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 she 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 serves as a member of the Scout Regiment under Section Commander Erwin Smith. As one of Erwin's most trusted comrades, Miche takes part in the capture and recruitment of Levi Ackermann and his friends into the Scout Regiment. During the mission, he ambushes Levi from above and engages him, however Levi disarms one of Miche's blades. Before clashing again their fight is interrupted by Erwin who reveals that they have captured Levi's comrades. Erwin begins interrogating the trio. Seeing that none of them is willing to cooperate, Miche begins physically threatening 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. After the rain during the second part of the expedition outside the Walls ceases, Miche and Erwin manage to find Flagon's squad, only to learn a group of Titans killed most of the group before being slaughtered by Levi. Enraged by his friends' death, Levi attacks Erwin. Miche initially does not intervene, but as Levi grows increasingly aggressive, Miche steps in and separates him from Erwin.

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 her 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. Hange explains that he, like herself, is a highly qualified section commander in the Scout Regiment and that his strange habit of sniffing others likely holds no real meaning. 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 later participates in the Scout Regiment's first attempt at apprehending the Female Titan during their 57th Exterior Scouting Mission. Once she is caught by the special target restraining weapon, Miche 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.

When the Female Titan screams, Miche is able to smell the approaching Titans at a distance and he then tells Erwin that many Titans are coming from all directions. On Erwin's orders, Miche and the other Scouts attempt to fight off the oncoming Titans, 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. During this time, Titans unexpectedly appear within Wall Rose. Smelling the approaching Titans, Miche sends Tomas to inform Erwin, and begins to mobilize 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.

After leaving on his own, Miche manages to kill five of the Titans before he encounters an Abnormal Titan that worries him due to its disinterest in him and the mass amount of fur on its body, a trait never before heard of in Titans. To his sudden horror, the Beast-like Titan grabs his horse and hurls it towards him, which forces Miche to jump off the roof of the building he was atop. Caught in a nearby Titan's mouth, it attempts to eat him whole and begins crushing one of his legs, snapping it and twisting it around. However the Beast Titan speaks and tells the smaller Titan to halt, as it wishes to question Miche. The Titan ignores the command and continues biting into Miche's leg, but the Beast Titan squishes its head with its hands. It then questions Miche about the weapon around his waist, referencing his ODM gear.

In shock, Miche does not respond, which causes the Beast-like Titan to become impatient, wondering if they speak the same language. The Beast Titan then proceeds to steal his ODM gear as he huddles over in terror. Miche tries to fight one last time, remembering his vow to never give up, but it is a hopeless effort as he is immobilized and deprived of maneuverability. The Beast Titan then promptly orders the surrounding Titans to move freely. Miche screams in agony as he is grabbed and ripped apart by numerous Titans in the process of being devoured. The Beast Titan is amused to know that they do indeed speak the same language after all.

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.

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 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 a 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.

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Mike Zakarius (Anime)