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Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: "With great power comes great responsibility."
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History[]
Early Life[]
Armin Arlert was born in November 3 834, living in Shinganshina District with his parents and paternal grandfather. He was a close friend to Eren Yeager after the former met him on a street and conversed with him after he was being bullied by local neighborhood kids.
In 842, Armin discussed with Eren about the outside world, speculating about places with salty oceans, deserts and other seemingly surreal places. He inspired Eren to dream about being free and explore the world beyond the Walls. He would often get into trouble with local bullies for talking about the outside world and was regarded as a heretic where he would be rescued frequently by Eren and Mikasa Ackerman. Unbeknownst to Armin, his parents attempted to leave Shiganshina via a hot air balloon but they were executed by the Interior's division of the Military Police Brigade, leaving Armin to be raised solely by his grandfather.
Story[]
Year 845[]
During the attack on Shinganshina District, he asks Hannes to fetch Mikasa and Eren as they were going too close towards the Titans. He and his grandfather sit aboard a ship, waiting for Eren and Mikasa.
Year 846[]
His grandfather left with other refugees on a campaign to retake Wall Maria. However, he died on the mission and Armin was left alone with Mikasa and Eren.
Year 847[]
Armin decides to join military training along with Mikasa and Eren, because after his parents and grandfather got killed, he couldn't sit around doing nothing. He was able to pass the basic aptitude test after some effort and tries to help Eren with it.
Year 850[]
Armin was considered weak in physical strength and graduated below the top ten. However, he was top of the class when it came to theoretical courses. Although his plans have saved Eren and Mikasa several times, he doesn't realize it and despises himself for being reliant on them.
Right after graduating, Armin fights under the Garrison's command during the Battle of Trost District. Armin fears humanity's fate when he hears of the attack on Trost. He trembles in fear and was having problems in fixing his gear, when Eren tells him that not all was lost. Armin joins Eren's squad to guard the middle of Trost and departs with him to their prescribed location. On the way, Titans attack and eat up everyone in his squad except him. Armin supportively blamed himself for allowing Eren to sacrifice himself to the bearded Titan. Mikasa tells Armin that his strategies have always saved their lives and he should have more faith in himself.
In Trost's military headquarters, a number of Titans were attacking them and had took control of the supply depot. Armin devised a plan, wherein the soldiers would lower themselves via an elevator and lure the seven Titans towards them. As soon as they get close enough, everyone would shoot their eyes with firearms, momentarily blinding them and seven skilled soldiers, who would be hiding beforehand, would attack and kill those Titans from behind. The plan succeeded and everyone was able to refill their gas tanks to return alive.
After recovering Eren, he was detained by a group of soldiers and was going to be executed. Armin and Mikasa defend him, as he wakes up and is surprised. Eren plans to escape over the walls unless Armin was able to convince the soldiers regarding Eren's value to humanity. Eren tells him that his quick thinking had saved him and Mikasa before, as he was the one who went to Hannes when Shinganshina was being attacked. Armin, more confident than ever, walks over and tries convincing the soldiers about Eren's strategic and tactical importance in turning the tide of the battle in Trost. As a soldier, he passionately decides to die for this cause and makes a grand salute. Pixis notices his determination and passion and prevents their execution.
Now with a boost in self-confidence, he tells the senior strategists about a plan to retake Trost. He tells them that Eren could carry the boulder over to the hole while other soldiers could lure the Titans towards the walls. They proceed with the plan. Later, when Eren lost control and was knocked out, Armin goes running towards Eren and lands on his back. He remembers the position from where Eren had risen earlier, so stabs him a little askew so that it wouldn't be fatal, but would wake him up. He reminds Eren of his dream to go outside and his personal vendetta against the Titans. Eren, successfully motivated by Armin's effort, carries the boulder and plugs the breach.
After the two Titan test subjects, Sawney and Bean, were slain, Armin notices Annie Leonhart in possession of Marco's Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear. He realizes that Annie might have been the one who killed the two Titans but decided not to believe his train of thoughts. After joining the Survey Corps with Eren, Mikasa and several other graduates (while the majority, including Annie, left), they went outside Wall Rose for the 57th Expedition Outside the Walls, when they were confronted by the sudden appearance of the Female Titan, seemingly knowledgeable about military formation. She attacked Armin while he was wearing his hood, under the impression that he was Eren. However, once it was removed, she realized she had the wrong subject and left him aside. Armin noticed a few things regarding the Female Titan: she avoided killing Jean and him even though she had the chance, and it seemed as though Reiner had carved a message onto her palms, after which she directly charged towards the rear of the middle flank. Adding the knowledge that Annie had used Marco's gear during the checkup, Armin realized Annie was, indeed, the Female Titan.
