For the first 22 volumes of Attack on Titan, readers followed the adventures of Survey Corps members, such as Eren and Mikasa. However, the Marley arc, which began in volume 23, drastically changed the series due to it taking place in a different country and introducing fans to new characters.
One of the most important characters that first appeared in the Marley arc was Falco, a warrior candidate from Liberio who was expected to become a successor to characters like Reiner and Pieck. He played a very important role in the series and without him, things could have ended very differently for both the Survey Corps and Warrior Unit.
10 He Is A Member Of The Grice Family
Though he didn't play a major role in the series, fans may remember one of the Eldian Restorationists Grisha was friends with, Grice. Due to his betrayal against Marley, his relatives were treated poorly, one of which was Falco. Falco and his older brother, Colt, joined the Warrior Unit, hoping that they could be forgiven for their uncle's actions, and by the time they were introduced, they already proved that they were worthy of being warriors. Marley had decided that Colt would inherit the Beast Titan after Zeke, while considering Falco to inherit one of the other Nine Titans.
9 He Almost Died Against The Mid-East Allied Forces
The Survey Corps wasn't Marley's only enemy. For a few years, they fought against the Mid-East Allied Forces. The final battle between the two nations took place on Fort Slava, where Falco almost died. The exact details of what happened are unknown as the arc opened with him lying on the battlefield, looking up at a bird and speaking to it. Luckily, before the Mid-East Allied Forces could kill him, Colt rescued his younger brother. Because Falco was confused as to what was going on, not remembering the war he was fighting in, his friends filled him, along with the readers, on what they were going through.
8 He Wanted To Inherit The Armored Titan
At this point in the series, it seemed like Gabi was going to become Reiner's successor and inherit the Armored Titan. However, because he wanted Gabi to live a long life, Falco wanted to inherit the Armored Titan in her stead. After a conversation with Reiner, who had hinted that he felt the same as Falco, the young warrior candidate trained harder than ever before and proved that he could surpass Gabi in some ways.
7 He Was Tricked Into Helping Eren
When Eren went to Marley, he disguised himself as a patient in a hospital, where Falco would often visit him, not knowing who he was. Eren was able to convince Falco to send a letter for him, pretending that it was an innocent message to his family.
In reality, the letter was sent to the Survey Corps, telling them his plan to attack Liberio, inherit the War Hammer Titan, and bring Zeke to Paradis. When Falco learned the truth, he was shocked and hurt, believing that he was responsible for the people that died in Liberio.
6 He Went To Paradis With Gabi
As the Survey Corps retreated from Liberio, accomplishing their mission, Falco and Gabi snuck onto their ship where Gabi shot one of the Survey Corps soldiers, Sasha. The warrior candidates were placed in jail but escaped and met a girl named Kaya, who happened to be the adopted sister of Sasha. During their time there, Falco began to see that Eldians weren't the devils they were led to believe by Marley.
5 He Quickly Learned That Everything He Was Taught Was A Lie
Once Falco found out who Eren really was, he listened to the conversation between the man who manipulated him and Reiner. In this conversation, Eren explained how they all had a lot more in common than they initially believed. And throughout his time in Paradis, Falco understood that this was true. Compared to many other characters in the series, Falco quickly realized that the beliefs Marley enforced weren't factual and that he and the other Eldians didn't deserve to be treated so poorly.
4 He Drank Zeke's Spinal Fluid
If an Eldian drinks Zeke's spinal fluid and hears him scream, they will turn into a titan. Unfortunately, this happened to Falco. Before Zeke screamed, the Grice brothers begged for their former idol to wait until Falco was far away enough to not be turned into a titan. However, Zeke couldn't afford to wait, and as Falco transformed, he accidentally killed his brother.
3 He Inherited The Jaw Titan
Colt wasn't the only Eldian in the Warrior Unit to die by Falco's transformation. Porco, the Jaw Titan, was eaten by Falco. Once Falco inherited the Jaw Titan, Connie, one of the Survey Corps soldiers, tried to save his mom, who Zeke had turned into a titan years before then, by feeding the warrior candidate to her.
After realizing that this was wrong, however, he let Falco go. If Falco had died here, his true power never would have been discovered.
2 He Also Obtained Characteristics Of A Former Beast Titan
Every inheritor of the Beast Titan could transform into a different animal-like titan. For example, Zeke had a lot of characteristics of a gorilla. Because Falco had some of Zeke's spinal fluid in him, he obtained the characteristics of another Beast Titan, one that was similar to a bird. Falco could now fly, giving him an ability that none of the other current titan shifters had and making him the most interesting Jaw Titan.
1 He Saved The Survey Corps & Warrior Unit
The characters in the Survey Corps and Warrior Unit who tried to stop Eren and the Rumbling almost died at the beginning of their battle. However, Falco saved them just in time by flying underneath them as they fell, catching all of his comrades. Without Falco discovering his unique power, the Rumbling may have continued, killing even more people. Not only was he a great warrior and titan shifter, but also one of the people who saved the world.