Falco Grice

"Because I'm the heir to...the Armored Titan!"

- Falco to Gabi Braun

Falco Grice (ファルコ・グライス) is an Eldian Warrior candidate (戦士候補生) working for the Marley government and the younger brother of Colt Grice. He is a candidate to inherit the power of the Armored Titan.

Appearance
Falco is a short boy with a small build and little in the way of physical strength. He has light shaggy hair and big bright eyes that are also a light shade. Like his fellow Warrior candidate, he wears the standard Marleyan soldier uniform consisting of a light jacket and pants, supply packs on the waist, suspender straps, a hard hat with a stripe around it, and tall combat boots. As an Eldian his uniform is different from that of the Marleyans in that the shirt collar has a small badge with the Eldian star instead of a small clip and the hat has a white stripe with the Eldian star on it instead of a pure black stripe. As is law in Marley, Falco also wears the Eldian armband as all his family and ancestors residing there do as well.

Personality
Falco is not made to be a man of war and does not excel in the battlefield or at asserting himself. He finds himself wounded and delirious under enemy fire, only to be saved by his brother, and struggles to voice his concerns for his friend Gabi when she proposes a solo attack plan. However, Falco is by no means a coward. When Gabi is under fire he leaps from their hiding place to rush to her aide and protect her. While he is not an excelling soldier, he possesses some margin of skill to have survived for 4 years in the Marley Mid-East War.

Falco has proven to be a very merciful and compassionate person, risking his life to save Gabi from incoming fire, bringing an injured enemy soldier in order to cure him in the trench, and taking care of a war veteran in the homeland. He is also very polite and respectful towards his seniors, referring to them by their title instead of their name; for instance, he addresses Reiner as either Mr. Braun or Deputy Chief Braun.

After conversing with both Reiner and Eren Yeager, he gains a greater degree of confidence; this allows him to assert himself better and speak his mind, even to someone as forceful as Gabi, whom he also has a crush on. Furthermore, his boosted self-esteem helps him perform better in training. Despite this, Falco remains relatively calm and humble in the face of praise, deeming the extolment heaped upon him by his fellow Warrior candidates as embarrassing and "not a big deal", as well as attributing his success to Eren motivating him.

He is a very empathetic individual, even while upset due to Eren revealing himself as an enemy after manipulating him. Falco understood that he and the Survey Corps attacked Liberio because Marley invaded Paradis Island first, and remembered his words of how the people inside and beyond the Walls are the same. Furthermore, despite his youth and kind disposition, he is able to distance himself emotionally in a situation and properly prioritize. Almost immediately after finding out that Kruger was actually Eren, current holder of the Founding Titan, and had been tricked by him, he realized the opportunity it presented for Marley and began planning on how to capture him.

Falco is seen to be a quick thinker and somewhat good at improvising; this is shown while trying to return from Paradis back to Marley with Gabi and comes across the family of Sasha Blouse. He was able to come up with a convincing cover for them both as to not raise suspicion towards them being out in the woods alone.

Marley arc
During the Marleyan war with the Mid-East Allied Forces, Falco is present among 800+ other Eldians fighting on behalf of Marley. However, he and some of his friends such as Udo, Zofia, and Gabi are valued as Warrior candidates with the potential to inherit the Armored Titan power. During the fight, Falco and some of his comrades are hit by enemy fire, killing some but sparing Falco and leaving him wounded. His brother Colt appears to save him and puts his hard hat on Falco's head before carrying him on his back while avoiding enemy fire. When Colt returns to the hiding trench with his wounded brother, their fellow candidates tend to his wounds as Gabi re-explains their objective to him.

When Udo begins to panic in fear of their military failing, he wraps Falco's bandages too tightly and Gabi scolds him. Falco then wonders why they are on the front lines as candidates and Gabi explains that it is so they may be evaluated by Commander Magath for their capabilities as successors to the Armored Titan power. When Zofia begins to boast about grades, Gabi interrupts her by explaining her superiority above all the other candidates. Falco then asks her about the item she is fiddling with and Gabi grins as she shows it to him.

