Mikasa Ackerman

Lore & Background

Mikasa's life changed irrevocably when human traffickers murdered her parents. Eren Yeager saved her from the attackers, an event that awakened her dormant Ackerman instincts. Born with a lineage of genetically modified super-soldiers intended to protect Eldia's king, Mikasa's abilities allow access to ancestral battle experience under duress. Although technically half-blooded, she is the last known person of Asian descent in the Walls and carries the Azumabito crest from her mother, linking her to the Hizuru nation. Isayama noted that her protective nature is simply 'their nature' rather than a result of the bloodline itself. Her character development was intended to move from revolving around Eren to separating from him, eventually opposing him during the Rumbling arc before fulfilling her childhood self.

In Their Own Story

After graduating top of her class in the Training Corps, Mikasa was viewed by officers as an unprecedented genius worth a hundred soldiers. She wears a red scarf given to her by Eren, which becomes a symbol of their bond. As the story progresses, she discovers that Eren resents being 'forced' into his role as her protector due to the Ackerman bloodline. In the climax against Eren's forces during the Rumbling, Mikasa experiences a Paths dream of an alternate life where they escaped together. Upon waking, Eren asks her to forget him before dying. Refusing this request, she kills him, placing a kiss on his lips and vowing to see him later. She buries him under a tree near Shiganshina District, visiting his grave for the rest of her life as an old woman while still wearing the scarf.

Reader's Guide

Mikasa is defined by her outstanding combat skills derived from the Ackerman clan, contrasting Eren's intense behavior with her calm personality. Her design incorporates a scar on her right cheek, mistakenly given by Eren in his Titan form. Voice actresses Yui Ishikawa (Japanese) and Trina Nishimura (English) both expressed surprise at her popularity despite her stoicism. Isayama cited Casca from Berserk as an influence, rejecting the generic trope of a woman merely motivating a man to instead create a female who excels in combat himself. Her name comes from the pre-dreadnought battleship Mikasa, while her surname is derived from the Yiddish cognate of 'Ackermann,' meaning 'one who works the fields.' In live-action, she is portrayed by Kiko Mizuhara.

Did You Know?

• Mikasa's surname is derived from the Yiddish cognate of the German name 'Ackermann', meaning 'one who works the fields'.
• Her name comes from the Mikasa, a famous pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
• Mikasa has a scar on her right cheek that was mistakenly given to her by Eren while he was in his Titan form.
• Voice actress Trina Nishimura avoided reading the manga during recording sessions because she feared it would ruin her work.
• The character Lisa Simpson from The Simpsons is depicted as Mikasa at the end of the episode 'Treehouse of Horror XXV'.