Attack On Titan: The "Serum Bowl" from Story and Writing Standpoints

First of all, I used to root for Armin and Levi's choice after watching the "Midnight Sun" episode. However, after perusing it closely, I concluded that Levi's choice is utter bullshit. More importantly, as a reader, I have the right to judge any author's work. Authors aren't immune to criticism. "Even if there is a god and I had his teachings before me, I would think it through and decide if that was right or wrong myself."

FROM THE STORY STANDPOINT

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 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.

Not to mention that letting someone die when he didn't want to and denying him an opportunity to fulfill his lifelong dream isn't love or respect (as some people 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: he felt unfulfilled.

"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". Erwin would approve of whomever the serum was used for, simply because he'd understand of the direness of such situation. 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, 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 even be on the table.

Did Erwin want to live? Yes. Simple as that. This was exactly the cause of his hesitation to sacrifice himself. Levi failed to honor his wish. 

If Erwin were to choose between Armin and Hange, 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."
"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."

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. 

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 knowledge.

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 hesitated because 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 elderly, 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? Would you tell your friend that "death would be better" than being alive? 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 himself, his mother (if she's still alive) and 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. The whole "he may be depressed, therefore letting him die was the right choice" argument is very disturbing.

3/ "BUT LEVI DID IT OUT OF LOVE". 

What he thinks he did it for doesn't matter. The point is that it cannot be justified logically or even emotionally. 

Levi's reasoning is "it's best to let Erwin 'rest'". So let's consider this scenario: If Erwin was about to be killed by an assassin, would Levi jump in to save him or watch him die? If he answered the former, then he'd contradict himself and destroy his serumbowl reasoning. Because both the serumbowl and that scenario present a situation in which he has the power to save Erwin but chooses not to. To be consistent, he must act the same in both.

4/ ERWIN'S DREAM IS NECESSARY TO MANKIND.

Never deny that Erwin has a selfish dream, but he at the core is driven by curiosity, a thirst for truth and a sense of justice - things that never fade away.

"Knowledge is power". 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 all of it. Most of Erwin's characterization embodies the dream of going beyond the Walls in search for truth.

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 whole character is about lifelong LEARNING.

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 had the hope to push 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 the sacrifice was worth it. 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 understand and relate to him, therefore in his mind he thinks this is a negative thing:  He thinks it's not worth the human sacrifices, but Erwin thinks differently. This is a major difference between Erwin and Levi. Levi thinks small. Erwin thinks big. 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 NET 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 AND 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. The battle of Shiganshina mimics the Battle of Midway in WWII where the exact strategy was used.
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. The concept of sacrificing units for the greater good is nothing new, 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. He still has the reputation of having the most minimal lives lost in the history of leaders.

Erwin is someone who truly understands what must be done in order to achieve a certain goal. Although he said that seeing the basement was more important than the survival of humanity before they went to Shiganshina, he ultimately broke free of those chains and was truly able to give up anything (even his life and ability to see the basement) for Levi to kill the Beast Titan.

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 knowledge.

"One day, we'll break it down. This wall hiding the truth... will fall."  ~ Erwin at the end of Season 2

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.
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.

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" for ANY reason:  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 is the right choice.

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/sad 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.

10/  CHAPTER 136:  LEVI CONTRADICTS HIMSELF: 

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.

Conclusion: Philosophical bullshit always destroys itself with ironies 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".

It also feels like Armin was shoehorned into the whole thing. Isayama said in an interview that his dream of going beyond his hometown was similar to Armin's. He also said that Armin was an ideal version that he wished to be. It's not far-fetched to say Armin is Isayama's self-insert.

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 shine light on 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 parroting his points to argue that "the serumbowl is good writing". It isn't.

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. But I hate how he used Levi's character as a plot device to get rid of Erwin.

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've stay dead cause his arc "concluded" even though he never got to the basement?! And Armin should stay 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 to make us root 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 cried simply from seeing 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! That's the point. 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 in a typical shounen fashion. 
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. But it isn't difficult to see through it, since the serumbowl destroyed that notion itself by showing how badly Levi misunderstood Erwin, and later in chapter 136, retcon his reasoning so hard.