When Gabi offers to take out the enemies anti-Titan artillery solo, Falco shows serious concern for her safety and fears she will be hurt. He watches her execute her plan of attack and once Gabi is successful in derailing the train, she begins to flee only to be shot at by one final surviving gunman. This pushes Falco over the edge and he jumps out of the trench to try to save her. However, an ally named Porco Galliard transforms into a Titan and shields Gabi from gunfire while her and Falco collide as they both dive for the ditch. Falco looks in awe as the Titan stands above him and he watches as Galliard races off and kills the last gunman.

After returning to the trench, Falco brings a wounded enemy soldier in order to heal his wounds. Although some of his companions, such as Udo, help him, his superior and Gabi mock him, stating that he is a weird person and that there is no way he will earn the power of the Armored Titan by fighting like that. After Udo translates the foreigner, Falco seems surprised of being insulted. Falco contemplates the airborne attack against Fort Slava and seems very shocked by witnessing Titans eating soldiers and Reiner's defeat against the Armada.

After the battle, Falco is resting in the docks with his friends. They all seem worried, talking about how Titans may no longer be the main force of the world. Falco tries to reassure Gabi, telling her that Reiner has survived losing several limbs and even his head. After they see traumatized war prisoners and Udo gets angry because of the harm on Eldian reputation, Reiner arrives and is coldly saluted by Falco. After Falco suggests Reiner should rest, Gabi angrily replies that he is the one that should be resting.

Sometime later, Falco is inside a train heading towards their homeland. In their wagon, Colt gets drunk and starts praising Gabi along with many other soldiers. Falco states how his brother gets very emotional whenever he drinks. He tells Reiner bitterly how he has only two years left before dying and, if Gabi inherits the Armored Titan she will only live to be twenty-seven. After accusing Reiner of not caring about her, the sudden and incriminatory reply of the older Warrior scares Falco. The boy proceeds to swear his loyalty to Marley and state how honorable it is to inherit the power of the Titans. He finally states that he will be the one to inherit the Armored Titan power. Finally, Reiner tells him how he must surpass Gabi in order to protect her from this cruel world.

After arriving in Liberio, their hometown, Falco recalls how Reiner took full responsibility for the failure of the Paradis Island Operation, and wonders why Reiner risks his life and his power so many times. Reiner looks back at him and the boy looks away suddenly, asking himself why Reiner told him to protect Gabi and if the Warrior actually wanted the war to end. His suspicious behavior catches Gabi's attention, who threatens to report his weird attitude. This makes all the other members laugh, without Gabi realizing why.

When the soldiers enter the Internment Zone, Falco and his brother are greeted by their parents. They seem very worried, asking the children about injuries and Colt's headache. Falco then sees a bunch of veteran Eldian soldiers, many of them with notable injuries.

Falco asks Koslow about them, and he tells him that they have no family and will be treated at the hospital. The officer then imitates the sound of a bomb, scaring the traumatized soldiers just for fun. Falco decides to help calm down the soldiers and tells them that they will not have to fight any longer, as he fixes one soldier's armband.

Falco appears, stretching and exerting himself whilst training at HQ and states to his fellow candidates that he will be the one to inherit the Armored Titan. This angers Gabi into headbutting him, yet still, he holds his conviction. Later, the two can be seen training together in a violent manner whilst being overlooked by an instructor.

After training, his lack of natural skill causes him to cry out in frustration, unwittingly stopping Reiner from committing suicide. He absent-mindedly walks towards a hospital, where the soldier whose armband he adjusted invites the boy to sit down next to him. Eren confides in him that he did not actually suffer from mental trauma, unlike the other soldiers in the hospital, and asks Falco if he will rat him out to the staff, which he denies. He asks Falco about his injuries and training, who shares his grievances with him. Reminding Eren of himself when he was younger, he encourages the boy to look forward and have faith in his decisions.

Falco later carries a letter for him, who had introduced himself as Kruger, to a mailbox outside of Liberio, so the Marleyan authorities would not discover his ruse. He claims the letter is for his family, telling them he was safe and sound inside the internment zone.

One month later, Falco has carried many letters as a favor to Mr. Kruger, even though there was a risk of him getting caught. He also surpasses Gabi in training by beating her in a race and is commended by Udo, Zofia and the two officials at the Internment Zone gate. Gabi expresses her frustration with Falco's determination to beat her, pointing out that his family will be made honorary Marleyans anyway once Falco's older brother inherits the Beast Titan. Falco admits that he is trying to outrank Gabi for her sake, which confuses her and makes Falco run off in embarrassment.

