Nile Dok

"It's not my place to think about that. All I do is carry out the job given to me."

- Nile Dok after being asked by Erwin Smith if handing Eren Yeager over will save humanity.

Nile Dok (ナイル・ドーク) is the commander (師団長) of the Military Police Brigade.

Appearance
Nile is a man of average height and build. He has short, thin, black hair that is cut shorter on the sides and back, and his eyes are dark in color. He also sports a very light mustache and goatee. He is always seen wearing the standard military uniform bearing the Military Police symbol, but also wears a red bolo tie similar to that of his fellow military commanders.

Personality
Nile prides himself on being a very rational individual. Whenever he is faced with a tough choice, he weighs all possible options and chooses the one that makes the most sense to him. He wanted to have Eren Yeager executed, but was not blind to his usefulness like Minister Nick was. He determined that the potential civil war within the Walls was too great a cost, especially considering the Survey Corps could not guarantee anything about Eren. However, he relented his position when Levi Ackerman brought up the fact that the Military Police would be ill-equipped to deal with Eren in his Titan form. Nile is never totally committed to one way, and will change his opinion as the situation develops. A similar instance is when he questioned Erwin Smith due to him violating laws and command structure, but allowed his plan to go on since the Female Titan was already released and it would be very difficult to stop it without Erwin leading the Survey Corps.

However, with Nile's rational thinking comes a lack of empathy, or indifference. When told of Nick's murder and asked about why the Military Police wants Eren, he replied that he was just following orders and it is not his decision to make or question. Despite this, he violated orders and betrayed the King when he found their decision to doom half of humanity to be wrong. This shows that even though Nile strictly follows orders he does have a moral code. This code is apparently so strong that he was willing to risk his own life, since he certainly would have been executed for insubordination had the monarchy not been overthrown.

Nile has not been seen taking part in corruption within the Military Police. He does not seem to exercise a great deal of control over his branch of the military, since he admitted that the First Interior Squad is beyond his authority. He was also unaware of the First Interior Squad's anti-personnel vertical maneuvering equipment, and had such little knowledge of the branch that he feared they may use the equipment against himself. In his youth, he was good friends with Erwin and wanted to join the Survey Corps, but he gave up that aspiration to have a family with a woman named Marie. This decision sets him at odds with the idealistic Erwin who has no family due to the nature of his work, meanwhile, Nile believes his greatest achievement is his family.

History
Nile was a member of the same Training Corps as Erwin Smith, and the two were good friends. They agreed to join the Survey Corps together, but then Nile met a woman named Marie at the bar the group often frequented. Both men fell in love with her, but Nile ultimately chose to abandon his comrades to be with her. He enlisted in the Military Police Brigade, and started a family with Marie.

The Female Titan arc
Nile first appears as the leader of the Military Police during the trial of Eren Yeager. He advocates killing Eren due to the impending civil war, but he does analyze and weigh the different pros and cons of Eren before making his final decision. He recognizes that Eren's Titan powers had saved Trost District, but threaten the balance of power within human society. While mainly business and Wall Rose residents support Eren, most people of importance such as the clergy, view Eren as a danger. Thus, Nile concludes that to avoid civil war, Eren must not be allowed to live. Eren responds by calling him and his group a bunch of cowards, and Nile wants to have him killed; however, Levi interferes by beating Eren in front of everyone. Darius Zackly ultimately places Eren in the Survey Corps, and Nile is displeased that he lost the trial; however, he asks Erwin Smith how the Survey Corps intends to perform a mission to Wall Maria.

He later learns from Erwin Smith that Annie Leonhart is the Female Titan and that Wall Sheena has been breached. Going by his suspicions, Nile orders Marlowe Freudenberg, Hitch Dreyse, and the other members to assist the Survey Corps in capturing Annie.

Clash of the Titans arc
The meeting for Eren's judgment is put on hold when Erwin and Nile are ordered to attend a meeting to discuss the recent turn of events. However, the meeting is cut short when they learn that Wall Rose has been breached and Erwin rushes to investigate, while Nile sends members of the Military Police but does not go himself.

The Uprising arc
Nile meets up with Erwin when the latter is called to Mitras for a royal summons. However, he is not in the mood to reminisce over their days in the Training Corps together. Erwin asks if Nile is aware of Nick's murder by the Military Police's Interior First Squad and Nile admits that he is not. Nile tells Erwin their chains of command are different and he has no contact with them, claiming that no one controls them. Nile is canny enough to realize that Erwin already knows this and that is probably not the reason for his visit, but when pressed as to whether handing over Eren would solve anything, Nile declines to answer. It is not his place to think about such things.

To Nile's irritation, Erwin inquires about Marie, Nile's wife, who is expecting their third child, and guides the conversation to their shared past. Nile met Marie at their favorite bar and ended up choosing her over joining the Survey Corps. He feels he betrayed his fellow soldiers by surviving this long, but he does not regret it because he is proud of the fact he has a family.

Erwin warns Nile that protecting his position and protecting his family may not be the same thing, which is enough to make Nile realize that Erwin is planning something.

In parting, Erwin confesses that he also had feelings for Marie. Nile is startled by the sudden confession, but admits he already knew that and thought Erwin was insane for choosing the Titans over her. As the carriage pulls away, his expression darkens as he considers Erwin's words.

