Conny Springer (Anime)

"It's all over... My hometown... It's gone forever."

- Conny laments for his hometown

Conny Springer (コニー・スプリンガー) is a member of the 104th Cadet Corps. Upon graduation, he joined the Scout Regiment.

Appearance
Conny is one of the shorter characters in the series, standing two centimeters shorter than Levi. He has a slim build, with bright hazel eyes, and his head is distinctively kept shaved. Conny is typically dressed in standard military garb, and will don the Scout Regiment cape when on missions.

His casual attire consists of a simple long-sleeve white shirt and shin-length brown slacks.

Personality
Conny can be best described as outgoing and impetuous. He has an easy time expressing his opinions, and enjoys flaunting his skills, especially during his days as a cadet. Despite being in the military, Conny starts off as rather unfocused, and enjoys goofing around and messing with his friends, but can also be a bit dense at times.

Humanity's Comeback arc
Conny signs up as a new recruit in the 104th Cadet Corps with hopes of eventually joining the Military Police Brigade. His entry into the military is a clumsy one, and he winds up getting the military's salute wrong on the first day. For the remainder of his training, Conny can be seen practicing using the omni-directional mobility gear, which he was particularly proficient in, as well as messing with his fellow recruits, or goofing around with Sasha Braus, whom he becomes fast friends with.

The Struggle for Trost arc
Conny graduates ranked 8th among the 104th Cadet Corps, and is present in Trost District when the Colossal Titan breaches the Wall. He is usually looking out for the others, as with the appearance of Eren Jaeger's Titan Form, came to check on Armin and Mikasa in the ensuing battle. When Armin gives his remaining gas to Mikasa, Conny carries Armin using his vertical maneuvering equipment to headquarters. He, Armin, and Mikasa burst through a window immediately after Eren strikes two Titans, explaining to Jean Kirschtein that the Titan attacks other Titans and ignores humans. He later joins Armin's plan to break into the supply room and replenish their supply. He is one of the best fighters in the group, and so is one of the seven assigned to take down a Titan in the supply room with one strike. While he fails to kill his target with his first blow, he is rescued by Annie Leonhart.

Eve of the Counterattack arc
As ordered, in the aftermath of the battle of Trost District, he reports his omni-directional mobility gear to the Military Police Brigade for inspection as a part of the investigation over the deaths of the two captured Titans, presumed to be have been killed by a soldier using vertical maneuvering equipment. Despite his fears in facing the Titans in combat again, he volunteers to become a member of the Scout Regiment.

The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission arc
He is one of the soldiers perched on top of one of the Giant Trees, waiting for word from Levi's Squad with the others. He is seen returning from the failed 57th Expedition along with the others, and is later seen in the field riding a horse along with Sasha Braus, Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, Christa Lenz and Ymir.

Clash of the Titans arc
Conny is again seen with a group of Scout Regiment recruits being investigated by Miche Zacharius under suspicion of being one of Annie's accomplices. However, when Titans suddenly appear within Wall Rose, Miche sends them in groups to warn the surrounding villages.

Since Conny's village, Ragako, is in the path of the Titans, he receives permission to join the group heading in that direction. They find the village deserted, but there are no dead bodies and no sign that anybody has fled. Atop the ruins of his house, Conny finds an immobile Titan bearing some resemblance to his mother. The Titan welcomes him home, to his disbelief. He tries to tell the group but is quickly dismissed by Reiner, who tells him to focus on the mission. After the sun sets, Conny and the rest of his group take refuge in Utgard Castle, an abandoned structure, which eventually falls under attack by Titans which are mysteriously active at night.

During the siege, Conny is attacked by a smaller Titan, but Reiner rescues him, injuring his arm in the process. Conny expresses frustration at the fact that Reiner has always saved him, and promises to repay him back sometime in the future. Like all the others, he is shocked to see Ymir turn into a Titan, noting that while Eren at first had no idea of his Titan powers, Ymir seems to have been fully conscious of it the whole time. After Hange and her squad rescue them, Conny joins the group in returning to Wall Rose.

When a battle breaks out and the Armored and Colossal Titans appear, Conny is busy tending to the wounded and does not immediately understand what has happened. He fears for Bertholdt and Reiner, who he thinks are missing, unaware that they are the enemies being fought.

