Although romance wasn’t the central part of Attack on Titan, it turned out to be very important in the finale.
Mikasa and Historia are the two main female characters that are shipped with Eren.
Mikasa has always been there for Eren, protecting and taking care of him.
Historia shares a lot of ideas with Eren, and their trust is incredible.
Major Attack on Titan spoilers ahead!
Who would’ve thought that in a series like Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) that raises so many important issues like trauma, mental health, war, friendship, loyalty and many more, one of the biggest controversy would revolve around the choice of a girl that you ship the main protagonist with. However, it’s like that, and we’re going to try to understand how and why it happened.
Romantic feelings turned out to be important in the finale
Romantic relationships have never been the center of Attack on Titan. Until its finale, that is. Since a large part of the series’ ending revolved around Mikasa having feelings for Eren, acknowledging and analyzing them feels like the right thing to do. Mikasa’s love and her readiness to kill Eren at the end of Attack on Titan was exactly what inspired Founder Ymir and broke the Titan Curse. This outcome frustrated fans to no end back when the manga finale was released. But why?
Despite Mikasa’s feelings being very obvious from the early seasons of Attack on Titan, not that many people thought that they were reciprocal. No one can deny that Eren does indeed care about Mikasa, but suggesting that he was also in love with the girl felt rather forced to some fans. That’s why the debates over the pairing got even more heated with the release of the finale, and are still going strong until this very moment.
No matter what the canon is, both Mikasa and Historia had their moments with Eren. So let’s remember them and see which one you prefer the most.
Why Mikasa
Right from the beginning of Attack on Titan there’s no doubt: Mikasa and Armin are the closest ones to Eren. They all care about each other deeply, try to protect, encourage, and help each other. But what was initially portrayed as a close friendship revealed to be something more over the time. Although it hadn’t been openly stated up until Season 4, we all knew that Eren was much more to Mikasa than just a friend.
When they were little kids, Eren was the one to save Mikasa from kidnappers. He taught her to fight and keep going no matter what. It was the moment that changed Mikasa’s life and bound her to Eren forever. On top of that, he gave her a scarf to keep her safe, and this scarf became the symbol of their relationship. Mikasa was always wearing it.
When Eren is in danger, Mikasa is the first one to save and protect him. Her immense loyalty to the boy is admirable, she’s ready for anything if Eren’s well-being is at stake. And it feels like nothing else in the world matters to her, if she only can be by his side. Mikasa even says once that all she wants is just to be close to Eren, and that would be enough for her.
Some might say that her devotion was solely based on her Ackerman connection, but it’s not true. Mikasa and Eren’s bond is much deeper than that, and doesn’t the fact that she was ready to kill him in the end prove that she was never forced to follow him? She genuinely loved him and wanted to be useful.
Mikasa’s love and devotion for Eren is so strong, that even years after his death, she still visits his grave and remembers him. Moreover, she keeps wearing the scarf that he gave her when they were little until the very day she dies. It might be an obsessive and unhealthy attachment, but it only emphasizes the depth of Mikasa’s feelings for Eren.
Why Historia
Unlike Mikasa, Historia wasn’t a very important person in Eren’s life before. However, Season 3 changed everything, and we got a number of interactions between these two. The mutual attraction was undeniable. It turned out to be canonically non-romantic, but it’s hard to claim that it didn’t exist. Eren admits liking Historia at the beginning of Season 3, and mentions that she’s much better now that she’s not hiding behind a fake facade anymore.
Eren and Historia share a lot of opinions and their worldview seems to be very similar. That’s why Eren trusted Historia and let her in on his Rumbling plan. She was the only one who he could be real with and the anime version of Historia mentions that she knew everything about the future because Eren shared it with her.
Historia was the one who knew the true Eren, and she chose to support him, no matter how horrible his plan was. She saw the monster he was becoming, and accepted this side of him. It might point at her questionable morals, but it proves that there was something genuine between them, even if it turned out to be just a friendship.
Historia also cared about Eren’s opinion, and she asked for his advice about her future and the possibility of having a child. Their connection was so undeniable, that it led some fans to believe that Eren was actually the father of the said child.
Both of these pairings have a lot of reasons to exist, and no matter what the finale is, it’s totally up to you to decide which one was more relatable and believable to you. After all, shipping exists to have fun, so why not do it?
Shipping war that turned into something bigger.
