Connie Springer

"You mean to tell me all I have left of my family is a portrait?!"

- Connie to Hange Zoë after the destruction of Ragako. Connie Springer (コニー・スプリンガー) is a member of the 104th Trainees Squad, of which he is ranked 8th best. Connie hails from the rural Ragako village within Wall Rose, and his greatest ambition is to make his family and village proud of him. Upon graduation, he joined the Survey Corps.

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

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

Personality
Connie 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 trainee. Despite being in the military, Connie starts off as rather unfocused, and enjoys goofing around and messing with his friends, but can also be a bit dense at times.

Later, Connie's naive enthusiasm falls away after multiple close encounters with the Titans. He never becomes more serious, though to his frustration, he still has some difficulty comprehending new developments as they appear. Connie also comes to terms with his own limits, disliking his lack of power, but eager to prove his worth. Through it all, Connie remains an optimistic character, consistently caring for the well-being of others, and willing to help in any way he can.

104th Trainees Squad arc
Connie signs up as a new recruit in the 104th Trainees Squad 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, Connie can be seen practicing using the Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear, which he was particularly proficient in, as well as messing with his fellow recruits, or goofing around with Sasha Blouse, whom he becomes fast friends with.

Battle of Trost District arc
Connie graduates ranked 8th among the 104th Trainees, 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 Yeager's Titan Form, came to check on Armin and Mikasa in the ensuing battle. He is often seen carrying Armin while gliding with his 3D Maneuver Gear. He, Armin and Mikasa burst through a window immediately after Eren strikes two Titans, explaining to Jean Kirstein 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.

The Female Titan 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 Blouse, Reiner Braun, Bertolt Hoover, Krista Lenz and Ymir.

Clash of the Titans arc
Later on, Connie is part of a group of Survey Corps members under investigation by Mike Zacharius under suspicion of being an accomplice to Annie. However, when Titans mysteriously appear within Wall Rose, Mike sends them to warn the surrounding villages. Because Connie's home village of Ragako is in the Titans' wake, he receives permission to join to the group headed in that direction. They find the village seemingly deserted, with no bodies but also no sign that the people fled. In the ruins of his house, Connie finds an immobile Titan that reminds him of his mother. Connie attempts to tell the group that the Titan had communicated with him but is quickly dismissed by Reiner. As night falls, Connie and his group take refuge in Castle Utgard, which subsequently comes under siege by Titans.

During the siege, he is attacked by a smaller Titan and rescued by Reiner, who is injured in the process. He expresses frustration that Reiner has always protected him, and promises that someday he will repay him in turn. Like the others, he is shocked when Ymir reveals herself to be a Titan—though he quickly nicknames her "Ugly" and gives her a hard time. After the squad lead by Hange rescues them, Connie joins the efforts to continue investigating Wall Rose for damage. When a battle breaks out between the soldiers and the Armored Titan and Colossal Titan, he is assigned to tend to the wounded. He begs one of the officers to save Reiner and Bertolt, fearing them missing and injured, and unaware that they are the Titans being fought.

In the aftermath of the battle, Connie joins the rescue party. However, he states he cannot believe Reiner and Bertolt are their enemies, and is determined to hear it from them himself. When the team finally arrives in the forest, he is one of those that encounters Ymir's Titan form and identifies her for the others. When she fails to respond to questions, he kicks her in the head and again calls her "Ugly". He is shocked when Ymir suddenly attacks, kidnapping Krista and fleeing to rejoin Reiner and Bertolt.

Eventually, he is finally able to catch up to the traitors and uses his gear to climb onto Reiner's shoulder. Together with Jean, he confronts Bertolt (and Reiner) concerning the friendship they shared in the past and their lies. He mentions that the members of the 104th Trainees Squad had once promised to survive, and grow old together while reminiscing over drinks. This, along with Jean's words, finally reach Bertolt and cause him to break down. But before the group can react to Bertolt's confession of their betrayal, as well as their genuine affection for them, Hannes shouts to warn them that Erwin Smith is leading a massive horde of Titans directly towards them.

