Rosa Carlstead

Rosa Carlstead (ローザ・カールステッド) is a soldier of the Survey Corps currently with the rank of Team Leader. She is the daughter of Sorum Humé and Maria Carlstead. She appears in the light novel Attack on Titan: Before the Fall 3 and the manga series Attack on TItan: Before the Fall.

Appearance
Rosa is a young girl with short brown hair that frames the sides of her face, much like her mother. She wears a white button up shirt underneath a Training Corps uniform.

Personality
Friendly and brave, Rosa is headstrong and eager to join the Survey Corps like her late father; she also is determined to prove to others (as well as herself) that women were just as capable as men of joining the Survey Corps. Much like her mother, Rosa is known to tease and act mischievous around others. Despite her slight rebellious streak, Rosa does respect people's privacy and is quick to admonish those who try to eavesdrop, even her own friends.

Initially caught by surprise by being appointed the head of a Survey Corps team, Rosa has quickly developed into a capable and respected leader. While confident in her abilities, Rosa is known to doubt herself in times of crisis or fear. When this happens, she can act stubborn around others; in addition, if any of her friends are attacked or harmed, she can act without thinking and quick to seek revenge.

Restoration of the Survey Corps arc
Rosa is first introduced as a new member of the Training Corps attending the academy within Wall Rose. During a routine training exercise, Rosa and the rest of her squad-mates come across an unconscious and heavily injured teen washed up along the bank of a river. She took him to a nearby abandoned cabin to heal. Roughly a week later, she goes to check on him and is surprised to see him awake and moving, believing him to be in a coma. As Rosa goes to change the teen's bandages, she introduces herself and is astonished to see his wounds have healed so quickly.

As she mentions one of the wounds looked to have been caused by a sword, the teen starts to panic and asks about a device he was wearing; Rosa shows that it was removed and stored away in a nearby cabinet. The teen introduces himself as Kuklo and mentions that the device in question is a tool designed to fight Titans. Amazed, Rosa is further taken back when Kuklo reveals that he knows both her mother and the famed hero Jorge Pikale. When asked by Kuklo if she can get in touch with either Jorge or her mother, Rosa agrees to help him.

Later that night, Rosa brings her fellow squad mates to see Kuklo. When Felix questions Kuklo's injuries, Rosa defends him by stating Kuklo's part of a secret group designing an anti-Titan weapon. When she hears that Jorge will be arriving soon (and since Kuklo is friends with him), Rosa asks if he can put in a good word for them; she affirms her desire to join the Corps in order to avenge her father's death. Kuklo agrees to put in a word for them all, but only if they promise to him that they will take the training seriously; Kuklo reveals that he was at the last expedition where many soldiers died, and that some of his scars are from Titan inflicted wounds. Slightly shaken by this, Rosa and the others still agree.

As the next two weeks go by, Rosa is amazed by how all of Kuklo's wounds have mostly healed. When she hears Kuklo mention the name Sharle, she teases him by asking if she is his girlfriend. She then gives Kuklo back the iron bamboo knife he had on him; suddenly struck by an idea when hearing it referred to as a protective charm, Rosa takes it and inspects one of the wounds on Kuklo's side. She tells him that due to it placed there, the strike did not go any deeper and it saved Kuklo's life.

When Jorge arrives at the training academy, Rosa and her friends return to notify Kuklo and spot a pair of Military Police soldiers approaching the cabin. They try to bluff that they found the cabin abandoned and use it as a way-point for training but the two MP's do not believe them, accusing them of knowing what is inside. Only the arrival of Jorge Pikale is able to convince them that Rosa and the trainees were telling the truth. After they leave, Rosa is curious where Kuklo disappeared to when she sees him jump out of a tree and use the device to reach the ground. After hearing how the device can be used, this only furthers Rosa's desire to join the Survey Corps and tells this to Jorge himself.

