Why Aruannie makes more sense than you think

With the release of chapter 131, a lot of people have been outraged by the small Aruannie moment, in which Armin Implies that he likes Annie, and Annie blushes and covers her face. Many people disliked the chapter because they believed that the ship didn't make any sense, so I'd like to share my opinion on why I think it's not as far fetched as people are making out.

This is not me trying to force the ship on anyone - this is simply me explaining why I believe that the events in chapter 131 aren't as out of character as many people are making out. You are free to ship whatever you want and I have no right to stop you.

Let's get started.

1. Armin's view on the Warriors

The main reason people seem to oppose the idea that Armin could like Annie is because many people believe that Armin could never develop feelings for someone who he saw as a traitor. They argue that Armin would have hated Annie after the female titan arc, and therefore wouldn't realistically suddenly develop feelings for her.

I feel like this argument fails to fully understand Armin's character. Armin has always been extremely smart, and has been driven by curiosity, rather than hatred. I feel like Armin always suspected that the Warriors weren't entirely evil, and had good reasons for their actions. Of course, he had to side against them anyway, as he didn't know what these motives were, and needed to protect his friends and people.

This is shown in his interactions between both Annie and Bertholdt. In the Female Titan arc, when they are carrying out their plan to lure Annie underground, he has an interesting conversation with her, in which she asks him whether she's a good person. He states that being a good person is something that depends on perspective, but in his perspective, she is a good person. This conversation is extremely important to the show as a whole, as the theme of perspective is something that is very prevalent. It also shows that Armin is the kind of person that understands that people have different perspectives and doesn't believe any of them to be entirely good or bad.

Also, the fact that he says the Annie is a good person in his perspective, even though he secretly already knows she's the female titan, shows that his knowledge of her from their training days has lead him to believe that she isn't completely evil, and may have other motives. Of course, he has no choice but to side against her anyway, as she is extremely dangerous. At this point, it's as if he wants to understand her, but can't.

We see the same thing with Bertholdt, when Armin attempts to reason with him multiple times. Even when he tells Bertholdt that Annie is being tortured, when desperately trying to rescue Eren, he is acknowledging that Bertholdt is emotional, and therefore acknowledging that Bertholdt isn't entirely a monster. He also vomits and is visibly upset after discovering that he ate Bertholdt. This all paints Armin as an extremely intelligent and understanding character, who never saw the world as black and white, where everything was either good or bad, but rather believed that people seemed bad because of their different perspectives.

2. When exactly would he have developed feelings?

Of course, there is no definitive answer to this question, but there are many possibilities. There definitely was time for Armin to develop feelings for Annie.

It's possible that he could have liked her, or simply been close to her before discovering that she was the female titan. He may have felt betrayed when he discovered it was her, but Bertholdt's memories would have allowed him to understand her perspective, and could have therefore removed any resentment he had towards her. It's also possible that they were simply friends during training, but Armin started to find her attractive later on, and therefore started to like her romantically after understanding her.

My point is that Armin developing feelings for Annie isn't as impossible as some people are making out.

3. Is it all just Bertholdt?

Many people have been saying that they believe that Armin's feelings for Annie are entirely because of Bertholdt. I personally only partially agree with this, for a few different reasons.

One reason is because I don't actually think Titan powers, other that the Founding Titan on Royal Bloods, actually fully mind control people. That being said, they do allow people to access the memories of past s, and simply seeing the memories of someone else is bound to have a great impact on a person; we are all made of memories and experiences, so seeing and feeling someone else's experience will help you understand them better, and in a way, make you a little bit more like them.

I think Armin has gained understanding of the Warriors and a new perspective on Annie through Bertholdt. Although this is probably one of the reasons he is able to like Annie, it in no way means that he is being mind controlled. I think this is shown in the way that many things Armin says to Annie in chapter 131 mirror his conversation with her back in the Female Titan arc. This shows that this isn't Bert speaking.

I think the general idea that Armin is being mind controlled came from Eren in chapter 112. However, after 130, it seems like Eren's conversation with Mikasa and Armin wasn't entirely truthful, so it is no longer a viable source for information.

4. This didn't come out of nowhere

If you go back and read/watch some earlier parts of the manga, it's clear that Armin and Annie had many meaningful conversations during, and even before, the Female Titan arc. Perhaps Armin wasn't the person who Annie appeared with the most, but almost every interaction she had with him seemed to be important, suggesting that they had a deep bond. Isayama also emphasised the fact that Annie would have won if she had just killed Armin, showing that she cared too much, which lead to her downfall.

On top of this, when Hitch caught Armin about to touch Annie, Armin's reaction heavily implied that he liked her. Hitch even later said that it was ok if he had 'the hots for her' and Armin didn't deny anything. If anything, Aruannie isn't any more cannon now than it was back then.

5. 'I'm angry that there's any romance at all'

I very much understand the shock and confusion for those people who didn't want or expect there to be any romance. I too was extremely shocked after reading chapter 131, as, despite the fact that I have mildly shipped Aruannie for a long time, I never wanted or expected it to come so close to canon.

There aren't really any arguments against this point, as everyone will have their own views and opinions. If you hate romance and don't want to see it in aot, I can't blame you. The series will have different flaws for everyone, but what matters is the overall plot, as this small moment doesn't change how good the story really is.

Also, this isn't the first close to cannon ship, as there has been many, such as Yumikuri, Gabi x Falco, Marlo x Hitch and some people would even argue Sasha x Niccolo, Eremika and Erehisu. Aot has always had tiny and subtle pieces of romance, and I personally enjoy this, as it helps develop the characters and make them feel more human.

6. What about Beruannie?

I love Beruannie very much, but the truth is that Bertholdt is dead. Beruannie might look cute in fanart and fanfictions, but the hard truth is that it can no longer exist in the canon universe. Even if Annie did have feelings for Bertholdt before, she has a right to move on. It's the same way I don't believe Yumikuri to be any less canon because Historia is pregnant, because Ymir is dead.

Anyway, this thing ended up being way longer than I intended, so if you actually bothered to read the whole thing, please comment your thoughts! If you still think it's impossible, then I would love to know why! I hope you understand my point of view, and thank you for reading!