Reiner Braun

"I don't know... what's right anymore... But... I do know that I have to face the consequences of my actions... and carry out... my duty as a Warrior to the end."

- Reiner to Eren before their fight

Reiner Braun (ライナー・ブラウン) is a vice commander (副長) of the Warriors and the protagonist of Attack on Titan from the Marleyan perspective. He is the illegitimate son of an Eldian and a Marleyan, he grew up in Liberio's internment zone, and as a child he was selected to become one of the Marley Warriors. At the age of ten, he gained the power to transform into the Armored Titan.

In the year 845, he infiltrated Paradis alongside Bertolt Hoover and Annie Leonhart as part of an operation to reclaim the Founding Titan. He joined the Survey Corps after graduating 2nd in the 104th Training Corps.

Human Form
In human form, Reiner has short blond hair, hazel eyes, and a defined facial structure. His large height, broad shoulders, and serious expression give him an intimidating presence.

In the year 854, Reiner has slightly longer hair, possesses a short goatee and has lost weight making his cheek bones appear more defined. He has also grown taller.

Titan Form
While Reiner is in his Armored Titan form, he is 15 meters tall. It has white plates of hardened skin covering the entirety of its body, except for muscles in its cheeks that become exposed when it opens its lipless jaw, as well as the muscle tissue behind its knees, elbows, and feet. Its eyes are covered by white, organic lenses, and it has short, blond hair. While fighting Eren, it has been noted that it has high agility and is capable of moving at a fast momentum, despite its seemingly-heavy weight and being low on stamina.

Personality
As a child, Reiner was rather quiet and meek yet at the same time very loyal and driven. He believed that if he became a Warrior then his Marleyan father would return to him and his mother. Even after his father rejected him and his mother because of their Eldian lineage, Reiner continued to believe that he would at least cheer for him as he fought the Eldians. Because of his motivation, Reiner was very desperate to become a Warrior, even going as far as to accuse Galliard of being an Eldian spy when he belittled him. However, after he was chosen to inherit the Armored Titan, Reiner gained a newfound self-confidence, though it was quickly shattered when Marcel revealed that he was not chosen for his abilities. Due to Marley's propaganda and his mother's influence, he believed the Eldians of Paradis to be "devils" and that he would become a hero by exterminating them. He was also very gullible, never doubting the words of his mother and superiors.

Following Marcel's death, Reiner began incorporating elements from his personality into his own. He became more decisive and assertive, even being willing to threaten Annie and Bertolt to ensure they followed his orders. Yet he also came to be care deeply about the two and desired to protect them. He also accepted that his belief that his father would return if he were to become a Warrior and defeat the Eldians was just a fantasy. In addition to this, Reiner started to develop a negative perception towards himself, believing he was supposed to have failed in becoming a Warrior and that he should have been the one to die instead of Marcel.

By the time he joined the 104th Training Corps, Reiner had completely incorporated Marcel's personality into his own. He built up a reputation of being a passionate and honest person with a strong sense of duty who takes his role as a soldier very seriously and encourages others to do the same. However, he was also noted to have a kind heart and a tendency to always think of others before himself, taking on extra burdens for the sake of his comrades. He was stated to be the "big brother" of the other trainees.

However, beneath this facade, Reiner developed serious emotional and mental problems as a result of living a double-life. While still loyal to his true cause as a Warrior of Marley, he was unable to cope with the guilt he felt towards his actions and thus began to suppress his true memories in an effort to escape. Having to kill Marco seems to have been the final straw for him, causing him to snap and possibly developing some sort or. During these episodes, he would forget his true identity, believing himself to be an Eldian soldier. There appear to be few differences between his "soldier" persona and his true self, though his true "warrior" self is more ruthless and fatalistic out of necessity. He harbors a negative attitude towards himself, referring to himself as a "villain" and a "short-lived killer" that only Bertolt and Annie can understand. Even so, he continually places himself at risk in an effort to reach out to Eren and Ymir, trusting them more than is wise.

Following the failure of the Paradis Island Operation and fighting in the Marley Mid-East War for four years, Reiner's personality has changed so much that both his mother and cousin, Gabi, noted that he seems like a completely different person. Despite the fact that they are enemies now, Reiner harbors little to no malice towards his former comrades, only sarcastically referring to them as "devils" while humanizing their actions and beliefs before his family. He also appears to suffer from a complex, regularly having nightmares about his various near-death experiences and seeing memories of his childhood. At this point, Reiner's negative perception towards himself has reached its lowest point; had Falco Grice not distracted him, he probably would have successfully committed suicide.

However, in spite of all his emotional issues, Reiner is very intelligent with notable leadership qualities, able to think clearly, analyze situations and formulate effective plans. As Eren himself confirmed it, he is able to think ahead and in the long term, able to accurately predict the consequences depending on the course of action taken, all while maintaining his composure. He understood the hidden meaning behind Zeke Yeager's words when he indirectly implied that the Warriors' meeting was being bugged by their Marleyan superiors, and acted accordingly, quickly agreeing to his warchief's plan and intentionally cutting off Porco before he could run his mouth too much. During their mission on Paradis, while it was Annie's job to gather the information, it is mostly Reiner who strategized, coming up with efficient multi-step plans not long after acquiring intel from her. As a leader, Reiner is also very devoted to his mission, to the point that he refused to talk and was ready to die when he was the Survey Corps' prisoner and Hange Zoë threatened to kill him for not cooperating.

However, it is only half of the story, as Reiner has sometimes taken bad decisions. For example, when Eren was his prisoner, he decided to wait for Ymir and Historia instead of immediately running away with Bertolt and Eren, which resulted in the Survey Corps getting back Eren. Also, his plan for him and Annie to execute the captured Titans ultimately led to Annie's discovery as the Female Titan and her capture.

Reiner also lacked discretion during his mission, as when Bertolt and him talked about Reiner's Armored Titan and the hole Bertolt made in Wall Rose with Marco behind them, which resulted in Marco discovering their true identities. Also, Reiner pushed Annie to demonstrate her fighting style on Eren during training, which later resulted in helping the Survey Corps to identify Annie as the Female Titan, since they used the same hand-to-hand combat techniques.

