Mikasa Ackerman

"The world is a cruel place, and, also, very beautiful."

- Mikasa

Mikasa Akkāman (ミカサ・アッカーマン) is the adoptive sister of Eren Yeager, and the main female protagonist of the series.

After her biological parents were murdered by human traffickers, she was rescued by Eren and lived with him and his mother and father for approximately a year before the fall of Wall Maria.

Though she desires only to live a peaceful life with Eren, Mikasa chose to follow him into the military — where she is considered the best soldier among the 104th Trainees Squad — and later into the Survey Corps.

Appearance
Mikasa is a fairly tall, physically fit, and very muscular teenage girl with chin-length black hair she initially wore longer, but cut short at Eren's suggestion, despite Jean telling her it was beautiful. She is of Asian heritage, with pale skin and calm, black eyes. In the anime, however, her eye color is not consistent and often varies, depending on the light and surroundings, between shades of gray and occasionally blue. Her body has been depicted as extremely well-toned, with little, if any, in the way of body fat and muscles lined throughout her arms, legs, and abs. Mikasa also has a small scar below her right eye, which she received after Eren (in his Titan Form) unknowingly attempted to kill her.

As a soldier, Mikasa often wears a uniform consisting of a short, light-brown jacket with the badge of the Survey Corps on both shoulders, on the front left pocket, and on the center of the back, a white shirt, a black sash around the waist covering the hips, white pants, and black knee-high leather boots. In the anime, the sash and boots are dark brown. She also wears a green cape with the symbol of the Survey Corps after entering the faction. A unique part of her attire is a black (dark red in the anime) scarf, which was given to her by Eren after saving her from human traffickers. Because of that, it is very precious to her, and she almost always has it with her.

Personality
A few years before joining the Yeager family, Mikasa appeared to be a cheerful, outgoing, yet unusually perceptive child. From an early age, Mikasa was aware of the harshness of nature, witnessing the manner in which predators would hunt and kill weaker prey. However, her innocence allowed her to push these thoughts to the back of her mind, and she continued to live happily with her parents. This illusory peace was shattered when a band of criminals brutally murdered her parents before her eyes in a failed kidnapping attempt on herself and her mother. To save herself and her rescuer, Eren Yeager, Mikasa managed to abandon all inhibition and hesitation, allowing her to kill one of her assailants. Following this traumatic event, Mikasa would gain a generally cynical outlook on life and accept the world as a cruel place where only those who are strong are able to survive.

After the murder of her parents, Mikasa has become noticeably emotionally withdrawn and serious, but she still loves and cares deeply for her friends, especially Eren and Armin, seeing them as the last remnants of a family she cannot afford to lose. Her personality as a teenager is very much influenced and molded by Eren, who told her she stood no chance of survival if she did not fight for it. His words continue to stay with her, and her mind automatically recalls them to spur her on when she is close to death. Her determination to protect Eren as much as possible may also have contributed greatly to her phenomenal skills as a soldier. Though she is among the best of the best, she remains humble and refrains from putting on airs or displaying arrogance.

Mikasa has a strong sense of right and wrong, but she is also very protective of Eren and does all she can to advise him to follow what she deems to be the right track. Despite that, she knows well that she cannot always sway Eren in his decisions and makes a point to follow Eren to almost everywhere he goes and stick by whatever final decisions he makes, just so that she can be around to help him out when he is in trouble. The sole reason she enlisted in the military and joined the Survey Corps after her graduation was to keep an eye on Eren, despite the fact that she truly wished to live out the rest of her days in relative peace within the Walls alongside him. She also takes Eren's opinion seriously, so much so that when he once said that her hair was too long, she immediately had it cut, even though Jean had just commented that it looked beautiful.

Despite all her blind loyalty, Mikasa is quite stoic and level-headed. Her will is remarkably strong, and she is rarely seen to lose her cool or be at a loss of what to do, no matter how bleak a situation seems to be. Even when she believed Eren to be dead, outwardly she managed to remain so calm that only Armin could tell that she was battling with the pain of losing Eren. However, she is not completely immune to the effects of her emotions. Her strong feelings for Eren, particularly when he is in harm's way, does at times cloud her judgement - sometimes to the endangerment of herself and others. A notable example is the occasion she briefly gave into her grief over Eren's apparent demise and lost the will to live - forgetting her responsibility for the lives of the soldiers she had taken upon herself to lead in the process. However, she was reawakened by her memories of Eren, after which she made a conscious decision to never give up again, as if she were to die, her memories of Eren would die with her. When she found him alive and well, she completely lost her composure and wept tears of joy.

Mikasa's bond with Eren is undoubtedly her most important relationship, and one that defines Mikasa. For Eren's sake, Mikasa has expressed a variety of emotions such as compassion, anger, embarrassment, sadness and tenderness. She has openly wept tears of relief at his safety, and developed vengeful grudges towards those who harm him. She relentlessly attacked the Female Titan in a murderous fury as it attempted to abduct Eren, and later attempted to kill Reiner and Bertolt for trying to do the same. Mikasa blushed when it was insinuated she and Eren were lovers, and has suffered crippling distress at the thought of losing Eren forever. Mikasa also wears the red scarf Eren gave her when they first met, holding on to it as a source of strength and comfort when she is upset.

History
Mikasa was born to a European father and Asian mother. Before her parents' death, she lived peacefully with them in the farmlands of Wall Maria. In the manga, Mikasa underwent a painful scarring ritual from her mother, whom cut into her skin the mark of their Asian clan, while in the anime and visual novel, was taught an Asian style embroidery. Being the last of their race made them high value targets to human traffickers, who killed Mikasa's parents and attempted to kidnap her for the purpose of selling her as a slave to the people in the Capitol, when she was only nine years old.

She was rescued by Eren, who tricked and killed two of the slavers. He was then overwhelmed by the third trafficker and was on the verge of being strangled. Desperately, Eren urged Mikasa to fight to win. Although she was initially frightened, she came to realize that, "This world is a callous and merciless place," dispatching the kidnapper who was trying to kill Eren. When Eren's father arrived with members of the Military Police Brigade, she was given the scarf by Eren and accepted into his family. This event awakened the fighting instincts and perfect self-control that would later turn her into a formidable soldier. She lived with Eren's family in Wall Maria's Shiganshina District until it was destroyed by the Colossus Titan.

Fall of Shiganshina arc
Mikasa appears for the first time in year 845 somewhere inside Wall Maria. She is seen waking Eren up, telling him that they need to return to home. She is surprised to see tears in his eyes and asks why he was crying. On their way home, they meet Hannes. Mikasa watches as Eren complains about the soldiers slacking off while on duty. Later, both Eren and Mikasa watch the return of the Survey Corps forces, witnessing yet another failure of their expedition. After returning home, Mikasa tells on Eren, revealing to his parents his desire to join the Survey Corps. Annoyed, Eren leaves, with Mikasa following him. They save Armin, who is being beaten by local bullies and together discuss their desire to go outside the Walls.

At that moment, the three kids witness the sudden appearance of a Colossus Titan that breaches the Wall's gate. Mikasa and Eren run back to their home to find it crushed and their mother trapped under the debris. In spite of their attempts, Mikasa and Eren are unable to free her, Hannes rescuing them as a Titan devours their mother. Mikasa and Eren are placed on a ship just as the Armored Titan breaks through the inner gate, letting the Titans inside Wall Maria, witnessing Eren's vow to kill all the Titans as they are transported to safety. Once inside the safety of Wall Rose, Eren confronts a soldier from the Garrison who manifests his annoyance for having to share their food with outsiders. The short beating the soldiers give Eren cause him to claim that he will retake Wall Maria with his own hands and insult Armin for his doubt, Mikasa punching him to bring him back to his senses. She then declares that she will do everything to keep him alive, forcing him to eat the rations he had previously discarded out of anger.

104th Trainees Squad arc
After the events of the Wall Maria's destruction, the government's desperate attempt to reclaim the lands using the refugees leads to nothing but more casualties. This prompts Mikasa, Eren and Armin enroll with the army and become members of the 104th Trainees Squad.

