Among a sea of unforgettable characters in Attack On Titan, it's not hard to see why Mikasa Ackerman stands out. Renowned for her stoic demeanor and unwavering love and loyalty towards her best friend and series protagonist, Eren Jaeger, Mikasa displays her impressive strength and sheer tenacity time and again.
Over the past decade, fans have witnessed Mikasa grow from a small child with a tragic backstory unsure of her place in the world to a young adult partaking in the fight to eradicate the Titans in order to save humanity. Mikasa has endured enormous hardships and experienced brutal losses, which have both caused severe anguish and aided her growth simultaneously.
9 Mikasa Formed Valued Friendships Outside Eren And Armin
Due to her unconditional love for her oldest and dearest friends, Eren Jaeger and Armin Arlert, Mikasa didn't show too much of an interest in forming close relationships with anyone else when they first became soldiers. For the longest time, Eren and Armin were her only friends, but Mikasa gradually began to open up to other people.
One of the first friends Mikasa made within the Survey Corps was Sasha Braus. Sasha brought out the playful side of the usually aloof Mikasa, and the two could really relate to the fact that they were used to relative safety and were unnerved about venturing out into unknown territory. Mikasa suffered a devastating loss when Sasha passed away, illustrating to fans just how much the gregarious girl meant to her.
8 She Grasped The Importance Of Teamwork
While Mikasa has always been incredibly skilled in combat, she often displayed a tendency to defy direct orders and act on her own, especially when Eren's safety is threatened. Mikasa scored a measly 6 out of 10 in teamwork, and while it wasn't horrible, compared to her other high scores, it wasn't the most impressive.
Despite her recklessness, Mikasa was still able to work effectively in a team. Thanks to their shared Ackerman genes, Mikasa and Levi worked seamlessly together on many occasions, with their supreme physical strength and ability to think fast allowing them to come out on top. Mikasa began to understand just how important teamwork is and recognized that, in order to save what's important to her, she couldn't work alone.
7 Mikasa Opened Her Eyes To The Bigger Picture
Mikasa has always been level-headed and pragmatic. Yet, when Eren was concerned, all logic went out the window. Mikasa became rash and reckless due to her habit of prioritizing his safety over everything else, and she would go to any lengths to ensure his safety.
As the situation worsened and Eren himself became the biggest threat to humanity's safety, Mikasa started to open her eyes to what was really going on. For so long, Eren was at the center of Mikasa's universe, and everything she did was for his sake. While it was hard, Mikasa came to the realization that putting the well-being of others before the well-being of Eren for the greater good didn't mean she loved him any less.
6 She Started Putting Her Trust In Others
No matter the circumstance, Mikasa would go against what was expected of her if the security of those she cared about had been compromised, suggesting she had little trust in her superiors and fellow soldiers to keep her loved ones safe. Mikasa has always had an unfaltering loyalty to her friends.
Levi Ackerman is somebody who challenged her worldview. He was able to coax her into trusting him and his ideas, even though they seemed like they would threaten those Mikasa was so desperate to protect. Dubbed "Humanity's Strongest Soldier," Mikasa witnessed Levi’s true power firsthand and grew to trust him and his decisions.
5 Mikasa Began To Allow Herself To Start Relying On Others
Fiercely independent, Mikasa always found herself face to face with people much tougher than her. While independence itself isn't a fault, Mikasa's pride would get in the way of her asking for help. Like her Ackerman relatives, she maintained a strong front in order not to appear weak.
Armin always agreed with Mikasa, even when Eren didn't. He was the voice of calm and reason, something Mikasa found herself relying on. Armin was more than happy to be the one to keep Mikasa anchored when she found herself going astray.
4 She Left Her Scarf Behind
Mikasa always viewed Eren as family, and the scarf he gave her upon saving her when they were younger symbolized this. However, Eren suggested that Mikasa only stayed loyal to him due to the awakening of her Ackerman genes when he told her to attack her would-be kidnappers. From then on, she viewed Eren as a superior she had a duty to protect. The Ackerman clan's allegiance was to the King, and the clan was genetically predisposed to keep him from harm.
Mikasa leaving her scarf behind is significant to her character development, as it had become a shackle. Consciously choosing to leave it behind signifies her distancing herself from him. She couldn't continue to align herself with the man putting so many lives at risk.
3 Mikasa Woke Up
For the longest time, Mikasa dreamed of a peaceful life devoid of pain and conflict, with her loved ones by her side. Although it was clear to others that Mikasa was in denial, she refused to think otherwise.
As things progressed, Mikasa had no choice but to accept the world around her for what it was, thus "waking up" from her dream in Chapter 138. Eren was no longer the boy she grew to love, and the chances of her dream coming true were zero to none. All Mikasa wanted was to save Eren, just as Eren had saved her all those years ago, but she could no longer deny his reign of terror and knew he had to be stopped.
2 She Removed Her Rose-Tinted Glasses
All throughout the Marley arc, right up until the Rumbling, Mikasa still believed that Eren would come to his senses if she just gave him a push in the right direction. She wanted to believe that Eren was being manipulated by his brother, Zeke, and wasn't acting on his own accord.
Mikasa expressed her desire to talk to Eren, thinking she could convince him to abandon his plans and call off the Rumbling. It isn't until Eren said that the only way to stop him was by killing him, that she became acutely aware that he wasn't the same person she longed for anymore.
1 She Fought The Jaegerists
Upon learning the truth of the outside world, Eren overthrew Paradis by creating his own military group, The Jaegerists, and started the Rumbling. This led the Survey Corps to join forces with Marley's Warrior Unit to try and put a stop to his plans.
Mikasa killed Eren's most trusted follower and second in command, Floch Forster, to prevent him from interfering with their plans to catch up to Eren. By this point, Mikasa was actively going against the person she loved to save humanity.