Did Eren Ever Kiss Mikasa in the Manga?
The kiss started in the Alternate Universe, connecting to the current timeline and adding more emotion and depth. Notably, Eren’s face appears peaceful and meaningful, indicating he has some consciousness during the kiss. He’s puckering his lips even more than Mikasa. This reflects the look they exchanged before Mikasa detached his head from the skeleton; the alternate timeline feels like some reality. If it weren’t, Eren wouldn’t have dreamed of Mikasa saying “see you later, Eren” in chapter one. Furthermore, he also wouldn’t possess the memory shard of Mikasa in chapter 130.
Moreover, the kiss is linked to the alternate reality—it is a mutual kiss where Eren seems aware during the act. It’s perplexing why people label this moment as ‘Necrophilia,’ given that it wasn’t merely a decapitated head. Do we really expect someone like Mikasa, who dedicated most of her life to Eren and loved him dearly, to just end his life without a final gesture? Mikasa would desire a peaceful, special farewell; something reminiscent of her parents’ life together.
The kiss serves as the last sign of her love. Mikasa has always harbored feelings for Eren, a sentiment unlikely to change, even if she must ultimately kill him. This inevitable happening was foreseen; Eren understood he had to die in the end. Had he not set Mikasa free, she would have succumbed to madness—similar to her reaction in the first season when she learned of his death and embarked on a rampage.
By the time Eren dies, Mikasa has remembered everything. Their time in the paths culminated with a kiss—this is why she kisses him, having recalled those cherished memories. In summary, Eren and Mikasa shared many kisses, indicating an ongoing emotional connection.
Finally, Eren does love Mikasa. Although readers might feel disappointed that they do not experience a proper reunion, Eren ultimately clarifies his true feelings for his adopted sister to Armin in the final chapter.
What Is the Significance of Mikasa’s Farewell Kiss to Eren?
In chapter 139, the last chapter of the Attack on Titan manga, Eren admits to Armin that he has always loved Mikasa. He states, “I want her to think about me and no one else for the rest of my life. Even as I die, I want to be at the front of her mind for a while […] I want to be with Mikasa.” This realization comes at a time when a happy ending for them is impossible, emphasizing the tragedy of their relationship.
Truth is, Eren needed Mikasa to hate him so she can kill him when the time comes in order to save the world. This is exactly what happens, except Mikasa isn’t capable of hating Eren at all. Still, she makes the devastating decision to decapitate him in chapter 138, which is what makes the whole thing so tragic.
Despite knowing their love for each other, they are never able to acknowledge it mutually. Mikasa kills Eren to stop him from finishing the Rumbling, choosing to save humanity over the one person she loves the most. In the last chapter, Armin tells Eren that Mikasa moves on after Eren’s death.
In fact, Attack on Titan left Mikasa Ackerman with a kiss with the cliffhanger in the newest chapter of the series. The penultimate chapter continues from the chaos left over from the previous chapter. It seems that the final blow to Eren had to be dealt through more precise means—by Mikasa’s means.
With this final attack on Eren, the chapter ends with Mikasa giving him a kiss goodbye. Chapter 138 reveals Eren’s massive new Titan transformation, and upon its debut, Mikasa’s head begins to hurt. It appears that there’s a mental resonance between her and Eren, causing her more pain as the chapter continues.
Severing his head from his spine (and thus his Titan transformation), she bids Eren one final goodbye by kissing him. Imagining a world where they had run away rather than see Eren go on his destructive path, Eren tries to tell Mikasa to forget about him. She refuses, however, and decides to make the final blow against Eren herself.
This connection between the two of them clues her into the fact that Eren’s head and spine are within the Titan’s mouth. With Armin’s help, she breaks her way through to the real Eren. As she makes the ultimate sacrifice to end Eren’s life, their farewell kiss symbolizes both closure and the enduring nature of their bond.
The symbolism of their kiss, witnessed by Ymir Fritz within the Founding Titan, encapsulates the tragic beauty of their relationship. In the heart of battle and tragedy, Mikasa gives Eren one final, heartbreaking kiss—a moment that defines love, sacrifice, and the end of an era.
With tears streaming and the haunting melody of ‘Die with a Smile’ playing, as the world crumbles around them, Mikasa shares her final kiss with Eren, embodying her love and greatest pain.
Did Eren and Mikasa Have Unrequited Feelings Throughout the Series?
Eren is unique amongst other male protagonists in the world of Shonen manga. This uniqueness arises from the fact that there is little to no emphasis placed on his love interest. In fact, there are many female (and arguably male) characters that Eren could have a romantic interest in, including, most notably, Mikasa. However, as of Chapter 95, Eren does not hold any romantic feelings for Mikasa. My main reasoning behind this stems from how Eren’s interactions with Mikasa are depicted in the manga.
First, Eren is constantly annoyed with her devotion and dedication to him. These feelings probably stem from the fact that he doesn’t like to be babied like a child or treated like a little brother. Additionally, Eren wants to take care of himself and others and to fight like the strong soldier he aspires to be. However, Mikasa acts as a reminder of his limitations in this world.
In contrast, I do think that Mikasa holds romantic feelings for Eren. However, much of her devotion stems from factors that are unrelated to romance. The first factor is Mikasa’s bloodline; the Ackerman clan was literally bred to devote their lives to protecting a ‘liege.’ With this in mind, Mikasa’s feelings aren’t that hard to believe since Eren is her liege, and she is acting on instincts to protect him. The second factor is that Eren is the person who saved her life and gave her a reason to keep living after the devastating event she experienced as a child. Eren is quite literally her savior, and she repays her debt to him by ensuring that he is protected and well taken care of.
Overall, Mikasa and Eren share a strong bond and possess a solid foundation that could support a successful romantic relationship. But as of now, Mikasa and Eren are just close childhood friends who want nothing more than to make it to the end of this journey together (with Armin, of course). Only time will tell how Isayama will let their relationship develop, and I look forward to seeing where he takes these two.
Technically, their relationship might resemble that of siblings. Yet, it seems more like Mikasa has feelings for Eren that are unrequited. In Chapter 13, someone mistook Mikasa for Eren’s girlfriend, to which she replied while blushing that ‘they’re family.’ In Chapter 50, as Mikasa thanked Eren, she blushed while putting her face close to his. In that hopeless situation, about to die, she might have seen this as an opportunity to express her feelings. The closeness looked like she was about to kiss him.
According to this, blushing can be caused by strong emotions. Given that Eren saved her and has always been there for her, it’s no surprise that she would develop feelings for him. In Chapter 70, Mikasa’s reaction when Eren complimented Historia reveals jealousy, as she blushes and looks embarrassed.
Eren clearly loves Mikasa and wants to spend his life with her. He loves her so much that he wishes to remain in her mind even after his thirteen-year lifespan is over. He has hinted at his feelings in the past, so Mikasa has some indication that he has a certain kind of love for her. The question that remains is whether Mikasa feels the same way.
Eren has always suppressed his feelings for Mikasa out of respect for her previous trauma. In an ideal world where they didn’t have to fight for the existence of Paradis, they could’ve expressed their love freely. However, Eren’s outburst signifies him finally breaking down and expressing his true feelings about Mikasa, realizing how she felt about him.
Ultimately, Mikasa is one of Eren’s most cherished friends, companions, and definitely his soulmate. Still, I believe that by the end of the series, Eren and Mikasa will remain just friends, either by choice or circumstance (LIKE DEATH *SOBS*).
Eren’s true feelings for Mikasa are finally revealed in the series finale, confirming that he is indeed in love with her. Their relationship has been inseparable since childhood, marking a complex bond filled with both love and unrequited feelings.
