SHORTER VERSION! Here’s why I believe Mikasa is adopted, and EM are somewhat family members
I hear EM can’t be siblings because of the ending and there’s no evidence to suggest they are. So, I'll give my reasons why I believe it’s not wrong to see them that way.
1.) “Mikasa didn’t take the Yaeger’s surname, so she’s not adopted.” While that’s a good point, that doesn’t mean she’s not adopted. Mikasa can still be adopted by the Yaegers without taking their last name. In fact, adopted, foster, and stepchildren aren’t required to take their new guardian’s last name. It’s common for step, adopted, or foster kids to keep their last name. Even so, some would say Mikasa didn’t take their last name, so she’s not adopted. There are adopted fictional people that don’t take their family’s last name. If I recall, Dick Grayson (Robin from Batman) was adopted by Bruce Wayne, yet Bruce never made Robin change his name. JoJo Bizarre Universe: Dio Brando, adopted by the Joestars, kept his last original name.
2.) “She doesn’t call Grisha and Carla her parents or ‘mom’ and ‘dad’.” Mikasa does call and refer to the Yaegers as her parents. “I lost my parents’ in Lost Girls; she’s talking about BOTH her parents and the Yaegers. Not only that, Mikasa looks at Carla as her mother, she literally calls Carla ‘her second mother’ in Short Stories: Mikasa’s Recipe. Let’s say she doesn’t, there are adopted kids that call their parents by their first or last name, probably because they’re either not comfortable with addressing them as ‘mom/dad’ yet or because they grew used to addressing them as something else. Doesn’t make them any less adopted. From what I recall, Mikasa knows Grisha before living with the Yaegers, so she’s already used to calling him by a different name. We also must remember that Mikasa’s parents were recently killed, so calling Grisha “dad” would probably be a big step for her at the moment. However, though she didn’t call Grisha ‘father’ and Carla ‘mother’, she still refers to them as her “家族” which means ‘family’. Lastly, Mikasa refers to Eren as her family too. In fact, they both call each other “家族” which means family in Japanese, most importantly intermediate family which is parents, children, and siblings. So, it still counts.
3.) “She isn’t legally adopted.” That’s another good point, but still can be adopted. Grisha has taken custody of Mikasa and claims her as his child. Grisha notified the MPs on the kidnappers that killed Mikasa’s parents, kidnapped her, and attempted to sell her. So, the MPs knew that she was an orphan and informed Zackely of the incident. Why didn’t Grisha just let the MPs take Mikasa and put her in an orphanage and give her to another family? Here’s two possibilities, either the MPs told Grisha to take custody of the girl, or Grisha decides to take Mikasa in as his daughter since he knows her and her parents well. So, wouldn’t this mean the government knows she’s part of the Yaeger family? Wouldn’t this be legal adopting? The MPs did state that Mikasa was taken in by the Yaegers. To me, that seems they not only are aware of her living with them, you can say they also accepted this, otherwise as I’ve stated they would’ve taken her somewhere else when she was a child. Even if Grisha didn’t go through a legal process, it doesn’t change that she’s a part of the family or that she’s not their kid. AOT universe is vague on adoption & foster care system. We aren’t informed how their adoption system operates. All we know is picking up a child and raising the child is consider adopting in their world. I mean, I don’t think Kenny signed papers or informed the MPs that he’s taking Levi into his custody, yet it’s clear Kenny took a little ownership of Levi. Overall, we can only predict and connect the dots as we read through the story and observe their environment.
4.) “She’s only been there for a year or two.” Grisha and Carla still took her as their own. Their intentions were not only to shelter and feed Mikasa but to also raise her along with Eren. Mikasa could be with them for a year or a decade; it doesn’t change that Carla and Grisha still adopted her. Let’s say the walls weren’t breached; she would still be living under them as their daughter. Lastly, despite living with them for a brief time, Mikasa herself states she sees them as her second family, with Eren being the closest. So again, regardless of how long she was living under their roof, shortened time didn’t stop her from seeing them as her family, and the same goes for the Yaegers.
