Falco Grice (Anime)

"Hey...It's dangerous here...Fly away...somewhere...far away."

- Falco daydreaming in the midst of the battle of Fort Slava

Falco Grice (ファルコ・グライス) is an Eldian associated with the Warriors and Reiner Braun. He is the younger brother of Colt Grice. Originally one of the main candidates to inherit the power of the Armored Titan, Falco possesses the Jaw Titan, having inadvertently inherited it from Porco Galliard after being turned into a Pure Titan by Zeke Jaeger.

Appearance
Falco Grice is a short boy of small build. He has short, unkempt blond hair and large hazel eyes. He is seen wearing a military uniform consisting of a tan jacket and pants, supply packs on the waist, suspender straps, a hard hat with a stripe around it, and tall combat boots. Falco also wears a yellow armband around his left arm, signifying his status as an Eldian.

Pure Titan form
Falco's Pure Titan form was rather tall and lanky, having a long neck and no distinguishable lower jaw. Its mouth was very rounded, with its upper jaw connecting with the base of its nose and sharp teeth running along the bottom almost as if it was on a hinge. His Titan form was also seen with a prominent angry scowl.

Jaw Titan form
As the Jaw Titan, Falco's Titan form shrinks to 5m tall and is much more proportionate and muscular, like some of the previous inheritors of the Jaw Titan. His Titan now has two sets of jaws, with the outer one being the hardened jaw similar to the previous Jaw Titans', and the inner one having a human-like mouth and teeth. The outer jaw can bite through harder objects, including hardened Titan skin.

One interesting observation is that Falco's Jaw Titan has taken on many avian characteristics, with his outer jaw forming a crude beak and his hardened arms and legs resembling talons found in birds of prey, whilst also being mostly covered in fur.

Personality
Falco is physically not made to be a man of war and does not excel in the battlefield or at asserting himself. He finds himself wounded and delirious under enemy fire, only to be saved by his brother, and struggles to voice his concerns for his friend Gabi Braun when she proposes a solo attack plan against the armored train. However, Falco is by no means a coward. When Gabi is under fire, he leaps from their hiding place to rush to her aid and protect her, risking his life in the process.

Falco has proven to be a very merciful and compassionate person, as shown when he brought in an injured enemy soldier in order to cure him in the trench.

Marley arc
Falco and his fellow Warrior Candidates participate in the Marleyan attack on Fort Slava. During the fighting Falco is wounded and his brother Colt is forced to carry him back to safety in one of Marley's trenches. Upon their return their fellow candidates tend to Falco's wounds as Gabi Braun re-explains their objective to him. Udo bandages Falco's head but pulls it too tight when he begins to panic at the thought of Marley's military failing. Falco asks why they are on the front lines as candidates and Gabi explains that it is so they can be evaluated by Commander Magath for their capabilities as successors to the Armored Titan power.

When Gabi offers to take out the enemies' anti-Titan artillery solo, Falco shows serious concern for her safety and fears that she will be hurt. He watches her execute her plan of attack and once Gabi is successful in derailing the train, she begins to flee only to be shot at by a surviving gunman. Falco jumps out of the trench in an attempt to save her and both youths are saved from the gunfire by Porco Galliard, who shields them with his Titan.

After returning to the trench, Falco brings a wounded enemy soldier in order to treat his wounds. Although Udo helps him, Koslow and Gabi mock him, stating that he is a weird person and that there is no way he will earn the power of the Armored Titan by fighting like that. The man begins speaking and Falco asks Udo to translate, only to be crestfallen to hear that the man is insulting them. After tending to their wounded, the cadets watch as Zeke Jaeger's Pure Titans attack Fort Slava.

After the battle, Falco is resting in the docks with his friends. They all seem worried, talking about how Titans may no longer be the main force of the world. Falco tries to reassure Gabi, telling her that Reiner has survived losing several limbs and even his head. After they see traumatized war prisoners and Udo gets angry because of the harm done on the Eldian reputation, Reiner arrives and is coldly saluted by Falco. After Falco suggests Reiner should rest, Gabi angrily replies that he should be the one resting.

While the Eldian unit is returning to Liberio via train, Reiner tries to make small talk with Falco. Falco bitterly reminds Reiner that he only has two years left before dying and, if Gabi inherits the Armored Titan she will only live to be twenty-seven. Reiner threatens to tell their superiors Falco has been badmouthing the Warrior program and Falco, terrified, swears his loyalty to Marley and claims it is an honor to inherit the power of the Titans. At Reiner's coaxing, Falco claims that he wants to inherit the Armored Titan. In response, Reiner begs Falco to inherit the Titan and save Gabi, leaving Falco bewildered.

