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The most recent episode of Attack on Titan’s final season showed a deadly harborside confrontation, with Armin and Connie confronting former friends Daz and Samuel. Tragically, the fight between old comrades ends with the latter two dying at Armin’s hands.
In the wake of the episode, many series fans have taken to Twitter discussing Armin’s role and actions in the moment. The primary topic of discussion seems to be whether his inability to speak after being shot plays a role in the deaths of Daz and Samuel.
Are Armin’s words his greatest strength throughout Attack on Titan?
The sword and the pen
Throughout Attack on Titan, Armin has always displayed a certain shrewdness when confronting enemies. While a pacifist at heart who prefers to talk things out, he does know when to accept violence as the proper answer to the situation.
The most recent episode of Attack on Titan’s final season displayed this trait of his personality in full force. When Armin and Connie confront Daz and Samuel at the harbor, the latter two are reluctant to believe the two parties are opponents.
They plead with their former comrades, who are eventually forced to make a move and show their true colors.
In the process, Armin is shot through the mouth, unable to continue speaking to his former friends. Attack on Titan fans seem to feel, as a majority, that this removed the use of his greatest weapon, his words.
A smaller, though still significant, portion of the fanbase also seems to believe this is what forced his hand in using lethal force.
To a certain degree, this is a reasonably accurate assessment. From confronting Annie in season one to his (presumably) final talk with Eren in the first half of the series’ last season, Armin’s always preferred words.
Furthermore, he’s historically shown no hesitation to resort to violence when words fail.
However, there are times when Armin chooses violence as his first choice. One of the best examples is when the Survey Corps begins finding themselves at odds with a secret sect of the Military Police. He’s one of the first to both recognize and act on the necessity of killing other humans, saving Jean’s life without hesitation in the process.
However, every rule has an exception, and the moment in focus was Armin’s exception to his own values and ideals. As a result, his greatest weapon was likely taken away at that point.
It’s not necessarily a given that he could’ve negotiated a peaceful outcome, but he may not have had to kill his former friends at the very least.
In summation
While seeing Armin decide to kill his former friends may seem sudden, it’s certainly not against his character. When words fail or are unavailable or unviable at the moment, he shows no hesitation throughout Attack on Titan to resort to violence.
Much like Erwin Smith before him, he can recognize when a situation calls for the sacrifice of life.
However, this most recent fight for Armin is unlikely to have ended in a truly peaceful resolution. The Survey Corps and Yeagerists are simply too opposed in ideology to find common ground by this point, even if their goal is the same in essence.
Be sure to keep up with all Attack on Titan anime news, theories, lists, and more.
