Are Levi and Mikasa Related In Attack on Titan?

Family is everything in Attack on Titan. Losing it is what compelled Eren to do what he did in later seasons, while he also shares a bond that’s close to family with his dearest friends, Armin and Mikasa. He has a particularly strong, complicated bond with the latter, though Mikasa herself has an even more complex family tree, especially when it comes to Levi and their relation to each other.

Levi and Mikasa are indeed related in Attack on Titan, as both of them come from the Ackerman bloodline and are the last known surviving members of the clan. This means that Kenny (Levi’s uncle) was also related to Mikasa too, though it’s never really made a big deal of in either the show or the source material.

As for how specifically they are related to each other, this is also never really explicitly mentioned. However, seeing as how Mikasa is from the Asian Azumabito family and Levi’s mother was a prostitute in the Underground, it’s more likely that they are simply cousins, distant or otherwise.

 

Who Were The Ackermans?

In their heyday, the Ackermans were an Eldian family entrusted with protecting the king of Eldia, though they almost became extinct after they refused to accept Karl Fritz’s beliefs that saw Eldia retreat behind the walls and attempt to find peace. However, they are largely shrouded in mystery, with only a handful of members ever explicitly mentioned over the course of Attack on Titan.

The known Ackermans in Attack on Titan include(d):

– Levi Ackerman
– Mikasa Ackerman
– Kenny Ackerman
– Kuchel Ackerman (Levi’s mother, Kenny’s sister)
– Mikasa’s father (simply known as “Ackerman”)
– Kenny’s grandfather (unnamed)

Those with Ackerman blood possess superior strength and physical abilities compared to the average person thanks to their “awakened powers” as a result of Eldia’s experimentation with the Subjects of Ymir, though it’s never exactly explained or shown how this is the case. These powers allows them to channel the strength of the Titans, though Ackermans need to trigger their powers from within before they can use them. In Mikasa’s case, her powers were awakened when she was attacked by potential kidnappers early on in the story.

Those with Ackerman blood are immune to having their memories wiped by the Founding Titan, which may be a part of why they were so heavily persecuted after Eldian royalty and aristocracy decided to wipe the memories of their people. The Asian clan (the Azumabito family that Mikasa is a part of) were equally immune to the Founding Titan’s effects and were also just as heavily persecuted to the point of near extinction.

While hardly the most caring man in the world, Kenny not disclosing that he was Levi’s uncle until his dying breaths and also what exactly the Ackerman blood entails could be viewed as him trying to protect Levi from such persecution.

Similarly, Mikasa’s existence points to two members of two persecuted clans coming together in trying times, with her father being an Ackerman and her mother being Asian. They were both killed when she was young.

The kind of abilities that the Ackermans have varies from Ackerman to Ackerman. Kenny, for instance, is blessed with exceptional speed, while Mikasa has heightened battle senses. Levi, meanwhile, is the strongest soldier on the planet, capable of killing many Titans all on his own, often without having to use advanced tools like Thunder Spears.

The Ackerman bloodline persists with two living members at the end of the Attack on Titan storyline.

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