Marco Bott

Marco Bott (マルコ・ボット) was a member of the 104th Trainees Squad, and graduated as the seventh ranked trainee in his class. He was assigned to fight the Titans after the breach of Wall Rose, and given command of his own squad. His death serves to illustrate the grim reality of life for the soldiers, as even the most talented can meet an ignoble end while facing the Titans.

Personality
Marco was an idealistic person, valuing the good of the group above his own interests as well as understanding and coping with his own shortcomings and limitations. The others respected him greatly, and considered him to be a natural leader suited to his dreams of joining the Military Police Brigade. Unlike those who joined the Military Police Brigade for safety and privileges, his reasons for wanting to join it were genuinely faithful. He was shown to be an excellent judge of others, as he recognized Jean's potential as a leader and encouraged him to believe in himself. He was also shown to have a talent for preserving order among the other trainees, whether resolving arguments or keeping them calm during battle.

104th Trainees Squad arc
Marco is first introduced during the initiation of new recruits, and is intimidated by their instructor after he expresses his desire to join the Military Police Brigade. He later attempts to maintain order when the recruits question Eren about the attack on Wall Maria. He chides the others when their questions become too upsetting for Eren. During his time as a trainee, he befriends Jean Kirstein and the two are often seen together. He seems to have been one of the only people to recognize Jean's potential, and encourages him to embrace his natural abilities as a leader.

Battle of Trost District arc
After the Colossal Titan attacks Trost, Marco is assigned command of the 19th Trainee Squad and ordered to support the vanguard forces. He is eventually among the trainees stranded when the retreat order was given, since he does not have enough gas to scale the Wall and escape Trost. When Mikasa and Jean rally the others into charging headquarters, which has become surrounded by Titans, Marco is quick to join them. Inside the station, he is vital in Armin's plan to reclaim the overrun supply room and leads the main group in the operation. Armed with rifles, the recruits act as bait and lure the seven Titans who occupy the room into position. Marco maintains order in the group, and keeps everyone calm until they fire and blind the attacking Titans.

He is later seen among the regrouped forces, and attempts to once again keep order when people like Daz are giving into their fear. Marco does his best to comfort them and keep morale high, even when they are ordered to return to Trost. He joins the other recruits up on the Wall, and acts as bait to distract the Titans from the main operation involving Eren Yeager. Later, he is among the recruits that go into the city to battle the Titans. There, he helps to rescue Jean when his gear malfunctioned and eventually joins the others in battling the Titans while Eren is sealing the hole in Wall Rose.



He is later found dead after the invasion of Trost, discovered and identified by Jean. Along with the other causalities of the battle, his body is cremated on a communal funeral pyre. This inspires Jean to abandon his selfish ways and join the Survey Corps, claiming that he does not want to meet a "disappointing end with someone burning his bones without knowing why he died", a reference to how Marco died alone and went unnoticed for days. His 3D maneuver gear is later found to have been taken by Annie, though she refuses to clarify how she "found it". This leaves the implication that his death may have involved foul play of some kind.

Relationships

 * Jean Kirstein - Marco and Jean were friends, and he often served as a confidante and voice of reason. He was the one who recognized Jean's potential as a leader, and encouraged him to believe in himself. When Jean found Marco's body, he went into a partially catatonic state. After Marco's death, Jean underwent a significant change and made the decision to honor his memory by joining the Scouts.
 * Daz - During the battle of Trost, Marco actively encouraged and comforted Daz. They struggled briefly when Daz considered trying to kill himself, and was later shown giving him encouragement when Daz decided to continue fighting.
 * Armin Arlert - After his death, Armin mentions that they usually performed equipment maintenance together. This became important, as it allowed Armin to recognize Marco's stolen gear when Annie presented it as her own.

Trivia

 * Marco-Chara_Design.png name means, roughly, "Messenger from the God of War", perhaps a nod towards his role in illustrating the cruel reality facing the recruits.

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