Characters / Attack on Titan: 104th Trainee Corps

Attack on Titan Main Character Index
Shinganshina Trio (Eren Yeager) | Warrior Trio | 104th Trainee Corps (Krista Lenz) | Survey Corps (Levi Ackerman) | Military Police Brigade | Garrison | Titans | Marley [Warrior Unit (Zeke Yeager)] | Eldia | Others | Before the Fall

WARNING: Unmarked spoilers abound. Beware if you are not up-to-date with the manga.

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104th Trainee Corps

The primary focus of the story, the 104th Trainee Corps (AKA The 104th) are a batch of military cadets experiencing their first battle immediately following their graduation. Though they are a class of two hundred-plus cadets, the story focuses on the members of the Southern Branch, one of the four branches of the Trainee Corps, and the first batch to graduate after the fall of Wall Maria. Before the fall, there used to be eight branches of the Trainee corps; unless otherwise stated, the majority of individuals hereby listed come from the interior of Wall Rose or from the Trost District.

The Trainee Corps as a whole provide auxiliary services to the rest of the main branches, particularly the Garrison, up until they get to choose the branch of the military of their particular preference. In Trost District, they provide the bulk of the Quartermaster Corps at the city's Military Headquarters under the Garrison, providing logistic support and supplies to the combating units, and small units of cadets man the Wall anti-Titan canons. During combat (though this arose due to the emergency situation at Trost), the cadets aid the Garrison in the defense of the city, being assigned to the vanguard, the middle guard or the rear guard, all three tasked with combating Titans until population evacuation protocols have been enacted and every living civilian has been safely removed from harm.

In time, the top ten cadets of the Southern 104th Trainee Corps turn out to be among the most important personnel ever to serve in the military by virtue of their excellence as soldiers and the momentous impact that arose from the revelation of Eren Yeager as a Titan Shifter with all the consequences that this carried.

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General Tropes

• Anyone Can Die: Even they couldn't survive this trope as they are killed off one by one as the story progresses. By the time of the penultimate chapter of the series, only five people from the 104th batch and the Top 10 survived with their humanity intact (Armin, Mikasa, Reiner, Annie, and Historia), and even then, Armin, Reiner, and Annie are fated to die within a decade. Jean and Connie are technically still alive, but now Titanized into the very mindless monsters they fought against. However miraculously the events of the penultimate chapter are subverted after Eren dies taking the Power of the Titans with him which not only brings the Titanized members back to life but turns the Shifters back into normal people allowing them to life out their lives without worrying about the Curse of Ymir.
• Badass Adorable: It's a given, they're Child Soldiers after all. Krista and Sasha are stand-outs, and Armin is a male version.
• Break the Cutie: While not all of them are cuties, the Battle of Trost was this for everyone.
• Breaking the Fellowship: The core group has slowly fallen apart over time, in two equally-painful events. The first divide came with the Warriors' identities being exposed, shattering the bonds of friendship and forcing them to fight each other to the death. Years later, Eren seemingly turns his back on them and Sasha's resulting death leaves the remaining members seriously debating whether Eren is now their enemy.
• Child Soldiers: The military's minimum recruitment age is twelve. Upon graduation, they are between 15 and 17 years old. Though they might not be considered children where they live. The Titan Shifters were presumably younger than 10 when they were trained for acting as spies and aid in the annihilation of mankind.
• Conflicting Loyalty: Every single one of the major members has been faced with choosing between comrades and duty at some point in the story, though for some the choice is more obvious than for others.
• Contrived Coincidence: For no reason in particular, the Top 10 (+1) cadets of the Southern 104th ended up including five Titan Shifters (one ally, three enemy infiltrators, and a Wild Card), the sole heiress to the Crown of the Walls (Historia), and the last of the Hizuru Nobility remaining in Paradis who is at the same time a member of a superhuman family of Eldian warriors (Mikasa). The only people who didn't have any surprises associated with them were Connie, Sasha, Jean and Marco. And even then, Jean, Connie, and Sasha's hometowns all just happened to come under direct attack early in the story.
• Cowardly Lion: All of them break mentally during the Battle of Trost, though a select few of them are willing to brave the Titans again in spite of it. As they volunteer, most of them are visibly freaking out or on the verge of tears, but they hold their ground regardless.
• Death Seeker: Eight of the Top 10 graduates are viewed as this in-universe, given that all of them (except Annie, as Marco already died before he gets to join any branch), despite being given the opportunity to join the Military Police and live in comfortable safety within Wall Sina, chose to join the high-mortality Survey Corps. All had their reasons, however:
  • Eren viewed the members of the Survey Corps as heroes who chose to fight the Titans to reclaim humanity's dignity. After witnessing his mother devoured by a Titan, he now considers avenging her death by hunting and killing every last Titan his sole remaining purpose in life.
  • Mikasa would follow Eren anywhere he goes, not wanting to lose the only remaining important person in her life.
  • Krista/Historia wants to die honorably in a manner she would be fondly remembered of; namely, fighting Titans for Humanity's sake.
  • Both Connie and Jean entered the Military to serve their own interests; Jean wanted to live a comfortable and peaceful life inside the Inner Wall, while Connie wanted to make a name for himself and make his hometown acknowledge him. Following the distressful events in Trost, both decided that being a soldier meant more than safety and prestige and decided to fight alongside Eren in his quest to reclaim Humanity's lost freedom and dignity.
  • Bertolt and Reiner initially were afraid of Titans and only wanted to escape to the relative safety of Wall Sina, but had a change of heart after seeing Eren's purpose and determination. It turns out, however, that joining the Survey Corps was critical to the success of their espionage mission, in order to keep an eye on Eren after discovering his Titan Shifting ability and possession of the Coordinate.
• Doom Magnet: The 104th have ridiculous luck according to Jean, considering all the stuff they've survived. There's also the fact that their number includes five Titan Shifters and a tragic Heroic Bastard from the royal family. Little wonder so many weird things happen to them.
• Doomed Hometown: The story begins with the "dooming" of Eren, Armin, and Mikasa's hometowns. Then Jean's. Then Connie's. Then Sasha's. And after the Time Skip, Reiner's, Annie's, and presumably Bertold's and Ymir's. So if you're keeping track, of the Top 10 cadets, Ymir, and Marco, only Marco's home wasn't fated to be doomed one way or another.
• Dual Wielding: It's right there on their crest even.
• Dwindling Party: Starts early and never quite ends.
  • A majority of the 104th is killed off during the attack on Trost. Of the few that survive, Samuel, Daz and Annie leave for greener pastures, forming the most well-known iteration of the team, consisting of Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Connie, Sasha, Reiner, Bertholdt, Ymir and Historia.
  • Surprisingly, there are no casualities in the fated Scouting mission (though Reiner came close). Shortly after, Reiner, Bertholdt and Ymir leave due to being revealed as traitors and Titans. Ymir is revealed to have died later on.
  • Historia leaves the army and is Reduced To Extra following the revelation of being the rightful heir of Paradis. However, by this time, Levi and Hange are very close to the 104th cadets and by all accounts are part of their team. Marlowe and Floch join around this time, though the former dies into his first Survey mission.
  • Following the four year time skip, Eren himself leaves the 104th, taking Floch with him and founding his own faction. Sasha dies during the attack orchestrated by Eren.
  • In a twist of fate, this is eventually inverted by the final arcs of the series. Reiner and Annie return, along with newcomers Falco, Gabi, Pieck and Magath.
  • Last but not least, Magath and Hange sacrifice themselves in quick succession to buy the rest of the group time to catch up to the Rumbling.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Or in this case, a bittersweet ending but after all the crap they endured, that's a pretty alright deal. The 104th make their peace with the surviving warriors and are last seen on a peace mission, optimistic that they will suceed.
• Everybody's Dead, Dave: By the penultimate chapter only Armin, Mikasa, Reiner, Annie and Historia are left standing. Reversed in the final chapter after Eren dies and takes the Power of the Titans with him which brings Jean and Connie back from being Titanized.
• Everything Trying to Kill You: And has been since day one. These poor kids can't catch a break. Famine, boot camp, Titans, other people...
• Fire-Forged Friends: Most of them were on friendly terms when they finished training but the Battle of Trost is what really cements their bond. Most of them even follow Eren into the Survey Corps against their own wishes.
• Field Promotion:
  • After the death of Team Levi at the hands of the Female Titan, the 104th cadets become the new Team Levi.
  • After the four year timeskip, the surviving members of the 104th (Jean, Armin, Eren, Mikasa, Sasha and Connie) become senior officers of the Survey Corps by virtue of two aspects: first, due to merit, and second, due to being among the last nine survivors of the Battle of Shinganshina.
  • As of chapter 132 Armin has been promoted to Commander of the Survey Corps and he is in fact the last commanding officer in the whole Paradis Armed Forces (in fact with Historia out of the picture due to her pregnancy, Armin is the highest authority in the whole of Eldia) Talking about coming far in life.
• Ironic Echo: Jean warns Eren and Mikasa that even though they joined the Survey Corps, they are not so keen to diving into concrete for Eren like Mikasa does; later, after the Battle of Shinganshina, Floch admonishes the group for the exact same thing, as the new recruits joined the Survey Corps without being warned of what they were getting into and also unaware of the group's little messed up comrade "pact" that killed Commander Erwin. As such, they indeed dove into concrete with Eren without regard for anyone else.
• Mauve Shirt: A handful outside the main cast.
• Naïve Newcomer: Most of them that didn't suffer through a Titan attack are naive about how terrifying they are. Even after training, most of them panic during their first battle with the Titans and start dropping like flies.
• New Meat: Fresh out of training, and thrown into their first battle. Erwin later notes that survival rates for a soldier's first battle are around 50%, with those that make it out earning the right to be considered real soldiers.
• Rank Up: The remaining members of the 104th Trainee Corps after the Clash of the Titans arc are made into Levi's new squad. And after the Battle of Shiganshina the 104th rank up after everybody in the Survey Corps besides Hange, Levi and the 104th gets killed by the Titans.
• Red Shirt: The majority of them, outside the Top 10. Erwin notes they are unusual for having suffered their first casualties prior to enlisting in their chosen Branches.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: Those that survive the battle of Trost become this to one degree or another, having the very dubious honor of fighting Titans the day after graduating from boot camp.
  • Explicitly displayed in Chapter 70, where Marlo and the newest recruits to fill the Survey Corps' ranks are excited and hopeful to retake Wall Maria with the development of new weaponry to fight the Titans having been made, while our 104th protagonists are stony-faced. One such recruit rhetorically asks what happened to them, but declines to actually hear of it.
• The Spartan Way: The most recent graduates of the military's three-year boot camp. It is noted that training accidents, including FATAL ones, are considered business as usual.
• Survived the Beginning: Many of their roles and importance in the story were in flux before the battle of Trost, several of the characters having been detailed a reasonable amount despite dying in that battle, while others had virtually no characterization until that time and yet became important players later on. Among the principal characters, it took 75 chapters for another one of them to die after the battle of Trost despite the body count remaining extremely high among the rest of the cast.
• Team Mom and Team Dad: Krista, Reiner, and Marco are always looking out for their teammates and continuously try to raise morale among them. See their entries for elaboration.
• Teens Are Monsters: Explored, thanks to the series focus on Child Soldiers and how sometimes Humans Are Bastards. While most adults in the series do horrible things fully aware of what they are doing, many of the main members of the 104th, barring Connie and Marco, express callous attitudes or commit cruel acts because of being inexperienced and emotionally immature.
  • Eren can be downright terrifying on occasion, thanks to his Unstoppable Rage and past as an Enfant Terrible. He's often driven by raw emotion, which can cause unintended consequences.
  • Mikasa is obsessively attached to Eren. If you even think of harming Eren or stopping her from getting to him, she will hurt or, depending on the situation, kill you and has clearly stated that she only cares about Eren and, to a lesser extent, Armin.
  • Armin embraces the belief that to defeat the Titans, people must be willing to abandon their humanity and make ruthless sacrifices. He does find it traumatic when he's forced to kill a person to save a friend, albeit in large part because he was able to kill much more readily than the woman threatening Jean's life did.
  • Jean is callous about his hometown being attacked, complaining that he was one day away from going to the Interior. This attitude doesn't survive his ordeals in battle.
  • Before enlisting, Sasha blamed the refugees from Wall Maria for everyone's suffering, and thought outsiders shouldn't be helped. Her father challenges her to enlist and reconsider her selfish attitude.
  • Krista was willing to get herself and Daz killed, all for the sake of dying in a suitably heroic fashion. Ymir readily calls her out on this nonsense.
  • Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie might be incredibly tragic, but they're still responsible for the events that killed off 20% of the human population. While their motivations remain unknown, all three are incredibly ruthless when it comes to accomplishing their mission. Reiner claims they didn't know anything when they began their mission, and all three definitely feel remorse over their actions... but their youth, relative inexperience as spies, and unstable emotions combined with their power makes them an absolute nightmare.
  • Ymir is incredibly callous and calculating, thinking only of herself and the girl she loves, Krista. She's unapologetic in weighing the lives of the people around her against her personal goals, and leaves everyone around her uncertain of her true motives or goals. She admits to being a horrible person, willing to risk Krista's future just to see her one last time and emotionally manipulates her. Unlike her peers, she's painfully aware of just how much of a screwed up person she is, and keenly aware of how messed up everyone else is as well.
  • Even Connie gets in on this when he nearly feeds Falco, a young boy, to his Titanized mother in order to turn her back into a Titan Shifter, but he comes to his senses.
• Thousand-Yard Stare: Their instructor ignores Eren, Mikasa, Ymir, Annie, Reiner, and Bertolt during their rite of passage because their expressions reveal they've already survived a major trauma. In the aftermath of Trost, all of them have one.
• True Companions: After the tragedies they've suffered together, they are firmly this. Jean later invokes this in an effort to talk down Reiner and Bertolt after their true identities are revealed.
• Weirdness Magnet: Lampshaded by Jean, who complains that just about everything that he could think of happened to the cadets of the 104th. The Top Ten (+1) cadets are considered excellent recruits overall, but the batch ended up being noteworthy not only for their capabilities as soldiers, but rather because five of them turned out to be Titans (three of them enemies — Reiner, Bertolt and Annie — one ally — Eren — and one Wild Card — Ymir —), another is part of clan of super-human warriors (Mikasa), yet another turns out to be the heiress to the throne of the kingdom (Krista/Historia), and another finds out the hard way that the Mindless Titans were former human beings (Connie, via his mother). They are by far the most important batch of cadets ever to be part of the Military.

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Members of the 104th Trainee Corps, South Branch

Character-Specific Pages

• Eren Yeager
• Krista Lenz

Jean Kirstein

Jean Kirstein

Voiced by: Kissho Taniyama (JP), Mike McFarland (EN), Gerardo Ortega (Latin American Spanish)

Portrayed by: Takahiro Miura

Debut: Chapter 2 (Manga), Episode 2 (Anime)

"I've had enough of people dying on my account!"

"The me from back then... I sacrificed because I wanted to save humanity."

^{Click here to see his post-Time Skip appearance}

Ranked 6th. A cynical and hot-headed young man, he comes into constant conflict with Eren over their differing ideals. He declares his intention to join the Military Police Brigade, wanting only to live a comfortable and safe life. After the battle of Trost, he abandons his selfish ways, enlisting in the Survey Corps and growing into a capable young leader. Word of God has cited Jean as his personal favorite character.

While his comrades remain under suspicion, Jean finds himself included within Erwin's inner circle and acts as a decoy by dressing as Eren. He is deeply shaken upon learning that several of his comrades are traitors, and joins the expedition to rescue Eren. He proves a capable leader during the mission, keeping the others going and even managing to almost reach his former comrades. Afterwards, he is promoted into the second incarnation of the Special Operations Squad. His morale begins to waver when he learns that the Survey Corps will be taking part in a rebellion against the Wall's monarchy.

