Reiner Braun

Reiner Braun (ライナー・ブラウン) is a graduate of the 104th Trainees Squad and a former member of the Survey Corps. He ranked 2nd in the class, and was regarded by others as a charismatic and reliable big brother figure.

Along with Bertolt and Annie, he is a person that possesses the ability to transform into a Titan and serves an as-yet unrevealed group. He comes from a mysterious homeland outside the Walls, and was on a mission to infiltrate the military in search of something that he refers to as the "Coordinate". After his true identity is revealed, he becomes a major antagonist and foil to Eren Yeager, illustrating the ambiguous nature of the enemy.

Personality
Reiner is a passionate person, with a strong sense of duty. He takes his role as a soldier very seriously, and encourages others to do the same. However, he is also noted to have a kind heart and a tendency to always think of others before himself, taking on extra burdens for the sake of his comrades. He is stated to be the "big brother" of the other trainees.

However, he is also revealed to have serious emotional and mental problems as a result of his actions. While still loyal to his cause, he was unable to cope with the guilt and has begun to suppress his true memories in an effort to escape. During these episodes, he forgets his true identity, believing himself to be a human soldier. There appear to be few differences between these his "soldier" persona and his true self, though his true self is more ruthless and fatalistic out of necessity. He harbors a negative attitude towards himself, referring to himself as a "villain" and a "short-lived killer" that only Bertolt and Annie can understand. Even so, he continually places himself at risk in an effort to reach out to Eren and Ymir, trusting them more than is wise.

Human Form
In human form, Reiner has short blond hair and gold eyes. His large height and broad shoulders give him an intimidating presence.

Titan Form
The Armored Titan is 15 meters tall. Its skin is completely hardened, except for muscles in its cheeks that become exposed when it opens its jaw, the muscle tissue behind his knees and elbows, and its feet. Other than that, it does not possess any notable anatomical deformities.

History
Reiner comes from a mysterious location simply referred to as his hometown (or homeland), and began a mission to attack humanity in the year 845. Little is known about his life prior to undertaking his mission, other than the fact that Bertolt and Berik were his childhood friends. The exact nature of their group, and their mission is yet unknown. It is mentioned that their goal was to exterminate humanity, and that they are searching for both the Ape Titan and a "coordinate" which they believe may be Eren Yeager or possible to locate with the assistance of Historia Reiss.

At some point prior to the attack on Wall Maria, he was attacked by a Titan later revealed to be Ymir. In the chaos, his friend Berik pushed him to safety and died protecting him. This event appears to have left him deeply traumatized, as he flashes back to it in moments of stress and expresses an almost suicidal desire to place himself into harms' way for the sake of others.

During his time training to become a soldier, he was considered to be one of the most adept with the 3D Maneuver Gear. When Eren was having trouble during this training, he came to Reiner and Bertolt for advice. As a sort of repayment, Eren worked with him in hand-to-hand combat training. During this time, he became a surrogate big brother to the others and instilled in them a strong sense of responsibility.

Story
He first appears in 845 as the Armored Titan, participating in the attack on Shiganshina. During the chaos of the initial breach, he enters the city in his Titan form and makes his way across it to the interior gate. Once there, he charges towards the gate and smashes through it, allowing Titans to invade Wall Maria. At some point during the abandonment of Wall Maria, he passes himself off as a refugee and infiltrates human territory. Five years later, he enlists in the military and becomes a member of the 104th Trainees Squad.

Noting Eren's desire to apply to the Survey Corps even after witnessing the attack in the Shiganshina District, he reveals that he wants to go back to his home town, knowing that there is likely nothing to return to. He eventually graduated in the top ten of his trainee class, coming in at second, just under Mikasa Ackerman. As part of the defensive effort of the military after the second attack of the Colossal Titan, he eventually found himself with the front guard. However, with the supply team stuck in the headquarters, he was essentially immobilized with many of his teammates on a rooftop. Joining Jean's group in the rush to the HQ, he was among the survivors. With the subsequent arrival of Armin and Mikasa, by way of rogue titan, he helped to clear and secure the supply room.

