commandereivlys:

fuckyeahsnkanalysis:

wirsinddieranters:

I talked about this off this blog, but I thought that it would fit the nature of the blog:

There are very stark differences in how the anime portrays Levi, and how the manga portrays him.

In fact, the fandom—particularly the fujoshi part of the fandom—that has a peculiar idea that Levi is not buff, and is physically very feminine, is most likely from people who focus mostly on the anime. In the anime, he’s thin, with slender shoulders, underdeveloped biceps, a small chest and waist, and a thigh gap. It’s particularly noticeable in ads for the anime, but it’s very much true in the anime itself. 

Overall, he’s portrayed as child-like and feminine. One can argue it was just a mistake, or that it was intended for the female audience. However, that’s not what it’s about; it’s the fact that one should recognize that the Levi we see in the anime is very much different from the one we see in the manga.

Canonically, by Isayama’s art, he is much more masculine. He’s short, yes, and has a more childish face than other adult men in the storyline, but that’s where ‘childlike’ ends for him. He’s got a large neck, even for the artist’s style’s standards, broad shoulders, thick legs(from his thighs to his shins) that certainly don’t show a thigh gap unless he spreads them, fairly large biceps, and especially from the bits of his chest we see when he is fighting the Female Type Titan, he has a wide chest.

Speaking simply, in manga-canon, he has a man’s body.

I thought that it would be obvious, but I think that it actually doesn’t process for a lot of fans. I had a friend that talked about her headcanon for Levi’s body type, and ended up getting an anon who was adamant about saying that there was no way that Levi could be buff, because ‘his shoulders are too thin.’

Maybe in the anime, but certainly not in the manga, where his shoulders are twice the size.

Thank you for making this post! This has been on my mind for a long time.

- Spotthetitan.

Yeah, while I didn’t think see that in the anime I was surprised by the number of people in the fandom who thought Levi looks ‘delicate’ or slender— if you look at his weight/height statistics, he’s got 5 kilos more than Zoe, who is 10 cm taller than he is. Just like Mikasa being heavier than Eren despite being the same height as he is.

3DMG training is extremely physically demanding, so of course those who are better at it pack far more muscle, since they probably train more and know how to use it better. Levi’s entire physique (his short stature + the amount of muscles he packs) is made for 3DMG— it’s the advantage of a lower center of gravity combined with every muscle strong enough to allow him to make the smallest change in trajectory no matter how fast he’s going. We’ve been told that it’s a technique that requires you to train every muscle in the body, so it’s normal that he’d be buff as hell. Look at Mikasa’s body type, and she’s taller than he is. 

It’s weird that the fandom and animators want to slender him down to make him look more attractive by their standards— nobody in SnK is made for fanservice. They’re soldiers, it’s normal that they have muscles and strong bodies. What I appreciate is that while Isayama portrays that physique that’s prevalent among soldiers, he still shows different body types. Levi is almost stocky, though I don’t know if he was like that before training as well.

I don’t think it’s a “man’s body”, but it is a soldier’s body and it makes sense for his character and the narrative, and it does irk me that anime and fandom think that he’s this thin little thing. If anime Levi went into battle with that physique, he would have died much faster than canon Levi.

There are little things like that (the girls all looking normal, even ugly for some of them; even Hitch’s nose), that were so great and interesting in the mangaverse (a real body and face diversity, regardless of whether the characters are pretty or not, and body types that make sense considering their line of work) that were modified in the anime to appeal to the audience better and it irks me a lot. I agree with OP that way. However, Levi’s body is not like this because he’s a man. Look at Mikasa’s body— it’s fit as hell and resembles his, though she’s taller and a bit more slender (after all, she’s trained less years than he has). Levi’s body is like that because he’s humanity’s strongest soldier and is extremely proficient in 3DMG and as such, his body type must suit the role. 

(via onsmakelijk-blog)

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