Branch: Survey Corps

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• Adaptation Expansion: He has more scenes and lines in the anime compared to the manga. It makes his character development easier to understand.
• All Love Is Unrequited: Has a bad case of this with Mikasa. However, unfortunately the center of her world is Eren.
• Ambiguous Situation: Jean admits that even he isn't sure what happened. Either the sudden burst of steam knocked the Thunder Spear off-course......or he subconsciously missed, rather than kill a child.
• And Then Jean Was A Zombie: Is turned into a mindless Titan by titan fluid gas emited by the "Source of All Organic Matter". He’s restored after Ymir removes the Power of the Titans from the world after Mikasa kills Eren.
• Armor-Piercing Question: When he confronts Eren about the mission to reclaim Trost, Jean delivers several of these in a row.
• Ascended Meme: In the first anime opening, a soldier shown performing a slow-motion somersault is popularly believed by fans to be Jean, although originally it was merely a generic soldier. Later, in official parodies, Jean is shown performing the somersault for real.
• Badass Normal: In the 104th class, everyone who ranked above him are all either The Ace and/or Titan Shifters. Jean's pretty badass for being normal.
• Being Good Sucks: Gives up his ambitions to live a comfortable, Titan-free lifestyle with the Military Police Brigade and enlists with the Survey Corps even though he knows he's basically joining the Redshirt Army.
• Big Damn Heroes: In Chapter 49, where he stabs a Titan's eye out to save Mikasa, of all people.
• Body Double: Serves as a double for Eren twice, mostly due to the two being noted to have a similar general appearance, although Eren is quick to point out that he doesn't have a horse face like Jean.
• Break the Haughty: The entirety of the Battle of Trost. His home district takes a major beating, he gets shell-shocked by his first encounter with the Titans, he tries to take charge of the directionless recruits and several die following his lead, he very nearly dies himself when he runs out of gas, then it all culminates with his finding Marco's corpse. By the end of it, most of his earlier Jerkassery got ripped straight out of him.
• Brutal Honesty:
  • Admits that he has a habit of always speaking whatever's on his mind, appropriate or not. In his first appearance he gets asked by the Drill Sergeant Nasty why he's here and he truthfully tells him his selfish intentions (instead of lying about more noble ones) and gets headbutted for his trouble.
  • A more serious example occurs in Chapter 127 where Hange discusses the plan, or lack thereof, to stop Eren's genocidal campaign of the rest of Humanity. Jean points out that even if Eren is stopped, he only has 4 years left to live, and the world's hatred of Eldians would remain just as potent if not more so than before. Hange responds that they're leaving it to chance that Marley and the rest of the world won't touch Paradis Island for at least a few years due to Eren's attack while they work on a long term strategy. Jean points out again that they already tried everything within their power to find a peaceful solution, and yet it proved fruitless, forcing Eren to do what he did. Eventually, it becomes too much for Hange to take and simply yells about how genocide will never be acceptable, no matter how justified it may seem. After calming down, Hange admits Jean is right, and truthfully wanted to just runaway from all of it, hunker down, and try to survive. But as commander of the Survey Corps, couldn't do it, and will see this through until the bitter end.
• Butt-Monkey: Basically, nothing ever goes Jean's way. Misfortune and tragedy have beset him at nearly every turn since joining the military, and his "faith in humanity" having long been wiped off onto Connie's back.
• The Call Knows Where You Live: His hometown, Trost, becomes the site of the first major attack in five years and he suffers considerably for various reasons. The call also reaches him just one day before he would've gone to the Interior, a fact he himself lampshades as incredibly inconvenient.
• Caught with Your Pants Down: In one of the fake volume previews, Jean's mother bursts in on him while he's dealing with the curse of puberty.
• The Chains of Commanding: He gets a taste of it when he briefly needs to take charge during the Battle of Trost. See My God, What Have I Done?.
• Character Development: Starts as a self-centered and arrogant young man, but develops into an honorable leader who learns to trust and care for his comrades (even Eren to some extent).
• Character Tics: Jean tends to clench his fist tightly and stare intently at it when he is feeling conflicted.
• Cowardly Lion: He completely detests the idea of putting himself in harm's way, but he'll do what's needed when it counts the most.
• Cycle of Revenge: Defied Trope. When Floch asks to throw the cadets overboard after Sasha is fatally wounded, Jean states he can do it...if doing so would end the killing for good. Even with his dear friend dying nearby, Jean recognizes that killing Gabi in revenge is pointless. Instead, he takes the cadets prisoner and brings them to see Hanji and Zeke.
• The Cynic: As opposed to Eren, Jean believes that humanity stands no chance against the Titans, and readily sees everything with a critical and doubtful eye. He slowly outgrows this over the course of the series.
• Dare to Be Badass: To everyone's surprise, following the second appearance of the Armored Titan, Jean motivates Eren to keep fighting and ensure that the people who sacrificed themselves did not die in vain.
• A Day in the Limelight:
  • He is the main character of the second OVA, to the extent that he replaces Eren in the episode's opening.
  • While not the main, he is also a major character in the third OVA, along with Eren, Krista, and Marco.
  • He's also the focal point of Chapter 127, in which his inner thoughts are revealed and he learns the truth about Marco's death.
• Dead Hat Shot: Used as a Cliffhanger in Chapter 59. He survives, but only because the soldier hesitated long enough for Armin to kill her.
• Deadpan Snarker: Has a rather droll sense of humor bordering on Gallows Humor at times.
• Defusing the Tyke-Bomb: Attempts to talk down Reiner and Bertolt, to very limited success. He manages to defuse Mikasa's Roaring Rampage of Revenge and get Bertolt to start talking, but they cannot stop and further attempts to defuse the situation are interrupted.
• Disproportionate Retribution: He and Eren more often than not get into a fistfight with each other over the pettiest of things.
• Distressed Dude: For those of you keeping track at home, he's now been saved from certain death by Marco, Connie, Annie (anime only) and three times by Armin (both the anime and the manga).
• Doomed Hometown: The Trost District, which narrowly escapes this fate thanks to Eren successfully plugging the breach with a boulder. It's heavily damaged by the battles, but not completely destroyed, and is eventually rebuilt.
• Dull Surprise: His reaction to Bertolt's last moments is best described as this trope. Unlike everyone else he's not crying, just looks confused; and also very, very tired.
• Establishing Character Moment: Arguing with Eren over how joining the Survey Corps is suicide.
• Everyone Can See It: Everyone seems to realize that Jean likes Mikasa and is picking fights with Eren because of this. Besides Eren, himself.
• Face Death with Dignity: When it seems as though he'll become a mindless Titan and have to be put down by his Titan shifter/Ackerman allies, he calmly stands there and accepts his fate, saying this is what it means to die as a member of the Survey Corps.
• Face of a Thug: Armin says he and Eren have the same "dangerous-looking eyes". This comes up later on when Jean needs to pretend to be Eren so as to mislead the Military Police Brigade as to what Eren is really doing at the time.
• A Father to His Men: Despite his initial self-centeredness, Jean genuinely cares for the lives of his comrades. He is ashamed of himself when he is forced to use his dead comrades as a decoy to secure safety for those who are still alive. Essentially what Marco notes makes him a good leader, he can empathize with people's weakness and thus lead them.
• Fire-Forged Friends:
  • By Chapter 72, Jean fights with Eren once again, but this time it is much more light-hearted and friendly, with the two coming across as squabbling. And ultimately, Jean is the one to correctly deduce Eren’s motives in the end, when he theorized that Eren set off the Rumbling to ensure his friends didn’t have to fight anymore, and that he wanted them to kill him.
  • Eventually one with the Warriors. Jean personally banters with Pieck during the final battle and later saves her life. Years afterwards, he and Reiner share some lighthearted jabs, the hatchet over Marco's death finally buried.
• Foil: To Eren. Jean is cynical, cautious, and brutally honest, and often serves to provoke and highlight Eren's idealistic and reckless nature.
• Freak Out: When he discovers the body of his Dead Sidekick, Marco. This kicks off his Character Development, and results in him abandoning his dream of an easy life with the Military Police Brigade in favor of following Eren into the Survey Corps.
• The Gadfly: Jean often says things just to get a reaction out of people, with Eren in particular receiving the brunt of this verbal baiting.
• Gibberish of Love: The normally-blunt Jean is left tongue-tied and nearly speechless the first time he sees Mikasa, barely managing to get out more than a vague comment about liking her hair. Almost immediately afterwards, Eren suggests she cut it.
• Green-Eyed Monster: His entire relationship with Eren is this, although he and Eren had different viewpoints they were civil with it at first. Then Jean got a crush on Mikasa and he noticed how close she was with Eren, causing his hatred of Eren.
  • In Chapter 118, he actually confesses that he was always jealous of how cool Eren was.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Shadis even mentions this about Jean during his first run in his training. As shown when he becomes temperamental and frustrated he is prone to lashing out at people. Especially in his argument with Eren.
• The Heart: He's begun to take up Marco's place among the group as a moral center. When he finally catches up to Bertolt and Reiner who betrayed everyone after they successfully kidnapped Eren, his actions are to attempt to remind Bertolt how much they grew together and ask if it was all a lie. This is very distinct compared to Eren and Mikasa, who wanted to kill them both rather than try to talk things out.
• The Hedonist: Downplayed. He's not indicated to enjoy any particular vices, but he does care only about his own comfort, wanting to enter the Military Police Brigade for this exact reason. When he loses this attitude later on, he realizes that he's giving his cushy lifestyle up (and isn't very happy about it), but does it anyways.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Defied. He's one of the relatively few people in the series not looking to make his death useful; he doesn't want to die in combat at all. At first, his dismissive attitude toward this idea marks him as a Dirty Coward, but after his Character Development, it's given a more sympathetic light: as a young man with his life ahead of him, he's just not as willing as the others to throw it all away.
  • When he and 21 other Trainees stay behind to join the Survey Corps, Erwin asks them if they're willing to give their lives to humanity. Jean bluntly yells "I don't want to die!", which Erwin accepts as an understandable outlook.
• Hidden Depths:
  • In contrast to his reputation as an abrasive and self-centered jerk, he actually possesses great empathy and potential as a leader. Interestingly, he's developed into a voice of morality and reason, challenging the more ruthless methods embraced by Erwin and Armin.
  • He is one of the few people that voices sincere worries about Mikasa's well being, her being The Ace notwithstanding. This, especially due to her penchant for not asking for help and the many, many risks Eren puts her through.
  • Chapter 127 reveals that for in spite of his maturation, he still desires an easy, worry-free life. He sometimes thinks about it as a coping mechanism, an escape from the harsh reality put upon him.
• Hopeless Suitor: Towards Mikasa, who devotes herself solely to Eren.
• Inconsistent Dub: Funimation initially used "John" in a French pronunciation, before correcting themselves in later episodes.
• Interrupted Cool Down Hug: Erwin's luring in a horde of Titans to perform a Zerg Rush makes it impossible for Jean to continue trying to talk Reiner and Bertolt down.
• It Gets Easier: He's become used to killing other humans in battle, but still draws the line at harming civilians.
• It's All About Me: When Eren complains about the corrupt system that sends the best soldiers to live as far away from the Titans as possible, Jean states the system should continue solely so he can benefit from it. After he gets over this, he still has reservations about the notion of self-sacrifice during his character development.
• It's All My Fault: Blames himself thoroughly for the recruits that died following him even though there was very little he could have done about it. When he realizes that he does in fact care about the lives of his comrades, his selfish attitude begins to turn around.
• Jack of All Stats: Statistics-wise, he's basically this. Jean is quite smart, agile, and skilled with the 3DMG but similarly to Eren, he lacks any outstanding talents.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Accurately predicts what would (and later, did) happen to anyone under Eren's command.
  • His selfish tendencies and brusque, haughty persona has the narrative portray him as a Jerkass Dirty Coward... and then everyone sees how terrifying the Titans really are, and how utterly unglamorous and wholly unrewarding their lives as soldiers will be. Suddenly, Jean's original sentiments don't ring so hollow. Marco says this is why he's fit to be a leader — he's clearheaded about people.
  • Interestingly, he's the first person to understand why Eren activated the Rumbling, pointing out that at that point, the rest of the world was calling for the complete extermination of the Eldians and if Eren wanted his friends to survive, he had no choice but to activate the Rumbling to save them and the rest of Paradis.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's quite rough and a bit mean at times when he´s first introduced, but Character Development turns him into a nicer person who trusts others. This really hits home after the Battle of Trost — remembering Marco's declaration for him to be a good leader, he abandons his goal to join the Military Police for a life of hardship to help Eren's group.
• Knight in Sour Armor: Develops into one.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Regardless of whether or not he intentionally didn't kill Falco, the boy inadvertently saves Jean from Gabi by diving in to save her, thereby misdirecting the shot aimed at Jean.
• The Leader: When no one else is up for the task, Jean is level-headed enough to take charge. Marco states he's a natural.
  • He serves as the apparent commander of the Liberio assault, taking charge of the chaotic situation and trying to keep the troops in line.
• Love at First Sight: When he encountered Mikasa.
• Meaningful Name: The English term "Honest John" is a descriptor of an "Honest, sincere young man." Guess who's incapable of acting against his values or saying what he doesn't mean?
• Messy Hair: At one point, he's woken up by Eren and his hair is sticking up in the air on one side and stuck flat to his head on the other.
• Momma's Boy: He was one as a child, but grew into a typically moody teenager.
  • Isayama has described him as being a mazakon, which means "mother complex".
• Mutual Kill: NARROWLY averted, as a result of Laser-Guided Karma. Just before Jean and Gabi fire on each other, Falco tackles the girl and throws off her aim. This causes the bullet to miss within inches of Jean's head, saving both shooters from blowing each other's brains out.
• My God, What Have I Done?: During the Battle of Trost, Jean is forced to use the deaths of some of his fellow trainees as cover to lead those who are still alive to safety. To his horror, several more die under his command at this time.
• Mythology Gag: In Chapter 59, he's bashed upside the head by Hitch. A similar event occurs in the gag Spin-Off Attack! Titan Junior High.
• Never My Fault: He chews out Eren for Sasha's death by forcing the Survey Corps into fighting in the first place. While he isn't wrong, the fact that Jean, Connie, and all the other members let their guards down celebrating while still over enemy territory with no one even watching the door allowing Gabi to sneak on board can't be ignored either. Somewhat subverted later when he apologizes to a grieving Nikolo for having been "careless" in the moments before her demise.
• Not Quite Flight: He's proven to be extremely agile with his 3DMG, at one point being able to easily maneuver his way around even when he had no structures to latch on to.
• "Not So Different" Remark: By Chapter 133, Jean comes to realize that he and Reiner are more alike than he thought. He tells Reiner that he too was willing to betray and kill people he once cared for the sake of saving the world, and that he no longer has a right to judge Reiner for his crimes against Paradis.
• Not What I Signed on For: Jean begins to lose faith in Levi when he cows Historia into accepting her role in the rebellion. He is also highly opposed to killing humans.
• Odd Friendship: Eventually develops one with Armin. Additional emphasis is provided in the anime.
• Older and Wiser: Jean is no longer a hot-headed youth, having grown into a competent leader and is one of the few characters to recognize the pointlessness of revenge.
• Only Sane Man: He's just about the only surviving member of the 104th who had a normal, healthy home life, lacks any glaring quirks, and has managed to work past the tragedies that have come his way.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In Chapter 23, his actually looking out for others is pointed out as unusual.
• The Power of Trust: To test his resolve, Jean offers Marlo an opportunity to kill him (Jean using a Brandishment Bluff to be more convincing), but trusts that Marlo won't. Jean's faith is rewarded, and Marlo is accepted into Levi's squad.
• Rank Up: Assigned to the new Special Operations Squad.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Acts as the Blue to Eren's Red. Whilst he isn't exactly a cool, reserved personality, he is far more logical and realistic in his analysis of humanity's fight against the Titans than Eren, whose indomitable desire for Titan-murdering often blinds his judgement. Their similarities to each other are played up during the 104th's training and beyond to serve as contrast for precisely how far Eren goes off the deep end after the timeskip.
  • This aspect of his character comes to a head in Chapter 127, when he explicitly chooses to break the cycle of revenge and work with Reiner and the other Marleyans to stop the Rumbling. He is still furious with Reiner and the others over Marco's death, and refuses to forgive him. But unlike Eren who chooses to break the cycle of revenge by exterminating one side of the conflict entirely, he chooses to try cooperation instead.
• Refusal of the Call: He's vocal about his intention to never fight, and instead live a comfortable and safe life in the Interior. It goes about as well as expected when the Call catches up to him.
• Rejected Apology: From Reiner in Chapter 127. He finally learns the circumstances that led to Marco's death, calmly at first. But when Reiner's sense of guilt causes him to keep pushing and eventually say 'sorry', Jean snaps and beats the crap out of him. He may not be prepared to kill Reiner, and is even prepared to work with him to stop the Rumbling, but he has no time to indulge Reiner's guilt, and refuses to forgive his actions. Reiner is okay with this.
• Reluctant Hero: Comes across as this during the Battle of Trost, vocally blaming Eren for putting him into the position to lead the vanguard before breaking out a Rousing Speech.
• The Rival: Eren's. The two have conflicting viewpoints, and their relationship is further aggravated by Jean's huge crush on Mikasa. Marco and Sasha, however, joke that his antagonism towards Eren is fueled by something else.
• Running Gag: People calling him "horse-faced" on numerous occasions, even if they've never met each other before.
• Secret Test of Character: Gives one to Marlo and Hitch, pretending he intends to kill them in order to test their honesty and willingness to aid the Survey Corps.
• Signature Move: In the anime, he seems to favor an evasive back-flip as his main demonstration of his above-average skill at 3DMG.
• Signed Up for the Dental: Initially joined the military so he could live a comfortable live in the interior as a member of the Military Police.
• Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Cynical and convinced that humanity is doomed, which drives his ambition to join the Military Police Brigade. He wants to live a comfortable life before the end.
• Sour Supporter: He began as Eren's bitter rival, but becomes one of his most trusted allies after the battle of Trost. Even so, Jean remains the first person to call Eren out on things and challenge his ideas.
• Supporting Leader: None of the three heroes show any real leadership ability, Jean does.
• Sympathy for the Devil:
  • He tries to maintain a strong front for the others, but ends up crying when thinking that they've killed Reiner. He later prevents Hange from finishing Reiner off, and blames himself for giving in to his emotions after the Cart Titan manages to rescue Reiner from them.
  • Although he is shocked by Eren's decision to wipe out humanity outside the island, he understands that Eren wanted to protect his friends.
• This Is Unforgivable!: His reaction to Reiner telling him his role in Marco's death is to give him a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown. While he eventually calms down and is willing to work with Reiner, he outright states that he can't forgive him.
• Thou Shalt Not Kill: Jean struggles with the idea that his loyalty to the Survey Corps means he may very well need to kill humans. This leads to him hesitating at a critical moment, allowing an enemy gunman to seize control of the situation. After being saved by Armin, he confesses to Levi that he hoped the other man's ruthless way of thinking was wrong, but now realizes his mistake. By the time the Survey Corps face down the Anti-human suppression squad again he makes up for his mistake and kills several members.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Jean starts out as a selfish and cynical soldier who wants to enlist himself in the Military Brigade Police but after most of his comrades including his best friend: Marco dies fighting off the Titans in the Trost district. He becomes kinder, friendly and nicer to his remaining comrades willing to work together to help each other.
• Tragic Bromance: Marco's death shook him to the core, forever changing him from a selfish and cynical youth into a promising young leader that strives to live up to his friend's expectations.
• Troll: He likes to pick on Eren just for shits and giggles, though it's fundamentally based on the fact that Mikasa doesn't acknowledge him and only has eyes for Eren. On occasion, he does it to defuse otherwise tense situations.
• Unfriendly Fire: He briefly discusses (hypothetically) how unpopular officers might be killed off by their disgruntled subordinates while he's bemoaning the lack of information that Erwin gave everyone. He drops the subject soon afterwards and doesn't appear to have been serious.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: His and Eren's relationship falls into this territory after the events of Trost. Calling them "Buddies" would be a stretch since they still quarrel at the drop of a hat, but there's much less animosity between them and neither would think twice about risking their neck to save the other.
• The Watson: Has this role occasionally, especially when he interacts with Armin and asks him logical questions (that the audience is probably wondering) about the situation at hand and what his analysis of it is. Additionally, as a rather straightfoward person, point out the most obvious solution so that someone else can explain why that wouldn't work. He's also the first person to realize and understand Eren's motivations for activating the Rumbling, and points out as much to the others when it happens.
• What the Hell, Hero?: He's unwilling to remain silent over Eren's reckless behavior, or Erwin's willingness to risk lives by withholding information about the true nature of the mission. Or the Resupply Squad Trainees that left everyone hanging in Trost. This guy does not hesitate to say what needs to be said.
  • A more minor one, but even with his normally tongue-tying crush on Mikasa, he's not afraid to call her out on her near-obsession with Eren if the situation actually calls for it. For example, in Episode 16 when discussing what happened at the beginning of the mission to plug the hole in Wall Rose, specifically when Eren went nuts in Titan mode and tried to squish Mikasa. She tries to deflect his brutally direct questions (very lamely), to which he replies that not everyone is willing to just up and blindly sacrifice their lives for Eren like her and rightly points out that they need to make sure that he's got a handle on his Titan form, or he'll be a danger to everyone around him.
  • Another minor example is him angrily chewing out the Resupply Squad (the point where he decks one and has to be restrained) during the Battle of Trost for cowering under tables instead of keeping everyone refueled, leading to more deaths than necessary. When another explains that Titans made it into the supply room and they couldn't do anything, he retorts that "'Doing something' is your job as a soldier!" Interestingly enough, he doesn't seem to know or care about how the higher-ups left them behind while withdrawing.
  • In Episode 24, he confronts Eren over his inability to face Annie after she's revealed as the Female Titan. He references their previous What the Hell, Hero? conversation, reminding Eren that he has a responsibility to his comrades for the faith they've placed in him and their willingness to sacrifice their own lives for his sake. He demands to know if this is how Eren intends to repay them.
  • Admonishes Floch for burning down civilian housing during their attack on Liberio.
  • He holds Eren responsible for Sasha's death, as a direct result of his reckless disregard for his comrades.
• Would Not Shoot a Civilian: He makes it clear that he won't stand for targeting civilians, expressing frustration with Eren and Floch for their actions.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child:
  • He's visibly shocked and distressed when Falco enters his line of fire. Afterwards, he isn't sure whether Pieck knocked the Thunder Spear off-course or he missed on purpose.
  • Later on, he prevents Floch from killing Gabi and Falco to avenge Sasha.
  • He stops his No-Holds-Barred Beatdown of Reiner when Gabi gets in his way. The morning after, he apologizes to Gabi for hurting her.
• You Remind Me of X: Same as Annie, Jean spots similarities between Marlo and Eren.