During their training, Mikasa helps Eren as much as she can as he initially fails to grasp the basics of the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment. They manage to pass the qualifying tests, Mikasa quickly proving her skills and is praised as one of the best trainees in military history. At one point, Mikasa asks Annie Leonhart, a fellow trainee with exceptional skill, to teach her a self-defense technique that she was teaching Eren, which eventually calls for a bet with the 104th Trainees Squad to see who is the stronger fighter. At the 104th Trainees Squad's graduation, she is ranked first in the class.

Battle of Trost District arc
Before having the chance to fully apply in the Survey Corps so she can keep Eren safe, the Colossus Titan breaches Wall Rose the same way it did with Wall Maria. Much to her dismay, Mikasa is assigned to the rear guard to help fend off the Titans while the civilians escape into the safety of Wall Sheena. Before fulfilling her duty, she makes Eren promise her not to do anything reckless.

Later on, as an abnormal Titan approaches the escaping civilians who are blocked at the gate. Mikasa kills it, saving everyone. She then witnesses why the civilians are taking too long to escape; an overloaded cargo cart is blocking the way. Mikasa asks the businessman to move the cart so that the people could escape, but when he refuses, she has to resort threatening him after knocking his guards unconscious, which scares the man enough to relent and move his goods. Seeing a mother and daughter show their gratitude for saving them, Mikasa flashes back to the time she lost her own parents and realizes that Eren is the only family she has left. Thus, with the evacuation of Trost District citizens complete, she heads to the front guard in order to aid her comrades. However, the sole trainee survivors are low on gas, making them unable to scale the Wall while the supply team inside the headquarters has barricaded themselves in against the onslaught of multiple Titans. After hearing of Eren's supposed death from Armin, Mikasa regroups the survivors and insults them, saying she will break through the Titans assaulting the headquarters.

Because of her grief over Eren's death, she fights irrationally and does not notice that she is running out of gas. As two Titans close in on her, she contemplates giving up and begins to remember her time with Eren, recalling Eren's cries of fighting back against her kidnappers, which gives her motivation to fight once more. When Mikasa stands up to kill the Titan in front of her, another Titan comes running from behind and saves her. This Titan, which ignores Mikasa, gives Armin enough time to rescue Mikasa and they both continue heading to the supply HQ. As they watch this rogue Titan continue killing other Titans, they hatch a plan to lure it to the HQ and relieve the siege there. With its help, the trainees manage to successfully refill their gas tanks and have clear access to the Wall.

However, as they watch the rogue Titan dispose of the last Titans surrounding them, Eren appears out the nape of its neck. Overcome with relief that Eren is alive, Mikasa quickly rescues and embraces him, everyone leaving for the Wall. However, Jean, along with Annie, Reiner, and Bertolt are ordered to hand Eren over to superior officers under the command of Kitz Weilman and to treat the incident as something confidential. Their refusal to do so causes Mikasa and her friends to be accused of treason and find themselves surrounded by Captain Weilman's men, who are prompt to execute them. Mikasa attempts to defend Eren by drawing her blades and threatening to kill anyone who would try to harm Eren, but witnessing Eren's Titan form fighting in Trost District, Weilman does not hesitate and orders a cannon to fire at them in spite of the latter's claim that he is a human. Eren uses his power to block the cannonball and tries to think of a plan of escape. He proposes that they either try to flee over the walls and escape into the Titan territory or have attempt Armin persuade the soldiers to spare them, leaving him to choose. Armin tries his best to convince the soldiers that Eren's Titan abilities could help to save humanity, but realizes the commander is far too scared to think rationally. Before the order can be given to fire upon them once more, they are saved when Commander Dot Pixis, head administrator of the southern region, intervenes. They are sent on a mission to plug the breach in the Wall with a rock that only Eren in Titan form can lift.

As the mission commences and Eren goes into Titan form, he loses control, attacking Mikasa, and eventually knocking himself out. The elite team, lead by Ian Dietrich, Rico Brzenska and Mitabi Jarnach, designated to defend Eren as he carries the rock quarrel among themselves about what to do next. Mikasa is on the verge of attacking them until Ian orders everyone to continue protecting Eren until he recovers. Thanks to Armin's intervention, Eren eventually regains his senses and successfully places the rock down, albeit with many casualties. At that moment, they are saved by Levi as he kills the Titans approaching them.

The Female Titan arc
After the battle of Trost District is over, Eren is brought before a military tribunal to decide his future. Despite Mikasa's best efforts to defend him, she is forced to testify against Eren as his reckless actions have frightened many people in the courtroom. She is also forced to watch helplessly as Eren is assaulted and humiliated by Levi. Some time later, Mikasa and everyone else have their Vertical Maneuvering Equipment inspected in order to find out the culprit who killed the two captured Titans. Later on, Commander Erwin Smith comes to recruit new members for the Survey Corps which is scheduling an expedition within a few months. Many leave except for Mikasa, Reiner, Armin, Sasha, Krista, Connie, Jean, Bertolt and a few others. Mikasa is then seen to be a part of the 57th expedition. Shortly after leaving for Wall Maria, the Female Titan appears and defeats numerous Survey Corps members. The formation eventually reaches the Forest of Giant Trees, with Mikasa being stationed at its outskirts, making sure that no Titans enter the forest. Eventually, she attempts to approach Eren as she hears his roar in his Titan Form. Upon reaching Eren's location, she witnesses the Female Titan devouring Eren's human body. After overcoming the initial shock, Mikasa charges at the Female Titan, cutting it up in order to rescue Eren. However, she is unable to do so until she teams up with Levi. They manage to take Eren back and join the rest of the rest of the formation. While heading to the Walls, the formation is attacked by multiple Titans brought by a couple of rookie soldiers who disobeyed a direct order from Commander Erwin, and Mikasa must save the rookies who are caught by the Titans.

Following the Survey Corps's failure, Armin manages to convince Annie to help them out until they can gather evidence to prove to the King that the Walls need to be protected better. During that time, Mikasa takes a notice of the lack of diligence and honor in the Military Police. She prepares for battle when she gets fed up with Annie's games and excuses. She takes off her disguise and draws out out her sword to fight her, promising to "cut up the Female Titan one more time".

In the following battle, Mikasa learns that Eren in his Titan form isn't powerful enough to defeat Annie by himself. Being the strongest and most powerful soldier herself, she decides to take the fight to her. Despite being ordered to pull away by Hange Zoë, Mikasa manages to make it to Annie as she attempted to climb over Wall Sheena to escape to the flat lands. Since Annie had already climbed more than half way towards the top of the Wall, Eren throws Mikasa upwards so she can catch up with the Female Titan, and cut off all her fingers. She then proceeds to push Annie off to fall to the ground. Annie is therefore captured, but encases herself in a crystal to avoid interrogation. However, it was far from over as Mikasa has just taken noticed of a Titan inside the Wall. As both the Survey Corps and Military Police take an encased Annie underground to detain her, Mikasa realizes the Titan hiding in Wall Sheena is alive, but is too weak to move due to a lack of sunlight. Mikasa remains at Eren's bedside as Armin and Jean head down to a meeting involving Erwin and the Military Police.

Clash of the Titans arc
Following the supposed breach of Wall Rose, Mikasa, Eren and the other members of the Survey Corps come to rescue Reiner and the others from the other Titans. She is among the others who learns of Krista's real name being Historia. After they reach the top of the Wall, Mikasa is outraged when she overhears Reiner confessing that he and Bertolt were the Titans responsible for the attack on Wall Maria and wanted Eren to join them. She takes them by surprise, attacking them with her swords and tells Eren to run. However, she fails to kill them as Reiner stops her from doing so, transforming afterwards and attempting to kidnap Eren. While Eren transforms, and engages in battle with Reiner, Mikasa faces her own troubles and regrets for not cutting off both his and Bertolt's heads when she had the chance. During the fight with Reiner, she sees Eren in trouble and tries to fight him off. However due to the thickness of the armor, Mikasa has a hard time slicing the nape of Reiner's neck. Eventually, Armin sees a weak link in Reiner's line of defense in which his armor is breaking and gives Mikasa extra blades to replace her own. Taking advantage of the information, she cuts him at the back of the knee caps. However, Bertolt manages to save Reiner thanks to his abilities of the Colossus Titan, knocking out most of the soldiers in the process.

