Shinzō wo sasageyo (心臓を捧げよ) is the rallying cry of the Survey Corps in Attack on Titan, translated as "Dedicate your hearts!" Commander Erwin Smith uses it before deployments, and his soldiers respond with a fist-over-heart salute. The phrase has become one of the most-quoted lines in modern anime.
The phrase is a direct command to commit one's life — heart in the most literal sense — to the cause of fighting the Titans. The image is not metaphorical: the Survey Corps faces near-certain death on every mission beyond the walls, and the salute (right fist pressed flat over the left side of the chest) is a deliberate acknowledgment that the heart being offered is the same heart that may not return.
Word by word:
Shinzō (心臓) — "heart," in the physical, anatomical sense (not kokoro, the emotional/spiritual sense).
wo (を) — direct object particle.
sasageyo (捧げよ) — imperative form of sasageru, "to offer up" or "to dedicate." The -yo ending is a classical/formal imperative used in military or religious commands.
The choice of shinzō over kokoro is deliberate. The Survey Corps is not asking for emotional commitment — they are asking for the physical organ.
Approximately: SHEEN-zoh oh SAH-sah-geh-yoh.
Five and a half syllables: shin-zō o sa-sa-ge-yo. The ō in shinzō is a long vowel — one held "o" sound. The wo particle is pronounced just as "o" in modern Japanese, despite the historical spelling. Japanese uses pitch accent rather than English stress, so all "emphasis" cues here are approximate.
Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin, 進撃の巨人) is the manga by Hajime Isayama (2009-2021) and its anime adaptation by Wit Studio and MAPPA (2013-2023). The Survey Corps is the branch of humanity's military dedicated to expeditions beyond the safety of the walls — the highest-casualty assignment in the entire force.
Commander Erwin Smith codifies "shinzō wo sasageyo" as the Survey Corps' formal cry, delivered in moments of departure or before suicidal charges. The most-cited delivery comes during the Return to Shiganshina arc, where Erwin leads the doomed cavalry charge against the Beast Titan — his soldiers responding to the call knowing it is almost certainly their last.
The phrase is closely associated with the second opening theme of the anime, titled "Shinzō wo Sasageyo!" by Linked Horizon, which became one of the most-streamed anime opening songs globally. Both the phrase and the salute have spread beyond the show into general anime fandom, used in r/anime threads, on anime-adjacent Twitter, and at conventions as shorthand for "I would die for this cause" — usually wielded with the right mix of conviction and irony.
This phrase appears in Mixed Canon · Battle Cries on PlotLuck Anime.
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