WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Chapter #134 of Attack on Titan, "In The Depths of Despair," by Hajime Isayama, Dezi Sienty and Alex Ko Ransom, now available in English from Kodansha.
Other than Eren Jeager's grudge with most of the world, there are no two adversaries in Attack on Titan with bigger axes to grind with one another than Captain Levi Ackerman and Zeke Jeager. Though they've had a couple of big clashes, neither has been able to permanently take the other out. However, as Hajime Isayama's manga enters the final "one-two percent" of its story, the creator could be about to change that. In Chapter #134, Levi and Zeke meet once more in what's sure to be the series' final battle.
And rest assured, even with the fate of the world at stake, Levi isn't about to lose sight of his vengeance -- even if it kills them both.
The plane carrying the remaining members of the Paradisian-Marleyan alliance has finally arrived in Eren's airspace -- but there's an unexpected wrinkle. From Eren's own colossal skeletal body, it seems, Zeke's Beast Titan body emerges to lob fistfuls of rocks at the airships dropping explosives on Eren's Wall Titans. This is bad news to just about everyone except Levi, who, through gritted teeth, locks his eyes on "that big, furry bastard."
Most fans of both the Attack on Titan manga and anime agree that Levi's incredible assault on Zeke's Beast Titan in Season 3 remains one of the series' most memorable. As the leader of the Warriors besieged Shiganshima with an army of smaller Titans at his disposal, Levi took him on one-on-one, showcasing the inhuman speed and dexterity of the Ackerman clan while his superior, Commander Erwin, staged a reckless ground attack as a distraction to mask the Captain's approach. If it weren't for the Cart Titan's intervention, Levi would have neutralized Zeke that day for good.
In the manga, their next major battle came in Chapters #112-5 when Zeke betrayed the Paradisian military's trust by spiking their wine with Titan spinal fluid. Again, Levi was completely on his own for the fight -- but this time, it was Zeke's intent: hoping to catch the Titan-slayer off-guard in the woods by transforming his soldiers into 20 Pure Titans simultaneously, giving Zeke a chance to slip away while Levi was busy fighting for his life. Once more, Levi shattered all expectations, butchering his former friends before turning his attention to Zeke. This time, Levi succeeded in capturing the rogue Titan Shifter, leaving Zeke with no choice but to blow them both up.
While Levi clung to life until Hange found him, Zeke should never have recovered. Instead, he was supernaturally brought back from the grave by Ymir, the mother of all Titans.
Unfortunately for Levi, this leaves his opponent with an unfair advantage for the rematch that's about to unfold. Zeke was granted a full recovery after their last encounter, but Levi is missing several fingers and has a face that's still only partially healed. Whether this will significantly affect his mobility and the use of his ODM gear, we don't know yet. But if their previous encounters are anything to go by, Levi has never been one to shy away when the odds are stacked against him, and with most of his closest allies now gone, he has very little left to lose.
