TV-Series
Description
Bertolt Hoover is a fictional character from the anime and manga series Attack on Titan. He is introduced as a quiet and unassuming member of the 104th Training Corps, but his true identity is that of a Warrior from the nation of Marley and the holder of the Colossus Titan, a massive and incredibly powerful Titan form he uses to serve his homeland's mission.
In terms of background, Bertolt originates from a nation beyond the walls known as Marley. He was an Eldian, an ethnic group forced to live in internment zones, who was chosen as a child to become a Warrior candidate for the Marleyan military, largely due to his exceptional marksmanship and high potential. He inherited the power of the Colossus Titan at a young age. Along with his childhood friends Reiner Braun (the Armored Titan), Annie Leonhart (the Female Titan), and Marcel Galliard, he was sent on a mission to infiltrate the island of Paradis. Their objective was to recover the Founding Titan, which belonged to the royal family within the Walls. In the year 845, Bertolt initiated the operation by using his Colossus Titan to breach the outer gate of Wall Maria at Shiganshina District, an act that led to immense suffering and the death of many, including the mother of the protagonist, Eren Yeager. After this attack, the trio assumed false identities as refugees from a mountain village and enlisted in the military to gain access to the interior.
Physically, Bertolt is notably tall and slender with short, dark hair and an elongated face. He is often seen as reserved and taciturn. His personality is characterized by a profound lack of initiative and a tendency to follow the opinions of others, particularly his more assertive comrade, Reiner. His training corps instructor noted his immense talent, judging his potential as high, but criticized his almost total lack of motivation and passivity. Bertolt himself acknowledges this weakness, often self-identifying as someone with a weak will or a coward. This withdrawn and watchful demeanor leads him to blend into the background, a trait that makes his later reveal as a living weapon of mass destruction all the more shocking. Underneath his passive exterior, however, he is a deeply conflicted individual. He feels significant guilt and remorse for the terrible acts he has committed, such as the attack on Shiganshina and the role he played in the death of their fellow cadet, Marco Bott. Despite this, he has resigned himself to his role as a "warrior," believing that he has gone too far to turn back and must see his mission through to the end.
Bertolt's primary motivation is a complex mixture of duty, desperation, and a longing for home. Driven by the propaganda he was fed as a child in Marley and the desire to secure a better life for his family, he initially believed his terrorist actions were justified. As the story progresses, his motivation shifts toward a fatalistic acceptance of his role. In a moment of emotional vulnerability, he pleads for someone to find them, revealing a desperate wish for someone to understand his and Reiner's impossible situation and put an end to their suffering. He is also motivated by a fierce loyalty to his fellow Warriors, Reiner and Annie, and harbors a deep, unspoken romantic affection for the latter.
His role in the story is pivotal as one of the primary antagonists. As the Colossus Titan, he is a recurring symbol of existential threat. He is responsible for the first major breach of humanity's walls, setting the entire plot into motion. He later breaches the gate of Trost District, leading to another major battle. After his identity is exposed by a mentally fractured Reiner, Bertolt transforms into his Titan to battle the Survey Corps, managing to capture Eren and Ymir. His final and most significant role occurs during the battle to retake Shiganshina. In this confrontation, he demonstrates the full, devastating power of his Titan form, nearly annihilating the Survey Corps and pushing the protagonists to the brink of defeat.
Key relationships define much of his character. His bond with Reiner is the most significant; he acts as a grounding presence for the dissociative Reiner, constantly cautioning him to be more guarded. Bertolt often defers to Reiner's leadership. He also shares a quiet and complex dynamic with Annie. While keeping his feelings a secret, he shows great concern for her well-being, and the suggestion that she is being tortured is enough to break his composure in a critical moment. His relationship with his fellow cadets, such as Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, is marked by a painful duplicity. He lived and trained alongside them, forming what he considers genuine bonds of friendship, all while planning to betray and kill them. This internal conflict torments him.
Over the course of the story, Bertolt undergoes a notable but tragic development. He transforms from a passive, guilt-ridden, and hesitant boy into a detached and resolute agent of destruction. During the battle of Shiganshina, he steeled himself, casting aside his previous emotional turmoil to coldly and efficiently carry out his mission. He declares to his former friends that he has decided to kill them, not out of malice, but as a simple, necessary fact of his duty. He remains calm in the face of manipulation and does not flinch when he must abandon Reiner to danger. This hardened resolve, however, completely shatters when his own death becomes imminent. Faced with being devoured by a newly transformed Pure Titan, Armin Arlert, Bertolt reverts to a terrified, desperate child, screaming for Annie and Reiner to save him. This final moment highlights the tragic irony of his character: a young man forced into a monstrous role, who could only accept the cruelty of his mission when it was directed at others, but not when it was turned upon himself.
As a Titan shifter, Bertolt possesses abilities of immense scale. In his human form, he is highly skilled, having graduated third in his class. He has excellent control over the vertical maneuvering equipment and was praised for his potential. However, his true power is the Colossus Titan, which stands approximately sixty meters tall, making it one of the largest Titans in the series. This form is distinct, appearing mostly skinless with exposed muscle tissue and disproportionately long limbs. Its signature ability is the emission of scorching hot steam from its entire body, which can burn anyone who approaches and can also be used for propulsion or to create a defensive barrier. Bertolt can control the intensity of the steam, from a gentle hiss to a full-force blast that can repel attackers. Furthermore, the transformation itself is a weapon; Bertolt can generate a massive, city-block-level explosion of highly pressurized steam when he first manifests his Titan body, a tactic he uses with deadly effectiveness in the final battle for Shiganshina.
