Mikasa Ackerman

A guardian whose strength is fueled by love and loss.

Mikasa Ackerman is a central character in Hajime Isayama's manga series Attack on Titan. Introduced as a citizen of Paradis Island, she was taken in by Eren Yeager and his family after her parents were killed during an attempted kidnapping. When Titans invaded and consumed Eren's mother, Mikasa joined the Survey Corps to fight them alongside Eren. Her primary motivation is her deep love for Eren, driving her to be extremely protective of him. While she maintains a stoic demeanor generally, critics have noted the softer side she reveals specifically towards Eren. Isayama designed her as an Asian character to stand out against the Western-looking cast, basing her on a real client he encountered in Tokyo.

Quick Facts

Series

Attack on Titan

First

Attack on Titan chapter 1: "To You, 2,000 Years from Now" (2009)

Last

Attack on Titan chapter 139: "Toward the Tree on That Hill" (2021)

Creator

Hajime Isayama

Portrayed by

Kiko Mizuhara

Voice

Japanese:
Yui Ishikawa
English:
Trina Nishimura

Relatives

Levi Ackerman (distant relative)
Kenny Ackerman (distant relative)
Kuchel Ackerman (distant relative)

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.

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 heroine who excels in combat herself. 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.
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'.