Connie is forced to retreat, and watches in horror as his former friends charge straight into the horde of Titans. When Erwin orders a second charge, he follows the others back into battle. He later appears elsewhere on the battlefield, using the chaos to retrieve Krista. When she protests that he should leave her behind and declares that Ymir will be killed if she doesn't go with the traitors, Connie demands she rethink things. He wonders whether Ymir's claims are the truth, and points out to her that Ymir is never serious unless it is for Krista's sake. Stating that even an idiot like him can tell how bad things are, he advises her (and Ymir, following them in Titan form) to retreat for now since otherwise they'll all be killed. However, before they can rejoin the main forces, the Armored Titan begins hurling other Titans to block the soldiers' escape.

With their route cut off and the Armored Titan on his way, things look hopeless for Connie and his allies. However, to everyone's surprise, the Titans suddenly stop attacking the humans and turn their attention to one of their own, and then, as Eren rages, the Titans all begin to swarm the Armored Titan. Confused, but not letting this chance to escape pass him by, Connie urges Krista and Ymir to retreat with the rest of the army, though Ymir opts to stay behind to defend Bertolt and Reiner. Connie manages to make it back to Wall Rose, still in shock, but relieved to be alive. Upon reflecting with Eren, Armin and Jean, Connie comes to believe that it was Eren's shouting that caused the Titans to stop attacking them.

The Uprising arc
A week later, Connie revisits the remains of his village with Hange. Upon further inspecting the mysterious, immobilized Titan lying on his house, Connie realizes it bears a striking resemblance to his mother. With this revelation, Hange comes to the conclusion that the Titans that appeared within Wall Rose were originally the people of Connie's village. Confused and distraught, Connie muses that all he has left now is a portrait of his family, and his Titan mother, and that he can never forgive whoever is responsible.

Connie, along with Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Sasha and Krista, are enlisted to form a new squad under Levi's leadership. As with the previous Squad Levi, Connie's task will be to safeguard Eren and Krista, whose real name is revealed to be Historia Reiss. Connie is present when Historia reveals her past and when Hange reveals that Pastor Nick was murdered by the Military Police. After the discussion, he helps Eren, Mikasa and Historia to prepare food and expresses his shock for the recent events and his grudge against the Beast Titan for what it did to his parents and town, and against Ymir and Reiner for hiding the truth; though Historia suggests that Ymir was just trying to protect him.

During Hange's Titan experiments with Eren, Connie helps stand guard around the place. Later, the group receives some mysterious instructions from Erwin that leave them in shock, and they abandon the hut to follow the plan. Shortly after, they see from the distance how the hut is stormed by the Military Police Brigade First Interior Squad, and Connie wonders what would have happened if they had slept there another night.

As they walk through the city, they are surrounded by angry citizens who accuse them of wasting their taxes without giving results, and in the commotion, Eren and Historia are seemingly kidnapped by a rushing wagon.

Connie participates in a mission to root out the organizations within the walls that intend to kidnap Eren and Historia. With Jean and Armin impersonating Eren and Historia, respectively, Squad Levi is able to bait the kidnappers, allowing them to abduct Jean and Armin, and follow them back to their hideout. Once there, Connie acts as lookout, meanwhile Levi and Mikasa subdue the kidnappers. The abductors are revealed to be lead by Dimo Reeves, who is working for the central branch of the Military Police. With convincing by Levi, Reeves agrees to switch allegiance to the Survey Corps.

With Reeves' help, the Survey Corps manages to capture two members of the central Military Police. Levi and Hange proceed to torture one of the members for information, to Connie's horror. He and his teammates learn from Levi that Historia is royalty, and hears Erwin's plan from Nifa to hand over Eren and Historia to the Military Police so that they can find Historia's father, Rod Reiss. He and his teammates are left shocked after Levi attacks and threatens Historia in order to force her to agree to their plan.

