Mikasa Ackerman

"This is a... cruel world. And yet... so beautiful."

- Mikasa's personal outlook on the world.

Mikasa Ackerman (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 parents, Grisha and Carla, 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 Training Corps. She later enlists in the Survey Corps to follow and protect Eren.

Appearance
Mikasa is a fairly tall, physically fit, and very muscular teenage girl with chin-length black hair which 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. Her body has been depicted as extremely well-toned, with little, if any, in the way of body fat along with muscles lined throughout her arms, legs, and abs. Mikasa also has a small scar below her right eye, which she received after Eren unknowingly attempted to kill her in his Titan form.

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 enlisting. A unique part of her attire is a black scarf, which was given to her by Eren after he saved her from the human traffickers who had murdered her family. Thus, 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 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 make him follow what she thinks is the right track. Despite that, she knows well that she cannot always sway Eren in his decisions and makes it a point to follow Eren wherever he goes and stick by whatever decisions he makes, just so that she can be around to help him out when he gets into 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 the 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 judgment - sometimes to the endangerment of herself and others. A notable example is the occasion she briefly gave in to 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 her. For Eren's sake, Mikasa has expressed a variety of emotions such as compassion, concern, 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 white father and an Asian mother, the former being an Ackerman. Before her parents' death, she lived peacefully with them in the farmlands of Wall Maria. Mikasa underwent a painful scarring ritual from her mother, who cut into her skin the mark of their Asian clan. Being the last of their race made them high value targets to kidnappers, who killed Mikasa's parents and attempted to kidnap her for the purpose of selling her as a slave to the people in the Capital 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 Training Corps 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 Training Corps.

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 Training Corps to see who is the stronger fighter. At the 104th Training Corps' 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 the Attack 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 Attack 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 Titan Forest, 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 formation.

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 is not 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 Titan Forest. 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 do not 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 is grabbed by a Titan hard enough to break her ribs and has to be saved by Jean. 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 rest of the joint military operation participants arrive back at Wall Rose. Eren apologizes to Mikasa while she lies injured on a stretcher. She is among the wounded carried away on carts. However, she does not stay down long. A short time later, she has recovered enough that she feels well enough to cut firewood while she hides out in a remote cabin along with Jean, Connie, Sasha, Armin, Historia, and Eren; the new members of Levi's Special Operations Squad.

She is present when Levi holds a meeting at the cabin with his squad and Hange's. They discuss recapturing Wall Maria, assuming that Eren can harden his Titan form to plug the hole. There are complications, however, with the death of Minister Nick at the hands of the Interior Military Police.

Mikasa and the rest of Levi's squad observe Hange's experiments with Eren. They do not go smoothly though, and Mikasa has to resort to using her blades to cut Eren out of his Titan after his third attempt results in Eren only partially transforming and becoming unresponsive. Eren remains unconscious for a full day before waking. Hange jokes about being relieved so she will not be sliced to shreds by Mikasa. Levi gripes over their lackluster results since Eren cannot harden himself, and without that ability they cannot reclaim Wall Maria. Mikasa defends Eren's efforts, but Levi assures her he does not blame Eren. He just needs to vent.

At night they receive orders from Erwin and Levi asks those members of his squad "dumb enough" to trust the Commander to come with him. They manage to escape before intruders reach their cabin and hurry to their rendezvous point in Trost District. There, a carriage comes crashing through and seemingly kidnaps Eren and Historia. However, the kidnapped victims are actually Jean and Armin in disguise. Mikasa joins Levi and the rest of their squad in tracking the kidnappers to their hideout.

They attack the kidnappers before Jean and Armin's disguises can be discovered, with Mikasa herself tackling the ringleader, who turns out to be Dimo Reeves, the merchant boss who was blocking the gate with his cargo the day Trost was invaded. Levi takes him for a talk on top of Wall Rose.