Ymir

Ymir

Voiced by: Saki Fujita (JP), Elizabeth Maxwell (EN), Alina Galindo (Latin American Spanish, movies)

Debut: Chapter 5 (Manga), Episode 3 (Anime)

"It was like... I was in an endless nightmare."

"She smiled, and she was kind to me, despite knowing what kind of person I am..."

A mysterious and aloof member of the 104th Trainee Corps. Though skilled enough to place in the Top 10 of the class, Ymir deliberately slacked off so that the tenth spot could be taken by Krista Lenz; she would have presumably ranked 11th if further ranks were counted, so as such, Ymir is the only non-ranked cadet of the 104th that joins the Survey Corps. She clearly hoped that Krista would choose a safe posting in the Military Police Brigade. Her name, though known by her classmates, is not revealed to the audience at first until the Clash of the Titans arc.

In order to protect the girl she loves, Ymir reveals herself to possess the Titan's Power and is gravely injured in battle. Along with Eren, she is kidnapped by the traitors and convinced to ally with them to protect Krista. Though their plans fall through, she makes the decision to leave Krista in the Survey Corps' care and leaves human territory with the other Titan Shifters. Though her past remains a mystery, it is revealed that she existed as an ordinary Titan for 60 years and is independent from any other group, guarding many important secrets.

Branch: Survey Corps

Note: For information related to Ymir Fritz, from whom she was named after, see both the Titans entry on The Original / Progenitor / Founding / Coordinate Titan, and Ymir Fritz' entry on the Eldia character page.

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• Action Girl: Sort of required when you're in the military.
• Adaptational Early Appearance: Her plotline with the cult that gave her the name "Ymir" came from a chapter in the manga that came out in January 2017, making it the latest published plot animated from the manga (just 5 months before), while the rest of the Clash of the Titans Arc, which comprises Season 2 of the anime, was published in 2012-13.
• Affectionate Gesture to the Head:
  • She pats Connie on the head after he gives her his knife, signaling her intentions to risk her life. Afterwards, she leaps from the tower and reveals herself as a Titan Shifter.
  • While in her Titan form she lovingly strokes Historia's face with one of her fingers right before apologizing and returning to Reiner and Bertolt's side to protect them from the Titan horde.
• Almighty Janitor: She intentionally slacked off during training, resulting in her ranking outside the Top 10. This makes her easy to overlook and underestimate, when in reality she is not only a skilled Titan Shifter but exceptionally cunning and one of the few characters that actually knows what is going on.
• Aloof Ally: Eren notes most people don't really know her well, and Krista is the only person she seems to care about.
• An Arm and a Leg: Loses her right arm and leg, plus a great part of her abdominal wall, in the battle at Castle Utgard. She gets better.
• And I Must Scream: Previously spent over sixty years trapped in her Titan form, but managed to regain her humanity and control over her shifting after eating Reiner and Bertolt's friend.
• Armor-Piercing Question: Fond of giving these to others.
• Battle Couple: Ymir is very obviously in love with Krista, and they prove to be an excellent match when facing a horde of Titans together. Word of Gay confirms that their relationship is romantic in nature.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: She wanted to take Historia with her alongside Reiner and Bertolt when they capture Eren; this is because she is somewhat aware of Historia's importance and thinks that Reiner's people can protect her better than the Walls can. Later, when it's revealed that Historia has royal blood, it's later exposed (earlier, if we go by the timeline) what the Marleyans would have done to her when Eren Kruger talks with Grisha Yeager about his wife Dina's own royal blood, as they would turn her into a lab-rat-baby-factory for the Warrior Program; this, being the reason why Kruger withheld the information and allowed her to be turned into a Mindless Titan. Yikes!
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Her devotion to Krista is stated to have been born from this.
• Be Yourself: A firm believer that people are not alive unless they can be true to themselves. She encourages Sasha to not hide her accent, and constantly challenges Krista to stop worrying about what others think about her.
• Big Damn Heroes: In stark contrast to her previous selfishness, during the mission to retrieve Eren from the Armored Titan, Ymir manages to save Erwin and Bertolt's lives Just in Time despite getting no benefit from it.
• Bolivian Army Cliffhanger: She is last seen fending off a swarm of Titans alongside Reiner and Bertolt. Volume 12 averts this, however, by including an epilogue that reveals they survived the battle.
• Bus Crash: Her last appearance consists of her preparing to head back to the Titan Shifter homeland with Reiner and Bertolt. In Chapter 93, it is revealed that she was promptly shipped to Liberio, where she was eaten alive by the Warrior candidate Porco Galliard to gain her Titan Power.
• Butch Lesbian: Not the most blatant example, but Reiner still notes that "she doesn't look like a girl who is interested in guys." Her manner of speech is also pretty masculine and she never wears any casual clothing that is considered strictly feminine (with the exception of wearing a dress when she was a young girl).
• But for Me, It Was Tuesday: A less malicious example. She doesn't remember eating Marcel in Titan form.
• But Now I Must Go: She ultimately decides to leave with Reiner and Bertolt, returning to Marley where she is ultimately killed.
• Cannibalism Superpower: Her powers were obtained by devouring Marcel, allowing her to regain her humanity and giving her the Jaws Titan.
• Chekhov M.I.A.: She's been missing since the Clash of the Titans arc onward and in Chapter 89, it's strongly implied in her letter to Historia that she might have been killed by the Warriors in order to recover the Jaws Titan power; at least, she is under the impression that this would happen. She was confirmed to have been killed by Galliard in Chapter 93.
• Chekhov's Gun: Subverted. Her letter to Historia reveals her past, but contains no clues as to her whereabouts or pertinent information regarding the fight with the Titans; this is because she wrote it under duress, as Reiner was looking over her shoulder when she wrote it. The military high command speculate as to a possible hidden code for Historia, but she quickly dismisses the notion.
• Chekhov's Gunman: She's introduced early on in Chapter 5, but it is not until much later in Chapter 36 that she actually starts playing an important role. The anime provides a bit more attention to Ymir during this gap, but she still remains much less important compared to the other trainees.
• Cold Equation: To emphasize her self-serving attitude, Ymir, in the past, has advised abandoning an unconscious Daz in the mountains before she and Krista freeze trying to save him.
• Come with Me If You Want to Live: When she destroys what's left of Castle Utgard, with the others still on the tower. As it collapses, she climbs to the top and manages to speak enough to tell them, "Wanna live... climb on."
• Conditional Powers: Just like the other Shifters, Ymir was afflicted with "Ymir's Curse", given her only 13 years to live. Her term would have ended around the same time as Eren's, since she became a Titan Shifter a few days before him at most, but it turned out to be a moot point in the end since Marley fed her to Porco Galliard so he could gain her power..
• Cruel to Be Kind:
  • She viciously mocks Connie until he drops the subject of the Titan found lying on his house. Later, Reiner states she did it so Connie would stop worrying and asks her to keep it up. It's debatable whether Ymir did it out of genuine kindness or because she didn't want Connie to think too much about the Titans' origins, as she is one herself but Historia seems to believe that it is the former rather than the latter.
  • She ends up abandoning Historia after promising the two would be together, but only because she felt Historia now had a chance to survive in the walls and didn't want her to give up on humanity for her sake.
• Cryptic Conversation: Engages in hefty doses of it with Reiner and Bertolt, right over the head of Eren (and the audience).
• Cuteness Proximity: She initially approached Krista in order to make her a bargain chip to save her own life from the ire of the Warriors, but she wasn't counting on finding the girl to be the most beautiful thing she'd ever laid eyes upon. She likes Krista enough to risk life and limb for her, though judging her behavior during the Clash of the Titans arc, Ymir tends not to act rationally when it comes to her.
• The Cynic: Has no illusions about what kind of world she lives in.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Based on the few hints she'd dropped, her early years were pretty horrible. She was born an orphan in Marley with no identity for herself and was found by a conman who set her up as the reincarnation of Ymir Fritz, the Progenitor Titan, in order to make some cash from the desperate Eldians living there. Years later, when the Marleyan soldiers caught wind of this and captured everyone involved, the conman singled Ymir out saying SHE tricked him. Ymir did what she thought was good by playing the role of Ymir Fritz, but eventually she was taken to Paradis Island to be Titanized while crowds of angry Marleyans stoned her.
• Establishing Character Moment: Shows up when Krista is feeding Sasha and questions the altruistic nature of Krista's actions with a condescending attitude. She then lifts a passed out Sasha up and takes her back to the barracks, explaining that's she's doing the favor so Sasha will owe her.
• Eye Scream: Her primary mode of attack in Titan form is to claw out the eyes of an attacking Titan, then use the opening to tear out their nape.
• Face–Heel Revolving Door: She sides with the enemy in exchange for Krista's safety, but abandons them once things turned sour, only to return to their defense after safely returning Krista to the retreating Survey Corps.
• False Reassurance: She repeatedly insists she's only doing things for herself, and only cares about her own interests. It's just that her interests happen to revolve around protecting Krista, the girl she loves.
• Foreshadowing: During the "Clash of the Titans" arc, Ymir states that she's not confident in the abilities of the people from the Three Walls and that staying means certain doom. Later in the story, it's revealed that the Marleyans in the mainland are intending to wipe out the Eldians of the Three Walls in Paradis with a technologically superior armada and seven of the Nine Titan Powers of Eldia under their control... that is, if everyone doesn't end up wiped out by the Titans embedded in the Walls.
• Good Feels Good: "Being a goddess doesn't feel so bad..."
• Gut Feeling: She has exceptional instincts about other people, getting accurate readings on their motivations and hidden issues.
• Hair-Contrast Duo: The angry, moody brunette to Krista's nicer, gentler blonde.
• Healing Factor: Comes with being a Titan Shifter.
• Heroic Sacrifice: She sacrifices herself to protect Reiner and Bertolt, returning to Marley and ultimately dying so that their superiors would spare them.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Ymir frequently mentions that she is a selfish person to the point that she tells Reiner and Bertolt that she may be "the shittiest person in the world" and would willingly betray anyone to survive. However, over the course of the Clash of the Titans arc, its shown that she is a much nicer person than she lets on and a lot more willing to sacrifice herself for others, especially Historia.
• Hidden Heart of Gold: Despite her insistence that she ultimately only cares about herself numerous times during the Clash of the Titans arc it is shown that she is willing to put her life on the line to protect others. When the Titan horde is tearing down Utgard Castle she transforms into a Titan and risks her own life to save Historia and the others. Her kidnapping attempt on Historia was because she didn't believe the Walls could protect her and felt that Reiner's side had the best possibility of survival. Once it becomes apparent that humanity has a future inside the Walls thanks to Eren possessing the Coordinate she allows Historia to stay behind and protects Reiner and Bertolt from the Titan horde in order to save their lives. Even her abrasive actions, such as telling Sasha to stop using a phony accent, are implied to be because she wants others to embrace who they really are as oppose to living a lie, like she did when pretending to be Ymir Fritz.
• Hunter Of Her Own Kind: First, simply as a soldier doing what she has to survive. Once she reveals her true nature, she fights to protect Krista and the others.
• Hypocrite: She constantly tells others to live only for themselves and to not be hindered by their past. However, Ymir cannot let go of her past. It ultimately results in her death, as it is due to feeling a need to repay Reiner and Bertolt that she allows them to take her away.
• If We Get Through This…: "That's my Krista! Once this operation ends, marry me!"
• In Love with the Mark: She says she originally got close to Krista with the intention of taking advantage of her Living Macguffin status. However, we know over time she genuinely started to care for and is now in love with Krista. Still, she claims to only be thinking about herself.
• I Owe You My Life: When Bertolt asks why she saved his life, she states that it's because she feels indebted to them since she never would have regained human form without encountering them. She refuses their offer to let her escape, offering herself up as a trophy so they won't return to their home empty-handed, though it may very well mean her life. It does.
• Irony: A rather sad one is that, despite Ymir's desire to live only for herself and not to become a martyr like she was in her first life, and her constant statements that she is a selfish person, ultimately neither of these concepts are true. Firstly she eventually decides to live for Historia's sake and, despite her selfishness, she ultimately proves to be very self sacrificing as she gives up both her freedom and her life so that Reiner and Bertolt won't go home empty handed.
• It's All About Me: In Chapter 47, she boldly declares that she'll take Eren and go back to the Survey Corps, ruining Reiner and Bertolt's plans, and even taking away a chance at making sure Krista isn't killed in the conflict, just so she can see her again. She says that she's fine with taking away Krista's future so long as she can see her again, because Ymir is simply that terrible a person.
  • It's indicated this isn't entirely true. While Ymir disparages herself for being, essentially, Selfish Evil in the past, Connie points out that she could have easily escaped Castle Utgard and instead faced death for Krista. Ymir's thoughts suggest that her trying to kidnap Krista is really an attempt to give her a future, alluding to an impending catastrophe that would kill her if she remained within the Walls. Her later letting Krista go is because she now thinks said catastrophe can be averted by Eren having the Coordinate. Finally, she goes back to save Bertolt and Reiner from Titans and goes with them back home to keep them from returning empty handed, which Reiner says is going to end with her death. It does.
• Jade-Colored Glasses: She's deeply cynical and makes certain everyone knows it, which allows her to recognize the unhealthy motivations behind Krista's selfless actions. She implies this is because she, herself, was once much like Krista.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Ymir's rude to everyone except Historia and has a selfish, cynical outlook on life. A lot of it's just an act, as she'll put her own life at risk to protect those she cares about without hesitation.
• Killed Offscreen: She is eaten by Galliard for her powers at some point during the Time Skip.
• Lack of Empathy: She makes no effort to mince her words, and outright refuses to show compassion, which causes friction between her and Connie.
• Lecherous Licking: She does this to Krista, while making a joke marriage proposal.
  Ymir: That's my girl, Krista! If we get through this, marry me!
• Living Emotional Crutch: As Krista's closest friend (and the only person who knew about her identity struggles), her leaving with Reiner and Bertolt hit Krista (now Historia) hard. Shown best in the Volume 13 extra pages, where Historia sobs and calls Ymir a traitor for leaving her.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Since Ymir was only a figurehead leader of a cult during her time in Marley, and one who was likely not given very much information about the outside world, she only has a passing knowledge about certain events relating to the other side of the ocean. The most glaring evidence of this is the fact that, as a member of the Royal bloodline, if Historia had gone to Marley she would have been used as a baby factory so that they could use her offspring for their own purposes. If she had known this it's likely that Ymir would never have even considered turning Historia over to Reiner and Bertolt.
• The Lost Lenore: She's this to Historia, who is deeply hurt by her abandonment and cries upon reading her last letter.
• Lotus-Eater Machine: Inverted. Ymir reveals she spent 60 years as a regular Titan, and describes it as having been trapped in an "endless nightmare". She notes she has no memory of her physical actions during that time, and only regained her consciousness and human form 5 years ago.
• Lovecraftian Superpower: Titan-shifting is fairly horrific, involving generating a giant meat suit fused to the human pilot. Ymir's is a simian-like creature with fangs and claws.
• Love Makes You Evil: She's willing to side with the enemy, if it means protecting Krista. Even then she freely admits she's a horrible person so selfish she would risk Krista's future just to be able to see her one more time. Ultimately, her thoughts indicate she is trying to save Krista from an unspecified danger that threatens everyone within the Wall; once she believes Krista can be safe within the Walls, she ensures Krista stays behind before she runs off.
• Meaningful Name: Ymir's name is a reference to Norse Mythology. ^note In the original myths Ymir was a primeval being born of primordial elemental poison and is an ancestor of all jötnar (giants). And it's worth mentioning that gods made the Earth from his flesh. The original Titan was named Ymir Fritz' which may be relevant at some later on point. Ymir also means "The Scream", foreshadowing her being stuck in a Titan body for over sixty years.
• My Greatest Failure: In her letter to Historia, she states that ever since she regained her senses she decided to live her life without regrets and for the most part she did so. However she feels that her one regret is that she was unable to marry Historia like she said she would. The letter, she believes that it will be her final goodbye to Historia, which it turns out to be true once is revealed that Ymir was fed to Gaillard to regain the Titan Power for Marley.
• Mysterious Past: She intentionally keeps her past a mystery.
• No Name Given: She is simply referred to as "Freckles" in the anime credits, as her name is not revealed until the 36th chapter.
• Not So Above It All: Ultimately she doesn't want Krista to abandon humanity, even if it means not seeing her again, letting her know in not so many words when she abandons her while fleeing from the Survey Corps.
• Official Couple: With Historia, though only confirmed by creator statements.
• Older Than She Looks: She reveals that she spent 60 years in her Titan form, suggesting that she's at least in her late 70s.
• One Head Taller: She skirts the line at Statuesque Stunner (172 cm or 5 feet 8 inches) and compared to Krista who's only 149 cm (4 feet 9 inches), she's this.
• Only One Name: Whether Ymir has a family name or not is unknown. As it turns out, she was a nameless orphan who was given the name Ymir in honor of Ymir Fritz by the religious group who took her in.
• Present Absence: Ymir disappears from the story almost entirely after leaving with Reiner and Bertolt to their homeland, and is eventually eaten by Galliard in order for Marley to reclaim the Jaws Titan. However her presence is still felt in the series as Ymir's abandonment of her leaves Historia an Empty Shell who desperately searches for someone to love her in the form of her father. However Ymir's words to Historia, telling her to live a life she can be proud off, eventually give her the inner strength needed to rebel against her father and choose her own path by becoming queen of the Walls. Plus the conversation Ymir shares with Bertolt allows the people in the Walls to piece together important aspects about the true nature of the Titans.
• Psycho Lesbian: Zigzagged. She's clearly devoted to Krista, and is willing to cross lines for her sake. This leads people to view her as insane or untrustworthy, but she's probably not the psycho people think she is.
• Revealing Skill: She can read the strange characters on a can, and does so without thinking about it. Immediately, Reiner becomes suspicious of her... but they're interrupted before he can do more than express surprise, and the subject is dropped until The Reveal of her true nature as a Titan Shifter.
• Robbing the Mob Bank: Long ago, she stole the Titan's power from The Kingdom of Marley. Hiding within Wall Sina, and then enlisting in the military to find Krista was her desperate attempt to save herself from them.
• Save the Villain: In Chapter 50, she ultimately chooses to leave Historia behind in order to rescue Bertolt from a Titan. When he asks her later why she saved him, she admits she did it without thinking. But she feels she owes them for their role in restoring her humanity, and feels sorry for them.
• Secret Identity: A Titan Shifter independent of the other four, who joined humanity's ranks for reasons yet unknown (although her motives right now seem to be protecting Krista). The Aberrant Titan that Ilse Langnar encounters seems to worship her, calling Ilse "Ymir-sama" upon their meeting.
• Self-Harm: She borrows a knife from Connie, and slashes open her hand in order to transform into a Titan.
• Senseless Sacrifice: Ymir's sacrificing of herself by willing becoming Reiner's and Bertolt's hostage ultimately plays out as this in the long run. Not only does Bertolt never actually make it back to Marley, getting defeated and then eaten by Armin, but Reiner as the Sole Survivor ends up having to live with crippling guilt after watching all of his comrades either die or get captured, and deal with attrocities he committed. When the story picks up after the Time Skip, while heralded a hero by Marley, he's very much a Death Seeker.
• Shut Up, Kirk!: After Eren gives Reiner and Bertolt a speech declaring that he will make the both of them die in the most painful way possible Ymir, more or less, rolls her eyes at his naiveté, calls his words "childish bullshit" and tells Eren flat out that, if he keeps talking like that, she has no hope for him.
• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Tends to play this role with Reiner in official parodies, such as Attack on Titan: Junior High, due to both of them having feelings for Krista.
• Spanner in the Works:
  • If it wasn't for her insisting that she be allowed to get Krista after Bertolt and Reiner kidnap Eren, it would be more than likely the duo could have gotten away before any of their former friends could have a chance to catch up.
  • Her mindless titan devouring Marcel Galliard seriously derailed the Warriors' mission. Not only did they lose a key power in both the Jaw Titan and Marcel's leadership skills, but the Warriors, especially Reiner, were traumatized by the experience. While Reiner and Bertolt were able to take the Jaw Titan back, it is only a small consulation for failing their mission to retake the Coordinate.
• Super-Soldier: The third known Titan Shifter.
• Sympathy for the Devil: She describes herself as the only person capable of understanding Reiner and Bertolt's circumstances, and feels sorry for them. This sympathy leads her to offer herself as a prisoner in hopes that their superiors will show them mercy for failing their mission.
• Those Two Girls: With Krista, making them almost constant companions.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: The tomboy to Krista's girly girl.
• Tragic Dream: What she wanted most was to marry Historia, and unfortunately, she will never get that chance.
• Tragic Hero: Ymir was a girl who, at a young age, sacrificed herself in order to protect the cult that worshiped her. After regaining her human form she vowed that from then on she would live for her own sake and no longer be someone's martyr. However despite her words Ymir was never fully able to let go of her past choosing instead to sacrifice herself for Historia and, eventually, Bertolt and Reiner. In the end Ymir's life was so tragic that even Galliard, the man who would eat her to gain her Titan form, felt sorry for her lot in life.
• Tsundere: A non-romantic type A, as she's very affectionate with the person she does have romantic feelings for. But Ymir is admittedly cold and surly to her allies, wasting no time poking fun at them or snarking about what they have to say. But she is overall much nicer than she lets on, one particular example included cursing out Erwin for complicating matters before saving his life.
• Undying Loyalty: To Krista. She will follow her just anywhere just to keep her safe and even ends up abandoning her for the same reason when Krista's balance starts tipping towards what Ymir thinks is the wrong side for her. In her goodbye letter to Historia, Ymir even states that even though she decided to turn herself over to Reiner and Bertolt in gratitude for giving her back her mind she would never betray Historia and she's still on her side.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: As shown during her flashback detailing her past Ymir, once she became the cult figurehead, was a happy girl thankful to live a life outside poverty and grateful to the cultists for giving her a purpose. Even after one of the cultists blamed her as the mastermind of the cult to some Marley soldiers she was shown willing to sacrifice herself in order to spare her followers. Getting stoned by some angry Marleyans, forcibly transformed into a Titan, and spending the next 60 years wandering around Paradis Island as a mindless Titan pretty much beat the naivety out of her.
• Walking Spoiler: The revelations concerning her are very significant. Read the below section at your own risk!
• Wild Card: And she makes certain others know it, declaring that her only consideration are her own interests.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Ymir was the first person who saw past Historia's "Krista Lenz" personality and saw the cynical Death Seeker she was inside. Ymir therefore has constantly tried to encourage Historia to embrace her true self and live a life she can be proud off instead of just going along with what others tell her to do. It takes awhile but eventually Ymir's words reach Historia and she finally decides to choice her own path, knocking out her father, and becoming the Queen of the Walls on her own terms.

