Mikasa is a fan-favorite character in Attack on Titan. Her devotion to Eren and her intelligence and skill in battle make her easy to relate to and to root for, making her popularity all but inevitable. In a series where no character seems to be safe from being suddenly and brutally killed off, Mikasa is one who we watch with our hearts in our mouths to make sure she stays safe.

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But she’s by no means a perfect person, and she definitely has made mistakes and done horrible things that have put her friends in danger and also just sort of make her a fool at best and a jerk at worst. That being said, these are 10 terrible things Mikasa has done in Attack on Titan, ranked.

10 Testifying Against Eren

When the village discovers that Eren has the ability to become a Titan, he is put on trial for the danger that he’s put every member of the village in and all of the damage that he’s caused. While he has been fighting for humans against the titans using this ability, he still has to be held accountable for his actions.

Still, the fact that Mikasa testifies against Eren about his alleged crimes is a pretty jerk move. Mikasa is more aware than anybody how often Eren has defended their community from the titans using his powers. Hanging him out to dry is no way to thank him for it.

9 Not Listening To Jean About Eren

Jean leaning and smiling AoT

Jean cares deeply for Mikasa, and that shows in the fact that he’s constantly trying to protect her. His feelings aren’t reciprocated or even really acknowledged, since Mikasa is pretty much obsessed with Eren.

Related: 10 Outrageous Copies Of Attack On Titan (That Will Never Be As Successful As The Original Anime)

Jean notices that Eren is becoming increasingly unhinged, probably before anyone else in the series does. But when he tries to warn Mikasa about this, she brushes him off because of her blindness about all things Eren. This makes things much worse down the line, and it’s possible maybe she could have changed things if she heeded Jean’s warning.

8 Using Thunder Spears On Bertholdt

thunder spears attack on titan mikasa

One of Bertholdt’s abilities when he’s a Titan (specifically, the Colossal Titan) is that he can produce massive amounts of steam from his body which keeps attackers at bay, making it impossible for them to get close. Mikasa agrees to a plan that’s pretty stupid, considering that they all have this knowledge and have fought Bertholdt before. 

Despite better judgment, she tries to attack him using the close-quarters Thunder Spears. This method, of course, backfires, and she ends up getting hit in the arm with one of her own spears. If she had stopped to think about whether this was a good idea or not, maybe she wouldn’t have gotten hurt or put others in danger.

7 Trying To Attack Levi During Eren’s Trial

Eren’s trial is a hot mess from start to finish for Mikasa. She starts off by testifying against him that Eren is dangerous to their community. However, Levi ends up stepping in to save Eren, taking matters into his own hands.  Part of this strategy involves beating Eren up in front of the courtroom setting, for the sake of appearances and to acknowledge that he understands why they’re angry.

Mikasa is the only person in the group who doesn’t seem to understand what he’s trying to do, and she tries to attack Levi. If not for Armin's last-second intervention, Mikasa's protectiveness over Eren could've backfired spectacularly.

6 Getting Ambushed In An Attack

Levi and Mikasa on their ODM Gear

This isn't solely Mikasa’s fault, since she was a part of a group of people on a mission. Still, Levi and Mikasa lead the action as they try to rescue Eren from yet another tricky situation. Unfortunately, their attack was expected, and they’re ambushed by people defending their target: a hearse carrying Eren inside of it.

The resulting fight puts all of her friends in danger, but more seriously, it results in Armin killing a human being for the first time. This is a life-changing moment for Armin, and it’s possible that it could have been completely avoided if the situation was handled better.

5 Freaking Out After She Finds Out Eren Died

Mikasa Ackerman

Mikasa has a big weak spot for Eren, as is clear from pretty much all of these entries so far. When she finds out from Armin that Eren has died in battle, she loses her mind and goes completely out of control with grief, going off by herself to try to fight the titans that are responsible.

Related: Attack On Titan: 5 Characters Who Died Too Soon (& 5 Who Didn’t Die Soon Enough)

She almost runs out of gas in her gear in the process and Eren himself, in Titan form, ends up having to save her. This was blatantly reckless and also a waste of resources. She put herself and her friends in danger by drawing attention to herself this way. It was only fate and blind luck that saved her that day.

4 Not Killing Reiner & Bertholdt

Attack On Titan Reiner Bertolt standing on tree.

Mikasa had an opportunity to kill Reiner and Bertholdt (the Armored and Colossal Titans, respectively) while they weren't in their Titan forms, and she ends up choking in the process. She fails to kill either of them, and instead just alerts them to the fact that they’re in danger.

Because of this, they both quickly assume their Titan forms and attack the village.  Her lack of action in this case put everyone in danger, once again, and she rightfully beats herself up over it, knowing that if she had been more decisive, things would have been less dire.

3 Trying To Kill The Female Titan

Mikasa fights the Female Titan AOT

When the Female Titan kidnaps Eren, Levi and Mikasa go after her to retrieve him. Levi is pretty much solely concerned with making sure that his friends and comrades make it back safe and sound. Simply put, his plan doesn’t involve killing the Female Titan at all, just getting Eren and booking it out of there.

Mikasa, of course, doesn’t follow his orders and, when she sees an opening, she tries to kill the Titan. Despite her own combat prowess, Mikasa almost gets killed and Levi has to save her, who ends up breaking an ankle in the process. So she, once again, has put her friends in danger for no reason and has actually gotten one of them hurt.

2 Threatening Levi

Mikasa vs Levi AOT

Levi is a pretty good leader and has pretty consistently had Mikasa’s back through everything, as well as just generally being the one to figure out how to handle complicated situations. So it’s frustrating that it seems like Mikasa is constantly at his throat.

When Armin is mortally wounded during battle, Levi decides not to use the Titan Formula to save him, which makes Mikasa and Eren both fly off the handle. Understandable, but then Mikasa violently threatens Levi’s life and demands he use the serum on Armin. While we understand that she was grief stricken over the death of a childhood friend, this tendency to lose it - in the middle of combat, no less - doesn’t make her seem like a very good friend.

1 Letting Eren Descend Into Madness

Considering that Mikasa is pretty much obsessed with Eren, the fact that she doesn’t seem to care that he is losing his grip on his sanity and reality is almost impressive with how baffling it is. Slowly but surely, Eren loses his humanity and he no longer cares who he hurts when he’s a Titan. By the manga's final chapters, his only goal is to cause as much pain and destruction as possible.

Mikasa, as the person closest to Eren, seems to not have noticed this or has been in denial about it all this time. Of course, Eren's choices are his fault alone but Mikasa could've stepped at any time - but she didn't. To us, this means that on some level, Mikasa is responsible in part for any of the death or destruction that Eren causes.

NEXT: Attack On Titan: 10 Worst Mistakes Mikasa Made