Aside from Eren, Levi, and Annie, there isn't a character inside the world of Attack on Titan who would dare risk their lives testing the mettle of Mikasa Ackerman. Her ferocity on the battlefield is put on full display in Episode 86 of the anime when she finds herself in the middle of an unjust Survey Corps led by Floch Forster.
Luckily, the world outside of Attack on Titan is much different than the world inside. Here, Mikasa's strengths and weaknesses are nothing but fictional attributes to be broken down, analyzed, and compared. In the world of readers, viewers, and critics, Mikasa is the hero of Attack on Titan and the single greatest contributor to Eren Yeager's descent into madness.
10 Mikasa's Obsession With Eren Boosted His Already Bloated Ego
Mikasa's relationship with Eren has its endearing moments, but most of the time it's nothing more than an obsessive fixation that's hard to explain. Eren's behavior throughout Attack on Titan is so pathetic that it hardly deserves the attention of a powerful woman like Mikasa.
Still, every one of her decisions stems from a single-minded mission to keep Eren safe. Mikasa never even makes the time to explain why she loves Eren, leaving the young man floundering while he works to figure out how a woman who sets the bar so high could demand nothing for her devotion.
9 Despite Her Brilliance, Mikasa Keeps Her Mouth Shut In Important Situations
Despite carrying the weight of ten men on the battlefield, Mikasa never once attempts to carry her own weight in the conference room. Whenever there is an important decision to make, Mikasa defers to Armin, Erwin, and anyone else who's willing to share their voice.
Mikasa's quick thinking on the battlefield makes it easy to see how intelligent she is. Still, when her best friend is terrorizing entire populations of innocent people, she only has a handful of words to say about it. If Mikasa had just spoken up to support Armin, there's a good chance that Eren would have listened.
8 Mikasa Fails To Establish Her Own Sense Of Justice Until It's Too Late
Throughout the majority of Attack on Titan, Mikasa fights under the banner of the men and women around her. When first introduced, she fights to keep Eren and Armin safe. Later on, she wears the Scouts' emblem on her back and follows Erwin and Levi's orders.
It isn't until Eren betrays the world and Floch leads the Scouts away from justice that Mikasa finally stands up for what she believes in. The fact that it took genocide to motivate Mikasa to live by her own ideals is unforgivable.
7 Mikasa Is Motivated Toward Violence Easily
As a shonen anime, Attack on Titan was always meant to push its characters toward violent action. After all, most shonen series are brimming with noteworthy action sequences and epic battles.
The majority of anime avoid falling into the depths of horror by using truth and justice to motivate their characters into action. Attack on Titan is different though. In this series, characters like Mikasa are motivated toward violence by an unhealthy devotion to their friends and a lack of self-control.
6 Mikasa Snitched On Eren In The Very First Episode of Attack On Titan
In the very first episode of Attack on Titan, Hajime Isayama used an interaction between Eren and Mikasa to foreshadow the final events of the series. After spending the day collecting sticks, the two returned home for family dinner.
While sitting at the table with Grisha, Carla, and Eren Yeager, Mikasa betrayed her closest friend by telling Carla about her son's plan to join the Scouts. Mikasa knew that Eren's mother would disapprove of his actions yet chose to snitch on him anyways.
5 Mikasa Nearly Lost The Will To Live After Eren Was Eaten
Mikasa's devotion to Eren is problematic for a number of reasons. First, it inflated the already bloated ego of someone who didn't need a bigger head than he already had. Second, it became the foundation of Mikasa's entire personality.
By defining her own self-worth by her ability to keep Eren safe, Mikasa doomed herself to an existential crisis that would pop up the moment Eren was put in harm's way. While there was no reason to assume that she would lose her best friend at such a young age, the way she fell apart during the Battle of Trost after Eren was eaten was difficult to watch.
4 Mikasa Gave Up On Her People
Floch doesn't make it easy to side with him and the Yeagerists in the latter half of The Final Season, but Mikasa's actions make it difficult to follow her as well. Throughout the course of Attack on Titan, Mikasa allows her own selfish devotion to Eren cloud her judgment and her allegiances.
Despite wearing the Scouts' logo and fighting under the command of Levi and Erwin, Mikasa always put her own mission first. This weakness even put Levi's life at risk when she disobeyed a direct order and attacked Annie during the Female Titan Arc.
3 Mikasa's Stoic Personality Makes Her Appear Distant & Cold
Mikasa's quiet behavior is admirable and expected from someone who has faced such an unprecedented amount of trauma, but it makes it hard to accept her as a hero. In the world of anime, heroes are expected to be upbeat and hopeful, like Goku and Naruto.
After witnessing her parents' death at the hand of slavers and her adoptive mother's death at the hands of the Smiling Titan, it's no surprise that Mikasa lost her voice. Still, it is hard to cheer for a hero who is so distant and cold that they can't even cheer for themselves.
2 She Committed Atrocities In Libero Alongside Eren
Mikasa may redeem herself by taking Eren's head at the end of Attack on Titan, but the fact that she went along with his plan to ravage the city of Liberio is difficult to forgive. Her actions can be seen as nothing more than an act of war and can hardly be excused by her blind allegiance to Eren.
There's no doubt among fans that Eren is the one who instigated the Invasion of Liberio. Still, for someone who has devoted her entire life to keeping Eren safe, it's incredible that Mikasa was unable to predict Eren's actions and stop him before she was implicated in his war crimes.
1 Mikasa Doesn't Respect Levi
Everyone loves Captain Levi. The short king with the power of the Ackermans coursing through his veins is a fan-favorite character for more reasons than one. The only one who doesn't seem to love Levi is Mikasa.
Since the day Levi theatrically beat down Eren in the middle of a courtroom, Mikasa has held a grudge against Levi. This grudge has shown itself in bouts of silence and bouts of violence, ruining her likability each time she scoffs at the power of Levi Ackerman.