Thread:Neetaku/@comment-1712781-20150516193357

In the forum discussion on chapter 69, you were asking that you wished they'd elaborated on how they were all related. Back in chapter 65 when he's speaking with his Grandfather, Kenny mentions he'd been checking up on the other Ackermans. His sister Kuchel is living underground as a prostitute with a new child from one of her clients, and the branch family moved off to the Zhiganshina district. So we already were pretty confident Levi was his nephew, as they reitorated in this chapter (69).

Using primogeniture, where the possessions and control of a family passes down through the oldest son, a 'branch family' implies that Mikasa's father is likely the child of one of the grandfathers younger siblings, if the split is just one generation back, and Kuchel and Kenny would be the children of the grandfathers eldest son.

So Mikasa is a cousin of Levi, and Kenny would be her dads cousin, so her cousin, once removed. (meaning one generation back) but if the branch family broke off in the grandfathers generation or even further back it would be a 2nd cousin, 3rd cousin etc. depending on if it was the great-grandfather or great-great-grandfather, respectively. If they broke off 100 years ago when the Ackermans were first exiled, than who knows.

Personally, i love the idea that the Ackermans are a Kingsgaurd of sorts, a line of perpetual badasses that serve no-one until they meet someone powerful enough to be worthy of their subservience, and then they are utterly loyal. (Levi-Erwin, Mikasa-Eren, and Kenny-Uri, all 3 earned the respect of their Ackermans through strength) 