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| “ | Everything that you thought had meaning: every hope, dream, or moment of happiness. None of it matters as you lie bleeding out on the battlefield. None of it changes what a speeding rock does to a body, we all die. But does that mean our lives are meaningless? Does that mean that there was no point in our being born? Would you say that of our slain comrades? What about their lives? Were they meaningless?... They were not! Their memory serves as an example to us all! The courageous fallen! The anguished fallen! Their lives have meaning because we the living refuse to forget them! And as we ride to certain death, we trust our successors to do the same for us! Because my soldiers do not buckle or yield when faced with the cruelty of this world! My soldiers push forward! My soldiers scream out! My soldiers RAAAAAGE! | „ |
| ~ Erwin's famous and final speech as he leads the Survey Corps on a suicide charge. |
| “ | Who do you think the REAL enemy is here? | „ |
| ~ Erwin Smith |
| “ | How did they find out that there aren't any humans outside the Walls? | „ |
| ~ Erwin asks his father a life changing question. |
Commander Erwin Smith is a major character in the Attack on Titan franchise. He is the 13th commander of the Survey Corps, having succeeded Keith Shadis who resigned. Erwin is noted for his brilliant and resourceful mind, having created new tactics that greatly reduced losses during operations, most notably the Long-Distance Enemy Scouting Formation.
However, while he does care for his men and is tormented by his actions, he also has the capacity to be exceptionally ruthless in pursuit of his goal to discover the truth of the world, such as sacrificing hundreds of his own soldiers or even putting the lives of civilians in danger, such as being partially responsible for causing the massacre at Stohess District. He always told everyone and himself that it was for the good and prosperity of mankind, but eventually admits he pursued his own dream to confirm his and his father's shared theory that humanity outside the Walls has not gone extinct. He describes himself as an "expert con man", a liar, and a "betting man".
At some point, Erwin names Hange Zoë as his successor, due to the uncertainty about his future. In the Battle of Shiganshina District, he leads one final charge, in which he perishes at the hands of the Beast Titan. His death heavily influences Levi Ackerman, one of Erwin's close confidants, to become determined to fulfill his promise and final order to kill the Beast Titan, and give a meaning to the self-sacrifice of Erwin and many Survey Corps soldiers.
He is voiced by Daisuke Ono (who also voiced Nobuyuki Sanada from the Samurai Warriors series, and Jotaro Kujo in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series) in the Japanese version of the anime, and by J. Michael Tatum in the English version of the anime.
Quick Answers
What is the significance of Erwin Smith's 'my soldiers rage' speech in Attack on Titan?
How did Commander Erwin's strategies reduce losses during operations?
What is the content of Erwin's final speech in Attack on Titan?
How did Erwin Smith become the 13th commander of the Survey Corps?
What is the 'Long-Distance Enemy Scouting Formation' that Erwin Smith created?
Personality
Erwin is a serious and calculating man who seeing and planning far for the future. While he trusts his men, he is the first to realize that there is a spy interfering with the Scouting Legion and arranged for his/her capture.
He is an eloquent speaker, able to sway many people, such as the war tribunal held to judge Eren and the trainees choosing recruitment branches to join.
Erwin was very grim. He accepts all news, good or bad, mockery or praise, with the same attitude because he knows his objectives and will follow through with them.
He shares this unique stoic quality with men such as Commander Dot Pixis, Team Leader Ian Dietrich, and Premier Dhalis Zachary. As Armin puts it, Erwin, like the aforementioned three men, has the ability to send his men to die if it will further the cause of humanity. He and they will sacrifice their own humanity in order to bring change to a world where those who cannot sacrifice the important things in life will not change anything. This willingness to sacrifice, however, should not be mistaken for callousness or heartlessness, as he cared deeply for his troops and withheld intense guilt and remorse for his actions.
Story
Erwin is first introduced taking part in the latest Scouting expedition before the fall of Wall Maria.
He is later formally introduced when the Scouting Legion is clearing a town inside Wall Maria. They discover Titans are moving north, towards the Trost District of Wall Rose. Fearing a breach, they head to Trost District and narrowly save a trapped Eren, Armin, and Mikasa after their mission to block the hole is complete.
