Onyankopon (Anime)

"Because our creator thought that things would be more interesting if the world were occupied by many kinds of people. I'd say that applies to you Subjects of Ymir as well. We exist because we were wanted."

- Onyankopon's views on different ethnicities

Onyankopon (オニャンコポン) is one of the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers working under Zeke Jaeger. He was one of the Marleyan soldiers on board the first scout fleet to Paradis Island after Marley's failed attack operation.

A skilled pilot, he assists the Scout Regiment in their escape from their raid on Liberio and later operates the flying boat holding the renegade Scouts and surviving Warriors to Fort Salta.

Appearance
Onyankopon is a brown-skinned man with black hair styled in a short crew cut and thin eyebrows. He appears to be well-built, as seen by his large arms and shoulders. He wears a military uniform of Marleyan issue with two black harnesses going down the torso.

Onyankopon's casual clothes consist of a navy blue jacket over a white dress shirt, and long pants.

Personality
Onyankopon comes off as a friendly man, easily building a rapport with Hange Zoë and other members of the Scout Regiment during his dealings with them. However, he also seems to have a rather serious mindset, becoming slightly perplexed by some soldiers' fixation on trivial matters during their preparations, and praising Hange for easily adapting to the technologies and ideas introduced to Paradis Island.

Onyankopon appears to be a religious man, professing to the Eldians on Paradis who question him about his skin color that he believes God created different ethnicities of people out of a desire to make the world "interesting." It is presumed that Onyankopon was a pilot or navigator during his time as a member of the Marleyan military, due to him being able to operate an airship during the mission to retrieve Eren in Liberio with little trouble or assistance.

History
When Onyankopon's home country was taken over by Marley, he was one of many who were forcibly conscripted into the Marleyan army to serve as a soldier.

Along with many of his fellow soldiers, Onyankopon was secretly taken in by Zeke Jaeger, and began covertly working to help free the Eldian people as part of the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers.

Marley arc
In 851, Onyankopon is among the first survey fleet sent by Marley to Paradis Island after the operation to retrieve the Founding Titan failed. His ship is captured and breached by Eren Jaeger and he and his fellow soldiers are confronted by Hange Zoë, who offers to negotiate with them. When his commanding officer refuses to listen, Onyankopon joins his fellow crew member Yelena in disarming their commanding officers and accepting Hange's offer.

Meeting with Hange and Levi Ackermann, Onyankopon and Yelena allow the two to inspect their weapons, explaining that Marley has not launched a full assault on Paradis Island yet, due to a war they are currently caught in. Hange guesses that they are sleeper agents who have infiltrated the Marleyan army, but Yelena explains to them that they are simply conscripted soldiers who have chosen to rally around Zeke in opposition of Marley as the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers.

Forming an alliance with Paradis Island, Onyankopon and his comrades begin sharing their technology with the islanders, with Onyankopon focusing on ways to strategically prepare Paradis Island for reintegration with the outside world, such as building ports for ships to dock.

In 854, during the Scout Regiment's invasion of Liberio, Onyankopon participates in the retreat of the regiment's troops, serving as an airship pilot and picking up Armin Arlelt first after his destruction of the Marleyan harbor. He follows the lights set up around the internment zone that function as a path for their escape, reassuring Hange of his piloting capabilities. He is left to pilot the airship as Hange leaves to speak with Zeke Jaeger.

After returning to Paradis, Onyankopon and his fellow Volunteers turn over a stock of Titan serums they managed to steal from Marley to the Garrison. After receiving the serums, Dot Pyxis has his soldiers capture the Volunteers, revealing that Paradis is not willing to trust Zeke and his followers yet.

War for Paradis arc
While he is being held in captivity, Onyankopon is visited by Hange. Onyankopon expresses his dismay at the Paradis military for imprisoning the Volunteers, reminding Hange of what the two forces accomplished while working together over the past three years. Hange is similarly unhappy with the predicament, but justifies the military's actions by revealing, to Onyankopon's shock, that Yelena had secretly met with Eren prior to his surprise attack on Liberio.

Hange asks Onyankopon for any information he might have about Yelena, and Onyankopon reveals that Yelena was always the Volunteer who would step forward to execute any Marleyan soldiers that might suspect them of treason.

Hange notes a seeming discrepancy in Yelena's behavior, pointing out that Yelena also campaigned passionately for Paradis's Marleyan prisoners of war to be treated fairly, which Onyankopon suggests may have been an attempt on her part to atone for her harsh behavior previously. Hange is unconvinced, and orders that Onyankopon accompany them to look into the matter further.

After Dhalis Zachary and other military officials are killed in a bombing at the military's headquarters, Onyankopon accompanies Hange to a hearing with the remaining commanders to discuss the attack. Hange provides the Volunteers with an alibi for the bombing, pointing out that Onyankopon was with them and that the other Volunteers were under house arrest at the time.

Onyankopon accompanies Hange and the other Scout officers as they visit Nicolo to question him. While at the restaurant it is discovered that the wine Nicolo and other Marleyan prisoners have been serving to the military's officials may have been spiked with Zeke's spinal fluid on Yelena's orders.

Although Yelena's involvement immediately causes the soldiers to become suspicious of Onyankopon as well, he insists that he had no knowledge of the plan. Onyankopon is then captured by the Jaegerists, who have arrived at the restaurant. The Scouts are taken captive and the entire group is transported to Shiganshina District.

Onyankopon is among the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers who attend Yelena's meeting to accept Dot Pyxis's surrender. Afterwards, he accompanies Yelena to visit the Scouts in their holding cells. Tensions are high between the prisoners and Onyankopon, and when Jean tries to deduce what their true intentions are with Paradis, Onyankopon unhappily reminds the prisoners that the volunteers were the ones who helped "civilize" the island.

