Attack on Titan has a lot of great characters, and Mikasa Ackerman is one of the most popular. When she was first introduced in the manga, she was living with Eren and his parents. After the Colossal and Armored Titans broke into their home, she joined the 104th Cadet Corps and was the strongest soldier among them.
Over the years, she fought in many battles, and most of the manga readers rooted for her. To this day, she is still one of the most beloved in the franchise. But why is that? There are numerous reasons that fans feel so strongly about her.
10 She's Incredibly Loyal To Eren
Mikasa has been very loyal to Eren ever since they met. She's always wanted to protect him, especially from the troubles he got himself into. The reason why she joined the 104th Cadet Corps, and later the Survey Corps, was because she wanted to make sure he'd be safe when fighting the titans.
Though she's always helped her other friends, the person she cares about the most is Eren and would do anything she needed to in order to help him, as long as he didn't do anything too bad.
9 She's Also Very Honest
Mikasa is very tough and doesn't sugarcoat things. She'll be one of the first people to speak up and won't back down. If someone did something that she didn't approve of, her anger towards them is very clear as she wears her heart on her sleeve.
While some may see this as her being cold, fans know that she is actually very kind and just doesn't lie nor keep secrets, unless if she absolutely needs to.
8 She's One Of The Strongest Characters In The Series
Before she even joined the military, Mikasa was very strong. However, she's gotten so much more experience and has become one of the strongest characters in the entire series, and arguably the most powerful Survey Corps soldier by the end of the manga.
One of the things manga readers tend to like the most in their stories is epic battles, and Mikasa never disappoints.
7 She's One Of The Few Main Characters That Didn't Turn Into A Titan
In the beginning of the series, fans were shocked to see Eren transform into a titan. However, this has since happened many times and most of the main characters had been a titan at some point in the manga.
Annie turned out to be the Female Titan, Bertholdt and Reiner revealed themselves as the Colossal and Armored Titans, with Armin being Bertholdt's successor. Ymir, Zeke, Falco, Pieck, and others have been also been a titan shifter at some point in the series and some can argue that it's happened too many times at this point. Luckily, due to her being an Ackerman, she can never turn into a titan.
6 She Saved A Lot Of People In Trost District
After she and her comrades in the 104th Cadet Corps graduated, the Colossal Titan appeared at Trost District and broke down the wall. A group of titans began killing people and the newest recruits in the military had to fight for their lives before they could even decide which branch to join.
Mikasa was one of the most helpful soldiers in this fight, making sure that citizens got to safety and leading her comrades after all hope seemed lost. Without her help, the outcome of this battle would have been much worse.
5 She Defeated The Female Titan
In the beginning of the manga, Mikasa had a strong rivalry with Annie. Once it was revealed that Annie was the Female Titan, Mikasa and Eren fought her. Annie tried to escape by climbing a wall, but Mikasa sliced her fingers off and she fell down.
However, before they could do anything to her, Annie used her hardening power to form a crystal around her that could not be broken by any weapon. This was one of Mikasa's best battles and served as a great conclusion to The Female Titan arc.
4 She Has Her Own Spin-Off Book
There are a lot of spin-offs in Attack on Titan. While some introduce brand new characters, such as Before the Fall and Harsh Mistress of the City, there have been a couple of shorter ones that give popular characters their own story.
Annie and Mikasa are the main characters of Lost Girls, with Mikasa's story being in the second volume of the manga. Taking place when Mikasa thought that Eren was eaten at Trost District, she imagines a life in which they didn't join the military. This volume was very strange and felt out of place but was still an enjoyable read and proves how great Mikasa is.
3 She's Related To Levi And Kenny
Mikasa's relationship with Levi did not begin well. In order to bring Eren into his squad, Levi had to convince the military that he could control him. To do so, he had to beat Eren up. Mikasa saw this and instantly hated him. Little did they know that they were related.
Since Levi didn't know much about his past, he only found out that he was an Ackerman during his final conversation with Kenny, when he also found out that the serial killer was his uncle. Being related to two captains in the military made Mikasa even cooler than she already was.
2 She Was Able To Fight The Person She Loves Most
Throughout the years, Eren became a completely different person than he was at the beginning of the story. When he attacked Marley, Mikasa felt like what he was doing was wrong. He also turned against her, saying that he always hated her and thought of her as his slave.
Once he started The Rumbling, she knew that she had to join the other Survey Corps soldiers, as well as Marley's Warrior Unit to defeat him.
1 She Has One Of The Most Tragic Backstories
Before the series began, Mikasa lived with her parents. One day, Grisha was supposed to go to the Ackerman's house, where he would introduce Eren to Mikasa. However, before the Yeagers got there, three human traffickers arrived and killed her parents. They planned on selling Mikasa for a high price, but were luckily stopped by Eren. He killed two of the men and saved Mikasa, not knowing that there was a third.
Mikasa avenged her parents and saved Eren by killing the last human trafficker, which is also why she became so powerful. When Grisha found them, he brought Mikasa into his home and thought of her as his own daughter. There are many reasons to like Mikasa, and knowing how much she went through is definitely one of the best.