After the Survey Corps is accused of murdering Dimo, Connie and the rest of Squad Levi go into hiding. While waiting for orders inside a stable, Connie joins Sasha and Jean, voicing his misgivings about Levi's intimidating Historia, and complaining that he might treat the rest of the Squad the same way. He is silenced by Mikasa, who states that they must trust Levi, regardless of their personal feelings for him. After Levi is attacked by the Military Police Brigade, Levi's squad starts moving in order to follow Eren and Historia. They are surprised when they see the Anti-Personnel Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear, and even more so by the sight of Levi killing a member of the Military Police. Levi regroups with his squad and tells them to stop chasing Eren and Historia, as the Military Police is using them as bait to draw in the Survey Corps. Levi orders Connie and Sasha to lead the Squad's horses while he, Mikasa, and Jean fight off their pursuers.

After escaping, Squad Levi takes refuge in an abandoned barn outside of town. After listening to Levi attempt to comfort Armin, who has been in a state of grief after killing a Military Police member, Connie begins to regret doubting Levi as a leader. Connie later takes part in the kidnapping of Hitch Dreyse and Marlo Freudenberg, and participates in Squad Levi's attack on the Military Police's central compound. After attacking the compound, Squad Levi successfully captures a member of the Military Police and retreat to question him. Connie is left visably unsettled when their captive gleefully reveals that many of the personnel in the compound were simply servants, rather than Military Police members. Their interrogation is interrupted by Sasha, who sees someone approaching. It is revealed that this is Hange, along with Marlo and Hitch, who come bearing the news that the Survey Corps has been exonerated of their crimes, and that the Military commander-in chief, Darius Zackly, has taken control away from the Royal Government. Connie and his teammates' celebrations are cut short by Hange, who announces that they have also secured a lead on the whereabouts of Eren and Historia.

While traveling to the Reiss Chapel, Levi instructs his Squad on the danger Kenny Ackerman poses. Although the Squad is left disheartened after hearing of his abilities, Connie and Mikasa agree that they won't be able to wait for reinforcements, as Eren might be eaten in that time. Connie participates in the attack on the cavern beneath Reiss Chapel, firing signal flares to provide cover for Levi and Mikasa, before joining the fight with his Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear. However, they are unable to reach Eren and Historia in time, and are unable to stop Rod Reiss from using the Titan Serum to turn himself into a Titan. Connie helps Jean and Levi unchain Eren, but is left trapped with his Squad, with no way of escaping the collapsing cavern. With no other alternative, Connie and the rest of the Squad watches as Eren attempts to save them, crushing bottle labelled "Armored-Braun" in his mouth as he transforms into his Titan form.

While transformed, Eren manages to control the hardening powers and stops the cave from falling, however he does not remember these events when he regains consciousness. As the squad retrieves Eren, Connie starts looking for an exit, which he finds in the form of a hole in the roof of the cavern. After helping his teammates out of the cavern, Connie and the rest of Squad Levi follow Rod's Titan form to the Orvud District, where they plan to fight the now transformed Rod Reiss. While preparing for the fight with Rod, Connie comments on the possibility of Orvud's citizens rioting in protest to the Military forcing them to participate in Titan response "drills". The Garrison begin their attack on Rod with concentrated cannon fire, but he withstands the attack and climbs up the wall, looking over it onto the city. The members of Squad Levi douse themselves in water to endure the extreme heat from the steam, and after Eren, in his Titan form, manages to blow Rod's head apart with gunpowder-filled barrels, Connie uses his Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear to cut the flying pieces of Rod's head in order to destroy his nape and kill him.

After Historia is crowned queen, she starts an orphanage with the Reiss Family's funds, which Connie and the rest of Squad Levi begin working on in their spare time. Later on, Connie is in the farm eating some soup along with the rest of the 104th Trainees Squad. Marlo and the rest of the 104th Squad who have just joined are excited about the Titan Guillotine and the prospect of taking back Wall Maria. Connie decides to go to sleep early, explaining that he plans to visit his home village the following day.

