Nanaba

Nanaba (ナナバ) was a veteran member of the Survey Corps until her death.

Appearance
Nanaba had short, blonde hair, which was parted down the middle which gave her a somewhat androgynous appearance. When out of combat, her blue eyes were typically muted and calm. Nanaba dressed in standard military uniform, but donned the Survey Corps' green cape when on expeditions.

Personality
Nanaba was often quiet and rarely spoke unless spoken to. When faced with the prospect of Wall Rose being broken, Nanaba initially fell into despair, but quickly regained her composure and determination. Nanaba was shown to be very loyal and protective of her allies, risking her life to protect the trainees under her watch and her fellow squad mates without a second thought.

The Female Titan arc
Nanaba first appears during the 57th Expedition as the Squad Leader of Krista Lenz's unit. Krista is initially worked up about the Titans who have started climbing the trees at the edge of the Giant Forest, to which Nanaba calmly replies that if they use their gear to climb further up, it will all be fine. She moves away to another branch and tries to assure the worried Krista that they only have to hold out a little longer, most likely referring to the capturing of the Female Titan.

Clash of the Titans arc
She is also one of the several soldiers (the others being Gelgar, Henning, and Lynne) brought by Mike Zacharius to oversee a group of potentially untrustworthy Survey Corps members. The group is assembled close outside of Wall Sina, and disarmed of their weapons due to the suspicion that one of their number might be an accomplice to Annie Leonhart.

Before an investigation can begin, Titans appear within Wall Rose. Nanaba briefly gives in to the shock, fearing that mankind is doomed. However, Mike reminds her that humanity has not lost until they cease fighting and these words restore her resolve to continue on. Afterwards, Mike orders the group to split into four squads to warn the nearby villages. Nanaba's squad searches Wall Rose for a breach, but runs into Gelgar's squad coming from the opposite direction without finding anything. As night falls, the two groups take refuge in Castle Utgard.

Castle Utgard soon comes under attack from numerous Titans capable of moving during the night. Since the soldiers who'd been under suspicion don't have Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear, the only ones able to directly engage the Titans are Nanaba, Gelgar, Henning, and Lynne. However, Henning and Lynne are soon killed by a projectile thrown by the Beast Titan, who summons another horde of Titans to attack the castle. Nanaba angrily notes how it seems as though it has only been toying with them the entire time.

With no other options, Nanaba continues to fight with Gelgar until their supply of blades and gas is completely exhausted. Injured, Gelgar falls from the tower and is nearly caught by a Titan. Nanaba rushes to save him, but runs out of gas and is left at the mercy of the Titans. Both are then devoured, while their inferiors can only watch in horror.

Abilities
Nanaba had not been seen much in action however it is safe to assume she was an elite soldier among the Survey Corps. Her skills were praised by Gerger as "Superb as always" and he also complimented Nanaba's skill of very deep cuts. Her skill in a team was demonstrated later when she and her comrades killed 8 Titans with relative ease, impressing Ymir. The fact that she survived the events from 5 years ago, as well as surviving for more than 5 years in the Survey Corps also implied a highly experienced and powerful Soldier.

Trivia

 * According to Eld, she was one of the few survivors of "5 years ago", alongside Hange, Levi, Mike and Erwin. Her survival also is said to be the reason why she was among the few who knew about the truth regarding the 57th Expedition and most likely is the reason why alongside Mike, she was watching over the graduates. At any rate, she was one of the few that Erwin seems to have trusted.

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