7/  MORE BAD WRITING: 

1. The author let 2 characters survive fatal injuries just for the serum drama.
2. 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").
3. 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 selfish choice wasn't in humanity's interest - it's the opposite of "selfless".
4. 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 wanted to be selfless. If Kenny knew for sure the serum was safe, he would 100% choose to take it.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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 both the government and 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.
8. 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.
9. Can person only have ONE goal in life? 
10. 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"?
11. If you believe that "death is a liberation of suffering" then aren't you justifying Zeke?

In summary, the "serum bowl" destroys itself when faced with logic. There's no reason that Armin is chosen other than him being a main character. Killing Armin off would have solidified the no-character-is-safe notion and that not everyone can reach their dreams, friends can't always stay together, AND broken the stereotype of "shounen".

The series can offer a million "reasons" but the truth is that this is a shounen series, therefore a middle-aged character isn't allowed to lead the story.

A lot of people hype Season 4 but I think it isn't good at all. 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) and it is the reason I can't give the series a higher than 8/10 rating.

• More posts on Erwin Smith:
• Erwin Smith character analysis
• Parallel between Kenshin and Erwin
• How Season 4 would go with Erwin

Attack On Titan: Erwin Smith

The Strength to Shoulder Many Lives While Embracing Unshakable Beliefs

"If there are humans who can bring about change, they are those who are capable of abandoning everything. People who, when required to surpass even monsters, are capable of tossing aside their humanity. People who fail to abandon anything will likely fail to produce any result".

"If you begin to regret, you'll dull your future decisions and let others make the choices for you. Then all that's left for you is to die. Nobody can foretell the future. Each decision you make holds meaning only by affecting your next decision." ~13th Commander of the Survey Corps.

This quote and mindset is passed forth from Erwin to Levi to Eren.

Leadership isn't just a role; it's a mindset, a personality. 

Intelligence, wisdom, bravery, resolve. No one else in the series has seen through difficult situations like he does. His sharp intuition, sheer tenacity and his calm analysis have always impressed me. I like the character as someone who's willing to make the tough decisions that are for the benefit of mankind despite these decisions reflecting poorly on him. He accepts his flaws and is never in denial about anything. I immensely respect this kind of people. The best leaders are people whose ego don't shatter in positions of power.

*Arm bitten off, doesn't give a fuck* "SUSUMEEEE!!!"  -- This scene cemented Erwin as my favorite character in AOT.

Always thinking ahead in the battle against Titans, Erwin works out the best possible plans. For instance, he used a horde of Titans - the only working weapon at the time - to fight the Armored Titan. Against the Female Titan - an abnormal that no one had prepared for - he showed excellent judgement: he deduced that the FT was among them and that she would transform again; by instructing Levi to perfectly maintain his equipment, he prevented him from getting into a pinch and took back Eren. Finally, in the battle of Shiganshina, he turns defeat into victory!
Back then, he had "read" Levi correctly and used Levi's emotion for Furlan and Isabel to capture them all. Erwin is all too capable of being able to grasp the situation in an instant!


THE QUEST FOR TRUTH

"Knowledge is power".

"There is no human ambition that doesn't stem from selfish desires."

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, young Erwin was perfectly willing to believe that his father's death was justified: as long as the government had a good reason, he’d have been fine with it... which means that he didn't figure it out 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 knowledge.

"One day, we'll break it down. This wall hiding the truth... will fall."  ~ Erwin at the end of Season 2

Erwin's personal goal has never caused him to make wrong decisions for humanity. It ISN'T a less valuable goal than "protecting humanity". Searching for truth IS saving humanity. They can't win against the enemies without first and foremost knowing the truth about them and the world. Thus, the quest for a truth is a goal that humanity should strive for, and thankfully they have Erwin to do it.

