i love this episodes and i think kenny's perspective on life gives insight to ackerman's characters as well. they're all pretty pessimistic and mikasa says something similar in the first season where she says the world is cruel and it's one where only the strongest can survive which kenny says in this ep too. they all are very aware of the cruelty of the world which is why they deal with death much easier then other scouts, and they seem to seek ppl who provide hope to that cruel world. for levi, it's erwin and hange, for kenny it was uri and for mikasa it was armin and eren. the thing that keeps them going is the ideologies of ppl who see the world with a sense of justice and hope.
I remembered that a few years ago I saw a video of a guy giving his opinion on the character Levi, and I remember that he commented that Levi is apparently attracted to people with altruistic, pure and good thoughts. Reading your comment from 2 years ago, it reinforces the thinking of the guy in the video I saw and my conviction that Levi is genuinely this way. People think he is a cold and calculating character, when in fact, he is very human. Very disciplined and very human.
This is by far my favourite dialogue episode in the show, which served to set up some of the most central thematic elements of the story; the cycle of hatred & nature versus nurture. Kenny attempts to kill Uri, but is overpowered by his strength and fails. Uri has Kenny by the thread, and even Kenny himself acknowledges his defeat and begs for mercy. He has every right and ability to kill him on the spot, with Rod screaming for Uri to kill him because his clan posed a threat and must be taken care of, as Ackermanns. But Uri does the unexpected and acknowledges Kenny's agony, his tragic history of constant persecution by the MP, and instead puts himself at his mercy. The roles are reversed, and now Kenny is the one with the upper hand. And as someone who has every reason to hate Uri for said persecution, who has every reason to end it all by killing him, someone who has lived by violence to solve all problems, he is moved by this act of kindness. Uri on the other hand has all the power and reason to put an end to this serial killer of a threat. And yet he willingly prostrates himself in front of him. And this unexpected friendship pays off well for both of them. As Kenny becomes his personal bodyguard and close friend, he also ends the persecution of his clan under Uri's orders. Only through forgiveness, understanding, and compassion did the Ackerman persecution of a hundred years end. Uri calls out to Kenny, this *miracle of friendship.* Kenny says if Uri hadn't stopped him, they wouldn't have become friends, that this miracle would never have seen the light of day as Kenny would have killed him right then. It's not just about compassion or kindness, it's about taking the time when you have the upper hand to open a dialogue and make the effort to understand the other party, to listen, and empathise. Communication and understanding are the key methods the story presents to solve these conflicts. Not through violence, not through revenge, not through perpetuating this cycle of hatred. And moving on from there, Kenny, who had lived for his selfish desires his entire life, bestowed upon Levi the injection, choosing to go out on his own terms and liberating himself from being a slave to his violent nature. We thought that he was after that titan power for violence but it was actually to see if he could change himself. We know why we chase after certain dreams, but for what reason do we have such a desire? Is it something external? Or maybe it was something innate. If we are all just slaves to our birthrights, are we truly free? The way Kenny looked at Uri as he stared into the distance tells us his desire to understand himself. Kenny lived by violence and only knew violence his entire life, but he wanted to redefine himself, to question his purpose for living the way he did. And when he finally came to realise that even Uri was a slave to something, he performed that final act of selflessness. Perhaps that was the compassion he was chasing after all this while.
This is the part of the fandom that I truly love. Your comment perfectly encapsulates the theme and message of this wonderful story and I'm sure that if more people actually saw it like you perfectly put it here, the ending wouldn't have been that badly received by a couple people that were just in it for the action.
brilliant introspection. one of the reasons why i love this series so much, minus the huge action scenes & all; is a writer who knows what he wants to bring out of his characters & how he writes in so much of what it means to be a human in a cruel world. isayama is so brilliant.
Kenny spent many years trying to find compassion, not knowing that he had that compassion in him since the beginning: He did his all to end his family's persecution and secured the right to live for the rest of the remaining Ackermans. He took Levi in, raised him and trained him to later become Humanity's strongest soldier! He gave life purpose for a bunch of nihilist military police soldiers that have lost all meaning in their life, and finally, at his last moments, he provided the scouts with a huge trump card by entrusting Levi with the titan serum. RIP uncle Kenny, my favorite character of AOT.
Yes, this episode has probably the best dialogue out of the entire series. It is almost philosophical and such a fascinating introspection into Kenny's character (and Uri as well).
Amazing! Where are all you AOT clowns when 2Lazy4Life needs you to support his AOT reaction series huh? GO CHECK OUT HIS AOT REACTION SERIES AND SUPPORT HIM PLEASE!