Initially skeptical, Reiner suggested they help the rogue titan when it was being overwhelmed by a group. Jean was hesitant and disagreed with his suggestion, stating they barely made it with their own lives and refused to risk it for a titan. However, it turned out not to be necessary when it broke free at the sight of the titan that killed Tomas. He was among the first people to know about Eren's titan form, when he emerged from the giants body. Later this same day, after seeing what appeared to be titan vapor from inside the city, he and a small group scaled the wall to see what was happening. Over the wall they found Eren protecting Mikasa and Armin from cannon fire, with a shield made from the torso of his titan form.

Reiner would later join the Survey Corps, together with the rest of the top 10 alumni with the exception of Annie. During the first expedition they take part in, he teams up with Jean to save Armin from the female-type titan after his horse runs away.

After the capture of Annie, Reiner was later seen in an abandoned mansion next to Sasha when Wall Rose supposedly got breached. He was soon dispatched to find all the survivors and tell them the news (without his 3D Maneuver Gear ).

After that he and his squad went searching for the gap, though they found nothing. They met up with another team carrying the same orders and also didn't find anything. The 2 squads join together and go to the abandoned Castle Utgard to rest.

Later that night he finds Ymir searching for food and she found a can of tuna. He became suspicious when she was able to identify the label correctly. Before Reiner had the chance to question Ymir about her knowledge on titan language, he was alerted by the others about the titans attacking the castle.

During the nighttime attack, Reiner and the others are ordered to head deeper into the castle to defend against invading Titans. He rushes ahead of the others to investigate, and barely manages to keep a Titan from breaking into the stairwell with the assistance of Bertolt and the others, who use an old cannon to crush it. While the group is recovering, a second Titan manages to enter the room and attacks Connie. Reiner pushes him to safety and is injured in the process, suffering a broken arm before the others are able to save him.

Eventually, their superiors are all killed and the unarmed recruits are left to fend for themselves. In order to save the others, Ymir reveals herself to be a Titan Shifter and goes to fight alone. Reiner and Bertolt are shocked to recognize her as the titan responsible for killing their childhood friend, Berik.

As Ymir fights the many titans, Historia almost falls off the tower but is saved by Reiner and Connie, though he doesn't let go of her foot for a few more seconds and apologizes for that.

In the following chapter, Reiner reveals to Eren that he is the Armored Titan that destroyed the gate on Wall Maria five years ago, leading to the destruction of Eren and Mikasa's hometown. He states that the objective was to wipe out mankind, but he also says that it's no longer necessary. He asks Eren to come with him, saying that if he does there will be no need to attack the wall again. When Eren acts as if can't be serious, Reiner becomes disheartened about his sentimentality towards his comrades in the Survey Corps and declares his commitment to his responsibility and duty as a "warrior", prompting an enraged Mikasa to attack him and Bertholdt. After he and Bertholdt, who is revealed to be the Colossal Titan, come under suprise attack by Mikasa and the rest of the Survey Corps, he and Bertolt transform and Reiner grabs Eren, while Bertolt eats Ymir. His hand is blown off by Eren who, enraged by their betrayal of humanity, transforms in his grip. Eren and Reiner then begin to battle upon Eren's transformation.

As Eren and Reiner continued to fight, he was able to hold off Mikasa when she attempted to slice off nape of his neck in his titan form. Eventually, Armin was able to discover a weak link to his line of defense because as he's protecting the nape of his neck, he suggested that she attack at his knee caps. Reiner was taken by surprise for a 2nd attack by Mikasa, this time he was hit at the back of his knee. As the armor continued to break, he was able to scream and summon Bertolt to rescue him by leaping from the wall.

The resulting explosion wounded most of the Scouts present, and allowed him to capture Eren and escape the scene. Several hours later, he took refuge in the Forest of Giant Trees and took the opportunity to take Eren's 3DMG gear for himself. He informs Eren and Ymir of their intentions to provide them entry into their homeland, but admits that he knows Eren won't come along with them willingly. Their location has become surrounded by Titans, and so he advises them to wait until nightfall before making any sort of move, to avoid being devoured. Ymir guesses this means he's also too exhausted to transform, something he refuses to answer.