He visits Mr. Kruger in the hospital, telling him about his recent success and expressing gratitude for motivating him. In turn, Kruger thanks him for delivering his letters for the last month, and informs the boy of his desire to go back home after the festival, causing Falco to sigh in disappointment and grief. He leaves when he notices a doctor approaching their bench.

On the eve of the festival, Falco and the other candidates serve the visiting ambassadors.

The same day Willy Tybur is to announce his decision regarding Paradis Island, Falco and the other Warrior candidates enjoy the festival with Reiner. Shortly before the announcement, Falco calls Reiner to a nearby cellar, to meet up with Mr. Kruger. There, Reiner identifies Mr. Kruger as Eren, shocked to see him after four years.

Sensing the irregularity of the situation, Falco originally puts the tension down to Reiner's surprise; however, he quickly realizes something is wrong. After seeing Mr. Kruger's bleeding scratch cause Reiner to fearfully obey Kruger's order to sit, Falco goes to see himself out but he is instructed to stay by both Mr. Kruger and Reiner. Falco stays and listens to Lord Tybur's presentation from inside the cellar. During a break, Falco rationalizes that Mr. Kruger must have known Reiner from his time on Paradis Island, deeply unsettling him. At the apex of Tybur's speech, he realizes that Mr. Kruger is actually the Eldian rebel, Eren Yeager.

Falco accuses Eren of tricking him, causing Eren to apologize and state the former saved him. Falco realizes that the letters he had delivered for him made him complicit, and demands to know where they went. When Eren tells him, Falco falls to the floor in guilt. With Willy Tybur's speech ongoing, Eren proclaims that Tybur is right; he is the bad guy. He begins a conversation with Reiner while Falco listens intently. As Eren is talking about his experiences in Marley, he turns to Falco and says that past the oceans and inside the Walls, people are all the same; there are good people like him, and those who are wicked and act selfishly for themselves. He listens as the two continue their conversation, with Reiner ultimately breaking down in guilt for his actions.

Falco watches as Eren offers his hand to help Reiner stand, explaining that they are the same. Once up, he tells Reiner that he will continue to advance until his enemies are destroyed and begins to transform. Reiner turns to Falco to protect him before Eren completes his transformation.

Thanks to Reiner's partial transformation into the Armored Titan, Falco emerges from the ruins of the building that he, Eren Yeager and Reiner Braun were in. He looks around in horror at the fighting and destruction around him and notices Eren's Attack Titan trapped inside the web formed by the War Hammer Titan. He is still in disbelief that Eren deceived him and then wonders how he managed to survive.

Remembering that Reiner bit his hand to transform, Falco turns around and searches for Reiner in the incomplete body of his Titan. He finds Reiner unconscious and apologizes for leading him into a trap. Falco wonders why Reiner has not fully recovered, but then recalls his behavior before transforming and realizes why Reiner has not begun to heal: someone with the Power of the Titans needs to have a strong will to live in order to regenerate quickly and Reiner has seemingly lost his. Before leaving to go find help, Falco reassures Reiner that he still has allies.

While searching for help, Falco is astonished at Zeke Yeager's prowess with the Beast Titan. Magath finds Falco and demands to know what he is doing and if he is hurt. Falco tells him that Reiner is stuck in the ground and it is all his fault. Meanwhile, Gabi arrives with a rifle. In the distance they see an explosion that destroys the port. The shock wave knocks Falco, Gabi, and Magath off their feet.

As the Warriors continue fighting with the Survey Corps, Levi Ackerman fells the Beast Titan in front of Falco and the others and seems to kill Zeke right in front of them with a bomb dropped in the nape. Also a victim of the fighting, Pieck's Cart Titan tumbles off the roof and crashes to the street behind Falco, Gabi, and Magath. As Jean Kirstein gets ready to deliver the finishing blow to Pieck, Falco rushes to her side and begs him not to shoot.

Despite Falco's pleas, Jean shoots a Thunder Spear at the Cart Titan; however, a burst of steam released from the Titan's wound hits him, partially hitting Falco as well, and the spear explodes on the ground instead. A severely injured Pieck emerges from the Cart Titan into Falco's arms and is witnessed by the Survey Corps coming off the roof of the building, who quickly surge into the attack. However, they are repelled by Magath and Marleyan soldiers, with Magath commanding Gabi to help Falco. As Marley's army continues fighting the Corps, Magath covers Falco and Gabi who escape carrying Pieck.

