MangaReview: (AoT) Erwin Smith Could Have Become the Real Demon —the Berserk in Attack on Titan
Spoiler alert until chapter 84 or episode 55 in anime, and chapter 93 for Berserk.
“Be prepared when this man’s dream collapses. Death will pay you a visit, an unescapable death!” -Nosferatu Zodd (Zodd the Immortal)
Erwin Smith is the 13th commander of the Survey Corps. He dies in the operation to retake wall Maria. I want to talk about him because I think he is a well-illustrated man although he is not one of the main characters. I will also compare his personality with Griffith(グリフィス), the main character in Berserk who has something to do with the quotation above, since I think Isayama creates Erwin mainly based on Griffith as a character.
The Character
Erwin appears as a reliable, intelligent, and widely trusted person who literally deserves the position of a commander. He shows up very early in the story, and there is even a chapter called “Erwin Smith” (エルヴィン・スミス) as chapter 27, in which he is also illustrated as the one who does not hesitate to sacrifice his subordinate if necessary.
However, we get to know this person more in the uprising arc, and what lies in his mind in details during the battle against the beast titan. He once asks his father how they know there is no other people outside the wall. His father answers him, from a perspective of a history researcher, that in fact no one can prove this, and there are even some inconsistencies in the official history books. Moreover, it is impossible that there is no information from the first generation who moves into the wall, and the only explanation is the alteration of people’s memory.
The young Smith shares this idea to his friends and is heard by the military police, which leads to his father’s death. After that, Smith always blames himself for this and has decided to prove his father’s theory, that there are in fact people living outside the wall, and the government somehow manipulates people’s memory.
The Dream/Demon Lying in His Mind
People who are interested in how history can be manipulated in favor of the ruler can read this. For this article I want to talk about Erwin’s dream and how it could have led him into a demon path.
Erwin Smith (エルヴィン・スミス), Ch. 27 is where the first time we see can see the possibility of Erwin becoming a demon. In this chapter, Armin mentions abandoning humanity if necessary, and this is how we can progress and overcome a new challenge.
The personality to give up important things if necessary is, however, not what I argue for the demon path. In fact, people might feel guilty of abandoning their important ones like comrades, subordinates, friends, and even lovers. We won’t really blame them if the reality simply leaves them no choice.
The one we will blame, on the other hand, is anyone who cares no one but zieself. For Erwin’s case, it is his dream. In my opinion, it is also his dream that could have led him to the demon path.
We can see many scenes that implies this path. For example, in Sin (罪), Ch. 62, Commander-in-Chief Darius Zackly is chatting with Erwin after the successful revolution against the government. Zackly tells Erwin that he does not care about the future of humanity at all. While Erwin is still shocked by what he heard, Zackly shares his idea to Erwin. Most importantly, Zackly in the end argues that Erwin is in fact the same as he is, as Erwin would have abandoned his subordinates if he really cares about the future of humanity. Erwin, then, replies with his dream.
I personally don’t really understand why there should be such conversation here at the first time reading this part, and I then realize any sophisticated person can understand how Erwin thinks, as what lies in his mind is actually his own dream, not the future of humanity. The other one who knows this pretty much is Commander Dot Pixis, in Chains (鎖), Ch. 63, in which Pixis blames both Zackly and Erwin for caring only themselves. Pixis says his is also prepared to fight against Zackly if necessary, and their conversation ends as Erwin argues that there can be no conflict between human beings if there is actually only one person, and Pixis considers it a shitty logic.
From this point of view, Pixis is actually the only one who cares about the future of humanity, not Erwin. This is really ironic as we can see how, in Erwin Smith (エルヴィン・スミス), Ch. 27, Eld Jinn explains to Eren why Erwin is entrusted with the survey corps which the hope of the mankind. On the other hand, this is also why I argue that one cannot be a demon only by being able to sacrifice subordinates if necessary.
Griffith and The Demon Path
The turning point for Erwin is the battle to retake wall Maria, in which Erwin dies a step before his dream. People who are interested in why Levi does not save Erwin can read this. There is a scene, in The Unknown Soldiers (名も無き兵士), Ch. 80, when Levi asks Erwin why he does not offer the plan as soon as possible to take down the beast titan, and Erwin replies that he really wants to go to the basement. Levi is confused then.
Erwin explains how eager he is to simply enter the basement, even if it will be followed by the death of all the soldiers outside. We then see the scene where both Erwin and Levi are surrounded by their dead comrades.
In fact, there is a similar scene in The Thunder Spears (雷槍), Ch. 76, where Erwin stands on a great amount of the corpses of his dead comrades. He is thinking about what he has done along his life, and he is also blaming himself for caring nothing but his own dream and fooling others not for the future of humanity but his dream as well.
