FROM THE STORY STANDPOINT
Levi's reasoning was that he wanted Erwin to "rest" so that he wouldn't bear the burden of sending soldiers to death. So according to Levi, people should die to escape a moral conundrum rather than face it and surpass it.
This is what Isayama intended in the "serum bowl" (source):
Levi did a lot of self-projections on Erwin. He's acting like a person could have only 1 goal in life. It's also not in Erwin's character to wallow in negativities or stop moving forward. Even if he had “no dreams” beyond the basement, given the type of person he is, he would want to find out more about the world and the mysteries of the Titans.
The rock bombardment scene was Erwin's moment of weakness that Levi had to witness. It was Erwin's survivor’s guilt. But we see that a lot of characters go through this moment, too, and come out alive and kicking. People bring up Erwin's words of how sometimes death would be the easier choice, but we also see Armin have this disregard for his own life. Nevertheless, we still see Armin push forward. When they discover that the Titans aren't their real enemy, Eren shifts his gears towards freedom. Reiner - a character that explicitly wanted to die, still sees hope through Gabi and Falco. Shadis is proof that you can turn around after wallowing in failure. If all these characters managed to remold their dreams and visions and overcome their guilt, why can't Erwin?! His whole character wasn't just the basement. He still had people and ideal he cared about. The whole "he needed to be drunk on something" thing is a bogus argument.
3/ ERWIN'S DREAM IS NECESSARY TO MANKIND.
Never deny that Erwin has a selfish dream, but he at the core is driven by a quest for truth and justice - things that never fade away.
When Erwin told the recruits that he was seeking truth in Eren's basement in Season 1, many of them willingly joined him. When he was younger, he spread his theories among his fellow trainee cadets (S3P2 ep3-4 where Nile confirms it). That's one of the reasons that many graduating cadets joined the SC along with him.
Some people argue how Armin's dream "was pure, selfless and somehow better than Erwin's". Armin's dream was selfish, too. He wanted himself and his friends to see the ocean. It's similar to Furlan's and Isabel's dream of seeing the sky for themselves rather than wishing to free all the people of the Underground. When Armin got to the ocean, he enjoyed the scenery and completely "forgot" that his people haven't been freed yet. This panel is kinda symbolic of Armin's character throughout the timeskip, isn't it? Being fascinated by the outside world isn't problematic by itself, but Armin's willful ignorance is worthy of criticism.
Erwin is someone who truly understands what must be done in order to achieve a certain goal.
7/ ERWIN's MOTIVATIONS:
Erwin is inquisitive in nature; he looks beyond the Wall - that's why he asked that question in the classroom in the first place. As shown in S3 ep3, teenage Erwin was under the impression that his father's death was justified as long as the government had a good reason... which means that he didn't figure out the real cause of his father's death until he joined the military, which means that his original motivation to join the Survey Corps wasn't his father's death, but the pursuit of truth.
The only time when Erwin's personal goal became a barrier to humanity's victory is in the battle of Shiganshina, where he quickly discarded his dream for humanity.
"The moment humans reveal their truest nature is when they are in the brink of death". At the brink of death, Erwin chooses humanity. Actions speak louder than words. Erwin didn't understand that his motive isn't entirely selfish: He wanted to free humanity of their government's lies and injustices.
8/ ERWIN WOULDN'T QUIT POST-BASEMENT:
An argument that keeps surfacing in the fandom is: "Erwin would lose motivation after he learned what's in the basement". Ok, that's not how goals work. If a person wants to become a millionaire, it doesn't mean he stops working after he has $1 million in his account. No, he'll strive for more. Erwin had been fighting before he even knew about the basement or Eren, and it’s unreasonable to assume he would just stop fighting if he learned the truth.
Recall when Levi asked what Erwin would do afterward, he answered, "Eliminating threats. Apparently someone outside the Wall wants us all dead. The truth that we'll find at the basement will reveal who that someone is". It was he who posed the question of "Who is the real enemy?" in the first place. A man all about eliminating threats isn't going to just stop after finding out the identity of the threat.
Isayama chose Armin to survive because Erwin would've made the story hard to write since it would've been out of character for Erwin to step aside and let chaos happen.
To those who argue that "Erwin can't go on": Imagine if you were in AOT world in Season 4, whose leadership would you follow - assuming they were alive: Hange? Levi? Eren? Armin? Pixis? Shadis? If you would rather follow Erwin than anyone else, then you know that he CAN go on.
From an interview with Isayama:
Journalist: "If humanity is fully released from the Titans’ terror some day, and there are no more battles left to fight, what would you want to do?"
Erwin: "Ha... even after exterminating the Titans, the rule of humanity comes next, right? . . . Yes. The realization of our own dreams is less important than building a world for people, a place where humans can accomplish their own dreams."