Later, Mikasa along with Hange and others from the Survey Corps are injured from the heat blast from Bertolt's Titan form. While Armin helps them recover, he gives Mikasa the news that she was dreading to hear: Eren along with Ymir was kidnapped by both Reiner and Bertolt. Taking the scarf that he gave her, Mikasa covers her face with it and asks why Eren always runs off on them like that. She feels like she has failed in keeping her adoptive mother's promise in always protecting him and weeps. As Armin tries to console her, Hannes arrives to give out rations to the Legion. It was him who reminds her that despite him running off the way he does and often losing fights, he never gives up on them. Even thought the odds are stacked against him and he is unwilling to admit it, Hannes always knew that Eren relied on both Mikasa and Armin when he needed them. His words and his assistance reinvigorated them and are more determined to rescue Eren. Mikasa lowers her scarf and begins eating.

She spearheads the attack on the traitors, aggressively chasing them down as they attempt to flee from the Forest of Giant Trees. Realizing that armor was protecting Reiner's joints this time, she instead targets Ymir and slashes into her face. Afterwards, she attempts to kill Bertolt, who escapes by hiding between the Armored Titan's throat and his hands. Changing targets again, she prepares to try to kill Ymir and is only stopped when Krista intervenes. However, she is unmoved by Krista's words and threatens to kill anyone that gets in her way. Her cold expression and statement that she has no mercy or compassion to spare forces Krista and Ymir to back down, allowing her to focus on trying to find a way to take down the traitors.

Jean and Connie try to speak to Bertolt and coax him into surrendering, but Mikasa coldly states that their reasons don't matter. She calls Reiner and Bertolt a "plague upon humanity" and advises the others not to show mercy. This causes Bertolt to yell at her, first stating that they never wanted to kill anyone and admitting to having cared for the others in the 104th. She is visibly shocked by this outburst, enough that it snaps her out of her murderous rage. Mikasa asks them to give Eren back, but her request is rebuffed as he claims it has to be done. Before the group can argue further, Hannes shouts a warning to them that a huge group of Titans are being lead straight towards them by Erwin Smith.

Mikasa retreats, but it is not long before Erwin orders them to attack one more time, claiming this to be the key moment for humanity's survival. However, he gets grabbed by a Titan and in spite of their initial shock, the soldiers, along with Mikasa, follow Erwin's orders and continue advancing. Mikasa eventually reaches her target, but has to be saved by Jean from the grasp of a Titan. Finally, Erwin frees Eren and Mikasa catches him, however, Reiner begins throwing Titans at the soldiers in an attempt to stop them and Eren and Mikasa find themselves facing a Titan they remember from 5 years ago, the Titan that ate their mother.

Believing that it will be their final moments after seeing Hannes being eaten, Mikasa tells Eren that she wants to thank him for being together with her, for teaching her how to live, and for giving and wrapping the muffler on her which she always wears. As she moves closer to Eren, he turned away to face the Smiling Titan and vowed to Mikasa that he will wrap the muffler around her as many times as he needs to. Mikasa and Eren both escaped with the others as Eren unknowingly awakens his power to control other Titans, and orders them to attack the Smiling Titan, Reiner and Bertolt.

The Uprising arc
Mikasa and the unified Military group arrive back at Wall Rose and are greeted by the Garrison, led by Rico Brzenska. The Garrison focuses on the wounded first and are in disbelief as they realize just how high the casualties were. Eren places Mikasa on a stretcher and apologizes before she cuts him off and tells him that it is ok. Eren notices that Erwin has lost consciousness and yells his name in concern. As the Garrison finally makes sense of the situation they take the wounded away on carts, including Mikasa. Over the course of a week Mikasa has recovered from her fractured ribs while Levi made her a member of the new Special Operations Squad along with Jean, Connie, Sasha, Armin, Historia, and Eren. The squad have relocated to a remote cabin in the woods. Mikasa and Historia come back from gathering wood and brushes off concern about her from Armin by replying that her body is getting dull. As Jean and Eren comically argue about spying on Mikasa doing sit-ups, Sasha remarks that somehow this experience feels like being trainees again. Armin wonders why they of all people were chosen for Levi and Sasha counters that perhaps they are exceptional. As Eren observes Armin catching Sasha stealing bread he thinks back to his days with the old Special Operations Squad.

Levi summons his squad along with Nifa, Keiji, Moblit Berner, Hange, and a goggled member of her squad to a meeting. After commenting on their poor cleaning job he reveals that their main objective of retaking Wall Maria has not changed. Levi considers this objectives more important than anything, even the lives of the people at the meeting. He calls on Armin to explain his theory on sealing the wall. Armin elaborates that since the walls are made of Titans it would require less than a days work if they could use a hardened Titans' body. Armin is pessimistic about the plan but Levi reassures him that it all rests on Eren, who is willing to try. Levi asks Hange to prepare an experiment for Eren to which she replies that it is her duty until she dies. She also believes that retaking the wall is the most important objective and therefore wants to quickly study Eren's hardening abilities, along with his potential to control Titans. She does however want Eren to keep a low profile and explains this decision by saying that Minister Nick is dead, much to the shock of those present. She tells them that he was found dead this morning and she highly suspects that he was murdered.

She tells the story of how she and Moblit arrived at the scene and after seeing Nick's corpse were stopped by two First Interior Squad Military Police members. She observed the knuckles of the leader, Djel Sanes, and concluded that he likely killed Minister Nick. She is extremely worried that the First Interior squad was used and blames herself for his death. As Armin wonders why they tortured Minister Nick, Levi explains that the probably wanted information about Eren and Historia. Hange is worried that Nick gave away their location but Levi finds this doubtful since he had all his fingernails ripped out, and most people would take after only having one removed. Levi offers Hange the choice of dealing with this interior business or going to seal wall Maria. Hange responds that she intends to do both and rationalizes this by saying it is the same option Erwin would choose.

As the meeting concludes, Connie tells Eren that he didn't understand half of what was said. He is angry at Ymir for laughing about the Beast Titan transforming the people of Connie's village into Titans. Historia rebuffs his comments by claiming that Ymir was trying to protect his damaged mind. At another meeting with Levi's squad Historia tells the truth about her life. She was born on a farm in Wall Sheena to noble Rod Reiss and spent most of her time doing chores. Her mother was always reading books and would occasionally go to the city dressed well, implying that she was a prostitute. After she learned to read and write, Historia noticed how lonely she was due to the fact that no one ever spoke to her and she never left the farm. She once embraced her mother but was violently thrown off and heard her mother say that she wished she had the courage to kill Historia. Then, several days after Wall Maria fell Rod Reiss came to the farm with her mother and after introducing himself as her father, said that she would be living with him from now on. The trio was then surrounded by the First Interior Squad who captured Historia's mother and asked Rod Reiss if he had any connection to these two people. Both him and her mother denied any relation so one member placed her mother on the ground and put a knife to her throat. As she wished that Historia had never been born she had her throat slit and is killed. As the same man approached Historia to kill her, Rod Reiss told her that Krista Lenz was her new name and she was never allowed to talk about what happened here.

Mikasa and the rest of Levi's squad are all observing Hange's experiment on Eren. During his first transformation Hange realizes that he is unable to harden his skin like the Female Titan. She then decides to run intelligence tests, which went well except that Eren can't talk due to the wrong mouth structure. One hour after transforming while Eren is writing about his father he suddenly exits his Titan form, and then, after resting 30 minutes he transforms again. This second Titan is only 13 m as opposed to Eren's usual 15 m and is unable to follow commands. The third transformations is only 10 m tall and is missing flesh, along with Eren being fused with it much harder than before. As Hange shouts that he is the hope of humanity, Levi notices the defects before Mikasa jump down to cut Eren out. Levi ponders about disciplining her for acting on her own but decides against it since they are clearly done with the tests. As Hange pulls Eren from his Titan she notices how hot it is and his deformed state. As she seemingly cares more about the experiment and documenting Eren, Mikasa shows extreme concern as Moblit asks where Hange's humanity is. Mikasa finally cuts Eren out and Hange apologizes while officially ending the experiment. While Jean confirms his suspicion that Eren couldn't do this, Levi orders Historia to sit with Eren who is unconscious and being consoled by Mikasa and Hange. Hange is worried as she is sure that the smoke from the Titan's body will notify anyone near.

