The Ackerman Clan is a group of Eldians living within the Walls. The bloodline originated from the group of warriors that protected Eldia’s King. But they were then persecuted almost to the point of extinction after refusing to adopt Karl Fritz’s ideology. One of the Ackermans’ power is that they’re not affected by the power of the Founding Titan -- which was the very reason why they were persecuted by the nobles.

There are some interesting facts about the Ackerman Clan from the Attack on Titan series that you probably didn’t know. Let’s get into it.

History

The Ackermans lived in Eldia before the Walls were even built. The Ackerman Clan were the unplanned result of the Eldian Empire’s experiments with the Subjects of Ymir and the science of Titan power. They were meant to protect Eldia’s King and acted as the kingdom’s right-hand to make sure of the peoples’ survival.

After the collapse of the Eldian Empire during the Great Titan War, the Ackermans moved inside the Walls made by King Fritz to protect the Eldians.

When the King erased the memories of the people inside the Walls using the power of the Founding Titan, the Ackermans were among those who were immune to the power -- the other was the Asian Clan and those who would later become the nobles inside the Walls.

Along with the Asian Clan, the Ackermans refused the King’s idea of peace and turned their backs on the monarchy. Doubting his ability to control both of the Ackermans and the Asian Clan, the King decided to persecute them, to the brink of extinction.

Eventually, the head of the Ackerman Clan offered his own life to ensure the survival of the bloodline and was executed. The next generations avoided telling their descendants about the world before the Walls were built to protect them from being executed by the monarchy. As a result, the later generations grew up without knowing about the history.

Still, none of their efforts stopped them from being oppressed. The later generations of the Ackermans were still being chased down with some of them sought refuge in the Underground City, while others fled to the mountains outside the Walls. 

The purge eventually stopped after Uri Reiss, the King at the time, met Kenny Ackerman in an assassination attempt. He apologized for the sins of the previous kings, stopped the persecution, and hired Kenny as his right-hand man.

Read Also >> The History of the Nine Titans of Attack on Titan

Special Power

Awakened Power

The Ackermans possess an “awakened power” that is displayed by some members of the clan. Levi Ackerman calls it “knowing exactly what needs to be done”. It lets them exhibit superior physical prowess that surpasses any other human being.

Eren Yeager learns from Zeke that it may be the result of the experiments conducted by the old Eldian Empire on the Subjects of Ymir. They are able to manifest the power of the Titans as humans without becoming a Titan or inheriting any of the Nine Titans.

When their power’s awakened, the Ackerman gains the battle experience from every single Ackerman from the past via the Path.

Despite this tremendous power, it has to be triggered through the user’s survival instinct. For example, Mikasa was just a normal 9-year-old girl when three men killed her parents and kidnapped her.

Eren came to rescue her, and when their lives were in danger, he told her to “fight”. This awakened Mikasa's hidden power, and she was able to kill one of the criminals with a single stab, crush the handle with her bare hands, and snap the floorboard.

Levi stated that he and Kenny had similar moments that triggered their power.

Eren Yeager once told Mikasa that the conditions of unlocking the potential of the Ackerman bloodline are to find a “host” -- and when the person faces a lethal threat -- to obey the order from the host. This will trigger the power invested in the Ackerman’s blood to protect the host.

According to Eren, an awakened Ackerman is forced to serve their host, and they experience sudden headaches if their “true self” tries to fight it.

However, this theory was made up by Eren as Zeke Yeager had no idea about the origin of Mikasa’s headaches or the truth behind his claim that says an awakened Ackerman needs a host.

Armin Arlert also speculated that Eren was lying and used Mikasa’s headaches to support his claim. While Zeke believes that Mikasa’s protective nature over Eren comes from her affection towards him, not her instinct to protect him as the host.

Immunity towards the Founding Titan

Another power that the Ackermans possess is their immunity towards the Founding Titan. The Ackermans are Subjects of Ymir, but they are immune to the Founding Titan’s ability to alter the memories of the Subjects of Ymir.

This led Kenny’s grandfather to believe that Ackermans aren’t Subjects of Ymir.

So, that was the backstory of the Ackerman Clan in the Attack on Titan series. If you find this entertaining, feel free to share this on social media! Stick around for more anime and gaming info, and make sure to follow Dunia Games on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates. 

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Reference: https://attackontitan.fandom.com/wiki/Ackerman_clan