Kenny's death was my biggest weakness of the entire show. I sobbed to death. Imagine Levi learned that Kenny was his uncle, learned the reason why Kenny left him, hearing all that stuff while Kenny's dying, his one and only family. Not to mention i really love Kenny sm
It's a sad and emotional episode. Ackermanns have proud blood as a guardian of the King originally. Despite of that, Ackermanns have been persecuted for a long time that they could not reveal their Name. Kenny had no choice to rely on violence to live in such a cruel world. That forced him to believe that all he needs is power and made him to be a slave of power. He thought he was a trash, and he thought he had nothing to do with "Love". But, Levi felt Kenny's "love" that he suspected he was his father. and also, Kenny had "Love" for Levi in himself . Kenny didn't realize it was "Love" or maybe he was pretending to be unaware that he had that feeling because he saw himself as a trash. Kenny realized it on the verge of his death, and he was able to understand Uri without becoming a titan.so he gave the serum to Levi. How emotional... I have the same feeling in Askeladd of Vinland Saga. So I love both of them. I recommend you to watch it someday. English leaner from japan
i adore u two so much coz of much you feel & internalise the character writing in this show. one of my favourite characters is Kenny Ackerman merely coz of that speech; behind the gruesome identity of Kenny the Ripper lies a man whose goal was to try reaffirm himself that he could be as capable as the next person to be optimistic & compassionate about the world he lives in. i will never get over how Isayama maps out the different arcs for his characters in this show, it's so brilliant.
something I just realised is Kenny did end up becoming compassionate as a result of power. He gave Levi the injection instead of using it on himself as his final act. he really was just like Uri.
Friends is one of the best AoT episodes ever. Kenny is a very underrated character and in only 10 episodes has made it into my top 5 characters. I love his philosophy that everyone gets high on something that keeps them going. Kenny was not a good person in this world. His life consisted of violence and power. That's why he could never understand Uri's perspectives but he wanted to understand them because violence cannot be the lasting meaning of life. That's why he had a deep desire to become a titan himself. I find it very beautiful but also very sad and above all real. As he said himself, he was not made to be a parent. He taught Levi everything that helped him to survive, but he could not help him to become a better person than he was, so he left. Kenny is a person who was significantly influenced by a bad world and no doubt did a lot of bad things. Nevertheless, his desire to change is very human even if he could not do it on his own. Sometimes you are too far off the path to cause a turnaround...I think Kenny realized that in the end. Still, he saw that Levi became a better man than he was and that probably made him happy in the end and showed him that even a bad person in an even worse world can do good on his own. :)
I love how I don't see any dislikes under your videos... it just shows how much of a great reactor duo are you guys... I watched and read AOT like 4-5 times now, but watching you guys really brings me back to how I was feeling and how much I was amazed when watching this really good show! Much love!
I did not understand at first the purpose of this episode, but there are actually a bunch of hints in this episode. Once you know the truth, you'll appreciate this more😊
The rollercoaster on your reaction tho 😭😭, I'm living for it haha, after your precious reaction to the precious moment of Levi and his kids, then the shock on your face with the beast titan scene 😭😭, the change of the expression in a split seconds haha
When Historia punch Levi and he thanks to them, he probably thank them for not dying since they're under his leads after all of Levi's squad dead in the Female Titan capturing mission, he had enough seeing his squad dying over and over again that he is so glad he's not losing his squad now, moreover these kids were still considered very new soldiers
I wrote it in a previous video but I'm gonna write it again. If the coordinate/founding titan is in possession of someone with royal blood then they would be controlled by the first Firtz King's will which is to be controlled by titan. Why he wants that, you'll find that out later. So if historia has the founding titan then she wouldn't be able to do jackshit. So now Eren having the titan gives them a chance to eradicate titans. Just watch the story amd try to pay more attention especially in the next arc. you'll get your answers.
It's so funny to me how Shane has the theory that Ymir is gone but he never finishes it bc he doesn't want it to be true "Ymir might be.... Ymir gave herself up so.... Where is Ymir?... I think Ymir might be gone tho 😭"
Rod Reiss and Kenny are contrasting characters. Rod Reiss saw his father, his brother, and his daughter brainwashed by the first king after inheriting Founding titan, and thought there would be a "Perspective" that only those who succeeded Founding titan could have. Kenny, likewise, tried to kill Uri, but when he saw him sincerely apologizing, he thought he had a different "Perspective." However, the responses of the two were different. Kenny wanted to succeed the titan and reach that perspective. But Rod Reiss claim to play a role in helping others inherit Founding titan and maintain their power.