One day later, Eren awakes from his sleep and since he can't remember anything about the experiment he is filled in by Hange. Levi harshly blames Eren for there current situation and over Mikasa's defence, he admits that while he is mean complaining is part of the process. As Levi begins to elaborate about the walls being awful and their being true freedom outside, Hange interrupts and concludes that they learned Eren can't harden along with other information which makes this experiment a success. As Eren appears to be having a headache Mikasa tells him not to push himself due to his weak state. Hange then moves on and says the only option left is to investigate the Wall Cult. She is curious why the King doesn't have access to this information but rather the Reiss family does. She ends this bedside meeting by saying that Erwin has gone to the capital and will surely learn something. Later, Levi burns Erwin's orders after having his squad read them. They leave just as men come to burn their hideout with Levi coyly remarking that they are underestimating him. As they arrive in Trost and notice it's destroyed state, several citizens come up to Levi and accuse the Survey Corps of not doing enough. They angrily wonder why Levi gets to eat while they starve. After starting a fight a cart comes rushing through and kidnaps Jean and Armin, who are disguised as Eren and Historia. Mikasa and the others trail them to a warehouse and after she inquires about Levi's injured ankle, he replies that he can move it and that is good enough.

As the kidnappers apparent boss confirms with his men that they are Eren and Krista, he enters the room and decides to start by stripping them of everything they have. In mid-sentence Mikasa appears from behind a crate and cracks one of the kidnappers in the head with his knee while at the same time Levi throws one to the ground. Mikasa then tackles their leader as Jean and Armin escape from their ropes and use them to tie up the three men. After confirming with Connie that there are no more, the leader pulls a gun out but is stopped thanks to an arrow from Sasha. Levi begins his interrogation by asking the leader what his role is and he falsely claims to just be the chauffeur. Mikasa recognizes him as Dimo Reeves, the president of a merchant company who was blocking the escape from Trost district after it was breached. As Dimo begrudgingly admits who he is Levi decides to take him somewhere else to talk. At that moment Armin is fixing a gag on one of the men who acts very perverted, which results in Jean taking over due to Armin's nervousness.

On top of the wall Levi asks where they are and Dimo calls Trost him home town while also admitting that he loves this place. Levi notices the irony that while this place was humanity's first win against the titans, only Eren in his titan form could achieve this; humanity can't compete with titans. Levi continues his lecture about the importance of Eren and how horrible it would be if he was taken away, but is cut off by Dimo who claims to be too old for a sermon. Levi then inquires about Dimo's negotiation with the First Interior Squad, but learns that Dimo is only following orders. Dimo goes on to say that due to this failure his company, men, and even himself will all be destroyed. He calls the First Interior Squad total morons for picking a fight with the Survey Corps and notes that Mikasa alone was strong enough to take out himself and all his men. Levi agrees but asks if Dimo is going to let himself be killed by those morons and he replies that they have absolute authority, so yes. Dimo refuses to fight because then even more of his men will die but Levi notes that they will die either way. He further elaborates that Trost is on the verge of collapse but still there are people here thanks to the Reeves company. Without Reeves company the town will certainly die which Dimo blames on Levi for not handing over Eren and Krista. Shockingly, Levi agrees to that very thing much to the objection of everyone present, especially Mikasa. Levi stipulates three conditions for this agreement: Reeves company joins the Survey Corps against the government, they trust them fully, and they must give the Survey Corps preference on luxury goods. Sasha blurts out that she loves these conditions even though Mikasa is visibly worried. Dimo chuckles that while Levi is pretty greedy he likes him. He agrees to the deal by shaking Levi's hand. Reeves lures Djel Sanes and his partner Ralph into the arms of the Survey Corps by telling them he has Eren and Krista. Mikasa and the rest of Levi's squad relocate to a remote cabin where Sanes is now being tortured himself, by Levi and Hange.

Mikasa and the rest of Levi's squad, minus the captain, sit around a table and hear the tortured screams of Djel Sanes in the basement. Jean laments that he expected to fight Titans when he joined the Survey Corps, not humans. As he wonders why they are staining their hands in this manner, Eren responds that the only other alternative is for humanity to die to the titans. Since Erwin's goal is to overthrow the government, Eren concludes that this is just the beginning. Jean notes that failure will almost certainly led to execution. Armin theorizes that since they are trying to change a 100 year old system their best chance of success would be to get the populace on their side. His idea is to create some sort of tragedy and then blame it on the government. This plan draws considerable worry from everyone present so Armin nervously stutters that he was just kidding. Jean asks if Armin was corrupted due to the pervert at the warehouse and Mikasa says that she doesn't remember raising him this way. Armin continues that they have to kill their current enemies because they have different ideas. He concludes by depressingly announcing that they are not good guys anymore.

Mikasa, the rest of the Special Operations Squad, members of Hange's Squad, along with Dimo Reeves and his son Flegel Reeves arrive at a meeting chaired by Levi. After he tells Nifa to being, Dimo Reeves offers to leave but Levi refuses by citing the fact that they agreed to trust each other. Dimo introduces his son who, after being welcomed by Levi, sarcastically remarks that tea would be a better welcome. This prompts a smack on the head from Dimo who calls his successor spoiled and again offers to leave, with Levi once again telling them to stay. Nifa announces that the topic is Historia ascending to the throne, which leads to shocked responses by the people present as Levi casually announces that he forgot to tell them. Nifa elaborates that the Fritz Royal Family are just puppet rulers for Rod Reiss, the true ruler of humanity. Levi backs up Nifa's claims and asks a distressed Historia her thoughts. Historia replies that she can't do it which leads Levi to order her to do it, even though he does somewhat relate to her mental state. She once again refuses and Levi responds by violently lifting her into the air by her shirt and telling her to run away. As the rest of the group watches in disbelief Levi tells Historia to run away and then the Survey Corps will use all their power to find her, and force her to be queen by any means necessary.

After telling Historia that her only other option is to fight him herself, Levi drops her to the ground as Jean shouts that he didn't have to do that. Levi answers with a lecture asking those present what they will be doing tomorrow. He queries if the person next to them will still be there tomorrow and then proclaims that he finds it unlikely. Levi goes on by saying that even though he is unnatural due to everything he has witnessed, he would still be a first responder to any incursion past Wall Rose. As much as Levi wants to prevent this there are those who stand in the way, and he is prepared to do anything to take those people down. Levi concludes by saying that if the Survey Corps had true authority they could avoid all this, and authority can only come from Historia as queen. Levi ends his sermon by grabbing Historia's head and shouting at her to do it, and she responds that she will. Levi is grateful and offers his hand to get her up off the ground. As his squad observes with caution he leans against the wall and tells Nifa to continue. She starts relaying Erwin's orders which are to hand over Eren and Historia to the Military Police's First Interior Squad. Since the Reeves Corporation is handling the transport of them the Survey Corps will follow them to Rod Reiss. They will then capture him and question why he holds back technological advancement and makes people fight. If his answers are satisfactory then he will remain, but otherwise he will be replaced by Historia. Only after this is accomplished can they move towards sealing the hole in Wall Maria.

After two days of following the First Interior Squad the Survey Corps find themselves in Trost. The Military Police are distributing flyers and are claiming that the Survey Corps has killed Dimo Reeves, who was actually killed by Kenny Ackerman when he captured Eren and Historia. Jean notices all the commotion being caused and then casually reports back to the rest of the squad minus Levi, who are at a horse stable. Jean hands Armin the wanted poster of Levi and remarks that they're finished since the Survey Corps is basically disbanded. Jean darkly tells the group that he was prepared to be eaten by a Titan before Armin interrupts by saying that the Survey Corps is still alive. He believes there is no way that Erwin would just bow his head and give up. Armin remains optimistic by saying that Levi already yielded results since they know where Eren and Historia are: a mortuary. He ends with the idea that everything will be ok if they can just captured Rod Reiss. Jean, almost to himself, says that he could never kill another human. Connie agrees that violence is wrong and he places the blame on Levi for what he did to Historia, which Sasha agrees with. Jean says that he never intended to join a violent organization and always wanted to save mankind. Armin, sensing that Jean might leave, tells him that this is their only choice and then looks to Mikasa for support. Mikasa replies that she always knew Levi was strange, but agrees with Armin that following him is their best chance.