Upon arriving in Liberio, Falco sees Galliard helping a hungover Colt out of the train and complains about his brother's drinking. As Gabi is congratulated for her accomplishments Falco reflects on his conversation with Reiner, wondering if the man shares his desire to free Eldians from being used as tools of war. As the unit walks to Liberio's internment zone, Falco resolves to work harder to earn Reiner's Titan.

After entering the internment zone Falco sees a group of injured Eldians being led away by Koslow. When asked, Koslow explains to Falco that that the soldiers have no family and will be treated at the hospital. Koslow begins terrorizing the traumatized Eldians and Falco decides to help calm down the soldiers. He tries calming the soldiers down and helps one of the soldiers fix his armband so that it will be on his correct arm.

After training, his lack of natural skill causes him to cry out in frustration, unwittingly stopping Reiner from committing suicide. He absent-mindedly walks towards a nearby hospital, where the soldier whose armband he adjusted, invites the boy to sit down next to him. The man confides to Falco that he actually does not suffer from mental trauma like the other patients. He asks if Falco will rat him out to the staff, which he denies. The man asks Falco about his injuries and training, and Falco shares his fears that he will not be able to inherit the Armored Titan. The man points out that it is good Falco will not have to die young from the Curse of Ymir but Falco insists that he wants to save Gabi from the curse, lamenting that he likely will not be able to.

Falco is later asked by the man, Kruger, to deliver a letter for him, claiming that the letter is to inform his family that he was safe and sound inside the internment zone. Falco eagerly agrees.

Through hard work, Falco is able to outperform Gabi in a race for the first time, earning commendation from Udo, Zofia and two officials at the Internment Zone gate. Gabi expresses her frustration with Falco's determination to beat her, pointing out that his family will be made honorary Marleyans either way, once Falco's older brother inherits the Beast Titan. Falco admits that he is trying to outrank Gabi for her sake, which confuses her and makes Falco run off in embarrassment.

He visits Kruger in the hospital, telling him about his recent success and expressing gratitude for motivating him. In return, Kruger thanks him for delivering his letters for the last month, and informs the boy that he will be going back home after the festival. Falco leaves when he notices a doctor approaching their bench.

On the eve of the festival, Falco and the other candidates are assigned to serve the visiting ambassadors from the countries allied with Marley. He observes Udo accidentally spill some wine on one of the ambassadors and goes over to check on him.

The next day, Falco and the other Warrior candidates enjoy the festival with Reiner. Shortly before the announcement, Falco encounters Kruger again; Kruger mentions to Falco that he was friends with Reiner and asks Falco to find him, wishing to see Reiner before he leaves back home. Falco tracks down Reiner and finds him seated with the other Warriors. He calls to Reiner and leads him to Kruger's location.

Sensing the irregularity of the situation and Reiner's shocked expression, Falco originally puts the tension down to the two men not having seen each other in years; however, he quickly realizes something is wrong after seeing Reiner fearfully obey Kruger's order to sit. Falco goes to see himself out but he is instructed to stay by both Kruger and Reiner. Falco stays and listens to Lord Tybur's presentation from inside the cellar.

As he listens to the play, Falco realizes that Kruger could only be an old friend of Reiner's if they had met on Paradis and is horrified to learn that he has been in contact with Eren Jaeger. Eren begins regenerating his missing leg and Falco accuses Eren of tricking him, causing Eren to apologize for the deceit. Falco realizes that the letters he had delivered made him complicit, and demands to know where they went. When Eren tells him they were for his comrades stationed in Marley, Falco falls to the floor in guilt.

As Eren offers his hand to help Reiner stand, Falco begins to process everything he just heard when he sees Reiner quickly turn towards him. As Eren transforms into the Attack Titan, Falco is grabbed by Reiner to try and save him by absorbing the resulting blast of energy. Thanks to Reiner's partial transformation into the Armored Titan, Falco emerges unscathed from the ruins of the building. He looks around in horror at the fighting and destruction around him and notices Eren's Attack Titan trapped inside the web formed by the War Hammer Titan. He is still in disbelief that Eren deceived him and then wonders how he managed to survive.

