Armin Arlert might have been anointed the 15th Commander of the Scout Regiment but fans remember how he was in the earlier seasons of Attack on Titan.

SUMMARY

Attack on Titan has an excellent cast of characters, including Armin Arlert, but his constant crying in the earlier seasons pissed fans off.
Armin Arlert was indeed a fearful and weak character but this gave him the chance to have an amazing arc and development.
Before he gained his confidence and became the 15th Commander, his strategies and intelligence made him a fan favorite anyway.

The dark dystopian fantasy of Attack on Titan doesn’t hold back in giving us the best characters possible. It’s hard to decide which character is the best when all of them are compelling in unique ways.

From Levi’s raw power and stoicism to the complexity of Erwin Smith, nobody’s a perfect person but it’s undeniable how beautifully written they are. Hajime Isayama, the mangaka of Attack on Titan, guaranteed a fan-favorite with Armin Arlert. However, there was a glaring flaw with him in the early seasons that almost ruined the series for people.

Armin Arlert from Attack on Titan. [Credit: MAPPA]

Armin has always been weaker and more fearful than his close friends, Eren Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman. This causes him to cry in almost every alternative scene in Attack on Titan, seasons 1 and 2.

Even during his training years and after joining the Scouts, he doesn’t get braver until his circumstances hone him. He’s even Commander material for his unparalleled intelligence, but, indeed, fans were initially very annoyed with his incessant crying.

Armin Arlert’s fearful personality was one of the worst parts of Attack on Titan

The universe of Attack on Titan would make anybody cry so it’s not a surprise that someone is. It’s just unfortunate that it’s a main character and someone so prominent in the series. Armin Arlert has been praised and beloved for his intelligence but sometimes, the crying was too much.

Armin Arlert crying in Attack on Titan. [Credit: WIT Studio]

Despite his level-headed nature otherwise, the battlefield proved to be too much for the blonde-haired Scout. Since he was just 15, he was unprepared for the true horrors of war. The events traumatized him greatly, from seeing his best friend getting eaten, to then having to kill him.

Eventually, he did get the hang of it and became the perfect Commander. Levi even decided to sacrifice Erwin so Armin could live, protecting the future rather than the past. This possibly contributed to the dislike of Armin.

So despite his incredible wit and how quickly he solved the mysteries in the earlier seasons, fans were quite fed up with his crying. It’s a war against mysterious Titans and therefore, they wanted every character to be a tough person, just like Levi or Mikasa.

Armin’s crybaby nature gave him the best character development

Fans might have been annoyed with Armin being a crybaby and associated him with just that. However, they were blind to the fact that he still showed up and did the right thing, even when fear overcame him. His character arc is undoubtedly one of the most well-written, aside from Eren’s.

Armin saves Jean in Attack on Titan. [Credit: WIT Studio]

He went from being a blond-hair crybaby to the 15th Commander of the Scout Regiment. Even before he became more confident, his strategies and logical personality made him an easy fan favorite. Hajime Isayama was a genius with his slow but sure development.

Armin was also a symbol of hope in Attack on Titan. His loyal nature drew in fans and he’s even sacrificed himself a few times. So, yes, he’s a crybaby but he was also a great friend, soldier, and person.

Attack on Titan is available on Crunchyroll.