Reiner Braun

A soldier torn between two worlds, wearing armor that cannot protect his soul.

Reiner Braun is the leader 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. As a child, he was quiet and meek yet loyal and driven, believing that becoming a Warrior would bring back his Marleyan father. He inherited the power of the Armored Titan at the age of ten and later infiltrated Paradis Island alongside Bertolt Hoover, Annie Leonhart, and Marcel Galliard.

Quick Facts

Role: Warrior; Member of the Survey Corps (disguised)
Affiliation: Marley Warrior Unit
Titan identity: Armored Titan
First appearance: Season 1, Episode 5
Status: Alive

Lore & Background

Born within Liberio’s internment zone, Reiner was chosen as a child to lead Marley's Warrior unit. To succeed, he had to become someone else entirely—a cheerful, reliable comrade who shared meals and dreams with Eren Yeager and his friends. This performance required a rigid compartmentalization of self: the kind friend who laughed over stew versus the cold soldier ordered to destroy them.

Reader's Guide

Reiner Braun is a complex warrior whose journey explores themes of identity, guilt, and the cost of war. Initially presented as a stoic and capable soldier in the Survey Corps, his true nature as the Armored Titan is revealed to be that of an enemy infiltrator from Marley. His primary role shifts from antagonist to a tragic figure seeking redemption, struggling with severe mental trauma caused by the unsustainable pressure of maintaining two contradictory identities simultaneously.