Remembering that Reiner bit his hand to transform, Falco turns around and searches for Reiner in the incomplete body of his Titan. He finds Reiner unconscious and apologizes for leading him into a trap. Falco wonders why Reiner has not recovered from the blast, but then recalls his behavior before transforming and realizes why Reiner has not begun to heal: someone with the Power of the Titans needs to have a strong will to live in order to regenerate quickly and Reiner has seemingly lost his. Before leaving to go find help, Falco reassures Reiner that he and Gabi are still his allies.

Magath finds Falco and demands to know what he is doing and if he is hurt. Falco tells him that Reiner is stuck in the ground and it is all his fault. Meanwhile, Gabi arrives with a rifle. In the distance they see an enormous explosion coming from the port, after Magath says that it is the Colossal Titan's transformation, they try to run only to be knocked down by the shock wave.

Zeke is seemingly killed by Levi Ackermann and shortly afterwards Pieck's Cart Titan tumbles off a nearby roof and crashes to the street behind Falco, Gabi, and Magath. As Jean Kirschtein gets ready to deliver the finishing blow to Pieck, Falco rushes to her side and begs him not to shoot. Despite Falco's pleas, Jean shoots a Thunder Spear at the Cart Titan but a burst of steam released from the Titan's wound hits him, partially hitting Falco as well, and the spear explodes on the ground instead. A severely injured Pieck emerges from the Cart Titan into Falco's arms. Magath and Marleyan soldiers fend off the Scouts while Falco and Gabi carry Pieck to shelter.

Taking refuge inside a building, Falco and Gabi are astonished by the state Pieck has been left in. Falco observes that her injuries are so serious that her body is not repairing itself fast enough. Gabi asks Falco about Reiner, and Falco responds that he does not know, as he was below the building behind the stage during Eren's attack, and he thinks that they should not disturb him. Gabi is shocked at Falco's words, reminding him that Udo, Zofia, and many others have been killed by Eren.

The children soon witness the Attack Titan defeating and trying to bite through the nape of the Jaw Titan, which prompts them to yell desperately for Reiner to save him. Their screams are successful as Reiner surfaces in an un-armored Titan form and manages to take Galliard away from Eren, although he is knocked down by him. As Eren leaves the battle scene with Mikasa, Gabi begins pursuing them and Falco tries to stop her.

Falco catches up with Gabi and tells her that going after them now would only get her killed like Zofia and Udo. Gabi explains that despite how they are treated in the internment zone, it is still their home and is incredulous as to why Falco would not want them to fight back. Falco recalls Eren and Reiner's discussion and says that they were only responding to the initial attack done by Reiner and the other Marley Warriors four years ago. This does not convince Gabi and she picks up her rifle again. As Gabi tells Falco to inform her family that she fought to the end, she prepares to fly up to the escaping airship using the equipment from a dead Scout. After remembering Reiner's plea for him to save Gabi, Falco grabs on at the last minute and goes with her.

Entering the airship, Falco spots Gabi shooting one of the soldiers. As she fires again, Falco knocks Gabi aside and narrowly saves her from getting shot by another soldier. Falco tries to quiet Gabi down as she proclaims they are still fighting and that the Paradis Island leaders will pay for attacking them. The two are taken away from the soldiers and are stunned to see that Zeke, who was thought to be dead by Marley, is still alive and was one of the coordinators behind the attack on the internment zone.

After arriving at Paradis Island, Gabi and Falco are put into a prison cell.

War for Paradis arc
Once imprisoned, Gabi begins having a seizure in their cell; Falco tries to help her and the guard enters the cell to check. However, Gabi had been faking it and beats the guard in the face with a brick hidden within her clothes. Despite Falco's protests, she hits the guard again and forces Falco to help her hide him. Gabi flees the prison and Falco, unsure of what to do, follows her.

After running all night, both of them stop at a stream for water and to rest. He notices that Gabi still has her armband on and tells her to take it off before someone sees them. As Gabi refuses, Falco forcibly takes it off and gets thrown to the ground. He is incredulous as to why Gabi is acting this way and claims she has gone crazy. Just then, a girl named Kaya comes by and asks what they are doing. As the girl invites them to come with her to her house nearby, Falco spots Gabi discreetly picking up a rock to presumably attack her; he then looks at Gabi and takes it away as they proceed to follow her.

Falco and Gabi arrive at the house and Kaya tells them to wait. Gabi contemplates taking one of the horses, though Falco advises they stay for a few days. Heading inside, Falco tells Gabi that he will handle the talking. He introduces himself and Gabi as "Ben" and "Mia" and says that they are siblings who ran away from home. As they have breakfast, Falco sees Gabi swat away Lisa Braus's hand; he quickly apologizes for Gabi's behavior and coaxes her to eat.