Taking refuge inside a building, Falco and Gabi are astonished by the state Pieck has been left in. Falco observes that her injuries are so serious that her body is not repairing itself fast enough, and Gabi adds that the Cart Titan is not as tough as some of the others, such as the Armored Titan. Gabi asks Falco about Reiner, and Falco responds that he does not know, as he was below the building behind the stage during Eren's attack, and he thinks that they should not disturb him. Gabi is shocked at Falco's words, reminding him that Udo, Zofia and many others have been killed by Eren. The conversation is cut short after Gabi sees an airship coming to Liberio to assist the Survey Corps.

The children soon witness the Attack Titan defeating and trying to bite through the nape of the Jaw Titan, which prompts them to yell desperately for Reiner to save him. Their screams are successful as Reiner surfaces in an un-armored Titan form and manages to take Galliard away from Eren, although he is knocked down by him. As Eren comes out of his Titan form after running out of strength and leaves the battle scene with Mikasa, Gabi decides that she will not let them escape, and takes a rifle as she runs out of the building in their pursuit, while Falco tries to stop her.

As they are running, Falco is able to catch up with Gabi and tells her that going after them now would only get her killed like Zofia and Udo. Gabi explains that despite how they are treated in the internment zone, it is still their home and is incredulous as to why Falco would not want them to fight back; Falco recalls Eren and Reiner's discussion and says that they were only responding to the initial attack done by Reiner and the other Marley Warriors four years ago. This does not convince Gabi and she picks up her rifle again. As Gabi tells Falco to inform her family that she fought to the end, she prepares to fly up to the escaping airship using the equipment from a dead Survey Corps soldier; after remembering Reiner's plea for him to save Gabi, Falco grabs on at the last minute and goes with her.

Entering the airship, Falco spots Gabi shooting one of the soldiers. As she fires again, Falco knocks Gabi aside and narrowly saves her from getting shot by another soldier. Falco tries to quiet Gabi as she proclaims they are still fighting and that the Paradis Island leaders will pay for attacking them. The two are taken away from the soldiers and are stunned to see that Zeke, who was thought by Marley to be dead, is still alive and one of the coordinators behind the attack on the internment zone.

After arriving at Paradis Island, Gabi and Falco are escorted away by a member of the Military Police and put into a prison cell. Once imprisoned, Gabi begins having a seizure in their cell; Falco tries to help her and the guard enters the cell to check. However, Gabi had been faking it and beats the guard in the face with a brick hidden within her clothes. Despite Falco's protests, she hits the guard again and forces Falco to help her hide him. Gabi flees the prison, and Falco follows her, unsure of what to do.

After running all night, both of them stop at a stream for water and to rest. He notices that Gabi still has her armband on and tells her to take it off before someone sees them. As Gabi refuses, Falco forcibly takes it off and gets thrown to the ground. He is incredulous to why Gabi is acting this way and claims she has gone crazy. Just then, a girl named Kaya comes by and asks what they are doing. As the girl invites them to come with her to her house nearby, Falco spots Gabi discreetly picking up a rock to presumably attack her; he then looks at Gabi and takes it away as they proceed to follow her.

Falco and Gabi arrive at the house and Kaya tells them to wait. Gabi contemplates taking one of the horses, though Falco advises they stay for a few days. Heading inside, Falco tells Gabi that he will handle the talking. He introduces himself and Gabi as "Ben" and "Mia" and says that they are siblings who ran away from home. As they have breakfast, Falco sees Gabi swat away Lisa Blouse's hand; he quickly apologizes for Gabi's behavior and coaxes her to eat.

Later that day, Falco is working with Gabi in the stables. He reiterates that they should stay where they are, expressing confidence that either Colt or Reiner will come for them. He goes with Gabi to have lunch outside and learns they are staying at an orphanage for children who lost their parents during the last four years. As Falco and Gabi argue, they are surprised when Kaya mentions that she knows they are from Marley; Falco tries to come up with an excuse when he sees Gabi inch closer to a pitchfork. She tries to stab Kaya with it, but Falco wrestles it away. They are led to Kaya's old village and learn that everyone either ran away or was eaten by the Titan. Falco is horrified and eventually confesses that it was part of an experiment four years ago and apologizes for Kaya's mother getting killed. Gabi berates Falco for revealing that to her, but he ignores it. He asks how Kaya managed to survive, and is stunned to hear that a girl brought over an axe to fight the Titan, giving her enough time to get away.

