Mikasa Ackerman Costume Analysis
By Skywing Knights // September 21, 2023
“I’m so sorry, Eren. I won’t give up anymore. I won’t ever give up again. If I die, I won’t be able to think about you anymore. That’s why I have to win, not matter what. No matter what, I have to stay alive!”
-Mikasa Ackerman
Here we go again!
Today, I wanted to share with you all a bit about how I created my Mikasa Ackerman Cosplay!
Unfortunately, no new new photos of her today, but I wanted to stick with getting all of the “Attack on Titan” related costume analyses up. That said, I find it funny that she ended up being my second cosplay from “Attack on Titan”. The brief story behind that was that I had a friend cosplaying as Jean Kirstein and we were both going to Comiket together and well… why not let Jean have Mikasa for once instead of a raving maddening Eren? XD
I’ll do my best to get photos of her eventually, but for now let’s talk about Mikasa and the role she plays in “Attack on Titan.”
“The World is cruel. But, it is also very beautiful.”
Character Summary:
After watching the brutal murder of her parents and being rescued by a young Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman lived with the Jaeger family until the fall of Wall Maria, the outermost wall protecting humanity from the monsters known as ‘Titans’. Being an Ackerman, Mikasa has the unique ability to completely control her body down the very cell and she uses this skill to do whatever she needs to in order to achieve her goals.
Though she is easily the second strongest of all of the Survey Corps, Mikasa only joined to protect Eren in his quest to vanquish the Titans. That’s because Eren isn’t just her friend or her family. He’s her everything.
Costume Details:
Character: Mikasa Ackerman
Series: “Attack on Titan” / 進撃の巨人 (Shingeki no Kyojin)
Creator: Hajime Isayama
Version: Anime Survey Corps Uniform
Difficulty Level: 25%
Cosplayer: SkywingKnights
Photographer: WingedLight
Completed: 2014
Debut Date: August 17th, 2014
“My specialty is tearing through flesh.”
Construction on Mikasa Ackerman:
The second “Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin” cosplay that I did, Mikasa Ackerman wasn’t much of a change from Eren. The biggest changes included a change in the shirt and hairstyle, both of which were easy to do with a new wig and utilizing a shirt that I’d used for other female characters in the past.
I used fabric from Nippori to create Mikasa’s signature scarf. The best thing about it was that it was actually functional! I ended up wearing it and Eren’s necklace to Attack on Tokyo in Ueno. Super fun! And I have this cosplay to thank for such a comfy little accessory. All around, a win (both in and out of cosplay!)! ^_^
“Thank you for being together with me. Thank you for teaching me how to live. Thank you for wrapping this muffler on me.”
Personal Thoughts:
I was very happy to cosplay Mikasa Ackerman. She’s one of the few female heroes out there who was both allowed to be strong and fiercely in love. However, Mikasa was difficult for me, primarily because she’s quiet and reserved, but also extremely fierce… Qualities I can’t say I possess in great amounts, haha.
But she was fun and a good learning experience. I had fun practicing acting as her and seeing what worked when I cosplayed her and what didn’t.
Ultimately, I’d like to redo elements or improve elements of her costume in the future. But for the short notice that I got, I am happy with the result. And as far as I know, Jean was too.
Till next time,
~Skywing