History
Reiner comes from the Liberio internment zone in Marley, which he refers to as his hometown. He was born to an Eldian mother, Karina Braun and a Marleyan father. Growing up, he was not allowed to see his father, as relations between Marleyans and Eldians were strictly forbidden. As a child, it was decided between him and his mother that he would become a Warrior cadet and potentially inherit one of the Nine Titans so that Reiner and his mother could become honorary Marleyans and reunite with Reiner's father.

As a warrior cadet, Reiner was very weak, his only skill being his strong loyalty to Marley. One day, he learned from another Warrior cadet, Zeke, that in a few years, the operation to reclaim the Founding Titan would begin, and six new Warrior cadets would be chosen to inherit the power of the Titans. He was mocked by Porco Galliard, a prime candidate to inherit the Armored Titan, for this, claiming that he would have to wait thirteen more years to inherit the Armored Titan. This led to a fight that ended when Marcel pulled his brother back and the others left with Zeke. It was during this that he trained with fellow Warrior cadets Annie and Bertolt. Bertolt attempted to convince Reiner to give up his aspirations, as he would only live for thirteen more years. But Reiner believed that after those thirteen years, he would be a hero to the people of Marley and be the best son in the world. Marcel Galliard ultimately influenced the army, leading to Reiner being selected to inherit the Armored Titan in place of his brother Porco. Alongside the other Warriors, the six Titans crushed an entire nation, leading to them being regarded as a stronger group than their predecessors.

In 845 at age twelve, Reiner, Bertolt, Annie and Marcel were tasked with retaking the Founding Titan in Paradis. Before they left Reiner found and confronted his father alone in a kitchen where the man worked. Reiner told his father he knew who he was and that because he and his mother were honorary Marleyans now they could all live together. Before he could finish his father cut him off, calling them Eldian devils and saying that his family would be done for if the truth about Reiner's parentage came out. To stop that, Reiner's father chose to run away.

Upon traveling to the island, the Warriors parted ways with the army at the border and began traveling by horseback under the cover of night. While resting, Reiner learned of Marcel being the reason he was chosen to inherit the Armored Titan. As the sun began to rise, Marcel pushed Reiner out of the way of a Titan emerging form the ground, leading to the Warriors fleeing while Marcel was eaten. This event appeared to have left him traumatized, as he remembered it in moments of stress and expressed an almost suicidal desire to place himself into harms' way for the sake of others.

After the loss of Marcel, the remaining Warriors wanted to cancel the operation, but Reiner opted against it as he claimed to know the consequences. This prompted Annie to attack him for his cowardice. After getting beaten up, Reiner tackled her and declared his resolve to become the leader as Bertolt agreed to continue the operation. When they got in eyesight of Wall Maria, Annie and Reiner switches places as the Titan carrying the other Warriors, as she was exhausted and at her limit. While Annie was unconscious, Bertolt and Reiner used their Titan powers to breach the wall.

Fall of Shiganshina arc
Reiner first appears in the year 845 as the Armored Titan, shortly after the Colossus Titan first breaches Wall Maria, participating in the attack on Shiganshina District. During the chaos of the initial breach, Reiner enters the city in his Titan form and makes his way across it to the interior gate. Once there, he charges towards the gate and smashes through it, allowing Titans to invade Wall Maria. At some point during the abandonment of Wall Maria, he passes himself off as a refugee and infiltrated human territory, staying in a refugee camp until he is old enough to enlist in the Military.

104th Training Corps arc
Two years after the destruction of Wall Maria, Reiner enlists in the military and becomes a member of the 104th Training Corps. On the first day of training, Reiner is one of the few students who the instructor Keith Shadis does not attempt to haze, as he is able to tell that Reiner has already been through a rite of passage.

After failing repeatedly to operate the vertical maneuvering equipment, Eren Yeager seeks advice from his fellow cadets and is sent to Reiner and Bertolt for help by Marco Bott. Though initially unfriendly towards Eren and Armin, Reiner quickly warms up to them after learning that they are from Shiganshina District and are still willing to enlist in the Survey Corps. He shares his desire to return to his lost homeland, and agrees to give Eren advice.

During hand-to-hand combat training, he advises Eren to take his duty as a soldier seriously. Noticing Annie attempting to sneak away from training, he intercepts her and commands her to fight with Eren. After seeing her easily dispatch Eren, he hesitates to take her on himself but is convinced to by Eren and quickly is defeated.

Nearly five years into their mission, Annie, Reiner and Bertolt have a meeting. Annie reports to Reiner that Kenny Ackerman surprised her while she was spying and that she narrowly avoided capture. Kenny might have seen her face so that if she joins the Interior Military Police Brigade she could be compromised. Reiner disagrees with Annie about going back to Marley and decides to destroy Wall Rose to flush out the Founding Titan. Annie notes his plan will kill a lot of his new friends from the 104th Training Corps, but Reiner they are not their friends.

Some time after that night, Reiner sees Eren take a bad fall while training with his vertical maneuvering equipment. He tells Eren to take a break, but Eren is afraid to do so. Eren does not want to die without having accomplished anything and asks what he can do to be like Reiner. Reiner tells him to simply do what he needs to and keep moving forward. He says that he is certain Eren will exterminate all the Titan.

Reiner is noted by Keith Shadis to have exceptional mental and physical fortitude, as well as a great ability to gain the confidence of his comrades. He eventually graduates 2nd in the class, finishing just behind Mikasa Ackerman.

Battle of Trost District arc
As part of the defensive effort of the military after the second attack of the Colossus Titan, Reiner is assigned to the front guard. However, with the supply team stuck in Trost's Military headquarters, he is essentially immobilized with many of his teammates on a rooftop. Joining Jean's group in the rush to the HQ, Reiner is one of the few soldiers who manage to reach the Military's headquarters alive. With the subsequent arrival of Armin and Mikasa, by way of a mysterious Titan that attacks other Titans, he helps to clear and secure the supply room.

Initially skeptical, Reiner suggested they help the Titan when it is being overwhelmed by a group of Titans. Jean is hesitant and disagrees with his suggestion, stating they barely made it with their own lives and could use the opportunity to escape. However, any help turns out to be unnecessary when the Titan breaks free at the sight of the Titan that killed Thomas Wagner. After the Titan finishes its rampage, Reiner is amazed to see Eren emerge from the Titan's neck.

Later, after seeing what appears to be Titan vapor from inside the city, he and a small group scale the Wall to see what is happening. Over the Wall, they see Eren protecting Mikasa and Armin from cannon fire, with a shield made from the torso of his Titan form.

