The Ackerman clan has had a great impact on the events ofAttack on Titanthroughout the show’s history. Since the early episodes of the anime, characters like Mikasa Ackerman and Levi Ackerman have had a great presence and influence on the plot. How much did Kenny Ackerman impactAttack on Titan?
Being next to major characters like Mikasa and Levi, Kenny’s presence feels microscopic. But being the only other notable member of the important Ackerman clan makes his small presence still a strong one. He was a major part of the third season ofAttack on Titan, where he influenced some major characters and events.
The Life of Kenny Ackerman
Revisiting Kenny’s Past
A lot is not known about Kenny’s past. Similar to Levi, he grew up in a harsh environment, which led him to become a dangerous serial killer. He witnessed the extermination of the Ackerman clan and raised questions about the hatred against his clan. His grandfather explained the clan’s history and their immunity tothe Royal Family’s command. This allowed him to eventually track down Uri Reiss and attempt to assassinate him. Upon failure, he was met with kindness from Uri, and his life was spared. Moved by Uri, he became a loyal servant to him.
The Hunt for Power
After Uri passed down his powers to Frieda Reiss, Kenny understoodthe true nature of the Founding Titan. He saw the same vision and words in Frieda that he once saw in Uri. He never truly understood Uri’s vision and wondered if gaining a similar power would help him understand it. This rose an urge in him to gain power, and he continued to serve the Royal Family while secretly plotting to steal the Founding Titan for himself.
Everybody I’ve met… was all the same.
Drinking… Women… Worshiping God, even… Family… The King… Dreams… Children… Power…
Everyone had to be drunk on somethin' to keep pushing on…
- Kenny Ackerman, Season 3, Episode 10
Failure Leading to An End
Scheming for years turned into nothing when Kenny learnt that he could not inherit the Founding Titan’s powers. He faced this revelation whenRod Reiss tried to convert Historiainto the next Founding Titan. This made Kenny extremely furious as his long-awaited goal could no longer be achieved, and he started feeling hopeless. This hopelessness also eventually made him give up on his life.
Kenny’s Impact on Characters and Events
Levi Ackerman
Kenny was responsible for raising Levi and giving him a fighting chance in the cruel world. When Levi’s mother died, and he became an orphan who was nearing death, Kenny started to look after him and even taught him to fight and use a knife. But soon, he left him. After being crushed by Rod Reiss' Titan, Kenny was close to death and was encountered by Levi. This is when he told Levi that he was his uncle, and alsogave him the titan serum as a parting gift. This serum was later used to revive Armin and turn him into the Colossal Titan.
Historia Reiss
Kenny worked for the Royal Government as an assassin for years. He was ruthless and completed his missions by any means necessary. Historia was the illegitimate child of Rod Reiss, and, as a result, Kenny was tasked with killing Historia and her mother. He successfully killed Historia’s mother but was stopped by Rod before he could kill Historia. Years later, after failing to steal the Founding Titan for himself, he influenced Historia to get away from his father’s plans of turning her into a Titan.
Eren Yeager
Kenny was responsible for capturing Eren and initially helped in taking away his Titan powers. But after having lost his personal objective, he freed Eren so he could witness a fair battle between Eren and Historia for his entertainment. He sliced Eren’s forehead and moved to a distance to watch the battle,but Historia disobeyed her fatherand such a battle never occurred.
Attack on Titan’s plot spans thousands of years of history. While characters like Ymir impact the story from the start to the end, minor characters like Kenny have their small contributions in changing the course of the story every so slightly. Kenny’s character was able to give depth to Levi’s character while also contributing greatly to the events of Season 3.