Following the battle in Stohess between the Survey Corps and the First Interior Squad, Nile requests that the media not inform the public of too much information concerning the First Interior Squad. As he leaves, Nile reflects on the First Interior Squad's anti-personnel vertical maneuvering equipment, wondering if such weaponry will one day be used against him.

When Erwin is arrested for the murders supposedly caused by the Survey Corps, Nile visits him in his cell, letting him know that his audience with the King has been scheduled. Erwin is battered from his interrogation and the irony between Erwin's bold words and his current predicament is not lost on Nile. He expects that Erwin will be dealt with at the same time the Survey Corps is disbanded. Despite his condition, Erwin's mind is still sharp and he asks Nile how his family is doing and where they are currently living. Taken off guard, Nile says they should be fine, though he has not been home in a while. They live in the eastern section of Wall Rose. Satisfied, Erwin tells Nile that he is leaving something up to Pixis, and if the time comes, he will be watching for Nile's decision.

Nile joins other members of the military at Erwin's audience, where Erwin pleads his case to the King and his advisors. The meeting goes poorly however, and Nile is visibly upset when the order is given to take Erwin to the gallows.

Before that can happen, Anka bursts in announcing the fall of Wall Rose and that refugees are fleeing towards Wall Sheena. In his shock, Nile remembers his conversation with Erwin and realizes that Erwin knew this would happen. The government officials countermand Pixis' call to support an evacuation and order the gates to Wall Sheena be shut to all refugees. Though Nile tries to reason with the officials, as there is no guarantee that admitting refugees would cause a civil war, he is angrily rebuffed merely on the possibly that a war could happen. The other Military Police present anxiously discuss their orders, and Nile declares that he stands with Wall Rose, even if it means opposing the crown.

At that moment, Commander-in-Chief Darius Zackly appears with a group of soldiers while telling Nile that he will join him. Anka's announcement was a fabrication and Wall Rose has not been breached. Pixis admits to organizing the plan to see if the government was suited to rule over humanity and they have failed the test. Even if the military is ignorant of the powers of the titans and the origins of their world, they are still better fit to rule than a group of men who do not have humanity's interests at all.

Nile watches as the government clearly loses control of the situation and turns to Erwin. He smiles with relief as he admits Erwin won this one, but is perplexed when Erwin is not happy with the result. Erwin warns Nile that humanity has been forced onto an even more dangerous path.

Following the coup d'etat, Nile explains to the press that military's true goal is not to impose military rule on the Walls but to restore the true royal family as the leaders of humanity. He is surprised by his own ability to adapt to the new government and encourages the reporters to ask questions as the people who used to suppress their speech are now imprisoned. However, it is clear that the population is nervous and uncertain about what will happen and what they can believe in.

Return to Shiganshina arc
On the evening of the mission to retake Wall Maria, Nile Dok stands among the other Military leaders, saluting the Survey Corps farewell before their expedition to Shiganshina District.

As Armin Arlert explains his plan for victory against the Colossus Titan to Eren, Nile sits with the other military leaders drinking tea and worrying if the operation to retake Wall Maria and humanity's land will be successful.

While they wait for the return of the Survey Corps, Nile discusses with the military leaders a question Erwin proposed once. He claimed that Erwin asked how humanity was really sure that they were extinct outside the Walls, and that he said that so long as humanity could not walk around freely outside the Walls, it should not have been possible to determine that the rest of humanity was wiped out by the Titans. However, Nile went on to say that the textbooks claimed humanity had been wiped out like it was a fact, rather than saying that they were thought to be wiped out. Nile claimed that at the time, he laughed at Erwin's seemingly ridiculous notion and made fun of him. Looking back on the past, Nile now believes that Erwin had made a good point. Commander-in-Chief Zackly then says to Nile that his only option is to apologize to Erwin once he returns. Pixis then wonders aloud why the corps has not returned yet as it was nearing dawn. However, he is interrupted when Anka barges in the door and claims that the corps has returned to Wall Rose.

Nile attends the meeting to debrief the survivors of the mission to reclaim Wall Maria.

Marley arc
In 851, Nile attends the meeting to discuss Zeke Yeager's plan to free the Eldian people. Though Zeke's message declines to offer specifics, Eren Yeager puts enough of the pieces together that Hange Zoë, the new commander of the Survey Corps, admits that Zeke's proposal would make sense. Nile objects to trusting the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers, but the meeting concludes with the Survey Corps agreeing to work with them.

Relationships

 * Erwin Smith - Nile and Erwin were good friends in their youth, both of whom attended the same Training Corps. They both fell in love with the same woman, Marie, and Nile eventually chose not to join the Survey Corps in order to start a family with her. After the fall of Wall Maria, their relationship had been strained and Nile had forced himself to doubt Erwin and his intentions due to the reckless behavior of the Survey Corps, but the differences were eventually settled. Though not as close as they used to be, Nile and Erwin still talked occasionally. Later, Erwin revealed to Nile that he had been in love with Marie, as well.
 * Marie - The wife of Nile Dok and the mother of his three children. She met Erwin and Nile in a bar, but because Erwin chose to join the Survey Corps, she ended up eventually marrying Nile instead. Nile says his family is his greatest achievement, so protecting Marie and their children is his top priority.

Trivia

 * Nile shares a birthday with Mike Zacharias.

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