Relax, they’re canon after all.
Summary:
- A lot of Attack on Titan fans disliked the romance between Eren and Mikasa.
- This pairing is considered problematic due to the fact that Eren and Mikasa are siblings.
- They are not truly related, and we have no proof that they see each other as siblings.
With the release of the Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) finale it feels like the conversation about shipping in the series is going strong. To be honest, the conversation has always been strong, but the finale sparked a new wave of discussions and Mikasa and Eremika are the main targets of fans’ displeasure.
We won’t be talking about Eren’s character being turned into a pathetic shell of himself or Mikasa losing the tiny bits of character development she’s collected now. But let’s discuss the Eren/Mikasa pairing itself and try to understand what’s wrong with it (or, maybe, not wrong).
Are Mikasa and Eren siblings?
Although Eren and Mikasa are not blood-related, they’re seen as siblings by a significant part of the fandom. That’s why the insinuation of them being in love feels so problematic to many fans. But why is it so?
Eren’s family took Mikasa in when she was a little girl. After Eren saved Mikasa from kidnappers, the Yeager family adopted the girl, and the manga itself states that. She’s mentioned to be Eren’s adopted sister (and not once). Moreover, Grisha himself calls the girl his daughter. The kids have been growing up together and treated as a brother and sister by Eren’s parents. What else does it make then if not siblings?
This opinion does have a lot of logic and the last thing it can be called is baseless. However, we shall not forget that they are not really related. They’re more like a boy and a girl next door situation.
Eren has always been more than a brother
From the moment Mikasa met Eren, she saw him as a savior and as someone who gave her another chance at life. We don’t know for sure if she ever considered him to be her brother. He had become her entire world before the moment she was adopted into the Yeager family. Mikasa’s love and devotion were always natural.
Eren and Mikasa’s bond is undeniable. It might have been stronger from Mikasa’s perspective, and that’s why Eren reciprocating Mikasa’s feelings in the finale felt so weird for so many fans, but the fact still stands: they are not blood relatives, they see each other as friends, not siblings, and their entire situation is much more complicated than just a brother and sister falling in love. And even if they were, let’s not forget the main point: they’re both fictional, so shipping them may hardly make you problematic. So don’t rush to close all your fanfiction tabs, and just enjoy whatever it is you’re enjoying.