Continuity mistake: When Leonidas, and presumably all the other Spartans, use their spears to clear their shields of arrows after the arrow shower from Persian archers, the tips of the arrows are still visibly left on all their shields. In the next shot, when the Spartans regroup for the Persian cavalry charge, the arrow tips are gone. (Granted, this is a highly stylized movie based on a comic book, but that does not change the fact that this is a continuity error.)
Continuity mistake: The size of the Spartan's shield changes from the action battle sequences (smaller) to the scenes where they are more stationary, as well as, during the arrow attack (larger), presumably allowing greater mobility while fighting. This was confirmed in the Director's Commentary.
Continuity mistake: The shoulder buckle on the Oracle keeps switching shoulders during her trance scene.
Continuity mistake: When the Spartans push off the last people of the the first Persian rush into the water, the shot changes to the Spartans left and we see the Persians falling off the cliff. The sun is bright and behind the falling Persians. After all the Persians have fallen off the Spartans turn their backs to the sun to see arrows being shot at them. As the camera pans up to follow the arrows, the sun is now in front of the Spartans, thus "blotting" out the sun.
Continuity mistake: After the little boy in Leonidas's arms tells his story about the town being ransacked, he rests his head on Leonidas' shoulder. In the next, more far away shot, his head is no longer resting against Leonidas' shoulder. The transition between the shots was too quick for him to have moved his head.
Continuity mistake: During the first battle against the Immortals, the Arcadian leader draws his sword in a backhand grip with the blade coming out of the bottom of his hand (for an overhand stabbing attack). In the next shot, the sword is in a forehand grip (for a slashing attack). (01:07:35)
Continuity mistake: Every time Leonidas had his helmet on, he all of the sudden has black make-up around his eyes. This was of course just to make the movie resemble the dark style of the drawings of the comic book, but a mistake nonetheless.
Continuity mistake: Just before Astinos' death, immediately after his father calls to him saying "Astinos, my son", throughout the following shot of Astinos, the horse and rider can be seen in the dust, midway between the ill-fated young man and the right-hand side of the screen, stationary and waiting for his cue. Only after the cut-back to the Captain where he nods in approval is the rider then seen in motion riding towards his target.
Continuity mistake: Astinos's body changes position between shots, even before his father touches it.
Continuity mistake: After Leonidas backs what's left of the first wave of Persians off the cliff, he is seen holding his sword up angrily in his right hand. Then, as the Spartans look up and see the arrows being fired, Leonidas' right hand is now suddenly empty as he walks over to another Spartan and takes from him a spare spear that the Spartan just happen to be holding.
Continuity mistake: Near the end of the movie, just before the final battle scene, Leonidas drops his weapons and shield to the ground. He was holding the shield in the usual manner, and pushes it away to his left. When it hits the ground however, it is suddenly reversed and falls nearby with the front of the shield upward.
Continuity mistake: When the adolescent boy is facing off with the wolf, he is holding stick. At first, his left hand is about a foot from the left end of the stick. Cut to the immediate next shot, it is now holding the very end. (00:04:00)
Continuity mistake: When the old man is inspecting the baby at the very beginning of the movie, in close-up shots, his left hand is cradling the baby's head. In other shots, the hand is now under the shoulder. (00:01:15)
Answer: When Leonidas and Xerxes are talking earlier in the film, Xerxes tells him that no one will remember who Leonidas was. Leonidas tells Xerxes that they will know that free men fought to remain free (or something like that) and that a god-king can bleed. So by wounding Xerxes before he, Leonidas, died, he made good on his taunt.
Phixius ★