As part of Commander Erwin's secret plan, Armin asks Annie for her help in hiding Eren because she was in the Military Police and they needed her to let them pass through Wall Sina without suspicion. Annie accepts and Armin explained that he wanted to take advantage of the geography there rather than use the 3DMG to bust through. As she was leading them to a hiding place, Annie refused to go inside to help them escape and asked him why he was looking at her with suspicion. Armin then took the time to ask her the reason she was in possession of Marco Bodt's 3DMG. He recognized it not too long ago because he and Marco would often do routine check-ups to make sure they were in pristine shape. Annie claims that she found it after Marco died and that she used her own 3DMG to kill the two captured Titans. She then asked him if he had already come to all those conclusions, why hadn't he taken action earlier. Armin reasoned that he didn't do so because he wished to believe that there was still something wrong with his train of thoughts. It was when Annie refused to kill him that things turned out the way they did.
Armin attempts to capture Annie by firing the signal from his flare gun, letting incognito Survey Corps soldiers capture her. As the soldiers tried to restrain her, she managed to injure herself with a sharp metal projection hidden in her father's ring. Noticing this, Mikasa grabs both Eren and Armin and takes them further underground as Annie in her Titan form attempts to capture them. When Armin learns his plan had failed he attempted to start plan B, trying to encourage Eren to fight Annie. Eren tried to transform into his Titan form, but he was unable to do it. It was only then Mikasa and Armin learned why, he was reluctant to fight Annie again because he still couldn't believe that Annie was indeed their enemy. And he didn't want to fight against one of his comrades. Having no other option, Armin tells Eren that he and Mikasa would go out through each of the two openings. Annie would go after one of them and Eren should utilize the opportunity to escape via the other opening. Realizing that his friends were in danger, Eren finally transforms into a Titan and fights Annie.
After Annie's capture, Armin tells Jean Kirschtein that Eren's summoning to the King were put on hold and that Annie was indeed the Female Titan. She's been detained underground after encasing herself in a crystal through her hardening ability to avoid interrogation. Armin couldn't understand how the Walls were built in the first place because there were no stones or bricks around. He hypothesizes that the titan's hardening capabilities were employed to build the Walls. He believes it could explain how Annie was able to encase herself in a crystal. Armin's hypothesis was confirmed when the rock sample Lt. Hange had picked up from Annie's body matched the crystal properties of the Walls. He and the others learn from Hange that the only way they could repair the Walls is if Eren can use his hardening abilities to help fix the presumably breached Wall Rose as well as Wall Maria's breached gayes. Pastor Nick tells them about a girl who recently joined the Survey Corps, who might know more about what's going on and it's up to her to decide if she'll talk. Armin then identifies the girls as Christa, and also adds she is often seen with Ymir, while describing her to Hange, unaware that this name is familiar to both Hange and Levi.
Before departing to Utgard Castle, Armin, Hange, and the rest of the troops present at Ehrmich District, find out that Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover may be secret spies and accomplices of Annie.
After the Survey Corps rescues Christa, Reiner, Bertholdt, Connie, and Ymir from a Titan attack commanded by the Beast Titan, Armin learns that Christa's real name is Historia and that the heavily injured Ymir is an Intelligent Titan. Along with Eren, Mikasa, and the rest of Hange's unit, Armin overhears Reiner's confession about him and Bertholdt being responsible for Wall Maria and Wall Rose being breached, revealing that the two are the Colossal and Armored Titans who have been attacking humanity.
During the battle with Bertholdt and Reiner, Hange and her subordinates attempt to exploit the fact that the Colossal has very slow movements. However, they are taken by surprise when he uses his steam of heat to keep them off him. Realising that Bertholdt is just as desperate to stay alive and they can only wait, Hange orders Armin and the rest of the troops to go after Reiner. Armin and Hange discover a weak link to Reiner's line of defense when he saw Reiner breaking his armor and that Eren can use certain moves to break it as well. Giving Mikasa an extra set of blades, he tells her to go after the back of his knee caps, while Hange tells Eren to hold Reiner. However, soon Bertholdt takes everyone by surprise by falling off the wall right on Eren.
With Eren and Ymir now kidnapped by Bertholdt and Reiner, Armin focuses his attention in helping Mikasa and the other injured soldiers until reinforcemens arrive. Armin tells her the news that she had been dreading and wrapping her lower face in the scarf, she cried. She asks him why he always has to leave them behind when trouble rises. As Armin tries to console her, Hannes arrives to give out rations to the soldiers. He tells them that Eren has always been like that, running into fights despite knowing the odd are against him. Hannes even mentions that although he won't admit it, he always knew Armin and Mikasa were there to help him out. Reinvigorated and determined to rescue both Eren and Ymir, he takes his stance with the Survey Corps, Garrison and Military Police. Armin wishes Historia to stay within the Walls, but she refuses and decides to join them.