Later that day, Falco is working with Gabi in the stables. He reiterates that they should stay where they are, expressing confidence that either Colt or Reiner will come for them. He goes with Gabi to have lunch outside and learns they are staying at an orphanage for children who lost their parents during the last four years. As Falco and Gabi argue, they are surprised when Kaya mentions that she knows they are from Marley; Falco tries to come up with an excuse when he sees Gabi inch closer to a pitchfork.

She tries to stab Kaya with it, but Falco wrestles it away. They are led to Kaya's old village and learn that everyone either ran away or was eaten by the Titan. Falco is horrified and eventually confesses that it was part of an experiment four years ago and apologizes for Kaya's mother getting killed. Gabi berates Falco for revealing that to her, but he ignores it. He asks how Kaya managed to survive, and is stunned to hear that a girl brought over an axe to fight the Titan, giving her enough time to get away.

Later on, Falco goes with Gabi and the Braus family to the restaurant where Nicolo is working. When dinner is served, Falco is stunned by how high the quality of food is and how he has tasted nothing like it before in his life. He makes up an excuse to leave the table and Gabi goes with him to find Nicolo. They discover him in the basement and reveal their true identities as Marleyan Warrior candidates. Falco notices the fear and horror in Nicolo's face when Gabi reveals she killed Sasha and tries to get Gabi's attention. As Nicolo attacks her, Falco dives in front and gets knocked unconscious after being struck by a wine bottle. The unconscious Falco is brought by Nicolo into the room as the latter reveals Falco's role in Sasha's death. After the situation is cleared up, Nicolo tells Hange Zoë to wash out Falco's mouth before revealing the wine bottle was one of many containing Zeke's spinal fluid.

Shortly after, Conny and Hange begin to rinse Falco's mouth with water as Nicolo reveals more information about Zeke's spinal fluid. Falco is then taken to a separate room to bathe but is interrupted when the Jaegerists arrive.

Falco later regains consciousness, and while being taken to Shiganshina by the Jaegerists, he experiences a sudden shot of electricity run through him as a result of Zeke's scream from the Forest of Giant Trees. After arriving in Shiganshina Falco is separated from the rest of the group from the restaurant and imprisoned with other Eldians who have consumed Zeke's spinal fluid.

Soon, the prisoners are released by the Scouts to help fight off Marley. As he enters the battlefield, Falco notices his brother and Gabi nearby and Nile discretely delivers him, ordering them to get out of harm's way.

As Falco takes refuge in a house with Gabi and Colt, Falco reveals his unwitting role in the attack on Liberio to them, lamenting that Udo and Zofia died because of him. He also reveals his feelings to Gabi, admitting that he joined the Warrior program to give her the chance at living a long and happy life with him. Falco remains in low spirits over his fate but agrees with Colt that there is a chance Zeke might not transform him and the others if he is made aware that Falco ingested some of the spinal fluid.

Falco and Colt manage to find Zeke at the edge of Shiganshina and Colt begs Zeke not to scream, informing him of Falco's predicament. Gabi urges him to flee out of Zeke's range with her but Falco tells her to stay back. Although Zeke expresses remorse for Falco's situation, the news does not stop him from screaming. Falco tries to shove his brother aside but Colt refuses to let go, proclaiming he will always be with Falco.

As he transforms into a Titan, Falco is immediately ordered by Zeke to kill Reiner and charges towards his commanding officer. Since Reiner is preoccupied with trying to subdue Eren, Falco's Pure Titan quickly gets the upper hand and begins to bite through the armor covering Reiner's nape. Before he can finish, Falco notices a severely injured Galliard nearby stumbling out of his Titan and devours him instead, becoming the new inheritor of the Jaw Titan.

Falco's unconscious body is retrieved from his Titan by Jean Kirschtein. After restraining Falco, Jean suggests feeding him to one of the newly-transformed Pure Titans, but Conny Springer is adamant that his mother should be allowed to devour Falco. An argument breaks out which results in Conny kidnapping Falco and fleeing with him.

Falco wakes up on route to Ragako with no memory of any of the events immediately preceding his transformation. Conny claims to have found him unconscious in Shiganshina and saved him. He then says he will be taking Falco to a hospital which will help with his memory loss and although Falco is grateful, he is left ill-at-ease by a feeling that he has met Conny before. The two stop to rest overnight and Falco overhears Conny talking to himself about Sasha. When they arrive at Ragako, Falco reveals that he knows where they are and that he overheard Conny talking during the night. Conny states that he does not want revenge for Sasha's death and shows Falco an immobilized Titan in the village. Conny tells Falco that he wants him to help him brush the Titan's teeth and Falco agrees. Before they can start, they are interrupted by the arrival of Gabi and Armin.

