Miche Zacharius (Anime)

"Only when a person stops fighting do they lose. As long as we continue to fight, we are not beaten!"

- Miche expresses his resolve

Miche Zacharius (ミケ・ザカリアス) was a section commander (分隊長) of Squad Miche, a major division of the Scout Regiment. A trusted Scout, he was considered humanity's second strongest soldier after Captain Levi. Miche had a remarkably good sense of smell, which allowed him to detect Titans from great distances.

Appearance
Miche was a tall and well-built man. The bangs of his blond hair were parted down the middle, and he had a dark mustache and beard. Similar to his commander, Miche was almost always seen wearing a serious, calm expression. He was typically seen dressed in the standard Scout Regiment uniform but also wore the Scout Regiment's signature green cape during expeditions.

Personality
Miche was an acknowledged leader with a brave heart and a tactical mind. He was a loyal member of the Scout Regiment and an adamant vanguard for mankind's freedom. During times of ease, Miche was shown to be a quiet man, rarely speaking unless it concerned a more serious matter. He also had a bizarre habit of "sniffing" people when he met them. Fellow section commander Hange Zoë claimed he was a very capable leader, despite this strange habit which they noted probably meant nothing. However, Miche did succumb to extreme terror and cowered in front of the talking Beast Titan moments after his legs were brutalized by a smaller Titan. Even in the face of death, he was able to regain his composure for just a moment of fighting resolve before being devoured alive amidst his own horror and tears.

A Choice with No Regrets: Part One
In the year 844, Miche takes part in Section Commander Erwin Smith's attempt to capture Levi Ackermann and his friends and recruit them to the Scout Regiment. During the mission, he attempts to ambush Levi. Levi disarms Miche of one of his blades and their fight is interrupted by Erwin, who reveals that they have captured Levi's comrades. As Erwin interrogates the trio, Miche physically threatens them, shoving Levi's head into the ground.

A Choice with No Regrets: Part Two
Miche is among the Scouts assembled when Keith introduces Levi, Furlan Church, and Isabel Magnolia as new recruits to the Scout Regiment.

Miche takes part in the 23rd Exterior Scouting Mission. During the mission, Miche and Erwin find Flagon's squad and learn that everyone except for Levi has been killed by Titans. Enraged by his friends' deaths, Levi attacks Erwin. Miche initially does not intervene but eventually steps in and separates Levi from Erwin as he grows more aggressive.

Ilse's Notebook: Notes from a Scout Regiment Member
Miche takes part in the Scout Regiment's 49th Expedition. As the Scouts are preparing to depart, Hange Zoë asks Miche to help them capture a Titan alive, but Miche refuses.

During the expedition, the Scouts attempt to set up a logistics base to operate out of while Miche keeps watch for Titans. Smelling Titans nearby, Miche alerts his comrades, and the Scouts begin to mobilize their defenses.

Eve of the Counterattack arc
Miche, Hange, and some Military Police soldiers escort Eren Jaeger to the military court room for his trial. During this time, he takes a few moments to sniff Eren and then smirk, much to Eren's confusion. After escorting Eren to his trial, Miche observes the proceedings with Hange. Following the trial Miche, Erwin, Hange and Levi meet with Eren privately to formally welcome him to the Scout Regiment.

Miche is among the Scout Regiment soldiers present when Erwin attempts to recruit cadets to the regiment. During Erwin's speech, Miche and Petra Rall present a diagram of the path from Calaneth District to Shiganshina that the regiment will take to the prospective recruits.

The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission arc
Miche participates in the Scout Regiment's 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, taking part in the attempt to apprehend the Female Titan. Once she is caught by the Special target restraining weapon, he and Levi attempt to carve her out of the Titan's nape but are unsuccessful due to her ability to selectively harden parts of her body. As the soldiers prepare explosives to use on the Female Titan, it begins screaming and Miche is alarmed to smell Titans nearby. He informs Erwin that multiple Titans are approaching from all directions. On Erwin's orders, Miche and the other soldiers attempt to stop the oncoming Titans from devouring the Female Titan, but they are forced to give up and retreat.

