Mike Zacharias

Mike Zakariasu (ミケ・ザカリアス) was a trusted member of the Survey Corps and was considered the second strongest fighter after Levi.

Appearance
Mike is a tall and strong-built man. The bangs of his blond hair are parted down the middle, and he sports a mustache and beard. Mike is almost always seen wearing a serious, calm face. He is typically seen dressed in standard military garb, but also wears the Survey Corps' signature cape when on missions.

Personality
He was an acknowledged leader with a tactical mind. He was a loyal member of the Survey Corps, and an adamant vanguard for mankind's freedom, believing humans can only lose when they stop fighting. He also seemed to care a great deal for his squad, as he sacrificed himself to allow them to escape.

Despite his courage, Mike proved, in the end, to be human. Faced with certain death, even Mike could only weep and scream in horror of his fate.

He had a bizarre habit of "sniffing" people out when he met them.

Story
Mike is a veteran member of the Survey Corps, having served at Erwin's side long before the fall of Wall Maria.

Mike appears several times throughout the early parts of the anime, but is not formerly introduced until he escorts Eren to court for his trial.

Mike later participates in the Survey Corps' first attempt at apprehending Annie Leonhart in her Titan form during their 57th expedition outside the wall. Once Annie was caught in their trap, Mike, alongside Captain Levi, mankind's strongest fighter, attempted to carve her out. While they were unsuccessful, Mike's inclusion in this part of the plan illustrated the amount of faith and respect Erwin had in him.

Later on, Mike is tasked with watching over a number of Survey Corps members who are under suspicion of being accomplice to Annie Leonhart when Titans unexpectedly appear within Wall Rose. After ordering the others to escape and warn the surrounding towns, Mike takes on nine Titans by himself in order to buy them time to get away. He manages to kill five of them before being defeated by the Beast Titan, which steals his Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear for inspection before telling the 4 remaining Titans they can do what they want with him. Immobilized and deprived of maneuverability, he was all too easily devoured.

Abilities
His combat prowess was considered to be only second to Levi and the fact that he easily disposed of 5 Titans emphasizes that statement.

His olfaction (sense of smell) was extremely acute, to the point that he could detect approaching Titans before other members of the Survey Corps, such as Levi and Erwin.

Relationships
Erwin Smith - Mike and Erwin share a deep trust due to their lengthy time in service together, as well as a mutual respect for one another's skills as soldiers. For much of the story, he is by Erwin's side serving as his right hand man.

Levi - Mike and Levi do not have much association with each other, but when they are together, they are shown to compliment each other's outstanding fighting skills, creating a nearly unstoppable pair.

Hanji - Mike and Hanji are shown to have a mutual respect for each other, and are typically seen together serving directly under Erwin.

Trivia

 * Mike was the tallest human in the series.
 * He is currently the only deceased squad leader of the Survey Corps

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Mike Zakarius