Erwin Smith was one of the characters vital to the story of Attack on Titan. Introduced to us as the 13th Commander of the Survey Corps, Erwin led those living in Paradise to the secrets of Titans and paved way a path to freedom. Constantly engaging danger, he swore to get to the root of the secret of the Titans and the walls.
He played a major role in the first three seasons of the anime, and although he isn't around to lead the Survey Corps anymore, his influence on the characters, such as Levi, is still strong. Here are ten things you didn't know about Erwin Smith from Attack on Titan.
10 Years As A Commander
Erwin Smith served as the Commander of the Survey Corps for quite a decent time. Right from the start of the series to nearly half-way through, we see the Survey Corps being led by him.
Interestingly, it was later revealed that Erwin Smith was the commander of the Survey Corps for 5 years, from year 845 - 850. It goes without saying that he did a magnificent job at that time and that's exactly why he is loved among the fans even after he passed away.
9 Who He Took Over From
Since the Survey Corps isn't an order that was created by Erwin Smith himself, there were those who preceded him in the position of the commander. As mentioned above, Erwin Smith was the 13th commander of the Corps.
Before him, the Survey Corps was led by Keith Shadis, who was quite an able man himself. However, he wasn't nearly as successful as Erwin Smith, and the fact that Erwin delivered results when he became the commander solidifies that further.
8 His Love For His Men
Being the commander of the Survey Corps, Erwin valued the lives of his men greatly. However, everyone who followed him knew that survival was never a guarantee when fighting the Titans.
Knowing how his men felt, Erwin was never scared to sacrifice them for the greater good and step on their resolve. His leadership skills were so good that everyone willingly followed him to battle, even those who despised him initially, such as Levi Ackerman. With his charm and his unwavering determination, Erwin was able to kindle a belief in every member of the Survey Corps.
7 Long-Distance Scouting Formation
As the 13th Commander of the Survey Corps, Erwin Smith made quite a number of changes that rose the chances of survival for them when venturing outside the walls. One of the biggest changes they greatly increased the survival rate was Erwin's long-distance scouting formation.
Using this formation, the group's vision of the surrounding drastically improved, along with giving them a better understanding of where Titans appear. Making use of smoke signals, the entire path of the scouting unit could then be altered. Although Erwin is dead, his legacy is still being carried by Hange.
6 His Goal
Erwin Smith's ultimate goal was to see the rise of humanity in the world once again. The idea of living in fear within the walls didn't sit right with him, and just like Eren, he wanted to end the Titan domination.
In fact, he was so determined to achieve this task that not even losing a limb, or even his life, for the matter, bothered him as long as he got what he wanted. Thanks to his incredible leadership, the people of Paradise were able to get one step closer to true freedom.
5 Sharp Even As A Kid
Ever since Erwin found out that humanity had no records or memories of what life was like before the Walls were erected, he figured out something wasn't right, even though he was just a child. Ultimately, his father shared his theory of their memories being altered by the King, which proved to be correct, more or less.
Unfortunately, Erwin sharing this theory around is what led to his father being killed. As an adult, he could possibly have been the smartest character in the entire Attack on Titan series, possibly only rivaled by the likes of Hange, and Armin Arlert.
4 His Statistics
According to the author of Attack on Titan, Hajime Isayama, Erwin Smith is quite a capable man, and his statistics back that up as well. From what we've been told, Erwin is extremely smart, and thus scores a 10/10 when it comes to wits and initiative.
Interestingly, he also has a perfect 10 in ruthlessness which often stems from him aiming for the greater good. In combat, Erwin has a 9/10, which although not as good as the above-mentioned stats, is still quite respectable. Finally, he holds a 7/10 in teamwork, which is supposed to be his weakness. Looking at his stats, it is very easy to see that Erwin was one of the greatest characters that Isayama created.
3 The People He Killed
Although Erwin is a good guy working for humanity's restoration, he's killed quite a few people, most of them being his men that followed him willingly even though they knew it could get the killed any day.
Erwin also got his father killed, albeit indirectly, by sharing his theory about the memories of the people being manipulated by the King. Furthermore, he was also responsible for the death of nearly 100 people of the Stohess district in Wall Sheena, taking full responsibility for the deaths caused by the Titan rampage.
2 Popularity Among The Fans
Erwin Smith is one of those characters you slowly end up falling in love with, thanks to the way Isayama wrote his character. In the first popularity poll, Erwin managed to take the 12th spot.
After becoming more relevant to the storyline of the Attack on Titan series, Erwin Smith managed to take the second spot in the popularity polls. Finally, in the third popularity poll, he took the first rank, proving fans grew to love him more and more slowly.
1 His Single Life
According to Hajime Isayama, Erwin Smith preferred to stay single instead of getting himself into a relationship. The reason behind this is that doing what he did, he was never certain of when he would end up dead, creating unnecessary grief for his loved ones.
This is one of the reasons why Erwin never went through with the idea of getting together with Marie and chose to join the Police instead. Once again, it proves that he was quite smart and that his decision making was top-notch, no matter which way you look at it.