Lost since Levi and Erwin are both very dear to me I really wanna know your thought on one of Levi's most popular lines to Erwin when he says "I'll trust your judgment" :) It's one of my favorite lines tbh so it's interesting to know other fans' take on it. Thanks in advance.
Hey Anon, sorry it’s taken me so long to reply. I’ve been dying to have a chance to reply to your interesting ask because I have a lot of thoughts and feels about this.
“I’ll trust your judgment" is a great line and out of the whole manga it’s one that’s most closely associated with Levi. What I hadn’t really appreciated before I started writing this reply though is that Levi actually uses this line twice in the manga. Once when they’re chasing the Female Titan in the forest of big ass trees, and once in Erwin’s office when Levi tries to persuade him not to join the mission to Shiganshina.
In both cases Levi is initially at odds with Erwin. In the first instance he wants to immediately go after his squad, but Erwin orders him to go back and refuel. And in the second instance he is trying desperately to stop Erwin from joining what appears to be a suicide mission.
In both cases he backs down and agrees to trust Erwin’s judgment.
Both scenes clearly demonstrate the deep bond of trust Erwin and Levi share; Levi trusts Erwin’s decisions and acts accordingly. But this is where the other phrase closely associated with Levi comes into play; “No regrets.” Levi’s mantra is choose the decision you’ll least regret. And in both these cases his decision is to trust Erwin’s judgment and follow his orders, even if he doesn’t fully understand the reasons for Erwin’s decisions.
I think it’s important to note that Levi doesn’t just follow Erwin blindly. He does question his decisions and even argues with him, but he also trusts Erwin enough to follow his judgment. And this it what makes the events of chapter 80 so poignant.
All through the manga Erwin is the one making the decisions and Levi is the one trusting his judgments, but when they come to face the ultimate sacrifice, the tables are turned. It’s Levi who makes the choice that Erwin should lead the recruits on the final charge against the Beast Titan, and it’s Erwin who decides to trust Levi’s judgement. And it’s that trust that lifts the burden of guilt from Erwin’s shoulders and enables him to set his dream aside and give up his life to save humanity. It’s hard to imagine a more poignant example of selfless sacrifice, or a better example of mutual love, trust and understanding.
