Dirk (Attack on Titan)

Dirk is a minor character of the manga and anime Attack on Titan, he was a member of the Survey Corps who ranked as a Team Leader, but’s unknown which Squad Leader he used to work under. He fought during the Battle of Shiganshina District to retake Wall Maria, where he would lose his life.
He was voiced by Yasuhiro Mamiya in Japanese, and by Brad Hawkins in English. 
==Appearance==
Dirk was a middle-aged man with short dark blonde hair that slicked to the back of his head, and had small eyebrows with brown eyes, as well as having a thin mustache and beard that went around his jawline. 
He used to wear the standard Survey Corps uniform, but in his free time, would wear a simple white button-up shirt and had a black vest over it, and wore dark colored pants. 
==Personality==
Dirk presented himself as a serious and dutiful member of the Survey Corps, who was unbothered by conflict and didn’t participate with the scuffle amongst the others in the canteen. He also didn't seem to be very enthusiastic and always kept a stoic demeanor, as he didn't really enjoy the crowd despite the fact that they were cheering him and his comrades on. 
He was noted to be a trusted officer, as he was seen aiding Erwin Smith during the Battle of Shiganshina. 
==Story==
===Background===
Dirk was presumably one of the older members of the Survey Corps, having survived multiple expeditions, he would also eventually obtain the rank of Team Leader.
===Royal Government arc===
Among all other members of the Survey Corps, Dirk was arrested for the false accusations of treason against humanity and the murder of Dimo Reeves. He was seen sitting in a jail cell with a few others. 
===Return to Shiganshina arc===
After the successful Coup d'état. The Royal Government was overthrown, and the Military became the Walls' main governmental power. Dirk and all his other comrades would be freed from prison and be stationed back to the Survey Corps. 
Dirk was seen being present at the meeting with the remaining high ranking Survey Corps members. This included Erwin Smith, Hange Zoë, Levi Ackerman, Harold, Klaus, Marlene, and himself. As all others had died prior. They discuss the disclosures regarding Grisha Yeager and his presumed knowledge of the outside world, his bond with Keith Shadis and the Reiss family. Erwin then states that their main objective is also to reach Grisha Yeager’s basement, to discover what exactly he has hidden there. Erwin leaves the remaining teams in the hands of Dirk, Marlene, and Klaus, but as they leave, Dirk suggests that they should maybe confront Keith Shadis for withholding important information, but Hange rebuffs this. 
Dirk is later seen in the evening, eating the meat that Harold bought from their food savings. He watches the unrest happening together with the other superior officers, and later watches the fight between Eren Yeager and Jean Kirstein, but seems unbothered by it. 
A day later before dawn, Dirk salutes with the other Survey Corps officers to the high-ranking members from the other branches of the Military. He and everyone else go on top of the Wall to start the retaking mission of Wall Maria. They then notice the encouraging crowd of people in Trost District who cheer them on, Harold states it’s because he ordered the meat from the Reeves Company and they told everyone else about it, annoying Dirk, because the operation was supposed to be a secret. Klaus the wonders when the last time was that they ever got a sendoff like this, but Dirk can’t recount one. Erwin states that this is probably a first, he then suddenly courageously shouts to the crowd, confusing Dirk and the others. Erwin then announces the start of the operation. Dirk with his comrades get out from the Walls and travel to Shiganshina on horseback. 
Dirk is later seen walking through a forest during the night with his comrades, Levi asks him how long it would take until they get there. Dirk claims it must be close by. They eventually reach the district and Erwin orders the troops to switch into ODM gear. Eren successfully seals the outer gate and Dirk reports it to Erwin, but Dirk thinks it’s strange that not only have they not seen the enemy yet, they also haven’t even seen any Titans. He supposes that the enemy is simply not here because they weren’t prepared, which Erwin hopes yet rejects considering a discovery Armin made. Armin then reaches Erwin and Dirk, he explains that he found the remains of a campsite, along with a pot and three cups with a strange black liquid in it. Shocking Dirk as they weren’t expecting a third enemy, other than Reiner and Bertolt. Erwin asks Armin if the pot had gone cold, which Armin confirms. Dirk is still confused by the situation, but Erwin explains that if the pot had gone cold, that it means they have been waiting for a prolonged period of time at Shiganshina, and they were able to predict their arrival. Dirk wonders how they would know that, but Armin speculates that they could have had a lookout who spied on them and reported back to the enemies. Seeing his sharp mind, Erwin tasks Armin to command a group of soldiers and after tasking them to search the buildings near the gate, Dirk asks if its just another gamble of Erwin, but he states that he’s sure Armin can pull it off. As Eren’s team comes closer, Dirk questions if they should halt the operation until they found the enemy. Erwin refuses, as they shouldn’t stall time in what is basically enemy territory. 
When Armin gives new orders to search the Walls, to look for a cavity. Erwin decides to stop Eren from sealing the inner gate and orders all soldiers to go through with Armin’s plan. One soldier eventually finds a hollow spot and signals a flare to the others. Reiner comes out from a hatch and puts a sword trough his chest, killing the soldier. As Levi fails to kill Reiner he transforms, and Erwin orders to quickly begin searching for his allies, until suddenly, a large wave of mindless Titans transform near the outer gate inside Wall Maria, including the Beast Titan. He launches a large boulder towards them, which falls into the inner gate. Dirk believes that he missed, but Erwin claims that he intentionally did that to trap the horses inside Wall Maria. The Beast Titan then slams down its fist, causing numerous of the smaller Titans to begin running towards the horses. Erwin orders Dirk’s and Marlene’s squad to join squad Klaus so they can stop the smaller Titans from killing their only escape route. 
As the Dirk’s team begins killing the Titans, the recruits transport the horses to a safer location. After Dirk and his squad successfully eliminates the Titans on their side. He goes up to Levi and states the situation, that there are only Titans on left side as the others are already eliminated, yet he doesn’t know how they can take down the Beast Titan, as it just sits in one position and doesn’t do anything else. Dirk goes to fight the remaining Titans and tells Levi that he should stay back to rest. Out of nowhere, multiple rocks begin flying at high speed to the soldiers, completely destroying some building and kills numerous Survey Corps soldiers. The Beast Titan has started crushing rocks in its hand and then threw it at them at supersonic speed. Dirk was capable of surviving the first volley of rocks, having fallen to the ground with a severely injured leg. He briefly looks at a shredded corpse of his comrade in confusion, until he notices the Beast Titan throwing another volley and as the rocks come flying towards him, Dirk is brutally killed by a rock splitting his head apart, as well as the other Survey Corps soldiers being killed instantly.
===War for Paradis arc===
Dirk is seen among the deceased Eldian soldiers remembered by Hange when she tries to convince Jean and Mikasa that their fallen comrades would not be so self-centered to the point of supporting Eren's choice to destroy the world. Hange presumably believes so due to the fact that the members of the old Survey Corps and the most selfless soldiers of the other branches believed in the overall good of humanity and were seen by society as weird and idealistic people.
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