Both Eren and Armin are disappointed after achieving the dream they had as kids. That is because they both expected the outside world to be a happy, dreamy place. Reality is not. This is in contrast to Erwin who just wanted to know the truth for what it is. He would go about it in a realistic way.
Erwin would make sure the sacrifices made were not in vain by leading Paradis to victory. Not to mention that the Survey Corps now has gained the populace support, it would be a lot easier on him. His strong sense of responsibility wouldn't allow him to abandon the people when they need his leadership. Also, he would be very curious about how Titans first came into existence, like his father was going to seek the truth about them.
9/ ERWIN IS THE FORCE THAT UNITES PARADIS.
Surely Armin has the potential but there's no other character in the series who can be a leader anywhere close to Erwin's level. His leadership, experience and recent popularity among civilians as a figure of hope and trust are enough to prove that he is the best choice.
Is Armin capable of all of these deductions in S1 and S2? No, it was Erwin who did all of this. Armin was mostly reiterating/narrating the findings that the Survey Corps had found. The series conditioned the viewer to think of him as "a genius" by "showcasing" him that way, while "forgetting" to credit Erwin for his strategic works. People don't get to see Erwin's deductions so they end up mistaking his deductions for Armin's or thinking that he's less smart than Armin [proof].
Battle of Shiganshina: The situation was "damned if you do, damned if you don't", but Erwin was able to turn defeat into victory and managed to get back at the Beast Titan. If you switch the Beast Titan with the Colossal Titan, Erwin would have come up with a way to defeat the Colossal. But if you switch the Colossal with the Beast, Armin wouldn't do the suicide charge; he wouldn't even inspire the recruits to do so.
Armin is smart. But Erwin is the leader humanity needs.
Think about it this way: In terms of intelligence, I could do at least 90% of things that Armin did - with a certain amount of knowledge, good observational skills and curiosity - I think many people can. But I can never hope to be able to cover more than 30% of what Erwin does - very very few people can. Becoming a respectable leader requires a lot more than intelligence. Humanity inside the walls is dealt a serious blow without Erwin's leadership and tactical brilliance.
According to Levi, "Dedicate your Heart" means that an idealized world is the only one worth dying and giving up your dreams for. What does this mean? It means that if the world hasn't become an ideal place yet, the Survey Corps' duty isn't over. This means that Erwin's dream (for an ideal world) goes beyond the basement. Four years ago, Levi said that he saved Armin NOT for humanity's sake. He also said that he did not expect Armin to fill Erwin's role, but now he admits that he kinda does. He saved Armin not because Armin is Armin but because he "has the same look in his eyes as Erwin" = he entrusted the future to Armin to carry on the Utopia dream of his comrades. Instead of choosing "that kid who had the same look in his eyes as Erwin", he could've simply chosen Erwin and given the world a better chance.
1/ LEVI'S DECISION ISN'T IN THE INTEREST OF HUMANITY.
Levi himself knows that.
"No regrets" applies to situations in which you truly can't gauge the outcomes of your decisions. In Levi's case, he knew full well that all the people currently alive could die due to this. He didn’t think about the soldiers' deaths being in vain. By making this decision, he's also asking other people to bear the consequences. His choice was not made in ignorance but deliberation. Therefore "no regrets" doesn't apply here. You can't make a knowingly stupid decision and rationalize it by "no regrets!" I know the show was trying to present this "impossible" choice to save Armin or Erwin but to me, it was a no-brainer. Armin is an intelligent boy who has the potential to become as good as Erwin in ~20-30 years. Erwin is already as good as he is. So why take the gamble?
Levi has followed Erwin for years. It should take a lot more than a few seconds for him to change his mind and place humanity in the hands of another person, not to mention, a kid!
2/ LEVI'S DECISION ISN'T IN ERWIN'S INTEREST, EITHER.
Levi himself knows that.
"No regrets" applies to situations in which you truly can't gauge the outcomes of your decisions. In Levi's case, he knew full well that all the people currently alive could die due to this. He didn’t think about the soldiers' deaths being in vain. By making this decision, he's also asking other people to bear the consequences. His choice was not made in ignorance but deliberation. Therefore "no regrets" doesn't apply here. You can't make a knowingly stupid decision and rationalize it by "no regrets!" I know the show was trying to present this "impossible" choice to save Armin or Erwin but to me, it was a no-brainer. Armin is an intelligent boy who has the potential to become as good as Erwin in ~20-30 years. Erwin is already as good as he is. So why take the gamble?
Levi has followed Erwin for years. It should take a lot more than a few seconds for him to change his mind and place humanity in the hands of another person, not to mention, a kid!
2/ LEVI'S DECISION ISN'T IN ERWIN'S INTEREST, EITHER.