Some people may criticize his dream as being "selfish" or "immoral" whatever, but he was the ONLY leader who was seeking truth. He doesn't just want the people to go beyond the wall. So many soldiers have died. For what? Because of what? What are they fighting for? Why is there this struggle in the first place? Erwin wants to know all of that! This is a goal that I would gladly follow him for - personal or not. Erwin's quest for truth is what saves the Wall society from being wiped out by Marley. If his "selfishness" is bringing humanity forward, that is a form of selfishness that is needed.
Just like L in Death Note who solves crimes not for justice but to satisfy his love for puzzles, the world still benefits massively from him. "Just like how we go to college to benefit ourselves but by raising our socioeconomic status, we uplift the society we're living in". Let's say if someone tried to prove that the Earth was round in a world where everyone believed Earth was flat, why should we care what he did it for? The end result is the same.

Everyone in the Survey Corps has their own selfish motivation. Not that they don't care about humanity, but they all have their own personal reasons for joining and remaining with the Corps. Hange's is Titan experiment. Eren (initially) wants revenge. Armin wants to see the ocean. Mikasa wants to protect Eren. Jean is honoring the memory of Marco. Connie wants his villagers to feel proud of him. Shadis wanted to be special, etc.
But some people only like to criticize Erwin because he is conscientious enough to question himself.
Having a selfish personal reason for joining the Corps is fine. It's human. It's healthy. As long as he doesn't let this personal reason overshadow overall goal of protecting humanity - which Erwin has never done.

"It was only after joining the Survey Corps and coming face-to-face with a Titan that I came to understand the futility of mankind. Wealth, power, noble ideals... all of those would disappear in an instant if the Titans were to breach these Walls. This is why... we will use any means necessary to ensure that the missions and our efforts to take back this world are not abandoned!" ~Erwin

• A selfish guy would stay home while his soldiers were fighting. 
• A selfish guy would put himself in the safest place of his own Formation.
• Erwin knew that he would never be able to reach his personal goal about knowing the truth if he died before this happens. Yet when a Titan grabbed him, he ordered everyone to keep charging and save Eren.
• He did not just ask other leaders to help him overthrow the government; he put humanity above his selfish gain: if the gov truly acted in the interest of humanity then he would accept his death.
• When Erwin’s gamble paid off 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.
• He reveals himself right in front of the Armored Titan on the Wall to see if he could distract Reiner from his mission of targeting Eren (all the while bemoaning how he wants to go to the basement yet still remains on the Wall overseeing the battle).
• Then of course in the end, when his dream is a barrier to humanity's survival, he chooses to put his dream aside and leads the suicide charge.

"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. It was genuine all along. Erwin just has some (psychological) issues. He didn't understand that his goal is, in nature, selfless. He wanted to free humanity of their government's lies and injustices. 


SACRIFICES

"But he sends people to their death!", people say. Yes, he is a Commander. They are fighting a war, and that's what Commanders do in wars [ for reference, see the Battle of Midway in WWII ]. It's not like he doesn't feel guilty about it though, and the soldiers are volunteers. They weren't forced to join the military and the Survey Corps, and Erwin told them that they might not know what was going on all the time, and if they didn't think it was worth it to offer their hearts for humanity like that then they could join the Garrison or the MP. He formed an honest recruitment speech that scared many off to minimize casualties and guarantee skill, also to distract potential spies with the mention of the basement.

Pixis, Shadis and Armin have given similar orders that sacrificed people's lives. Levi proposed a plan to sacrifice soldiers' lives to save Erwin and Eren in Shiganshina. When they have to fight giant monsters with nothing but horses, swords and 3D gears, every mission is a suicide mission, regardless of the Commander. Think of the alternative. "The lives of 100 comrades or the lives of everyone inside the Walls. The Commander chose. He chose to throw away the lives of 100 comrades."  If Erwin was someone soft-hearted enough to compromise battle strategy, Levi wouldn’t follow him.

Erwin earned the reputation of having the most minimal lives lost in the history of leaders. He only asked for sacrifices when there was no better choice. In situations where casualties could be minimized, Erwin chose that option; for example, his coup d'etat didn't cost a single life. His Long-distance Scouting Formation reduced death rate to 30% and he was the only leader who cared enough to do that in the first place.