As Mikasa and the others are trailing the cart with Eren and Historia, Sasha is startled as she hears gunfire. Armin correctly surmises that Levi has been found out and thus they should change strategies. Sasha tells her friends that the gunfire is getting closer but wonders how when there are no guns usable with Vertical Maneuvering Equipment and the First Interior Squad should not be able to keep up with Levi. As they continue to wonder about the situation, a wounded Levi bursts through a gate being chased by three First Interior Squad members, who are equipped with exactly what Sasha thought about. As the squad is shocked to see this equipment Levi cuts one of his pursuers in half which shocks his squad.

Levi begins leading his squad in the cart by using his Vertical Maneuvering equipment. Levi lands in the cart with Armin and tells his squad to stop following Eren and Historia since their plan has been seen through, and they are now being pursued by Kenny Ackerman and the First Interior Squad. Levi suggests giving up on Eren and Historia since there are certainly more ambushes up ahead. As Levi announces that Nifa, Keiji, and another member of Hange's squad have been killed Mikasa is angry at Levi for this plan. Levi tells Armin to drive the cart, Sasha and Connie to lead the horses, Jean to provide fire from the cart, and Mikasa to support the escape with her equipment. She ignores the order and furiously asks Levi what they are going to do about Eren and Historia. Levi responds by saying that they will have to find them some other way if they survive. He finishes his orders by telling everyone to kill the enemy whenever they can. Mikasa agrees with they decision despite being very upset at leaving Eren, while Jean is shocked since he has just been ordered to kill. As more First Interior Squad members chase them Levi deflects a bullet and then throws his blade into the head of one of them. Jean, clearly paralysed by fear, asks why this had to happen. Just as Levi notices that they are closed in one First Interior Squad member points their gun at Armin before being smashed in the side of the head by Mikasa's foot. She lands in the cart and Jean orders her to not move while pointing his rifle at her. She begins to get up and as Jean repeats the command he is unable to shoot her, which leads to her knocking the gun out of his hand and pointing her guns at him. As Mikasa lunges toward them in order to save Jean, a lone gunshot is heard.

Having escaped the pursuit of the First Interior Squad and now located at a rustic cabin, Armin is crying and vomiting outside. Mikasa, armed with a rifle, rushes out to comfort him as he asks if it was the same for her. Mikasa doesn't respond as Armin stops crying and apologize to her, which she says is ok. She then heads toward the cabin and finds Sasha stitching up Levi and tells Jean that it is his turn to be lookout. He asks how Armin is and Mikasa replies that he is still outside. It is revealed that Armin grabbed his gun and was able to shoot Jean's attacker in the head before she killed Jean. As Sasha stands watch, Levi coyly asks if Armin can't eat because of how filthy their stable is. Armin brushes Levi off by saying no and then theorizes about why he had time to get his gun and shoot, when the First Interior Squad member had her gun already pointed at Jean. With Jean unable to answer the question Levi interceded and plainly says it is because she hesitated. Jean apologizes for not shooting, as Armin takes in Levi's revelation and concludes that whoever he killed was more human than himself. Levi tells him to stop this self-pity by making Armin realize that his hands are already dirty and Jean would be dead if they weren't. As Mikasa attempts to rebuff Levi he simply continues saying that Armin was able to do it because his comrade was in danger. He ends his speech to Armin by thanking him for saving Jean. Jean admits to Levi that he thought his way of doing this was wrong because it hurt people. Jean makes a promise to no longer hesitate and to shoot next time as Levi tells him that his softness put them in a bad spot. Levi shocks the group by saying that he doesn't know what is right or wrong, bringing to question if Jean really wasmistaken.

Marlowe Sand and Hitch Dreyse are patrolling through the woods looking for the Survey Corps. As they debate the morality of what the Survey Corps has done they notice Armin gathering water and order him to put his hands up. Mikasa and Levi jump out of a tree and put their blades to the throats of Hitch and Marlowe. They give their guns to Armin who tells them not to make a sound. Mikasa and Armin strip them of everything minus their clothes and tie them up. After confirming who they are, Levi jokingly remarks that the Military Police are still giving all the work to recruits. Mikasa tells her captain that the preparation are complete since her and Armin are wearing Marlowe and Hitch's uniforms. Levi tells them to infiltrate the First Interior Squad at Stohess District and find out what they can. Levi then moves toward his prisoners and is interrupted by Hitch who accuses the Survey Corps of killing hundreds in Stohess during the Female Titan's attack. Levi agrees with her as Hitch notices that they are from the same group as Annie Leonhart. Hitch says that nothing has been heard from her since then and theorizes that it is because the Titan killed her. Levi corrects her by saying that Annie was the Female Titan and goes on by saying that everyone is ignorant except the highest authorities. He then tells Marlowe and Hitch that they will be tied up before he is again interrupted, this time by Marlowe. He believes that the Survey Corps are not in the wrong and asks if they really killed Dimo Reeves. Levi tells the truth that it was the First Interior Squad who did that. Marlowe pleads with Levi to let him help fix the world and seek out the First Interior Squad. Levi refuses, citing the fact that their loyalty and commitment is in question. After ordering Sasha to tie them up, Jean interjects and asks to do it instead which Levi agrees to. Levi and his squad arrive outside the First Interior Squad compound as Mikasa thanks to Jean, who was able to prove Marlowe and Hitch's loyalty by threatening to kill them. Levi announces that it is now their time to strike first.

After assaulting the compound and crippling most people inside, Levi takes a hostage and is not surpirsed that Eren and Historia are not there. Levi and his squad leave the area and after propping his hostage against a tree, Levi asks him where Eren and Krista are. The captive asks if Levi killed his men and remarks that cutting up all those people does not make Levi a hero. He announces that there were also many servants who were likely also cut up, prompting worried responses from Connie and Sasha. Levi does not care and kicks his hostage in the teeth and again asks where Eren and Krista are. The hostage coughs up blood and angrily tells Levi that the Survey Corps is doomed and all they can do is run in circles. He adds that they abandon their comrades who will certainly die if the Survey Corps doesn't surrender, with Erwin Smith being the first to die. He pleads with Levi to take sole responsibility in order to save everyone else, and then offers to mediate the whole exchange. Levi sarcastically thanks him and repeats his question so the hostage asks if Levi is going to sacrifice his comrades, and Levi comments that some lives are more important than others. Levi pins him against a tree and breaks his arm while commenting that the Monarchy would never be honest about such a deal. As his hostage cries out in pain Levi, for the fourth time, asks him where Eren and Krista are. Broken, the hostage tells Levi that Kenny Ackerman doesn't tell them anything which Levi acknowledges. Mikasa is shocked upon hearing this last name and even Levi is surprised to hear it. Despite this, Levi assumes his hostage has a good guess and threatens to break his other bones. As the man accuses Levi of being insane Levi responds that he might be. At that moment Sasha, armed with her bow, shouts that someone is approaching them. As the Survey Corps prepare themselves, the hostage remarks that they have no chance and now the Survey Corps is finished.

The threat coming in is actually Hange, Marlowe, and Hitch. Hange tells Levi that the Survey Corps has been pardoned from their crimes and that the capitol is now under the control of Commander-In-Chief Darius Zackly due to a coup d'etat. She hands Levi a report from the Belk Newspaper Agency which announces that the Survey Corps was framed for the murder of Dimo Reeves by the First Interior Squad, that the press has been forced to print propaganda, and that King Fritz is a puppet for a noble family who remains in seclusion. As Levi reads this his squad celebrate at their new status and the hostage is in denial. Levi is curious what Hange did and she responds that the individual choices of people made this victory possible. After apologizing for the death of Hange's squad she forgives him since their death accomplished something. Levi is quick to say that not everyone has been dealt with and they must now find Eren and Historia. Hange responds that she has a lead and that even though it is not confirmed, it remains their best bet.

