The speech Erwin gave during the Battle of Shiganshina is one of his crowning moments.
Erwin's speech in season 3 of Attack on Titan, delivered at a critical moment in the story during the Battle of Shiganshina, is considered one of the best speeches in anime, period. With the stakes so high and the troops facing the possibility of death, Erwin's words perfectly encapsulated the gravity of their situation and to this day give viewers chills.
Throughout the series, Erwin is portrayed as a pragmatic and calculating figure – the ideal of great leadership. In the episodes leading up to his last battle, he reveals his own personal dream: to learn the truth beyond the walls. However, at that point in the story, he already knows that this dream is never meant to be.
The speech Erwin gave before the final fight was a rallying cry meant to convince not only his soldiers but himself to give up on their dreams. His words were plain and sincere: they were all going to die. Instead of appealing to their sense of duty, he wanted to convince his troops that their deaths wouldn’t be in vain, that by sacrificing themselves, they would give meaning and purpose to their fates. That brutal honesty is what makes his words resonate so deeply.
In a rare moment of vulnerability, Erwin admitted to Levi that he felt like a “conman,” that he devised the speech to reflect what a commander in his position would say to inspire the fighting spirit in his soldiers. This is the real tragedy of his character: he may not have necessarily believed what he was preaching, but ultimately gave everything up to do the right thing.
The delivery of Erwin's monologue by his voice actor, Daisuke Ono, added another layer of brilliance to the scene. The combination of Ono's powerful performance and the animation captured the intensity of the moment and truly elevated the impact of his words.
Erwin’s final speech has gone down as one of the most emotionally stirring scenes in the series. It’s the perfect culmination and conclusion of his story: sacrificing his life for the truth, even if it means he won't ever be able to prove his father’s theories right. Even after all the game-changing plot twists and revelations of season 4, Erwin remains many fans’ favorite character, in no small part thanks to this speech.
The speech Erwin gave during the Battle of Shiganshina is one of his crowning moments.
Erwin's speech in season 3 of Attack on Titan, delivered at a critical moment in the story during the Battle of Shiganshina, is considered one of the best speeches in anime, period. With the stakes so high and the troops facing the possibility of death, Erwin's words perfectly encapsulated the gravity of their situation and to this day give viewers chills.
Throughout the series, Erwin is portrayed as a pragmatic and calculating figure – the ideal of great leadership. In the episodes leading up to his last battle, he reveals his own personal dream: to learn the truth beyond the walls. However, at that point in the story, he already knows that this dream is never meant to be.
The speech Erwin gave before the final fight was a rallying cry meant to convince not only his soldiers but himself to give up on their dreams. His words were plain and sincere: they were all going to die. Instead of appealing to their sense of duty, he wanted to convince his troops that their deaths wouldn’t be in vain, that by sacrificing themselves, they would give meaning and purpose to their fates. That brutal honesty is what makes his words resonate so deeply.
In a rare moment of vulnerability, Erwin admitted to Levi that he felt like a “conman,” that he devised the speech to reflect what a commander in his position would say to inspire the fighting spirit in his soldiers. This is the real tragedy of his character: he may not have necessarily believed what he was preaching, but ultimately gave everything up to do the right thing.
The delivery of Erwin's monologue by his voice actor, Daisuke Ono, added another layer of brilliance to the scene. The combination of Ono's powerful performance and the animation captured the intensity of the moment and truly elevated the impact of his words.
Erwin’s final speech has gone down as one of the most emotionally stirring scenes in the series. It’s the perfect culmination and conclusion of his story: sacrificing his life for the truth, even if it means he won't ever be able to prove his father’s theories right. Even after all the game-changing plot twists and revelations of season 4, Erwin remains many fans’ favorite character, in no small part thanks to this speech.