Erwin later on explains the upheaval Eren has caused in the politics of humanity. Later, he successfully gets Eren recruited into the Survey Corps and arranges for his study by Hange Zoë, a squad leader and Titan researcher.
At the recruitment drive, his speech about the future of humanity convinces most of the top 10 Trainees from the 104th Training Corps, plus 11 others, to join the Survey Corps.
After the death of the Titan research subjects, Bean and Sawney, he tests everyone in the Scouting Legion by asking them a direct, but confusing question to gauge their reactions. When this turns everyone innocent, he begins planning the next expedition to capture the spy, guessing they have abilities similar to Eren and are intent on sabotaging the expedition.
However the plan fails as the Female-type Titan manages to escape but only after inflicting massive casualties on the Scouting Legion party. Erwin is forced to call a retreat back to the Wall's safety.
For the costly failure of this mission, Erwin is blamed for the fiasco and summoned to the imperial capital to explain. However, he trusts Armin's gamble that Annie Leonhardt is the Titan and orders her covert capture en route to the meeting. He briefly explains this to Nile Dawk.
She is eventually apprehended and Erwin goes into an emergency meeting held to sort out the day's events. He manages to convince the council that despite the expedition failure and subsequent death of some civilians in the inner city, they finally catch the female-type Titan successfully and this indicates that there must be more of her kinds hiding among them.
He is still there when Wall Rose is breached. Erwin helps coordinate the effort to locate the breach with the Stationary Guard, but is unable to have it located.
He is too late to save Eren from being captured by Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover who reveal themselves as the Armored and Colossal Titan, respectively. However, Erwin quickly assembles a combined force of all branches of the military to rescue Eren.
Upon sight that Eren has been captured by Reiner, Bertholdt and Ymir he orders all squads to go ahead with him and letting the Titans follow them, much to the dismay of the fellow Soldiers who call him a monster believing he uses them as decoys. Erwin assures that is not his intention, that the Military Police fights admirably and that his men should fulfill their duty as Soldiers.
As the Graduates were reunited they along with Hannes watch in shock as Erwin leads a pack of Titans right to them. The group is forced to briefly retreat and watch as the Armored Titan is overwhelmed by the horde. Erwin orders them to head into battle, stating that humanity has no future if Eren is lost. However, as he leads the charge a Titan manages to catch him by his right arm and drags him from his horse. He orders the others to continue the mission, while a handful stay behind to fight the Titan chewing on him.
His fate is revealed a short time later, when he manages to ambush and wound Bertholdt. This allows Eren to be rescued, and Erwin immediately orders all surviving forces to retreat. Though still alive, his right arm has been severed just below the shoulder with a makeshift tourniquet secured around the stump. Ignoring his injuries, he continues to command the mission. The retreat fails, however, when the Armored Titan panics and begins to throw Titans to block their path.
Trivia
- His English voice actor, Michael J. Tatum, also voiced Scar in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Ryosuke Takahashi in Initial D, Tenya Iida in My Hero Academia and Sebastian Michaelis in Black Butler.
- Erwin Smith has two theme songs dedicated to him: "Der Weg der Sehnsucht und die Leichen" and "Opfert eure Herzen!"
- He is attributed with the literal title of "leader of the [Scouting] Legion" (団長 danchō), often translated as "Commander".
- The story is heavily influenced by the Norse, and as other characters Erwin can be regarded as the Manga Version of Odin. Odin is associated with the Wild Hunt, a special group of Huntsmen in mad pursuit on horses. The fact that Odin is stated as cunning, tricky as well as deceptive further adds into it along with that the God welcomes the dead.
- Erwin's motif was based on Adrian Alexander Veidt/Ozymandias, a character from Watchmen.
External Links
- Erwin Smith on the Attack on Titan Wiki
- Erwin Smith on the Inconsistently Admirable Wiki
- Erwin Smith on the Magnificent Baddie Wiki
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Shiganshina trio Paradis Island Marley Hizuru | ||