5.) “It’s a mistranslation. 養子 means ‘adopted child’ while 引き取られる means ‘taken in.’ They are not the same thing.” They’re right, it’s two different words. 養子 does mean “adopted child,” and that isn’t in the guidebook. However、 “引き取られる” is still equivalent to adoption. 引 = Pull, 取 = take, れる = to be, られる is a passive verb that is done to someone or something. In other words, past tense. 取られる = taken.
First definition: To take over; to take back; to collect; to claim
The second definition: to take (a person or animal) charge of, to take custody of; to look after, to take care of; to ADOPT
I asked my friend and other native speakers for a better understanding, and this is what they said:
''引き取られる'' is an 'action' being taken to take care of, in this case, to be a member of the family/ being adopted into a family. It is common to say ''引き取る'' (means ‘taken’) in Japanese, and it should include the meaning that the parents have the custody to protect and take care of the child. The parents have custody, rights and responsibility of the child. “イェーガー家(け)に引(ひ)き取(と)られた少女(しょうじょ)” or “イェーガー家に引き取られた少女” can also mean “the girl who was adopted by the Yeagers.” ‘Taken in’ isn’t wrong, but neither is ‘adopt.’
Lastly, “adopted daughter” is in the guidebook. Mikasa is called “養女,” which means “adopted daughter.”
“She’s not adopted. She’s fostered. Another family takes in the child because of a circumstance.” This would make sense, too. “養” can also mean foster (which is also in the guidebook); however, I think she’s adopted, not fostered. Mikasa isn’t living with the Yaegers temporarily, and the government isn’t assisting Mikasa. It’s implied in Short Stories: Carla’s dream that Mikasa lived with the Yaegers permanently until she became an adult and moved out. Foster is temporary care and doesn’t have parental rights or custody over the child. It’s an alternative but temporary solution from the government until they allow the kid to return home or find a suitable home for the child. Adoption is permanent and does have all rights and custody to the child. The government no longer assists them. The money the parents use is their own. The Yaegers had custody over Mikasa financially, educationally, and medically (a foster parent wouldn’t have that right). To the last point, these issues aren’t exclusive to foster only. An adopted child can lose their parents and be adopted by another family. I know a few kids who are in Mikasa’s shoes. They're still considered adopted, keep their last names, and refer to their parents by first or last name (they sometimes call them father/mother). As mentioned, the Yaegers claimed the girl as their own child. So, I think ‘adopted daughter” is more fitting.
“But that’s not what the original text said, so it doesn’t count.” Just because the translation isn’t the exact wording, doesn’t mean the elucidation isn’t the same. Words and phrases don’t have to have a single meaning and two different words or phrases can mean the same thing. “Taken in” is a synonym for adopt. In the English thesaurus, ‘taken in’ or ‘take in’ is one of the synonyms for ‘adopt’. To add, Japan usually say ''引き取る'' instead of ‘養’. This is what I learned from with most native Japanese when I took classes and spoke with them.
So, the guidebook isn’t mistranslating the original text. It’s rewording the text to make it easier to understand. When it comes to translation, the original text will sound ‘unnatural’ to the reader. That’s translators reworded the text readers can understand better. It’s not always a mistranslation.
6.) “The guidebook is outdated. It’s not a source, so you can’t use it. Isayama didn’t write the guidebook.” Just because the guidebooks are for certain seasons, doesn’t mean that it’s not usable. Sure, the guidebook can update what’s going on, but it doesn’t mean the old one is useless. The newer guidebook doesn’t replace or erase the old. (same with interviews). I know the first guidebook had some errors in there, but it doesn’t mean the entire thing is unreliable. In addition, AOT made another guidebook within 2017/2018, that includes season 3, and it still says the SAME THING that Mikasa was adopted by the Yaegers. Surely, they could’ve changed it, but they didn’t because it’s not misleading. Isayama was asked about the INSIDE guidebook, and he doesn't disassociate himself from it. He knows it exists, and he takes part in it. Let's say he didn't, Isayama didn’t write the zombie comic, didn’t draw AOT x Marvel cover, write Spoof on Titan books, Attack on Titan: Junior High mini-series, Attack on Titan: Short Stories, EM RomCom, and more, yet people not only use these references (except AOT x Marvel), but they too accept them as canon. So even if Yams didn’t write the guidebook, it doesn’t mean he didn’t approve of them either. As mentioned, he knows they exist. He doesn’t seem bothered by the guidebooks, so why should we?
