Mikasa Is Weak

In Hajime Isayama’s Shingeki no Kyojin, Mikasa and Eren are both working as soldiers in the Survey Corps. They each have their reasons for joining the squad, and they each have unique strengths that aid them in battle. On the other hand, they also have their weaknesses. As members of the Survey Corps, It is important for them to minimize their flaws in order to contribute to the advancement of their team. When it comes to honor, Mikasa is more respected than Eren. Therefore, because Mikasa is more honorable than Eren, she is a better soldier. This can be seen through way each of them respect hone and tatemae, as well as through each of their personal motivations for joining the Survey Corps.
Mikasa is often seen behaving in a stoic manner,
After killing a titan, a soldier notices this about her. He asks himself how she manages not to be stirred by her battle: “Why so unflappable? We’re talking life or death situations here” (Hajime Isayama Chapt. 5, 36). It appears as if she is not affected by what she sees around her. However, shortly after her fight with the titans, she has a flashback where she is with her family, discussing the visit of Doctor Jaeger for their examination. This shows that she is reminded of her past when she is faced with the titans. She knows how to keep her emotions to herself when she is at work, which is an important part of tatemae. In Japanese culture, “tatemae refers to social obligations and the opinions that have been adapted or adjusted to society’s” (García 36). She respects tatemae when she is on duty, because she does what society requires her to do, without bringing up her own opinions or feelings. From the perspective of Japanese society, this makes her honorable. On
Mikasa cares about Eren, because his family adopter her when her parents were killed. He becomes a brother to her, and she wants to make sure that he is always safe. When both of them are talking about their choice to join the Survey Corps, she says that “above all, [she doesn’t] wanna lose any more of [her] family” (Hajime Isayama Chapt. 3, 16). After losing her parents, and after her adoptive mother’s death, she does not want to see any more of her loved ones die before her. She joins the same squad as Eren in order to keep an eye on him, because she knows that he has impulsive, risky behaviour when his emotions get the best of him. Throughout the manga, Mikasa looks over Eren and even tries to defend him when the army surrounds him after his first titan transformation. Her work ethic highly resembles that of the Japanese, who “work selflessly for their community, their company, and their country” (García 63). When considering the culture’s attitudes towards work, Mikasa is very honorable. She works for the benefit of others, and not for her own gain. When analyzing Eren’s motives for joining the Survey Corps, it is evident that he is more selfish than Mikasa is. He often refers to goals that he plans to reach, including his revenge on the race of titans. When the colossal titan breaks through the wall again, he expresses