The Female Titan arc
In the aftermath of Trost, Reiner enlists in the Survey Corps. During the 57th expedition, he comes across Armin, who has narrowly survived an encounter with a Female Titan. Along with Jean, they devise a plan to follow the Female Titan and distract her to allow the formation time to regroup. Though he is advised against attempting to attack directly, Reiner uses Armin's distraction to launch himself at the Titan's weak point. However, he is caught in her grasp and nearly squeezed to death, only surviving by slicing himself free, scooping up a wounded Armin before running away on foot.

Afterward, Reiner tends to Armin's head wound while Jean attempts to call back his missing horse. The group is preparing to decide who to leave behind, when Krista Lenz, having followed their flares, arrives with two extra horses, saving them. Stunned by her timely rescue and beauty, Reiner mentally expresses the desire to marry her.

The group rejoins the main force soon after, though they are frustrated by Erwin Smith's decision to continue the doomed mission and the lack of information available. Assigned to stand by at the edge of the Titan Forest and act as bait for the Titans, Reiner repeatedly expresses concern about what is going on inside the forest. When the mission ends in failure, he returns to Wall Rose in poor spirits.

Clash of the Titans arc
Suspecting a traitor in their midst, Commander Smith sends those under suspicion of being an accomplice to Annie to an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of Wall Rose. The group is placed under the watch of Mike Zacharias and his squad, ordered to stand by without their equipment until further notice. Reiner occupies his time playing chess with Bertolt. Reiner later expresses his doubts over these orders, discussing his concerns with Connie Springer and offering to help his friend sneak out. They would never get a chance, as Sasha Blouse alerted the group to an oncoming horde of Titans. The recruits are sent out without their equipment and ordered to travel to the nearby villages and warn them to evacuate.

Reiner joins the Southern squad and accompanies Connie to his home village, Ragako. There, they discover the village in ruins and a single crippled Titan collapsed on the Springer house. Unable to locate survivors or signs of bloodshed, the soldiers gather torches and prepare to begin looking for the Titans' entry point. When Connie relates that the strange Titan had greeted him, Reiner harshly chides him for imagining things and orders him to stay focused on the mission. After many hours of searching, the squad encounters Nanaba's squad and realize that they need to rest for the night. Locating the ruins of Utgard Castle, the soldiers take shelter inside for the night. When Connie mentions the strange Titan from his village again, Reiner begins to harshly lecture him—Ymir interrupts their argument by mocking Connie, ending the conversation there.

Later that night he finds Ymir searching for food, and she teases him by suggesting that he is attempting to sneak a grope. Continuing to tease him, she suggests that he might not be interested in women, and in response, he suggests she is uninterested in men. She agrees with his assessment, relaxing and hearing out his request to continue distracting Connie so he does not worry about his missing family. However, he becomes suspicious of her when she is able to read the strange characters on a can. But before he can say more, the soldiers are summed to the tower by their superiors—Titans have appeared and are attacking the castle even though it is night.

During the nighttime attack, Reiner and the others are ordered to head deeper into the castle to defend against invading Titans. He rushes ahead of the others to investigate, and barely manages to keep a Titan from breaking into the stairwell with the assistance of Bertolt and the others, who use an old cannon to crush it. While the group is recovering, a second Titan manages to enter the room and attacks Connie. Reiner pushes him to safety and is injured in the process, suffering a broken arm before the others are able to save him.

Eventually, their superiors are all killed and the unarmed recruits are left to fend for themselves. In order to save the others, Ymir reveals herself to be a Titan and goes to fight alone. Reiner and Bertolt are shocked to recognize her as the Titan responsible for killing their fellow Warrior, Marcel.

As Ymir fights the many Titans, Historia almost falls off the tower but is saved by Reiner and Connie, though he does not let go of her foot for a few more seconds and apologizes for that. They continue to watch the battle down below with uncertainty, unable to make sense of Ymir's choice to allow their superiors to die and wondering what side she might be on. Krista firmly states she is on their side and shouts for Ymir to tear down the tower if necessary to save herself. She does exactly that, but climbs up to rescue her comrades and rides the falling tower down to safety. However, several Titans survive and continue their attack on the survivors. Ymir is partially devoured, and Krista nearly caught before Hange's squad arrives to finally rescue the survivors.

In the aftermath of the battle, Reiner crumbles under the stress, worrying that he will not last much longer. Prompted by Eren's mention of their hometown, Bertolt attempts to cheer his friend up by reminding Reiner that now they are able to return home. The two briefly converse, before approaching Eren for a private talk. Reiner confesses their true identities as the Armored Titan and Colossus Titan, stating that if Eren leaves with them the Walls will be safe. Eren initially plays it off as a joke, causing Reiner to wonder about his sanity and break down. Though deeply troubled, he accepts that he has no other options and decides to fight. Mikasa intervenes before he can attack Eren, seriously wounding Reiner and Bertolt.

When she moves in to finish off a critically-wounded Bertolt, Reiner throws her from the Wall before transforming. He manages to catch Eren, who is able to transform and engage the Armored Titan in battle. As Eren and Reiner continued to fight, he was able to hold off Mikasa when she attempted to slice off the nape of his neck in his Titan form.

Eventually, Armin was able to discover a weak link to his line of defense because as he is protecting the nape of his neck, he suggested that she attack at his knee caps. Reiner was taken by surprise for a second attack by Mikasa, this time he was hit at the back of his knee. As the armor continued to break, he was able to scream and summon Bertolt to rescue him by leaping from the Wall. The resulting explosion wounded most of the scouts present and allowed him to capture Eren and escape the scene.

Several hours later, Reiner and Bertolt transport Ymir and Eren to the Titan Forest, with them taking the opportunity to acquire Eren and Ymir's vertical maneuvering equipment while they were both unconscious. As Eren wakes up, Reiner and Bertolt exchange grim glances with him in light of the aftermath of Eren and Reiner's fight. Eren openly questions why his arms have been severed off, and Reiner says he did it due to the little time he had of capturing him. Eren acknowledges his defeat against Reiner, giving both Reiner and Bertolt a cold glance. He attempts to transform by biting his rapidly healing arm but is stopped by Ymir, who informs him of the suspicious Titans lurking around. Reiner counters her words, saying that they lack the strength to transform anyway due to all their energy draining, and their bodies having their hands full rapidly healing their arms. Eren curses Reiner, saying who cares what he thinks, and Ymir questions Reiner and Bertolt's intentions of what they will do with them.