After the battle, Conny is in shock after being told that Reiner and Bertholdt are the Armored and Colossal Titans respectively. He joins the rescue mission to save Eren, but refuses to believe the claims about Reiner and Bertholdt until he hears it straight from their mouths. When the team finally makes it to the forest, where Hange suspects Reiner and Bertholdt are recuperating, he is among those who identify Ymir in her Titan form. He is confused and agitated at the fact that Ymir does not answer any questions. When Historia arrives, Ymir "eats" her and escapes. The soldiers follow them to the edge of the forest, but are unable to catch her before and Reiner transforms back into the Armored Titan and Ymir jumps on his shoulder to escape.

He catches up to the traitors and uses his omni-directional mobility gear to climb on to Reiner's shoulder. Together with Jean, Sasha, Mikasa and Armin, he confronts Bertholdt and Reiner, asking if they were ever true friends. He begins to reminisce about their time in the 104th Cadet Corps, and this, along with Jean's own questions, causes Bertholdt to have an emotional breakdown. Bertholdt says he considered them "true comrades," but before the group can react to his confession, Hannes warns them that Erwin Smith is leading a horde of Titans straight at them and the 104th jumps clear of the incoming onslaught. Conny is forced to watch in horror as his former friends charge straight into the horde of Titans. When Reiner is immobilized by the sheer number of Titans, Erwin orders the soldiers to attack and retrieve Eren. Conny follows the others into battle.

He later appears elsewhere on the battlefield, using the chaos to retrieve Historia. When she protests that he should leave her and that Ymir is going to be killed if she does not go with the traitors, Conny demands she rethink things. He asks if Ymir's claims are true, and states that even an idiot could figure out that Ymir only gets serious for Historia's sake. He advises them to follow him and retreat for now, or else they will all be killed. However, before they can escape, the Armored Titan begins throwing Titans at them.

As the battle gets worse, Conny begins fighting Titans alongside Historia, Ymir, and Sasha. In the middle of the chaos, a newly freed Eren punches a smiling Titan in a fit of rage, triggering something that causes all the other mindless Titans to devour it. When Reiner tries pursuing him, Eren screams at him and Bertholdt, telling them to get away or he will kill them. The Titan horde then charges at the two. Erwin calls for a full retreat and when Ymir hesitates, Conny urges her to come along. Instead she apologizes to Historia and heads back to help Reiner and Bertholdt. Before Historia can follow, Conny takes the reins of her horse and forces her to join the retreat.

Back at Trost District, Conny and Hange visit Levi, Erwin and Dot Pyxis. Hange theorizes that the recent Titans originated from Conny's village, and that Titans may very well be humans. Conny is there to confirm their findings, and he attends while holding his parents' portrait.

Abilities
Conny's abilities put him in the top 10 of the graduated cadets. He is said to be "slow on the uptake but makes very sharp turns". Conny's combat skills are shown to be more or less average, and he has yet to be shown successfully slaying a Titan.

Relationships

 * Sasha Braus - Conny and Sasha are very close friends. Even though they often get into trouble together and provide much of the comic relief of the series, they care for and protect each other when the situation calls for it.
 * Reiner Braun - Conny greatly admires Reiner, and looks up to him as a big brother. The two were often seen together during their cadet days, and Conny notes that Reiner has protected him on multiple occasions. After realizing that he is one of the traitors, he begins to grow resentment at this, but also disbelief.
 * Ymir - Their relationship is often tense, and they are prone to taking verbal shots at one another. Most of their interactions devolve into arguments, Ymir generally looking down on Conny, and Conny having no patience for Ymir's tactlessness.
 * Eren Jaeger - Conny and Eren are on good terms. Conny initially found amusement in Eren's difficulty as a cadet, but their relationship eventually turns friendly, and Conny is later inspired to join the Scout Regiment partially because of Eren.

Trivia

 * Conny's name may have multiple meanings, either from the Celtic name "Connor", meaning "son of the wolf", or "Constantia", meaning "conviction". "Springer" is German for "knight", "leaper", and "dolphin".
 * Conny cuts his own hair.