Carlo Pikale

Carlo Pikale (カルロ・ピケール) is the commander (団長) of the Survey Corps.

Appearance
Carlo is a fairly tall individual with a long face and nose, prominent cheekbones and silver hair. When he was younger, Carlo wore the typical uniform of a member of the Survey Corps.

After the series' fifteen year timeskip, Carlo is shown to have grown his hair out slightly longer, so that it must be kept brushed out of his eyes. Additionally, he is shown to have grown a small beard. As a captain, he continues to wear the standard Survey Corps uniform, with the addition of a bolo tie.

Personality
Carlo demonstrates selflessness and a desire to protect humanity like the other members of the Survey Corps. He is also willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, as seen when he listens to and helps Kuklo incapacitate a Titan despite not knowing his name and having met him only a few minutes before. He also strives to do the right thing, as seen when he tries to make amends for unintentionally condemning Kuklo to a life of misery and slavery.

The Titan's Son arc
Carlo and his friend Sorum Humé are seen trying to help seal the Wall Maria gate after the Titan cult opens it. Surveying the aftermath, they come upon victims who were regurgitated from the Titan's stomach. Carlo notices the body of Elena among the bodies and laments that she had gotten married and was expecting a child. He then notices her body start to move. Incredulous, Carlo and Sorum look closer and sees her belly moving. Thinking that she has become pregnant by the Titan, Carlo decides to cut out the infant. He wonders if it was alive when its mother was swallowed; he and Sorum give the child the moniker of "The Son of a Titan."

Soon after, Carlo takes part in a sixty man expedition to capture a Titan outside the wall along with Sorum, inventor Angel Aaltonen and his father Jorge, commander of the Survey Corps. After helping to secure one, Carlo helps run tests to figure out if it has any weak points that could be used by humanity against the Titans. Carlo sees, along with Sorum, that even the complete removal of a limb does little to hinder a Titan; they merely regenerate, even when all limbs are severed. Soon, however, more Titans arrive at their location, causing the expedition to retreat back to the wall. Carlo helps his father direct the soldiers back to the Wall as they are swarmed by Titans, including the one that invaded Shiganshina only months before. Although Carlo makes it back to the Wall, he learns of Sorum's sacrifice and mourns the death of his friend.

Shiganshina arc
Fifteen years later, the now thirty-three year old Carlo is a captain of the Survey Corps, and while looking over the Wall one day, recalls back to when him and Sorum found Elena's infant son, wondering what happened to him. During an expedition outside the Wall, there is a commotion and is brought a fifteen year old boy who stowed away in one of the wagons; it is revealed to be Elena's son, Kuklo, though neither is aware of who the other person is. Carlo asks him why he is here, and is baffled by the boy's response of wanting to see a Titan. He is then alerted to an incoming Titan and gets separated from the rest of his forces.

He orders his troops to fire at the Titan, specifically at the eyes in order to blind it. After getting no progress, Carlo switches targets and has his men focus on the Achilles tendons on the Titan's heels to try to bring it down. He sees Kuklo get picked up and then escape from its grasp. Carlo arrives and gets Kuklo on his horse, commending the boy for his ingenuity and survival. As the Survey Corps soldiers get killed (or eaten) one by one, Kuklo has an idea to incapacitate the Titan and, after hearing the plan, Carlo agrees. The two are able to lure the Titan towards a wagon full of explosives and set off an explosion that completely engulfs the Titan.

Despite causing it significant damage, the Titan is only incapacitated for a few moments before it gets back up and continues to chase the two. Carlo then directs his men back towards the Wall while leading the Titan away from the survivors. Noticing that the Titan has been led far enough away, he gallops as fast as he can to get back to the Wall, despite the Titan remaining on his heels. Eventually, they reach the gates and are narrowly able to get through before it is shut.

After getting back inside the Wall, Carlo asks Kuklo if he managed to see what he was looking for by going outside the Wall to look at a Titan. He notes that Kuklo was light on his feet and asks if the latter has had some experience with hand-to-hand fighting. After getting no response, Kuklo asks Carlo why they went outside the Wall; Carlo states it was for observation and training purposes until Kuklo accidentally revealed himself.