Hange tells Levi's squad the exact same thing she told Erwin before he was arrested, she believes that Eren is going to be eaten by Rod Reiss. Based on a conversation he had while kidnapped by Reiner and Bertolt, it is believes that by eating a Titan Shifter one can gain their powers. Hange begins talking about a report on the Reiss estate commissioned by Erwin, since Eren is almost certainly there. The report says that Survey Corps members disguised as farmers infiltrated the estate. Hange begins to say that 5 years ago the Reiss family consisted of Rod Reiss, his wife, five children, and the illegitimate child Historia. Frieda Reiss was the eldest daughter who was loved by everyone; she often visited the surrounding farms. However, the night Wall Maria was breached a group of bandits destroyed the Reiss Chapel. At the time the entire Reiss family, minus Historia, was inside the church and perished, except for Rod Reiss. Hange concludes the report by adding that this was several days before Historia's mother was killed by Kenny Ackerman. Levi speculates that Rod Reiss was likely trying to find Historia due to their blood ties and then wonders if the Reiss blood line is special. Mikasa asks Hange to reveal where Eren and Historia are but she responds that they will talk about that later. Hange finds the destroying of the chapel to be the most interesting event and theorizes that normal bandits never would have bothered destroying the chapel, only taking the materials inside. In addition, Rod Reiss immediately rebuilt the chapel using his own finances. Levi, having taken in all this information, orders everyone present to head for the chapel, which they all agree with. Hange adds that they must hurry since Rod Reiss will almost certainly eat Eren very soon. Armin wonders to himself how Eren became a Titan and whom he ate to become a Titan Shifter.

Mikasa and the rest of the Special Operations Squad, including Hange, Marlowe, and Hitch, arrive at a barn for supplies. Levi begins to tell them about the enemies they will be facing including Kenny Ackerman, their leader. Levi compares Kenny's strength to his own and then decides that he is even stronger due to his specialized equipment. As Sasha and Connie consider waiting for the army that is surely coming to help them, Mikasa reminds them that Eren could be eaten at any moment. As Armin considers any weaknesses Kenny might have, Hange adds that the army coming has very little experience. She then questions why Levi has no information on Kenny despite living with him, to which he responds that only yesterday did he even find out that his last name was Ackerman. Levi then asks Mikasa if he is a relative of here, and she responds with a story about her parents. Her father's family was persecuted in the city for his name while his mother's family was also hated for their ancestry, so they were forced to live in the mountains. Mikasa adds that even her father knew nothing about the name and why people persecuted him for it. Levi proceeds to bluntly ask if Mikasa ever felt like she had a power awakened within her, and as she recalls killing a kidnapper with Eren she answers yes. Levi tells the group that Kenny had the same thing happen to him, and suddenly he knew everything that he needed to do. Levi ends by revealing that he had the exact same thing happen to him.

Mikasa, Hitch, Marlowe, Hange, and the rest of Levi's squad finally arrive at the Reiss Chapel. As the two commanders find the entrance, Hange hopes that the layout is similar to what she anticipated. After Armin announces that everything is ready, Levi asks his squad if they are ready to 'get their hands dirty' and after receiving no response but stares, he is confident that they are. The Survey Corps enters the underground cave by kicking open the door and rolling several barrels full of gas down the stairs. Quickly, the group dashes in with Sasha shooting a flaming arrow at one of the barrels, causing an explosion that releases a large amount of gas. Mikasa and Levi draw their blades and charge at their enemy under the cover of smoke.

As the First Interior Squad prepares to fire, the rest of the Survey Corps fires several flare guns, further obstructing the view of Levi and Mikasa. Levi quickly counts that there are 35 enemies around the pillars in the cave, and tells his squad to keep the same strategy as he and Mikasa launch forward. Levi's squad takes to the air in order to fight with the exception of Armin who continues to fire flares, and Sasha with her flaming arrows. As Sasha shoots another barrel Jean is able to sneak up behind an enemy and cut him deep in his neck. Armin covers Jean with flares as Connie slashes one enemy in the head. One First Interior Squad member aiming at Connie is dispatched by Sasha with an arrow to the heart. Hange avoids two shots and stabs directly through one enemy. Mikasa slashes one enemy in the side and kicks another in the head after avoiding shots. Levi, after hacking his way through several enemies, spots the apparent leader which is Kenny's subordinate from back when Eren and Historia were kidnapped. She avoids an attack from him but is charged at by Hange after her two shots miss. Unable to reload in time she shoots a hook into Hange's shoulder, causing Hange to yell. Her momentum carries her past Kenny's subordinate and the tensed hook frees itself from Hange after pulling violently on Kenny's subordinate's arm. As both cry out in pain, Hange crashes into the ground which draws concerned looks and shouts from the Survey Corps. Due to their poor situation Kenny's subordinate orders a retreat deeper into the cave. Levi orders Armin to take care of Hange and then tells his squad to pursue the enemy.

Mikasa and the rest of Levi's squad, with the exception of Armin and Hange, continue their pursuit of the First Interior Squad but are suddenly stopped by a bright flash and rest against some pillars. Mikasa, realizing that it means a Titan has transformed can only utter Eren's name and exhibit fear. Mikasa arrives just in time to catch Historia, who had been flung back against the wall when she attempted to free Eren from his various restraints due to Rod transforming into a Titan. Mikasa asks if she is alright before handing the keys to Levi as Eren notices that his former squad is here. Levi, Connie, and Jean being freeing Eren but argue about which key is correct as Jean angrily reminds Eren that they have to deal with the remnants of the First Interior Squad, along with Rod. Levi plainly announces that their biggest concern is the roof collapsing due to the size of Rod.

The three Survey Corps members manage to free Eren and pull him away just before a giant boulder falls down from the ceiling. Levi casually asks how much shittier the situation could be before saying that Rod looks bigger than the Colossus Titan. Rod continues crashing into the ceiling as Kenny is trying to escape while yelling that Rod has really messed up and is just as ignorant about Titans as everyone else. His female subordinate and squad come towards him and he responds by calling them idiots while telling them to stay back. Jean depressingly points out that there is no escape route before everyone backs up against the wall and determinedly look at Eren. He responds by crying out that he has been useless and was never humanities greatest hope. In the middle of this self-loathing speech, he notices a small bottle that fell out of Rod's bag and reads "Armor". Jean asks why Eren want's to be a tragic hero when he has dealt with all hardships up until now. Connie accuses him of being too timid once again as Sasha adds that she doesn't want this to keep happening. Levi points out that it would be hard enough to escape even if they didn't have to carry Eren and Historia, while Mikasa says that the heat from Rod will kill them if they get closer. Sasha cries that they have no other choice which prompts Eren to respond that they have no hope. Historia harshly asks if he wants to die just because they are enemies of humanity. Levi tells Eren to make his own choice, mirroring what he said during the pursuit of the Female Titan, and then apologizes for continuously doing that to him. Eren, upon hearing this, grabs the bottle and breaks it in his mouth while running towards Rod and transforming.

She is later seen freeing Eren's body out of his Titan form and going with him in the wagon, following Rod, along with the rest of Levi's squad. He seems shocked when Eren accepts being eaten by Rod in order to save mankind but he is relieved when this idea is rejected by Historia and Hange. When the squad arrives at the district, he goes with Erwin and the Garrison, who are creating an operation to stop Rod's Titan, using the citizens inside Orvud district to lure it. She is finally seen on top of the Wall surrounding Orvud district, where she realizes that Sasha has not eaten anything during the day. Sasha, along the rest of the squad, states how long the day has been and Jean mentions that they can't eat because they have been killing people. Shortly after, Rod arrives to the district and the operation begins.

Mikasa and the rest of Squad Levi observes the futile attacks of the Garrison against Rod. When Hange arrives, she helps to carry gun-powder barrels to launch against the Titan, and tells Eren off for standing around without doing anything. This makes Eren to punch himself for feeling pathetic, and a surprised Mikasa stops him.