Levi's reasoning was that he wanted Erwin to "rest" so that he wouldn't bear the burden of sending soldiers to death. So according to Levi, people should die to escape a moral conundrum rather than face it and surpass it.
Imagine working hard all your life for this one dream, then, when it's right there in front of his eyes, Levi pulled the rug from under his feet. That isn't love or respect (like some people have argued). Erwin did not owe his will to stay alive entirely on a single childhood dream. He obviously wasn't ready to die because he needed someone to give him a nudge, and his first reaction when Levi told him to suicide-charge was a mix of surprise and sadness.
"Erwin handing the serum to Levi" isn't a reason to justify Levi's choice. The serum was entrusted to Levi based on the logic that he's "humanity's strongest" who has the greatest chance of survival. Erwin is not the kind of person who would say, "Save the serum for me". That doesn't mean Levi made the right choice. Even if he truly believed that Erwin would feel "too guilty to move on after he's seen the basement", "can't live with himself" blah blah..., what he would do in the future is not for Levi to decide. IRL, being a surrogate decision-maker doesn't give you the power to do whatever the hell you want. If there are reasons to suspect that the proxy is not acting in a person's best interest, or having ulterior motive, a court or an ethics committee will take over. In addition, the decision to euthanize a person IRL is always in the context of futile treatment outcomes. In other words, if there were an elixir (like the Titan serum) that could heal all damages on a person, the euthanization discussion would never be on the table.
Had Erwin not wanted the serum to be used on himself, he would've told Levi "don't give it to me" way back before battle.
If Erwin were to choose, he wouldn't put humanity in the hands of a newbie soldier. This is what Isayama intended in the "serum bowl" (source):
"During that moment, I illustrated the panels while thinking, 'Everyone is a slave to something', Isayama shared. Perhaps Erwin was enslaved by his 'dream.' And as long as he lives, he cannot find freedom from it - only in death is there liberation. For Erwin, Levi abandoning his rescue is also using death to release Erwin from his shackles."So, Isayama intended for Levi to think of Erwin as "being enslaved to his dream" and that he wanted Erwin to die a selfless death like Kenny's.
"From Levi’s perspective, the Kenny who always survived by being selfish actually did something selfless in his final moments - that shocked him immensely. Because of that experience, Levi didn’t revive Erwin."
F* this bullshit. Since when is having a dream/purpose in life synonymous with slavery?! By that definition, everyone is a slave, since everyone has something to care for or to work toward, or someone to protect, or some goal to burden themselves with - either it's for money, family or some sort of ideals. Why is it a bad thing?! Every dream, every endeavor, by definition, carries some sort of burden / requires some sort of sacrifice from the dreamer (eg, if you want good grades, you have to give up part of your social life; if you want to protect your family, you have to give up other things). If something is easily attainable without efforts, it isn't a dream.
Levi did a lot of self-projections on Erwin. He's acting like a person could have only 1 goal in life. It's also not in Erwin's character to wallow in negativities or stop moving forward. Even if he had “no dreams” beyond the basement, given the type of person he is, he would want to find out more about the world and the mysteries of the Titans.
We don't explore for happiness.
We explore for truth.
We all know being a Commander of the SC comes with great burden, but despite that, he staged the coup d'etat partly because he did not actively want to die. He hesitated to choose between his dream and humanity in his final battle for the same reason: if he knew a way to win against the Beast Titan and still live to see the basement, he would definitely choose that route over a suicide charge. He was having extreme difficulty giving up his dream. This is why Levi stepped in and made the call for him, and he gave a faint smile: He is relieved that he did not have to make the choice because someone was able to do it for him. It was resignation, not satisfaction. The look on his face when he made the final speech and charged was pure horror (we had never seen him scared of anything before this moment). He did not "live his final moment in peace" like some people think. He simply realized that humanity's victory was more important than him personally reaching the truth, but he never let go of his desire to know the outside world. This was even reflected in his final words before Levi injected Armin with the serum.
IRL sometimes terminally ill people wish to die for no reason other than the feeling that they are a financial/resource burden. Is GUILT a good reason for euthanasia? Levi is a lifelong sufferer himself. Why doesn't he choose death for himself, then? Ah yes, he must be thinking life is worth living even when it's shit, but when it comes to other people's lives, his hypocrisy shows. If "death is the solution to suffering", Levi should kill the entire Paradis population to end their suffering.
The rock bombardment scene was Erwin's moment of weakness that Levi had to witness. It was Erwin's survivor’s guilt. But we see that a lot of characters go through this moment, too, and come out alive and kicking. People bring up Erwin's words of how sometimes death would be the easier choice, but we also see Armin have this disregard for his own life. Nevertheless, we still see Armin push forward. When they discover that the Titans aren't their real enemy, Eren shifts his gears towards freedom. Reiner - a character that explicitly wanted to die, still sees hope through Gabi and Falco. Shadis is proof that you can turn around after wallowing in failure. If all these characters managed to remold their dreams and visions and overcome their guilt, why can't Erwin?! His whole character wasn't just the basement. He still had people and ideal he cared about. The whole "he needed to be drunk on something" thing is a bogus argument.
