Attack on Titan Has a Tragic Reason Behind Captain Levi’s Strangest Quirk

For Attack on Titan fans, Captain Levi Ackerman is easily one of the most iconic characters in the series, famous for his insane titan-slaying abilities and incredible combat skills that earned him the title of “humanity’s strongest soldier.” But there’s more to Levi than just his strength; it’s his cold personality, dry sense of humor, obsession with cleanliness, tragic backstory, and a surprisingly soft side that make him truly stand out. While Attack on Titan features many memorable characters, few are as charismatic and beloved as Captain Levi.

Despite having no qualms about resorting to violence, Levi’s tough childhood shaped him into someone who fights not just with strength, but with purpose: preserving humanity while protecting his people. Despite being perpetually snarky and a badass fighter, Levi is a character with many quirks. One small habit that fans often notice is how he holds his teacup from the rim rather than by the handle. This may seem odd, but it’s actually rooted in his tragic childhood in the Underground, as revealed in the special manga chapter “Bad Boy,” included at the beginning of Volume 35.

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The Underground Years

Born to Kuchel Ackerman in the Underground district, Levi began life in one of the worst places to live in the Attack on Titan universe. Located underneath Wall Sina, it is a place where many criminals and poor people live. It was here that Levi spent his early years, with his mother working in a brothel.

The anime does not show much of Levi’s life with his mother, but in the one-shot “Bad Boy,” we see Levi looking at a teacup and recollecting the time he had with his mother. Narrating the story to Gabi and Falco, Levi opens up about a memory from his childhood and reveals that his mother used to own a tea set. After Kuchel passed away, the brothel’s owner took her treasured tea set to sell it, and for a young Levi, this tea set was more than just some fancy dishes; it was one of the last pieces he had left of her.

A Risky Mission

Determined to get his mother’s tea set back, Levi sneaked into the mercantile carriage heading to the surface. Unfortunately, he got caught, and the merchants, instead of letting him go, cruelly joked about selling him before beating him nearly to death. At one point, they recognized him as the kid Kenny was looking after, and in fear of Kenny murdering them, they decided their safest option was to feed Levi to the pigs, which they claimed they had done before.

This traumatic moment triggered Levi’s Ackerman awakening, a moment when members of the Ackerman bloodline experience a sudden increase in physical abilities. In an instant, he ripped off a chunk of one of the merchants’ faces from the upper teeth to the eyes, and by the end of it, all of them were dead. Even when the last merchant begged for his life, Levi didn’t care, he just wanted his mother’s tea set, the only thing he had left of her.

The Broken Handle

After Kenny eventually left him, Levi returned to his mother’s old room in the brothel. He was able to save up enough money to buy himself some tea since it was pretty expensive in the underground. But just as he lifted the cup to take his first sip, the handle broke off in his hand, sending the cup crashing to the floor in pieces. 

Levi just sat there, holding what little was left. That broken handle changed something in him. From that day forward, he started holding cups by the rim, avoiding the handle so he wouldn’t have to watch another one fall apart.

A Moment of Connection

In the present timeline, Gabi laughs at Levi’s weird way of holding his teacup. Instead of getting angry, Levi opens up about his childhood and explains that to cherish the memories he had with his mother and never lose another one of her teacups again, he changed his way of drinking tea so that it wouldn’t fall and break again. Gabi bursts into tears and apologizes for making fun of him, and even says she’ll start holding her cup the same way. 

Attack on Titan often hides deep stories in the smallest details, and Levi’s unusual way of holding a teacup is one of them, showing that even the strongest people carry emotional scars. The one-shot manga “Bad Boy,” which reveals the heartbreaking origin of this habit, was something Isayama wanted to draw during Attack on Titan’s original run but wasn’t sure he could at the time. Now, it’s finally available in the official art book for Attack on Titan: Fly,” released in Japan on May 1st, 2024, with the official English translation and international release set for June 3rd, 2025.

You can stream Attack on Titan’s complete anime on Crunchyroll, and read its manga digitally via the K Manga app.