Falco is stunned to realize that he has inherited the Jaw Titan and does not resist as Conny begins trying to forcibly feed him to the Titan. He is only saved by Armin, who tries to feed himself to the Titan, and Conny is forced to save him. After being rescued from the Titan, Falco learns of his brother's death and mourns for him.

The four return to Shiganshina, where they run into Annie Leonhart while eating. After the reunion, Falco and the rest of the group work with Jean, Mikasa, and Pieck to escape the Jaegerists in Shiganshina. While leaving, they stop to pick up Reiner. Falco then stays back while the Warriors and Survey Corps infiltrate the Yeagerists holed up at the Paradis docks.

Relationships

 * Colt Grice - Falco and Colt are brothers and shared a fraternal bond, caring about each other with Falco expressing concern over his brother's excessive drinking. While Falco does not appear physically strong, his brother looked out for him and assured his safety even at the cost of his own life.
 * Gabi Braun - Due to his actions and comments around her, Falco harbors a crush on his fellow Warrior candidate Gabi. He expresses worry when she plans to sacrifice her life to blow up the anti-Titan artillery train and rushes to her side when she is about to get shot by a Mid-East Allied Forces soldier. Falco was initially one of two contenders for the inheritance of the Armored Titan power with the other being Gabi. Acknowledging that her lifespan would be reduced and she would die at a young age if she were to inherit a Titan power, he is willing to take her place in order to save her. After he inadvertently consumed part of Zeke's spinal fluid, Falco made sure to reveal to Gabi his true thoughts about her and as he began to transform into a Pure Titan, he reached out towards her.
 * Reiner Braun - Falco was a candidate to inherit the Armored Titan from his superior officer Reiner. On the train home from Fort Slava, Falco was threatened by Reiner after making a comment about Gabi inheriting the Armored Titan and he immediately corrected himself. Reiner's behavior on the train concerns Falco who acts cautiously around him, even questioning his loyalty to Marley. Ultimately, this encounter cements his determination to become a Warrior. Unknown to Falco or anyone else, it was his sudden appearance outside of the building Reiner was in that brought the latter back from the brink of suicide. Despite threatening him earlier, Reiner cares enough for Falco and the other Warrior candidates to convince himself to keep on living. A month later, Falco's cautiousness around Reiner has faded as he and the other candidates accept the festival food Reiner buys them. After hearing Reiner speak with Eren for the first time in years, Falco begins to understand the sudden and recent change in Reiner's behavior and why he pushed Falco to try and surpass Gabi.
 * Eren Jaeger - At first, believing him to be "Mr. Kruger," Falco aids the one-legged Eren by placing his Eldian armband on the proper arm after he falls to the ground. Later on, he stumbles upon the hospital, and when Eren calls for him, he sits on a bench and they chat. In contrast to Reiner, Eren is happy that Falco will not become a Warrior as it means he would get to live a long, meaningful life instead of a short, harsh one as one of the Nine Titans. Falco grows fond of the man, going to him when seeking reassurance, and describes him as an amazing guy to the other Warrior candidates; Falco ultimately feels that Eren was the reason for his improvement in training. At the same time, Eren is grateful to him for carrying his letters, and Falco shows visible disappointment at the thought of him leaving. After learning his true identity, Falco seems deeply unsettled and betrayed yet seems to understand that Eren's actions were a result of the Warriors attacking his home first.
 * Nile Dawk - Falco spent much of his time in prison with the captured leader of the Military Police. The two bonded over their shared fate of possibly being transformed into Titans and Nile urged Falco to take advantage of Marley's attack to return home to his family. Falco also received the courage to admit to his comrades Colt and Gabi about his hand in the attack on Liberio, as well as his feelings about Gabi. Upon Nile leading him back to his brother, Falco thanked Nile for his actions and words of encouragement.

People killed

 * Colt Grice (unintentional during transformation into a Pure Titan)
 * Porco Galliard (unintentional as a Pure Titan)

Failed attempts

 * Reiner Braun (unintentional as a Pure Titan)

Trivia

 * Hajime Isayama has stated that Falco was inspired by the character Jesse Pinkman from the.
 * Sketches of Falco included at the Attack on Titan: Final Manga Exhibition revealed that a working name for Falco was Falco Bach (ファルコ・バッハ).

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