Both scenes remind me of Griffith in Berserk, in which there is also a scene that Griffith stands on corpses of, in Armament (武装), Ch. 93 of Berserk. For those who know nothing about Berserk and do not mind being spoiled, I will briefly introduce what happens. Griffith is a person who leads a prominent mercenary group called Band of the Falcon (Not sure if it has anything to do with Falco), with which Griffith almost reaches his dream as earning himself a kingdom. He however fails and is then imprisoned and cripplingly tortured for years, and he realizes it is impossible for him to reach his dream. After being rescued by his comrades, his desire for his dream compels him to sacrifice all his comrades with the so-called Beherit in the fifth eclipse. He is then reborn and builds a new Band of the Falcon for his dream.
Griffith is pretty similar with Erwin. They both feel guilty about sacrificing their subordinates. We can see Griffith trying to sleep with an old man in exchange of money, and he tells his subordinate Casca that with more money he does not have to send his subordinates to battlefields, in Casca (キャスカ), Ch. 17 of Berserk. Even during the eclipse when he has decided to sacrifice all his comrades, he keeps telling himself not to apologize or to feel regretful, in order to ignore the dead bodies he stands on, in Armament (武装), Ch. 93 of Berserk.
On the other hand, they both have a deeply trusted subordinate. Erwin has Levi, and Griffith has Guts(ガッツ). There is a scene that Erwin wants to entrust the titan serum to Levi, and Levi asks why it is not an order, in A Dream I Once Had (いつか見た夢), Ch. 71. Although Erwin seems to answer properly, in fact it does not answer why he does not simply give an order. Levi, then, asks what Erwin will do after reaching his dream, and Erwin say he does not know. In my opinion, the answer is hidden in Levi’s following question, and this has something to do with Erwin’s guilt.
Let me explain this with Berserk. There is a similar scene between Griffith and his strongest subordinate (or a comrade, or a friend), Guts, in Assassin (暗殺者), Ch. 10 of Berserk. Griffith’s dream is to build his own kingdom, but there must be some games of thrones other than really fighting on battlefields. In other words, there are some dirty works that should be done with no glory. In Berserk, Griffith asks Guts to assassinate a commander, which Griffith would deny any connection if Gut fails and gets captured. He asks if Guts could help him, and Guts asks Griffith to simply give him an order.
Why does Griffith choose to ask instead of ordering Guts? In my opinion, this is different from ordering your subordinate to kill the enemy in a battlefield. Since this is a dirty work, but Griffith needs it to be done for his dream to come true, so he feels guilty about ordering Guts to do so, and thus he asks if he wants to do it instead.
Back to Erwin, if we assume that Erwin asks Levi because he feels guilty, then what does he feel guilty about? It must have something to do with his dream, right? His dream is what makes him guilty, but also what gives him the strength to keep moving. Let’s say, his sees his dream come true, and what will be his next step?
In this, I talk about Kenny’s idea that one needs a to drunk on something to keep moving forward, so everyone is a slave to zis own dream. Erwin dies after letting go of his dream, which he is finally free from his guilt. I don’t have a proper answer for what Erwin will do after his dream comes true. However, I think Levi knows the answer better than anyone else. This is why he asks Erwin this question right after being aware of Erwin’s guilt, and somewhat has something to do with why he in the end chooses to save Armin instead of Erwin.
Although Erwin shares so many similarities with Griffith, their main difference is their final decision about their dreams. As mentioned above, Griffith chooses to sacrifice all his comrades for his own dream. Erwin, on the other hand, chooses to give up his dream to save his comrades and the future of humanity, in The Unknown Soldiers (名も無き兵士), Ch. 80.
I don’t feel necessary to explain what happens as I think you are all well aware what exactly happens in the battle, especially Erwin’s speech before leading to suicide charge. Before that, however, Erwin still thinks about the possibility to enter the basement if they in fact lose the battle, after blaming himself, in The Thunder Spears (雷槍), Ch. 76. I think this is also why he chooses to go to the frontline instead of taking Levi’s advice to stay in a safe place, as we can see in Night of the Battle to Retake the Wall (奪還作戦の夜), Ch. 72. Erwin probably has already been thinking about entering the basement even if they lose the fight. Levi might be aware of this, so he even asks whether this is more important than the future of humanity, only to get a positive answer from Erwin. This also makes sense why Levi simply interrupts Erwin’s seemingly plausible arguments.
After all, although Erwin spends his whole life and even risks the future of humanity for his own dream, he in the end gives up that dream and sacrifices himself. There is a possibility for him to return, as Flock takes him to Levi to try to save him, in Midnight Sun (白夜), Ch. 84. It should be noted that Flock at that time regards Erwin as a demon, and considers himself the one who needs to bring the demon back. Erwin does not return, and this is also the last time he is called the demon.
Is Erwin really a demon? For me, the answer is clearly no.
