Erwin Smith

Erwin Smith is a character from the Attack on Titan anime and manga.

Erwin was the 13th commander (Danchō) of the Survey Corps. Discerning, intelligent, and widely respected, Erwin was an able commander. While he cared deeply for his men, he did not hesitate to sacrifice them for the good and prosperity of mankind, and his men have proven more than willing to stake their lives at his order. Erwin developed the Long-Distance Enemy Scouting Formation, and due to uncertainty about his future, he later named Hange Zoë as his successor.

Appearance
Erwin had a commanding presence. He stood tall above most members of the Survey Corps, with his blond hair kept neatly parted on the left side.

Erwin always wore a calm and collected expression on his face, with his icy blue eyes being one of his most striking features. His eyebrows were also quite noticeable, being very thick and bushy.

Erwin typically dressed in the standard military uniform, donning the Survey Corps' signature green cape when on missions. He also wore a small, emerald bolo tie around his neck similar to the other military commanders, Nile Dok and Dot Pixis.

Following the second appearance of the Armored Titan, Erwin lost his right arm just below his shoulder as it was bitten off by a Titan.

Personality
Erwin was a complex character, portrayed as serious, calculating, and always planning far in the future. While he trusted his men, he was the first to realize that there was a spy interfering with the Survey Corps, and was able to come up with a reasonable criteria to determine which of his soldiers to trust with vital information, and which to keep in the dark. He was also heavily involved in designing the plan that would be used to capture said traitor. He was an eloquent speaker, able to sway many people, such as the military tribunal held to judge Eren and the trainees choosing recruitment branches to join.

Erwin was often seen as a very grim individual. He accepted all news, good or bad, mockery or praise, with the same stoic attitude because he knew his objectives and would follow through with them. His ultimate goal was for humanity to once again rise up and become the dominant species over the Titans, a goal he was willing to sacrifice anything for. Even with his arm caught in a Titan's mouth, he ordered everyone to save Eren.

He shared this unique stoic quality with men such as Garrison Commander Dot Pixis, team leader Ian Dietrich, and Commander-in-Chief Darius Zackly. As Armin Arlert put it, Erwin, like the aforementioned three men, had the ability to send his men to die if it would further the cause of humanity. He and they would sacrifice their own humanity in order to bring change to a world where those who cannot sacrifice things important to them will not change anything. Since he was able to make such commitments, he was a master strategist, shown multiple times through actions like capturing the Female Titan and leading a group of Titans to distract the Armored Titanso the military could save Eren.

Behind his front of assurance and single-minded determination, Erwin revealed he still had his human side. Following the rebellion, he admitted he understood his audacious actions and questioned constantly if what he was doing was the right thing. Darius Zackly and Dot Pixis were also privy to this, with Zackly hypothesizing that Erwin did not truly care about humanity's best interests, and Pixis openly accusing Erwin of caring more about his own life than the survival of humanity as a whole.

These views of Erwin proved, in the long run, to be true. During his final expedition in Shiganshina, when faced with the prospect of sacrificing his own life in order to defeat the Beast Titan, Erwin proved reluctant to act, refusing to tell anyone the strategy until coerced by Levi. He cared more about discovering the secrets hidden in Eren's basement, and finally proving his father's theories correct, than he did about retaking the lost territory of Wall Maria. His dream of understanding the world was so strong that he confessed to Levi that he considered it more important than the victory of humanity. This selfishness should not, however, be mistaken for heartlessness. He felt great remorse for sacrificing countless others for the sake of his ambitions, admitting to Levi that he felt their fallen comrades watching him, waiting to see what he would do with the lives that they dedicated to him.

Abilities
Erwin is noted for his brilliant and resourceful mind, having created new tactics that greatly reduced losses during operations. However, he has the capacity to be exceptionally ruthless in pursuit of the goal to protect humanity.

Trivia

 * Erwin's motif was based on Adrian Alexander Veidt/Ozymandias, a character from Watchmen.
 * According to Hajime Isayama, Erwin was single because he was not certain when he will die.
 * Isayama revealed his nickname as a child was "Eyebrow."
 * Isayama modeled Erwin after one of the secret service members who appears in the music video by Paris Hilton called "Paris for President."
 * Erwin was the first commander of the Survey Corps to ever take over command before the previous commander was killed.
 * Since Erwin lost his right arm, he saluted with his left arm, which is considered to be an incorrect way of saluting.