Reiner informs Eren and Ymir that they intend to bring them back to their hometown, but admits that he knows they will not come along willingly. Their location has become surrounded by Titans, and so he advises them to wait until nightfall before attempting to get away from them and says that it will either end in their escape or their capture. Ymir guesses this means he is also too exhausted to transform, but avoids the question by saying he will leave it to her imagination.

Ymir asks Reiner if the Titans at Utgard Castle could move at night, why are they now waiting for nightfall in order to leave. Reiner says Ymir should already know the answer. As Ymir asks for something to drink, Reiner tells her he can not reach an area where it is available and acknowledges his lack of eating, drinking and sleeping for the last few days. He is glad that the Wall was not broken in his battle against Eren, admitting that he is endured a lot and all while managing to keep the Wall intact, and sincerely expresses his want for a "promotion" or appreciation. This visibly shocks Eren, and Reiner continues to say that Eren, Ymir, and even Krista helped in their plan. As the others look on in shock, he continues discussing the events at Utgard Castle and claims that Krista must like him since she is always so nice to him. When Eren loses his temper and threatens him, Reiner becomes confused and asks what he said that was wrong. Eren threatens to kill him if he keeps acting like everything is just fine. Ymir notices Bertolt's expression and confronts him about what they are witnessing. He finally speaks up, informing Reiner that he is "not a soldier", and that "we are Warriors"; this prompts a dark, focused expression in Reiner, who appears more distraught with the words.

As Reiner collapses onto the branch and buries his face in his hand, Ymir theorizes that his strange behavior, such as saving Connie despite him being responsible for breaching the Wall, resulted from repressing his own memories to cope with extreme guilt. She guesses he became so attached to his role as a human soldier, but lost track of who he was, or maybe that he could not stand the knowledge of the consequences of his actions and to protect his sanity, escaped and submerged himself in the belief that he was one of the soldiers protecting the Wall. With his memories altered to suit his delusional state, she believes that the result of this was his consciousness splitting and even fabricating memories. She says that with his overly sincere personality, she is surprised to see him become what he has despite that. He furiously tells her to shut up, and she amusedly admits she might have said too much.

Eren tells Reiner to stop playing around and accuses him of playing the victim, asking Reiner and Bertolt whether he remembers telling them that a Titan ate his mother, and Bertolt vaguely says he felt sorry for him at the time. Eren expresses that they are murderers responsible for the genocide of innocent people. Reiner irritatedly says he already is aware, and Eren tells him to stop grieving as if he is a victim and that he is no longer human, being responsible for turning their world into a living hell. A frustrated Reiner asks what Eren wants from them then if he wants for him apologize or atone for his actions or admit that killing is bad. He says that the person Eren once knew is dead and if it makes him feel any better, he can scream all he likes. This gives Eren a new resolve, and he vows that they both will die horrible, excruciating deaths. Ymir finds Eren's assurance stupid yet amusing, but she questions Reiner on what the "ape-like Titan" was, noting that Reiner and Bertolt both looked like gawking, excited children at his appearance. She reveals that the ape-like Titan must have been responsible for the sudden appearance of Titans from the south and that he might be what they need to return to their hometown. Realizing Ymir might know something, Eren frivolously questions her in which she vaguely mutters a reply but is interrupted by Reiner. He asks whether she believes that their world has a future, shocking everyone. He says that considering all she knows, she should come over to "their side" and return with them to their hometown. He insists that she is trustworthy since they share the goal of protecting Krista and he can ensure her future in exchange for Ymir's cooperation.

Bertolt expresses his concern over allying with Ymir, and they recall how she once ate their friend, Marcel. But Reiner argues that this further proves that Ymir can be trusted to cooperate with them since her motivations are obvious. This causes Bertolt to question Reiner's state of mind, but he reassures him and reminds him that Krista is an important member of a Noble family. They discuss whether or not Eren is the "Coordinate" they were sent to find, and decide that Krista's ties to the Church of the Walls may help their mission.

The two briefly discuss accomplishing their mission and returning home. Reiner suggests that Bertolt confesses his feelings to Annie once they return home, and bitterly notes that their crimes mean no one else could understand them. Their conversation is cut short when they notice signal flares in the distance and realize that soldiers have pursued them. He attempts to convince Eren to cooperate and go quietly with them but is forced to choke him into unconsciousness after a brief struggle.

As they flee through the forest, Ymir notices the flares and demands to be allowed to see Krista. Reiner and Bertolt refuse her at first but are forced to give into her demands after she threatens them. Once Ymir returns from successfully kidnapping Krista, he transforms into his Titan form and flees with the others clinging to his back. The other graduates of the 104th manage to catch up to him, climbing onto his Titan form. He ignores them until Mikasa attacks Bertolt, cupping his hands around his neck in order to provide his partner a safe place to hide. While the others confront Bertolt over his actions, Reiner continues to focus on fleeing towards Wall Maria.

Commander Erwin Smith lures a massive horde of Titans directly into his path, forcing Reiner to make a suicidal charge. Their sheer numbers overwhelm him, restricting his movement and eventually forcing him to begin fighting back—leaving Bertolt and Eren exposed. This allows the soldiers to make a second rush, and in the chaos, Armin is able to get onto his head and confront Bertolt. He reveals that Annie has been captured, and claims she is being tortured in order to confuse and upset the pair. Reiner is horrified by this news and is unable to prevent Erwin from ambushing Bertolt. With Eren freed, the soldiers begin to retreat. In an act of desperation, he begins to throw the Titans attacking him into the path of the fleeing humans.

This causes chaos on the battlefield, as soldiers are knocked from their horses and the Titans begin to attack them. Jean Kirstein and Armin Arlert express horror at his actions, wondering whether he even cares anymore about the danger of Eren being killed. His assault is only stopped when Eren's power from the Coordinate manifests, causing the Titan horde to attack the Smiling Titan in his stead. This shocks and horrifies Reiner, who senses the power but seems resistant to Eren's control.

He realizes that this is the worst possible situation, thinking that Eren is the worst possible person to possess that power. Free from the Titan horde, he charges after Eren with unknown intentions. However, he is stopped in his tracks when Eren screams at him to stay away and threatens to kill him. The Titan horde reacts to this command by abandoning their previous kill, swarming the Armored Titan with renewed aggression. Reiner realizes they have lost, expressing the fear that he will not be able to keep Bertolt safe.