Soon after, Rod reaches the Wall and the Garrison soldiers flee. Mikasa and the rest of the squad cover themselves on water to endure the heat of the Titan and explode its hands with the gun-powder barrels. As Rod's head is blown up by Eren, they jump cutting the flying pieces trying to destroy its main body, which is finally cut by Historia.

After Historia's coronation, Mikasa is seen with her friends looking for Levi in order to live out the last words that Dimo Reeves spoke to Eren and Historia. When they find him, Historia punches him in the arm and all of Squad Levi shouts and cheers. However, Levi smiles at his squad and thanks them in response, much to everyone's surprise.

Two months later, Historia can be seen running an orphanage and personally taking care of abandoned children. Eren, Jean and Armin are having a talk about Historia's new role and the country's situation while Sasha, Connie and Mikasa help with the facility. When Historia finds them, she orders them to start working and stop chatting, she has a small conversation about Reiner and Bertolt with Eren, but they are interrupted by Mikasa, who takes the items Eren was carrying from him, saying it is because he is tired from all his training to take back Wall Maria, regardless of Eren's angered pleas.

Awhile later, the soldiers are having dinner and celebrating the success of the Titan Guillotine fashioned by Hange. Mikasa remains silent most of the time, while Jean criticizes the new Survey Corps soldiers and talks with Marlowe, now a member. When Eren begins to once again remember the day he ate his father, Mikasa stops him, saying that he has to eat before talking. While Eren tries to figure out who the man that his father met the day Wall Maria fell, however, one of Jean's jokes gives him the answer: their old instructor Keith Shadis. They then decide to pay him a visit.

Return to Shiganshina arc
The following day, Eren, Mikasa, Armin and others travel to the training camp to talk with Keith Shadis. They talk inside a small house and Keith tells them everything he knows: how he met Grisha Yeager 20 years ago outside the Walls, his relation with him and Eren's mother during those years, and how he was present in the night Grisha injected Eren with the Titan serum, but did not see anything, and at the end, does not know anything about Grisha's secrets.

Some days later, thanks to Eren's training and new technology developed by Hange, the operation to take back Wall Maria is ready to begin the next day. That night, the soldiers have a great dinner to celebrate. Mikasa is present, eating and watching Sasha's rampage and Jean and Eren's fight. Even when Jean blames Eren for the dangers that he puts in Mikasa, she calmly decides not to intervene.

When the fights ends, she sits with Eren and Armin talking about their future, what will happen once they reconquest Wall Maria, and wondering if everything will be like before. However Armin not only thinks in that: he considers that being part of the Survey Corps will allow them to see the ocean and the whole world.

The following day, the Survey Corps are ready to go to Shiganshina District. After hearing the cheers of the citizens, Erwin starts the operation at dawn and Mikasa rides along the Squad Levi towards Shiganshina.

The corps are now walking within a mountaintop forest, nearing dawn. Mikasa leads Eren's horses, despite his complaints, as the others encourage him to rest as much as possible for his upcoming duties. Jean spots a nearby Titan and Hange quickly orders the group to illuminate it with their fragments of the Reiss Chapel cave. She claims that it is dozing away and the group moves on. A few moments after this, Mikasa begins to recognize the are they are in and claims that she collected fire wood there once before. Eren and Armin also begin to recognize the area and Mikasa notes that she can hear the river stream. The group then finds themselves near the Shiganshina District and race in on horses. Erwin orders that all soldier switch to Vertical Maneuvering Equipment and rush the main gate, covered by their hoods to distract any watching enemies. Mikasa is among the soldiers surrounding the gate as Eren flies up above to transform.

After Eren successfully seals the hole in Wall Maria, Mikasa retrieves him from his Titan form, and returns him to the top of the Wall. Giving Eren her cloak, Mikasa accompanies the rest of her squad as they return to meet up Erwin and the rest of the Survey Corps. However, before they can return, they see a Signal Flare fired by Erwin and stop to await further orders. From her position, Mikasa and her comrades are able to observe as Reiner reveals himself to be hiding inside the Wall, and the Beast Titan and his army materialize to engage the Survey Corps.

After taking up positions around the brawling Eren and Reiner, Mikasa waits until Eren is able to maneuver Reiner into an area of town with tall buildings. Once Eren has succeeded in this task, Mikasa and Hange use their new Thunder Spears to blind him. After her teammates destroy the armor covering Reiner's nape, the entire squad moves in and destroys Reiner's nape with their Thunder Spears. Afterwards, Mikasa attempts to console a horrified Armin, but is interrupted by Reiner's Titan form, which begins roaring.

After Armin reveals to Hange that Bertolt is approaching, Mikasa and the rest of the soldiers retreat from Reiner's immediate vicinity, in order to escape being caught in the blast of Bertolt's transformation to Titan form. When Bertolt chooses not to transform in order to check on Reiner, Armin attempts to negotiate with him. However, while Armin is attempting to talk with Bertolt, Mikasa takes the opportunity to attack Bertolt from behind. She is unsuccessful in killing him, and comments as he flees on his drastic change in personality.

While Mikasa and Armin are returning to their comrades' position, Bertolt transforms, and they are forced to hide behind a building to shield themselves from the blasts. They then regroup with the rest of Squad Levi and inform them that Hange's squad has apparently been destroyed by the blast. As Bertolt begins destroying Shiganshina, Mikasa observes that he doesn't seem to know their location. Pointing out that they will not have time to look for any survivors from Hange's squad, Mikasa suggests that Armin take the lead of their squad, though Armin then gives Jean command.

After retreating from Bertolt, Eren tries to get Bertolt's attention, but he ignores them. Deciding that they will have to engage Bertolt directly, Mikasa takes Connie's Thunder Spear and prepares to engage Bertolt. While Eren attacks Bertolt directly, Mikasa and the rest of the squad spread out to try to find an opening to attack Bertolt. However, before they can act, Bertolt kicks Eren into the side of Wall Maria, to Mikasa's horror.

Jean assures her that Eren is not dead, and that their main concern at the moment is taking down Bertholt. Jean formulates a plan for he, Connie and Sasha to draw Bertholt's attention while Mikasa strikes his nape with the Thunder Spears. Just as Mikasa moves in to strike Bertholt, he uses his steam to prevent her from reaching him. When Mikasa lands on a roof where the others already are, she is visibly injured. She explains that a piece of the Thunder Spears hit her, but the wound is not deep. She asks Armin if he believes there is any possible way for them to fight back, but he sees none. They are startled by the sound of a house exploding behind them. From it emerges Reiner, his head fully regenerated.

Abilities
Owing to the need to protect her adoptive brother who often runs off looking for trouble, Mikasa had honed herself to be a talented fighter at a very young age, often throwing boys bigger than her with ease, gaining her reputation. An example of this is when Armin was being bullied and Eren came to his rescue. The boys were preparing to take Eren on when they saw Mikasa behind him and promptly ran away, even though the bullies had superior numbers. She is strong enough to lift Eren off the ground without effort.

Vertical Maneuvering Equipment
While she was still training, Keith even noted that Mikasa's performance is exemplary in every subject, and that she is truly a genius. Combined with her prodigious skill in Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, she can easily take down Titans with speed and efficiency. This has lead to her being mentioned as a military genius many times and "worth one thousand ordinary soldiers." With such prodigious skills coupled with her own remarkable will, she displays lethal force against Titans rarely seen among soldiers, recruits or veterans alike. This has been proven true when she took Annie in her Titan form, who had killed numerous experienced veterans with ease before, and survived.

Awakened power
Mikasa, being an Ackerman, has 'awakened' a dormant power within her earlier in her life that Levi described as "knowing exactly what needed to be done". Being the child of an Ackerman and an Asian Mikasa retains some ability to resist memory manipulation.