3/ ERWIN'S DREAM IS NECESSARY TO MANKIND.
Never deny that Erwin has a selfish dream, but he at the core is driven by a quest for truth and justice - things that never fade away.
A lot of people say that "Erwin only cared about the basement" - this is nonsense. If that were the case, he wouldn't have risked his own life multiple times, and he wouldn't sacrifice himself with his soldiers when he was so close to the damn basement. It's very lazy thinking saying that the only thing Erwin ever cared was the basement, because it even contradicts his last speech and how he cared about his comrades that died along the way.
Erwin's dream is more beneficial to humanity because the very nature of the pursuit for truth pushes humanity forward. He wanted to know the truth of the world because humanity was in a dark deep forest with no knowledge whatsoever and his original motivation was that, when he raised his hand in the classroom, before his father told him anything. Why is there this struggle in the first place? What are they - the living - fighting for? Erwin wants to know. Most of Erwin's characterization embodies the human spirit of inquiry.
When Erwin told the recruits that he was seeking truth in Eren's basement in Season 1, many of them willingly joined him. When he was younger, he spread his theories among his fellow trainee cadets (S3P2 ep3-4 where Nile confirms it). That's one of the reasons that many graduating cadets joined the SC along with him.
Some people argue how Armin's dream "was pure, selfless and somehow better than Erwin's". Armin's dream was selfish, too. He wanted himself and his friends to see the ocean. It's similar to Furlan's and Isabel's dream of seeing the sky for themselves rather than wishing to free all the people of the Underground. When Armin got to the ocean, he enjoyed the scenery and completely "forgot" that his people haven't been freed yet. This panel is kinda symbolic of Armin's character throughout the timeskip, isn't it? Being fascinated by the outside world isn't problematic by itself, but Armin's willful ignorance is worthy of criticism.
Some people argue that Armin is "hopeful/positive" while Erwin is "hopeless/negative". Ok, when you've spent decades of your life trying to reach your goal and haven't succeeded, of course you aren't happy. But the fact that he persisted all those years speaks to his resilience.
If you were presented with a person with hopes and dreams VS. another person who has the ABILITY to make an actual change, whom would you choose? People may criticize Erwin's dream, but his quest for truth is what saves the Wall society from being wiped out by Marley. Make no mistake: It is Erwin's dream, not Armin's, that does.
5/ THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ERWIN AND LEVI:
Most people can't relate to Erwin's person or ambition, and Levi is one of them.
Erwin was a person with great vision. And full of curiosity. His character embodies the spirit of human INQUIRY.
Remember that Erwin smiled when he found that Titans came from humans at the end of S2. While Levi was somehow upset and hopeless, Erwin was smiling and insisting that they made a huge step and kept pushing forward. It shows that he'd have a new sense of motivation and satisfaction after finding out the truth. Because any discovery about the world they live in is worth being joyful about. Instead of wallowing in negativity like Levi, he rejoiced in humanity PROGRESS. Feeling sad/guilty for the deaths of comrades is normal. But Erwin knew that all the sacrifices led them to this point. That's how he kept going for decades despite being a subject of hatred and mockery in Paradis. However, the political landscape is different after the coup: he and the SC are the people's heroes now. When he stood on the Wall and having the people cheer for him for the first time, how did he react? Did he go, "No I'm not worthy, I'm a devil, I don't deserve admiration"? Nope. He returned the people's raucous cheering and applause with an equal amount of positive energy that surprised Levi! Again when he stood on Shiganshina Wall in "mountain of corpses", he reiterated to himself that "these sacrifices were necessary to make it this far". He kept his eyes on the goals and didn't let emotion cloud his rationality. But Levi is unable to relate to him, therefore in his mind he thinks this is a negative thing: He thinks it's not worth it, but Erwin thinks differently. This is a major difference between Erwin and Levi. Levi lacks the vision of Erwin. Therefore, he can't possibly predict what Erwin would do post-basement.
On the other hand, Levi could emotionally relate to Armin because the EMA trio reminds him of Furlan and Isabel.
(1) Erwin's personal goal has never superseded his duty.
(2) What really matters is the RESULTS. Does he yield the best results? Yes.
(3) Everyone in the Survey Corps - including Armin and Levi - has their own personal motives. It is perfectly normal.
