Kurz Mauer

Kurz Mauer (クルツ・マウア) is a soldier who is enlisted within the Survey Corps.

Appearance
Kurz is a tall individual with light colored hair swept to the left side. He wears a white button up shirt underneath the traditional uniform worn by the Survey Corps.

Personality
Kurz has an air of professionalism to him, seen as he is always standing or sitting upright at attention. He also has a heightened sense of justice and bravery. This is shown after coming face to face with the threat of Titans and not withdrawing from joining the Corps like many of his fellow trainees; he does express some slight fear after seeing the size of a 10-meter Titan training dummy, but quickly brushes it aside.

Kurz is also somewhat prideful of his skills and abilities. When someone is shown to be able to master techniques or equipment faster than him, he becomes noticeably jealous of them. In order to keep his senses clear and alert (and due to a low tolerance level), Kurz usually abstains from drinking alcohol.

Restoration of the Survey Corps arc
Kurz is one of the many trainees that volunteer to take part in the training regimen that is offered by Carlo Pikale for those interested in joining the Survey Corps. He is one of the five that are able to pass the initial aptitude test and is given the chance to operate the vertical maneuvering equipment. Despite being shown the real threat Titans pose, he does not withdraw his application like many other trainees over the next few days. Soon after the trip to Wall Maria, Kurz, along with Ivo and Hugo, are suited up with the vertical maneuvering equipment while the rest of the class looks on. After Carlo takes them to the nearby forest, Kurz volunteers to go first. He succeeds in anchoring himself to a tree, but is caught by surprise by the speed. He tries to orient himself in time, but fails and lands headfirst into the tree, knocking himself unconscious and trapped upside down.

Some time later after the second aptitude training session, Kurz is taken with Ivo, Hugo and the newly passed secondary group for another testing of the equipment in the forest. He becomes surprised when trainee Rosa Carlstead volunteers to go first ahead of them; while the other trainees cheer and applaud Rosa after she manages to successfully use the equipment to land on a tree branch, Kurz becomes noticeably jealous and does not join in. Despite the training process being halted for a few days due to Kurz's equipment and several others getting sabotaged (along with Rosa getting injured because of it), Kurz and the remaining trainees end up passing the training regimen.

Survival Expedition arc
As a result of passing, Kurz and the rest of the trainees are officially accepted as recruits into the Survey Corps and begin the final preparations to the expedition outside the Walls. After the Survey Corps travel to Shiganshina District, Kurz is assigned to team ten with many of his team-mates from the special training class. While slightly upset that Rosa was chosen over him as a Team Leader, he does express his desire to become Team Leader someday; he does not partake in as much drinking as the others, something Kai pokes fun at. After fellow recruit Felix swears he will become Team Leader for the next Survey Corps expedition (and getting quickly drunk due to Kai's actions), Kurz stands up and vows to become one as well before several others follow suit. After noticing how many vow to do the same, Kurz drunkenly asks Rosa to give a rousing speech to the team.

Two days later, Kurz rides out with his squad-mates and the other eighty participants as the expedition officially begins. Stopping at the first checkpoint, an oasis five kilometers beyond the Wall, Kurz expresses some surprise that forests and lakes exist beyond the Wall. He converses with both Cardina and Felix on the advantages of a forested area like this, especially as evacuation points or cover for escape maneuvers. He shows some surprise when Kuklo reveals that they are going south due to that being the direction all the encountered Titans seemed to have originated from; Kurz does share some interest along with the others in team ten in possibly journeying to the northern area with Cardina to seek out the fabled city of Naraka.

Suddenly, Kurz is ordered to mount up due to the sight of a red signal flare; team ten begins riding towards the direction of the flare when it begins to rain once more. Kurz grimly notes this as they continue to ride, but the group soon becomes lost due to the signal flare being obscured by the rain. Fortunately, Simon Barna and the members of team nine shortly arrive and the two teams continue on until they arrive at the ruins of several wagons; there, they find the mangled remains of several members from team seven. As they mourn their fallen comrades, Kurz shows some slight fear after hearing that a ten-meter Titan was likely the one responsible for the destruction. When Kai notices that only a few of the remains are here, Kurz recalls how this was part of an escort to the first oasis and concludes that Carlo's group were probably not the ones who sent the signal flare. After looking to Rosa for their next move, Kurz mounts his horse with the others and follow their main goal of regrouping with any remaining survivors.

Upon reaching the 10-kilometer oasis, Kurz and team ten are alerted by Kuklo to the presence of Titans. As teams nine and ten move to engage it, the Titan is blinded due to Kai and Ivo grappling to the Titan's face; Kurz and Hugo immediately utilize the vertical maneuvering equipment and slash the Titan's shoulders, opening it up to a final attack from both Rosa and Cardina which kills it. As the Titan dissipates into thin air, Kurz is stunned to see they were successful and begins celebrating with the others; when Cardina mentions Xavi was not present to see the kill occur, Kurz is confident they can do it again due to them proving the equipment works. After Felix is bitten by another Titan, Kurz is among those who begin to dress his wound and helps organize the horses to continue seeking out Carlo and the rest of the expedition.

Relationships

 * Carlo and Jorge Pikale - As the heads of both the Survey Corps and the Training Academy, Kurz presumably holds both men in high regards. Similarly, both men have noted on separate occasions his high level of skill and unwavering dedication.
 * Rosa Carlstead - While initially harboring some jealousy towards Rosa due to her mastering the vertical maneuvering equipment faster than himself, Kurz has seemed to let go of these thoughts and sees Rosa as an equal. This transfers over when she is appointed as a Team Leader and follows her orders without question.
 * Kuklo - As one of the primary users (and innovators) of the vertical maneuvering equipment, Kurz has a great deal of respect towards Kuklo.
 * Hugo Stehler - Kurz initially had a neutral relationship with Hugo, due to the latter's friendship and support of Rosa Carlstead. By the time of the Survey Corps expedition, Kurz would see Hugo as a fellow equal and often work in tandem during the Survey Corps expedition; both Kurz and Hugo were instrumental in helping take out two Titans, displaying how coordinated the two soldiers were together.

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Kurz Mauer