After hearing his story about being coerced by the Interior Military Police, Levi agrees to hand over Eren and Historia, to Mikasa's consternation. However, Levi has multiple conditions that will require the full cooperation of the Reeves Company. Dimo agrees and baits Djel Sannes and Ralph of the Interior First Squad into a trap so that they can be captured by the Survey Corps.

Mikasa and the rest of Levi's squad, minus the captain, listen to Djel Sannes' screams as he is tortured in the basement of their current hideout. She does not comment as the rest of the squad laments or endorse the actions they have taken up until this point, including beginning a coup against the government. Armin says they are not good people anymore.

The next morning, Levi holds a meeting with his squad along with Dimo and his son Flegel Reeves to discuss the information Nifa has brought from Erwin. Levi reveals that Historia is to take the throne as part of the coup since the Reiss family is the true royal family, surprising nearly everyone else present. Once he pressures Historia into agreement, Nifa begins to detail the operation where they will hand Eren and Historia over to the First Interior Squad and then track them to Rod Reiss, the true ruler within the Walls.

The kidnapping plan goes awry when Dimo Reeves and his employees are killed. Two days later, the murders are pinned on the Survey Corps and Mikasa and the rest of Levi's squad, sans the captain himself, are in a stable on standby in Stohess District. The squad is uneasy about the coup and Levi's treatment of Historia, but Mikasa thinks that their best option at the moment is to trust him.

As planned, Levi's squad begins trailing the hearse carrying the two coffins that contain Eren and Historia. They hear gunshots, revealing that Levi has been discovered, and shortly after they see him swing into view. His pursuers are outfitted with specialized vertical maneuvering equipment designed to allow the firing of guns. Levi lands in the wagon and orders his squad to stop following the hearse because it is a trap. Their best option now is to escape and he has Mikasa assist him. The two of them use their maneuvering gear to fight back against their pursuers, but one slips through and Mikasa kicks her down before she can shoot Armin. However, Jean is unable to finish her off and she retaliates before Mikasa can get close enough to stop her.

Armin reacts first to save Jean's life, by killing his attacker. When they escape to a cabin safely in the woods, Armin throws up outside, causing Mikasa to worry over him. He asks if this happened to her as well the first time she killed, and she is surprised by the question.

When Marlowe Freudenberg and Hitch Dreyse come into the forest to look for Survey Corps soldiers, Mikasa and Levi ambush them while Armin distracts them as bait. Mikasa and Armin take their uniforms and put them on with the intention of infiltrating the Military Police to find out where Eren and Historia have been taken. They are to return to Stohess District in disguise to gather clues and capture anyone they think might be an Interior MP.

However, Marlowe and Hitch do not take their capture quietly. Hitch berates Levi and Marlowe offers to help their cause. Jean asks if he can handle them and Levi allows him to secretly test their intentions. When they pass, the squad uses their help to launch an attack on a Interior Military Police compound.

After crippling most of the people inside, Levi and his squad escape with a hostage, but they do not find Eren and Historia. Levi brutally interrogates him about their location until the name "Kenny Ackerman" comes out. Mikasa is surprised upon hearing this last name and Levi reacts as well. Before they can question their hostage further, they hear people approaching on foot and their hostage remarks that they have no chance. The Survey Corps is finished.

The newcomers turn out to be Hange, Marlowe, and Hitch, arriving with the news that the false charges against the Survey Corps have been dropped and the capitol is now under the control of Commander-In-Chief Darius Zackly due to a coup d'état. Levi's squad celebrates with Mikasa getting a hug and a cheer from Hange. They still have to rescue Eren and Historia though, and Hange has an idea regarding where they are.

Hange suspects that Eren is going to be eaten in order to obtain his Titan power. Erwin had a report commissioned on the Reiss estate, and assuming that Eren and Historia were captured by the Reiss family, that is likely where they are being held. The day Wall Maria fell a group of bandits burned down the village chapel while the Reiss family was inside, but fire alone should not have destroyed a stone building. After escaping as the lone survivor, Rod Reiss rebuilt the place with his own assets. Hange finds it suspicious, so they head over there.