Return to Shiganshina arc
On the night before the Survey Corps' expedition to retake Wall Maria, the Corps' squad leaders decide to provide meat to their soldiers to celebrate their final expedition. At the sight of meat, Sasha loses all sense of reason, and a tearful Connie is forced to hold her back as she attempts to devour as much of it as possible. Although Connie manages to render her unconscious, he and Eren are forced to tie her up after she continues attacking her comrades on pure instinct. After tying her up, Connie reminds Eren of the time Sasha actually offered to share meat with her comrades, right before the Colossal Titan appeared outside of Trost. He and Eren are both left in awe at how much they have accomplished in the months since then.

The next day, as the Survey Corps prepares to depart, they are surprised by the arrival of a large crowd of civilians who eagerly cheer them on. Connie and the rest of the recruits begin cheering along with them, but are left dumbfounded when the normally stoic Erwin begins cheering also, before beginning the expedition. After arriving in Shiganshina, Connie takes his position atop Wall Maria and watches with his fellow soldiers as Eren uses his hardening ability to fill the hole in the Wall. After Eren seals the hole, Connie and his Squad go to meet up with the rest of the Survey Corps, but stop and take up positions atop the Wall after Erwin shoots a signal flare into the air. From there they witness Reiner's emergence from within Wall Maria, and the appearance of the Beast Titan and his army.

As Eren and Reiner fight in their Titan forms, Connie and his squad surround the two and prepare to help Eren. After Hange and Mikasa manage to blind Reiner, Connie and the rest of the squad use their Thunder Spears to his Titan form's nape and expose his human body. Although he and Sasha find themselves unwilling to kill Reiner, Jean manages to convince them to carry on with their mission. As Connie and Sasha cry over Reiner's apparent death, a tearful Jean tries to convince them not to mourn for him. The three are stunned when Reiner's Titan form suddenly begins to roar.

Connie quickly evacuates the immediate area around Reiner with the rest of the soldiers as Hange announces that Bertolt will be attacking them from above. When Bertolt begins approaching them in his human form, Connie prepares to attack him alongside his fellow soldiers, but is stopped by Armin, who hopes to negotiate with Bertolt. After negotiations break down, and Bertolt transforms into his Titan form, Connie and his teammates shield themselves from the blast with Eren's Titan form. Observing the destruction from Bertolt's attack, Connie and the rest of Squad Levi are shocked by the possibility that they are the only survivors.

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

Relationships

 * Sasha Blouse - Connie and Sasha are very close friends, as they became friends very quickly. And even though they often get into mischief together and providing much of the comic relief of the series, they care and protect each other when the situation calls for it.
 * Reiner Braun - Connie greatly admires Reiner, and looks up to him as a big brother. The two were often seen together during their trainee days, and Connie notes that Reiner has protected him on multiple occasions. As such, he's shocked when Reiner's true identity is revealed and stated he wouldn't believe it until he could confront the traitors face to face. Having done so, it's unclear how he feels or if he's even had time to process everything.
 * 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 Connie, and Connie having no patience for Ymir's tactlessness. However, though he often calls her names and seems to hate her, when the others write Ymir off as an enemy, Connie recognizes that her actions are motivated by her love for Krista and tries to understand her.
 * Eren Yeager - Connie and Eren are on good terms. Connie initially found amusement in Eren's difficulty as a trainee, but their relationship eventually turns friendly, and Connie is later inspired to join the Survey Corps partially because of Eren. Later, the two find themselves in similar situations: both have lost their hometowns, families and have nowhere to return to.
 * Beast Titan - This mysterious Titan is responsible for the destruction of Ragako and the transformation of Connie's family and friends into Titans. Connie swears vengeance against the creature, stating firmly that he will never forgive those responsible and that next time, they have to kill it.

People Killed

 * One unnamed member of the Military Police Brigade.

Trivia

 * Connie'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".
 * In a side art for Volume 11, several characters were given examples of what they would look like as Titans. Connie's form was a rather small Titan with little to no distinguishable features.

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