Annie Leonhart

Annie Leonhardt (アニ・レオンハート) is a member of the 104th Trainees Squad who enters the Military Police.

Along with Bertoldt and Reiner, she is a person that possesses the ability to transform into a Titan and serves an as-yet unrevealed group. She comes from a mysterious homeland outside the Walls, and was on a mission to infiltrate the military in search of something referred to as the "Coordinate". Her efforts to kidnap Eren reveal the existence of enemy agents within the military, and leads to her eventual capture.

Personality
Annie is considered to be isolated, exclusionary type and friendships don't come to her easily. She is apathetic and somnolent with little desire to put in any effort into meaningless disciplines or activities, and instead focuses exclusively on making it into the Military Police to obtain an easy life. Yet, somehow she does seem to hold some strange fascination with people that hold a deep sense of duty and righteousness -- in those people who do care and who can devote their lives and even die for causes they believe in.

History
Originally from the same village as Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Fubar, Annie had rigorously trained with her father ever since she was young. During a flashback, her father pleads her to forgive him, for yet unknown reasons. Thinking it may be too late, he tells Annie to treat everyone as her enemy and asks her to promise him that she will come back home.

Story
Graduating 4th, a rank below Bertholdt Fubar, Annie chose to enlist in the Military Police. When the Colossal Titan breached Wall Rose, the same way it did with Wall Maria, Annie was assigned to rear guard with Mikasa and a few of the others to help fend off the Titans as the people are evacuated to the safety of Wall Shina. She was involved in helping Jean Kirschtein and the other retake the supply unit to restock the gas canisters for their gear. While watching Titan Eren fight off the other titans, Annie overhears Jean and Reiner arguing and so she think that he may be their ally. She learns about Eren's shapeshifting ability.

During hand-to-hand combat training, Annie easily bests Eren and Reiner with a kicking technique her father taught her. Later on during dinner, she watched as he used the same technique to subdue Jean when he tried to pick a fight again. The next day, Annie and Eren were watching him as he practice hand-to-hand combat. She noticed that Jean's only taking it seriously just to pick a fight again and doesn't see anything positive from it. Annie points out something wrong in how Eren handled the kicking technique and offers to teach him the proper techniques.

Soon the two titans captured for research are killed and the Military Police check the Three Dimensional Maneuver Gears from the trainees. During that time, Armin, Annie and Conny Springer discussed which military branch they want to join. When Annie reveals that she will go to the military police, Conny considers joining them too and asks for her opinion. Annie responds telling him that it's his decision to make, not hers. When she learns Armin plans to join the Scouting Legion, she asks him what he would do if he was ordered to die. He tells her if the reasons are good, then he'll do so. Annie thinks he's weak physically, but yet he's very strong at heart. Later we learn that she had offered Marco Bodt's 3DMG for inspection as her own, and that had prompted Armin to become suspicious of her. Ultimately during the Scouting Legion draft, Annie leaves to join the military police.

Annie awakens in her room in the Stohess District of Wall Shina. Her hair is the same as the Female Titan's when not tied up in a bun. Annie is teased by Hitch and Marlo, but a member tells them to leave her alone believing that she hasn't recovered from battle and is the only one who has real combat experience. Soon Armin approaches her and asks for help in hiding Eren until they can convince the king to better protect the walls. Annie reluctantly agrees by putting on a ring and escorts them to a place where they can hide. When Eren and Armin try to get her to go down an underground passageway with them, she refuses and suspects something is awry. Mikasa, having enough of Annie's games, takes off her hood and draws out her 3DMG. She refers to her as the female type titan. Armin's suspicion is confirmed when she smiles in the same way as the female titan, and by her refusal to enter the passage, where she cannot transform.

After firing a signal, disgusied Scouting Legion members come out of their hiding places, and restrain Annie. Seeminglly captured and immobile, she still managess to flick her thumb to open a small blade hidden in her ring and wound her self, thereby allowing her to transform into her titan form, killing those restraining her in the process. Now, resuming her attempts to capture Eren, Armin and Mikasa realize how desperate she is, and try to get him to fight her. Overcoming his inital hesiation, he transforms into his titan form and takes Annie on.