On the way, Levi warns his squad that Kenny Ackerman will be their biggest obstacle, because fighting him will be like fighting Levi himself. He asks Mikasa if she thinks Kenny might be related to her since they share the same last name. She thinks about it and tells him that she knows that her father's family was persecuted, but not the reason why. Levi then asks her whether she experienced a moment when she felt a sudden power awaken inside her and she remembers the moment she took up the knife to kill her kidnapper. She reveals that she did, and upon confirming this, Levi tells her that he and Kenny also experienced such moments in their lives.

They arrive at the chapel and find the secret door leading underground. The team makes preparations for facing the Anti-Personnel Control Squad, which is waiting for them below. When they are ready, they send barrels of gunpowder and bags of oil down the stairs. Sasha sets fire to them with a flaming arrow and fills the underground chamber with smoke, reducing visibility and the usefulness of firearms. Most of the squad provides additional cover with signal flares while Mikasa and Levi scout out their enemies using vertical maneuvering gear. Levi calls for his squad to take out the Interior MPs and the team springs into action. After a concerted push, they manage to force the Anti-Personnel Control Squad into a retreat.

Mikasa and the rest of Levi's squad are suddenly stopped by a bright flash deeper in the cavern. She realizes that it means a Titan has transformed and worries over Eren. The squad arrives in time for Mikasa to catch Historia, who had been flung back against the Wall from the force of Rod Reiss' transformation into a Titan. Mikasa asks if she is okay before taking the keys to Eren's chains from her and throwing them to Levi so he can free him. The ceiling begins caving in, trapping the squad. Eren apologizes for being useless, but Levi and Historia goad him into taking matters into his own hands. He gets up and grabs a bottle labeled "Armor" that had fallen out of Rod's bag and breaks it between his teeth as he transforms into a Titan.

Eren's Titan form then crystallizes, stabilizing the cavern around the squad, preventing them from being crushed. Even after Mikasa helps cut him out of it, his hardened form does not disappear, which Levi states is a huge development, as they can now seal the hole in Wall Maria.

Mikasa joins the rest of her squad in meeting up with Erwin and pulling back to Orvud District where they make preparations to fight the gargantuan Titan that used to be Rod Reiss. At dawn, the Titan arrives and Eren, Mikasa, and Armin assemble a stack of barrels filled with gunpowder at Hange's direction. Mikasa finds Eren moping and prods him back to work. However, to her surprise, he punches his own face to bring himself back to his senses.

When Rod reaches the Wall, Levi instructs the Garrison soldiers to flee while the Survey Corps soldiers douse themselves in water to withstand the heat. Eren changes into his Titan and uses the stacked barrels as an explosive by shoving them down Rod's open mouth. Mikasa joins the rest of the Survey Corps in cutting down the pieces of Titan that rain down to ensure that the main body of Rod Reiss is slain.

After Historia's coronation, Mikasa is seen with her friends looking for Levi in order for Historia to live up to the last words that Dimo Reeves spoke to her. 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 taking care of abandoned children. Eren, Jean, and Armin talk about Historia's new role and the country's situation while Sasha, Connie, and Mikasa help carry supplies. When Historia finds them, she tells them to stop slacking. While Armin and Jean go on ahead, she has a small conversation with Eren, but they are interrupted by a stone-faced Mikasa, who takes the items Eren was carrying, saying he is tired from all his training. Eren complains that she should not treat him like an old man.

While the soldiers eat and celebrate the success of the Titan guillotine fashioned by Hange, Mikasa remains silent throughout most of the conversation until Eren begins to remember the day he ate his father. Recognizing where his mind is going, Mikasa stops him, saying that he should finish eating before talking. He does not stop trying to remember though, and suddenly he realizes that the man that his father met the day Wall Maria fell was 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 fight 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 horse, 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 the area 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 area they are in and claims that she collected firewood 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 blast. 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 does not 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 Bertolt. Jean formulates a plan for he, Connie and Sasha to draw Bertolt's attention while Mikasa strikes his nape with the Thunder Spears. Just as Mikasa moves in to strike Bertolt, 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. While Armin and Eren choose to confront the Colossus Titan, Mikasa goes with the others in an attack against the Armored Titan.

