TV-Series
Description
Bertholdt Fubar is a character from the Attack on Titan anime and manga, originating from a nation known as Marley that lies beyond the walls enclosing human territory on the island of Paradis. As a child, he was an Eldian living in the Liberio internment zone and was selected to become a Warrior, inheriting the power of the Colossal Titan with the mission to infiltrate Paradis and reclaim the Founding Titan. His decision to become a Warrior was influenced by a desire to secure medical care for his ill father through Marley's government.
Physically, Bertholdt is a notably tall and slender young man, standing at 192 centimeters, with short dark hair and pale green eyes. His most defining personal trait is his quiet and withdrawn nature. Bertholdt himself identifies as weak-willed, someone who tends to follow popular opinion rather than asserting his own initiative. His instructor in the military, Keith Shadis, noted that he possessed great potential but an utter lack of drive. This low self-esteem and tendency to remain in the background made him seem unassuming and taciturn, often leading others to overlook him.
Beneath this passive exterior, however, lies a deeply conflicted individual. Initially, his distant behavior created the impression that he was the least emotionally affected of the three Warrior infiltrators, appearing to show little attachment or remorse for his devastating actions. When confronted by his former comrades, he reveals himself to be far more guilt-ridden and tormented than he ever let on. He is haunted by his role in the deaths of innocent people, including the mother of his fellow cadet, Eren Jaeger, and the abandonment of their friend Marco Bodt. Bertholdt struggles to reconcile the camaraderie he genuinely felt during his time in the 104th Cadet Corps with the horrific duty he is compelled to carry out for his homeland, eventually confessing that his years training with his enemies were among his happiest.
Bertholdt's primary motivation is a mix of duty, loyalty, and a desperate desire to return home. He is unwavering in his loyalty to his two fellow Warriors, Reiner Braun and Annie Leonhart, with whom he shares an unbreakable bond forged through shared trauma and mission. Reiner is his closest childhood friend, and Bertholdt often acts as a stabilizing presence, trying to ground Reiner when his psyche fractures under the stress of their double life. He also harbors deep, unspoken romantic feelings for Annie. His ultimate goal is simply to complete their mission, no matter how terrible, so that he and his friends can finally go home and never return to the walls.
In the story, Bertholdt serves as a major antagonist, being the human behind the Colossal Titan that first breached the walls and caused the fall of Shiganshina District. He ranks third in his class within the 104th Training Corps, demonstrating high proficiency, especially with vertical maneuvering equipment. For several years, he lives as a sleeper agent, hiding his true identity while serving in the Survey Corps. His role becomes central during the Battle of Shiganshina, where he hardens his resolve, shedding his former hesitation to become a detached and cold instrument of destruction, declaring his intention to annihilate all remaining humans inside the walls.
Bertholdt's most notable ability is his power to transform into the Colossal Titan. In this form, he stands approximately 60 meters tall, making him one of the largest Titans in the series. This form has a distinctive, terrifying appearance, seemingly lacking skin, with a deformed facial structure and swollen, pillar-like feet. Its primary abilities are generating immense explosive force upon transformation and producing scorching hot steam from its body. Bertholdt can control the intensity of this steam, using it to repel attackers, obscure vision, or burn anyone who gets too close, a trait that parallels his human habit of nervous sweating. Despite his power, the Colossal Titan is slow and lacks mobility due to its sheer size.
Bertholdt's key relationships are the driving force of his character. His bond with Reiner is the most significant, having known him since childhood and feeling a powerful need to protect him. He is often the one to remind Reiner of their identity as "Warriors" when Reiner begins to believe his own "soldier" persona. His relationship with his former comrades in the 104th, such as Eren and Armin Arlert, is complex; he considers them precious comrades, which makes his betrayal and his duty to kill them all the more agonizing.
His character undergoes a significant development, transforming from a passive, guilt-ridden follower into a hardened and proactive warrior who has accepted his role as a necessary evil. At the climax of the Battle of Shiganshina, he finally stops running from his feelings of guilt and resolves to "become a fiend" to see his mission through. This new resolve, however, is ultimately his undoing. Outmaneuvered by Armin, Bertholdt is captured, and his Colossal Titan power is stripped from him when he is devoured by Armin, who had transformed into a Pure Titan. In his final moments, the hardened warrior vanishes, and the terrified, vulnerable boy re-emerges, begging for his life and calling out for his friends Reiner and Annie before he dies.
Physically, Bertholdt is a notably tall and slender young man, standing at 192 centimeters, with short dark hair and pale green eyes. His most defining personal trait is his quiet and withdrawn nature. Bertholdt himself identifies as weak-willed, someone who tends to follow popular opinion rather than asserting his own initiative. His instructor in the military, Keith Shadis, noted that he possessed great potential but an utter lack of drive. This low self-esteem and tendency to remain in the background made him seem unassuming and taciturn, often leading others to overlook him.
Beneath this passive exterior, however, lies a deeply conflicted individual. Initially, his distant behavior created the impression that he was the least emotionally affected of the three Warrior infiltrators, appearing to show little attachment or remorse for his devastating actions. When confronted by his former comrades, he reveals himself to be far more guilt-ridden and tormented than he ever let on. He is haunted by his role in the deaths of innocent people, including the mother of his fellow cadet, Eren Jaeger, and the abandonment of their friend Marco Bodt. Bertholdt struggles to reconcile the camaraderie he genuinely felt during his time in the 104th Cadet Corps with the horrific duty he is compelled to carry out for his homeland, eventually confessing that his years training with his enemies were among his happiest.
Bertholdt's primary motivation is a mix of duty, loyalty, and a desperate desire to return home. He is unwavering in his loyalty to his two fellow Warriors, Reiner Braun and Annie Leonhart, with whom he shares an unbreakable bond forged through shared trauma and mission. Reiner is his closest childhood friend, and Bertholdt often acts as a stabilizing presence, trying to ground Reiner when his psyche fractures under the stress of their double life. He also harbors deep, unspoken romantic feelings for Annie. His ultimate goal is simply to complete their mission, no matter how terrible, so that he and his friends can finally go home and never return to the walls.
In the story, Bertholdt serves as a major antagonist, being the human behind the Colossal Titan that first breached the walls and caused the fall of Shiganshina District. He ranks third in his class within the 104th Training Corps, demonstrating high proficiency, especially with vertical maneuvering equipment. For several years, he lives as a sleeper agent, hiding his true identity while serving in the Survey Corps. His role becomes central during the Battle of Shiganshina, where he hardens his resolve, shedding his former hesitation to become a detached and cold instrument of destruction, declaring his intention to annihilate all remaining humans inside the walls.
Bertholdt's most notable ability is his power to transform into the Colossal Titan. In this form, he stands approximately 60 meters tall, making him one of the largest Titans in the series. This form has a distinctive, terrifying appearance, seemingly lacking skin, with a deformed facial structure and swollen, pillar-like feet. Its primary abilities are generating immense explosive force upon transformation and producing scorching hot steam from its body. Bertholdt can control the intensity of this steam, using it to repel attackers, obscure vision, or burn anyone who gets too close, a trait that parallels his human habit of nervous sweating. Despite his power, the Colossal Titan is slow and lacks mobility due to its sheer size.
Bertholdt's key relationships are the driving force of his character. His bond with Reiner is the most significant, having known him since childhood and feeling a powerful need to protect him. He is often the one to remind Reiner of their identity as "Warriors" when Reiner begins to believe his own "soldier" persona. His relationship with his former comrades in the 104th, such as Eren and Armin Arlert, is complex; he considers them precious comrades, which makes his betrayal and his duty to kill them all the more agonizing.
His character undergoes a significant development, transforming from a passive, guilt-ridden follower into a hardened and proactive warrior who has accepted his role as a necessary evil. At the climax of the Battle of Shiganshina, he finally stops running from his feelings of guilt and resolves to "become a fiend" to see his mission through. This new resolve, however, is ultimately his undoing. Outmaneuvered by Armin, Bertholdt is captured, and his Colossal Titan power is stripped from him when he is devoured by Armin, who had transformed into a Pure Titan. In his final moments, the hardened warrior vanishes, and the terrified, vulnerable boy re-emerges, begging for his life and calling out for his friends Reiner and Annie before he dies.