WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Attack on Titan Season 4, Episode 13, "Children of the Forest," now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu and Amazon Prime.
In the fourth season of Attack on Titan, many power players are stepping onto the stage with their own ambitious plans and goals in mind. Zeke Yeager is one of them, a Marleyan warrior who has resisted Marley propaganda and sided with his fellow Eldians. Zeke and his half-brother Eren are hatching a radical, nationalist plan for all Eldians, but Captain Levi Ackerman might not like it.
Ever since his introduction, Levi Ackerman has been a disciplined, stern, by-the-book leader who usually only trusts himself with taking serious risks or improvising plans. He's the cautious type and is not terribly fond of what Eren and Zeke are doing. They may soon come to blows over it.
How Eren & Zeke Split Up The Eldians Of Paradis Island
The people of Paradis Island only recently learned that they are not the last remnants of humanity, and they have an ethnic identity that unites them: Eldia. Eldians, and only Eldians, can become Titans once injected with the Titan serum, and the rest of the world has mixed feelings about the Eldian people. Many, such as the Marleyans, fear and hate them for being Titan-wielding conquerers, so King Fritz moved his people to Paradis Island to bring about peace. Fast forward many decades, and Grisha Yeager and his allies sought to restore the fallen Eldian empire -- until Zeke sold out his own parents to quell that revolution. Now, Zeke is launching his own pro-Eldia campaign, and his half-brother is on board.
Zeke has been cautiously welcomed to Paradis Island, and he and Eren are inspiring the more radical Eldians to demand an immediate and forceful plan of action: to free the Eldian people from Marley's tyranny and restore the fallen (and largely forgotten) Eldian Empire. This nationalistic fervor is rapidly sweeping Paradis Island and empowering some Eldians while inspiring trepidation and alarm in others, such as the city's high command. What is more, Zeke is demanding bold steps such as using the Founding Titan to activate the rumbling as a show of force to the entire world. However, Pyxis, Levi and other commanders feel differently. Levi is deeply wary of Zeke, and his caution may lead hm to take proactive steps to keep Zeke contained.
Levi's Role In Season 4
It was Levi who chose Armin Arlert to be the next Colossus Titan over Erwin Smith, believing that Armin had the tactical mind and optimism necessary to lead Paradis Island to a better future (while Erwin's ambitions had been more modest). Levi respects the chain of command and favors a cautious approach to just about any problem. He's also not terribly fond of Titans, not even friendly ones. Now, his old enemy the Beast Titan has returned as Zeke Yeager, a man from across the sea, and it's Levi's job to watch over him.
Levi has made it clear that he mistrusts and possibly fears the scheming, powerful Zeke. He bitterly resents Zeke's role in the destruction of Ragako Village, but Zeke doesn't seem to feel bad about it at all. Levi is alarmed by Zeke's radical nationalist plans and the Titan powers involved, and now Zeke and his allies have spread his spinal fluid to Paradis Island's commanders via contaminated wine. At the same time, Eren and Zeke's radical minions set off an explosive to kill Dhalis Zachary, and Eren (who recently freed himself from confinement) is ready to find and free Zeke by force to move their plan to its next stage. That will mean confronting Levi, who isn't about to let Zeke wander off to cause yet more mayhem and destruction in the name of Eldia. Once again, Levi and Eren are about to come to blows, and not just as rough shonen rivals. This time, the Eldian people's entire future is at stake. There's no going back now.