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Connie Springer

Connie Springer

Voiced by: Hiro Shimono (JP), Clifford Chapin (EN), Alberto Bernal (Latin American Spanish, movies)

Debut: Chapter 2 (Manga), Episode 2 (Anime)

"I'm a genius."

"All I have left is this picture... and my mom."

^{Click here to see his post-Time Skip appearance}

Ranked 8th. Hailing from the village of Ragako in the interior of Wall Rose, Connie is the older of three sons from his parents' home, having a little brother and sister. He is short and agile, but considered somewhat clueless by the others. He wishes to join the Military Police Brigade to make his village proud, and likes to claim that he is far more intelligent than he actually is. Earnest to a fault, he is close friends with Sasha, with the two providing much of the series' comedic moments, while also butting heads with Ymir, who likes to pick on him. He is part of the group that abandons their ambitions, following Eren into the Survey Corps.

His village becomes the epicenter of a new disaster, as Titans flood into Wall Rose and leave humanity again on the brink. He is deeply shaken upon learning the identities of the traitors, taking part in the expedition to rescue Eren so that he can confront them. In the aftermath, the ruins of his village provide terrifying evidence of the true nature of the Titans and he is forced to come to grips with losing everything. He is promoted into the second incarnation of the Special Operations Squad, and charged with protecting Eren and Historia.

Branch: Survey Corps

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• And Then John Was a Zombie: Is turned into a mindless Titan by the "Source of All Organic Matter". Due to his personal experience, Connie is the first to recognize the gas it is emitting is the same that turned his village (and his mom) into mindless titans. He’s quickly restored when Mikasa kills Eren, prompting Ymir to removed the Power of the Titans from the world.
• Book Dumb: Not that school is a huge priority in this universe but he still doesn't know things that presumably everyone knows. In his introduction he gets screamed at for screwing up the salute since it implies that he thinks that the heart is on the right side of the body.
• Break the Cutie: Probably the primary victim of this trope in the series. He starts out as a comical and dim-witted youth, and is the most visibly distraught in the aftermath of the battle of Trost. While the others merely look grim, he weeps openly while curled up in a Troubled Fetal Position.
  • Repeatedly in rapid succession. First, Titans appear within Wall Rose and are coming from the direction of his village. When he leads his team into Ragako, it is found destroyed and utterly deserted....with a strange Titan lying down on the ruins of his home. The others quickly realize that while there are no signs of people being killed, all the horses are still in the stables and the villagers have simply vanished. In an attempt to keep Connie calm, they reassure him that everyone escaped. However, the strange Titan speaks to him when he attempts to leave, making him realize it looks like his mother. His surrogate big brother, Reiner, is nearly killed protecting him from a Titan attack and their superiors die attempting to protect the unarmed rookies. Then, Reiner is revealed to be The Mole and kidnaps Eren after a violent battle. In the aftermath of these traumatic two days, Connie helps Hange investigate his Doomed Hometown and it is concluded that the Titans within Wall Rose were the missing villagers. As a final trauma, the government begins hunting the members of the Survey Corps and Connie begins to have doubts about his superiors as they torture prisoners and order the rookies to be prepared to kill other humans.
• Bridal Carry: In Episode 8, he can be seen carrying Armin this way, due to him not having any gas in his 3D-Maneuver Gear, as he and Mikasa regroup with the others of the 104th.
  • In Chapter 82, he catches and holds an injured Sasha in this hold.
• Butt-Monkey: Shares this role with Sasha as what little humor the series has is often at their expense. His getting the short end of the stick stops being funny after a while when it looks like the universe really doesn't like him being happy.
• Character Catchphrase: "I'm a genius."
• Character Development: Connie initially joined the military just so that his village would think better of him, and didn't really understand what it meant to be a soldier. He starts off as a happy-go-lucky smart aleck, but as reality gives him a rude awakening, he becomes more serious, realizing he now has a duty as a soldier that he cannot ignore, and joins the Survey Corps despite having the opportunity to join the more peaceful Military Police.
• Cowardly Lion: Visibly scared of facing the Titans again after the Battle of Trost, but he decides to do it anyway.
• The Cutie: He's perhaps one of the kindest, most honest characters in the series.
• Defusing the Tyke-Bomb: He joins Jean in attempting to talk down Reiner and Bertolt, appealing to their years of friendship. It manages to get Bertolt talking, but unfortunately they cannot stop and further efforts are prevented by Erwin throwing fuel on the proverbial fire.
• The Ditz: Described as being the most physically agile, with the downside of not being particularly agile mentally. Case in point: he almost believed Reiner when he brings up the Titans' "second weak point". In the manga, he and Sasha apparently spent most of hand-to-hand training goofing around and pretending to be kung-fu heroes.
• Doomed Hometown: Returns to his home village to find it destroyed. Mysteriously, however, there's no sign of blood.
• Double Standard: Rape, Male on Male: Like Sasha, he appears to be holding back laughter while Jean comforts Armin after he was molested by a man while posing as Historia.
• Dramatically Missing the Point: He is livid at Eren for laughing after hearing that Sasha had died. He thinks Eren found it amusing, but Eren is actually chuckling at the fact that Sasha was able to squeeze a last laugh out of him from her dying words ("meat"), as one of Eren's fondest memories of her was when she stole a ham from the officer's kitchen and was intending to eat it with her friends right before the Colossal Titan attacked the district of Trost.
• Dumbass Has a Point: When he gives an accurate assessment of the first part of Trost (everyone's stuck until they can resupply) in lieu of Armin, who was shell-shocked at time, Jean mentions that it's good that he's using his head for once.
  • In Chapter 49, he manages to talk Krista out of a dangerous situation, saying that if Ymir only cares about protecting Krista, then Krista getting herself to safety would be best for both of them. Lampshaded by himself when he says "even an idiot" can understand that.
  Connie: Well, I don't know how exactly Ymir is going to get killed, but you guys calm down a bit. No matter how you think about it, the chances of the both of you dying are higher if you stay here now, right? Even an idiot like me can understand that much.
• Dumb Is Good: He's a loyal and caring friend, but he can be pretty slow sometimes.
• Face Death with Dignity: Knowing he's about to become a Pure Titan in the penultimate chapter and believing he will have to be put down, he reminisces with Jean about how they first joined the Survey Corps, and says that it's all Jean's "fault" that they ended up sacrificing themselves to save the world.
• Facial Horror: Not that any Titan is going to be a pretty sight to look at, but Titan!Connie manages to stand out among the worst of them, with several lovely close-ups of its fleshless mouth and the massive craters where its cheeks should be.
• Fragile Speedster: His one exceptional attribute is his speed and agility, while he's not very strong and repeatedly gets into danger when he misses his shot.
• Heel Realization: After the incident in which he nearly feeds Falco to his Titanized mother, he realizes how far he's fallen after he nearly sacrificed a young boy and almost killed a friend and that he's not being the kind of soldier his mother would want him to be.
• Heroic BSoD: When he discovers his village has been destroyed, and there's a Titan laying in the ruins of his house. It gets worse when it speaks to him, and he realizes that it looks like his mother. He has another brief one, upon learning of Reiner and Bertolt's true identities.
• Hit-and-Run Tactics: His natural speed and agility make him devastating against Marley's soldiers, with him dropping explosives and swinging away before they can react.
• Hot-Blooded: He's enthusiastic and passionate, has no problem of speaking up his mind and expressing his opinons. This turned into outright Hair-Trigger Temper after his Sanity Slippage.
• I Got Bigger: He's grown taller during the Time Skip, no longer tiny compared to his comrades. Chapter 108 shows that he has grown taller than Mikasa at 180 cm (5'11").
• I Just Want to Be Special: Wants to be in the Military Police Brigade since they are known as humanity's most badass and elite soldiers, and joining would make his village proud of him. An inspiring speech by Eren, and later, Jean, makes him reconsider.
• I Owe You My Life: After being saved from a Titan, Connie mentions that it isn't the first time Reiner has protected him. In response, he swears that he'll find a way to pay him back.
• Irony: By the start of War for Paradis arc, he's so irritated of being betrayed that he burst out on Onyankopon for supposedly betraying him. Yet when he tries to stop the Yeagerists in continuing the Rumbling with his allies, he's regarded as a traitor by his former comrades. The following line drives this to the point as he recognizes this.
  Connie: Jean... I... shot Samuel and Daz to death. I sliced up familiar faces until it become unrecognizable. All while they called me a traitor... And I'm telling myself it's all to save the world... Hey, Reiner. It must've been hard for you, Annie, and Bertolt, right?
• Like Brother and Sister: He mournfully states that Sasha was like a twin to him. It gets worse, as Connie had lost most of his family in the first place, and his only living relative is Titanized.
• Meaningful Name: Connie Springer has the highest speed stat among the recruits.
• Morality Pet: To some degree for both Reiner, and Annie.
• My God, What Have I Done?: His horrified expression as he kills Daz and Samuel to protect himself and Armin screams this. Especially since Samuel's betrayed reaction to them joining forces with the people trying to exterminate Paradis is exactly how the 104th saw the warriors all those years ago.
• Nice Guy: Connie is easily one of the nicest characters in the series along with the likes of Marco and his "other half" Sasha, repeatedly exposing himself to dangerous situations to protect others, and always keeping the well-being of his friends in mind.
• Nobody's That Dumb: When rescuing Eren while numerous Titans are in the area, Krista insist to him that he leaves her behind with Ymir, who claims that her captors will kill her if she doesn't come along with them. He doubts the claim and even points out that an idiot like him can see how dangerous their current situation is.
• Not What I Signed on For: Connie begins to questions Levi's leadership and the Survey Corps' mission after Levi forces Historia to cooperate with the rebellion.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Has become a lot colder and more distant after Eren's betrayal, and openly questions Eren's true loyalties for his part in her untimely demise. Even Mikasa can offer no proper response when Connie challenges her attempts to rationalize his actions.
• Perma-Shave: His permanently buzzed hair.
• Plucky Comic Relief: Starts out as this, often in conjunction with Sasha. And then he gets broken, over and over again.
• Ramming Always Works: Distracts a Titan from eating Jean by colliding with the tip of a Titan's head while maneuvering.
• Rank Up: Assigned to the new Special Operations Squad.
• Sanity Slippage: Considering all he's lost and all he's been through, Connie has remained remarkably collected all things considered, including Sasha's untimely death at the hands of Gabi which he sees as a consequence of war. It all changes after realizing that he faced another betrayal in Eren (who also technically played a part in Sasha's death), during which he openly advocates for Eren's death and has become increasingly despondent to all else. It really begins to culminate during his imprisonment in Shiganshina by Eren's Yeagerist faction, during which he explodes at Onyankopon about having been constantly betrayed by those he once trusted, an outburst only stopped by Jean's intervention. After Eren activates the Rumbling, Connie discovers that Falco has inherited the Jaws Titan, and resolves to use him to restore his still-Titanized mother to human form. When Armin argues against this, Connie isn't having it, and deserts his comrades with Falco in tow to save the last of his family; it is clear that Sasha's demise, in part because of Eren's actions, was simply the final straw for him.
• Sole Survivor: See Doomed Hometown above. He is the only known survivor from his village.
• Sympathy for the Devil: Even though they're fighting to kill each other, Connie, along with Sasha, breaks down crying when Reiner is seemingly killed, and later weeps while having to watch Bertolt's final moments. Much later, after realizing how many horrible things he himself has done, he realizes that Reiner and the other Warriors must have been torn up with guilt over their actions.
• Tears of Remorse: He breaks down crying when he thinks they've killed Reiner.
• Tempting Fate: Connie celebrates everyone important to him surviving the battle, while the airship is still in the process of escaping Liberio. Shortly afterwards, Gabi sneaks into the hangar and starts shooting, fatally wounding Sasha in the process.
• This Is Unforgivable!: After learning the true fate of his family and village, Connie swears vengeance on whoever is responsible.
  • This is also his reaction towards Eren's betrayal, having had enough of being constantly betrayed by those he once trusted.
• This Means War!: He got really pissed at Eren's supposed betrayal, who by delcaring war into Liberio forced them into an enemy territory and resulted in Sasha's death, and fears that he will betray Paradis for Zeke's sake, and promises to "cut him down" if Eren crosses them again.
• Throw Down the Bomblet: He demonstrates a talent for wielding explosives, using his speed to overwhelm Marley's forces.
• Tiny Schoolboy: He's the nice guy type, who's technically a schoolboy.
• Took a Level in Badass: His incredible speed and reflexes have allowed to be come a useful part of the Special Operations Squad.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: He becomes a lot more temperamental and willing to do morally questionable things after the Time Skip, which can be attributed to fighting a war against Marley and being angry about Sasha's death. Fortunately, after his Heel Realization Connie comes back to his senses and returns to his usual self.
• Trauma Conga Line: Oh, Connie.
• Was It All a Lie?: Declares that he won't believe that Reiner and Bertolt are their enemies until he can ask them himself. He uses their friendship as a deterrent, reminding them of their promise to survive against the Titans and grow old together. Even after confronting them, it's not clear how he feels about their betrayal.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Wants to join the Military Police Brigade so his mother will be proud of him and his village will respect him. He realizes he's giving this up when he chooses the Survey Corps but does it anyway.
• We Used to Be Friends: Once held no malice towards Eren, seeing him as humanity's best hope to stop the Titans and having remained loyal to him since their training days. After Sasha's death in Liberio however, Connie has begun to second-guess Eren's actions, calling his old friend a "bastard" and threatening to kill him if he steps out of line again.
• What Happened to Mommy?: Barely avoided, as Mrs. Springer's Titan form is unable to move. She remains alive, but in custody and he notes that she's the only thing he has left besides a photograph of his parents. When Falco inherits the Jaws Titan, Connie resolves to feed him to her to save her, deserting his comrades to see it through.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: Tended to treat his training as a game and wanted to join the Military Police Brigade solely to make his village proud and not for personal safety. This seriously hurts him after he has to come to terms with the realities of the military after the Battle of Trost.
• Would Hurt a Child: After Falco inherits the power of the Jaws Titan, Connie takes the young boy away to feed him to his titanized mother in an effort to turn Mrs. Springer back into a human.
• You Can't Go Home Again: Notes that he doesn't think that he can ever go back home after the events of Episode 22. He ends up being right, when his village is destroyed and he indeed no longer has a home to return to.

