[AOT] The Shinzou wo Sasageyo! Fever and its relation to Commander Erwin Smith

Shinzou wo Sasageyo! is the opening theme song for the 2nd season of Attack on Titan. It is a very catchy song with some touch of epicness in its rhythm, a song that will make you think that you’re doing something epic if you’re listening to it. I am pretty sure that I am not the only one who feels this way while listening to it, in fact, the same thing applies to other opening theme of Attack on Titan such as Guren No Yumiya (1st season OP 1), and Jiyuu no Tsubasa (1st season OP 2).

 

“Dedicate your Heart” is the English translation for Shinzou wo Sasageyo and it is a phrase that definitely fits the Attack on Titan universe. The mentality of “no matter what happen, win or lose, dead or alive, you have to keep on fighting, dedicating your heart on every effort and action” had instilled in our minds throughout the story of Attack on Titan. We had seen so many deaths, some of those characters face death fearlessly, while some succumbed to their fears; at the end of the day, you had seen that they gave their heart on their fight.

Let’s set aside the first 2 opening of Attack on Titan and focus on Shinzou wo Sasageyo! or simply known as Sasageyo! Do you know there’s a certain character in the story who’s fond of using “Shinzou wo Sasageyo!” as a salute in both the anime and the manga, where the Corps put a fist on their chest, right on the front of their heart. Yes, Commander Erwin Smith had been dubbed as the inventor of sasageyo. It literally suggests that you take your very being and dedicate it to something. And believe us, he’s quite insane and the sasageyo fever is a proof of his madness but we still love him despite of too many lives that he sacrificed.