In terms of background, Bertolt originates from a nation beyond the walls known as Marley. He was an Eldian, an ethnic group forced to live in internment zones, who was chosen as a child to become a Warrior candidate for the Marleyan military, largely due to his exceptional marksmanship and high potential. He inherited the power of the Colossus Titan at a young age. Along with his childhood friends Reiner Braun (the Armored Titan), Annie Leonhart (the Female Titan), and Marcel Galliard, he was sent on a mission to infiltrate the island of Paradis. Their objective was to recover the Founding Titan, which belonged to the royal family within the Walls. In the year 845, Bertolt initiated the operation by using his Colossus Titan to breach the outer gate of Wall Maria at Shiganshina District, an act that led to immense suffering and the death of many, including the mother of the protagonist, Eren Yeager. After this attack, the trio assumed false identities as refugees from a mountain village and enlisted in the military to gain access to the interior.
Physically, Bertolt is notably tall and slender with short, dark hair and an elongated face. He is often seen as reserved and taciturn. His personality is characterized by a profound lack of initiative and a tendency to follow the opinions of others, particularly his more assertive comrade, Reiner. His training corps instructor noted his immense talent, judging his potential as high, but criticized his almost total lack of motivation and passivity. Bertolt himself acknowledges this weakness, often self-identifying as someone with a weak will or a coward. This withdrawn and watchful demeanor leads him to blend into the background, a trait that makes his later reveal as a living weapon of mass destruction all the more shocking. Underneath his passive exterior, however, he is a deeply conflicted individual. He feels significant guilt and remorse for the terrible acts he has committed, such as the attack on Shiganshina and the role he played in the death of their fellow cadet, Marco Bott. Despite this, he has resigned himself to his role as a "warrior," believing that he has gone too far to turn back and must see his mission through to the end.
Bertolt's primary motivation is a complex mixture of duty, desperation, and a longing for home. Driven by the propaganda he was fed as a child in Marley and the desire to secure a better life for his family, he initially believed his terrorist actions were justified. As the story progresses, his motivation shifts toward a fatalistic acceptance of his role. In a moment of emotional vulnerability, he pleads for someone to find them, revealing a desperate wish for someone to understand his and Reiner's impossible situation and put an end to their suffering. He is also motivated by a fierce loyalty to his fellow Warriors, Reiner and Annie, and harbors a deep, unspoken romantic affection for the latter.
His role in the story is pivotal as one of the primary antagonists. As the Colossus Titan, he is a recurring symbol of existential threat. He is responsible for the first major breach of humanity's walls, setting the entire plot into motion. He later breaches the gate of Trost District, leading to another major battle. After his identity is exposed by a mentally fractured Reiner, Bertolt transforms into his Titan to battle the Survey Corps, managing to capture Eren and Ymir. His final and most significant role occurs during the battle to retake Shiganshina. In this confrontation, he demonstrates the full, devastating power of his Titan form, nearly annihilating the Survey Corps and pushing the protagonists to the brink of defeat.
Key relationships define much of his character. His bond with Reiner is the most significant; he acts as a grounding presence for the dissociative Reiner, constantly cautioning him to be more guarded. Bertolt often defers to Reiner's leadership. He also shares a quiet and complex dynamic with Annie. While keeping his feelings a secret, he shows great concern for her well-being, and the suggestion that she is being tortured is enough to break his composure in a critical moment. His relationship with his fellow cadets, such as Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, is marked by a painful duplicity. He lived and trained alongside them, forming what he considers genuine bonds of friendship, all while planning to betray and kill them. This internal conflict torments him.
Over the course of the story, Bertolt undergoes a notable but tragic development. He transforms from a passive, guilt-ridden, and hesitant boy into a detached and resolute agent of destruction. During the battle of Shiganshina, he steeled himself, casting aside his previous emotional turmoil to coldly and efficiently carry out his mission. He declares to his former friends that he has decided to kill them, not out of malice, but as a simple, necessary fact of his duty. He remains calm in the face of manipulation and does not flinch when he must abandon Reiner to danger. This hardened resolve, however, completely shatters when his own death becomes imminent. Faced with being devoured by a newly transformed Pure Titan, Armin Arlert, Bertolt reverts to a terrified, desperate child, screaming for Annie and Reiner to save him. This final moment highlights the tragic irony of his character: a young man forced into a monstrous role, who could only accept the cruelty of his mission when it was directed at others, but not when it was turned upon himself.
As a Titan shifter, Bertolt possesses abilities of immense scale. In his human form, he is highly skilled, having graduated third in his class. He has excellent control over the vertical maneuvering equipment and was praised for his potential. However, his true power is the Colossus Titan, which stands approximately sixty meters tall, making it one of the largest Titans in the series. This form is distinct, appearing mostly skinless with exposed muscle tissue and disproportionately long limbs. Its signature ability is the emission of scorching hot steam from its entire body, which can burn anyone who approaches and can also be used for propulsion or to create a defensive barrier. Bertolt can control the intensity of the steam, from a gentle hiss to a full-force blast that can repel attackers. Furthermore, the transformation itself is a weapon; Bertolt can generate a massive, city-block-level explosion of highly pressurized steam when he first manifests his Titan body, a tactic he uses with deadly effectiveness in the final battle for Shiganshina.