Summary:
Although romance wasn’t the central part of Attack on Titan, it turned out to be very important in the finale.
Mikasa and Historia are the two main female characters that are shipped with Eren.
Mikasa has always been there for Eren, protecting and taking care of him.
Historia shares a lot of ideas with Eren, and their trust is incredible.
Major Attack on Titan spoilers ahead!
Who would’ve thought that in a series like Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) that raises so many important issues like trauma, mental health, war, friendship, loyalty and many more, one of the biggest controversy would revolve around the choice of a girl that you ship the main protagonist with. However, it’s like that, and we’re going to try to understand how and why it happened.
Romantic feelings turned out to be important in the finale
Romantic relationships have never been the center of Attack on Titan. Until its finale, that is. Since a large part of the series’ ending revolved around Mikasa having feelings for Eren, acknowledging and analyzing them feels like the right thing to do. Mikasa’s love and her readiness to kill Eren at the end of Attack on Titan was exactly what inspired Founder Ymir and broke the Titan Curse. This outcome frustrated fans to no end back when the manga finale was released. But why?
Despite Mikasa’s feelings being very obvious from the early seasons of Attack on Titan, not that many people thought that they were reciprocal. No one can deny that Eren does indeed care about Mikasa, but suggesting that he was also in love with the girl felt rather forced to some fans. That’s why the debates over the pairing got even more heated with the release of the finale, and are still going strong until this very moment.
No matter what the canon is, both Mikasa and Historia had their moments with Eren. So let’s remember them and see which one you prefer the most.
Why Mikasa
Right from the beginning of Attack on Titan there’s no doubt: Mikasa and Armin are the closest ones to Eren. They all care about each other deeply, try to protect, encourage, and help each other. But what was initially portrayed as a close friendship revealed to be something more over the time. Although it hadn’t been openly stated up until Season 4, we all knew that Eren was much more to Mikasa than just a friend.
When they were little kids, Eren was the one to save Mikasa from kidnappers. He taught her to fight and keep going no matter what. It was the moment that changed Mikasa’s life and bound her to Eren forever. On top of that, he gave her a scarf to keep her safe, and this scarf became the symbol of their relationship. Mikasa was always wearing it.
When Eren is in danger, Mikasa is the first one to save and protect him. Her immense loyalty to the boy is admirable, she’s ready for anything if Eren’s well-being is at stake. And it feels like nothing else in the world matters to her, if she only can be by his side. Mikasa even says once that all she wants is just to be close to Eren, and that would be enough for her.
Some might say that her devotion was solely based on her Ackerman connection, but it’s not true. Mikasa and Eren’s bond is much deeper than that, and doesn’t the fact that she was ready to kill him in the end prove that she was never forced to follow him? She genuinely loved him and wanted to be useful.
Mikasa’s love and devotion for Eren is so strong, that even years after his death, she still visits his grave and remembers him. Moreover, she keeps wearing the scarf that he gave her when they were little until the very day she dies. It might be an obsessive and unhealthy attachment, but it only emphasizes the depth of Mikasa’s feelings for Eren.
Why Historia
Unlike Mikasa, Historia wasn’t a very important person in Eren’s life before. However, Season 3 changed everything, and we got a number of interactions between these two. The mutual attraction was undeniable. It turned out to be canonically non-romantic, but it’s hard to claim that it didn’t exist. Eren admits liking Historia at the beginning of Season 3, and mentions that she’s much better now that she’s not hiding behind a fake facade anymore.
Eren and Historia share a lot of opinions and their worldview seems to be very similar. That’s why Eren trusted Historia and let her in on his Rumbling plan. She was the only one who he could be real with and the anime version of Historia mentions that she knew everything about the future because Eren shared it with her.
Historia was the one who knew the true Eren, and she chose to support him, no matter how horrible his plan was. She saw the monster he was becoming, and accepted this side of him. It might point at her questionable morals, but it proves that there was something genuine between them, even if it turned out to be just a friendship.
Historia also cared about Eren’s opinion, and she asked for his advice about her future and the possibility of having a child. Their connection was so undeniable, that it led some fans to believe that Eren was actually the father of the said child.
Both of these pairings have a lot of reasons to exist, and no matter what the finale is, it’s totally up to you to decide which one was more relatable and believable to you. After all, shipping exists to have fun, so why not do it?
