Kenny Ackermann (Anime)

Kenny Ackermann (ケニー・アッカーマン) is a captain (隊長) in the Military Police Regiment. Kenny is a former serial killer who would slit his victims' throats, considered by some to be an urban legend known as Kenny the Ripper (切り裂きケニー). He raised Levi Ackermann and taught the latter as a child how to survive.

Appearance
Kenny has shoulder-length brown hair, a thin beard along his jawline, and gray eyes. He is a very tall and slim man who appears to be well-built. He has the appearance of a middle-aged man with wrinkles around his eyes, which are small and piercing. He wears a simple white shirt and black pants, along with a fedora hat.

When he was younger, Kenny had a more defined face and much fewer wrinkles. He did not have a beard but he still had dark sideburns. Also, his hair seemed to be slightly longer. He used to wear a long coat, dark trousers and shoes, a white button shirt and another hat.

Personality
Despite his previous life as a serial killer, Kenny appears to be a rather jovial man. Even in the midst of battle, Kenny has no trouble remaining cheerful, seemingly taking pleasure in taunting his adversaries. He has also proven to be rather animated in how he behaves, yelling and making a scene when he corners Levi in a tavern, and throwing furniture to try to provoke Levi. Despite this, he can seemingly control himself when he needs to, being able to sneak up on his targets without them noticing him.

Kenny has also proven himself to be very cold, showing no emotion when he kills his prey. He also seems to hold very little emotional attachment to those close to him, having no qualms with trying kill Levi, despite having raised the man as a child.

History
At some unspecific point, either before or after becoming a serial killer, Levi recalls Kenny saying he felt a sudden inexplicable surge of power and with it he knew "exactly what to do."

Kenny made a name for himself as a mass murderer, infamous for having managed to kill over 100 members of the Military Police Regiment.

One day, after having killed some MPs who were snooping around his grandfather's house, Kenny went to visit his grandfather. He informs his grandfather that he has learned of a branch of their family that is living in Shiganshina District, but notes that they are living in poverty due to interference by the MPs in their area. Reminding his grandfather that their family used to serve the king, he demanded to know why they are now being treated the way that they are. His grandfather explained that the king fears their family, because they are immune to his power which allows him to alter the memories of the Walls' people and control them and that they faced persecution because they, along with the Oriental clan, chose to turn their backs on the king's ideology.

Kenny also informed his grandfather that he had managed to find his sister, Kuchel, working in a brothel in the Underground. He was unhappy to learn that had been impregnated by one of her clients and intended to keep the child, and sullenly mused that there was no dream worth living in the world that they did.

He lived with Levi for a while when Levi was young. While they were living together, Kenny taught a number of battle tactics, including the strategy of always flanking one's opponent and attacking them from behind.

At some point, Kenny joined the Military Police, rising to the rank of Captain.

The Fall of Shiganshina arc
In the year 845, days after the fall of Wall Maria, Kenny arrives with a group of soldiers at Historia Reiss's home. He grabs Historia's mother and asks Rod Reiss if she and Historia are related to him. Rod Reiss denies it and Kenny slits Alma's throat. He approaches Historia to kill her too, but Rod Reiss orders him to stop and saves her life, giving her the new name "Christa Lenz" to live by.

The Uprising arc
Tasked with bringing Eren Jaeger and Historia Reiss to Rod Reiss, Kenny and Caven begin staking out the cottage that Levi's squad is staying in, and the experiments conducted on Eren's Titan form.

The two watch as the Military Police unsuccessfully attempt to raid the cottage and detain its occupants, with Kenny commenting that Levi was able to mobilize his subordinates fast enough to avoid capture because of his training.

Kenny follows Levi's squad to Trost District, where he employs the help of Dimo Reeves and the Reeves company to kidnap Eren and Historia. Although the locals kidnap decoys, Kenny sees through the ruse and tracks down the real Eren and Historia. Seeing that Levi is keeping watch over the covered wagon that Eren and Historia are in from afar, Kenny flanks Levi and his companion Nifa in order to kill them. Although he is successful in killing Nifa, Levi anticipates Kenny's flanking maneuver and manages to survive his attack.

As Kenny's subordinates kill another of Levi's companions, Kenny jovially insults Levi's small stature as he reloads his guns and uses his ODM gear to get another clear shot. Levi manages to escape, dodging Kenny's gunshots as he flees. Kenny's squad pursues Levi, eventually forcing him to take shelter in a nearby tavern.

Kenny follows Levi into the tavern, but is not able to find him. Concluding that Levi is not there, he is caught off guard when Levi begins to talk to him from under the counter. Levi expresses amazement at Kenny's working with the Military Police, but Kenny brushes him off, claiming that he would not understand such adult matters. Kenny continues to taunt Levi, criticizing his decision to join the Scout Regiment, and throwing chairs over the bar to antagonize him. As he tries to get closer to Levi, Levi shoots him with the tavern owner's gun. Kenny manages to block the bullet with a chair, saving his life, but is knocked out of the tavern by the force of the impact.

As Levi makes his escape, Caven comes to check on Kenny. Kenny notes Levi's growth since they last parted, and laments that his dream is slipping away from him. Having personally given up the pursuit of Levi, Kenny delivers Eren and Historia to Rod Reiss.

Learning that Reeves has double crossed the Military Police and sided with the Scout Regiment, Kenny tracks down Reeves and, under the cover of night, kills him. Caven is concerned that he did not attempt to find out Levi's location from Reeves, but Kenny assures her that Levi will eventually come to them. A day later, he would oversee members from the Scout Regiment being arrested while reminding Caven that Levi will show up on his own eventually.

In the cavern under the Reiss Chapel, Kenny listens on as Rod helps Historia unlock her memories of her sister Frieda, and Eren his memories of his father's last moments. As Historia absorbs the information, Kenny reveals himself, and informs Rod that the military has switched sides, overthrown the puppet king, and taken over with Dhalis Zachary in charge. He encourages them to hurry, as they are almost certainly being pursued. Rod orders Kenny to take his squad and guard the entrance to the chapel, as he can only move forward once the Anti-Personnel Control Squad leaves. Clearly displeased, Kenny tips his hat and departs. As he leaves, he recalls one of the last conversations he had with is grandfather.

Relationships

 * Levi Ackermann - Levi stayed with Kenny for some time as a child, however, the two have a notably antagonistic relationship in the present.

People killed

 * Alma
 * Nifa
 * Dimo Reeves
 * Over 100 members of the Military Police Regiment

Failed attempts

 * Levi Ackermann

Trivia

 * Hajime Isayama has stated that Kenny's character was partially inspired by the character Trevor Philips from.

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Kenny Ackermann (Anime)