Erwin Smith — Leader, Warrior, Devil
- * WARNING: Spoilers for the 3rd season of Attack on Titan and up to chapter 81 of the manga **
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Today I want to explore one of my favorite pieces of fiction, and one of my favorite characters in fiction. I’m talking about Erwin Smith from Attack on Titan. Head Commander and leader of the scout regiment, a section of the military with goals of gaining knowledge of the outside world and the monstrosities that lie within it. Specifically, I want to dive into the rhetorical language of Smith’s speech he gave before his death. For context, the scouts are currently in a heated battle with the Titans. Giant humanoid creatures that eat human beings outside their walls. 5 years ago the Titans attacked the walls and took control of over ⅓ of the land. With morale low, and many soldiers dead, the scouts attempt to reclaim their stolen land. A giant 20 meter “Beast Titan” is throwing rocks at the soldiers until there’s nothing but rubble and corpses. Commander Smith is calm, thinking of ways to stop the Beast Titan from crushing them all. With nothing but new recruits, Commander Smith, and Captain Levi are left to deal with the Titan. The Captain suggests they flee with their lives still intact. Erwin then provides a counter strategy to Levi. He and the recruits will do a suicide mission, charging at the Beast with nothing but their horses and their smoke guns while Captain Levi is left to assassintate the terror.
Erwin then lays out the plan to the recruits through a heroic and deeply honest speech. Here are is that speech:
“I’m about to announce our final mission! All troops, line up!
We’re going to mount a cavalry charge, rushing the Beast Titan directly.
Clearly, this will make us ideal targets for him. So we’ll wait until the moment he’s ready to throw, and then we’ll fire our smoke signals together. That should somewhat reduce his accuracy. While we distract the Beast Titan, Captain Levi will get in position to dispatch it. Does anyone have questions?“
One recruit drops to their knees, vomiting. They all look in disbelief.
“There’s no point standing around. We’ll only be showered by more boulders. Ready your horses on the double.“
One recruit responds:
“Be honest. Are all of us … riding to our deaths?”
“Yes, we are.” Erwin replies.
“Then since we’re dying anyway, you’re saying it’s better if we at least died fighting?”
“I am.” Erwin boldly states.
“But wait, if we’ll die anyway. Then who cares what we do? We could just disobey your orders. And it wouldn’t mean a thing, would it?”
“Yes, you’re precisely right. Everything you thought had meaning. Every hope, dream, or moment of happiness, none of it matters as you lie bleeding 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 RAGE!”
As the final words of Erwin’s speech boom, the camera cuts to him leading the vanguard. Followed by him being hit by a speeding rock to the torso. Collapsing to the ground, Commander Erwin Smith lets out his final breath.
Commander Erwin Smith was a stern, decisive, intelligent, and charismatic leader. He is the only character in the world of Attack on Titan that could lead a unit of soldiers straight to their death, and that he did. But how did Erwin convince the soldiers to such actions? Erwin makes an argument in his speech, an ultimatum. Make one final attack and likely die, or wait for the flying rocks to crush the rest of them. Death looms over most people, soldiers or not, in this fictional world. Erwin utilizes that fear of death and throws it in the faces of his soldiers. He acknowledges the meaninglessness of death. However, Erwin doesn’t give in to the nihilistic realities of his people. He is real. He is sensible. Despite the trivialities of their lives, their mere existence has weight. Not due to the individual, but due to those surrounding them. We have meaning because we care for one another, in death, and after. He believes that even though the world is cruel and unfair, his soldiers, his people, will not give up. They will face every challenge head on, because the only other option is to give in to the cruelty. To allow cruelty to overcome them. Erwin took that responsibility seriously. Being the first one to charge, and the first to fall. Setting an example of what true leadership, selflessness, and hope can look like. Hope for the truth, hope for a resolution to conflict, hope to make a better world.
Erwin is an inspiration to many, being one of the most iconic characters in 21st century fiction. We all should consider that when faced with the cruelty of this world, we do not buckle or yield. We move forward.