As Reiner begins to run to Eren, Mikasa sends one of her Thunder Spears into his knees, crippling him. She notices the Colossus Titan in the distance beginning to emit much steam, causing her to worry about Eren and Armin for a moment before she returns her focus to the attack on Reiner. While the others proceed with a plan they devised to defeat Reiner, Sasha is injured and misses her Thunder Spear attack on the hinge of the Armored Titan's jaw. Mikasa realizes that since she has the only Thunder Spear left and Reiner's jaw has not been completely unhinged, she cannot proceed with the plan to blow Reiner's body out of his nape by sending a Thunder Spear into his mouth. As she considers the situation, Hange returns to the battle, sending her own Thunder Spear at Reiner and destroying his other jaw hinge. With the plan now on the verge of success, Mikasa jumps into Reiner's mouth, ordering him to get out as she sends her final Thunder Spear into his mouth, defeating the Armored Titan.

While Hange interrogates an injured Reiner, Mikasa begins treating Jean's injuries. Although Hange wants to simply execute Reiner, Jean convinces her to keep him alive long enough to steal his powers with the Titan injection. Hange orders Mikasa to go retrieve the serum from Levi, and to send up a signal flare if there is a change of plans, so that Hange will know to kill Reiner. When Mikasa arrives at Levi's position, she is horrified to find a hysterical Eren trying to keep a badly-injured Armin alive. As Levi agrees to use the Titan serum to save Armin's life, Mikasa shoots a flare to notify Hange that Reiner must be killed. However, Levi's mind is swayed by the arrival of another soldier, who reveals that Erwin is also mortally wounded. Horrified by Levi's announcement that he will save Erwin and not Armin, Mikasa draws her blade and begins to advance upon him.

As Levi punches Eren in the face, Mikasa pins him to the rooftop and draws her blade to his neck. Noticing how worn out Levi is, she attempts to grab the Titan serum from his hand, as Levi reminds her that without Erwin's strength, humanity can never defeat the Titans. When Floch approaches her, she flips her blade in order to strike him with the blunt side of the sword and knock him down, only to be stopped by Hange Zoë. As they both struggle, Mikasa eventually capitulates, remembering a happier time when she, Eren and Armin were children, as tears roll down her face. After Armin returns to his human form, Mikasa, along with Eren, pick him up off the ground as she cries tears of joy to see he is alive and well.

Atop the Wall, after Eren informs Armin of what has happened after the battle ended, Hange orders Mikasa, Levi and Eren to continue surveying and head for the Yeager family's house. Upon reaching the basement's door, Eren tries to open the door's lock and is surprised that the key does not fit. Mikasa says that she is sure that was the key Doctor Yeager had. Levi then proceeds and kicks down the door and they enter room. They find it had been set up to appear as much as possible, a common doctor's office, however, after further investigation, Mikasa discovers a keyhole on a locked drawer in the desk, which the key unlocks. The drawer seemed empty at first, but Levi notices the false bottom and under it, were three hidden books kept intact with various preservatives. Mikasa and Eren open the first book, and within it they find an uncannily realistic portrait of Grisha standing beside a fair-haired woman and a child. On the back of it, Grisha had written that it is not an illustration, it is called a photograph and that humanity has not perished.