(4) Some people think that "Armin is more selfless than Erwin". Ok, how was Armin able to see the ocean? Because of Erwin's achievements. Much of Armin's drive is "to see the ocean". He joined the army in the first place because the government killed his grandfather - which is pretty similar to why Erwin joined the army.
(5) Armin is wearing rose-colored glasses and lacks the resolve of Erwin.
6/ ERWIN SACRIFICED LIVES BC IT'S BETTER THAN THE ALTERNATIVES.
Erwin's actions would have been the same whether his motivations had been selfish or altruistic, and the results of his actions have always been to the benefit of Paradis as a whole.
(2) What really matters is the RESULTS. Does he yield the best results? Yes.
(3) Everyone in the Survey Corps - including Armin and Levi - has their own personal motives. It is perfectly normal.
(4) Some people think that "Armin is more selfless than Erwin". Ok, how was Armin able to see the ocean? Because of Erwin's achievements. Much of Armin's drive is "to see the ocean". He joined the army in the first place because the government killed his grandfather - which is pretty similar to why Erwin joined the army.
(5) Armin is wearing rose-colored glasses and lacks the resolve of Erwin.
6/ ERWIN SACRIFICED LIVES BC IT'S BETTER THAN THE ALTERNATIVES.
Erwin's actions would have been the same whether his motivations had been selfish or altruistic, and the results of his actions have always been to the benefit of Paradis as a whole.
There is an argument that "Armin can win without sacrificing anyone, unlike Erwin who had to sacrifice others" - which is invalid because the Shiganshina battle was set up in such a way that Armin must not use anyone else because his situation required that the Colossal Titan be isolated from any threats. Meanwhile, Erwin was put in a situation in which the only way out is to charge as a unit. He could've lost and left the fate of the Wall to Marley, but he pushed back and retook Wall Maria.
Erwin is someone who truly understands what must be done in order to achieve a certain goal.
When they have to fight giant monsters with nothing but 3D gears and swords, every mission is a suicide mission, regardless of the Commanders. They are at a major information and technology disadvantage compared to their enemies. And that is the hand that Erwin has been dealt with because of the awful world he lives in. It was Erwin who did the dirty work and that's why everybody else's hands were clean. Nontheless, he still has the reputation of having the most minimal lives lost in the history of leaders.
7/ ERWIN's MOTIVATIONS:
Erwin is inquisitive in nature; he looks beyond the Wall - that's why he asked that question in the classroom in the first place. As shown in S3 ep3, teenage Erwin was under the impression that his father's death was justified as long as the government had a good reason... which means that he didn't figure out the real cause of his father's death until he joined the military, which means that his original motivation to join the Survey Corps wasn't his father's death, but the pursuit of truth.
When Erwin’s gamble paid off in the Coup and it’s proven that the government cared nothing for humanity, he reacted not with triumph but with sorrow. Rather than thinking of himself, he worried about the future of mankind: He told Nile that they were on a more dangerous path than ever before."One day, we'll break it down. This wall hiding the truth... will fall." ~ Erwin at the end of Season 2
The only time when Erwin's personal goal became a barrier to humanity's victory is in the battle of Shiganshina, where he quickly discarded his dream for humanity.
"The moment humans reveal their truest nature is when they are in the brink of death". At the brink of death, Erwin chooses humanity. Actions speak louder than words. Erwin didn't understand that his motive isn't entirely selfish: He wanted to free humanity of their government's lies and injustices.
Erwin is not the kind of person who prioritizes his own dream. He follows through with his responsibilities, and when the time comes, Erwin is able to give up on his dream and make the best decision. ~Isayama
8/ ERWIN WOULDN'T QUIT POST-BASEMENT:
An argument that keeps surfacing in the fandom is: "Erwin would lose motivation after he learned what's in the basement". Ok, that's not how goals work. If a person wants to become a millionaire, it doesn't mean he stops working after he has $1 million in his account. No, he'll strive for more. Erwin had been fighting before he even knew about the basement or Eren, and it’s unreasonable to assume he would just stop fighting if he learned the truth.
People need to understand that motivations are deeper than goals. I don't think Erwin would be mad at all to get to see the basement if he was chosen. A person who spent his life to find out more about the world wouldn't stop after finding out that there's so much more to his dream and the world than he ever realized. A person who hoped to win the lottery wouldn't be depressed after winning it.
Recall when Levi asked what Erwin would do afterward, he answered, "Eliminating threats. Apparently someone outside the Wall wants us all dead. The truth that we'll find at the basement will reveal who that someone is". It was he who posed the question of "Who is the real enemy?" in the first place. A man all about eliminating threats isn't going to just stop after finding out the identity of the threat.
To those who argue that "Erwin can't go on": Imagine if you were in AOT world in Season 4, whose leadership would you follow - assuming they were alive: Hange? Levi? Eren? Armin? Pixis? Shadis? If you would rather follow Erwin than anyone else, then you know that he CAN go on.