7.) “Eren isn’t listed as ‘brother’ or ‘son’ in the guidebook because they forgot to add it. It doesn’t say ‘adopted sister’ near Mikasa’s name.”
So, let’s start off with the first point. No, it’s not an error. Notice how Connie Springer also doesn’t have ‘son’ or ‘brother’ under his name in his genealogy? Same with Sasha Blouse, she doesn’t have ‘daughter’ underneath her name. Mikasa doesn’t have ‘daughter’ under her name in her genealogy either. Does that mean Connie isn’t part of the family, Sasha doesn’t have a father, and Mikasa has no family, either? Obviously, no.
The reason Eren doesn’t have ‘son’ or ‘brother’ under his name is because the tree displays Eren’s relationship with them. Purpose: What is Carla, Grisha, and Mikasa in Eren's genealogy? NOT what’s Eren’s ROLE in the family. Same with Connie, Sasha, and Mikasa. It’s what are the others to this character, not what is the character’s role in the family. What is Carla to Eren? His mother. What is Grisha to Eren? His father. What is Mikasa to Eren? His adopted sister. What would Eren be to himself? His own son? No, and he can’t be his own brother, either. Same with Connie, Sasha, and Mikasa. The woman to Connie is his mother, and the other people in his family tree are his siblings. The man in Sasha’s family tree is her father. Now, with Mikasa, what are Kimi and her husband to Mikasa? Her biological parents. What are the Yaegers to Mikasa? Her new adopted family.
Second point, ‘adoptive daughter’ is in the guidebook. I wanted to check myself, so I purchased the Japanese guidebook, and ‘adoptive daughter’ or “養女” is in there. But let’s say it wasn’t, you do realize that would mean Mikasa would be Eren’s biological sister, right? That’s why the editors clarified her position otherwise the guidebook would be saying Mikasa is Eren’s full-blood sister.
8.) “Eren said, ‘I’m not your little brother!’ Eren doesn’t consider Mikasa as his sister. No character addresses them as siblings.” Yes, Eren did say that; however, he said a lot more than that. Eren also said, “I’m not your kid!” along with “I’m not some snot nose little toddler!” He tells Mikasa in season three, "I'm not some old man!" Despite saying that he still considers Mikasa as his family. It’s questionable that these extensions are cut out because they’re important to what he’s conveying. The point of those references isn’t Eren saying he doesn’t consider Mikasa as part of his family. Of course, he sees Mikasa as his family. He doesn't like Mikasa infantizing him. That’s the entire purpose of him saying those lines. Mikasa always intervenes in Eren’s problems because she sees him as weaker. She treats Eren like she’s his parent, an overprotective sibling, and becomes too controlling. Eren expresses that he doesn’t like being treated like a kid, a snot-nosed toddler, or an elderly, and like he can’t defend or take care of himself. He doesn’t like being pampered and treated as a little brother who’s helpless, especially with Mikasa being a month older than him. That’s why “little,” “kid,” 'old man,' and “toddler” are used to emphasize Eren’s dislike for being treated like a subordinate because that’s how Eren feels. Each title is associated with 'weakness' and 'need of assistance'.
I understand Eren’s frustration because I went through this same experience. My younger siblings say the same thing to me, and I say it to my older siblings, too. We hate them getting involved with our problems because we want to feel grown and independent enough to take care of our issues. Heck, some kids ‘disown’ their parents to feel independent as well. So, by showing independence, we disown any title that refers to us as “little” or ‘younger.’ Of course, not all siblings act this way.
Grisha says plainly and clearly, “My wife, my son, and my daughter.” He also says, "My family,” which includes Mikasa. Grisha calls Mikasa his daughter twice.
Kimi, Mikasa’s mother, even says EM looks like siblings. Why? Because they act exactly just that: siblings.
In Spoof on Titan, Grisha, Carla, and Eren accepted Mikasa into their family and made her a part of it. The chapter is called “Warmth of Family.” Carla says, “You’re part of the family now.” and “We’re family now.” to Mikasa.
In the same book, Chapter 17: “The Matrimony Misunderstanding” Eren introduces Mikasa to Armin, stating “It’s complicated but Mikasa and I are a family now.” Armin mistakes this as the two being a wedded couple when Eren is talking about Mikasa being a family member / his adoptive sister.
