Erwin Smith

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Do-Gooder
Full Name	Erwin Smith
Alias(es)	Commander Erwin, Eyebrow (childhood)
Origin	Attack on Titan
Occupation	Commander of the Survey Corps
Powers / Skills	Expert swordsman, Titan combat, Expert strategist, High intelligence, Manipulation, Decent teamwork, Nerves of steel
Hobby	Studying and finding information about the outside world, Planning, Having quiet chats with his old friends and allies
Goals	Find out what's outside the Walls and the story behind the Titans, so prove that his father was right (primary life goal, before any other; failed himself, but succeeded by his subordinates), Free humanity from the Walls and its tyranny (succeeded), Eradicate the Titans from the world, Defeat the Warriors (succeeded in his life time), Defeat the monarchy of the Walls (succeeded), Save the Survey Corps from annihilation
Family	Mr. Smith (father; deceased) Mrs. Smith (mother; status unknown)
Friends / Allies	Levi Ackerman Mike Zacharias Nile Dawk Hange Zoë Dot Pixis Keith Shadis Marie Dawk (former love interest) Darius Zackly Nanaba Gelgar Dieter Ness Flagon Turret Peer Darius Baer Walbrunn Moblit Berner Historia Reiss Floch Eren Yeager Keiji Goggles Petra Ral Oluo Bozado Nifa Gunther Schultz Eld Jinn Lynne Henning Moses/Braun Thomas Rashad Lauda Dieter Jean Kirschtein Armin Arlert Connie Springer Sasha Blouse Mikasa Ackerman Ilse Langnar Survey Corps Flegel Reeves Dimo Reeves Hannes Garrison Marlo Freudenberg Roy Peaure Stohess Mayor Sandra Gordon Marlene Klaus Dirk
Enemies	Titans Bertolt Hoover Zeke Yeager Reiner Braun Rod Reiss The old royal government of the Walls Marley power (unaware of it) Kenny Ackerman Anti-Personnel Control Squad (Military Police) Military Police Brigade (formerly) Annie Leonhart Pieck Reiss household (before Historia's ascension) The King of the Fritz family The portly royal assemblyman Nicholas Lovof Dimo Reeves (formerly) Mrs. Reeves (formerly) Dimo's daughter (formerly) Almost the entire population of the Walls (formerly)
Type of Hero	Big Good, Military Leader, Truth-Seeker, Lawful good, Idealistic hero, Symbol of hope.

“	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 speech as he leads the Survey Corps on a suicide charge.

“	What do you think the enemy is?	„
	~ 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 was a major supporting character in the 2009 dark fantasy manga series Attack on Titan and its 2013 anime television series adaption.

He was the 13th commander of the Survey Corps. He was noted for his brilliant and resourceful mind, having created new tactics that greatly reduced losses during operations. However, he had the capacity to be exceptionally ruthless in pursuit of the goal to protect humanity.

He is voiced by Daisuke Ono in the Japanese version of the anime, and by J. Michael Tatum in the English version of the anime.

Personality

Erwin was 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 Head Administrator Dot Pixis, squad leader Ian Dietrich and Generalissimo Dallis Zacklay. 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.

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 Scouting Legion and arranges for his study by Hanji Zoe, a Titan scientist and squad leader.

At the recruitment drive, his speech about the future of humanity convinces most of the top 10 trainees from Eren's unit to join the Scouting Legion.

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 and Bertholdt 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, 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.

Navigation

Heroes

Shiganshina trio Eren Yeager | Mikasa Ackerman | Armin Arlert Paradis Island Royal Family Historia Reiss | Uri Reiss | Karl Fritz Survey Corps Commander: Armin Arlert | Hange Zoë (formerly)| Erwin Smith (formerly)| Keith Shadis (formerly)| 11th Commander (formerly) Squad Mike: Mike Zacharias (leader)| Nanaba | Gelgar | Lynne | Henning Fourth Squad: Hange Zoë (former leader)| Moblit Berner (Squad Vice Captain)| Harold (team leader)| Keiji | Nifa | Abel | Team Dita: Dita Ness (Leader)| Luke Siss | Armin Arlert (formerly) Team Darius: Darius Baer-Varbrun (Leader)| Darius' Team Members Team Klaus: Klaus (Leader)| Marlowe Freudenberg | Sandra | Gordon | Walen X. Schartzen Other team leaders: Dirk | Marlene | Sasha's Team Leader Other members Peer | Moses Braun | Ilse Langnar | Ymir (formerly) Special Operations Squad: Levi Ackerman | Eren Yeager (formerly) | Mikasa Ackerman | Armin Arlert | Jean Kirschtein | Connie Springer | Sasha Braus | Historia Reiss (formerly)| Eld Jinn | Petra Ral | Oluo Bozado | Gunther Schultz Garrison Commanders: Dot Pixis | Carsten | Lobov Captains: Hannes Alpha Squad: Ian Dietrich (leader)| Rico Brzenska | Mitabi Jarnach Other members: Anka Rheinberger | Gustav | Fugo | Phil Military Police Brigade Nile Dok | Hitch Dreyse | Marlowe Freudenberg (formerly) Training Corps Keith Shadis | Training Corps Teacher | Marco Bott | Thomas Wagner | Mina Carolina Civilians Artur Braus | Flegel Reeves | Dimo Reeves | Armin Arlert's parents | Erwin's father Berg Newspapers: Roy | Peaure Marley Ancient Marleyan Army The Spearman Marleyan Uprising Helos | Lord Tybur Marleyan Military Governmental Party: Theo Magath | Secretary Muller Marley Navy: Commander of the Global Allied Fleet Warrior Unit: Reiner Braun | Gabi Braun | Falco Grice | Annie Leonhart | Pieck Finger | Porco Galliard | Colt Grice Public Security Authorities: Liberio Gate Guards Army soldiers: Karifa Soldier | Liberio Train Driver | Panzer Unit Assembled forces: Shiganshina Assault Contingent | Fort Salta Contingent Global Allied Fleet Global Fleet Commander Anti-Marleyan Volunteers Onyankopon Civilians Ymir | Mr. Leonhart Hizuru Azumabito family Kiyomi Azumabito Civilians Hizuru Engineers