Later, Falco goes with Gabi and the Blouse family to the restaurant where Niccolo is working. When dinner is served, Falco is stunned by how high the quality of food is and how he has tasted nothing like it before in his life. He makes up an excuse to leave the table and Gabi goes with him to find Niccolo. They discover him in the basement and reveal their true identities as Marleyan Warrior cadets. Falco notices the fear and horror in Niccolo's face when Gabi reveals she killed Sasha and tries to get Gabi's attention. As Niccolo attacks her, Falco dives in front and gets knocked unconscious after being struck by a wine bottle. The unconscious Falco is brought by Niccolo into the room as the latter reveals Falco's role in Sasha's death. After the situation is cleared up, Niccolo tells Hange Zoë to wash out Falco's mouth before revealing the wine may hold Zeke's spinal fluid.

Shortly after, Connie and Hange begin to rinse Falco's mouth with water as Niccolo reveals more information about Zeke's spinal fluid. Falco is then taken to a separate room to bathe but is interrupted when the Yeagerists arrive.

Abilities
As an Eldian Warrior and possible candidate for the inheritance of one of the Titan powers, Falco has endured hard military training. He is skilled enough to have survived the battle of Fort Slava. He is a very athletic individual, being able to run at great speed in order to save Gabi from incoming fire.

Relationships

 * Colt Grice - Falco and Colt are brothers and share a fraternal bond, caring about each other with Falco expressing concern over his brother's excessive drinking. While Falco does not appear physically strong, his brother looks out for him and assures his safety even at the cost of his own.


 * Gabi Braun - The two are contenders for the inheritance of the Armored Titan power. Falco seems to have a crush on Gabi. He expresses worry when she plans to sacrifice her life to blow up the anti-Titan artillery train and rushes to her side when she is about to get shot by a Mid-East Allied Forces soldier. Acknowledging that her lifespan would be reduced and she would die at a young age if she were to inherit a Titan power, he is willing to take her place in order to save her.


 * Reiner Braun - Falco is a candidate to inherit the Armored Titan from Reiner. On the train home from Fort Slava, Falco is threatened by Reiner after making a comment about Gabi inheriting the Armored Titan and he immediately corrects himself. Reiner's behavior on the train concerns Falco who acts cautiously around him, even questioning his loyalty to Marley. Ultimately, this encounter cements his determination to become a Warrior. Unknown to Falco or anyone else, it was Falco's sudden appearance outside of the building Reiner was in that brought him back from the brink of suicide. Despite threatening him earlier, Reiner cares enough for Falco and the other Warrior candidates to convince himself to keep on living. A month later, Falco's cautiousness around Reiner has faded as he and the other candidates accept the festival food Reiner buys them. After hearing Reiner speak with Eren for the first time in years, Falco begins to understand the sudden and recent change in Reiner's behavior and why he pushed Falco to try and surpass Gabi.


 * Eren Yeager - At first believing him to be Mister Kruger, Falco aids the one-legged Eren by placing his Eldian armband on the proper arm after he falls to the ground. Later he stumbles upon the hospital, and when Eren calls for him, he sits on a bench and they chat. In contrast to Reiner, Eren is happy that Falco will not become a Warrior as it means he would get to live a long, meaningful life instead of a short, harsh one as one of the Nine Titans. Falco grows fond of the man, going to him when seeking reassurance and describes him as an amazing guy to the other Warrior candidates; Falco ultimately feels that Eren was the reason for his improvement in training. At the same time, Eren is grateful to him for carrying his letters, and Falco shows visible disappointment at the thought of him leaving. After learning his true identity, Falco seems deeply unsettled and betrayed yet seems to understand that Eren's actions were a result of the Warriors attacking his home first.

Trivia

 * Hajime Isayama has stated that Falco was inspired by the character Jesse Pinkman from the.
 * Falco shares a birthday with Mikasa Ackerman.

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