This has been around for a while but... Either Armin or Erwin won't make it out of this series. The debate is heavy on Armin surviving because he's the 'next-gen Erwin', and they're probably right. Erwin is so selfless of a character that I can see him dying for his cause. But Armin would be traumatized as hell when he becomes a Titan Shifter, and the knowledge that he ate Bertolt would probably hit him hard. I don't think the two were very close, but Armin seems like the type of guy to never let that pass. Come on. He ate his old classmate. Erwin won't outwardly express disgust at himself for Bertolt, but I think he's a kind of 'dad' to his men, and might secretly feel bad for it.

Come to think of it... Cronus (played by Erwin) was a Titan in mythology who ate his children (represented by Bertolt), but his wife Rhea (played by... um, Zeke... and that Backpack Titan) hid one of them, Zeus (played by Reiner), who overthrew Cronus. That would mean Reiner's revenge! Though, Zeus could also refer to Annie, who saved herself. That would mean Reiner gets eaten as well! And Annie avenges her brothers-in-arms! But that's not a very Annie thing to do, so let's stick with Reiner avenging Bertolt. Bonus points if Connie takes down Reiner. I dunno, I just want him to.

But, yeah, Titan Shifter Armin does kind of... ruin things for me. It would be great to see how they'll handle Titan Armin, since he's not known for being a fighter. Would be cool to have an actual Smart Titan who doesn't need humans to do all the planning. But that would be kinda lame cause Titan Shifters are supposed to be frontline fighters. That's just how I see them. Maybe Eren will train Armin to make him a good fighter. He could troll us and reveal his superb martial arts skills tha the's been hiding for so long, only revealing it in Titan form. Surprise us, Isayama. We're ready.

Which brings me to another possibility... Bertolt survives. Yes, the goner makes it out alive, and in style. Everyone is ting themselves because they're gonna lose two precious soldiers cause Isayama trolled us again. So, Titan Serum aside, it's a race against time to see who's gonna make it to the basement (cause Grisha's a doctor, so he probably has some medical stuff there). If that was the case, ditto Erwin. No doubt about it. Bloodloss is a serious thing, especially since his guts are spilling out, but, come on. Armin's extra crispy. He got steamed and fell off a wall.

I forget, this is Attack on Titan. A one-legged Eren hauled his to save Armin using 3DMG, despite bleeding out, and having his balance severely hampered. Historia fell off a wall too, but she landed on something soft, which is lame as . At least go Levi on her and mess up that pretty face! A scar on the back of her head, on her face, a disfigured back or crooked arm! That will show the citizens that their queen didn't just sit on her throne all day doing politics (which I'm pretty sure Historia knows nothing about)! Once upon a time, she was swinging with the Survey Corps!

Back on topic, what if Bertolt survives? Isayama is a master troll, but this will be a difficult situation to get out of. All possibilities scream 'forced plot armor'. Will the editor save him, like he did with Sasha, who was supposed to die pretty early on? I mean, Sasha only became useful again after her archery skills were revealed. And we could all use some comic relief in the series. But Bertolt's role is over. Eren overcame the Colossal Titan. What else is there for Bertolt to accomplish? Rescue Annie, return to the homeland empty-handed and rally the Shifters from outside the Walls to make a strategic attack? If he manages to do all that, wow!

...Annie. My favorite character. Please come back. I always liked you better than Mikasa cause your story seemed to hold so much more meaning. 'Hate the world', your father said. But why? You never told us the reason. Was your dad a Titan Shifter too? Did you eat him to gain your powers? Congratulations, AoT became the 'eat your dad to get powers' anime. Was he the one who injected you with the Titan Serum? If so, who did you eat? Your mom, because we haven't seen her yet?

Wait, that sounds cool. Annie's mom is a Titan Shifter but never met her because warrior reasons. Her dad trained her in martial arts and, when the day comes, injects little Annie with the serum, and, in her mindless state makes her eat her mom to gain the Shifter ability. When Annie finds that out because of her dad's strange behavior afterwards, she grows to resent him, before finally killing him. Or he commits suicide (preferrably in front of her). This is AoT, people. Anything can happen. To make it more dramatic, let's say Annie and her mom had a Historia-Frieda relationship. And knowing how ruthless Annie can become...

Back on topic. Sorry, it's just that, Annie... Why do I like you more than 99% of the cast? You and Hange are my faves... Levi's kinda overrated, but he's cool. Mikasa's the next-gen Levi, so... Nah, you'll live. Too many fans will bawl when you die. I'll flip the table if Annie doesn't come back from her hibernation.

Damn, now let's get back to Bertolt's possible survival methods...

*The Annie Effect - Doubt it, I don't think the Colossal could crystalize. But if Eren, who's relatively new at this Titan Shifter thing can *cough* harden *cough* (innuendo intended), then maybe Bertolt, who's been doing this since he was a kid (oh god that sounds wrong with the innuendo), might have his own method of surviving.

*Annie to the Rescue - ...How did you get here so fast, Annie?! Ah, forget it. She's probably still chilling in her crystal coffin while her friend gets devoured.

*Ymir to the Rescue - Major plot twist, Ymir saves Bertolt to make up for eating Marcel. I mean, we haven't heard from Ymir in a loooong time. Would be great to see her again, assuming Isayama hasn't forgotten. And Ymir seems so important to unlocking the secrets of the Titans. I don't care what you say, Ilse's Notebook is ing canon. Who was that speaking Titan who claims to be part of "Ymir's people". And what is "Ymir's people" anyway?

