Bertholdt Hoover (Anime)

Bertholdt Hoover (ベルトルト・フーバー) is a graduate of the 104th Cadet Corps and member of the Scout Regiment. He ranked 3rd in the Cadet Corps and is described by others as a weak-willed and quiet person.

Appearance
Bertholdt is a rather tall, slender young man. He has short, dark hair, pale green eyes, thin eyebrows and an elongated face. He is seen mainly in his trainee uniform, and after he enters the Scout Regiment, he uses their uniform with the green hood on missions. He is also noted by others to always be sweating.

Personality
Bertholdt is a quiet young man who identified himself as someone with a weak will that follows popular opinion. Likewise, his instructor noted him to be a person with great potential, but an utter lack of initiative. He is further described by Eren Jaeger as being taciturn, and Bertholdt tends to remain in the background unless necessary. By his own admission, he is something of a coward and is noted for his low self-esteem.

Humanity's Comeback arc
Bertholdt joined the 104th Training Corps with aspirations of joining the Military Police and living in the safety of the inner Wall. As part of the 104th, he was considered to be one of the best in regards to vertical maneuvering equipment, enough so that Eren Jaeger came to him for advice when he was dealing with faulty equipment.

After seeing Eren's determination and desire to join the Scout Regiment, he considered himself a coward for wanting to get far away from the Titans. However, Eren encouraged him, saying that after witnessing the attack on his village, no one would blame him for his decision. Eventually, he graduated in the top ten of his class coming in at third place, just under his friend Reiner.

The Struggle for Trost arc
When Armin, Mikasa, and Connie made it to the headquarters, with the help of the Rogue Titan, Armin devised a plan to get rid of the Titans in the supply room. Bertholdt, part of the second group, came in from the ceiling and killed his target in one blow. The mission was a success and after everyone resupplied, he and the rest of the group leave the headquarters.

On the way out, he joins Mikasa and others on a rooftop as they watch the rogue Titan being eaten by other Titans. Reiner suggests helping it out, but ultimately it ends up not being necessary as the Titan fights his way out upon seeing the Titan that ate Thomas. After the rogue Titan kills it, the Titan collapses, and Bertholdt is among the first people to learn of Eren's ability.

Eve of the Counterattack arc
Post-Trost, Bertholdt joins the Scout Regiment with Mikasa, Reiner Braun, Eren, Conny, Sasha Braus, Christa Lenz, Armin, Ymir, Jean Kirschtein and a few others.

The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission arc
Bertholdt participates in the Scout Regiment's 57th exterior scouting mission into Titan territory, sticking close to his friend Reiner the whole time. The mission is fairly slow paced for him until he arrives at the forest of giant trees with his group and is ordered to be on standby. He waits in the trees with his comrades so that they may stop any Titan from entering the forest where their superiors are. After awhile of little events, a loud Titan scream can be heard from within the forest and several Titans begin to charge in. Bertholdt is among the soldiers as they attempt to stop the Titans from entering.

After the Titans are gone beyond the soldiers watch point, Bertholdt sees the smoke signal indicating the time for retreat. He regroups with his comrades and they head back to the walls. Upon re-entering the gate, the Scout Regiment receives comments and criticisms for their loss of life and lack of results.

Abilities
"Highly proficient in various hand-to-hand combat styles and has great potential. But lacks in self-confidence and tends to leave it to others when it comes to showing assertiveness."

- Instructor Keith Sadies regarding Bertholdt's training

Bertholdt graduated in 3rd position among the trainees and was noted as the best user of the vertical maneuvering equipment among them. He managed to kill a small Titan without the use of the vertical maneuvering equipment. Due to his high-level position, he is also likely to possess other Military and combat skills.

Relationships

 * Reiner Braun - Reiner was his childhood friend, and the two were rarely apart. Bertholdt almost always follows along with whatever Reiner decides and values him as a friend.
 * Eren Jaeger - Though friendly, the two were not particularly close in comparison to Eren and Reiner's friendship. Bertholdt expressed admiration for Eren's courage and the strength of his conviction to fight even after experiencing the horror of a Titan attack.

Trivia

 * The official site reveals his nickname is "Bertl".
 * His name is Old German in origin, meaning "Bright Strength".