Erwin Smith was one of the most beloved characters in attack on titan. He was the commander of the Survey Corps for most of the series and was a great leader. He led his followers to many victories that they would never have been able to achieve without him and would do anything to achieve his goals.
Erwin has had many phenomenal moments throughout the manga that show how great of a character he is. Although he died in the third season of the anime, this article contains spoilers for things that have not yet happened in the anime.
WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for things that have yet to happen in the Attack on Titan anime.
10 Welcomed Hange in the afterlife
Towards the end of the series, Hange sacrificed himself to help his comrades. After they died, they awoke in the afterlife and were greeted by Erwin, as well as many of his other comrades who had passed away. Erwin let Hange know that his sacrifice was worth it as his living comrades were able to reach Eren and put an end to Rumbling.
After the Titans ceased to exist, the living soldiers were able to see their fallen friends and Erwin was proud of all that the Survey Corps had accomplished. Fans were also very happy to see him one last time.
9 He didn’t try to stop Historia from killing Rod.
After Rod captured Historia, he tried to convince his daughter to inherit the Founding Titan by eating Eren, so he could have more power. While it seemed like he was originally going to do what he wanted, he rebelled and proved his loyalty to his comrades. As a result, a desperate Rod drank Titan serum and transformed into a huge Titan that attacked his own people.
While Erwin wanted Historia to stand by while her comrades fought her father, he did nothing to stop her, understanding that it was not her place. Historia ended up being the one to kill Rod and become the queen and hero of Paradis the way she wanted.
8 Forced Levi and his friends to join the Survey Corps
Before humanity’s strongest soldier joined the army, he lived underground with Furlan and Isabel. All three were criminals. However, when Erwin, along with a few other Survey Corps soldiers, found them, he offered to let them get away with it if they worked with him.
Needing to accept the offer, Levi, Furlan, and Isabel agreed, but intended to kill Erwin when the right opportunity presented itself. Erwin understood how much the three of them hated him, but still had them join the Survey Corps, knowing it would be beneficial in the long run.
7 He welcomed Eren to the Survey Corps
Ever since he was a little boy, Eren’s dream was to join the Survey Corps because he wanted to get out of the walls and kill titans. After his own Titan abilities were discovered when he transformed into Trost, Erwin saw Eren as humanity’s greatest weapon and fought for Eren to join the Survey Corps.
While many other people feared Eren and wanted to study and kill him, Erwin did whatever it took to make sure Eren’s powers were useful to the Survey Corps, no matter the consequences.
6 He caught the female titan
When the Survey Corps went out on a mission, they were chased by the female titan, who wanted to capture Eren. While chasing after Eren, other soldiers tried to fight back and were killed in the process. While Eren wanted to transform so he could fight her, Levi and the rest of her squad insisted that Eren should keep moving forward.
Eren overheard and they were able to lead her into a trap that Erwin had set as he suspected that there were Titan Shifters other than Eren that would attack them after Eren’s powers were discovered. While Erwin’s trap worked, the female titan was able to break free by summoning other titans.
5 He was determined to confirm his father’s theory for years
When Erwin was a child, he was curious about the world around him. His father, who was also his school teacher, followed his lessons to the letter in the classroom, but told Erwin about a theory he had. He believed that the royal family had the ability to erase people’s memories and replace them with false ones, which is why his story was so inconsistent.
Erwin started talking about his father’s theory to other students. Once the Military Police found out about this, they killed Erwin’s father. Erwin dedicated the rest of his life to proving his father right. Although the theory was correct, unfortunately Erwin would have to give his life before confirming it.
4 He took power away from the nobles
When the nobles sent Erwin to his death, a plan of theirs not only saved his life but gave him more power than them. He tried to tell them what the outcome would be if the Titans broke into Wall Rose, as the humans would be forced to fight each other for land and food, and that only the Survey Corps could help them.
After his sentence was declared, a soldier announced that the Colossal and Armored Titans had attacked Wall Rose. Instead of showing concern, the nobles ordered the military not to protect the civilians, prompting the other military leaders to show their support for Erwin. With Darius, Pixis, and Nile by his side, Erwin was able to unite the military and expose their rulers for who they really were.
3 Saved Eren from being captured by Reiner and Bertholdt
After Eren was captured by Bertholdt and Reiner, the Survey Corps did their best to save him. Erwin led a group of normal Titans towards them. As Reiner charged through many of them, they were able to overpower him. Erwin then ordered his soldiers to save Eren.
As he did so, a titan bit him on the arm and tore it off. Despite losing his arm, Erwin still had the Survey Corps follow his orders. Once he was able to free himself from the Titan, Erwin caught up with the warriors and was able to free Eren from Bertholdt.
two He convinced Levi to actually join the Survey Corps.
As the Survey Corps came out of the walls with Levi, Furlan, and Isabel, Levi thought he had found the perfect opportunity to kill Erwin. However, when he left his friends behind, they were killed by the titans.
Erwin helped Levi understand that the enemy of humanity was the Titans, which made Levi actually join the Survey Corps. Erwin and Levi would work together for years as they fought to save the Eldians on Paradis and avenge Furlan and Isabel.
1 He sacrificed himself and his soldiers in hopes that Levi would kill the Beast Titan.
During the battle between the warriors and the soldiers at Shiganshina, Erwin, Levi, and many recruits fought against the Beast Titan, which had trapped them. Knowing that little could be done to fight his enemy, Erwin was willing to sacrifice his life and convinced the recruits to do the same.
As everyone distracted the Beast Titan, Levi sneaked up behind him. Mankind’s strongest soldier battled the Beast Titan and almost won, but Pieck came to Zeke’s rescue before Levi killed him. Levi dedicated the rest of his life to avenging his best friend.
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