Noting that he has not yet learned Kuklo's name, Carlo is about to ask the boy who he is again when they are approached by members of the Military Police. Confused as to what they want, Carlo is told by Gloria Bernhart they wish to question Kuklo in regard to the attack on the Inocencio estate. When Kuklo professes his innocence, Carlo is shocked to hear that the boy is the "Titan Child" he and Sorum found fifteen years ago. Faced with her threat to terminate the Survey Corps, Carlo hands custody over to her. Before he goes, Kuklo passes him the knife he used to save himself from the Titan. As Kuklo is led away, Carlo notices Sharle Inocencio among the crowd; he then turns around and leaves.

Later that night, Carlo is faced with numerous requests by Survey Corps members to transfer to the Garrison due to the failed expedition. He muses that the quality of soldiers has drastically fallen since the time when his father was in command of the Corps; Carlo is then notified that he has a visitor. Turning, he sees Sharle and cordially greets her. Preparing some tea, Carlo informs her that Kuklo is under suspicion for the murder of her father and states there was a witness to the events: her brother Xavi. Sharle says she was there as well, and the ones responsible were the Titan cultists and her brother lied about Kuklo.

He asks her to elaborate and is notified that she decided to run away with him and is told Kuklo had been imprisoned and only recently learned how to speak; this reveals to Carlo that Kuklo had no way of being the one responsible for the attack. He tells Sharle that he will do what he can to get Kuklo released. He notes it is cruel that Sharle will give up the freedom she sought in order to get Kuklo freed, and ponders to himself if Kuklo would be a good soldier for the Survey Corps. Sharle asks Carlo why he is helping two strangers, and he tells her that he was the one who found Kuklo as well as the one responsible for him being called "The Titan Child."

Dissidence Movement arc
Carlo soon contacts his father Jorge and helps orchestrate Kuklo's rescue from getting devoured by Titans. He then sends Sharle to Jorge, who helps relocate her to the Industrial City. After several months pass, Jorge brings both Kuklo and his former student Cardina to Carlo at the headquarters of the Survey Corps. After formally sharing introductions, both Carlo and Kuklo start to laugh over how they both managed to survive an attack from Titans outside the walls only a few months ago, but are just now learning each other's names. As he takes them inside, Carlo addresses the statement made in regard to how empty it is; with more members requesting transfers to the Garrison (or losing faith in the Corps), they are of no use to the Corps and the numbers have dwindled over time. Yet Carlo stays firm in his resolve, reasoning that if they stop now, all those who have died before them will have died in vain.

That night, Carlo gets in touch with Maria Carlstead of the Garrison and takes both Kuklo and Cardina to Wall Maria to test out the device. Carlo is surprised when he sees that the version both have is bigger than the original design and is curious if it will provide the two with enough mobility; nevertheless, Carlo lowers Cardina down after Kuklo jumps off the wall.

After some time passes, Carlo notices Kuklo sent up a signal saying they need assistance; he repels down and saves him. Carlo then brings Kuklo back after he gets attacked by the ten-meter Titan Ogre. As the boy is attended to by Maria and Cardina, Carlo notifies Kuklo that his father Heath was a captain in the Corps and one of the victims of Ogre fifteen years ago; this drove Kuklo's mother to join the Titan Cult and resulted in her own death shortly before his birth. When Kuklo expresses shock, Carlo says that Sharle told him everything when he was first taken by the Military Police.

Restoration of the Survey Corps arc
While his father takes both Kuklo and Cardina back to the Industrial City, Carlo stays behind and continues to lead the remaining members of the Survey Corps. Soon after, he learns Jorge's desire to train future generations of Survey Corps members on how to use the device to fight Titans. Carlo shares the same idea and works with Cardina for the next few weeks to develop a training regimen. Eventually, Kuklo returns with Jorge and Carlo tasks both Kuklo and Cardina to help train the new incoming trainees with his father; in addition, Carlo accepts both of them into the Survey Corps.

