Ereri

I.M. Meen: Oh look, what clever children!

See them study, watch, them learn.

How I hate those goodie-goodies!

How they make my stomach turn!

I got a little secret, that'll really make 'em cry!

It's a nasty kind of magic from a special kind of guy!

This book is made to order, but it isn't to be read! When they open up this book, they're sucked inside instead to the most unpleasant place they've ever seen! The magic labyrinth of I.M. Meen!

*pops in front of 2 children reading*

Very scary and confusing, destination of my choosing!

Magic labyrinth of I.M. Meen!

*2 kids get sucked into book and song ends*



Fanon
Although Levi's age has never been officially confirmed, Isayama has stated that he is "suprisingly old" so it has often been suggested that he is in his early 30s. Because Eren is 16 (as of March 2016), this has led to controversy surrounding the ship, particularly in the western fandom. Despite this, the fanbase continues to grow, with some preferring to focus on the emotional bond between the two or choosing to reimagine the characters at different stages in their lives, and others stressing that the extraordinarily cruel world of Attack on Titan has given Eren an emotional maturity that almost matches Levis, so age is just a number.

The vulnerability of humanity in the face of titans and the brutal deaths of Levi and Eren's family and friends have led some fans to imagine that they would develop a romantic/sexual relationship overtime, finding comfort in one another. Both have violent tendencies and struggle with the weight of responsibility placed on them as 'humanities hope' and 'humanities strongest soldier', but there are also moments between Levi and Eren in canon that suggest they could overcome this in each others company. On a superficial level, Levi's cold demeanor and his treatment of Eren in episode 14 lend themselves easily to a sadomasochistic template. Eren's inner fire combined with the unwavering respect he feels for Levi indicates that there's not much he wouldn't do to satisfy him.

However, although the standard seme/uke dynamic prevalent in most yaoi animes suits Eren and Levi, fans like the pairing because both characters are well-rounded and neither are completely submissive or controlling. Eren could just as easily overpower Levi as he could him.

The popularity of the ship in Japan can also be attributed to the prevalence of Yūki Kaji (Eren's voice actor) and Hiroshi Kamiya (the voice of Levi) as Seiyuus. In addition to their voice acting credits in anime and gaming both have done a number of 'BLCDs' (boys love CDs), which have a huge market in Japan. A crossover of clips from these CDs has over 1 and a half million views on youtube, so although there is little to no probabibility of Levi and Eren ever interacting romantically in canon, the fan culture is encouraged by what are effectively fanon sex-tapes.

Levi and Eren's interaction in the courtroom scene is not the foundation of their relationship, and the popularity of the ship isn't exclusively sexual. A popular theme for Eren and Levi fanworks, and Attack on Titan fanworks in general, is that of reincarnation. (Examples alongside this are by Lena). After all of the suffering both have experienced at the hands of titans and humans alike, there is comfort in the thought that after death they could lead a happy life in the modern world.

Levi's status as captain in the canon world and the power dynamic this entails has also led to a number of alternate-universe fanfictions being written, the predominant theme being that set at a school (largely thanks to the official parody series 'Attack on Titan: Junior high').

Levi's cold and calm attitude in contrast to Eren's character has also led to a surge in works placing Levi as a company boss and Eren a distracted college student. Unlike the characters in 50 shades, Eren and Levi are accustomed to violence but are not abusive, they are familiar with their boundaries. Thus the artists who make connections between the two franchises such as in this '50 shades of Ereri' youtube trailerare clear in their belief that by incorporating Isayama's characters and the concept of reincarnation to the franchise they could "transform it into a meaningful one, with similar visual expression". As well as BLCDs and fan artists, Ereri shippers are also benefitted by the huge number of official works relating to the couple. Magazine spreads, advertisements for watches, and even Eren dreaming about Levi on an official CD track all contribute to the prevalence of the pair in the Attack on Titan fanbase.

Ereri Эрери