Rosa and her friends then volunteer to take part in a special training regimen devised by Carlo Pikale. Hearing that those who do not succeed the training will be sent back to the Academy only makes her more determined to join their ranks. After hearing Jorge Pikale will be instructing them, Rosa notices that Kuklo and Cardina are being referred to by other names; she does not have much time to dwell on it before they are thrust into the training immediately. Ordered to perform a logistics exercise with sand bags, Rosa starts to fall behind her squad. Pushing herself to keep up, she eventually falls unconscious and is helped by her squad. She wakes up that night and, remembering what happened, assumes that she caused them all to fail. Kuklo arrives and brings her some food. While eating, Rosa is told her friends brought her back after passing out; she immediately asks they not be penalized for what happened. Kuklo waves her concerns off, reminding her that they will be judged over the course of three months and they have just started.

One month passes and Rosa has begun to show improvements, something noted by both Kuklo and Cardina. The recruits are informed the training regimen will be altered and that they will be taking part in an aptitude training exercise that focuses on balancing. After seeing several recruits fail, Rosa is glad to see Ivo being the first one to succeed. Kuklo calls her up and she is determined to succeed; however, she ends up upside down and fails. Dejected, she also sees Kai and Felix fail as well, with all three solemnly believing they will be sent back to the Training Academy. She later is surprised to see Xavi, the Military Police soldier sent to monitor the regimen, is able to stay balanced with little strain or effort. That night during dinner, Jorge announces the five candidates who passed the initial test and Rosa is glad to hear that Hugo was able to pass along with Ivo. Despite being disappointed that she did not succeed, Rosa is quickly surprised to hear that along, with Kai and Felix, she would be eligible to retake the test in ten days.

The next morning, the recruits are relieved of training that day and are taken to Wall Maria. As they travel, Rosa goes to Jorge and offers to take over; he declines, but allows Rosa to sit up front. He remarks that Rosa takes after her mother and Rosa is surprised to hear that Jorge knows her mother as well as her late father Sorum. When asked if she truly wanted to join the Survey Corps to seek vengeance for Sorum's death, Rosa replies yes; however, Rosa admits that she has no memory of her father despite using his death as motivation. Jorge warns that if she wants to join, Rosa must not let her desire for vengeance blind her for it could cost her her life. He mentions that Kuklo is in a similar position to Rosa and despite losing both his parents to Titans, he does not let that be his sole motivation. Jorge tells Rosa that Kuklo lived much of his life in a cage and wishes to fight so no one else has to go through what he did by being 'caged' in from the threat of Titans.

Eventually reaching the Wall, Rosa is shocked to hear with the other trainees that they will be given a chance to see the world outside the Wall, as well as their first glimpse of Titans. Rosa is nervous but spot Kuklo and Cardina approaching with a different version of the device she saw Kuklo use. Rosa barely has time to think about it before both teens fly up the side of the Wall and Jorge organizes them to start climbing the ladders. She starts to think about how far she has left to go and inadvertently looks down; this sends her into a panic and almost loses her balance. Jorge, who is behind her, tells Rosa to take deep breaths and to not look down. She reaches the top and is greeted by her mother, who directs her to where the other trainees are. Rosa takes in the world outside the Walls, before spotting several Titans down below. She is horrified that they look similar to humans but are disproportionate. As one turns around and grins at her from afar, Rosa realizes that she is truly scared of the Titans. She turns to look at Kuklo and Cardina and is stunned to see them acting calm and collected while everyone else are fearful.

After returning to the training academy, Rosa begins to have second thoughts about joining the Corps (as well as her own abilities) and leaves the mess hall early. Felix notices and goes after her; when she hears Felix state that she does not need to pretend that she is not afraid of Titans, Rosa cuts him off and assumes that he is saying it due to her being a female. When Felix tries to say otherwise, Rosa curtly rebukes him and storms off. A few days later, Rosa is still in low spirits and during the day's lesson, sees Kuklo and Cardina arrive with Angel and Sharle; Rosa immediately recognizes her as the girl Kuklo mentioned while recovering and later embraced at the academy. After hearing that Sharle helped develop the equipment, Rosa is amazed yet makes herself feel worse; she is informed by Carlo that Sharle will be bunking with her due to being the only female who applied to the program. As the day wears on, Rosa continues to self-doubt herself and mulls over what Jorge stated earlier about finding her reason for joining the Survey Corps. When she maintains it is wanting to fight against the Titans with her friends and Kuklo, she visualizes the Titan that was grinning at her from below the Wall, causing her to start shivering uncontrollably.

