Attack on Titan: No Regrets Review: Levi's Origin Story — From Underground Criminal to Humanity's Strongest Soldier
by Hikaru Suruga & Gun Snark
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Quick Take
- The essential supplementary material for Levi fans — the two volumes that explain everything about who he is and why he became humanity's strongest soldier
- Isabel and Furlan's presence is the series' most emotionally effective element
- 2 volumes complete; perfect length for what it is
Who Is This Manga For?
- Attack on Titan readers who want Levi's backstory
- Anyone who wants the emotional context for Levi's character in the main series
- Fans who want to understand the Erwin-Levi relationship's origin
- Readers who want a short complete spinoff
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: T+ (Older Teen) Content Warnings: Underground poverty depicted seriously; criminal violence; titan violence; character deaths that are emotionally significant; spoilers for Levi's backstory in main series
T+ rating — contains significant character deaths and violence consistent with the main series.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★★★ |
| Art Style | ★★★★☆ |
| Character Development | ★★★★★ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★☆☆ |
| Reread Value | ★★★★★ |
Story Overview
Before Levi was Humanity's Strongest, he was a criminal from the underground city beneath the walls — a place where the poor live without access to the surface and its sky. He survives there with Isabel Magnolia and Furlan Church, people who chose him as their person.
Erwin Smith encounters them and makes a deal: join the Survey Corps or face charges. Levi goes, with Isabel and Furlan. The Survey Corps is the organization that fights Titans outside the walls and dies at catastrophic rates.
The two volumes follow their entry into the Corps, their first expedition, and the events that define who Levi is by the time the main series begins. The specific losses he sustains are the explanation for everything in the main series that requires explanation.
Characters
Levi — The character whose entire main-series persona becomes retroactively understood through these two volumes; his coldness, his loyalty to those under his command, and his specific relationship with sacrifice are all grounded here.
Isabel Magnolia — The series' most emotionally vivid character: intensely alive, warmly attached to Levi, and present in these two volumes in a way that makes what happens to her the most devastating content in the spinoff.
Furlan Church — The strategist whose plans have specific consequences; his relationship with Isabel and Levi is the underground community the three of them built.
Art Style
Suruga's art is skilled — the underground city's visual contrast with the surface is clear, and the titan combat sequences are staged with appropriate energy.
Cultural Context
No Regrets provides the background that the main series implies but never shows. Isayama's world-building includes the underground city as a detail; this spinoff treats it as a setting with genuine social reality.
What I Love About It
Isabel. She arrives with complete personality in two volumes — her energy, her attachments, her way of being in the world. The specific weight of what happens to her is the series' most honest use of its own emotional stakes.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Western readers describe No Regrets as essential Attack on Titan — specifically noted for Isabel being one of the most immediately compelling characters in the franchise, for the two-volume format being ideal for the content, and for the series providing emotional context that changes how readers experience Levi's main-series behavior.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
The moment that defines what Levi's loyalty costs him — the specific event that produces the specific soldier he becomes — is handled with the restraint that makes it devastating rather than melodramatic.
Similar Manga
- Attack on Titan — The main series; required context
- Attack on Titan: Before the Fall — The world history prequel
- Attack on Titan: Lost Girls — The female characters' side stories
- Vinland Saga — Character defined by specific loss with similar emotional weight
Reading Order / Where to Start
Read the main series through at least the introduction of Levi before reading this — the context enriches both directions.
Official English Translation Status
Kodansha published the complete English series. Both volumes available.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Isabel is immediately compelling
- Two volumes is perfect for this content
- Recontextualizes main series Levi character
- Emotionally genuine despite short length
Cons
- Requires main series familiarity
- Character deaths are significant and inevitable
- Short length means each loss is compressed
Format Comparison
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| Individual Volumes | Kodansha; complete 2-volume series |
| Digital | Available |
Where to Buy
Get Attack on Titan: No Regrets Vol. 1 on Amazon →
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
*Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Written by
Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.