From an interview with Isayama:
Journalist: "If humanity is fully released from the Titans’ terror some day, and there are no more battles left to fight, what would you want to do?"
Erwin: "Ha... even after exterminating the Titans, the rule of humanity comes next, right? . . . Yes. The realization of our own dreams is less important than building a world for people, a place where humans can accomplish their own dreams."
It isn't in his nature to simply be "done" with his life. He'd come up with a new dream, see the bigger picture at hand and decide what needs to be done and how to go about it.
Both Eren and Armin are disappointed after achieving the dream they had as kids. That is because they both expected the outside world to be a happy, dreamy place. Reality is not. This is in contrast to Erwin who just wanted to know the truth for what it is. He would go about it in a realistic way.
Erwin would make sure the sacrifices made were not in vain by leading Paradis to victory. Not to mention that the Survey Corps now has gained the populace support, it would be a lot easier on him. His strong sense of responsibility wouldn't allow him to abandon the people when they need his leadership. Also, he would be very curious about how Titans first came into existence, like his father was going to seek the truth about them.
9/ ERWIN IS THE FORCE THAT UNITES PARADIS.
Surely Armin has the potential but there's no other character in the series who can be a leader anywhere close to Erwin's level. His leadership, experience and recent popularity among civilians as a figure of hope and trust are enough to prove that he is the best choice.
Is Armin capable of all of these deductions in S1 and S2? No, it was Erwin who did all of this. Armin was mostly reiterating/narrating the findings that the Survey Corps had found. The series conditioned the viewer to think of him as "a genius" by "showcasing" him that way, while "forgetting" to credit Erwin for his strategic works. People don't get to see Erwin's deductions so they end up mistaking his deductions for Armin's or thinking that he's less smart than Armin [proof].
Battle of Shiganshina: The situation was "damned if you do, damned if you don't", but Erwin was able to turn defeat into victory and managed to get back at the Beast Titan. If you switch the Beast Titan with the Colossal Titan, Erwin would have come up with a way to defeat the Colossal. But if you switch the Colossal with the Beast, Armin wouldn't do the suicide charge; he wouldn't even inspire the recruits to do so.
Think about it this way: In terms of intelligence, I could do at least 90% of things that Armin did - with a certain amount of knowledge, good observational skills and curiosity - I think many people can. But I can never hope to be able to cover more than 30% of what Erwin does - very very few people can. Becoming a respectable leader requires a lot more than intelligence. Humanity inside the walls is dealt a serious blow without Erwin's leadership and tactical brilliance.
10/ CHAPTER 136: LEVI CONTRADICTS HIMSELF:
Conclusion: Philosophical bullshit always destroys itself with irony and contradictions.
FROM THE WRITING STANDPOINT
1/ THE NARRATIVE IS MANIPULATIVE:
Isayama had to find a way to make it seem like both Erwin and Armin are equal in military value. This would mean hyping Armin up as a careful, tactical genius and downplaying Erwin into this cruel Commander that would pointlessly sacrifice his soldiers left and right. It's funny how all of a sudden, Armin was "Humanity's Savior" and Erwin was "the Devil".
And that whole "drunk on dreams" thing only made it seem like Erwin was just gonna give up everything once he reached the basement. As if he didn't say that the living should continue to keep on fighting no matter what, in honor of their dead comrades' sacrifices, and that even if the truth was harsh, Erwin himself said that they should not buckle or yield.
The whole Serumbowl fiasco cheapened Erwin's sacrifice and used his final moments as a means to prop up Armin.
That's why I find the narrative dishonest and I lost my respect for Isayama as an author. But because his manipulation was so subtle, many fans don't realize it and keep arguing that "the serumbowl is good writing". It isn't.
A lot of viewers got emotional simply from watching Mikasa cry, so the emotional favor is tipped toward Armin. Not to mention the author had Eren and Mikasa argue that "Armin can do [what Erwin does], too!" Truth is that he can't. Even Eren didn't honestly believe that Armin would be able to do Erwin's job; he just raved about him so that Levi would inject him.
ALSO, it irks me to see a number of people mistaking Erwin's last-moment unconscious hand movement as a sign of "he refused the serum": He was unaware and hallucinating at that time; there's no way he understood the situation. The words he mumbled: "Teacher, how do you know..." was unconscious sleep-talking. [ As another reader put it: "It's cheap that the show made Erwin wave his hand exactly at the moment Levi was about to inject him. The timing served no purpose but to confuse the readers." ]
5/ THE "SERUM BOWL" SCENE IS A PRETENTIOUS SHOUNEN TROPE.
In 95% of shounen anime, the MC and his friends are always prioritized over someone else despite reasons and abilities. The fact that AOT, too, employs that trope is a huge disappointment in an otherwise perfect story up to this point.
