a tactical maneuver, Levi has endured loss on a scale that few other characters can fathom. It is perhaps an unending will to go on and continue honoring their memory that has kept Levi driven all these years, ensuring that his comrades did not die in vain.
In this vein, Levi has even more of a stake in this final battle as it is the culmination of all that he has endured and witnessed throughout his years as a member of the Scouts. Defeating Eren, saving the world, and protecting the inhabitants of Paradis are not the only things on his mind. Rather, in the larger scheme of things, Levi has always believed in paying heed to the sacrifices made by those closest to him, and ensuring that their will and drive live on in him to see the triumph that they could not live to witness.