Armin and the others reach one of Wall Maria's forests of giant trees, where Reiner and Bertholdt stopped to have some rest. While inside the forest on their 3D gears, they notice Ymir's Titan form. Armin suspiciously notices that she is surveying everyone and isn't responding to anyone. His suspicions are confirmed when she captures Christa and escapes. He realizes that Ymir is definitely working against them and cooperating with Reiner.
Armin survives the Battle of Shiganshina District by eating Bertolt while in Pure Titan form, thus obtaining the Colossal Titan.
Year 851[]
After fully retaking Wall Maria and eliminating all the Pure Titans, Armin and his surviving comrades reach the southern coast of Paradis Island, where Marley's military docking place is located. There, they see the ocean for the first time.
Later the same year, during the Marley Mid-East War, Armin is among the Survey Corps troops posted outside the Walls, on the southern coast of Paradis, where they track and capture scouting Marleyan soldiers who invaded their territory, including Niccolo. A few hours later, they capture the rest of the Marleyan unit, by having Eren seize their scouting ship, resulting in the soldiers being detained. Some of these soldiers reveal themselves as traitors to Marley and assist in capturing their own comrades. Led by Yelena, these soldiers, who name themselves Anti-Marleyan Volunteers, introduce themselves as a secret resistance group who follow the orders of the double agent Zeke Yeager.
Throughout the rest of the year, the Volunteers assist Armin and Eren in capturing the Marleyan scouting units by luring them via radio. Armin also participates in several meetings with the Volunteers, who bring technological development with the Walls, most notably by building a naval port on the island, a railway, and trains. Much to Armin's surprise and hope, some Marleyan captives, including engineers, help with the development, after befriending the local Eldians, who treated the Marleyans on the island humanely. This leads Armin to think that if Eldia uses the threat of the Rumbling to force Marley and the rest of the world to be peaceful, they will only look like the devils who threaten humanity, as all tales claim. Eren, however, tells Armin that the world is factually correct for seeing Eldians as dangerous monsters. Despite Armin and Mikasa pointing out they made some Marleyan friends among the captives, including Niccolo, and Armin insiting that more time is required to undo the world's conception of Subjects of Ymir, Eren remains pessimistic and insists that the only answer is to fight to keep their enemies at bay.
Years 852-853[]
Throughout following years, while Marley is mainly occupied with the Mid-East War, Armin provides assistance in sinking and capturing a total of 32 Marleyan survey ships and destroyers attempting to infiltrate Paradis Island via landing. In total, the Eldians capture approximately less than 4,600 Marleyan soldiers and bring them to the Walls.
In 852, Armin participates in a meeting with Hizuru's delegation led by Kiyomi Azumabito, arranged in secret by Zeke, and helps building Paradis' railway, while a possible future successor for Eren's Titan powers is discussed.
In 853, Armin is part of Hange's group who travel to Marley for the first time, in an attempt to establish positive relationship with the outside world with Kiyomi Azumabito's assistance. Just during their second day in Marley, Eren leaves the Survey Corps, goes rogue, and goes off somewhere else in Marley (unbeknownst to Armin and the others, he enlists in the Marleyan military to join the battelfield of the Mid-East War). While Eren has gone missing, Armin and his friends spend several months living in Marley's largest port city, taking residence in an estate of the Azumabito.
Year 854[]
Months later, not too long after the end of the 4-year-long Marley Mid-East War, Armin and the others finally receive word of Eren via letter, where they learn that he decided to follow Zeke Yeager's plan of keeping the world at bay for at least 50 years with a small-scale Rumbling to unleash against military forces from enemy nations.
A month later, Armin and the others learn from another letter that Eren is in the Eldian internment zone of the city of Liberio, and that he and Zeke intend to launch an offensive against the world by assaulting Marley's military forces gathering in the city for Willy Tybur's declaration of war. Armin conceives the plan of having the Volunteers steal a Marleyan airship, place lights on the rooftops of the Liberio internment zone, and and use said airship and lights to take Eren, Zeke, and Scout comrades to escape from Marley. However, as part of Zeke's plan, Armin is also forced to participate in the planned attack on Liberio by attacking the Marley Navy.
Armin kills numerous Marleyan soldiers and civilians using the Colossal Titan's transformation explosion during the Raid on Liberio, meant to destroy a large military naval port, which ends up haunting him in guilt and regret. Later, he tries to redeem himself by trying to defeat Eren Yeager and stop the Rumbling with the help of his old friends and his new Marleyan allies.
Year 857[]
Armin serves as an ambassador of the Global Alliance, and along with fellow ambassadors Reiner, Pieck, Jean, Annie, and Connie, he is sent to Paradis Island to initiate peace negotiations.