Clash of the Titans arc
While a second attempt at capturing the Female Titan takes place in Stohess District, Miche's squad is tasked with investigating the 104th recruits for any possible accomplices to her. Smelling approaching Titans, Miche sends Tomas to inform Erwin that Titans have appeared inside Wall Rose and mobilizes his squad to depart. Seeing Nanaba distraught by the possibility of Wall Rose being breached, Miche orders her to not give up hope, reminding her that humanity can only be defeated when the will to fight is lost. After ordering the others to escape and warn the surrounding towns, Miche takes on nine Titans by himself in order to buy them time to get away.

Miche manages to kill five of the Titans before he encounters an Abnormal Titan that worries him due to its unusual features and behavior. The Beast Titan grabs Miche's horse and hurls it towards him, sending Miche into the mouth of a waiting Titan. Miche's legs are crushed and the Beast Titan orders the Titan not to eat Miche so it can question him. The Titan ignores the command and the Beast Titan crushes its head and begins questioning Miche about his ODM gear. Miche is too shocked to respond, causing the Beast Titan to become impatient and simply steal his gear before abandoning him. Mustering his courage, Miche tries to fight back but the Beast Titan allows the surrounding Titans to move freely again. The Titans immediately pounce on Miche, ripping him apart as he screams in agony.

Return to Shiganshina arc
As Erwin Smith contemplates his role as Commander of the Scout Regiment and the lies he has told his comrades, he envisions himself standing atop a mountain of corpses of the soldiers he sent to their deaths. In Erwin's mind, Miche lies at the top of the mountain of corpses, alongside Nanaba and Gelgar, staring back at him.

During the Battle of Shiganshina, as Erwin Smith begins to lament the dwindling hopes of his dream, Miche stands among the many fallen Scout Regiment comrades in Erwin's mind, wanting to know if their deaths had meaning.

War for Paradis arc
As Hange Zoë talks about the Rumbling and the impending genocide of the world with Mikasa Ackermann and Jean Kirschtein, a vision of her deceased comrades appears during her speech. In her mind, Miche and Erwin Smith are seen right behind her, in front of many other fallen Scout Regiment veterans. Hange then wondering if they would have prefered to genocide the world, if it meant that the island would be safe.

Sense of smell
His olfaction was extremely acute, to the point that he could detect approaching Titans far before they were in visible range.

Omni-directional mobility gear
Miche was extremely skilled with ODM gear, able to easily take out several Titans without the aid of any other Scout Regiment members. His combat prowess was considered to be second only to Levi's.

Relationships

 * Erwin Smith - Miche and Erwin had a deep mutual trust due to their lengthy time in service together, as well as having respect for one another's skills as soldiers. For much of his service, Miche was by Erwin's side serving as his right-hand man. Even after all their years together, Miche considered Erwin difficult to read, but followed his commands loyally, regardless.
 * Levi Ackermann - Miche and Erwin apprehended Levi together, and Miche aided in Erwin's interrogation by forcing Levi's head into a muddy puddle at Erwin's command. The two were later shown to be capable team mates, complementing each other's outstanding fighting skills and creating a formidable team.
 * Hange Zoë - Miche and Hange were shown to have mutual respect for each other and were typically seen together serving directly under Erwin or on behalf of the Scout Regiment.

Trivia

 * Miche was noted by Hange to have a strange habit of greeting new people by sniffing them, and then smirking to himself. He demonstrated this the first time he met Eren Jaeger.
 * Hajime Isayama revealed that Miche is older than Erwin.
 * Rough sketches of manga panels included at the Attack on Titan: Final Manga Exhibition revealed that a placeholder name for Miche was Yamada Taro (山田太郎).
 * In the rough sketches Hange Zoë is referred to by the name "Yamada Hanako", suggesting a possible familial connection was intended between the two.

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Mike Zakarius (Anime)