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Sasha Blouse

Sasha Blouse

Voiced by: Yuu Kobayashi (JP), Ashly Burch (EN, Season 1-3), Megan Shipman (Season 4), Jennifer Medel (Latin American Spanish)

Portrayed by: Nanami Sakuraba

Debut: Chapter 2 (Manga), Episode 2 (Anime)

"It's alright even if you're weak... there'll be people who will come to your rescue."

^{Click here to see her post-Time Skip appearance}

"You'll end up dead if you underestimate the forest!"

Ranked 9th. Originally the inhabitant of a small hunting village, she left to join the military when an influx of refugees from Wall Maria forced the villagers to give up their traditional way of life. She tries to hide her accent by speaking very formally, and has a tendency to steal food whenever she sees it. She is considered a coward and a fool by some, but is respected for her keen instincts and warm nature.

During the crisis within Wall Rose, she returns to her village and is forced into single combat with a 3-meter class Titan. Surviving the battle, she is reunited with her enstranged father and finally gains his approval after rescuing a child. She misses out on the expedition to rescue Eren and defeat the traitors, but reunites with her comrades in the weeks that follow. Promoted into the Special Operations Squad, she is charged with protecting Eren and Historia. She is shown to have begun to make use of a bow in place of the less accurate military-issue rifles.

Branch: Survey Corps

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• Accent Adaptation: Largely averted in the official dub. Basically, Sasha is from a relatively isolated village of hunters located deep within the forest, who speak with a unique accent. In the original Japanese, they speak with a Kyushu accent, from the southernmost of Japan's main islands, which plays it somewhat loose with the system of formal honorifics in Japanese. After Sasha joins the military, she's so embarrassed about her "hick" accent that she overcompensates by speaking very formally (not just in her pronunciation but use of honorifics). The official English dub didn't really try to stress this, but perhaps overcompensated for fear of sounding too hammy. Even in moments where Sasha switches to her natural accent, her pronunciation doesn't significantly change (though the English dub at least gave her father a bit of a southern/western/frontiersman accent). The only way the English dub tries to convey her different speech pattern is when she's outright using a lot of honorifics to her commanding officers, where she'll switch into overally elaborate diction.
• Accent Slip-Up: During her CMOA, she briefly drops the over-polite speech.
  Get movin'!
• Action Girl: Not at first, but definitely grows into her own as she learns to confront the Titans more confidently.
• Apologizes a Lot: She even tries to apologize to a Titan after failing to kill it, though this is more like a panicked reaction than anything else.
• Badass Bandolier: She wears one when she uses a modern rifle.
• Big Sister Mentor: To Kare in the video game during their interactions, when Kare developed an interest in learning hunting from Sasha.
• Big Eater: Implied to be due to the famines back home. In Episode 3 of the anime, some characters comment that she was more shocked at the fact that they wouldn't be giving her anymore food that day, rather than the fact that she was told to run all day and night as punishment for stealing the potato she was seen eating in formation. She is also often seen eating or stealing food, and at one point loses her consciousness uncontrollably trying to eat a table of meat for herself and has to be tied up as knocking her out is no longer an option. This is also one of the reasons why she became close to Nikolo, a Marleyan chef.
• "Blackmail" Is Such an Ugly Word: Sasha would like the other trainees to know that she "borrowed" meat from the officers' rations, and most definitely not stolen it.
• Boom, Headshot!: Deals out several during the attack on Liberio.
• Brutal Honesty: Played for laughs after Eren saves the team from a collapsing cave. She admits she didn't actually have any faith in him.
• The Bus Came Back: She was absent from an entire story arc before returning, due to having been separated from her comrades prior to The Reveal and the subsequent chaos that resulted. While the arc stretched for several chapters, she was actually only gone for about two days. Averted in the anime in which she returns early and is involved in events that were not in the manga, including being the one to hand in Annie's background documents to Hange.
• Butt-Monkey: When they need an excuse to cover up the noise caused by another fight between Eren and Jean, Mikasa blames it on Sasha's farting, horrifying her.
  • On a more serious note, Sasha gets one of most pathetic Freak Outs/Heroic BSODs among the main characters, being the only one to actually outwardly break down in fear and make feeble excuses to leave after confronted by the Titans rather than inwardly loosing her cool.
• Character Development: Goes from rude and disinterested in the outside world in her backstory, to more polite and goofy during her time training, to breaking down during her first battle, to finally taking on a Titan on foot with a bow and arrows.
• Chekhov's Hobby: Sasha is mentioned to have come from a family of hunters, so naturally she later incorporates a bow as part of her arsenal.
• Cloudcuckoolander: She can be a little odd, most famously demonstrated by the "potato incident" during her basic training. Shadis would later identify her as weird. Her oddness is mostly chalked up to operating on a different wavelength than everyone else due to her different origins, and having keen instincts, but lacking a sense of what is considered "normal".
• Cold Sniper: She uses a more modern rifle in battle, and demonstrates deadly precision in taking out Marley's soldiers. Unlike in the past, she doesn't hesitate to kill and takes out her targets without showing emotion.
• Cool Big Sis: Kaya sees her as this after she was adopted by Sasha's parents.
• Country Mouse: From a rural hunting village and noted to be somewhat out of place among the others, largely manifesting in her not knowing when and why it is considered inappropriate to procure food. People generally consider her a weirdo, but in reality she's one of the kindest characters in the series and is noted to have exceptional intuition.
• Cowardly Lion: Despite being terrified of Titans, she chooses to join the Survey Corps, although she is crying when she decides to do so.
  • While she was initially terrified of the Titans, Sasha also ran down a 50 meter wall in order to save a comrade plummeting to his death and later defends a small child from a Titan armed with nothing more than a hatchet, a bow, and a few arrows.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Most of the time, she's spacey and obsessed with food. Then we see her take on a Titan with a bow and live.
• Cryptic Background Reference: Shadis mentions that there was an incident that landed her in his office the last time they saw each other, to which Sasha responds in a terrified manner and absolutely refusing to sit on the table. This implies that she got in even more trouble after the potato incident and before she left basic training.
• The Cutie: Shared with her "other half" Connie. A nice, friendly, cheerful, funny, and eternally postive character who lightens the mood in a bleak setting.
• Determinator: She shows sign of this, when faced with a smaller Titan without her gear, she uses a bow and arrow. One lands in its eye. Down to her last arrow, she jumps and pierces the Titan's other eye.
• Death by Irony: She survives the battle, and makes it back to the airship safely...only to end up being shot by Gabi. Sasha had previously killed the Liberio guards in front of Gabi, but left the girl unharmed. When Gabi is found out at Paradis, she states that she killed Sasha to get revenge for the deaths of the Liberio guards, though it's implied that she would have shot just anyone else on board of the blimp as she attempts to also kill Jean to prove her point.
• The Ditz: She can be a bit slow with things. In her famous "potato incident" when she's asked (furiously) by the Drill Sergeant Nasty why she's eating a potato in formation, she interprets it as a question of why is she eating a potato instead of another food and then as a philosophical question of why people in general eat potatoes. After several intense moments she gets it wrong (again) by thinking that he's angry because she isn't sharing any with him and offers him half. Said drill sergeant is exasperated by the end of this exchange.
• Doomed Hometown: Her village seems to have narrowly averted this, due to quick action. When she arrives, there's only a single Titan present and only two people left behind. She manages to save the child, though it's unknown if the mother being snacked on survived or not.
• Double Standard: Rape, Male on Male: In the panel◊ where Jean is consoling Armin after he was molested by a Dirty Old Man who later accused Armin of turning him gay after finding out that he was a guy, the entire time Sasha can be seen in the background, grinning like a lunatic.
• First Contact Faux Pas: Sasha's first meeting with Onyankopan involved her asking him why he had black skin. He takes her innocent, if insensitive, question in stride and laughs it off.
• Freak Out: Has pretty bad one among the main characters, trying to talk down a Titan she failed to kill uselessly and then losing any sense of dignity she had because of it, resulting in her pathetically trying to declare herself wounded due to stomach pains. She manages to recover from it, however, and gradually improves her constitution.
• Friendly Sniper: With a bow. When she gets assigned to the new Special Operations Squad, her skills grow, eventually becoming able to shoot a gun out of a man's hand.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: Played for Laughs. When she sees food Sasha's eyes glow a bright red. She even can outright lose consciousness by this while still moving as Connie noted.
• Good Old Ways: In the past, she felt this, saying her people, who survived by hunting and foraging in the forests, should just cut themselves off from the rest of humanity. Her father disagreed, saying that was selfish thinking, and they could only count on help in the future if they were willing themselves to help others, even if it meant changing their way of life.
• Gut Feeling: Her keen intuition is noted by her instructor to be one of her greatest assets.
• Hidden Depths: She possesses keen intuition, and her upbringing as a hunter has made her a skilled archer and tracker. Even her most comical aspects come from deeper origins — her obsession with food is the result of surviving a famine, while her strange behaviors are a result of her adjustment to society outside her isolated village.
• If We Survive This: Manages to get her hands on a huge slab of meat before the battle of Trost, and she and her fellow comrades jokingly suggest eating it in celebration of their survival. Later, though, it wasn't the meat that ended up eaten.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: As a sniper, she's skilled enough to take out multiple moving targets before they can even react. She even headshots a member of the Panzer Unit from within a moving bunker with a narrow slit for an opening.
• Inappropriate Hunger: While everyone else is left horrified by the tragedies they've witnessed, Sasha is more bothered by how hungry she is.
• Innocently Insensitive: She questions Onyankopon at one point why he has dark skin, though he doesn't take offence to that statement and professes his belief that God conceived different ethnicities to make the world "interesting."
• In-Series Nickname: "Potato Girl", due to being seen eating one when standing in formation during their recruitment while being yelled at by a Drill Sergeant Nasty. Jean still calls her this years after it happened, much to her embarrassment.
• It Gets Easier: Like Jean, she's become used to killing other humans in battle.
• Japanese Politeness: Which Ymir calls out on her for, insisting that she talk the way she used to before she began speaking formally.
• Like Brother and Sister: Connie states that Sasha was his twin, and that the loss of her was like losing half of himself.
• Lord Error-Prone: Sasha suffers quite a few slip ups while fighting Titans, and miraculously survives them all. Tragically her end came not in combat against Titans but by a result of Cycle of Revenge.
• The Lost Lenore: Nikolo, despite the fact he was a Marleyan, was devastated upon Sasha's death and wanted to avenge her by killing Gabi.
• Major Injury Underreaction: In Chapter 82, her face gets badly cut up by wood debris, knocking her out; Connie catches her, but that's about all the reaction she got. Justified in that the situation at hand and what follows after in the following chapters took precedence and will probably get treatment soon, she very likely could've lost an eye.
• Meaningful Echo: She repeats Mikasa's famous line from the battle of Trost as she and the team take on the Armored Titan. This shows how much braver they have all become, and how they are not relying on Mikasa alone anymore; they are a team.
  "If we don't fight, we can't win!"
• Morality Chain: Her friendly and optimistic nature rubs off on some people, which can turn her into this for them as well, especially after her death. Nikolo goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge on Gabi after learning that Gabi killed her, and even Kaya, who strives to emulate her good qualities like helping Falco and Gabi in spite of their enemy status, attempts to murder Gabi as well.
• Nice Girl: She becomes the Survey Corps' source of levity in an overall rather grim environment, and it's revealed that she cares deeply for the safety of her friends, or just others in general. She even expresses annoyance at the fact that she thought that Eren was giving up on his own life, apologizing for her lack of trust on him. Overall, she seems to hold no ill will towards anyone.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Like the other Survey Corps (except Floch) in the battle of Liberio, she'd try to minimize civilian damage and casualties, shown by sparing Gabi, mistaking her for a civilian and unwilling to kill a child. In the aftermath of the battle, Gabi sneaks aboard the airship and opens fire on a group of soldiers. Sasha is shot in the chaos, and dies from her wounds.
• Not What I Signed on For: Sasha starts to question the morality of Levi forcing Historia into accepting her role in the rebellion. Like the rest of her friends, she later accepts that this is just something that had to happen and that the offense stemmed from Levi's use of violence against Historia.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: While preparing for the defense of the Orvud district against Rod Reiss' Titan, Eren and Mikasa find it odd that Sasha isn't hungry, but Jean hints that it's because of her heavy conscience over killing humans that she's lost her appetite.
• Physical Fitness Punishment: The infamous Potato Incident during initiation results in her having to run laps for several hours. When she finally finishes, she collapses from exhaustion.
• Playing Sick: She at one point resorts to feigning a stomach ache to avoid fighting the Titans in Trost.
• Plucky Comic Relief: One of the few sources of comedy in the series.
• Plucky Girl: As emphasized in her introduction: Shadis sentenced her to run until she collapses, and she does it without complaint. What got her upset was being denied any dinner. Sasha later has several brushes with death, but never loses her optimistic nature.
• Quit Your Whining: Sasha was badly hurt during the battle for Shinganshina, but still had enough spunk left in her complain that everyone was being too loud while angst-ing about the decision to save Armin instead of Erwin.
  Hange: (amused) "We just got scolded by Sasha."
• Rank Up: Assigned to the new Special Operations Squad.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Played for Laughs — her eyes instantly glow bright red in the presence of food.
• Sacrificed Basic Skill for Awesome Training: Hails from a rural hunting village where she developed a strong hunter's intuition and some impressive skill with hatchets and bows, which is put on full display when she fends off a Titan without Maneuver Gear or swords. However, she doesn't fit in that well in city or military settings and does things like steal food without understanding why people consider that a bad thing. She also started off lacking social skills and had to try exceptionally hard to not make her background obvious to the others.
• Shoo Out the Clowns:
  • After she gets shell-shocked at Trost, she's seen and heard less and less. She's a more serious person when she becomes prominent later.
  • She is the first major character from Paradis to be killed after the time skip.
• Simpleton Voice: Defied. She worries her natural way of speaking would make her sound like some dumb hick, so she hides it by speaking overly politely.
• The Snack Is More Interesting: Her Establishing Character Moment is casually eating a stolen potato while Shadis is grilling her fellow recruits.
• So Proud of You: Upon encountering her dad after defending a little girl from a Titan with bow and arrow, he tells her that she became all he'd hoped she would become and more.
• Sticky Fingers: Has a habit of stealing food.
  Armin: Sasha... did you just put something in your bag?
  Sasha: Certainly nothing like bread or anything!
• The Straight and Arrow Path: Played with. The first time Sasha is shown to be competent in combat is not with her 3DMG, but with a bow and arrow she finds lying around. However, Sasha is not a perfect marksmen, and can only use her arrows as a means of escaping a Titan. The result is both badass, yet humanizing. She is later able to wield her bow with exceptional skill, shooting a gun out of a man's hand.
• Superdickery: One of the fake volume previews has her beating up Reiner for no apparent reason.
  • The fake preview at the end of volume 15 has her trying to do the same to Mikasa. Mikasa responds by punching her in the face.
• Shout-Out Theme Naming: According to Isayama, she is named after Sacha Baron Cohen, as he wanted to provide the more comedic elements to the series.
• Super-Senses: Her family comes from a long line of hunters, so her senses are sharper than most people. For instance, she can hear Titans coming from farther away compared to the others who can't hear them.
• Sympathy for the Devil: Even though they're now enemies facing each other on the battlefield, she, along with Connie, breaks down crying when she thinks they've killed Reiner.
• Tomboyish Ponytail: Always has her hair done up in a ponytail. She's an active member of the military, after all.
• Too Good for This Sinful Earth: For all that she's been through, Sasha has remained optimistic and kindhearted, and would gladly risk her life for the good of others. Her selfless nature inspires Kaya to emulate her and even prompts a change of heart among those who once saw the islanders as their enemy, none more so than Nikolo to whom she grew close. When her mercy towards Gabi during the battle in Liberio results in her untimely end at Gabi's hands, the impact of her loss is felt immediately by everyone, and things become considerably bleaker for everyone as they grapple with her tragic death while awaiting the final battle that lies ahead. It becomes even more profound after Gabi is forced to see firsthand what her killing of Sasha has done to the people who knew her, which forces her for the first time to secondguess her part in the ongoing cycle of violence that has led to such senseless deaths as Sasha's.
• Took a Level in Badass: She screws up under pressure during the Battle of Trost and ends up being too shell-shocked to be of much help by the end of it. Later on, we see her get much better about her fear and her combat skills really begin to shine.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Meat. According to her fellow trainees (and some fans), though, it's potatoes.
• Unconscious Objector: Apparently, her love for food is strong enough that she can outright lose consciousness to attain it, making her uncontrollable, like biting Jean's hand at the feast before the retaking of Wall Maria the instant he gets in the way of her wanting to eat an entire table of meats. Which results in her teammates having to tie her up as Connie notes that she's already unconscious when Mikasa asks him to knock her out.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child/Would Not Shoot a Civilian: The only moment her cold professionalism cracks is when she has Gabi in her sights, ultimately refusing to shoot a civilian, who happens to be a child in this case. She pays the price with her life.
• You Can't Go Home Again: Played with, though not a tragic example like the others. When Sasha finally returns to her village after three years away, she finds it utterly unrecognizable. The forest has been clear-cut and what was once an isolated hunting village is now a thriving farming village that raises horses for the government. Still, she accepts this as her home after being reunited with her father.