"When fighting Titans, we're dealing with all sorts of unknowns, thus we can never be prepared". "They’re fighting an enemy who they don’t understand, and is worlds stronger than them. When you have a one in million chance of success, you take it, even if that chance relies on you sacrificing everything you have. The concept of sacrificing units for the greater good is nothing new, and unfortunately that’s the hand Erwin’s been dealt every time because of the awful world he lives in. Erwin is a great Commander. Yes, he’s cost a lot of lives, but he’s not done it without reason and he’s aware of what he did and wishes there was another way."

"Limiting ourselves to the best course of action will never give us the edge over the enemy. We must take necessary and costly risks. Unless we fight like that, mankind cannot prevail". ~Erwin

The Titans are not the only enemy he needs to fight. Erwin also needs to fight against the authorities that are against outside wall expedition and the MPs who constantly try to eliminate the "threats" for the sake of "peace" within the Wall.

And it's not like Erwin is a coward who hides behind his comrades. He always LEADS in front. Sacrifice aside, it is his determination and his ability to not only lead the front line but also in the political scene, he is extremely shrewd, able to dodge assassination attempt and turn the tables on those seeking to keep humanity still blind behind the Walls.


CONSCIENCE

"It would take an expert conman and a pack of lies..."
Erwin believes himself to be a conman for fooling people for his selfish goal but the truth is that his selfish goal has never superseded his duty. He's a walking self-contradiction. Time and time again, he’s shown that he cares about humanity and is more than willing to sacrifice his life if needed. But the guilt is eating him up and makes him believe he is a lying conman. People may have died under his command, but those deaths were necessary for humanity to move forward. He is the primary reason that the Wall society and Eren's gang are able to get as far as they could. Although someone has to be in his position to shoulder the burden of everyone's lives, the fact that he sees himself in such a way by itself shows his humanity. He accepts the reality of war as a personal burden and shoulders the responsibility accordingly. How many leaders are conscientious enough to do that?

Many times, we see leaders who are too confident that they're doing everything for "a greater cause" and never question themselves - that's when it can become dangerous. But Erwin is constantly questioning himself and his guilt comes from being in the position of a leader than anything else. Before he knew it, he found himself at the top giving orders to subordinates. "So when he faced his subordinates, telling them, ‘for the sake of humanity’, he felt like he was lying to them. He has been struggling with these conflicts and anguish all along the way."

"I don't care if I'm remembered as a monster, as long as humanity survives". ~Erwin

His life is synonymous with sacrifice. He never once carried out a selfish action his entire career. He gambled his life multiple times with nothing in his heart but the survival and advancement of all humanity.

There was no bullshit or deception in his words and actions. Part of why he sounds so damn convincing is because there's a lot of logic and meaning in his words. From the start, he told the cadets that he was aiming for the truth in Eren's basement, and that only those who were willing to risk their lives should enlist in his Corps. Also, in his youth, Erwin spread his theories among his fellow trainee cadets (S3P2 ep3-4 where Nile confirms it). That's the reason why so many graduating cadets joined the SC along with him.

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

As another fan said: "Historia's situation in S3 is parallel to Erwin's. She claims that she doesn't care about humanity. She rejects her duty to carry on the family ritual and thinks this makes her a 'bad person'. As a result, Eldia finally has a chance at survival and the truth is revealed to the masses."

Erwin is someone who truly understands what must be done in order to achieve a certain goal. He has the greatest mindset out of anyone in the story to be an effective leader. Although Erwin said seeing the basement is more important than the survival of humanity before they went to Shiganshina, he ultimately broke free of those chains (being a slave to the basement), and like Armin said, Erwin was truly able to give up anything (even his life and ability to see the basement) for Levi to kill the Beast Titan. He was flawed, but his dedication outweighed his flaws.

The result is that humanity inside the Walls has gotten much further with Erwin as their Commander than they would have otherwise. It was only after the coup d'etat that it was revealed to all that there was a truth far greater than what was being told, and that was all thanks to Erwin who overthrew the corrupt government.


