Simon Barna

Simon Barna (サイモンバーナ) is a member of the Survey Corps currently serving as a Team Leader.

Appearance
Simon Barna is a middle-aged man with light hair and sports dark muttonchops. He has small eyes, a large flattened nose and a prominent brow, with a small scar running above and below his left eye.

He is seen wearing the traditional uniform of the Survey Corps.

Personality
A serious and determined soldier, Simon is known to be very analytical and claims to possess an eidetic memory; he has proclaimed that he knows the layout of the territory south of the Walls like the back of his hand. He has a deep sense of loyalty towards his comrades and subordinates, but is known to poke fun at them from time to time.

History
At some point in his life, Simon enlisted into the military, serving as a soldier within the Survey Corps.

The Titan's Son arc
Simon was an active member of the Survey Corps at the time a Titan rampaged through Shiganshina District. Unlike many of his fellow soldiers, Simon decided to stay within the Corps instead of transferring out to the Garrison.

Survival Expedition arc
When the expedition that will determine the ultimate fate of the Survey Corps is announced, Simon does not hesitate to volunteer and continues to serve; he is appointed by Commander Carlo Pikale as one of the expedition's team leaders, being given control of the seven soldiers within team nine. He is assigned to help assist Rosa Carlstead and the members of team ten covering the rear of the expedition. They stop at the first marker, an oasis five kilometers out from the Wall, while the other teams continue on ahead.

Simon spots a red signal flare alerting them to Titans and notes that it presumably came from the south; he orders Rosa and team ten to go on and they will catch up after regrouping. Once team nine is assembled, Simon orders his team forward and begins to ride towards the oasis located ten kilometers out. On the way, he encounters the members of team ten after losing sight of the signal flare and offers to guide them. After roughly traveling past the seven kilometer mark, Simon comes across the ruins of a Survey Corps munitions wagon. Kuklo and Cardina go to investigate, and then call over the other soldiers: Simon grimly recognizes the bodies of teams seven and eight among the wreckage. Hearing that a ten meter Titan was most likely responsible, Simon concurs this and states the soldiers would not have stood a chance due to the poor conditions.

He then turns to Rosa and asks what they should do. Reminding her that the soldiers within team ten are the key to fighting against the Titans (and to consider the current conditions and possibility that teams nine and ten are the only ones left alive), he asks if they should retreat or continue with their original orders. After hearing the order to continue their original objective, Simon orders his subordinates to escort team ten south in the direction of the signal flare's position.

After getting their bearings and riding towards the flare, Simon leads his team against an approaching Titan. They work with team ten to defeat and kill it, stunning Simon and staring in awe as it dissipates. After Felix is bitten on the leg by a Titan that ambushed them, Simon hears Kuklo blame himself for not sensing its approach; Simon tells the youth that some Titans behave in an abnormal fashion and that he is not to blame for what happened. They dress Felix's wounds and place him on a stretcher, continuing to head towards Carlo and the other soldiers' likely location. With several more Titans approaching their location, Simon takes it upon himself to get Felix's body to safety, moving him out of the tent he was resting in before it is crushed by one of the 5m Titans.

Relationships

 * Carlo Pikale - As his commanding officer in the Survey Corps, Simon has a great deal of respect for Carlo and his leadership.
 * Rosa Carlstead - Seeing how she was a newly-appointed team leader, Simon took it upon himself to coach Rosa on how to become more effective and assertive. He fills her in on all the consequences being a team leader can bring and smiles when she begins to take a more active role.

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Simon Barna