#ackerbonds

there's nothing levi hates more than people dying uselessly, meanwhile erwin is willing to go to these lengths for a gamble of his.

I'm not going to discuss erwin's moral compass but everytime he had put comrades or civilian lives on the line, levi was visibly upset with him and even disgusted. even though they're both fighting for humanity, levi definitely questioned erwin's ways, but he stayed by his side.

likewise, kenny despised the royals and set out to kill them. he wanted to wreck the hierarchy which uri, the "god" of paradise, sat atop of.

kenny believed only privileged people could choose to be peaceful and have faith, and he was critical of uri's ideology.

but for uri, kenny ended up part of that system, and eventually got himself and his squad dead trying to chase that power uri left behind, he didn't even know if he could actually obtain it, but he did everything to see what uri had seen and maybe reunite with him somehow.

and finally, mikasa and eren.

this one's obvious, she killed him to stop the rumbling, but there's something special about these two. i think mikasa broke the "bond" in a way because, despite her deep devotion and love for eren, she didn't stay on his side like the other two.

mikasa accepted how the world worked; the beauty and cruelty of it, and eren set out to destroy everything for his loved ones' freedom.

so mikasa who started out following eren wherever and only caring about her select family, ended up choosing humanity over him.

out of the three, mikasa was the one truly selfless, and thus she saved the world and broke ymir's curse.

in general, there's always a conflict of values between the ackermans and their bonds and it makes for very interesting dynamics that lots of people seem to put aside?

I can’t believe I’m still answering asks like this in the year of our lord 2023.  There are two slightly different misunderstandings here.  The first is that Levi was a slave to his promise to Erwin to kill Zeke, even after Zeke’s position changed. This is basically the same old accusation that Levi was “obsessed” with his vow and didn’t care at all about saving humanity.  If this was true, Levi would have killed Zeke the first opportunity he had, consequences be damned.  The fact that he didn’t do that shows that although he was always committed to fulfilling his vow, he never lost sight of the greater goal of saving humanity.  For a more detailed analysis of Levi’s vow and how it has quite different connotations to Japanese readers, you can read this ask that @tsuki-no-ura and I answered a couple of years ago. Tsuki's exploration of kodawari is particularly relevant here.

The second assertion here is that Levi is fixated or obsessed with Erwin and that the Ackermans are “just obsessed lovers”. That’s certainly one way to put it, but aren’t all lovers a little bit obsessed with their beloved? Another way to put it is that they are devoted, loyal and true. There’s no question that the Ackermans love their lieges deeply, but they are also willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and to let them go. That in itself suggests there is a selfless aspect to their love.  If they really were “obsessed”, I’d suggest they would cling to them possessively and disregard their humanity. That is the very opposite of that Levi does.

So in answer to your questions

“Is Ackerbond real?” Only in so far as it is love. 

“Are all Ackermans just obsessive lovers?” I would say devoted, loyal, selfless and protective rather than obsessive. 

“Am I missing something?” That really depends on how you view love.

Isayama has been clear that Ackerman have autonomy.They are devoted to their liege because they choose to be. There is no magic spell binding them together. 

Stopping Eren by ending his life is something Mikasa shouldn’t be forced to do. There are plenty of tasks that need to be done. Eren is only one of those. I love that Annie and the others are understanding about that and allowing her to join the fight in ways she’s comfortable with. “Letting him go” is what I’d hope for her. I’d be fine if she has a more passive role in his end. (Shush you!! I really think Jean will live 😅!!!)

Though, take this with a grain of salt, as I’m also going off of No Regrets for Levi. Specifically the anime, as there’s something said that isn’t said in the manga. - And I’m unsure how canon the anime is. I know Isayama supervised No Regrets and also added Isabel and Farlan to the Manga but ya know... 

So we have three Ackerman’s and three “Ackerbonds”. 

Mikasa and Eren. Levi and Erwin. Kenny and Uri.

We know Mikasa activated her Ackerpowers when her own and Eren’s life was in danger. - That’s the only Ackerpower awakening we’ve seen so far. 

And I believe her Ackerbonding with Eren happened AFTER than moment. Here’s why. 

Mikasa right after Eren says the following.

“Come on, let’s go back. To our home.”

I think it matters especially when you keep in mind that Mikasa just lost everything she had, she’s a kid that has nothing more than her parents. She quite literally even asks Grisha in which direction she needs to go to get home. 

Now Eren’s words give her the direction she needs in life again. 

I’m 100% sure that Levi awakened his Ackerpowers prior to meeting Erwin, or rather prior to Farlan and Isabel’s death. 

However, I’m also certain that this is the moment in which the Ackerbonding for Levi and Erwin happens. 

Erwin also has an important line here: 

“I expect you to come with me.”

Again, I’m certain this matters because... Well Levi lost everything he had as well. His mom died long ago, his other parental figure Kenny left him long ago, he was just a criminal trying to survive and maybe reach the surface eventually. Now he’s reached the surface but his close friends died right before his eyes. He’s lost. No where to go. No more direction.  But then Erwin comes along and gives him a clear direction. 

It is slightly different in the manga, but the gist of it is also Erwin giving Levi direction in life. 

Now Levi even has a line that gives all of this even a little more weight. 

“I don’t understand. I’ve never understood. Even if I believe in my own strength... Even if I believe in the decisions of my trusted friends... In the end... Nobody... but this man is gazing up at something I can’t see. Fine, I’ll follow you, Erwin Smith. I will never regret this decision, for as long as I live.”

Now we have Kenny after fearing for his life and Uri bowing down to him. 

There’s no clear line from Uri to trigger anything but I suppose here it’s more Uri’s idea of peace and actions. Plus Kenny finding interest in exactly this and thus, also finding a direction in life that’s not just living in hiding as Ackerman or Kenny the Ripper. 

Though the thing with Kenny and Uri is a bit more hazy than Mikasa or Levi... Kenny also followed Uri because Uri saw something Kenny couldn’t see. 

“What does it feel like? From their point of view, what do they actually see? Could trash like me, see the world the same way you saw it?”

But Kenny was still strong before that. There’s no real change in his strength or skill from what I can see. As he’s already been known around as Kenny the Ripper prior to bonding with Uri. 

Yeah so, my conclusion is... Eren’s speech about Ackerman’s being designed to protect and awakening their powers once they find someone to guard is bullshit. Ackerman’s aren’t slaves in the sense Eren would like them to be, but rather followers that look for direction. And maybe that is something that only formed after the Ackerman Clan turned back on the royal family and the whole clan lost their original purpose of the Royal Family’s Right Hand Men. 

I mean we’re still left in the dark regarding Levi’s and Kenny’s awakening, but their bonding process happened seperately. Mikasa just happened to have both happening in the same event and Eren being too dense to reflect on actual events.