#if you think this is bad wait until i write my eruhan meta

[mirashinofficial]

Attack on Titan MBTI -- Erwin Smith

ENTJ -- Erwin Smith

“The Commander”

How appropriate, right?

I often see discussions about Erwin and how many think he's INTJ, ESTJ, or ISTJ.  With what I've gathered from what we've seen of him in canon (and not fandom canon, canon), I think that he actually fits ENTJ the most.

This will contain spoilers.  You've been warned.

I use 16personalities.com as my main source, and upon clicking on the ENTJ information page, this quote caught my eye:

“The underlying thought running through the ENTJ mind might be something like, 'I don't care if you call me an insensitive bastard, as long as I remain an efficient bastard.'”

--Erwin is an efficient leader

Think of what we've seen of him, and what we know from Shadis' talks. Erwin was the one to establish new strategies in the Corps

--He's energetic

Though this might have become less emphasized once he started to get beaten down, Erwin is enthusiastic about the cause.  We saw it in the flashbacks of his days as a trainee, and even Isayama said that Erwin used to get smashed and party as a youngster. (Where's THAT spin-off, I wonder.)

--He's self-confident

Again, this may have faded into the background as he became weaker through the story's struggles, but Erwin would not have accomplished what he did if he had not had confidence in himself.  Think of how he handled Eren's trial, think of how he answered questions from the Police again and again.  

--He's strong-willed

Erwin did not give up until the very end.  And even at the time of his death, he pushed Levi to choose Armin over him.  Erwin is authoritative, because it's part of his personality.

--He's strategic

I shouldn't have to explain this.  Between him, Hanji, and Levi, Erwin is the big thinker and strategist--the one that Armin looks up to even now.

--He has charisma and is inspirational

Think of his speech to the 104th class.  Think of how he greeted Eren into the Corps.  And god, think of how he brought Levi into the Survey Corps. It's no wonder why people look up to him.

--Erwin is stubborn and dominant

In the back of my mind, I just saw Levi and Hanji nodding furiously. The man's willpower was almost so strong, it was selfish.  And we did see glimpses of it-- “I just want to get to the basement,” he lamented to Levi.  Hell, he was even dominant and stubborn in his death.  Levi was all ready to give Erwin that serum, and then, nope, I'm still your goddamned Commander.

--He's intolerant

Erwin is the last person who would have let the Central Police act upon their bullshit.  He was even willing to offer himself up as bait to successfully overturn their reign.  

--He's impatient

Erwin has a low tolerance for bull-shit.  We saw it with Nile (who, honestly, can be just as bad) mostly, as well as with Levi at times. But it's because Erwin has such great expectations on himself, he literally can't help being hard on people.

--He's arrogant

You can't sit there and tell me that you read the entire clash of the Titans arc AND the political arc AND not think that Erwin has an arrogant streak in him.  He's incredibly rigid--and yes, it did save the Corps and Eren from further destruction.  But it's a reckless abandonment of his own safety, because I'll do it my way.  Cue the scene of him slashing Eren free from Bertholdt. Was it a good thing?  Oh fuck yeah it was.  Was it also a bit arrogant of him?  Couldn't he have let the other soldiers do their job--couldn't he have trusted the rest of his forces? No.  Erwin knew that he had to do it his way. Because so far, his way had been the right way.

--He doesn't handle emotions well, and is seen as cold/ruthless

There are plenty of examples of this.  Because I fucking love Erwin, I'll list as many as I can off the top of my head:  his speech to the 104th class; he ordered Levi to beat the shit out of Eren to prove a point; he was willing to sacrifice hundreds of lives in their mission to capture Annie--both missions, actually, and that includes civilians; he passed on his title to Hanji without full explanation or well-wishes; he tested Nile plenty of times; his speech to get Levi to join the Corps; he cast the decision of who to hand off the serum to, to Levi; he tested Pyxis' loyalty as well; one of his biggest motivations was the horrible death of his father, and he could not let it go.

Still not convinced?  OK, here's another quote from 16personalities:  

“If there's anyone ENTJs respect, it's someone who is able to stand up to them intellectually, who is able to act with a precision and quality equal to their own.  ENTJ personalities have a particular skill in recognizing the talents of others, and this helps in both their team-building efforts (since no one, no matter how brilliant, can do everything alone), and to keep ENTJs from displaying too much arrogance and condescension.”

Who are those people, I wonder?

Mike, who stood by Erwin and trusted his decisions without question.

Levi, who followed Erwin to the end, but did not hesitate to question his methods and provide a kind of checks-and-balances to his leadership.

Hanji, who not only provided Erwin with theories that he admits he never would have thought of on his own, but who was seen as such an intellect and symbol of what Erwin believed in that he passed on his title to her.

Finally, let's break down the properties of an E-N-T-J:

E-Extroversion, or a focus on the outer world

As I mentioned before, Isayama said that Erwin was a social person, and even after he became Commander, that still holds true.  You don't see him brooding on his own--he usually takes it to Levi or Hanji.

N-Intuition, or a focus on facts supported by other facts

The best example of this is Erwin assessing the situation with Annie in the Forest of Giant Trees.  Note that he calls back to what he learned from Hanji to plan ahead and make the right decisions.

T-Thinking, or a focus on logic

I'm pretty sure the only time we've really seen Erwin overtaken by feelings when making any kind of decision was when they were in Shiganshina; otherwise, Erwin is pretty much an unshakable rock, who can look past the heartbreak (like, losing Marie to Nile) and carnage (losing Mike and many others) and still push forward.

J-Judgment, or a focus on decided paths and plans

Erwin is known as a strategist.  He's almost rigidly “J”-type, which also connects back with some of his personality faults.

Phew. That was a lot.  But Erwin's done a lot.  He's been such an influential character.  And I'm so upset that he's gone.  

Thank you for everything, Commander.

I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this.  Even if you disagree, I'd love to hear why.  I could honestly talk about this shit all day.  

@momtaku @commander--kirschtein eat your hearts out <3