21:52 ~ My heart is broken I love your reactions, I was exactly like you when i saw these seasons. I really waiting your reaction about the season four, really! I enjoyed!
20:58 I...I feel like I read a comment about this...telling Levi he was the best thing or...I'll find it 😩 22:02 and laughed 26:40 I mean didn't they show hints in the flashback? Uhh Historia-Rod contact memory 29:07 good terms, yeah, but they told her what the deal was...kinda
Guys, remember what Historia asked her father: "If the Reiss family had the power to stop all the Titans, why didn't they do it for 100 years?" So, your assumption that they had good intentions when Grisha stole the power from them is not quite accurate with what we have seen already
There was also the flashback of Rod and Uri and their dad. That established that, despite their intentions, once they get the founding titan, their will is changed. This is not spoiler, it's just what has been established.
If you remember from the episode 6 of s3, during Kenny and his grandpa's conversation, kenny mentioned a branch of the Ackermann family moved near Shiganshina, Mikasa's dad was from that branch. So levi and mikasa are not related directly but are part of same clan.
I didn't read the manga but when Historia hits Levi and he laughs I think he was there in mourning and sad for the death of his uncle who was his paternal image .
This is not a spoiler, you already know this but for some reason in your analysis you quiet didnt understand it. So feel free to read this explanation and non spoiler facts base only on what episode you are in now. remember the reiss family despite having the founding titan didnt try to eradicate the titans outside the walls. Rod reiss as a young kid even told his father why he doesnt want to eradicate the titans despite having the power to control them. After the years he still didnt understand because his father kept quiet even up to his death… so then Urie reiss brother of rod reiss ate their father and inherited the founding and still the brother doesnt want to eradicate the titans, this confused rod reis but still doesnt lost hope yet until his daughter frieda before she became the founder said to his father rod reis “she wont lose to their ancestors” because remember whoever gets the power of the titans also inherits the memories, therefore before frieda got the power she has the same will as her father (rod reiss) which is to free humanity from titan terror but afterwards for some reason frieda like his great grandfather and uncle urie reiss didnt free humanity from the titans… This is where eren’s father comes to play, he pleaded to frieda reiss to save the people in wall maria when reiner bertholdt and annie destroyed the walls. but frieda reiss refuses and thats why eren’s father got angry, took the founder of off her and squash the remaining royal family until rod reiss survived and tried to get historia to inherit the power which is now in eren’s body
A piece of info that might be helpful is that the king's last name is Fritz and when the put a fake king in his place he changes his last name to Reiss So the Fritzs are the royal family
Let me summarize how Kenny and Uri met. Kenny hated the government. (Probably due to persecution of the Ackerman clan centered on the government.) So he found a person close to the government and found out from him that King Fritz was a fake king and the real king was the Reiss family. After that, he went to avenge Uri and Rod. As shown in the video, Kenny and Uri became on the same side, and the person who handed Kenny the information was removed.
When u guys watch 3×19 please see the last part, The last part is very important ,Many people skip that part . I hope i can see that part in ur reaction 😭🥰🥰
"Friends" is easily one of the series' best episodes narrative wise. Straight gut and heart wrenching backstory of Kenny to tie in with Levi's upbringing and origin, all for Kenny in the end to realize and find compassion in his heart. In the manga, Kenny said that Levi is his, "pride and joy." 😭 😭 Kenny left Levi 'cause he was getting too attached to him, and Levi smiled 'cause he finally found his first family he spent time with, his uncle, all for him to take his last breathe in front of Levi. Seeing Levi as a malnourished child sitting on a corner next to his dead mother is something nobody would have ever expected. It hurts just seeing him like this. Tie in with his OVA No Regrets adds even more weight as to why he's so calm and collected, and rarely emotional. He has lost too much.
*Dear Comrades: Early and uncut reactions for Part 2 is up on Patreon* You may want to catch up and _Sasageyo_ (pledge) on Patreon if you able/ willing to. For those who has seen it, kindly no spoiler of the early reactions 😉 _Shinzou wo Sasageyo!_ Hisu-Chan
Again, Historia is the best queen Paradis could ever ask for, she had an option to become queen because of her being the heir but she earned her place instead
Reiner is actually really strong it's just that Eren is a really formidable opponent + he had a little help from Mikasa(S2 ep7) and Beast Titan easily defeating Reiner in a duel just proves how strong he is