*Colossal Titan v2 - Bertolt goes " it, ya'll ain't takin' me down like this". And transforms again, because he can. The explosion from his transformation kills off Armin and Erwin while everyone else scatters. Using the remainder of his strength, Bertolt flees because his life depends on it. Now alone in the world, Bertolt struggles to survive and won't be heard from again... until 1,000 years from now, when Eren and the gang are long gone. Next in Attack on Titan 2 - The Homeland: The Colossal's Rebirth!

Personally, I'd like him to live a bit longer, maybe just to clear things up. Something tells me ending him right there, while symbolic for Eren, is... not a good send off for the Colossal Titan. I don't think he can be redeemed that easily, especially after what he did, but I was expecting him to like, go out as Bertolt, the warrior from the 'homeland', not as... Titan Shifter food. Maybe I'm just biased to the Shifter Trio, since their story has always captivated me.

I'm overthinking this. I'm proud of Isayama for keeping me interested in his series for this much. The only series I really watched out for are Fullmetal Alchemist (like, the greatest manga/anime in existence) and Claymore (Irene lives!!! Too bad Isley didn't make it... he... he had the coolest Awakened form of them all!!!).

If Erwin dies, hoo boy. Armin will be in a real roller coaster ride. He's now a Titan and he ate his former comrade (I will emphasize this again, I think Armin will never forgive himself for that because that's just how he is... he thinks too much). Also, Levi will never be able to forgive himself for that. Erwin was his friend, possibly best friend, one of the few people he trusts wholeheartedly. Levi will be crushed because Erwin's life was literally in his hands, and... he lets Erwin die. I'm 100% sure Erwin will reassure Levi that this is for the best, but Levi... won't get it through his head. Also, Hange will be the new leader of the Survey Corps, if I remember correctly, if we're following ranks here.

I think Hange will do a decent job, but she lacks something Erwin has. That 'leader' feel. Levi doesn't have that either, so even if he's the chosen leader, the Survey Corps won't be the same. No one can really pull the gang together like Erwin can, so I'd like to see how they'll adapt. The only one who has leader-like qualities in the main cast? Marco. And he's long dead. Who will step up to the challange? Who will fill the void Erwin left? Hange or Levi? I'm not including Jean because Eren. He'll never listen to Jean, but Hange and Levi can make him do stuff. Not Armin either. He just doesn't have it in him.

Jean and Armin leading the Survey Corps together would be cool, but aren't they rookies? You need a veteran soldier like Levi or Hange to lead the Survey Corps. Even though they're good at what they're doing, there's just something about an experienced soldier leading you into the battlefield. Experience does wonders, people. Mikasa may be the best soldier out there, but Levi is a cut above her, no, make that a ton of cuts above her in experience. And that's ultimately what makes him the better fighter "right now", because Mikasa doesn't have the amount of experience he does.

I'd also like to point out that age is also a factor. Jean and Armin are like, 15-16. Too young to be leading their own military branch, but if they can do that, amazing. Keeping Eren under control would be their greatest achievement. Levi and Hange are more or less late 20's to mid 30's. They did say Levi's pretty old, he said so himself. But I just feel better listening to someone older and more experienced than me. I dunno, but I don't think Jean and/or Armin are ready to fill in Erwin's seat yet.

If Armin dies, mad props to Isayama for killing off one of the Trio, who is usually invincible. Even J.K. Rowling didn't have the guts to kill Ron off! Let's see how things go from here... Eren and Mikasa will have a deep, deep grudge on Levi. It will run so deep they might desert the Survey Corps. Drama alert! I'm guessing Erwin will do the convincing, since he is the one who's life was traded for Armin's. I don't think Eren and Mikasa will hate Erwin as much as they will with Levi. Both of them seem to like and respect him. He has that aura about him, and I do think he can keep Eren in check. He'll probably come to realize that if he doesn't listen to Erwin, it's like he's thrown away Armin as well. Sticking to Erwin's side would mean he's honoring Armin's death instead of denying it.

Secretly, I think Mikasa will agree that, yes, Erwin is a more 'practical' choice. He's a good fighter in addition to being a good leader. I'm saying Mikasa will have this guilt inside her for being 'glad' Erwin was chosen over Armin. Deep down, I think Mikasa only trusts herself to protect Eren. Armin is a brilliant strategist, and he can keep Eren out of trouble, but if Levi/Hange/the new Survey Corps commander says "Eren, go kill some Titans", Armin can only do so much planning, but ultimately, he won't be able to protect Eren. Only Mikasa can.

Another thing about Mikasa... she's not leader material. Armin isn't either, and if anyone's the leader of the Trio, it's... Eren. You know, the hot-headed leader you have to keep out of trouble all the time. I think Mikasa wants a leader she can trust. Definitely not Levi! Hange, maybe, but that's because they're kinda neutral to each other. Erwin, despite his risky strategies, actually makes things work. He cares about his men more than his life, and Mikasa will hopefully realize that. She could convince Eren to not rebel against their friends anymore, at least to honor Armin by following Erwin.

And also... seeing the ocean... Yeah, Armin not realizing his dream is a tear jerker. But that's good, right? We need drama. Not everyone can realize their dreams. Maybe he didn't get to see the ocean, but maybe Armin's death would provoke Eren to change. That would be the best reason to keep Erwin. Eren changes to become a better person. Woot. Finally, character development! Mikasa will also undergo some development, I hope.

I'm done. I'll go on forever.

Peace out, AoT fans.