By what miracle did Levi Ackerman survive Zeke Jaeger's blast in Attack on Titan season 4, and what kind of physical state will he be in for the final battle? The future looked bleak for Levi as Attack on Titan season 4, part 1 ended. Rigging Zeke Jaeger to a Thunder Spear, Levi never suspected his prisoner would take the extreme step of detonating the trap to break free, but his guardian angel was none other than Hange Zoë, who dragged her mortally-wounded Survey Corps comrade into a nearby river.
In Attack on Titan episode 83 ("Pride"), flashbacks reveal how Hange patched Levi up, stitched his many, many wounds, and fashioned a cart for transporting his immobile body. No human should survive the blast Levi and Zeke endured, with the latter only emerging thanks to his Beast Titan powers. Hange attributes Levi's amazing durability to Ackerman DNA, but what exactly does this mean? And how did it protect Levi from being blown apart like a wet egg?
Though the Ackermans remain one of Attack on Titan's biggest mysteries, Zeke Jaeger previously confirmed the bloodline was a product of "Titan science." Essentially, Marley's finest minds fiddled with the biological components of proper Titans, then genetically engineered those qualities into a specific lineage - the Ackerman clan - who awaken their power through triggering moments, such as when Mikasa protected herself from kidnappers. Levi's Ackerman strength awakened long before Attack on Titan's present-day timeline, and although we've never witnessed one of the clan come this close to death before, it's safe to assume the Titan DNA swirling around Levi's bloodstream gave him a higher threshold for damage than your average human. Also working to Levi's benefit is his burning desire to kill the Beast Titan. Without a strong will, Levi might've succumbed to his wounds, but the dream of slicing Zeke's nape off is fueling his (somewhat slower) advance forward. Having Titan-laced genes doesn't give Levi the awesome regenerative powers as proper Titan-shifters like Eren and Zeke - but were enough to see him through wounds any regular person would've died from.
Unfortunately for Levi, he's still pretty messed up from the Thunder Spear blast. Attack on Titan shows some injuries explicitly, but confirms others more subtly. Exactly what condition is the great Levi Ackerman in as Attack on Titan's final battle draws ever closer? The only injury Attack on Titan draws attention to is Levi's right hand, where his index and middle fingers have been loped clean off. This is because when Zeke detonated the Thunder Spear, Levi was holding a blade in his right hand, and the Survey Corps' swords are fitted with triggers for the index and middle fingers to pass through. Levi's two digits would've been in an unnatural position when the explosion happened, which is why only these ones are lost. More than any other wound he received, the severed fingers will severely hinder Levi's ability to use 3-D maneuver gear. Don't expect him to be zipping around too much in Attack on Titan's final battle without those trigger fingers.
More subtly, Attack on Titan episode 83 confirms Levi is now partially-sighted. Hange sews a wound across his eye, but it's not clear whether the injury is cosmetic. Sadly for the Ackerman warrior, he'll be heading into Attack on Titan's final battle one eye light. There's some confusion over whether Levi still has use of his legs - especially for anime viewers who might've skipped ahead to read Attack on Titan's final chapter. Though Levi is currently immobilized (hence Hange's impromptu forest DIY project) his legs are mostly usable, and both can be seen moving when the downed soldier sits up after Eren's doom speech. The cart is more because Levi is in generally rough shape. Any leg-specific injuries may come further down the line.
Viewers shouldn't expect much physical input from Paradis Island's best bowl cut in Attack on Titan's final battle, but with that intense Zeke hatred burning in his gut, Levi surely has some role to play in the fights to come.
Attack on Titan streams Sundays on Funimation, Crunchyroll, and Hulu.