Reiner Braun

"I wanted to become a hero...!! That's why I always acted like everyone's big brother, too. I wanted people to respect me.... That...that wasn't just history or my environment...it was my fault. Your mother was eaten by a Titan because of me!! I...can't stand this anymore.... Just...kill me, I beg of you.... I want...to vanish...."

## Characteristics

### Species

Human
Intelligent Titan

## Physical Description

### Height

185cm (850)
188cm (854)
15m (Titan form)

## Voice Actor

### English Voice

Robert McCollum

**Reiner Braun** (ライナー・ブラウン, *Rainā Buraun*?) is a main character in the fan-made series **Universal Warriors**, and the main protagonist in the **Hiroyuki Sawano Series**.

Reiner is the Vice Captain (副長, *Fukuchō*?, also translated as "Deputy Chief" or "Vice Commander") of the Warrior Unit and the main protagonist of **Attack on Titan** from the **Marleyan** perspective. He is the illegitimate son of an **Eldian** and a Marleyan and grew up in Liberio's internment zone. Eventually, he was selected as a child to become one of Marley's Warriors. At the age of ten, he inherited the power of the Armored Titan.

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

## 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 come back and deluded himself into thinking he would still cheer him on as he fought the Eldians, even after he rejected him. 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 Island 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 willing to threaten Annie and Bertolt to ensure they followed his orders, yet also deeply caring and genuinely desiring 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 developing psychological issues. During these times, he would forget his actual identity and truly believes himself to be an Eldian soldier. Even after blowing his and Bertolt's cover, he initially still continued to shift between his two personas. However, after Bertolt bluntly told him that he was not a "soldier" but a "warrior", Reiner was, though with some difficulty, able to set his priorities straight.

While similar, there are a few differences between Reiner's "soldier" persona and his true self. He has shown himself to be more ruthless and fatalistic, though this is partly out of necessity. Despite these differences, he still tries to reach out to others and get to see things from their perspective, as seen when he trusted Ymir more than is perhaps 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 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 suffers from constant nightmares about his near-death experiences and frequently sees memories of his childhood. Eventually, Reiner's negative perception towards himself reached its lowest point and caused him to contemplate committing suicide. However, despite stating that he wants to die, he cannot bring himself to, as his dedication toward his loved ones still exceeds his self-loathing.

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, 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 Captain's plan and intentionally cutting off Galliard before he could run his mouth too much. During their mission on Paradis Island, while it was Annie's job to gather the information, it was 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.

## Character Design

### 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 cheekbones appear more defined. He has also grown taller.

### Armored Titan form

Reiner's Armored Titan form is 15 meters tall and 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. His Titan is also able to harden its hands and feet which create sharp claws that can be used to climb certain structures, such as the Walls.

## Abilities and Equipment

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.

#### Technique

* **Power of the Titans**

Reiner is able to transform into a 15-meter Titan referred to as the **Armored Titan** (鎧の巨人, *Yoroi no Kyojin*?) 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. 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. According to Falco, this ability also depends on his will to live as Reiner is unable to recover quickly after shielding Falco from Eren's transformation as he lost all his will to live from his experience in Paradis Island.

* **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. Initially, Reiner was the only person with the power of the Titans who was seen capable of doing this until Eren displayed a similar ability during his infiltration of Marley several years later.

* **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 fall of Shiganshina, 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, similar to 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 Shiganshina District. As his Titan bears solidified skin over most of its body, it seems that the excess heat and vapor builds 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 comes 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 afterward, 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.

#### Skills

* **Piloting Skills**:

## Relationships

### Universal Warriors

* Main Characters
* The Another World

* Jennifer Amantea
* Natsu Dragneel
* Lucy Heartfilia
* Gray Fullbuster
* Erza Scarlet
* Wendy Marvell
* Aladdin
* Alibaba Saluja
* Morgiana
* Hakuryuu Ren
* Kouha Ren
* Sinbad
* Kougyoku Ren
* Gingka Hagane
* Kenta Yumiya
* Madoka Amano
* Yu Tendo
* Masamune Kadoya
* Benkei Hanawa
* Kyoya Tategami