Soon, Rosa hears a knock at the door and Sharle's voice asking to come in. Regaining her composure, Rosa helps Sharle move her things and the two begin talking. She admits to Sharle that she has seen her before when she arrived at the academy with Angel and from when Kuklo was recovering; she then bluntly asks if they are a couple. Rosa is taken back when she hears from Sharle that Kuklo was bought by her family as a slave and initially tried to kill him. Rosa tells Sharle that she is brave for having the willpower to stand up to Titans at the young age of thirteen. When Rosa hears that she is brave too for joining the Survey Corps, she downplays it as not being as impressive as creating the equipment that will be used. Rosa is dismayed to hear Sharle say she loves Kuklo and is embarrassed when Sharle could tell Rosa likes him too. After realizing that she admired Kuklo for his will and ability to make his convictions a reality, Rosa wishes that she could be seen as more than just a "weak little girl". She tells Sharle that thanks to her effort in designing the vertical maneuvering equipment, Rosa will finally be seen as equal to her peers. The two smile and become friends, with Rosa offering to introduce Sharle to her squad mates; she smirks that due to her newfound drive to be the best, perhaps she will fall in love with Kuklo. The next day, Rosa participates in the aptitude test once again and is able to successfully pass.

Happy to have been able to pass the test, Rosa goes over to her friends who congratulate her. As Kai and Felix get ready to be tested as well, Rosa briefly apologizes for her behavior, promising to Felix he will get a formal one later. Later on, Rosa learns Felix is the only one in their group who did not pass the test and sternly tells Kai they should not celebrate them both passing. She then formally apologizes for her recent behavior and agrees with Felix that she should not go into battle against the Titans; despite this, she still resolves to go and venture out beyond the Walls. Rosa is then immediately taken by surprise when Felix mentions that his reason for fighting is to protect her. Clearly embarrassed, Rosa quickly leaves while Felix tries to bring her back.

The next day, Rosa goes with the other trainees who passed and quickly volunteers to test the vertical maneuvering equipment. Remembering how Kuklo used the gear, Rosa copies his movements and manages to fly through the air; despite almost losing her footing, Rosa successfully lands on a branch. Several days later, Rosa celebrates with the rest of her friends when Felix manages to pass and join them in the training. As they are shown a training dummy the size of a 10-meter Titan, Rosa is at first taken back by the size but observes Kuklo demonstrate how to use the equipment to attack the target. She volunteers again to go first but is overcome with fear on remembering the smiling Titan from the Wall. Rosa quickly brushes aside those thoughts and moves to attack it. However, soon after taking off she discovers part of her gear is not working and slams into the side of the dummy, falling unconscious.

Rosa eventually recovers and learns from Sharle what happened; she resolves to find out who was responsible and learns that Kuklo and Cardina are on the case already. Despite being told to rest, Rosa goes the next day back to the mess hall for training, surprising her friends with how soon she returned. Overhearing part of their plan to find the ones responsible, she inquires about what they were discussing about and gets angry when Felix unintentionally implies it was just some 'guy talk'.

Survival Expedition arc
The trainees are all officially accepted into the Survey Corps and they travel to Shiganshina District in order to finalize plans before embarking on the expedition. The soldiers are grouped into ten teams for the expedition; due to her growth and overall progress during the training session, Rosa is appointed as one of the Team Leaders much to her surprise. As the others celebrate the beginning of the expedition in a matter of days, Rosa remarks that she was just aiming to join the Survey Corps and is still processing how she was appointed as a Team Leader; Cardina remarks that him and Kuklo were ineligible due to Xavi's presence and that they had to choose the most promising out of the special training class. Just then, both Kurz and Kai request Rosa to make a speech. Caught off guard by this, she quickly regains her composure and gives a toast to the Survey Corps.