Relationships

 * Eren Yeager - Mikasa considers Eren to be her 'family', since she was adopted into his home following the death of her own. She always wears a scarf, given to her by Eren, as a token of the moment when he first wrapped it around her in an attempt to comfort her when she had first lost all hope. From the time he saved her life and accepted her into his home, Eren has been a great source of strength and comfort for her. Because he is the only 'family' she has left, she will go to any lengths to ensure his safety, and vows to follow him wherever he may go, stating her only wish is to remain by his side. This often results in Eren becoming annoyed whenever she becomes too protective, and telling her not to treat him like her 'baby brother'. Due to the intensity of her devotion to him, several characters, from Ian to Jean and even Levi, are confused about the nature of their relationship. Interestingly, Mikasa only ever blushes when Eren is involved. Examples of this include her embarrassed blush when Ian mistook him for her lover during the reconquest of Trost, Armin leaving her alone with Eren after capturing the Female Titan, and, when she believed she was about to die, thanked Eren for everything he has done for her.
 * Armin Arlert - Mikasa is a close friend of Armin's. She frequently helped Eren fend off the older boys who bullied him when they were children. Mikasa recognizes Armin's ability to reason out the best solution and come up with the best strategy during dire situations, and is faithful to him and trusts him deeply, as shown when she refuses to leave him behind to his death during the Battle of Trost. She encourages him to have more confidence in himself whenever he doubts or criticizes himself. Her faith in him, along with Eren's, are responsible for Armin's boost in confidence from the time he attempted to convince a hostile brigade of soldiers of Eren's value as a military weapon.
 * Annie Leonhart - Their relationship is implied to be some sort of rivalry. It's hinted that Annie doesn't like Mikasa for the simple fact that she may be a stronger hand-to-hand combatant, and that Mikasa resents Annie's constant rough treatment of Eren whilst teaching him her techniques. Their animosity deepens when Annie was found to be the Female Titan, and was responsible for the deaths of countless soldiers and Eren's attempted kidnapping. Things came to a peak as Mikasa became fed up with Annie's games and called her out as the Female Titan that had attacked them. With that exposed, Mikasa stopped Annie from escaping by cutting off her fingers and forcing her to fall off of the wall.
 * Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover - Little is known about their friendship. However, Mikasa realizes that she hesitated and was unable to finish them off when they were revealed as the Armored Titan and Colossus Titan. She agonizes over this failure, recognizing that she should have been able to kill them with her level of skill. When she finally caught up to them, she flew into a murderous rage, threatening Ymir and even Krista when they came between her and the traitors. Calling them a "plague upon humanity", and stating that there is no reason to care what their reasons and motivations might be, she also encouraged the others to kill them without mercy. However, her rampage was stalled by Bertolt's emotional confession.
 * Jean Kirstein - Her primary interactions with him relate to his rivalry with Eren, and it is unclear whether she is even aware of his affections for her. When he grimly admonished Eren for attacking her, Mikasa felt Jean was attempting to discredit Eren, and quickly became defensive on his behalf. It is implied that he continues to harbor feelings for Mikasa, as he lost his composure when he saw a Titan had grabbed her, and furiously attacked it head-on in order to save her.
 * Levi Ackerman - Their relationship began in a negative fashion, as she witnessed him beat Eren during a military trial. She once swore to make him pay for his abuse, and lashed out at him when the Female Titan managed to kidnap Eren after slaughtering Levi's squad. Regardless, he expresses an understanding of her and is wounded saving her life—while temporarily sidelined, he repeatedly offers her advice, and she herself agonizes over causing his injury. It is unknown if she still bears a grudge against him, though she eventually comes to accept his leadership. They both share the last name Ackerman, although their relationship is unknown.
 * Grisha Yeager - Though he initially hoped Mikasa would get along with Eren as a friend, in the end Grisha took in Mikasa after the brutal murder of her parents. He treated her kindly as if she were his own daughter, and for that Mikasa respected and gratefully relied on him as her father figure.
 * Carla Yeager - Carla took care of Mikasa during her stay in the Yeager household. Much like her husband and son, she treated Mikasa as a family member and took care of her. The two seemed to have an implicit understanding between them when it came to keeping Eren out of trouble. Carla urged Mikasa to look out for her reckless brother and give him help when he needed it. During the Titans' assault on their home town, she desperately tried to lift the roof beam preventing Carla from running away from the danger. Despite Carla's pleas, she tearfully refused to leave her, and could not bring herself to watch as a Titan eventually killed and ate her.
 * Hannes - It's implied that Mikasa was grateful towards Hannes for rescuing her and Eren from being killed by the Titan that ate their mother. Despite admitting to his cowardice in front of her, she did not resent him for failing to rescue Carla, and she valued him as one of the few people left with whom she shared memories of more peaceful times. Hannes comforted her when she was depressed over losing her adoptive brother, and also encouraged Mikasa not to give up, which snapped her out of her grief. When she was seriously injured, Hannes defended both her and Eren from the Smiling Titan, only to lose his life in the end. Retreating on horseback the safety of Wall Rose, Mikasa appeared to be in anguish over his loss, and still grieves for Hannes with Eren and Armin.
 * Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman - Mikasa shared a loving bond with her biological parents, and was happy with the simple life they shared. Being one of the last members of an Asian clan, Mrs. Ackerman had Mikasa undergo a scarring ritual involving the engraving of their clan's mark on her right forearm. She praised Mikasa for receiving the mark without making a fuss and encouraged her to carry on the legacy with her own children. Mr. Ackerman was a kind father to Mikasa, and she was very relaxed around him. She was not shy of asking either parent anything she did not know, and trusted them completely. The day a trio of kidnappers attacked and killed her parents in front of her, Mikasa lost all hope and believed her world had gone cold until Eren's father decided to adopt her.

People Killed

 * One unnamed kidnapper
 * Two unnamed members of the Military Police Brigade

Failed attempts

 * Annie Leonhart
 * Reiner Braun
 * Bertolt Hoover
 * Traute Carven

Trivia

 * Misaka-Chara_Design.pnga's surname is derived from the German name "Ackermann" meaning "fieldman".
 * Mikasa ranked third in the Characters Popularity Poll.
 * According to an interview with Isayama, Mikasa will opt to not wear her scarf if it is too hot out.
 * In the anime her scarf is red. This may be a reference to the "Red string of fate", which in Japanese folklore represents an unbreakable connection between soulmates or lovers.
 * The name Mikasa has several significant links in Japanese culture:
 * The name Mikasa, literally meaning "three bamboo hats", was a unique pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and served as a flagship during the Russo-Japanese War. The manga's author, Hajime Isayama, supposedly named Mikasa after this vessel due to his belief that series' with female characters named after famous warships come to be successful.
 * Mount Mikasa in Nara, Japan. An annual festival involves burning the dead grass on the mountain.
 * The princely house of Mikasa-no-miya, a branch of the Imperial family in Japan.
 * Mikasa is also a Malagasy word meaning "resolve".
 * In a Volume 11 sideart Isayama portrayed several characters transformed into Titans. Mikasa took the form of a masculine, heavily muscled Titan.
 * Mikasa is one of the Attack on Titan characters who were made into Nendoroid figures, along with Eren, Levi, and the Colossus Titan. A Nendoroid playset of the Attack on Titan setting was also made.
 * In the game Age of Gunslingers Online, a special Titan Mode was made as a tribute to the series. It features Elsa, an NPC modeled after Mikasa and voiced by Yui Ishikawa. A trailer of this mode can be viewed here. A special skin for the Blade Class is also available for purchase.
 * Mikasa is also a Swahili word meaning "disaster".
 * In The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror XXV", several other incarnations from other animated franchises of the family are shown, each one with a respective theme. In the anime theme, each of the family members were depicted as a specific anime character. Lisa portrayed Mikasa, with her traditional hairstyle and military outfit using the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment.
 * Mikasa was once referred to as being "worth one thousand soldiers". This line was taken from Tales of the Heike, where it was used to describe a legendary female Japanese warrior named Tomoe Gozen.

Quotes
"My specialty is tearing through flesh. If necessary, I am willing to demonstrate at any time. If anyone would like to experience it firsthand, I invite them to be the first to approach."

- Mikasa to the Garrison troops

"Only the victors are allowed to live. This world is merciless like that."

- Mikasa

"Take a deep breath. This isn't the time to be emotional."

- Mikasa to Armin

"I'm strong. Stronger than all of you. Extremely strong. I can kill all of those Titans there. Even if I'm alone."

- Mikasa

"That's enough. I can't listen to anymore of this. It's pointless. I'll tear you apart again, Female Titan!"

- Mikasa to Annie

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