The soldiers take the chance to retreat, leaving Reiner to the Titan horde. He desperately attempts to fend them off, shielding Bertolt with one hand. Just as he feared, he is quickly overwhelmed and unable to protect his partner from the Titans. But before one can kill Bertolt, Ymir reappears and begins to fight alongside the pair. The three Titans begin to fight together, while the human soldiers retreat back to the Walls.

They survived the battle and returned to the ruins of the Shiganshina District. Though unharmed, he is physically exhausted and deeply shaken by the events of the past two days. He questions Ymir about her actions and tries to persuade her to escape since her fate is uncertain if she goes with them. However, she refuses and instead expresses her gratitude towards the traitors for their role in freeing her from her Titan form.

Eren later expresses the desire to catch him and make him pay for his crimes, suggesting that he believes they survived.

The Uprising arc
Armed with Eren's recollections of the conversation between Bertolt and Ymir, Hange theorizes that Titans can absorb powers from devoured victims. Based on this, she theorizes that the Armored Titan's reason for throwing Titans during the previous battle was an attempt to have Eren devoured. This would have allowed the creation of a new Titan carrying the Founding Titan, one more amiable to their group. She theorizes that the Reiss family intends to do the same thing to Eren.

Later, when Rod Reiss transforms into a Titan and Squad Levi is forced to escape the crumbling chapel, Eren notices a canister that belonged to Rod labelled "Armor - Braun". Although the relation to Reiner and the bottle is unknown, Eren ingests it in order to fight Rod.

Two months after Historia was crowned queen, Reiner was defeated in battle by Zeke. As he was pulled from his Titan form by Bertolt, Zeke declared himself the winner, and that the rescue of Annie Leonhart could wait until after they had acquired the Coordinate from Eren.

Return to Shiganshina arc
A while later, Reiner and Bertolt are seen on Wall Rose, appearing to have stayed the night on the Wall. They watch on as they see the Scouts leaving the Walls.

When the operation starts, Reiner is seen watching the operation with decisive eyes, seemingly ready to act. After being discovered hiding inside Wall Maria because of Armin's idea, Reiner quickly dispatches the Survey Corps member that found him, before turning to attack Armin. However, Reiner is stopped by the interference of Levi, who quickly slices the nape of Reiner's neck before stabbing him through the midsection. Despite this, Reiner miraculously survives Levi's attack by transferring his neurological functions from his brain to his entire body and is kicked down to the ground below Wall Maria, where he transforms into his Titan form while his human body twitches and his eyes glow. As the Beast Titan begins his attack, Reiner rises and turns to face Eren, ready to fight against him once again.

Focused on his fight with Eren, he fails to prevent the Survey Corps' surprise attack. Their first strike almost blinds him, while the second strike is strong enough to break open the armor around his neck, their final strike hits him several times causing a huge, explosive charge.

After the explosion, Reiner's seemingly lifeless body is left fully exposed in the nape, his head destroyed from the jaw upward. Having survived his injury to some extent, he cries out the signal for Bertolt to be sent over Wall Maria. As Bertolt comes soaring over the Wall, he spots Reiner and comes to his side, confirming that despite his injuries he is still alive. When Bertolt goes to confront the Survey Corps, Reiner's Titan lies supine upon the street to prevent the Survey Corps from finishing him off while he slowly regenerates his head. Following his regeneration, the Armored Titan gets back to the battle. Mikasa, Jean, Sasha, and Connie head towards Reiner with a plan of action. Having regenerated his brain, Reiner flees towards Eren's position only to be stopped by Mikasa's Thunder Spear. Reiner lies confused, having lost all memory of the events following his farewell to Bertolt.

As Jean, Sasha, and Connie come in to attack, he strikes at the roof of a building, sending debris into Sasha and Jean while Connie uses his Thunder Spear to unhinge half of the Armored Titan's jaw. With Sasha's Thunder Spear missing its mark, Mikasa realizes she has the last Thunder Spear and the plan is now endangered. At that moment, Hange arrives at the battle, destroying the other hinge of Reiner's jaw with her own Thunder Spear. Mikasa jumps on the Armored Titan's unhinged jaw, ordering him to get out as she sends her Thunder Spear into his mouth, sending Reiner flying out of the nape of his Titan and defeating him.

After being defeated, it is discovered by Hange that Reiner had been carrying a metal case with him during the battle. As she interrogates Reiner, Hange demands to know what is inside the case, and Reiner admits that it is a letter from Ymir that he had promised to give to Historia. After Reiner refuses to answer any more questions, Hange prepares to execute him. Before she can, however, Jean suggests using the Titan injection to steal Reiner's Titan power, which Hange reluctantly agrees to. Mikasa is sent to retrieve the serum and is ordered to fire a signal flare if there is a change of plans, in which case Reiner will be executed.

After Mikasa departs, she fires a flare to signal that Reiner should be executed. However, before Reiner can be killed, he is rescued by Zeke and Pieck, who retrieves and retreats with him to the top of Wall Maria.

Marley arc
Four years later, Reiner is present at the battle of Fort Slava at the climax of the war between Marley and the Mid-East Allied Forces. Warrior cadet Gabi, whom later is revealed to be Reiner's younger cousin, a foot soldier on the battlefield, has become a potential candidate to inherit the power of his Titan. Reiner appears to be stationed in an airship somewhere over the battlefield alongside several other Marleyan paratroopers. However, he could not be brought onto the battlefield under orders from Commander Magath, who denied Titan use due to the presence of anti-Titan artillery which could kill any Titan with a single 100mm round.

After Porco Galliard manages to destroy the anti-Titan artillery and Marley forces start advancing towards the fortress, Zeke and Reiner start an airborne attack. After an initial attack, Reiner is deployed in a parachute, transforming in mid air and destroying one of the walls of the fortress, while recalling his life inside the walls and his animosity towards their inhabitants. Reiner attacks the Mid-East Allied Forces inside the Fort with the help of Galliard, using even towers as weapons. After Zeke launches the final attack against the enemy forces, Reiner steps in and protects the Beast Titan with his hardened body, but leaving him unconscious.

