Attack on Titan is, hands down, one of my favorite animes (and manga series) of all time, and Levi is one of my favorite characters.  So it was only a matter of time before I did an anime highlight on the OVA Attack on Titan No Regrets.  For those of you who don’t know, No Regrets is a short OVA that goes into the backstory of Levi Ackerman.  Check out this trailer below:

Everyone knows that Levi is humanity’s strongest soldier, but in this OVA we get to see how and why Levi joined the Scout regiment.  I won’t go into great amount of details on it since it is a shorter OVA. It is definitely worth a watch.

What I will say is what I liked most about this OVA.  I think the reason why so many people like Levi is because of his dark past.  In the anime and manga, Levi’s past is hinted at.  In the OVA, it clarifies what has already been hinted at: Levi was a smuggler and an underworld thug.

This gave his character such a gravitas and depth to him because he has a very different perspective on the world that they live in.  Levi and his companions, Furlan and Isabel, are born in the depths of the slums.  They have never really been up in the sunlight, and things like the stars, sunlight, even birds in flight are not taken for granted by them.  They teach themselves how to use omnidirectional gear as way of increasing their chances of survival, but also as a form of freedom.  With the omnidirectional gear, they can literally fly above the dark slums they grew up in.  This freedom afforded to them unfetters their way of thinking as well as seen in the unique way that Levi and his crew use their omnidirectional gear.

And how can I not mention the very tense and antagonistic relationship that Levi starts out having with Erwin.  This is very different from the loyalty that Levi shows Erwin in the main series, and I really liked that their bond and friendship did not immediately start with Levi even really liking Erwin.  Throughout the course of the OVA, we see Levi start to have a begrudging amount of respect for Erwin despite the mission he has been given.

We see a much more feral sort of Levi who does not like to play by any rules, but will do what he thinks is most advantageous for his crew.  When Levi decides to go off on his own to complete the mission and kill Erwin, and that one decision leads to a tragic ending, Erwin is the first to say that Levi can not fixate on that decision nor regret it.   Erwin goes on to say that regret will cause him to have doubt about his future decisions and soon he will start doing what others tell him instead of making his own decisions, and that will get him killed.  In a tough love sort of way, Erwin is right.

And this OVA really gives us a different perspective on Erwin and on the political situation surrounding the Scout regiment.  In season 1 of the anime, the viewers get to see a lot of the action and flashy fight scenes, but we don’t really get to see a lot of the political situation going on behind the scenes.  In this, we not only get to see just how intelligent and clever Erwin is, but that he has a very clear idea of the politics in this world.  He knows how to play the game and he plays it well.  I think this is very fitting to see in the OVA as the material that the upcoming season 2 will be sure to cover has a lot more the political landscape involved.

Difference between the manga series and the anime

Cover of the first manga volume.

Cover of the second manga volume.

Though I definitely liked the OVA anime series, I do think that it could have easily been expanded.  The manga series is only two volumes long, but there is definitely much more character development especially for Furlan and Isabel.  We actually get to see them acclimate to the Scout Regiment and Isabel even starts to show loyalty to the regiment.  And Levi, in the manga, seems to be less of an independent creature and relies more on his companions, namely on Furlan’s judgment.

We also get to see them interact more with the regiment in particular with Zoe Hanji.  I think this is definitely an area they could have expanded on.  We see the regiment start to acknowledge that Levi and his squad are strong and that their methods may be of use.  Even the interaction between Levi and Erwin is slightly different.  Erwin is less harsh than he is in the anime as is Levi.  Levi doesn’t really want to kill Erwin in the manga, and even has a growing respect for him, but has to kill him in order to ensure that their mission is completed.

I also think they could have expanded more in the anime on the politics as it was in the manga.  In the manga we get to see that there is corruption with those in power as funds are being funneled away from the Scout Regiment to other regiments namely the Military Police.  We immediately see the precarious situation the Scout Regiment is in as scouting beyond the walls is expensive as well as see a future conflict brewing between the Military Police and the Scout Regiment.

But I think the biggest difference between the anime and the manga series (Warning Spoilers Ahead) is how Isabel and Furlan die.  In the anime, a lone abnormal titan wipes out the unit that Levi was attached to and Levi comes back to find Isabel and Furlan dead.

In the manga, it’s so much worse than that.  Instead of one really vicious titan, the unit is attacked by five titans.  Levi is rushing back to help them and sees Furlan and Isabel’s brutal demise.  He even hears Isabel calling out for him which is absolutely tragic.  Now I will say that the scene where Levi takes out the titan in the anime is so much more epic than in the manga.

Overall, I liked the anime and I thought the manga series was really good.  Both are worth looking into especially the manga series since it goes into more detail on certain matters.  And that’s it for this anime highlight.  Check out the Attack on Titan No Regrets anime as well as the No Regrets manga series!