BATTLE OF SHIGANSHINA

This battle determines the fate of humanity. For the first time, his dream stood as a barrier to humanity's victory. Erwin had a choice to charge or to save himself. But he knew that retreating to Trost would cause utter annihilation to humanity, because the Beast, Armored and Colossal Titans would come chasing them and kicking down the Wall again.  Ultimately, Erwin chose to charge. Without him fronting the charge, no one would have done it. He led himself and them into death to keep the Beast Titan from seeing Levi. Had he not led the charge, everyone would have perished. So in essence, Erwin made the choice to save Levi, Eren and humanity.

The argument that "Armin can win without sacrificing anyone, unlike Erwin who had to sacrifice others" is null because the situation 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.

Erwin's final speech was so effective because he didn't just tell them, "Don't go down without a fight" - the soldiers were way past the point where that would work - but to look at the bigger picture: All those thousands of soldiers who died before died for nothing unless the current soldiers carry on in their name, with the same hope that others would then carry on the fight and give their sacrifices meaning. Erwin's conflict was always about bigger picture vs. small picture - run away to pursue your dream or stand and fight to protect the dreams of others. In his speech, he was conning himself. He said that it would all be worth it and the soldiers who came after him would make his life mean something, but he desperately wanted to see the basement. That speech was to trick himself (and others) into dying.

Erwin really wanted to go to the basement and was considering sacrificing everything for a shot at reaching it, but the guilt about all the soldiers' deaths and the duty to humanity made him feel obligated to make sure those deaths meant something, but he was having extreme difficulty giving up on his dream. In the end, he did not want to make the decision himself, that is why Levi stepped in and made the call for him. This is why Erwin gave a faint smile before going on the suicide charge: He is relieved that he did not have to make the choice himself, because someone was able to do it for him.


ERWIN - LEVI - EREN RELATIONSHIP

Erwin was the first leader to conclude that Eren had no reason to lie and took him into the Survey Corps.
It's also thanks to Erwin that humanity gained Levi as a soldier. Without Erwin, Eren would have been killed by the Military. Without him, Levi would have still wasted his life as a criminal underground.

In the spin-off manga "No Regrets", Levi and Erwin's relationship is more equal than the OVA makes it seem. In the manga, Levi made the choice to join the Survey Corps on his own, having been convinced by Erwin's words, while in the anime, he followed him because he simply felt that Erwin had answers that he did not.

It makes perfect sense in the manga: the parallel between the Walls and the Underground city, the urge for Freedom and Truth.

When he was in the Underground, he dreamed of the sky, only to find out that the people up here are being confined by something greater than themselves, too. The true freedom that he seeks is still missing.

And Erwin totally earned my respect when he spoke... a speech that made Levi change his life - from an enemy and a thief to the most loyal follower and a hero in about 2 minutes and it was earned.

The OVA should have included Erwin's quote:

Erwin to Levi: "YOU'RE WRONG! IT'S THE TITANS! Where did the titans come from? Why do they exist? Why do they devour humans? I don't have the answers. None of us do. Limited by our ignorance, we'll continue to be devoured by the Titans. If we just stay shut behind the Walls, we are never going to escape this nightmare. Take a good look around you! No matter how far you go, there aren't any walls here. In this wide open space... I believe there is something there, illuminating our despair. But there are those who seek to prevent us from venturing beyond the walls. They are consumed by selfish thoughts of their own losses and gains from behind the walls where it's safe! It's only natural. During the past 100 years, hindered by the walls, the eyes of humanity have been clouded. They cannot see the landscape that lies on the other side. But what about you, Levi? Will you let your eyes remain clouded? Will you kill me and return to the darkness of the underground? We will not give up our journey outside the wall. So fight for the Survey Corps, Levi! Humanity needs your strength!"

• On to my other Erwin post:  
• Parallel between Kenshin and Erwin
• Leadership post-Erwin
• Levi's decision is wrong on both story and writing standpoints