Upon returning to the Walls, Eren and Mikasa are put in prison cells for several days as punishment for their actions against Levi. During this time, Armin visits them and logs Eren's memories as he retells them of many events in his father Grisha’s life that matched up with what was found in the books in his basement. Among these memories is a conversation between him and Eren Kruger, an allied spy to the Eldia Restorationists. During this conversation, Kruger tells Grisha that anyone who has inherited the power of the Titans will only live for 13 years, as no one with this power can out live its original owner Ymir Fritz who founded the nation of Eldia and all its subjects. Upon hearing this revelation, Mikasa becomes very depressed and denies its validity, knowing that Armin and Eren only have a short number of years left to live if it is true. After Hange, the current commander, puts too much pressure on Eren in the next prison cell, Levi ordered them free. Mikasa leaves her cell, having lost weight after not eating in her state of depression.

Mikasa attends a military meeting, on how to proceed with the findings of the basement, in Trost. She sits silently as Hange deliberates her interpretation of the events, but is shocked and confused when Eren shouts all of a sudden during the meeting. Mikasa then continues being quiet, until the conclusion of the meeting, with the decision made to release all discoveries made by the Survey Corps to the public.

The nine surviving members of the Survey Corps later attend a ceremony, to be honored for their success in the Battle of Shiganshina District. Before the start of the ceremony, Eren gets into an argument with Floch over Armin being saved over Commander Erwin. When she attempts to calm Eren down, Floch commends Mikasa over her acting like an adult and giving up in saving Armin. This statement surprises and upsets her. She would later go on to be commemorated for her bravery in Shiganshina with a medal.

Roughly a year after the Battle of Trost District, the Titan Guillotine had eradicated all Titans within Wall Maria, allowing citizens to repopulate Shiganshina. The Survey Corps was able to hold an expedition beyond the Walls for the first time in six years. Mikasa ventures out on horseback, beyond the Walls for the first time. After following a deformed Titans trail, the Survey Corps reach the edge of Paradis, and behold the ocean.

The Survey Corps dismount their horses, discard their boots, and head to the beachfront. Mikasa is startled by an ocean wave, but goes on to give Armin a warm smile. She listens, as Armin begins to joyfully talk with Eren over the oceans size. However, these happy moments fade as Eren solemnly states that the ocean does not hold freedom, and enemies are over the other side.

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 use her blades to 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.

Fighting Skills and Strength
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, apart of being able to carry a Thunder Spear easily.

Awakened power
Being an Ackerman, Mikasa 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 also retains the ability to resist memory manipulation.

Relationships

 * Eren Yeager - 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, and when she had thought him dead, she very nearly allowed herself to die as well, but kept living on to remember him. She became distraught when learning Eren had been abducted, wrapping the scarf over her face to hide her sadness. 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 very 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 refused to leave him behind to his death during the Battle of Trost. She encouraged him to have more confidence in himself whenever he doubted or criticized himself. Her faith in him, along with Eren's, were 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. Additionally, when Armin was dying from being almost burned to death she is seen breaking down because Levi would not give Armin the Titan serum, demonstrating how much she cares for his well-being.
 * Annie Leonhart - Their relationship is implied to be some sort of rivalry. 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 is 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

 * 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.
 * According to Isayama, if the 104th Training Corps had an arm wrestling competition, Mikasa would place first.
 * 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's surname is derived from the German name "Ackermann" meaning "fieldman".
 * 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.
 * Mikasa shares a birthday with Falco Grice.
 * 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.
 * 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 slicing off meat. If necessary, I can display that talent at any time. So if there's anyone here who'd like to experience it firsthand... please, step right up."

- Mikasa to the soldiers of the Trost District Garrison

"This is a cruel world, and only the winners survive."

- To herself

"Calm down. This is no time to be getting sentimental"

- To Armin after hearing of Eren's death

"I'm strong... stronger than all of you... extremely strong! And that's why... I'll be able to drive the enemy out of there... even on my own... But I guess all of you are useless... cowardly... pathetic... It's really too bad. Stay there... and suck your thumbs... while you watch me."

- To the 104th Training Corps after hearing of Eren's death

"Enough. I can't listen to any more. It's pointless. I'll slice you to shreds all over again... Female Titan."

- To Annie

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