Several days later, the expedition begins and Rosa is assigned to have team ten cover the rear. Rosa and her team arrive at an oasis located five kilometers away from the Wall. She consults with Captain Simon Barna of team nine and she gives them thirty minutes to rest before moving on. She overhears Cardina and Kurz planning their next move and asks why they are travelling south; Kuklo replies that the Titans seem to originate from south of the Wall and a clue to their origin is most likely to be found there. Rosa shows interest when Cardina mentions the fabled city of Naraka and wishes they can all travel there someday. Just then, Kuklo alerts Rosa that a red flare was fired, which means Titans are nearby; Rosa immediately orders team ten to mount up and ride towards the direction of the flare. After riding for some time, the rainfall returns and causes the smoke from the flare to disappear. As team ten begins to panic, Simon arrives and believes the flare came from the south. Rosa orders team ten to follow him and team nine. Soon, they stop at the wreckage of a Survey Corps munitions wagon; as Rosa goes in for a closer look, she is horrified to find the body of Isaac, the captain of team seven among the wreckage. As they ponder what happened, the soldiers are shocked after hearing Cardina report that a ten meter Titan was the likely cause for the deaths of both teams seven and eight.

Simon then turns to Rosa and asks what they should do next; as the primary force with the capability to fight against the Titans, team ten will have to be ready to put their lives on the line. After weighing both options (and accepting the possibility that nine and ten may be the only teams in the expedition left alive), Rosa decides to continue with their original orders and to try regrouping with Carlo's forces by riding south towards the oasis.

Arriving at the oasis, Rosa is told by Kuklo that there are Titans nearby; deciding to fight them out in the open, Rosa orders Simon to have team nine flank the Titan and lure them out so team ten can properly engage them. As Hugo, Ivo, Kai and Kurz weaken the Titan by slashing the heels and shoulders, Rosa teams up with Cardina and destroys the Titan's nape, killing it and causing the Titan to dissipate into thin air. Rosa, like the others present are stunned for a few moments before realizing they managed to kill a Titan and justify the usage of the vertical maneuvering equipment. Rosa is disappointed upon hearing that Xavi was not present to witness it, but remains confident that they can easily do it again due to their coordinated efforts.

Unfortunately, Rosa is unaware of a Titan sneaking up on her and is pushed aside by Felix; turning around, she is horrified to see Felix in the Titan's mouth, with one of his legs being chewed on. After Kuklo swiftly kills it, Rosa rushes over to Felix and is relieved to see he is still alive despite his injuries. Upon hearing Felix weakly express how glad he is to have saved her, Rosa does not move from her spot until addressed by Simon. Composing herself, Rosa orders the two teams to round up the horses and tasks Ivo to stay with Felix; she lingers on Felix for a while longer before joining her comrades.

Relationships

 * Sorum Humé and Maria Carlstead - Rosa has a loving relationship with her parents. Despite never getting to meet her father, Rosa heard her mother tell stories about him and held Sorum in high regards as a result; Rosa ultimately wishes to avenge his death by becoming a member of the Survey Corps. While Rosa is somewhat irritated by Maria's attempts to prevent her from joining, she still loves her unconditionally.
 * Kuklo - Rosa is curious about Kuklo and is amazed that he knows both her mother and the head of the Survey Corps. Hearing about his device (and seeing him operate it) only helped drive Rosa to improve herself to be able to join the Survey Corps someday. It is presumed that Rosa has a crush on Kuklo as she mentioned to herself how dashing Kuklo looked when using his device, and was also the primary person who took care of Kuklo while he was recovering. She also teased Kuklo when he mentioned Sharle's name, but was visibly disappointed to see them hugging each other after reuniting.
 * Jorge and Carlo Pikale - As the respective head instructor and captain of the Survey Corps, Rosa holds both men in high regards. She especially wishes to show to Carlo that she is capable of passing the training in order to join the Survey Corps like her father. Both Jorge and Carlo notice how determined Rosa is during training and eventually Carlo decides to appoint her as one of the Team leaders for the expedition
 * Sharle Inocencio - Rosa initially saw Sharle as a rival due to them both having feelings about Kuklo. Despite this, Rosa is impressed that Sharle had helped design the vertical maneuvering equipment and had a will to fight against Titans at an early age. She is later able to set her jealousy aside and become friends with Sharle.

Trivia

 * The names of Rosa and her mother Maria are most likely based off of the names of the two outermost Walls, Maria and Rose.