Annie takes flight towards the wall soon after Eren transforms. She is pursued by him, Mikasa and several Scouting Legion squads. The chase continues until Annie reaches a flat land with no buildings. Having nowhere to hook their 3DMG anchors, the Scouting Legion squads and Mikasa are forced to take a long detour, while Eren gives chase alone. Annie uses this opportunity for one last ditch attempt at capturing Eren, a brief struggle between the two of them ensues, but she fails again. After that, she continues to try and escape by scaling the wall. Armin, upon realizing that catching up with her by using 3DMG gear would be impossible, instructs titan Eren to throw Mikasa upward, towards Annie. His plan works and Mikasa reaches Annie moments before she is about to reach the top of the wall. Not hesitating in the slightest, she cuts off all of Titan Annie's fingers, leaving her struggling to hold on. Mikasa then tells her to fall down and pushes her off via the head. Eren, in his titan form, hold down the body as both the military police and the members of the Scouting Legion, cut into the flesh and try to extract Annie. Upon extracting Annie from the titan body, they find out Annie is completely enclosed inside a (presumably indestructable) crystal.

While Annie is trapped inside the crystal, one of the Scouting Legion members tries to break the crystal to extract her, but Hanji stops him (thinking that if the crystal is destroyed, it would kill Annie) and tells both the Military Police and the rest of the Scouting Legion to take her underground and detain her. Meanwhile, Jean, who went into the town supposedly posing as Eren, learns the truth about Annie being the female titan.

Ultimately, Annie has been desperate to kidnap Eren and reasons for that remain unknown.

Abilities
Annie is one of the strongest fighters alongside Mikasa and Eren. She was ranked as one of the top 5 trainees at 4th position, implying a degree of skill in other military combat forms such as the use of 3D Gear.

Martial Arts
Annie is noteworthy for her unique fighting style, with a strong focus on minimizing the advantages of larger, stronger opponents through kicks, throws, and holds. She notes that her father taught her this style, and during their time in training together, she teaches it to Eren Yeager.

Titan Shifting
Like Eren, Annie displays an ability to transform into a 14 meter titan. She uses this form to wipe out military formations the Scouting Legion uses during their attempt to retake Wall Maria. Annie's titan form is similar to Eren's form, but more feminine, muscular and with a noticeable lack of skin across her body.

It is unknown how Annie acquired her titan powers and how she became so proficient with using them. She is far more experienced in using her titan form compared to Eren, who had only discovered his titan powers recently. She is one of the more skilled titan shifters, sporting a variety of presumably learned powers not exhibited by any other titan shifters.

In her titan form, she is able to selectively regenerate certain parts at a much faster pace as opposed to the automatic, simultaneous regeneration of all the damaged parts. She can selectively harden parts of her skin to protect it from damage or to enhance her offensive strikes. Uniquely she can perform a shout that can attract regular titans. Unlike most titan shifters who tire to the point of collapsing, she is able to preserve stamina and is fit enough to utilize the 3DMG to kill experienced soldiers before transforming for the second time - something never seen done by any known titan shifters thus far. Upon capture and extraction, she is able to generate a cocoon of incredibly hard and durable crystal, something that no known technology can yet break into, to trap herself in so as to avoid being interrogated.

Relationships

 * Eren Yeager - During their time in training, Annie and Eren developed a mutual respect and fascination with each other. She trains him in her unique fighting style, and he is one of the few people to have managed to make her genuinely smile. When her mission required it, she ruthlessly pursued him and fought him twice. Her betrayal deeply shakes Eren.
 * Armin Arlert - She has a deep respect for Armin, recognizing his strong will and treating him well. This results in her sparing his life during her rampage, which later allows him to discover her true identity. She admits to not being sure why she didn't kill him, and is seemingly bothered by his willingness to manipulate her into a trap.
 * Mikasa Ackerman - Their interactions suggest some level of rivalry, with Annie once describing Mikasa as a "beast". This only worsens when Annie's true identity is revealed, with Mikasa aggressively confronting her and later aiding in Annie's defeat.
 * Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Fubar - Though they are accomplices, little is known about her actual relationship with them. Annie acts as a lone wolf, and her few interactions with Reiner have resulted in her acting coldly towards him. It is hinted that Bertholdt may have feelings for her. Both react with shock and anger upon learning of her capture.

Trivia

 * Annie-Chara_Design.png episode 2 of the anime, Annie can be seen in front of the line receiving her bread rations. This scene was not visible in the manga.
 * It is implied that Annie and Mina Carolina were close friends.
 * The name "Annie" ultimately derives from the Hebrew word "grace", while "Leonhardt" means "lion-hearted" in German.
 * In Chapter 18 of the manga (Post-Trost battle clean-up), Annie found a body of an unknown soldier. Although the body had a similar hairstyle to Mina Carolina, it's face was mauled beyond recognition.