---

Marco Bott

Marco Bott

Voiced by: Ryōta Ōsaka (JP), Austin Tindle (EN), Oscar López (Latin American Spanish)

Debut: Chapter 2 (Manga), Episode 2 (Anime)

"I hope you won't get angry when I say this... but you're not a strong person. So you can relate to how the weak feel."

Ranked 7th. He is an open and earnest young man, with a strong sense of duty towards King and people. Unlike most that express interest in joining the Military Police Brigade, he truly believes in doing his best to serve the King. His death at the Battle of Trost deeply shakes his comrades, and acts as a major catalyst for Jean's Character Development. Later, his missing gear is found to have been stolen by Annie, leaving sinister implications about his fate.

Marco was the first cadet of the 104th's top ten that met his demise, and the only one of them who didn't get a chance to join a branch of the military as a a result.

Branch: None, killed prior to joining one.

---

• Armor-Piercing Question: When Annie finally submits to Reiner's order to remove his gear, Marco desperately asks her why she's doing this. The look of utter mortification on Annie's face says it all.
• Born Lucky: According to Jean. But not lucky enough, it would seem.
• Bromantic Foil: Rounds Jean off by being kinder and gentler than his Hot-Blooded closest friend.
• Character Tics: Rubbing the tip of his nose when nervous.
• Chekhov's Gun: His missing equipment. Annie steals it, and later presents it as her own during the investigation into the killing of the Titan test subjects so that they don't see the wear and tear on her equipment. Armin recognizes it, and later confronts her about it as evidence of her being a spy.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: Fed to a Titan, which bites him in half from skull to waist, all while he cries and begs for his life.
• Dead Sidekick: His relationship with Jean in a nutshell.
• Dies Wide Open: In contrast to his normal upbeat smile, his corpse has a grisly smile and sunken eyes, and is extremely pale.
• Dropped a Bridge on Him: Justified, as he's merely one of many young soldiers that died at Trost. It drives home just how easily any of them could die a lonely, undignified death fighting the Titans. Word of God admits to having decided to kill him off prematurely due to feeling he didn't stand out as much as the other Trainees.
• Dying Alone: Jean is horrified when he's unable to find anyone that saw how he died.
• Half the Man He Used to Be: Titans ate the right side of his body, leaving just enough left to be identified.
• He Knows Too Much: He overheard Reiner and Bertolt discussing their plans, and made the mistake of asking about it. The Warrior Trio steal his gear and leave him to be eaten by a Titan, desperate to protect their secret. Tragically, he doesn't even realize that he had learned too much, accepting Reiner's claim he was joking and not suspecting them of being The Mole, which results in him letting his guard down and being subdued easily. He's left scared and confused up until his death.
• The Heart: Very empathetic towards his allies and acts as the voice of reason amongst the group. News of his death cause great grief to Eren, when the group rendezvous with him at the Survey Corps. Even Annie, the person that caused his death, is shown to be full of remorse and anguish after the fact.
• Killed Offscreen: The jarring nature of his death is compounded by the fact that he doesn't even merit an on-screen death. Chapter 77 reveals that Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie left him to die after he overheard Reiner and Bertolt talking about their 'secret mission.'
• Kill the Cutie: One of the most sympathetic and upbeat characters, and also the first of the Top Ten trainees to die.
• The Leader: Charismatic, group-minded, and well-respected by his peers. Everyone agrees that he is a natural leader, though he himself states that it is Jean who is the one best suited to leadership. In the 3rd OVA, he turns out to be better as an adviser and mediator than as a commander.
• Lucky Seven: He's ranked 7th in his class but this is averted since he's the first member of the Top 10 to be killed in battle.
• Meaningful Funeral: The survivors from the 104th gather at the bonfire where his remains at being cremated, and discuss what Branch they intend to join. It's a major turning point for Jean, who resolves to join the Survey Corps.
• Meaningful Name: Marco means "From the God of war", while Bott means "messenger". Hence, "Messenger from the God of war", perhaps in nod to his role as the Sacrificial Lion.
• Morality Chain Beyond the Grave: For Jean. Whenever his more selfish tendencies start to rear up, thinking of Marco usually puts Jean back on track.
  Jean: I wish I could've plugged my ears and stayed cooped up in that room. But then, those ashy bones would never forgive me.
• Nerves of Steel: One of the only trainees able to remain calm and in control, during all the chaos and horror of their first battle. Once they get room to breathe, though, he has a brief Post-Victory Collapse.
• Nice Guy: A textbook example of this trope. Marco is friendly, kind, understanding, psychologically well-balanced, has no glaringly negative traits, and knows how to bring out the best in people.
• Not Afraid to Die: He admits to knowing he might die as a soldier, and that what he really fears is a meaningless death that serves no purpose. Is it any surprise that that's exactly what happened to him?
• Present Absence: Marco's early death in Attack on Titan becomes the cornerstone to Jean's Character Development and is what inspires him to join the Survey Corps instead of Dying Alone. Plus the guilt the Warrior Trio experience after killing him leads to Reiner, and to a lesser extent Annie's, emotional breakdowns in later arcs.
• Sacrificial Lion: The first member of the Top 10 to be killed in action, leaving his comrades deeply shaken. In particular, it triggers Jean's Character Development and decision to enlist in the Survey Corps.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He only appears for a couple of chapters/episodes before being killed off. His death pushed Jean to join Survey Corps and started his Character Development. Bertholdt, Reiner and Annie were feeling extreme guilt over them killing Marco that it haunted them long after his death.
• Talking Your Way Out: Poor Marco uselessly attempts this with Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie when they assault him, yelling as they swing away that they "haven't even had a chance to talk this over!". It's pretty cool that he doesn't immediately condemn them, but by then it's too late, and they have to silence him.
• Team Dad: Always attempts to keep the peace and raise morale among the other trainees.
• Tears of Fear: Marco breaks into hysterics when he realizes that Annie isn't going to save him, she's taking his gear, and that three of his friends are going to have him fed to a Titan. It can be hard to watch.
• The Only Believer: Both major and minor characters who want to join the Military Police wish to do so for the prestige of being in the elite unit and/or the safety that comes with it, as it's the farthest place away from the Titans. Marco is the only one who wants to join the unit because he sincerely believes in the honor of serving the King.
• Too Dumb to Live: When you overhear The Mole discussing their plans, the worst possible thing you can do is walk up to them and ask what they meant by that.
• Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Kind, idealistic, level-headed, selfless, and a capable leader that provided emotional support to the other Trainees. Clearly, Marco had to die.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Had Marco not asked Reiner and Bertoldt for more information about their actions he could have shared the information he already had with the Survey Corps and prevented countless casualties in their mission to reclaim Wall Maria.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: He dreams of joining the Military Police Brigade for completely earnest reasons, eager to serve the King. He seems unaware of the corrupt nature of the organization, and in Armin's bonus interview it is mentioned that he disagreed with more cynical views of the government.
• Youthful Freckles: Emphasizing his youthful energy and sympathetic nature.

Floch Forster

Floch Forster

Voiced by: Kensho Ono (JP), Matt Shipman (EN), Enzo Fortuny (Latin American Spanish)

Debut: Chapter 70 (Manga), Episode 48 (Anime)

^{Click here to see his post-Time Skip appearance}

"Eren showed us. He told us to fight. We can't just wait inside the walls for death to come. That's the demon we need right now!"

"I might be nothing more than fodder... I'm sure my only purpose is to be expendable... but even a piece of fodder should have the right to call it like he sees it!"

A member of the 104th that originally enlisted in the Garrison, as he did not rank in the Top Ten. After the government is overthrown in a military coup, he is one of the emergency recruits that volunteers to transfer into the Survey Corps for the mission to reclaim Wall Maria.

He later becomes a member of the modernized Survey Corps and notable for his bitter personality and a bloodthirsty desire for revenge, becoming an important player in the War for Paradis.

Branch: Garrison, and later Survey Corps.