It's pretty absurd to romanticize death. The entire episode "Midnight Sun" was used to gaslight the audience to make them feel like there's a valid reason to let go of a great leader in favor of the MC's best friend. Forcing that stupid situation and making Levi choose Armin was one of Isayama's dumbest moments as a writer, because the story completely lost its potential afterwards, and that is bad writing.
6/ THE SCENE BREAKS LEVI'S CHARACTER.
Throughout the story, we see that Levi embodies the hope, the wish and the worth of mankind. But here, he's giving a middle finger to Paradis (LOL). This scene breaks Levi's character and everything he stands for in AOT by making him an awfully irresponsible person. It's also a double standard when Levi encouraged Erwin to "give up your dream for humanity" while he himself isn't able to adhere to his own principle.
7/ MORE BAD WRITING:
A lot of people hype Season 4 but I think it is pretty stale. But then, if Erwin were alive, there would be a cast of multiple masterminds playing politics, which would make it a difficult plot to write.
AOT up to that point was a perfect masterpiece. But "Midnight Sun" highlights the fact that the author's priority is to cater to the shounen demographic (at the cost of a potentially more interesting plot).
2/ THE REAL REASON THE AUTHOR GETS RID OF ERWIN:
If Erwin were alive, he would no doubt become the MC of Season 4, which isn't what the author wanted. What ultimately dooms Erwin is more genre demands than anything else: AOT is shounen, after all, which means the main cast of kids must have the leading role, so it becomes a case of “how to remove competing adults from this role in the narrative”.
3/ THE MANGA PURPOSEFULLY DID NOT SHOW US ERWIN'S THOUGHT PROCESSES
... thereby making a lot of people think that he's "less smart than Armin" while nothing is further from the truth. Again, Evidence.
4/ SEASON 4 WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE EPIC WITH ERWIN.
I never agree with the argument that "this character's arc is complete". According to this "argument", Erwin should be dead cause his arc "concluded" even though he never got to the basement?! And Armin should be alive cause he must know what's beyond the sea???
There's a lot more to explore with Erwin's character. Characters don't need to have a big change or an epiphany for an "arc". They can stay the same damn characters the entire time and still be interesting.
4/ THE "SERUM BOWL" SCENE IS GASLIGHTING:
The "serum bowl" makes for a good bit of drama and feels, but it intellectually angers me because the author gaslights us into rooting for Armin by having multiple characters bat for him and list his accomplishments while completely ignore Erwin's - worse, having Floch argue that Erwin is "the devil". Floch was looking for someone to blame (Erwin) and wanted to him back out of spite, which only reinforced Levi's decision. And it was very foolish of Levi to listen to him, as he did not represent the Survey Corps or the Walldians.
If Erwin were alive, he would no doubt become the MC of Season 4, which isn't what the author wanted. What ultimately dooms Erwin is more genre demands than anything else: AOT is shounen, after all, which means the main cast of kids must have the leading role, so it becomes a case of “how to remove competing adults from this role in the narrative”.
3/ THE MANGA PURPOSEFULLY DID NOT SHOW US ERWIN'S THOUGHT PROCESSES
... thereby making a lot of people think that he's "less smart than Armin" while nothing is further from the truth. Again, Evidence.
4/ SEASON 4 WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE EPIC WITH ERWIN.
I never agree with the argument that "this character's arc is complete". According to this "argument", Erwin should be dead cause his arc "concluded" even though he never got to the basement?! And Armin should be alive cause he must know what's beyond the sea???
There's a lot more to explore with Erwin's character. Characters don't need to have a big change or an epiphany for an "arc". They can stay the same damn characters the entire time and still be interesting.
4/ THE "SERUM BOWL" SCENE IS GASLIGHTING:
The "serum bowl" makes for a good bit of drama and feels, but it intellectually angers me because the author gaslights us into rooting for Armin by having multiple characters bat for him and list his accomplishments while completely ignore Erwin's - worse, having Floch argue that Erwin is "the devil". Floch was looking for someone to blame (Erwin) and wanted to him back out of spite, which only reinforced Levi's decision. And it was very foolish of Levi to listen to him, as he did not represent the Survey Corps or the Walldians.
Listing Armin's accomplishments while COMPLETELY ignoring Erwin's, again, gives us a FALSE impression that "Armin is smarter than Erwin". It had been 6 years since Season 1, and 2 years since Season 2, where most of Erwin's action was on screen for us to appreciate.
The "serum bowl" shows us a flashback when Levi asked Erwin what he would do after the basement and he said, "I don't know" while showing Armin with a happy face "let's go to the sea!", intentionally omitting the flashback where Erwin talked about "eliminating future threats".