After the battle, he is kept in a hospital. He had a dream about Battle of Shiganshina District, the part lost when he used Brain Function Transfer, depicting their defeat and the loss of Colossus Titan, and wakes up from the traumatic event. Galliard, who is looking over him starts scolding him passively. This stops when Pieck interrupts and Reiner leaves the room and meets up with the new warrior cadets on the naval pier speaking to them affectionately but becomes concerned when he hallucinates his childhood friends in their place seeing physical similarities between them.

He is later seen on a train to Liberio with his fellow Warriors. He has a conversation with Falco Grice, who accidentally make light of the Armored Titan. Reiner threatens Falco about it and its cruel consequences as Falco rephrases himself. As Reiner learns that Falco intends to save Gabi, he tells Falco to work hard to inherit the Armored Titan, wanting to protect Gabi from the harsh life of having the power of the Titans.

As the train arrives on the outskirts of Liberio, Reiner gets off the train with his fellow Eldians, scolding Gabi for making too much noise in the process. After arriving in Liberio's internment zone, Reiner is able to reunite with his family.

At a family dinner, Gabi recounts her experience blowing up the Armored Train, warranting congratulations from her family, and Reiner agrees when pressed that Gabi is currently the most likely of the warrior cadets to inherit the Armored Titan. When the topic of Reiner's time in Paradis arises, Reiner tells his family about his experiences with the people of Paradis. However, his words confuse them all as his descriptions of the Wall people are not as negative compared to typical Marley propaganda.

After dinner, Reiner retires to his old room, where he recalls his childhood, and his early days in the warrior program.

Soon after arriving home, the warriors and warrior cadets are all summoned to their headquarters. On their way, Reiner takes note of the fact that Gabi is no longer bragging about her accomplishments, claiming that she is acting strange. Gabi accuses Reiner of lying about his time on Paradis, and admits that she hopes to inherit his memories when she is given the Armored Titan, so that she may better understand him.

At the warriors' headquarters, Reiner attends a meeting with the current warriors to discuss the dangerous position Marley's waning power puts its Eldian citizens in. Zeke informs them of his plan to stabilize Marley's power by recommencing their attack on Paradis, while simultaneously improving the Eldians' view in the public eye by having the noble Tybur family act as the warriors' spokespersons during the mission. Reiner, suspecting that the meeting is being bugged by Marleyan officials, immediately interrupts Galliard and agrees to the plan.

After the meeting, Reiner goes to watch the warrior cadets train, and begins to think back to his first years as the Armored Titan.

After having remembered painful memories of his time on Paradis, Reiner prepares to commit suicide by shooting himself in the mouth with a loaded rifle. Before he could kill himself, however, he hears Falco outside, frustrated with his lack of success in the competition for the Armored Titan. Hearing this convinces Reiner to preserve his own life, as he needs to still care for the warrior cadets. Later on Reiner sees Falco energetically running to go outside Liberio, and concernedly asks him what he was doing.

A month after his suicide attempt, Reiner seems to have regained his composure and attends a military meeting on how to assault Paradis. He informs the Marley officers on facts to consider when deciding the logistics of the attack, but is criticized for not creating a plan. On the balcony with the other warriors, he watches Falco overtake Gabi to win a footrace. Reiner remains quiet as the other warriors discuss Falco's progress and Colt expresses concern over Falco becoming a warrior.

On the morning of the Liberio festival, Reiner watches over the warrior cadets, emptying his wallet over the day to buy food for them. Later in the day, he drags Gabi, full from eating too much food, across the town. They talk about wishing festivals could be every day, and both agree that they feel something is about to change in the world. A little while before Willy Tybur would deliver his speech, Falco asks Reiner to come with him for a moment. Zeke tells Reiner that there will be enough time, so Reiner begins following Falco. He asks Falco what they are doing, but is told to wait and see. Falco leads him underground into a basement, and once entering the room, he is met by the sight of Eren. Reiner, completely shocked, is told by Eren that it has been four years, and that it is good to see Reiner made it back home.

Abilities
"Strong-willed with a solid constitution. Adept at gaining trust of his comrades.-Instructor Keith Shadis

As one of the top ten graduates of the 104th Training Corps, Reiner is highly competent in the use of vertical maneuvering equipment and respective weapons. He is also one of the best hand-to-hand fighters among the recruits, having also trained other skilled fighters such as Eren. Reiner is noted to possess both a strong body and will, both in his human and Titan form. After returning home and fighting a war for Marley for four years it can be assumed that Reiner has had additional air force related training as he is able to parachute out of an airship onto the battlefield.

Power of the Titans
Reiner is able to transform into a 15 meter Titan referred to as the Armored Titan (鎧の巨人) in the series. Reiner uses this form to break down the inner gate of Wall Maria and actively uses it after he reveals his identity and objective to Eren. The Armored Titan is capable of assuming human form at will, due to the intelligence it demonstrates in appearing to work with the Colossus Titan in breaching Wall Maria. As he retains his human intelligence, he uses his hand-to-hand combat skills against other human-turned-Titans such as Eren, which in conjunction with his armor-like skin, gives him a solid advantage in combat.