---

• Ascended Extra: Starts as minor nameless extra stated to be former comrades in the 104th Trainee Corps with some lines to show how the main cast has grown and developed through the course of the story. He is set as a minor Red Shirt in the Battle of Shiganshina, only to end up one of the very few survivors and after the Time Skip the secondary villain, as he forms the Yeagerists, overthrows the military junta and becomes The Dragon for Eren.
• Agent Provocateur: Leads an extremist faction within the military, suspected of conspiring with Yelena to undermine the government. When Eren is arrested, Floch and his supporters leak information to the public in an effort to discredit the government.
• Arch-Enemy: To Mikasa Ackerman and Hange Zoë.
• Asshole Victim: Downplayed. While he relished in committing executions and beatings of anyone who opposed Eren, and supported the genocide of the whole world, it must be said that he genuinely believed he was doing the right thing. Even in his final moments, he does not break down like he did in Shinganshina, willing to give his life to ensure that The Rumbling was not stopped.
• Ax-Crazy: He will purge anyone he suspects of opposing Eren's agenda and the New Eldian Empire.
• Brutal Honesty: When asked about Marlo's final moments, he bluntly tells a grieving Hitch that they probably regretted their decision. He also calls out Erwin for being willing to sacrifice his subordinates in battle, and tells Armin that he should have died.
• The Confidant: Of all people, Floch was the first one Eren informed of his intentions to enact the Rumbling and destroy the world long before it ever happened.
• Damned by Faint Praise: His remarks about Mikasa regarding the decision to save Armin. Mikasa's understandably offended, especially since this also insults Eren.
  "At least you acted more like an adult there, Mikasa. You gave up in the end."
• Determinator: Even after being shot and falling into the sea, he manages to hold onto a moving ship for hours, then crawls to the hangar and shoots tha plane his enemies were planning to use, knowing well he would likely die, all to prevent Hange and the others from stopping Eren.
• Double Tap: Floch demonstrates that he's a bit Genre Savvy by not being satisfied with the report that Levi has died from his wounds and wants to shoot him in the head to be absolutely sure.
• The Dragon: He appears to be Eren's second-in-command in the Yeagerists as he is the one aside from Eren who gives orders to the other members. When the Rumbling starts, Floch reveals that Eren had forewarned him of Zeke's euthanasia plot, and his intentions to use him to gain control of the Founding Titan's power. Since then, Floch has been gathering followers to support Eren. In Floch's own words, if Eren is capable of ending all external threats to Paradis, then it is his duty to quell all threats within the island.
  • Realizing Hange might plan to stop Eren using the Azumabito's plane, Floch and his Yeagerists quickly overtake Hange's group and occupy the island harbor. Floch himself holds Lady Kiyomi hostage.
• Dramatic Irony:
  • His pleas to save Erwin paint the dying man as a ruthless individual who'd stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and that his own personal purpose in life is to save this "devil"; this happens to dissuade Levi from saving Erwin, arguing that they could not possibly make Erwin go through more of the terrible things he had to do for those aforementioned goals. It was just too much.
  • A subtle one. Floch models himself after Erwin, the man he called devil whose ideals to protect humanity he justified for the notion of the Rumbling. So far as to kill any Parasians who opposes him or the Yeagerists. However, Erwin is shown as one of the soliders welcome Hange in death after they sacrificed themselves to help stop the Rumbling, implying that he's against the Rumbling and retains his moral, while Floch toses his away and uses his anger to justify the evil he causes. For all his proselytizing about Eldian supremacy, Floch ultimately proves that he cared nothing but the Eldians he considered not a traitor and potentially making Paradisians more hated by the world.
• Evil Redhead: He's an auburn-haired Eldian supremacist that advocates for mass murder and betrays his superiors.
• Evil Virtues: His determination, valor, and loyalty to his cause are certainly admirable, even if his personality isn't and the cause he's fighting for is actually evil.
• Foil: He turns out to be a shadow archetype to Jean. While both started out as cynical teens that were correct in their complaints, their responses to trauma couldn't have been more different. While Jean rose to the challenge, growing into a capable leader that strives to be a good example to his subordinates, Floch has fallen victim to his worst impulses and eagerly drags everyone else down with him in the process.
  • Floch is also one to Armin. Both of them having the position of a friend/confidante to Eren and successors to Erwin Smith's ideals. And like Erwin, Floch and Armin are skilled strategists. Unlike both of them, Floch has given in to his anger, using it to justify the notion of the rumbling and effectively tossing away his humanity. Whereas Erwin and Armin had considered it as a path to win, they still kept their morals in spite of creating actions befitting a necessary "devil".
• The Friend Nobody Likes: "Friend" may be putting it a bit strongly; by the time he emerges from Eren's destruction of the Walls upon starting the Rumbling, Jean makes no secret of the fact that he would have preferred that he'd perished.
  • It's a bit more unclear with Eren. He rarely features in any of the flashbacks to the time Eren spent with his friends between the wars; he is simply not part of their friend group. Also, Eren was extremely reluctant to put his friends in danger, while showing no such regard for Floch. However, during the last of Eren's flashbacks, when he tells Zeke he wants his friends to live a long life, Floch is featured among Eren and his friends, suggesting he though of him at least a little.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: At the beginning, Floch was no different from the average recruit. Later, he becomes a ruthless member of the Survey Corps who secretly forms and leads the Yeagerist group to support Eren. Floch has Darius Zackley assassinated and arranges Eren's escape from the prison. Under Eren's order, Floch holds the military leadership of Paradis hostage.
• General Ripper: As the leader of the Yeagerists. He is an imperialist and racist that actively uses open violence and sadism against Marleyans and any Paradisian he considers a "traitor".
• Hate Sink: He's an out-and-out fanatic betraying former allies and friends left and right in blind support of a cause in which he is no longer capable of accepting or processing the many risks that come with it. Fully devoted to an imperialist agenda in which Eren would rise as the leader of Eldia and destroy its enemies, even if that means destroying the rest of the world to do it, he's clearly no better than those who themselves tried to destroy his people.
• Hero Killer: He is responsible for killing many of his former comrades and Hange Zoë posthumously.
• He Who Fights Monsters: Floch has taken an extremely cynical view of things, wanting to inflict as much death and suffering on the main land Eldians as their Warriors did on Paradis.
• Hypocrite: Even with all his proselytizing, his "cause" is a convenient justification to vent out his anger. The senior members of the Survey Corps have gone through considerably worse situations without going gung-ho, making them more than justified than he is by a mile. The guy's just a gaping asshole. Further concrete examples include:
  • Shades of this can be seen in his conflict with Eren and Mikasa over bringing Armin back from the brink of death as the Colossal Titan instead of Erwin. While his assertion that they are allowing personal feelings to control their judgment is not incorrect, it is clear that his hardline determination to revive Erwin is based upon his desire to cope with his own survivor's guilt, give meaning to his life by 'bringing back the devil', and spite Erwin as much as—if not more than—his desire to protect humanity within the walls.
  • Additionally, his condemnation of the Alliance as traitors to their people, a statement muddled by the fact that he and the Jaegerists assassinated the head of their military and deliberately poisoned dozens, if not hundreds, of their comrades amongst the Garrison and Military Police so they would be transformed into Titans due to them having less extremist views on how to protect Paradis. Not to mention, the Jaegerists do all of this so that Eren can activate the Rumbling and unleash all of the Wall Titans instead of the controlled activation planned by the previous government—an act which devastates those citizens living directly along the walls and many more who happen to be unwittingly in the path of the Wall Titans, leaving a considerable fraction of Paradis' population dead, crippled, and/or homeless. In the face of all this, as well as Kiyomi outright telling him to his face that his actions will only leave Paradis more divided and lead to further bloodshed, Floch doesn't appear to show an ounce of regret, emphasizing how quickly he stops caring about the welfare of any Eldians not following him.
• I Just Want to Be Badass: His justification for joining the Survey Corps. During the Battle of Shinganshina he laments he will die in an "useless" death instead of a heroic one.
• I Never Said It Was Poison: When Hange announced that wine contaminated with Zeke's spinal fluid has been distributed around the island, Floch simply shrugged it off and replied that the Military Police is dumber than he thought. Hange is stunned as she didn't tell him that the MPs drank the wine.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Is impaled by one of Mikasa's anchors in Chapter 132, and bleeds out.
• Irony: Among the 104th, Floch was at one point Eren's harshest critic and biggest detractor, mostly due to his choice to save Armin over Commander Erwin. But fast-forward four years later and now Floch is possibly Eren's only supporter among the 104th, with the rest of Eren's former friends either severely questioning his motives or even being willing to kill him due to his recent actions. The irony gets solidified in chapter 112 when Armin himself is shocked at Eren showing up with Floch, and furthermore, gets brutally beaten up in a fight with Eren while Floch stands ready to escort Armin away on Eren's orders nearby.
• If You're So Evil, Eat This Kitten!: He forces the members of the 109th Cadet Corps to prove their devotion to the Yeager Faction by beating Instructor Shadis within an inch of his life.
• Jerkass: He does have a point, but doesn't make it in a very tactful or diplomatic manner. In addition to saying that Armin should have died to his face, he also replies to Mikasa calming Eren down by snidely saying that unlike Eren, she actually backed down in the end. He continues decrying the rest of the Survey Corps as having let it happen even when Jean says the memorial for their fallen comrades isn't the time or the place to second-guess the decision.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • Floch may have not been going about things in the best manner, but he did have a legitimate viewpoint that was not impaired by emotions due to personal attachment to Erwin or Armin. That being that Erwin, being both a seasoned leader who had plenty of military experience in his years, was a more logical choice than Armin, who's a genius in his own right but does not carry as much sway as the former. Ironically, his points about Erwin being the better choice by claiming Better the Devil You Know causes Levi to choose Armin instead.
  • Armin admits that Floch is probably right in his criticisms, as they don't know whether it was the right choice to make or not.
• Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: He's quite eager to take revenge on the main land, viewing everyone there as enemies to be killed. Eventually, he even resorts to orchestrating General Zackley's brutal, gory assassination in broad daylight upon realizing that the military wouldn't support Eren's goals, thereby committing full-on high treason against Paradis.
• Kick the Dog:
  • A couple of minor ones (or, at least, relatively minor given the nature of the show) in quick succession in the S3 finale. First, when Jean prompts him to comfort Hitch about Marlo's death, despite initially doing a good job of giving her closure and recognizing Marlo's bravery until the end, he suddenly takes a harsh turn at the end and speculates that at the end, Marlo, like him, likely regretted being there, driving Hitch away. Immediately afterwards, Floch then tells Armin to his face that Erwin should have been the one revived with the Colossal Titan and he should have been left to die, despite the fact that Armin himself did not ask for things to go the way they did and clearly feels immense guilt for it. Admittedly, these moments are clearly motivated by a poor response to trauma rather than inhuman cruelty, as Floch is desperately trying to deal with his Survivor's Guilt and prove that he's not exceptional in his self-proclaimed cowardice. It's later in his character development that the worse moments come...
  • The final season sees Floch, post time-skip, learn all the wrong lessons from his near-death experience and start racking up these moments like he's catching Pokemon. During the raid on Liberio, he goes out of his way to set fire to civilian homes against Jean's orders because he only sees "enemies and the places they live". Later, when the Jaegerists launch their violent coup, he forces the teenage recruits of the 109th Cadet Corps to beat Keith Shadis to near-death to show their loyalty to Eren's new regime or be jailed as traitors. Soon afterwards, when Eren activates the Rumbling to Kill All Humans outside of Paradis, Floch rounds up the Volunteers (all of whom except Yelena appear to have been legitimately invested in aiding Paradis against Marley with no ulterior motives), declares that their homelands, already subjugated by Marley, are about to be wiped off the map, and gives them the ultimatum to serve as Honorary Eldians or die—and proceeds to illustrate his decree by executing one of them just for speaking out against Eren's plan. His cruel treatment even extends to noncombatants, as when the Alliance reaches Paradis' port, they find that Floch has already taken the Hizurians there prisoner and killed at least one of their engineers just to prove a point.
• Kill It with Fire: His approach to combat against the main land Eldians, setting fire to their homes.
• Kubrick Stare: Shoots something of one at Hange when he has her and the Corps arrested under Eren's orders, pretty much confirming that he has completely lost it.
• Last Villain Stand: Despite having his men at the dock killed by the Survey Corp/Warrior alliance and then being left for dead after getting shot by Gabi, Floch holds on to the ship carrying the flying boat and eventually drags himself onto the Hiruzan dock to take as many people down as he can. While he doesn't directly kill anyone, he does enough damage to the flying boat that Hange has to perform a heroic sacrifice to buy the rest of the alliance enough time to make emergency repairs and escape.
• The Leader: It's implied that he's the leader of the jingoistic, proselyte reactionary faction of the Eldian military that is completely xenophobic against anyone non-Paradian.
• Misaimed Fandom: Floch serves as an In-Universe to Erwin Smith, learning the wrong lesson from Erwin's Dare to Be Badass speech to rally his troop in their Death March towards the Beast Titan. Floch's takeaway is that the ends always justifies the means, and he very blatantly tries to model himself after Erwin after the Time Skip. This leads to him rather quickly Jumping Off the Slippery Slope. This gets best exemplified when Floch gives an Erwin-esque speech of his own where he convinces 109th Trainee Corp to beat Shadis to near-death in order to prove their loyalty to the Yeagerist cause.
• The Mole: The military suspects him of acting as one for Zeke's subordinates. He's suspected of arranging a secret meeting between Yelena and Eren, which resulted in him leaving for Marley alone. When the military imprisons Eren, Zeke, and the "volunteers", Floch leaks information to the press to turn them against the government.
• My Master, Right or Wrong: He stands by Eren and disapproves of the Survey Corps' treatment of him, noting that Eren is destined to lead the New Eldian Empire.
• Naïve Newcomer: He joins the Survey Corps from the Garrison very enthusiastically, thinking he would become a hero, and he attempts to banter with his old comrades of the 104th as if he's on the same level as them, only to realize how they look more experienced just by being veterans of the Survey Corps. After the trauma of surviving the suicide mission and the Time Skip, he looks and acts more mature and pragmatic.
• A Nazi by Any Other Name: As the most visible member of the Yeagerists, Floch is practically an SS Officer that has ordered political assassinations, assisted in mass poisonings, carried out purges of political dissenters, forced prisoners to wear armbands to mark their status, and firmly believes in Eldian Supremacy. After Eren begins the Rumbling, Floch makes a point to have the Volunteer Soldiers gathered up and executes one to make a point. He cheerfully promises them that while their people and homelands are going to be destroyed, as long as they submit to Eldian rule... they will be welcomed to serve the new Empire as honorary Eldians.
• New Era Speech: He becomes extremely fond of giving speeches about the "new Eldian Empire" and how the only way forward for their nation is to topple the government, install Eren as their supreme ruler, and (literaly) crush the rest of humanity.
• New Meat: When he joins the Survey Corps from the Garrison he is very unexperienced compared to his peers of the 104th in the Levi Squad. He notes how the main cast looks more mature and experienced then him.
• The Only One: Believes Eren to be the only person capable of saving/restoring Eldia, and thus swears loyalty to him. He specifically approves of Eren's chosen course of action towards Marley, noting to Jean that Eren is the "Demon" the Eldian people need right now.
• Patriotic Fervor: In the aftermath of the Liberto battle, he starts cheering about the "new Eldian Empire". Jean, Connie, and Sasha are disgusted by his jingoistic display.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: Played with. This is his hateful line of thinking regarding Marley, stating that they brought it to themselves. Even with the possibility that he knows that his actions are evil, it's apparent that he doesn't care.
• Psychotic Smirk: When asked by Hange about what he knows about the wine contaminated with Zeke's spinal fluid, Flouch simply shushes her with a smirk on his face.
• Psycho Supporter: Floch is essentially at the forefront of the Yeager Faction's worst crimes, gleefully betraying and brutalizing comrades and civilians alike. Whether he's been consulting Eren for his marching orders or simply acting in his master's stead is unclear at best. Either way, he seems to be enjoying the atrocities he commits — a stark contrast to the troubled Warriors.
• Red Herring Shirt: Starts as a Red Shirt in a suicide mission during the Battle of Shiganshina arc. Not only does he survive, but he plays an important role in later arcs.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives one to everyone who chose to save Armin's live over Erwin's or at least stood by and let it happen.
• Red Shirt: Subverted. He's set up to become one, then ends up as the miraculous lone survivor of the charge. He goes on to further subvert expectations by essentially forcing his way into the main cast and becoming a major player in the eventual split of the Survey Corps into the "Yeagerists" (defected followers of Eren) vs. the military.
• Remember the New Guy?: Floch is introduced a little before the Battle of Shiganshina, but it's stated to have been a former colleague in the 104th, he was never seen before but later flashbacks do show him interacting with some of the main characters during their training years.
• Secret-Keeper: Chapter 130 reveals that Eren had disclosed to Floch about his plans to use the Rumbling. Even he was unnerved by Eren's conviction, but agreed to whole-heartedly support him.
• Self-Deprecation: He describes himself as a "coward" who joined the Survey Corps by accident, as well as a piece of cannon fodder.
• Senseless Sacrifice: He states that the plan to rush the Beast Titan is exactly this, and that his death will mean absolutely nothing.
• Sixth Ranger Traitor: While the 104th has more than five members, Floch follows the archetype closely. He was a late arrival to the main cast, not appearing until the last chapter of the Uprising Arc, and eventually betrays the core 104th members by forming a splinter cell dedicated to following Eren.
• Skewed Priorities: His first instinct after barely surviving Eren's activation of the Rumbling, which effectively sets the end of the world in motion is to brag once more that the Eldian Empire is soon to rise again.
• Sociopathic Soldier: He pours gasoline into residential buildings, praises Eren's rampage, gleefully talks about slaughtering the rest of humanity, and advocates murdering Child Soldiers in cold blood. Suffice to say, Floch has become very close to the stereotype of the "Eldian Devils" that the rest of the world fears.
• Sole Survivor: He is the only soldier to survive the suicide charge against the Beast Titan.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: His dreams of an imperial revolution quickly have the rug pulled out from under them during the Marley's invasion of Shigashina, during which Floch's unit is decimated in their assaults on the Cart Titan and when the tide is decidedly not in Eren's favor. For all his fervor and bloodlust, he is clearly out of his depth in how simply outgunned he was.
• Tears of Blood: Invoked in the anime. During his last-ditch attempt at sinking the ship, Hange cuts him on the right cheek, causing blood to stream out as he flies above the sea.
• Tears of Fear: He repeatedly breaks down in fear during the battle of Shighanshina, crying hysterically.
• Token Evil Teammate: Represents a more blood-thirsty aspect of Paradis, calling for revenge and the unrestrained slaughter of those outside the Walls.
• Took a Level in Badass: Starts off as an unexperienced, naïve, enthusiastic and yet cowardly Red Shirt. During the Battle of Shighanshina, he is caught on the bombardment by the Beast Titan and breaks down in Tears of Fear when he realizes he's going to die. He miraculously ends up as the Sole Survivor of Erwin's suicide charge and drags his moribund body into Shiganshina and tries to get him revived. Later after the Time Skip he develops a bitter hatred against the outside world, and becomes a ruthless and sociopathic military leader. He deliberately attacks civilians targets in Liberio, starts a Renegade Splinter Faction to support Eren's scheme, murders General Zackly and takes the military junta in a coup d'etat. When the alliance attempts to steal the Hizuru airship, he tries to rally and inspire his troops in the same way as Erwin and after his forces are defeated, he tries to pursue the ship with his 3DM gear, gets shot and still sneaks inside wounded where he is capable of damaging the airship's fuel tank before he is finished off. Not bad for a nameless extra.
• Undying Loyalty: To Eren Yeager. Glaring flaws notwithstanding, Floch was nothing if not “ride or die” for whatever Eren asked of him. He even pursues the ship the alliance is within and as he is dying, he pleads to Hange and Mikasa to not kill "Our Devil" as everyone in the island will die if The Rumbling is stopped.
• The Unfettered: Why Floch had admired Erwin. Four years later, he becomes a staunch supporter of Eren for the same reason. Interestingly he called Erwin as the Devil and Eren as the Demon Eldia desperately needs. He also tries to become one himself but ends up more of a Sociopathic Soldier.
• Villainous Breakdown: In Chapter 129, when he realizes that the anti-Yeagerist forces are going to escape Paradis and that they are eradicating his own people, he becomes panicked and frantic, demanding his remaining soldiers fire their Thunder Spears at the nearby ship rather than allow it to be taken.
• Villainous Valor: He attempts to sink the alliance's boat all by himself, escaping both Pieck and Falco's Titan forms, and fending off Hange, before aiming his Thunder Spear at the boat. Undeterred by Gabi shooting him, he sneaks aboard, and manages to shoot holes in the seaplane's fuselage, as a last ditch attempt to thwart the Alliance stopping Eren before he takes a Mobility Gear's grappling hook to the neck.
• The War on Straw: He completely demonizes all people outside Paradis, and engages in a black and white logic to his very core, turning himself into a Knight Templar of sorts. This all began with the death of Erwin, as he states that it's his mission to keep the "Devil" alive; by the time the attack on Liberio happens, he has switched his "Devil" to Eren instead. Quite conveniently adaptive of him, right?
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Floch is a radical nationalist that conspires against his superiors, organizes a coup against the military junta, poisons most of the dissidents within the military with Titan Fluid, and is one of the most staunch supporters of Eren's genocidal plan. But at the same time, he does it all for a genuine belief that he's saving Paradis from total annihilation.
• What the Hell, Hero?: He openly criticizes the decision to save Armin over Erwin, making it clear he thinks that personal feelings were given more importance than practical considerations.
• With Us or Against Us: Floch considers anyone who doesn't devote themselves to the Yeager Faction an enemy, gleefully turning on former comrades and superiors.
• Would Hurt a Child: Jean catches him burning down civilian houses in Liberio, declaring that everyone living outside Paradis is their enemy to kill. He later argues for executing Gabi and Falco on the spot, and has to be stopped by Jean.
• You Should Have Died Instead: He feels this way about Armin after the person in question's life is saved at the cost of letting Erwin die.