In addition, in the first chapter of AOT, when Eren and Mikasa save Armin from bullies, Eren confronts Mikasa with, “That reminds me, thanks for ratting me out to mom and dad.” or, “Which reminds me, what possesses you to tell our parents?”
Lastly, there was a scene in season three where Eren just found out he ate his father. Mikasa tries to distract Eren by having him finish his meal. Eren recalls Mikasa and Grisha’s relationship briefly. This symbolizes how Mikasa is close to Grisha and how Grisha's death affects her, too. Why would it affect her? Mikasa considered the Yaegers her second parents and Eren knows that.
“In-laws can see each other as family, too.” That is true. Even so, Eren and Mikasa weren’t a couple at the time, let alone married. Grisha and Carla never considered the two being wedded. Why would they see Eren and Mikasa as in-laws when they were just children at the time?
9.) “Eren asks Mikasa ‘What am I to you?’ He wants a romantic confession from Mikasa.” Eren asks Mikasa this question to see if the future can change. He wants the memories he received to be proven wrong because if Mikasa’s answer doesn’t align with the one he received, that’s a good sign the future isn’t set in stone. The rumbling can be avoided, which is what Eren hoped for. He’s not thinking about romance or her feelings. Not here, at least, because that would be too inappropriate.
And to answer Mikasa saying, “You’re family.” yes, I’m aware Mikasa isn’t being completely honest. However, that doesn’t mean she’s not correct. She most certainly didn’t say, “Not family”. Mikasa could have answered with “a friend.” or “you’re precious to me”. It would’ve made more sense and Mikasa is still stating she doesn’t view Eren as family. So, Mikasa's lying doesn’t make her statement false. If anything, it further highlights that she is falling for him despite them being siblings/family.
10.) “Isayama states that they’re not biological siblings. And Yams refer to them as ‘childhood friends’. Eren’s Japanese VA sees EM as a couple.” I’ve seen countless shippers use that GIF and still do. 1.) That GIF is not real. Isayama never stated Mikasa isn’t Eren’s biological sibling. Someone made that GIF. 2.) Let's say he did; that’s not what’s being discussed. Of course, Mikasa isn’t Eren’s biological sibling. Everyone accepts and knows that. The discourse is about “Is she Eren’s adopted sibling?” Seeing all this evidence, I believe so. She’s his adopted or foster sibling (I choose adopted). Also, if I recall, Isayama also said Eren sees Mikasa as a mother figure.
“For Eren, rather than a lover, Mikasa’s presence is more like a mother to him. The love towards a mother is considered valuable [precious], however at the same time, there are annoying parts as well [laugh], just like towards one’s actual mother, Eren will start to grow up when he becomes independent [moves away/not dependent on] from Mikasa, I might draw this scene one day”
Even though it’s in a figurative manner, it’s still stating that Eren sees Mikasa in a familiar way. In addition, Yams didn’t say Eren will change his view on Mikasa. He says that he’ll grow apart as in a child being on their own, which means Eren won’t be around Mikasa in the future chapters, he’ll be on his own. This doesn’t mean he won’t view Mikasa as motherly or a family member anymore, but that he’s becoming independent.
Isayama stated that he isn’t a fan of “childhood friends to lovers” trope because he treats childhood friends as siblings. I use this because I also see stans saying Yams never planned them as siblings which isn’t true.
Isayama also states EMA have a bond of family or siblings. 2nd guidebook 2017/2018 version
As for the voice actors, allow me to introduce the English VAs. Titania, Mikasa’s English VA, said she and Bryce, Eren’s English VA, didn’t ship EM because they saw the two as siblings, along with shipping another ship. Do they count as well? Overall, VAs are allowed to have their opinions on the characters and their relationships. So, I don’t think it matters if VAs ship these two or not. (I’ll link the video below.)
