“Shinzo wo Sasageyo! (Dedicate your heart!)“
Does it ring a bell? It is an iconic line from the popular manga series/anime, “Attack on Titan,” written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. I am not quite sure whether I have mentioned this before, but I am an otaku, an anime otaku.
Otaku is a Japanese term that refers to those who show much affection or obsession towards something they really love, like, for example, watching anime, playing video games, reading manga, and many more. Basically, they are nerds. Some people being an otaku kinda weird; that’s why in Japan, some otakus hide the fact that they are an otaku from others, at least based on my encounters. However, as for me, I proudly associate myself as one. I mean, I won’t be embarrassed about it; after all, it is something I love and makes me happy.
I grew up watching anime. I tell you, I can confidently say that I can name beyond a hundred titles of anime mwahahaha. I was in senior high school when I started Attack on Titan. I was not really planning on watching the series because I didn’t think it fit the genre I am into. But then, I have this friend of mine; we were classmates since the first day we stepped into high school, and since we became seatmates when we were in 11th grade, we grew much closer. And that’s when he kept convincing me to watch AOT.
Well, he is the type of friend who would annoy you to watch movies he loves just so that he will have someone he can talk about it with. I can still remember; it was our vacant time, and he forced me to sit still with him and watch the first season in his phone, hahahaha. And guess what happened next? Well, he succeeded, and I ended up loving the anime more than I expected.
The anime has four seasons, but since the third and the fourth ones are divided into different parts, I guess the entire season would be around six in total. And there are movies too, which I have not seen yet. And if you do love watching anime as well, then I am certain that you know it is impossible not to simp on specific characters.
Are you familiar with the term? Basically, it is just a slang used when you really like someone at any cost, even if it’s a fictional one and they won’t even reciprocate your feelings at all. Now, let me go down to business and introduce to you all my top three simpable characters from Attack on Titan.
Number 1
Do you have any guesses?
Well, it’s Heichouuuuuu—the one and only, Captain Levi.
Levi Ackerman is the name; you have to remember that. He is strict, serious, and cold, but deep inside has the warmest heart of all for the people he holds dear to his heart. He is just so cool that every time he gets his screen time, I go wild hahahaha. He gives me this sense of security, making me not worry that he might get killed by some time titans.
Well, if you know Isayama-sensei, you know that he finds pleasure in getting rid of his likable characters in the anime and breaking the hearts of the little girlie simps out there. But I just know that Levi would survive anything. He is my man!
And to honor this character that is full of rizz, I just have to make an illustration of him. Whenever I create anime fan art, I like doing it digitally. I simply grab my tablet and stylus pen to draw in IbisPaintX.
I start by traditionally making a sketch in my sketchbook and tracing it on my tablet.
After working on the outline, filling in the sketch with the base colors follows next: the skin, the hair, and then the clothes and other accessories.
I would then add the shadows from time to time and work on the highlights afterwards.
One distinct thing I do when I draw characters in digital, I like adding hints of orange on the eyes, nose, lips, and cheeks of the characters.
The final step will be the fixing of the outline and adding the background. I tend to work simple on the background because I am too lazy to work in detail haha.
Number 2
The second character I hardcore simp as well is Armin. Armin Alert.
He is one of the main characters, who is Eren and Mikasa’s best friend. They grew up together.
Honestly, in the first couple of season, he really did not caught my attention that much but then in the fourth season, was it? Armin suddenly had a glow up, though he grew sadder and lonelier than before, alongside those negative things came along his cooler character design. And if you have seen AOT, I bet you recognize this very iconic scene when Armin and Mikasa had an argument and he got pinned down on the table by her haha.
Armin was looking cool in that angle hahaha. So here’s my fan art for that iconic scene. He’s lookin’ handsome, isn’t he?
Following the same steps I did when I drew Levi’s character, I went on and draw Armin.
Number 3
Now, who do you think is the third one?
Do you think you can guess? I bet you cannot hahahaha.
It’s...drumroll please dugdugdug – it’s NANABA.
Do you recognize her? Yes, her!
Nanaba is a female character. She is an androgynous character, meaning she possesses both masculine and feminine characteristics, and I tend to get drawn to this type of character.
I mean, she’s just soooo cool. She got her longest screen time in the third season, where you get to see a lot of her cool side when she was fighting with the female titan. My heart went 💝 doki doki 💖 watching her wield her sword and swing in her ODM gear.
Saikou (the best)!!
And did you know what happened later during her screen time? Well, Isayama-sensei eliminated her ToT!
I was dumbfounded. 🤡
He got rid of my beloved character. I literally scream NAURRRR for real and grab my hair as I watch the female titan devour my dear Nanaba. All I got to see of her for the last time was her terrified expression, poor Nanaba.
And since I could not accept it as my last memory of her character. I did a fan art of my beloved lookin’ beautiful and cool.
And they are the top three characters in Attack on Titan who I hardcore simp!
• Levi Ackerman
• Armin Arlert
• Nanaba
Have you seen the anime? Or read the manga? I hope my fan art for these characters somehow encouraged you to give the series a try. Aside from the visuals that this series offers to its audience, the storyline and the soundtracks (in the anime) also serve a lot.