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Kare

Kare "Our Man/Our Friend"

Debut: Attack On Titan (2018)

A member of the 104th and a fourth Shinhanshina survivor, but only appears in Attack On Titan 2 as the Player Character. Their actual appearance and gender is up to you, and indeed it is even stated in their introduction that their true appearance and gender is unknown, but they are referred to as "Our Man" or "Kare" in the (Japanese) dialogue, which literally translates to Him. They survive the Battle of Trost and are shanghaied into the Survey Corps thanks to Hange, serving up until shortly after Reiner's and Bertholdt's betrayal.

Notably, despite their appearing only in the 2018 game and playing a major role in the plot, their presence doesn't change much in the grand scheme of things; it runs mostly parallel with the plot of the manga and anime, the only major divergence being a second raid carried out on the inner walls by Reiner, Bertholdt, and the Beast Titan to recover the crystallized Annie. The attack is successfully foiled, but "Our Friend" is supposedly killed when they sacrifice themselves to buy time for the recovery team to escape with Annie from a horde of titans.

Branch: Survey Corps

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• The Ace: According to the game, at least. No matter how good or bad you do in the training levels, Kare's peers make note of their skills and are surprised when they don't rank in the top 10, some even outright stating that they should have placed, but they end up in the Survey Corps anyways due to Hange making note of their skills in the Battle of Trost and vouching for them to Levi and Erwin.
• Badass Bystander: Kare's existence within the story pretty much boils down to this; they're more or less a bystander to the major plot points going on, and while they do actively participate, the major arcs move on regardless, the exception being the Epilogue Mission where Bertholdt, Reiner, and the Beast Titan try to recover Annie, which seems to be an arc made specifically for the game.
• Berserk Button: The Armored Titan is enough to make them see red just thinking about it.
• Conveniently an Orphan: Kare's parents are unceremoniously crushed right in front of them by a giant boulder at the beginning of the game, flung by none other than the Armored Titan during his charge through the wall.
• Deadpan Snarker: The dialogue choices are up to you, but a lot of Kare's responses are absurd given the situation, or just downright sarcastic.
• Heroic Sacrifice: In the Epilogue Mission, Kare leaps off the back of the escaping recovery cart to Hold the Line against an advancing horde of Titans attracted by the battle. After taking out a few and buying the necessary time, they're injured and Forced to Watch as a Titan reaches for them before fading to black. A scene during the credits sequence, however, implies they may have survived.
• In Spite of a Nail: Despite their entry into the series as a fourth survivor of Shinganshina with just as much resolve as Eren, Armin, and Mikasa, their existence has little if any bearing on the plot overall, save for minor tweaks to better fit you in and gameplay purposes. They can, however, save several characters who died in canon.
• It's Personal: Between Kare and the Armored Titan, whose charge into the Shinganshina wall killed their parents. And its a fairly deep hatred, one that rivals Eren's hatred of all Titans; when Kare is forced in the Epilogue to pass up an opportunity to finish off a downed Armored Titan due to a horde of regular Titans approaching, you can see their body literally shaking with rage.
• Purely Aesthetic Gender: Given the level of Character Customization, it is entirely up to you what you want Kare to look like, but dialogue (in the subtitles at least) continually refers to them as male. However, the opening narration more or less states outright that Kare's true gender and appearance is completely unknown, and they refer to them as male merely for convenience. Initially, the subtitles referred to Kare as "Our Man" and used male pronouns, but a later update changed this to a more ambiguous "Our Friend" and "them" pronouns.
• Sixth Ranger: They're a fourth survivor of the Shinganshina attack who was inspired by Eren's speech about destroying the titans into joining the military.
• Tragic Keepsake: Nothing that they keep, but Kare leaves their journal with an injured Eren before jumping to buy the recovery team time; he keeps the journal and, after reading it, becomes even more resolved to retake Shinganshina...for all four of them now.

Minor Members

Daz

Daz

Voiced by: Shūhei Takubo (JP), Brad Venable (EN, Seasons 1-2), Brent Mukai (EN, Season 4), Illitch Pichardo (Latin American Spanish)

Debut: Chapter 11 (Manga), Episode 3 (Anime)

^{Click here to see his post-Time Skip appearance}

A member of the 104th Trainee Corps, prone to emotional outbursts and something of a coward. He was once saved during training by Krista and Ymir, after he collapsed in the snow.

Branch: Unknown (Presumably Garrison as he was not Top 10 and would rather commit suicide than face Titans in combat again). Survey Corps after the Time Skip

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• Action Survivor: A complete weakling who nonetheless manages to be lucky enough to survive the Battle of Trost.
• Back for the Dead: Returns in chapter 128, guarding an airship along with Samuel. When the battle starts he struggles to shoot Armin only to be killed by Connie.
• Better to Die than Be Killed : Says this during one of his Freak Outs, but Marco stops him from doing so.
• Boom, Headshot!: While he is hesitating to shoot Armin, Connie takes Samuel's weapon and shoots Daz in the head, killing him.
• Cowardly Lion: Although he could only watch in horror as his comrades were eaten in front of him and is later about to abandon his position to spend the last minutes of his life with his loved ones, after hearing Commander Pixis' speech he decides to stay (and is in tears while doing so). After the Time Skip he joins the Survey Corps and in the anime he is seen participating in the Raid in Liberio against Marley.
• Freak Out: Twice during the Battle of Trost.
• Gonk: Noticeably funky looking, and there to be pathetic.
• The Load: Daz, who was teamed up with Krista and Ymir for a training hike in the snowy mountains, wastes no time passing out from overexertion and requires Krista and Ymir to lug his unconscious body back to camp before they all freeze.
• Suicide by Cop: Attempted, and used to illustrate just how terrifying the Titans really are. When faced with the order to fight them a second time, he nearly draws on a commanding officer that threatens to execute him for desertion and screams that it'd be better than having to go back into Trost. Pixis manages to resolve the situation, before the officer can carry out his threat.
• Tears of Fear: Cries in terror at the thought of having to face the Titans again... when he decides to stay and fight so his family won't be killed by the Titans.
• The Bus Came Back: He has a cameo in Ymir's and Historia's flashback) where he is mostly covered by blankets and unconscious. He returns in chapter 128 with Samuel, now as a member of the Yeagerists. He is guarding a Hizuru airship when Connie and Armin arrive and try to convince them to not blow the airship. When the battle starts, Samuel shoots Armin and starts to wrestle with Connie, Daz hesitates in finishing Armin off and is killed by Connie. In the anime he is seen earlier in Episode 67, where he is commemorating the victory in the Raid on Liberio in the Survey Corp's zeppelin, and in episode 80, where he hears Eren's declaration of war with Samuel and Louise during the Battle of Shiganshina.
• Took a Level in Badass: In the anime, after the Time Skip, he is seen fighting Titans and Marleyian troops during the Battle of Shiganshina.
• Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Twice when preparing to go into battle.

Thomas Wagner

Thomas Wagner

Voiced by: Shigeyuki Susaki (JP), Duncan Brannan (S1, EN), Adam McArthur (OVAs, EN), Ditter Ruiz (Latin American Spanish)

Debut: Chapter 3 (Manga), Episode 2 (Anime)

A blonde boy who was assigned to Eren's team during the Battle of Trost. Although at first he thought humanity could not win against the Titans, Eren's passionate speech about humanity after their graduation convinced him to join the Survey Corps, though he was the first of Eren's squad to die during the Battle of Trost.

Branch: None, killed prior to joining one. Did not rank in the Top 10.

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• Body-Count Competition: He suggests this to Eren before they rush into battle. He is the first unlucky person to die due to a jumping Titan and yet he still manages to tie with Eren, who also scores no kills....at least until he becomes a Titan.
• Forgotten Fallen Friend: Averted. Eren still remembers him and refers to him by name when he's imprisoned by Rod Reiss as people who've died "needlessly" because of him.
• The Generic Guy: Receives fairly spare characterization before being killed off, but he doesn't particularly stand out in any meaningful way.
• Nice Guy: In contrast to Jean, who only argues with Eren for not joining the Military Police Brigade because he sees it as stupid, Thomas argues with Eren because he is genuinely concerned about his friend's safety.
• Mauve Shirt: He's a Red Shirt in the manga but in the anime, due to the Pragmatic Adaptation, we get to see the training episodes before the Battle of Trost, causing Thomas' character to be more developed.
• Sacrificial Lamb: His death is meant to quickly establish exactly how little the trainees know about fighting Titans. They go into it under the assumption it won't be a big deal and that they are totally prepared, and then half a minute later, Thomas is bit and swallowed whole. The tone change is whiplash quick, and it all starts with his demise.
• Swallowed Whole: His ultimate fate.
• Tempting Fate: Suggesting a Body-Count Competition when going into battle against Titans when it usually takes several soldiers to bring down even one.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Though we did get to know him more than most other trainees outside of the Top 10.

Mina Carolina

Mina Carolina

Voiced by: Chika Anzai (JP), Alexis Tipton (EN), Sandra Olarra (Latin American Spanish)

Debut: Chapter 3 (Manga), Episode 3 (Anime)

A girl with pigtails, who was assigned to Eren's team during the Battle of Trost. She expressed interest in joining the Survey Corps with him, but was killed while following Eren's example.

Branch: None, killed prior to joining one. Did not rank in the Top 10.

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• Cruel and Unusual Death: She was still struggling while one of the smaller Titans had the top half of her head in its mouth.
• Facial Horror: Via Gory Discretion Shot. Our last glimpse of her makes it clear she's about to lose part of her head in a very messy fashion.
• Forgotten Fallen Friend: Averted Trope. Like Thomas, Eren still remembers her even late into the series.
• Girlish Pigtails: Her most prominent physical trait.
• Killed Offscreen: We don't get to see the actual results, but the last time we see her, a Titan's got her head in its mouth with its jaws around her neck and is about to bite down, so...
• Monster Munch: Exists solely to show how dangerous and terrible the Titans are.
• Off with Her Head!: A Titan bites her head off.
• Only Friend: Implied to have been this to Annie, with most of her extra appearances in side material portraying the two together.
• Plucky Girl: She's quick to join in Eren's optimistic view of the future, declaring her intention to join the Survey Corps with him.
• Recurring Extra: Though she is only a Red Shirt, Mina appears every so often as an extra in miscellaneous side material.
• Red Shirt: Introduced only to die the very next chapter. What a world.
• Two First Names: Unless some gender inflection is at play with her surname (as might be the case with Rica Brzenska, as Carolina is traditionally a first name.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: She gets only a tiny bit of screentime before dying.

Samuel Linke-Jackson

Samuel Linke-Jackson

Voiced by: Kenji Takahashi (JP), David Trosko (EN), Javi Sánchez (Latin American Spanish)

Debut: Chapter 3 (Manga), Episode 3 (Anime)

^{Click here to see his post-Time Skip appearance}

A member of the 104th, assigned to cannon maintenance the day after graduation. He was wounded during the Colossal Titan's attack, and rescued from falling to his death by Sasha.

Branch: Unknown. Did not rank in the Top 10. Survey Corps after the Time Skip.

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• Agony of the Feet: His life is seemingly saved by grappling hook through the calf.
• Back for the Dead: Returns in Chapter 128, only to be killed by Connie.
• Boom, Headshot!: He shoots Armin and one shot hits his jaw. Connie tackles him, takes his weapon from him and kills both Samuel and Daz with a headshot.
• Catch a Falling Star: Sasha charges down Wall Rose to rescue him, using one of her grappling hooks to catch him by firing it into his leg.
• Long Bus Trip: After more than a decade in real life, he finally came back into the story only to be killed off at the end of his reintroduction chapter.
• Not the Fall That Kills You…: He takes a nearly 50 meter plunge head first, and seems to have survived the sudden stop just fine. In real life, he probably would have either died from the impact of coming to a sudden stop, or smashed into the Wall.
• Punny Name: After giving his name in boot camp, Shadis tells him it's a stupid name and he should change it immediately. Some anime fans may not agree.
• Standard Bleeding Spots: From his forehead, most likely from being struck by debris.
• Tears of Remorse: He clearly doesn't want to kill Connie and is crying over it, but he knows he can't let Armin and Connie take the airship to stop Eren. Whether or not he actually would have gone through with it (he shoots Armin, but Armin could recover and they all know that) is unclear, as Connie doesn't take the chance and takes the gun to shoot him dead.
• The Bus Came Back: Returns in chapter 128 along with Daz, now as a member of the Yeagerists. He is guarding a Hizuru airship when Connie and Armin arrive and try to convince them to not blow the airship. When the attack of the alliance starts, Samuel shoots Armin but after a brief scuffle Connie takes his gun and shoots dead both Samuel and Daz. In the anime he is seen a little bit earlier in Episode 67, where is commemorating the victory in the Raid on Liberio in the Survey Corp's zeppelin, and in episode 80, where he hears Eren's declaration of war with Daz and Louise during the Battle of Shiganshina.

Hannah Diamant and Franz Kefka

Hannah Diamant and Franz Kefka

Hannah voiced by: Megumi Satou (JP), Tia Ballard (EN), Olinca Hidalgo (Latin American Spanish)

Franz voiced by: Kenta Okuma (JP), James Chandler (EN), Román Abreo (Latin American Spanish)

Debut: Chapter 3 (Manga), Episode 3 (Anime)

A young couple, often teased by the others for their romance. Franz was killed during the early stages of the defense of Trost, and Armin discovered a hysterical Hannah attempting to resuscitate her boyfriend's mangled corpse. She apparently died at some later point during the battle of Trost.

Branch: None, killed prior to joining one. Neither rank in the Top 10.

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• CPR: Clean, Pretty, Reliable: Hannah tries this on Franz. It obviously does not work.
• Freak Out: Armin finds Hannah, trying to do CPR on Franz even though he's obviously dead.
• Half the Man He Used to Be: Franz, though it's more explicit in the manga due to a frontal view. In the anime, the scene where he's revealed to be chomped in half is a back view for censorship and can be interpreted as him simply being dead if one doesn't notice that he's simply a torso on initial inspection.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Franz is one of the taller soldiers, in comparison to tiny Hannah.
• Please Wake Up: Hannah to Franz, as she attempts to perform CPR on him, despite him being quite obviously dead.
• Red Shirt: Both serve as this.
• She Is Not My Girlfriend: When Eren teases them, calling them the "married couple".
• Shout-Out: Presumably to influential German writer Franz Kafka.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Neither of them get much development before they're killed off.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: The main series leaves Hannah's fate unknown. She is, however, listed among the deceased in the visual novel, Goodbye, Wall Sina.
• Youthful Freckles: Hannah has them.

Tom

Tom

Voiced by: Susaki Shigeyuki (JP), Tyler Walker (EN), Pablo Mejía (Latin American Spanish)

Debut: Chapter 8 (Manga), Episode 7 (Anime)

A member of the 104th that joined the desperate rush towards Headquarters. He ran out of gas, and became stranded on the street. Several of his comrades die attempting to save him, and his death serves to distract the Titans long enough for Jean to lead the survivors to safety.

Branch: None, killed prior to joining one. Did not rank in the Top 10.

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• Eaten Alive: He was eaten by a Titan.
• Gory Discretion Shot: The angle changes just before he's killed, focusing instead of his dangling legs and the enormous amount of blood flowing down them.
• Monster Munch: A perfectly straight example of this trope. He exists to get eaten by a Titan and make a point about Jean's style of leadership.
• Mouth Cam: His last moments are viewed this way.
• Off with His Head!: Implied.
• Red Shirt: He was a fairly minor character to begin with, and was one of the first to die.
• Tears of Fear: He was crying before his death.

Members of other branches of the 104th

Hitch Dreyse, Marlowe Freudenberg, Boris Feulner

Three cadets of the 104th Trainee Corps from either the North/East/West branches, who are comrades of Annie Leonhart at the Military Police operating at Stohess District. See the Military Police character page for more information.

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Commanding Officers

Keith Shadis

The commander and drill sergeant of the Southern Trainee Corps, who personally oversaw and conducted the arduous training of the Southern 104th after the Fall of Wall Maria. See the Other Members of the Military section at the Other Characters page for more information and related tropes.

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