 * Regeneration: Reiner, like all other Titans and humans with the Titan powers alike, has the ability to automatically regenerate any wounds sustained and even entire limbs. This also applies to his human form as seen when he sustained a broken arm in a scuffle against a Titan in Utgard Castle, his arm was almost fully healed when he rejoins the Survey Corps on top of Wall Rose. Furthermore, Reiner loses the bottom part of his forearm when it is sliced off by Mikasa, however, he is seen with a complete limb by the time he is in the Titan Forest a couple of hours later.
 * Regeneration Withdrawal: Reiner possesses the ability to consciously control his regenerative ability, keeping it "off" to prevent injuries from blowing his cover as a Titan spy. He is the only one shown to be able to use this specific ability and notably in human form. Whether this extends to other regenerative abilities, such as the selective regeneration practiced by the Female Titan, is unknown.
 * Enhanced Strength: During the massacre in the Shiganshina District, Reiner in his Titan form demonstrated enough physical power to raze the buildings around him by simply taking off into a charge, then promptly smash through the inner gate of Wall Maria. While squaring off in an attempt to capture Eren in his Titan form, Reiner was shown to easily overpower his opponent with punches powerful enough to blow at least half of his head off. Reiner’s tackle had enough force to throw Eren’s Titan form back into Wall Rose, cracking it in the process. In addition, he uses his unique hardened skin to supplement his physical blows making them deadlier than those of normal-based Titans. In his second fight with Eren, Reiner was easily able to barge out of Eren's assault and throw Eren's Titan form around without much effort.
 * Enhanced Speed: During the battle in the Shiganshina District, Reiner in his Titan form demonstrated enough speed to quickly cross the gap to the inner gate of Wall Maria preventing cannons from accurately firing at him. While fully armored his speed is noted to be much slower, however, Reiner has shown that he can choose to shed certain areas of his armor, such as joints located at the back of his legs, boosting his overall speed. This tactic was used several times by him successfully during his fight against Eren’s Titan form.
 * Armor Hardening: While transforming into the Armored Titan, Reiner's body automatically produces a hardened, armor-like skin that covers most of his body, save for areas such as his joints at the back of his legs. The armor is hard enough to repel concentrated cannon fire without even stopping him, blows from other Titans such as Eren, as well as blade strikes from the vertical maneuvering equipment. The durability of this armor is enough to withstand a direct collision from the Colossus Titan who fell from the top of Wall Rose, wounding most people in the area, incapacitating Eren's Titan form, and leaving a large crater in the ground. As stated previously, the Armored Titan can choose to harden or not to harden joints at will, sacrificing speed and combat ability for protection. However, this is his only remarkable weak spot: similar to a medieval armor, his body needs gaps around the joints in order to move with necessary speed. This makes him vulnerable in just a few spots, like the inner part of his knees and his elbows. Additionally, he can harden his fingertips and toes into points in order to grip and climb flat, vertical surfaces like the Walls.
 * Steam Generation: Reiner's Titan seems to overheat, judging by the "fire breath" that appeared after destroying the Inner Gate of Wall Maria. As his Titan bears solidified skin over most of its body, it seems that the excess heat and vapor build up and must be vented out through the mouth. The extent of this function the single time it appears was enough to superheat and ignite the steam that came out.
 * Brain Function Transfer: During the battle for Shiganshina District, Reiner was able to prevent his certain death on multiple occasions after transferring the functions of his brain into the rest of his body. With this profound ability, he was able to survive a direct strike to his spinal cord in the neck by Levi Ackerman's blade. Shortly afterwards, he could use this same ability to maintain some control over his Titan form after his brain was destroyed by a Thunder Spear explosion by using his Armored Titan's brain as a backup, even to the point of regenerating his head after the fact. However, it is said that this ability is incredibly difficult to successfully carry out and is only used as a last resort. This proved to be the case when Reiner regained consciousness after regenerating his head, but lacking the memories of everything that had happened after parting ways with Bertolt earlier that morning.

Relationships

 * Bertolt Hoover - Bertolt was his fellow Warrior trained together in childhood, and partner at Paradis army, working closely with him in their mission. In their training as Marley Warriors, Bertolt saved Reiner from the bullying of Porco Galliard, also comforted and befriended Reiner. After joining the army of Paradis, they were were rarely seen apart, with Reiner taking the lead most of the time. Ymir notes that his psychological issues have caused friction between them, though it is revealed that Bertolt was vital in helping him maintain his grasp on reality. During their failed mission to kidnap Eren, he expresses a great desire to keep Bertolt safe, placing himself at a major disadvantage in order to protect him. Reiner's reaction to Bertolt's demise was not shown but has been shown to be aware of it sometimes thinking about him, Annie and Marcel four years later.


 * Gabi - As Reiner's younger cousin, she is fond of Reiner and worries about his well-being more than others. Reiner, on the other way, has a rather complicated feelings about Gabi's high motivation and loyalty to Marley. Reiner tried to hand in the Armored Titan he is currently holding to someone else in order to save Gabi from a tragic fate she would never imagine.


 * Marcel Galliard - Another one of Reiner's fellow Warriors, Marcel pushed Reiner out of the mouth of a Titan during the start of their mission and was eaten by Ymir. Reiner regrets the loss of his friend and even saves Connie from a Titan similarly to how Marcel saved his life, illustrating his emotional connection with him. Reiner respected Marcel's leadership enough, that he consciously began basing his personality around him in order to lead the warrior group on Paradis. Upon remembering the death of Marcel, it seemingly further motivates Reiner and Bertolt to complete their mission and return to their hometown. Nine years after Marcel's death, his memory still haunts Reiner.


 * Porco Galliard - Porco is one of Reiner's fellow Warriors and both used to be contenders for the inheritance of the Armored Titan. Porco disliked Reiner for his weakness and obsequious behavior, and tried to taunt him when he showed some hope to become an honorary Marleyan, in their childhood cadet times. The two had some form of conflict and rivalry. At year 854, Reiner is grateful towards him because he helped him at the Fort Slava battle and also feels guilty for the death of Marcel, who was Porco's brother. However, Porco still blamed him for the death of his brother and was disgusted with him for subsequently mimicking Marcel's personality to create his big-brotherly "soldier" persona (which Porco witnessed through the memories of Ymir). As such, while Reiner remains friendly towards him, Porco typically criticizes and mocks him in return.


 * Annie Leonhart - Despite training and working together for several years, Annie and Reiner have a strained, but professional relationship. While training to become Warriors, Annie was initially indifferent to Reiner. However, things became tense after the death of their leader Marcel in Paradis. Annie then blamed Reiner for his cowardice, for trying to manipulate her and Bertolt, and for Marcel's demise. Since then, Annie has been largely cold to Reiner and even hostile to him in private, frequently criticizing his decisions for their mission. However, they do not let their personal issues interfere with their mission and cooperate when working together in the field. Just before the Battle of Trost District, Reiner apologizes, feeling that he has put too much pressure on her. Reiner also swears to her and Bertolt that he will do his best to lead them and get them home safely. Despite their conflict, Reiner is concerned with her well-being, and even fought the Beast Titan so he could try rescuing her. Several years after he last saw her, Reiner is shown to still think about Annie, and he harbors considerable guilt over her defeat and capture.


