Can we talk about Erwin’s pain tolerance?
Yes. Yes we can. Apologies Anon, I've had your ask in my inbox since November, which is a crime. However please know that barely a day has gone by without me thinking about this.
I think Erwin's sheer balls to the wall courage and resilience are often overlooked. He always led from the front and he was insanely brave. He had complete disregard for his own safety, and never hesitated to risk his own life and limb, either on the field of battle or during the uprising.
One of the things it’s easy to forget, particularly if you read the manga as it was being published, is that all the events from the Battle of Trost to the Return to Shiganshina happen within a matter of months, and the uprising happens only about a fortnight after Erwin loses his arm rescuing Eren.
“Loses” his arm is putting it lightly of course. Erwin’s arm is bitten by a Titan, he continues shouting orders, while hanging from the Titan's mouth, frees himself, apparently by slicing off his arm, and rescues Eren by slicing through the Armoured Titan’s fist. He then makes it back to the walls before finally collapsing, presumably from shock and loss of blood. He spends the next few days in a coma, unclear how many, and when he awakens he almost immediately starts planning to overthrow the royal government while joking about his missing arm. As you do.
As part of this plan Erwin allows himself to be captured by government forces, who torture him and threaten to hang him. All this with a freshly amputated arm, and presumably no pain relief lol. Madman.
(Love the way that Nile is the one who looks afraid here. Erwin is completely focused.)
Despite all this trauma, abuse, and what must be excruciating pain, Erwin still has the wherewithal to keep his head and his wits about him to execute his plan perfectly. Insane.
Then no sooner has he installed Historia on the throne, he starts planning the return to Shiganshina.
It’s hard to overstate how worn out Erwin must be at this stage, and of course Levi calls him out on this.
Erwin’s physical pain tolerance may be unparalleled however you can see the cumulative effect that all these events had on his mental health. Despite his resilience, Erwin is physically and mentally vulnerable after the uprising arc, which is one reason why Zackley is able to manipulate him so effectively, and set him on the downward spiral that led to his moment of despair in Shiganshina.
So yes, Erwin has phenomenal resilience to physical pain, but like so many of us, he is much more susceptible to emotional and psychological pain, and that’s what he almost succumbs to. Thankfully he had Levi there to help shoulder that burden and ease his pain when he needed it most.
Erwin Smith the man that you are.
PS. If you're interested, I once wrote a fic about the physical and emotional aftermath of the uprising once: Aftermath.