* Rebecca Bluegarden
* Juvia Lockser
* Cana Alberona
* Mirajane Strauss
* Levy McGarden
* Zeref Dragneel
* Mard Geer Tartaros
* Seilah
* Sonya
* Animus
* Suzaku
* Elie
* Lucia Raregroove
* Weisz Steiner
* Homura Kōgetsu
* Sister Ivry
* Holy
* Eraser
* Feather
* Mashima Heroes
* Yoh Asakura
* Tao Ren
* Horokeu Usui
* Silva
* Hao Asakura
* Genjo Sanzo
* Snow
* Nanashi
* Sakura Li
* Kurogane
* Fai D. Fluorite
* Eren Yeager
* Mikasa Ackerman
* Annie Leonhart
* Sasha Blouse
* Hange Zoë
* Zeke Yeager
* Pieck Finger
* Porco Galliard
* Colt Grice
* Yelena
* Cecily Fairchild
* Anavel Gato
* Aina Sahalin
* Gym Ghingham
* Cagalli Yula Athha
* Mu La Flaga
* Neil Dylandy
* Lyle Dylandy
* Allelujah Haptism
* Patrick Colasour
* Ali al-Saachez
* Full Frontal
* Akihiro Altland
* Gaelio Bauduin
* Zoltan Akkanen
* Lane Aim
* Suletta Mercury
* Guer Jeturk
* Elan Ceres
* Shaddiq Zenelli
* Yukimura Sanada
* Nobunaga Oda
* Ieyasu Tokugawa
* Shiemi Moriyama
* Shura Kirigakure
* Cheng-Long Liu
* Ri Shin
* Duke Hyou
* Ou Ki
* Ou Sen
* Kan Ki
* Ou Hon
* Mou Ten
* Ri Boku
* Ordo
* Ka Rin
* Kan Mei
* Slaine Troyard
* Elizabeth Liones
* Escanor
* Derieri
* Tristan Liones
* Ikoma
* Mumei
* Ayame Yomogawa
* Biba Amatori
* Meteora Österreich
* Vladilena Milizé
* Anju Emma
* Yuna Akashi
* Kazumi Asakura
* Yue Ayase
* Ako Izumi
* Akira Okouchi
* Misora Kasuga
* Makie Sasaki
* Chizuru Naba
* Haruna Mutsuishi
* Honoka Tsukii
* Chisa Akagawa
* Airi Eniwa
* Miharu Yomine
* Aya Kamuro
* Riko Hinakura
* Rinne Myojin
* Lü Bu
* Kojiro Sasaki
* Poseidon
* Raiden Tameemon
* Qin Shi Huang
* Tomoe Gozen
* Elizabeth Bathory
* Cleopatra
* Mata Hari
* Mary Read
* Musashi Miyamoto
* Kaolan Wongsawat
* Brunhilde
* Manjiro Sano
* Keisuke Baji
* Chifuyu Matsuno
* Kazutora Hanemiya
* Seishu Inui
* Hajime Kokonoi
* Meguru Bachira
* Hyoma Chigiri
* Haruka Sakura
* Hajime Umemiya
* Kyotaro Sugishita
* Hayato Suou
* Ren Kaji
* Naotora Takeda
* Tatsuomi Uesugi
* Tsubasa Tokugawa
* Soma Date
* Seiroku Inukawa
* Aijiro Inue
* Imari Inuyama
* Towa Higurashi
* Akira Renbokoji
* A-drei
* H-neun
* Gashin Tezuka
* Shion Shishibe
* Brad Watt
* Alexei Zelenoy
* Tokaku Azuma
* Ryoma Nagare
* Tetsuya Tsurugi
* Anya Alstreim
* Susumu Kodai
* Adeltrud Alter
* Atlee Ariel
* Zetsu Daidan
* Fine Forte
* Tughril Mahmut
* Lelederik of Ellvaldez
* Al-Kaplan Balaban
* Nancy Schaal Bancroft
* Daryun
* Shimon Ikaruga
* Noelle Silva
* Fena Houtman
* Alisha Diphda
* Adele von Ascham
* Mischa
* Tenma Tsukamoto
* Suou Pavlichenko
* Koumei Ren
* Lenalee Lee
* Kei Mizusawa
* Virgo Fudō
* Torque
* Mora Chester

## Trivia

* According to his Character Profile:

* Reiner's favorite subject is history of japan, while his least favorite subject is english language.
* His favorite food is dango and he likes to eat sweet things and disliked food is nothing in particular.
* Reiner prefers people who read books and he doesn't like bewitching woman.

* Reiner ranked eighth in the First and Fourth Character Popularity Polls.
	+ Reiner ranked tenth in the Second Character Popularity Poll.
	+ Reiner ranked ninth in the Third Character Popularity Poll.
* 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*.
	+ Isayama has stated that he designed Reiner's muscular appearance and "outstanding personality" to give readers the impression that Reiner is a person "destined for great things."
* In a blog post, 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 Emelianenko, 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.

Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; refs with no name must have content

* Reiner shares the same birthday with Zeke Yeager.
* From the Germanic *Raganhar,* 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.
* Reiner's psychological issues resemble those of dissociative identity disorder, in which a person's identity is fragmented into two or more distinct personality states, producing behavior changes and lapses in memory. This condition is often associated with post traumatic stress disorder and can lead to depression and suicide attempts.
* Isayama revealed on his blog in 2017 that he had selected the song "Romance" by Shinsei Kamattechan as a character song for Reiner.

## Gallery

*Main article: Reiner Braun/Image Gallery*
## References

1. ↑ Bessatsu Magazine, August 2017 issue
2. ↑ Bessatsu Magazine, August 2017 issue
3. ↑ *Attack on Titan Character Encyclopedia* (p. 158)