Reiner Braun

Reiner Braun (ライナー・ブラウン Rainā Buraun?) is a major character of Attack on Titan. He is a graduate of the 104th Trainees Squad and a former member of the Survey Corps. He ranked 2nd in the class, and was regarded by others as a charismatic and a reliable big brother-like figure. He is rarely seen without Bertolt Hoover, his close childhood friend, both of whom originate from their mysterious "homeland" outside the Walls. Along with Bertolt and Annie Leonhart, he is a person that possesses the ability to transform into a Titan and serves an as-yet unrevealed group. In the year 845, he was on a mission with Bertolt to breach Wall Maria and infiltrate the military in search of the mysterious power known as the "Coordinate". After his true identity is revealed, he serves as a major antagonist and foil to Eren Yeager, as well as illustrating the complex morality of the series.

Personality
Reiner is a passionate and honest person, with a strong sense of duty. He takes his role as a soldier very seriously, and encourages others to do the same. However, he is 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 is stated to be the "big brother" of the other trainees.

However, he is also revealed to have serious emotional and mental problems as a result of his actions. While still loyal to his cause, he was unable to cope with the guilt and has begun to suppress his true memories in an effort to escape. During these episodes, he forgets his true identity, believing himself to be a human soldier. There appear to be few differences between his "soldier" persona and his true self, though his true 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.

Human Form
In human form, Reiner has short blond hair, gold eyes and a squared face. His large height, broad shoulders and serious expression give him an intimidating presence. He is the second tallest currently known Titan Shifter both in human and titan form. Titan FormEdit While Reiner is in his Armored Titan form, he is 15 meters tall. He has hardened yellow-golden plates covering the entirety of his skin, except for muscles in his cheeks that become exposed when he opens his lipless jaw, as well as the muscle tissue behind his knees, elbows and feet. His eyes are golden and have no pupil, and he has short grey-white hair. While fighting Eren, it has been noted that despite his seemingly heavy weight, he has high agility and is capable of moving at a fast momentum despite being low on stamina.

History
Reiner comes from a mysterious location simply referred to as his hometown (or homeland), and began a mission to attack humanity in the year 845. Little is known about his life prior to undertaking his mission, other than the fact that Bertolt and Marcel were his childhood friends. The exact nature of their group, and their mission is yet unknown. It is stated that their goal was to exterminate humanity, but their mission also involved locating and retrieving the Beast Titan and the mysterious ability called the Coordinate, possessed by Eren Yeager.

At some point prior to the attack on Wall Maria, he was attacked by a Titan later revealed to be Ymir. In the chaos, his friend Marcel pushed him to safety and died protecting him. This event appears to have left him deeply traumatized, as he flashes back to it in moments of stress and expresses an almost suicidal desire to place himself into harms' way for the sake of others.