However, during a conversation with Ymir about their dire situation, he begins to behave strangely and talks about requesting promotions. As the others look on with shock, he continues discussing the events at Castle Utgard and claims that Christa must like him since she's always so nice. When Eren loses his temper and threatens him, Reiner becomes confused and asks what he said wrong. Ymir notices Bertholdt's expression, and confronts him about what they are witnessing. He finally speaks up, informing Reiner that he is "not a soldier" and that "we are warriors", prompting a sudden change in his behavior.

As Reiner collapses onto the branch and buries his face in his hand, Ymir theorizes that his strange behavior resulted from repressing his own memories to cope with extreme guilt. She guesses he became so attached to his role as a human soldier, that his heart "broke" and his memories were altered to suit his delusional state. When she mentions his "earnest" personality and guesses this was the reason behind tensions with Bertholdt, he explodes at her to stop.

Eren accuses him of playing the victim, and insists that he is a murderer that gave up being human. The two briefly argue, with Reiner agreeing to this assessment but demanding what Eren wants from them. Ymir interrupts their argument, and attempts to gather more information concerning the ape-like Titan. Reiner makes several vague comments, and suggests that Ymir should ally with them since she also knows some of what is really going on. He insists that she is trustworthy, since they share the goal of protecting Christa and he can ensure her future in exchange for Ymir's cooperation.

Bertolt expresses his concern over allying with Ymir, and they recall how she once ate their friend, Berik. But Reiner argues that this further proves that Ymir can be trusted to cooperate with them, since her motivations are obvious. This causes Bertolt to question Reiner's state of mind, but he reassures him and reminds him that Christa is an important member of a Noble family. They discuss whether or not Eren is the "Coordinate" they were sent to find, and decide that Christa's ties to the Wall Cult may help their mission.

The two briefly discuss accomplishing their mission and returning home. Reiner suggests that Bertolt confess his feelings to Anne once they return home, and bitterly notes that their crimes mean no one else could understand them. Their conversation is cut short when they notice signal flares in the distance, and realize that soldiers have pursued them. He attempts to convince Eren to cooperate and go quietly with them, but is forced to choke him into unconsciousness after a brief struggle.

As they flee through the forest, Ymir notices the flares and demands to be allowed to see Christa. Reiner and Bertolt refuse her at first, but are forced to give into her demands after she threatens them. Once Ymir returns from successfully kidnapping Christa, he transforms into his Titan form and flees with the others clinging to his back. The other graduates of the 104th manage to catch up to him, climbing onto his Titan form. He ignores them until Mikasa attacks Bertholdt, cupping his hands around his neck in order to provide his partner a safe place to hide. While the others confront Bertolt over his actions, Reiner continues to focus on fleeing towards Wall Maria.

Commander Erwin Smith lures a massive horde of Titans directly into his path, forcing Reiner to make a suicidal charge. Their sheer numbers overwhelm him, restricting his movement and eventually forcing him to begin fighting back -- leaving Bertolt and Eren exposed. This allows the soldiers to make a second rush, and in the chaos Armin is able to get onto his head and confront Bertholdt. He reveals that Annie has been captured, and claims she is being tortured in order to confuse and upset the pair. Reiner is horrified by this news, and is unable to prevent Erwin from ambushing Bertholdt. With Eren freed, the soldiers begin to retreat. In an act of desperation, he begins to throw the Titans attacking him into the path of the fleeing humans.

This causes chaos on the battlefield, as soldiers are knocked from their horses and the Titans begin to attack them. Jean Kirstein and Armin Arlert express horror at his actions, wondering whether he even cares anymore about the danger of Eren being killed. His assault is only stopped when Eren's power as the Coordinate manifests, causing the Titan horde to attack the Smiling Titan in his stead. This shocks and horrifies Reiner, who senses the power but seems resistant to Eren's control.

