004 • Reiner Braun

「 W E L C O M E • T O • M Y • B L O G 」

mini character study • O9 / 01 / 23   •

i hope that those of you who are following

this little analysis series are enjoying what

i have written so far! as well as my edits of

course, which i'm working hard to improve.

next on the list is a personal favorite of

mine but i'll try not to be too biased hehe.

actually i think most of the main cast of

characters are all interesting in some way!

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「 T I T L E 」

“the struggle within: a brief analysis of

reiner braun

edit made by me. proof in the comments

#reinerbraun

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「 I N T R O 」

aot deals deeply with themes of war, which

are presented at first as the simple fight of

good vs evil before broadening to illustrate

just t how complex and morally ambiguous

they truly are. in attempting to unravel and

understand these messages, the portrayal of

reiner braun stands out as a focal point for

the   exploration   of   identity,   guilt, and the

intersection   of clashing   ideologies.   as   a

warrior   with a double life and a burdened

past,   reiner's   journey   from    a    dedicated

soldier    to   a    conflicted    and    tormented

individual is a representation of a true “war

victim” and a reminder that innocence and

guilt    are    not    always   black   and   white.

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「 O N E 」

"the mask of loyalty"

as a child, reiner was raised to believe that

the only way to secure a good life and reunite

his family was as a warrior candidate, and he

dedicated   himself   to   attaining   this goal.

when   marley   sent him on the mission to

infiltrate the walls on paradis, he   believed

that once the mission was complete he could

return home as a hero who saved everyone

from a horrible fate at the hands of ‘devils’.

assuming the identity of a loyal soldier, he

crafted a façade so convincing that he won

the     trust     of     his     comrades     in     the

104th training squad, as well as many series

fans, which made the eventual reveal of his

true identity all the more shocking.

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「 T W O 」

"identity crisis"

it is easy to dismiss reiner and his fellow

warriors as ‘traitors’ once their true directives

are   known   because   we   identify with the

people of paradis at that point. but as the

story unfolds, the depth of reiner's struggle

with his dual identity comes to the forefront.

despite his upbringing and loyalty to marley,

he   builds real friendships with the people

within the walls, who respect and ire him

as an ally. the realization that these ‘devils’

were not who he was made to believe and of

his   mission's   impact   on   the lives of the

people he's grown so close to triggers an

identity   crisis   to   the   point   that he truly

develops   a   split   personality.   his internal

conflict between the loyal marleyan warrior

and   the genuine connections he's formed

reveals the depth of his emotional turmoil.

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「 T H R E E 」

"psychological burden"

when reiner finally returns home, he is not

the   hero   he   dreamed he would one day

become.     instead,     he     is     left     deeply

traumatized by the guilt he carries for his

actions in paradis and conflicted about the

truth   of   the world as he knew it. reiner's

internal   turmoil takes a psychological toll,

manifesting as moments of intense anxiety,

self-doubt,   and   even   suicidal   tendencies.

with     his      worldview      shattered,     reiner

struggles   to   find   the motivation to   carry

himself forward. his internal battles with his

own conscience showcase the complexity of

his character's psyche, as he grapples with

the   weight   of   his   past   actions   and the

choices that define him.

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「 F O U R 」

"the paradox of sympathy"

reiner's character introduces the audience to

a complex paradox of sympathy within the

narrative. despite his role as an antagonist in

the eyes of the people of paradis, the shift in

focus   to   his   life   in   marley gives us the

opportunity to view the war and its impact

from a new perspective. at the same time,

another      shift     is     happening      in      the

presentation   of eren’s motives as the two

serve each as a literary foil to the other’s

journey,    challenging    us   to   consider   the

multifaceted    nature   of    morality   and the

circumstances      that      shape    individuals.

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「 F I V E 」

"redemption and self-reflection"

reiner is the very embodiment of regret and

grief, and he struggles to find forgiveness

within himself for what he had done and the

suffering that came to his friends as a result

of his actions. his journey of introspection

leads   him   to   realize   that   everything    he

dreamed of was never really within his reach

from   the   start. however,    he   found    new

purpose in the hope that he might be able to

avert the same tragedy in the lives of the

next generation who would otherwise inherit

his   fate.   reiner   does   not   want   to   fight

anymore, but chooses to do so anyway for

the sake of protecting them and ensuring

their   future.   this   becomes   his   path   for

redemption. reiner's journey from self-denial

to      self-confrontation       showcases     the

complexity      of       personal     growth    and

transformation of his character.

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「 O U T R O 」

in my opinion, reiner braun's character in aot

is one of the most critical in understanding

some of the series’ central themes. he is a

victim of oppression who was raised as a

tool   of   war,   only   to   have everything he

believed in pulled out from under him. his

journey represents the struggle within, the

complexity   of   identity, and the pursuit of

redemption. as we witness reiner's internal

conflict and his attempts to come to

with    his   past,    we    are    reminded    that

individuals are shaped by their experiences,

loyalties, and the choices they make. this is

an intentional mirror held to the journey we

saw for eren, which shares many parallels,

leaving   us   to question the boundaries of

morality and empathy in a world marked by

blurred lines.