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2ndltbraeda:

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Levi developing his reverse grip from Chapter 69 + A Choice with No Regrets [Part 2]

LEARNING TIME!!!

I had a professor in college who was like a 5th level black belt in some kind of martial art, and he said you hold a knife like Levi is holding it when you’re gong to slash at your attacker because it does more damage that way in close combat. If you hold it the other way, the best you can do is stab- which is still deadly- but you’re less likely to sever crucial arteries and veins that way. So Levi’s grip is one developed from fighting with a knife street style with intent to kill.

Also learned from Samurai Dan (from the con circuit) that if a ninja carried a katana he was more likely to carry it in the reverse grip with the back of the blade resting against the back of his arm- for the same reason. It makes you a smaller target but makes your attacks more lethal.

Isayama also mentioned the reason why he does it with the blades is because it gets a nice clean dual cut into the neck while maintaining the same velocity as he had spinning in (and the hold is the reason why he has to spin in the first place).  It also decreases the amount of whiplash force in his wrist when making the cut, though this also means the triggers are reversed which is supposedly more complicated to handle.

Levi’s style was destined to slaughter even when using the knife and shows that the form of self-defense he was taught was to kill the enemy rather than injure enough to escape (unless reversing his grip was instinctual, considering the panel referring to “his own power/strength” may imply that he on his own preferred that method among all the other knife combat he was taught).