nikyforov:

Of course given their circumstances, Erwin can’t give Levi any grandiose displays of affection, but sometimes it’s the little things that show he cares. There is a lot of canon material (as can be seen in my Eruri Facts tag) that point to their extremely trusting, respectful, and devoted relationship. Throughout their canon interactions in the anime, manga, OVA, and outside materials, you can really get a feel for just how much Levi means to Erwin. Here are a few instances I can think of off the top of my head:

1. At the end of ACWNR (and I mean the more accurate VN, not the OVA) after Levi lost both his friends, Erwin give him an inspirational speech about how Levi has the power to help defeat the true enemy: the titans. Instead of patronizing or coercing him, he empathized with Levi and gave him the choice to follow Erwin into war, and of course Levi did.
2. Erwin also takes Levi’s opinions into account, given that Levi always knows what the plan is even when others don’t. Erwin likely runs plans by Levi and the vets because he sees them as equals, not as subordinates. Levi rarely ever calls Erwin by his title because they’re on equal footing with each other. Even so, Levi trusts Erwin explicitly and more than anyone else and follows his every command (as evidenced by countless canon materials that list Erwin as the one Levi trusts most). In the manga Erwin always trusts Levi to follow his plans and complete whatever mission Erwin gives him, no matter how difficult.
3. Erwin also looks out for Levi. Remember during the female titan arc how Erwin ordered Levi to refill his gas? He did that to protect Levi from imminent death. Had Levi run off to fight the female titan with low gas, he would have definitely died. But instead of questioning his orders, Levi followed them with no argument and understood Erwin’s motives and chose to “trust [his] decision.”
4. In multiple canon magazine interviews, Erwin only speaks highly of Levi. He gave Levi an A++ rating as a soldier and has stated countless times how important Levi is to the cause. In their separate interviews he also praised Levi’s personality and leadership capabilities highly.
5. I know people are 50/50 on how canon the chibi specials and audio dramas are, but in both Erwin turns to Levi when he has problems. They’re shown to have a very friendly and trusting relationship and are obviously comfortable with each other. The fact that Erwin turns to Levi when he needs advice, whether about official or personal matters, speaks volumes about how much the Commander trusts his Captain. These extras may be “crack-y” but they’re official SNK material and depict the real relationships between characters that we otherwise don’t get to see in the main plot.