He realizes that this is the worst possible situation, thinking that Eren is the worst possible person to possess that power. Free from the Titan horde, he charges after Eren with unknown intentions. However, he is stopped in his tracks when Eren screams at him to stay away and threatens to kill him. The Titan horde react to this command by abandoning their previous kill, swarming the Armored Titan with renewed aggression. Reiner realizes they've lost, expressing the fear that he won't be able to keep Bertolt safe.

The soldiers take the chance to retreat, leaving Reiner to the Titan horde. He desperately attempts to fend them off, shielding Bertolt with one hand. Just as he'd feared, he's quickly overwhelmed and unable to protect his partner from the Titans. But before one can kill Bertholdt, Ymir reappears and begins to fight alongside the pair.

The narration notes that the Armored Titan did not pursue the soldiers further, leaving his exact fate unknown in the aftermath of the battle.

Abilities
As one of the top ten graduates of the 104th squad, Reiner is likely highly competent in the use of 3D Maneuver Gear and respective weapons. He is also one of the best hand-to-hand fighters amongst the recruits, having also trained other skilled fighters such as Eren.

Titan Shifting
As the Armored Titan (鎧の巨人), its body produces a hardened, armor-like skin that is sturdy enough to completely repel concentrated cannon fire. It also demonstrates incredible strength and speed when it breaks down the inner gate of Wall Maria. While the armor automatically forms over most of its body save its joints, the Armored Titan can harden the joints at will, sacrificing speed and combat ability for protection.

The Armored Titan is capable of assuming human form at will, due to the intelligence it demonstrates in appearing to work with the Colossal Titan in breaching Wall Maria. As he retains his human intelligence, he uses his hand-to-hand combat skills against other human-turned-Titans such as Eren, which in conjunction with his armor-like skin, gives him a solid advantage in combat.

Relationships

 * Bertolt Hoover - Bertolt is his childhood friend and partner, working closely with him in their mission. They are rarely seen apart, with Reiner taking the lead most of the time. Ymir notes that his psychological issues have caused friction between them, though it is revealed that Bertolt is vital in helping him maintain his grasp on reality. During their failed mission to kidnap Eren, he expresses a great desire to keep Bertolt safe, placing himself at a major disadvantage in order to protect him.
 * Historia Reiss - It has been hinted that he may have feelings for her, though it is unclear whether this is a simple crush or something stronger. It is also unclear whether these feelings are part of his delusions, or genuine.
 * Eren Yeager - Eren was one of his closest friends, and it was stated that Eren considered him both a "strong, capable guy" and something of a big brother. However, their friendship turns violently antagonistic once he reveals his true identity to Eren. Upon learning of Eren's power as the Coordinate, he reacts with great concern and notes that Eren is the worst person to possess it.
 * Connie Springer - Connie is one of his close friends, and someone that Reiner has repeatedly put himself into harm's way to protect. After his true nature is revealed, Connie refuses to believe that Reiner is truly their enemy.
 * Annie Leonhart - Reiner and Annie have a somewhat strained relationship, though they work closely towards accomplishing their mission. His efforts to prank her or strike up conversations tend to go over poorly.

Trivia

 * Reiner-Chara_Design.png a blog post on April 17th, the author revealed that Reiner's Titan image (the Armored Titan) were actually based on Brock Lesnar, an American professional wrestler and former Mixed Martial Artist.
 * In episode 2, a young Reiner and Bertolt are in the crowd when the mission to reclaim Wall Maria is announced. This is an anime-only cameo.
 * In chapter 38, during a conversation with Ymir, it is stated that they are both "uninterested" in the opposite sex. This is an euphemism the Japanese typically use to refer to someone that is gay. However, there are hints that he may have a crush on Christa, referring to her as "cute" and thinking about wanting to marry her whenever she's kind to him. This, along with his identity issues, leave several questions concerning his sexual orientation.
 * The Guidebook "Outside" states his birthday is August 1st. This is known to fans as "Yaoi Day", in reference to the otaku shorthand of "801" used to refer to the genre.
 * His name is Old Norse in origin, and means "Counseling Warrior".
 * Reiner's reveal as the Armored Titan and thus as a traitor is especially ironic as Keith Shadis stated him as "most adept at gaining the trust of his comrades."

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Reiner Braun