
Erwin believes Eren's abilities to be a vital asset and seals Eren's fate as a member of the Survey Corps.
#Eren manga trial
When things go wrong for Eren at his trial and it becomes clear he will be sentenced to execution, Levi makes a show of kicking and degrading him in front of the court to demonstrate that he can keep Eren under control. When Eren is taken into custody, Levi asks him, "What is it you want to do?" Eren fiercely responds that he wants to "join the Survey Corps and slaughter some Titans," to which Levi takes an interest in him and says "Not bad." Interested by Eren's attitude towards Titans, Levi takes responsibility for him, vowing that if he "betrays us or goes berserk, I'll kill him on the spot." The beginning of their canon relationship is mostly dominated by Eren's hero-worship and Levi's belief that Eren little more than a monster with the potential to become an asset to humanity. At one point, Eren inquires about Levi's past and Petra informs him that he was once a thug in the Underground. To Eren, Levi represents everything he comes to respect: freedom from the outer walls, hatred of Titans, and a desire to avoid the fate set out for oneself. Levi cares about Eren's wellbeing, but that's mostly part of his job assigned to him by Commander Erwin.


Although there are no obvious romantic tones in the pair's relationship in either the manga or the anime and their relationship is only ever described as "friendship," Eren has a strong sense of respect for Levi built up throughout the story.