A lot of viewers got emotional simply from watching Mikasa cry, so the emotional favor is tipped toward Armin. Not to mention the author had Eren and Mikasa argue that "Armin can do [what Erwin does], too!" Truth is that he can't. Even Eren didn't honestly believe that Armin would be able to do Erwin's job; he just raved about him so that Levi would inject him.
ALSO, it irks me to see a number of people mistaking Erwin's last-moment unconscious hand movement as a sign of "he refused the serum": He was unaware and hallucinating at that time; there's no way he understood the situation. The words he mumbled: "Teacher, how do you know..." was unconscious sleep-talking. [ As another reader put it: "It's cheap that the show made Erwin wave his hand exactly at the moment Levi was about to inject him. The timing served no purpose but to confuse the readers." ]
5/ THE "SERUM BOWL" SCENE IS A PRETENTIOUS SHOUNEN TROPE.
In 95% of shounen anime, the MC and his friends are always prioritized over someone else despite reasons and abilities. The fact that AOT, too, employs that trope is a huge disappointment in an otherwise perfect story up to this point.
It's pretty absurd to romanticize death. The entire episode "Midnight Sun" was used to gaslight the audience to make them feel like there's a valid reason to let go of a great leader in favor of the MC's best friend. Forcing that stupid situation and making Levi choose Armin was one of Isayama's dumbest moments as a writer, because the story completely lost its potential afterwards, and that is bad writing.
6/ THE SCENE BREAKS LEVI'S CHARACTER.
Throughout the story, we see that Levi embodies the hope, the wish and the worth of mankind. But here, he's giving a middle finger to Paradis (LOL). This scene breaks Levi's character and everything he stands for in AOT by making him an awfully irresponsible person. It's also a double standard when Levi encouraged Erwin to "give up your dream for humanity" while he himself isn't able to adhere to his own principle.
Isayama established Levi as someone who was supposed to care a lot about Erwin just to rationalize choosing Armin because readers would find it difficult to argue against the emotional appeal of "he did it out of love". If Hange did it, the majority of the fandom would protest.
7/ MORE BAD WRITING:
- The author let 2 characters survive fatal injuries just for the serum drama.
- The "serum bowl" breaks Levi's character and his friendship with Erwin by making him impose his own thoughts on Erwin (by condensing his entire life into "muh basement").
- Kenny's flashback during the "serum bowl" is meant to show us that Levi was influenced by what he thought was Kenny's end-of-life "selflessness", but Levi's choice wasn't in humanity's interest - it's the opposite of "selfless".
- Levi failed to realize that the reason Kenny didn't use the serum on himself was his fear of ending up like Rod Reiss, NOT that he preferred "dying peacefully" or being selfless. If Kenny knew for sure the serum was safe, he would 100% take it.
- In the end, Levi is influenced by his own interpretation of Kenny's thinking. Not Erwin's thinking, either. Again, Levi's choice is neither for humanity nor for Erwin.
- I disagree with anyone who argues "saving Erwin would undo his sacrifice". NOT saving him is undoing all the progress that he's made. They discovered the secrets of Titans, overthrew King Fritz to establish a better leadership for the people, won back Shiganshina, and guess where they are now? Having to face outside threats without the leadership of the only defense force they have. They're in a position to lose everything and their sacrifices won't mean anything anymore. Erwin and soldiers gave their lives in vain.
- It is worth noting that the author completely skips Paradis' reaction to Erwin's death. If you think about it, every high-ranking official worth his salt must've been livid after hearing about Levi's choice. Levi would've at least faced a tough talk with the people of Paradis. That would make for a more interesting scene than Floch ranting at the trio. But we got none of that. Not even Nile's reaction. All was swept under the rug. All we got was a scene in which Floch ranted at the trio - this scene was meant to garner more sympathy for Armin once again. I understand this is a shounen series but the heavy favoritism for the teenage characters makes the series lose value in my eyes.
- It is ironic and hypocritical that the story uses "Because I was born into this world" and "It's okay not to be special" as an argument against euthanasia but uses "he's tired/depressed" and "burden of guilt" as an excuse for euthanasia.
- Can person only have ONE goal in life?
- Likewise, do you think that a person needs a goal to live? In other words, without a goal, your life is meaningless? Does this not contradict the iconic one-liner "Because I was born into this world"?
- If you believe that "death is a liberation of suffering" then aren't you justifying Zeke?
A lot of people hype Season 4 but I think it is pretty stale. But then, if Erwin were alive, there would be a cast of multiple masterminds playing politics, which would make it a difficult plot to write.
AOT up to that point was a perfect masterpiece. But "Midnight Sun" highlights the fact that the author's priority is to cater to the shounen demographic (at the cost of a potentially more interesting plot).
- More posts on Erwin Smith:
