TV-Series
Description
Bertholt Hoover is a fictional character from the Attack on Titan series, a young man who serves as one of the primary antagonists. He is the human host capable of transforming into the Colossal Titan, a massive and devastating creature that stands approximately sixty meters tall. In his human form, Bertholt is notable for his exceptionally tall and slender build, standing at 192 centimeters (around six feet four inches) with short dark hair and an elongated face.
Bertholt's background is central to understanding his actions. He is an Eldian born in the nation of Marley, specifically within an internment zone, making him a member of an oppressed ethnic group. His motivation for becoming a Warrior and inheriting the power of the Colossal Titan stemmed from a deeply personal circumstance: his father was suffering from a serious illness, and the promise of receiving privileged medical care for his family as an "Honorary Marleyan" drove him to enlist. He was selected as one of the Warrior candidates, where he became close friends with Reiner Braun and Annie Leonhart. He is noted for his remarkable talent, mastering the control of his Titan form almost immediately, a feat considered rare.
Personality-wise, Bertholt is consistently portrayed as quiet, reserved, and lacking in self-confidence. His instructor and peers note his great potential as a soldier, but his defining flaw is an utter lack of initiative and a tendency to follow the will of others. He often remains in the background, allowing more dominant personalities like Reiner and Eren Yeager to take the spotlight. This passivity is a defense mechanism, as he feels profound guilt and inner conflict over his mission to destroy the walls and kill countless people. Unlike Reiner, who developed a split personality to cope, Bertholt remained more aware of his actions, which he describes as terrible, and his quiet demeanor serves to hide this deep-seated shame and sorrow. Despite his meek exterior, he harbors a strong sense of devotion to his comrades, particularly Reiner, and secretly holds romantic feelings for Annie.
Within the story's narrative, Bertholt's role is that of a devastating force of nature and a tragic antagonist. In the year 845, he and Reiner are the ones who breach Wall Maria using their Titan powers, an event that sets the entire plot in motion. To infiltrate the walls, he joins the 104th Training Corps alongside Reiner and Annie, graduating with the third-highest rank. For five years, he lives in close quarters with his would-be enemies, including Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, creating deep, albeit complicated, bonds with them. When his identity is finally revealed, his primary goal shifts to capturing Eren Yeager, who possesses the Founding Titan, and bringing him back to Marley.
Bertholt's key relationships are the most defining aspects of his character. His bond with Reiner Braun is arguably his strongest, with Reiner acting as the assertive leader while Bertholt follows in his shadow. He is deeply loyal to Reiner and often acts as a voice of caution. His feelings for Annie are also significant; he is protective of her, and the fabricated news that she is being tortured is one of the few things that can shatter his composure and provoke an emotional outburst. He also develops complex ties with his fellow cadets, whom he later refers to as "cherished friends," which only intensifies his internal moral conflict.
The character undergoes a notable development, particularly during the Battle of Shiganshina. Prior to this, he is hesitant and racked with guilt. However, faced with the need to complete his mission, he resolves to become cold and detached, shedding his passive persona to fulfill his duty as the "God of Destruction". He steels himself to kill his former friends without hesitation, rationalizing it as a cruel necessity. Despite this newfound ruthlessness, his fundamental fear of death remains. In his final moments, after being incapacitated, his composure breaks entirely as he begs his former comrades to save him before being devoured by a mindless Titan formed from Armin Arlert, who then inherits the Colossal Titan's power.
As the Colossal Titan, Bertholt possesses several notable abilities. His Titan form is unique in its immense size and its ability to emit powerful blasts of superheated steam, which he uses both as a defensive measure to ward off attackers and as an offensive weapon to incinerate everything in his vicinity. He can also control the intensity of this steam expulsion, from a constant nervous mist to a full-body explosion capable of leveling a city district. This power makes him a walking weapon of mass destruction, capable of destroying fortified gates with a single kick and altering entire battlefields with his transformation. However, a significant drawback is that his Titan form lacks skin and is relatively slow, making it vulnerable to coordinated attacks from agile Survey Corps soldiers using Omni-Directional Mobility Gear. Ultimately, Bertholt Hoover is a story of a gentle, conflicted young man who was forced by his circumstances and national indoctrination into becoming a monster, both figuratively and literally.
Bertholt's background is central to understanding his actions. He is an Eldian born in the nation of Marley, specifically within an internment zone, making him a member of an oppressed ethnic group. His motivation for becoming a Warrior and inheriting the power of the Colossal Titan stemmed from a deeply personal circumstance: his father was suffering from a serious illness, and the promise of receiving privileged medical care for his family as an "Honorary Marleyan" drove him to enlist. He was selected as one of the Warrior candidates, where he became close friends with Reiner Braun and Annie Leonhart. He is noted for his remarkable talent, mastering the control of his Titan form almost immediately, a feat considered rare.
Personality-wise, Bertholt is consistently portrayed as quiet, reserved, and lacking in self-confidence. His instructor and peers note his great potential as a soldier, but his defining flaw is an utter lack of initiative and a tendency to follow the will of others. He often remains in the background, allowing more dominant personalities like Reiner and Eren Yeager to take the spotlight. This passivity is a defense mechanism, as he feels profound guilt and inner conflict over his mission to destroy the walls and kill countless people. Unlike Reiner, who developed a split personality to cope, Bertholt remained more aware of his actions, which he describes as terrible, and his quiet demeanor serves to hide this deep-seated shame and sorrow. Despite his meek exterior, he harbors a strong sense of devotion to his comrades, particularly Reiner, and secretly holds romantic feelings for Annie.
Within the story's narrative, Bertholt's role is that of a devastating force of nature and a tragic antagonist. In the year 845, he and Reiner are the ones who breach Wall Maria using their Titan powers, an event that sets the entire plot in motion. To infiltrate the walls, he joins the 104th Training Corps alongside Reiner and Annie, graduating with the third-highest rank. For five years, he lives in close quarters with his would-be enemies, including Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, creating deep, albeit complicated, bonds with them. When his identity is finally revealed, his primary goal shifts to capturing Eren Yeager, who possesses the Founding Titan, and bringing him back to Marley.
Bertholt's key relationships are the most defining aspects of his character. His bond with Reiner Braun is arguably his strongest, with Reiner acting as the assertive leader while Bertholt follows in his shadow. He is deeply loyal to Reiner and often acts as a voice of caution. His feelings for Annie are also significant; he is protective of her, and the fabricated news that she is being tortured is one of the few things that can shatter his composure and provoke an emotional outburst. He also develops complex ties with his fellow cadets, whom he later refers to as "cherished friends," which only intensifies his internal moral conflict.
The character undergoes a notable development, particularly during the Battle of Shiganshina. Prior to this, he is hesitant and racked with guilt. However, faced with the need to complete his mission, he resolves to become cold and detached, shedding his passive persona to fulfill his duty as the "God of Destruction". He steels himself to kill his former friends without hesitation, rationalizing it as a cruel necessity. Despite this newfound ruthlessness, his fundamental fear of death remains. In his final moments, after being incapacitated, his composure breaks entirely as he begs his former comrades to save him before being devoured by a mindless Titan formed from Armin Arlert, who then inherits the Colossal Titan's power.
As the Colossal Titan, Bertholt possesses several notable abilities. His Titan form is unique in its immense size and its ability to emit powerful blasts of superheated steam, which he uses both as a defensive measure to ward off attackers and as an offensive weapon to incinerate everything in his vicinity. He can also control the intensity of this steam expulsion, from a constant nervous mist to a full-body explosion capable of leveling a city district. This power makes him a walking weapon of mass destruction, capable of destroying fortified gates with a single kick and altering entire battlefields with his transformation. However, a significant drawback is that his Titan form lacks skin and is relatively slow, making it vulnerable to coordinated attacks from agile Survey Corps soldiers using Omni-Directional Mobility Gear. Ultimately, Bertholt Hoover is a story of a gentle, conflicted young man who was forced by his circumstances and national indoctrination into becoming a monster, both figuratively and literally.