Marco Bott
Marco Bott is a supporting character in Hajime Isayama's manga series Attack on Titan and its adaptations. Hailing from Jinae Town in the southern district of Wall Rose, he was a recruit of the 104th Trainees Squad who graduated ranked seventh in his class. Aspiring to join the Military Police Regiment to serve the King, he earned the deep trust of his peers through his empathetic nature, keen observational skills, and strong leadership.
Overview
Marco Bott is a supporting character in Hajime Isayama's manga series Attack on Titan and its adaptations. Hailing from Jinae Town in the southern district of Wall Rose, he was a recruit of the 104th Trainees Squad who graduated ranked seventh in his class. Aspiring to join the Military Police Regiment to serve the King, he earned the deep trust of his peers through his empathetic nature, keen observational skills, and strong leadership.
Appearance
Marco is a tall young man with short black hair parted near the middle, dark eyes, and distinctive freckles across his cheeks. During his military training, he wore the standard uniform of the 104th Trainees Squad equipped with vertical maneuvering gear.
Personality
Marco was remarkably gentle, considerate, and open-minded. Possessing sharp powers of observation and high emotional intelligence, he recognized the practical wisdom behind Jean Kirschtein's pragmatic facade, valuing Jean's understanding of human weakness. Calm and balanced, Marco naturally served as a peacemaker among the recruits, who held great faith in his ability to lead.
Abilities
Marco graduated seventh in his training class and was appointed commander of Squad 19. Highly regarded for his leadership and tactical execution, he successfully directed the decoy operation inside the military headquarters supply room during the Battle of Trost District. He was also fully skilled in operating vertical maneuvering equipment.
Background
Marco enlisted in the 104th Trainees Squad at age thirteen with the goal of joining the Military Police Regiment. During the Battle of Trost District, he accidentally overheard Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover discussing their true identities as Titans. Realizing Marco had deduced the truth, Reiner restrained him and coerced Annie Leonhart into removing Marco's vertical maneuvering gear. Abandoned defenseless on a roof while pleading for mutual understanding, Marco was consumed by an approaching Titan, which bit off his upper right body.
Relationships
Marco formed a close bond with Jean Kirschtein, encouraging him to embrace his strengths; Marco's unexpected death served as the primary catalyst for Jean to join the Survey Corps. He was also close friends with Armin Arlert, whose later realization that Annie Leonhart possessed Marco's missing gear helped unmask the traitors. Marco's tragic final attempt to reason with Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, and Annie Leonhart permanently haunted all three of them.
Trivia
Author Hajime Isayama revealed that Marco was written out earlier than initially planned because his intellectual and mild-mannered archetype overlapped with Armin Arlert's role. The ideal of an earnest recruit aspiring to fix the Military Police Regiment was later reinterpreted through the character Marlo Freudenberg. In the official spoof universe Attack on School Castes, Marco appears as a ghost missing the right half of his face.