 * Eren Yeager - Eren was one of his closest friends, with Eren considering him both a "strong, capable guy" and something of a big brother. Eren looked up to Reiner, expressing that he wanted to become strong like him. However, their friendship turns violently antagonistic after he revealed his true identity to Eren, and the two are forced to fight. Eren recalls seeing Reiner's overflowing expression of justice after graduating the 104th Training Corps and is now disgusted by his former friend. After he is kidnapped and taken to the forest, Eren abandons his former feelings for Reiner and looks at him with hate and rage and says he will make sure they die in the most painful way possible. Upon learning that Eren possesses the Coordinate, he reacts with great concern and notes that Eren is the worst possible person to have it. Several years after the last time he saw him, Reiner is shown to still think about his time as a trainee and his interactions with Eren. This suggests a lingering affection towards Eren, even after they become enemies.


 * Historia Reiss - It has been hinted that he may have feelings for her, though it is unclear whether this is a simple crush or something stronger. It is also unclear whether these feelings are part of his delusions, or genuine.


 * Zeke Yeager - Zeke is Reiner's warchief and is looked up to by the other Warriors, including Reiner. He refers to him as their strongest and believed even Levi was no match for him. While generally loyal and obedient, they do have their struggles. Reiner attempted to convince Zeke to rescue fellow Warrior Annie Leonhart, but Zeke expressed no interest whatsoever. The two fought in their Titan forms, a brawl which ended in Zeke violently beating him to a pulp. Zeke then announced that rescuing Annie will wait until later. Reiner would refrain from challenging Zeke again, knowing he would be killed by his warchief if he is not victorious. After their defeat at the hands of the Survey Corps in Shinganshina, Zeke rescued Reiner from certain death, but left Reiner's best friend Bertolt to die. It is unknown how he reacted to his friend being left behind. Though, despite letting his friend down, Reiner saved Zeke from death, almost getting himself killed in the process.


 * Connie Springer - Connie was also one of his closest friends and someone that Reiner had repeatedly put himself into harm's way to protect. After his true nature is revealed, Connie refuses to believe that Reiner is truly their enemy. After Reiner's escape with Bertolt and Eren, Connie questions the traitors, asking if the time they had as trainees was fabricated. Connie mentions that they said they would grow old and drink together, but a distressed Bertolt says that it was all real.


 * Armin Arlert - Reiner had a close friendship with Armin, even risking his own scores to help the smaller boy during training. They frequently sat together during meals and played chess during their free time. When the Female Titan attacked, Reiner seemingly came to his rescue. However, this turned out to have been a ruse and their friendship was shattered by the revelation of Reiner's true identity.


 * Ymir - Their relationship was complex. They recognized quite a bit about each other's motivations and shared a desire to keep Historia safe from harm. He used these feelings to manipulate Ymir into becoming their ally, but he also expressed more trust in her than Bertolt felt is wise. Unlike Bertolt, he did not appear to harbor any ill will towards her for nearly killing him as a child, nor for killing Marcel. Having failed his mission and even knowing that he cannot go home empty handed, he attempted to persuade Ymir to save herself by escaping.


 * Karina Braun - Reiner was very devoted to his mother in childhood, and a large part of his motivation for becoming a Warrior was due to his desire to obtain a better life for her in Marley as well as reunite her with his father. His beliefs about the "inherent evil" of Eldians was also passed down from his mother, as she often parroted Marleyan propaganda to him when he was young. However, due to his experiences on Paradis and discovering that the Eldians living there are in fact just normal people, he has been somewhat distant and cautious around his mother upon returning to Liberio. Karina herself is also evidently not bothered by the fact that her son only has two years to live, and in fact, encourages his younger cousin and her niece Gabi to consume him and inherit his power as the next Armored Titan. As such, Reiner has become disillusioned with his mother and no longer sees eye to eye with her on many of her beliefs.

People Killed

 * Previous holder of the Armored Titan (as a mindless Titan)
 * Numerous members of the Garrison
 * One unnamed member of the Survey Corps
 * At least 8 members of the Mid-East Allied Forces

Indirectly

 * Carla Yeager
 * Samuel Linke-Jackson
 * Thomas Wagner
 * Mylius Zeramuski
 * Mina Carolina
 * Nac Tias
 * Franz Kefka
 * Hannah Diamant
 * Tom
 * Marco Bott
 * Mitabi Jarnach
 * Ian Dietrich
 * Hannes
 * Numerous counts of Shiganshina District citizens
 * Numerous counts of Wall Maria citizens
 * Numerous members of the Garrison
 * At least 4 unnamed Survey Corps members

Failed attempts

 * Eren Yeager
 * Jean Kirstein
 * Sasha Blouse
 * Mikasa Ackerman

Trivia

 * Hajime Isayama has stated in recent interviews that Reiner is his favorite character in the series.
 * When designing Reiner, Isayama took the eyes and eyebrows of David Beckham, as well as some characteristics from a personal friend of his, and added them to the appearance of Private First Class James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) from Saving Private Ryan.
 * In a blog post on April 17, Isayama revealed that Reiner's Titan image (the Armored Titan) was actually based on Brock Lesnar, an American professional wrestler, and former Mixed Martial Artist.
 * According to Hajime Isayama, amongst his fellow 104th squadmates, Reiner is the most popular boy.
 * Reiner's bulky body is not the result of his training from his time in the 104th Training Corps, but is inherited from his parents, specifically his well-built father. Isayama likens Reiner's predestined body to Fedor Emlinenko, Koji Murofushi, and Hulk, people he believes to be naturally strong.
 * According to Isayama, if the 104th Training Corps had an arm wrestling competition, Reiner would place second, losing only to Mikasa Ackerman.
 * August 1, Reiner's birthday, is celebrated as an unofficial fan holiday known as " Day". This is due to Japanese wordplay, with 801 being short hand for the genre which focuses on homosexual themes.
 * This date is also Lammas Day (Anglo-Saxon hlaf-mas, "loaf-mass"), the festival of the wheat harvest, and is the first harvest festival of the year.
 * This is also Zeke Yeager's birthday.
 * His name is Old Norse in origin, and means "Counseling Warrior".
 * In German, the word "Braun" means "Brown".
 * In the early draft of the series, when the graduates discuss the branches they intend to join, Reiner states his intention to join the Survey Corps. In the published version, he never states his intentions.

Quotes
"I have to go back home, even though there's nothing left to go home to. That purpose is all that's left inside me... I will go back... no matter what."

- Reiner to Eren

"We're soldiers, aren't we? There are times we can't run away, no matter how bad the odds are."

- To Eren

"We were just kids... we didn't know anything. If only we never heard that these bastards existed, then we... wouldn't have become these half-hearted pieces of shit..."

- To Eren and himself

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