Several days later, Carlo addresses the newest batch of trainees. He mentions that those who wish to join the Survey Corps can take part in a voluntary training period that will help them in combating Titans. As Kuklo and Cardina lead the new trainees in a logistics exercise, Carlo notes to his father that many do not fit the build of previous Survey Corp soldiers. When asked if he would be able to use the device, Carlo states that he is looking forward to it; he pokes fun at his father over the fact that he started young, unlike Jorge, and was capable of adapting to the newer regimen. After a month passes, Carlo receives word that Angel came out of exile and is en-route with Sharle to the Training Academy. He welcomes them and they all go inside; Carlo and the others present learn about the previous device's flaws and are shown the final version of Angel's device; the vertical maneuvering equipment. During a test in the forest, Carlo is amazed by how it moves and operates; he turns to ask Jorge about his thoughts, but stops when he sees his father silently crying tears of joy.

Carlo inquires to Angel how quickly the vertical maneuvering equipment can be produced and is told about the conditions laid down by Gloria Bernhart and her uncle, Vice Commander Bernhart. Both Carlo and Jorge express surprise after Gloria vouched for them and showed an interest in being able to fight the Titans; he then works with Kuklo, Cardina and Jorge to modify the training regimen so only the most promising of the recruits will be able to use the equipment. He is surprised at the arrival of Xavi Inocencio and informed by the latter that he was sent by the Military Police as a monitor to oversee the training regimen. Carlo also learns Xavi will be participating in the expedition along with the Survey Corps and that Kuklo is forbidden from killing any Titan in the field; not deterred by this, Carlo still allows Kuklo to take part in the expedition due to being the one most skilled with using the equipment. Carlo hears a proposal set forth by Cardina to allow the thirty most promising recruits to learn how to use the equipment and the remaining recruits can learn via observing the others as understudies. When no objections are raised, Carlo allows the proposal to be used.

After taking a trip to Wall Maria to show the recruits the actual threat of the Titans, Carlo is informed that a number of trainees have withdrawn from the training program; soon after, Xavi arrives at his office and questions if the idea to take them to the Wall was a sound one. Carlo brushes it aside and remains confident about the remaining recruits being up to the task. After Xavi leaves, Carlo becomes grim and mentions that it is still hard to hear (despite preparing himself for such an outcome). When both Kuklo and Cardina mention how some of the remaining recruits still exhibit some fear despite staying aboard, Carlo recommends they observe how each one handles and overcomes that fear.

One day, Carlo is working with Felix and other members of the last passed group of trainees when he is informed that Rosa Carlstead was injured during an exercise; it is subsequently discovered that Rosa's equipment was tampered with. When Felix and Ivo believe it was an act of deliberate sabotage, Carlo refuses to allow them to make blind assumptions. He dismisses the recruits for the day and punishes Felix for leaving his assigned group. He tasks Angel and Sharle to inspect all the other sets of equipment and is troubled to hear that three other sets were sabotaged in a similar way. After hearing Sharle accuse Xavi of disabling them on orders, Carlo shares her suspicions and ponders if Vice Commander Bernhart had overridden Gloria's request to undermine their efforts. He orders a lock to be installed on the maintenance room door, but is surprised when Jorge and Kuklo request he make the announcement to the trainees in an attempt to lure out the ones behind the sabotage. After it is revealed that the ones responsible were disgruntled members of the training class who did it out of jealousy, Carlo is reluctant to merge all the trainees into one general class and decides to wait until Angel returns to the facility.

Survival Expedition arc
As the three-month training period comes to an end, Carlo is greatly impressed by the progress made by the recruits and welcomes them all as new members of the Survey Corps. The preparations are made for the expedition as they journey to Shiganshina District; he assigns several of the new recruits as Team Leaders for the expedition, including Rosa. However, a recent rain storm in the area gives him some concern; as Xavi asks him again about giving an official day of the expedition, Carlo angrily retorts that he will not place the lives of his soldiers at risk. Eventually, though, he decides the expedition will take place in two days; if conditions have not improved, Carlo will call off the expedition and accept the dissolution of the Corps.

