Marco Bott

Marco Bott (マルコ・ボット) was a member of the 104th Trainees Squad, and graduated as the seventh ranked trainee in his class. He was assigned to fight the Titans after the breach of Wall Rose, and given command of his own squad. His death serves to illustrate the grim, cruel reality of life for the soldiers, as even the most talented can meet an ignoble end while facing the Titans.

Appearance
Marco had short parted black hair, freckles, and light brown eyes. He wore the typical uniform of a member of the 104th Trainees Squad.

His casual attire consisted of a light button up shirt and dark pants with a dark vest, very similar to Jean's. In the anime this is changed to dark green long sleeved shirt over a white high colored shirt and brown pants.

Personality
Marco was an idealistic person, valuing the good of the group above his own interests as well as understanding and coping with his own shortcomings and limitations. The others respected him greatly, and considered him to be a natural leader suited to his dreams of joining the Military Police Brigade. Unlike those who joined the Military Police Brigade for safety and privileges, his reasons for wanting to join it were genuinely faithful. He was shown to be an excellent judge of others, as he recognized Jean's potential as a leader and encouraged him to believe in himself. He was also shown to have a talent for preserving order among the other trainees, whether resolving arguments or keeping them calm during battle.

104th Trainees Squad arc
Marco is first introduced during the initiation of new recruits, and is intimidated by their instructor, Keith Shadis, after he expresses his desire to join the Military Police. He later attempts to maintain order when the recruits question Eren about the attack on Wall Maria, which Eren experienced firsthand. He chides the others when their questions become too upsetting for Eren.

During his time as a trainee, he befriends Jean Kirstein and the two are often seen together. He seems to have been one of the only people to recognize Jean's potential, as well as spotting his weaknesses and how to improve them, and encourages him to embrace his natural abilities as a leader. They become good friends and are rarely seen without the other.

In the year 848, two years before graduation, Marco accompanies the other trainees on a wilderness hunt to sustain themselves in times of peace. Along with the other trainees, Marco is pulled into an equipment heist by thieves in the forest and is left behind with the others as Eren Yeager helps rescue the kidnapped Krista Lenz. He is seen with Reiner Braun and the others as the thieves are caught and arrested and Krista is safely returned. He later accompanies Eren, discussing Jean's leadership abilities as well as his own. He stares into the sky as he wonders what kind of soldiers everyone will become.

Battle of Trost District arc
After the Colossal Titan breaches Trost District, Marco is assigned command of the 19th Trainee Squad and is ordered to support the vanguard forces.He is eventually among the trainees stranded when the retreat order was given, since he does not have enough gas to scale the Wall and escape Trost, which has become a death trap for the trainees. When Mikasa and Jean rally the others into charging headquarters, which has become surrounded by Titans, Marco is quick to join them. Inside the station, he is vital in Armin's plan to reclaim the overrun supply room and leads the main group in the operation. Armed with rifles, the recruits act as bait and lure the seven Titans who occupy the room into position. Marco maintains order in the group, and keeps everyone calm until they fire and blind the attacking Titans.

He is later seen among the regrouped forces, and attempts to once again keep order when people like Daz are giving into their fear, as Dot Pixis has announced that he will need the soldiers in an operation to retake Trost District, which Marco himself will participate in. Marco does his best to comfort them and keep morale high, even when they are ordered to return to Trost. He joins the other recruits up on the Wall, and acts as bait to distract the Titans from the main operation involving Eren. Later, he is among the recruits that go into the city to battle the Titans. There, he helps to rescue Jean when his gear malfunctioned and eventually joins the others in battling the Titans while Eren is close to sealing the breach in Wall Rose.

He is later found dead after the Battle of Trost, discovered and identified by Jean, who wonders how he died. Jean realizes he hadn't seen him around recently and doesn't believe out of all the trainees, Marco was one of the deceased. Jean reveals the news to Eren, who is horridly shocked, and Eren briefly reminisces his time with his former friend. Along with the other causalities of the battle, Marco's body is cremated on a communal funeral pyre.

The Female Titan arc
After Marco's death, Jean is inspired to abandon his selfish ways and join the Survey Corps, claiming that he does not want to meet a "disappointing end with someone burning his bones without knowing who they belonged to", referencing how Marco died alone and went unnoticed for days. Marco's death continues to motivate Jean to continue fighting despite the death and disarray surrounding humanity.

Later, during the attempted capture of Annie Leonhart in the Stohess District, Marco's 3D Maneuver Gear is found to have been taken by Annie, as Armin remembered the little tweaks it had as he and Marco performed their gear maintenance together. Though she admits she "found it," she fails to elaborate. This leaves the implication that his death may have involved foul play of some kind.

The Uprising arc
While speaking to Historia under the Reiss chapel, Eren mentions Marco as being among the victims he and Grisha Yeager are responsible for killing by stealing the Titan's power.

Return to Shiganshina arc
In Reiner's final moments, he reflects on Marco's death. Marco overheard the conversation between Reiner and Bertolt, where he heard them mentioning about Reiner transforming to a Titan as they experessed their concerns about the plan to seal the breach in Trost's outer gate. When Marco set out to help Eren, Reiner ambushed Marco and captured him. When a Titan was going to the area, Annie appeared and was ordered by Reiner to remove Marco's gear. She reluctantly did so, and the three left him for dead. They watched as he met his demise, all with a look of remorse on their faces. Reiner then asks why Marco is getting eaten.

Relationships

 * Jean Kirstein - Marco and Jean were good friends, and he often served as a confidant and voice of reason. He was the one who recognized Jean's potential as a leader, and encouraged him to believe in himself. When Jean found Marco's body, he went into a partially catatonic state. After Marco's death, Jean underwent a significant change and made the decision to honor his memory by joining the Scouts.
 * Daz - During the battle of Trost, Marco actively encouraged and comforted Daz. They struggled briefly when Daz considered trying to kill himself, and was later shown giving him encouragement when Daz decided to continue fighting.
 * Armin Arlert - After his death, Armin mentions that they usually performed equipment maintenance together. This became important, as it allowed Armin to recognize Marco's stolen gear when Annie presented it as her own.

Trivia

 * Marco-Chara_Design.png name means, roughly, "Messenger from the God of War", perhaps a nod towards his role in illustrating the cruel reality facing the recruits.
 * He is the only character from the 104th Trainees Squad Top 10 Soldiers that is currently deceased.
 * Marco's birthday was made June 16 ironically as it is half way through the year, and only half of his body remained after his death.
 * In the manga, Marco is killed before Eren can seal the breach in Trost. In the anime, he is alive long enough to see Eren push the boulder into the breach.

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