11.) “No one has ever mentioned Mikasa and Eren as siblings! Carla sees Mikasa and Eren as a couple in AOT: short stories.” First, I know some people say short stories aren’t canon and are just fanon things. Isayama didn’t take part in these series, so they disregarded the mini-books. Now, I would agree. This isn’t entirely canon. The only reason I bring Short stories up is I see some people use this chapter to say it’s canon. They use SS book 1: Carla’s dream to prove EM is a couple. When the professional translators translated the story, it called Grisha a ‘father of two’, and Carla called both Eren and Mikasa her children. However, these people claim the translation is wrong because 'it’s 'not word for word.' They even went as far as to insult the translators and act like they were better than them at their job. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying the translators are perfect or haven’t made any errors. “Father of two” isn’t in there, but “meek/gentle father” is the correct one.
However, these stans aren’t correct either, at least for the Carla part.
Let’s get this out of the way. Carla DID NOT see Eren and Mikasa as a couple. She saw Eren and Mikasa as children SHE RAISED, which says in both Japanese and English versions. She saw them as her children she took care of.
Book Two: Chapter 16: Eren’s story. Eren shares a story with Levi’s squad to gain their trust. He talks about his past life. His father was a doctor, and their family didn’t face financial issues. Even when adopting Mikasa, they were fine. One of the soldiers asked Eren about Mikasa, recalling her giving Levi a dark look because he kicked Eren in the face. Eren confirms that Mikasa IS his family, and she lost both of her families (biological parents and their parents), which explains why Mikasa is very protective over Eren (cause she’s his last). Then he says, 'She lost his happy family.' Then he talks about him, Mikasa, and Armin (who he calls childhood friend instead of Mikasa).
Book Three: Chapter 23: Mikasa’s recipe: Mikasa not only looks at Carla as her second mother but she’s literally called ‘her second mother.’
Book Four: The last chapter is First Wings, which tells Eren’s story. Summary: Eren, Armin, and Mikasa find an injured bird and take it to Grisha to examine. Grisha helps the bird, and Eren gets to release it.
1.) Grisha literally says “ミカサ, は母さんに頼んで、瓶に湯を入れたものを布に包ん で持ってきてくれ.” or “Mikasa, please go ask your mother to bring a bottle of hot water wrapped in clothe.” Grisha is not talking about Kimi because Mikasa’s parents are already dead. He’s talking about Carla.
2.) Last part of the story, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin are resting after a long day. Grisha and Hannes are talking about the children. Grisha says 「いいんだ。 息子が自由を望み、娘や幼馴染がそれを支える 優しさと強さを持つことがわかったから」 or “That’s okay. I realized my son desires freedom and that my daughter and his childhood friend have the kindness and strength to help him.” I repeat, “My son and my daughter!” MY DAUGHTER (娘). He even calls Armin Eren’s childhood friend (幼馴染 ) instead of Mikasa. He’s not ‘in a rush’. He’s casually speaking. This is the second time Grisha calls Mikasa his daughter.
Which brings me back to book 1, Carla’s dream. While ‘father of two’ isn’t the original text, the statement isn’t wrong. Grisha is a father of two (really three). Lastly, Carla's statement is correct, too. She does say “my children’ instead of ‘the children’ because she has two children.
I’ll post the full translations and how I got them. I have friends who’s native Japanese and they helped me translate them. I also went to a few other native Japanese people to get their POV.
These are my reasons why I believe Mikasa is very well adopted by the Yaegers. She not only sees Grisha and Carla as her second family and second parents, with Carla and Grisha reciprocating, but she also views Eren as her family, too, despite developing feelings for him. Eren, too, sees Mikasa as family and a close friend, nothing more or less. Sure, Eren was annoyed with Mikasa and pretty hurtful to her, but he still considered her as close family.
I’m not against EM as far as shipping, nor do I care if others ship them or don’t find them to be siblings. I just don’t like how some stans say ‘there’s no evidence’ to support the idea of them being siblings or family coded. That they were ‘always’ 'friends to lovers' dynamic. I also don’t like how certain stans insult Japanese fans who confirm the book translations are correct or act like they’re better than the professional translators. Sure, translators aren’t always correct, but they still know what they’re doing. I don’t like misinformation being spread and just want honesty. It’s not incorrect to say these two are family members or somewhat. It doesn’t make you a ‘hater’ either. I just want to clear up some translations, along with sharing my perspective on the matter.
Thank you for listening and have a great day. Good luck with the upcoming season finale.