The day of the expedition arrives and Carlo leads the Survey Corps through the streets to the gates of Shiganshina; once there, he orders them opened and the expedition force rides out towards the south. When Xavi asks if any scouts will be sent out to survey the area up ahead, Carlo rejects it as a risk they cannot afford due to their low numbers. After briefly stopping at an oasis five kilometers beyond the Wall, Carlo has teams one through eight carry on with teams nine and ten bringing up the rear. Passing the seven kilometer mark, Carlo orders teams three and four to scout the oasis ten kilometers out; Xavi notes that he is now acting cautious, and the captain replies that the oasis has numerous hiding spots for both humans and Titans. One of the vice captains gets Carlo's attention and he notices the storm clouds are starting to return. Reluctantly, Carlo decides to call off the expedition.

Xavi protests this, reminding Carlo of the fate of the Survey Corps but the latter stands firm with his decision. At the same time, they are alerted to the nearby presence of Titans due to a red signal flare sent from the direction of the oasis. Carlo orders most of the soldiers to regroup and retreat back to the first oasis when Xavi suddenly rides by. Carlo immediately calls out to him but is ignored; Carlo orders the rest to follow their orders and rides off after Xavi. He begins to have doubts in his command and wonders to himself if it was smart to send teams three and four ahead knowing the poor conditions. He quickly brushes those negative thoughts aside and focuses on catching up with Xavi.

Carlo and the rest of the expedition regroups with groups nine and ten; he learns the fates of teams seven and eight, along with how the equipment was successful in defeating a Titan. Carlo looks back at the wounded Felix and decides the Corps should return with this achievement before they lose more of their limited forces; he is surprised when Rosa Carlstead refuses and insists they push the Titans away from the oasis. He relents and orders groups nine and ten to combat the two nearby Titans with the remaining groups assisting; when Kuklo elects to go track down the missing Xavi, Carlo permits it and informs the youth the direction Xavi traveled in. Soon after, a red signal is sent and Carlo quickly orders them into action. Eventually, the troops encounter several more Titans but they are able to defeat them. Declaring the expedition a massive success, Carlo orders the surviving troops to regroup and return back to Shiganshina once both Kuklo and Xavi rejoin them. Upon their return, the Survey Corps are kept in service and Carlo is eventually elected to the position of Commander.

Relationships

 * Jorge Pikale - Carlo has a typical relationship with his father. He respects him and his legacy, eventually following Jorge's footsteps in joining the Survey Corps as a soldier and later as both captain and commander.
 * Sorum Humé - Carlo's best friend in the Survey Corps, Sorum was never seen too far away from Carlo; Jorge would later note that Sorum was always an enormous source of strength for Carlo's peace of mind. They would take part in numerous expeditions together and Carlo was understandably saddened to hear that Sorum sacrificed himself to save the others from the Titan Mammon's rampage.
 * Angel Aaltonen - While it is not known how close Carlo was with Angel, he was familiar with Angel's technical expertise and he helped participate in an expedition with the Corp. Fifteen years later, Carlo warmly greets Angel after seeing him return from his exile.
 * Kuklo - Carlo was the one who discovered Kuklo and unintentionally condemned him to a life of slavery and misery. He first met Kuklo properly fifteen years later when the latter stowed away on an expedition. Despite not knowing his identity, Carlo noted Kuklo's agility and endurance early on when fighting the Titan Ogre. Carlo would later welcome Kuklo as a member of the Survey Corps, redeeming himself for his past actions.
 * Cardina Baumeister - Carlo initially saved Cardina from getting devoured by Ogre along with his father Jorge. While not as skilled with using the vertical maneuvering equipment, Cardina's mind has been recognized by Carlo as invaluable and worked with him to develop a training program to use the equipment; he also is very favorable of Cardina's observations and any methods that might better the program.

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