When Greiz interrupts their conversation to insult Nicolo for his affection with Sasha Braus, Onyankopon is horrified to see Yelena shoot him in the head. He then assists in removing Greiz's corpse from the hall as Yelena continues to explain Zeke's intentions to the prisoners. Soon after, a Jaegerist arrives informing them of Infiltrators.

He accompanies Yelena to the roof where a captured Warrior claims that she will point out her own allies. However, she double crosses them and Eren is ambushed by the Jaw Titan, nearly killing him. Onyankopon is caught speechless as a number of Marleyan airships descend from the sky.

Knowing that they will need more manpower to fight off Marley, Onyankopon begins releasing the soldiers who were imprisoned by the Jaegerists. He is immediately assaulted by Conny and Armin is forced to break the two apart. Onyankopon swears that he had no knowledge of the spiked wine or Yelena and Zeke's euthanasia plan, pleading with them that the island would have a future.

Jean points out that if they help Eren and Zeke, they will be helping them bring about Zeke's euthanasia plan, but Onyankopon insists that they are vital to the defense of Paradis in check and can be kept under control until the Rumbling is activated. The soldiers agree to help in the battle and Onyankopon requests that they free the rest of the Jaegerists' captives.

After Eren activates the Founding Titan and begins the Rumbling, Zeke's Titans start attacking soldiers indiscriminately and swarming the military's headquarters. Onyankopon and the volunteers are saved by the Scout Regiment, who eliminate all the Titans. After the fighting Onyankopon learns from Jean about Eren's plan to destroy the whole world, despairing that his own country will also be destroyed.

Floch Forster offers to allow the Volunteers to live in the Eldian Empire as honorary Eldians following the Rumbling, and Onyankopon refuses. In retaliation, Floch decides to have Onyankopon and Yelena publicly executed. As Floch is explaining to the amassed crowd why the two are being killed, Onyankopon reminds the Eldians that part of the reason he wanted to help them was to free his own country from Marley. He condemns them for perpetuating the same violence that Marley did, but is interrupted when Jean fires four gunshots at him. All four shots miss and the Cart Titan suddenly appears, grabbing Jean, Onyankopon and Yelena in its mouth before departing.

The three are brought to Hange, Levi and Theo Magath, where Jean reveals to Onyankopon that he has joined forces with Marley to stop Eren.

The next day, the group travels to Paradis' harbor to take the Azumabito clan's flying boat and pursue Eren with it, but find that Jaegerists are already occupying the harbor. When Annie Leonhart suggests launching an all-out attack on the Jaegerists, Onyankopon explains that they cannot do anything that will endanger the Azumabito, as he will need their mechanics' knowledge to properly operate their plane. Magath interrupts the discussion, breaking Yelena's arm in an attempt to get her to cooperate, and Onyankopon creates a makeshift sling for her.

While their allies engage the Jaegerists, Onyankopon and other noncombatants are transported to the boat by Pieck. Once at the boat, Onyankopon works with the Azumabito mechanics to get the boat ready to sail to Odiha. After prepping the ship, Onyankopon calls upon his allies to evacuate. As his allies board, Onyankopon is shocked to see a Marleyan cruiser present at the port. Magath then hands Onyankopon an unconscious Falco Grice before informing him that he will stay behind to cover the rear.

After arriving in Odiha, Onyankopon helps move the flying boat into a hangar to be worked on. Onyankopon spends the night working on the boat with the Azumabito mechanics. As preparations are nearing completion, Floch arrives in the hangar and fires on the boat. After taking cover, Onyankopon is horrified to realize that Floch has managed to damage the boat's fuel tank. As Onyankopon helps repair the damage, Eren's Colossal Titans reach Odiha and Hange decides to engage them to buy the group time to escape. Thanks to Hange's sacrifice Onyankopon is able to pilot the boat out of the hangar, mourning Hange's death as he and the group depart.

En route to Eren, Onyankopon informs Armin that he and the mechanics were only able to fill the flying boat's gas tank halfway before departing. Despite the setback, he promises to get the flying boat to Eren so that Hange's death will not have been in vain.

The flying boat reaches Eren, but with no fuel to spare. Onyankopon's comrades try to get him to abandon the boat with them, but Onyankopon insists on getting it as close to Eren as possible for them. Flying becomes even more difficult when the Beast Titan begins throwing projectiles at the boat, forcing Onyankopon to take evasive action. Onyankpon manages to get the boat close enough for his comrades to jump out, before flying off to attempt an emergency landing.

Relationships

 * Yelena - One of the other high-ranking members of the Volunteers, Onyankopon is on fairly good terms with Yelena. He has noted, though, that she is capable of incredible changes in character, with many of her actions causing him to become disturbed by how far she is willing to go to achieve her goals.
 * Hange Zoë - Onyankopon had been on good terms with Hange since his arrival on Paradis. The two have worked together to considerably increase Paradis' technological advancements and, despite not appreciating them being held under house arrest, Onyankopon shared a mutual respect with Hange.
 * Armin Arlelt - Onyankopon noticed Armin was like him and sought out a peaceful solution to save Paradis instead of a militaristic one like many of the Eldians on the island and his fellow Volunteers. His mentioning of a God that wanted different races to exist in order for life to be interesting struck a chord with Armin and would ultimately save his life after the revelation of Yelena and Zeke's euthanasia plan is made known to the Survey Corps.

Trivia

 * Nyankopon (alternatively spelled Onyankopon) is one of the names of the Creator God in the.
 * Onyankopon bears a strong resemblance to real-life British actor.
 * Boyega is a noted fan of Attack on Titan and has acknowledged the similarities between himself and Onyankopon on several occasions.

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