TV-Series
Description
Kenny Ackerman is a tall, slim man with short dark hair, a thin beard, and piercing eyes. He typically wears a bowler hat, a white shirt with an undone black tie, and a large black overcoat, giving him the appearance of a middle-aged gunslinger or assassin. He is a member of the Ackerman family and the maternal uncle of Levi Ackerman, having raised and trained Levi for a period during his childhood in the underground city, which was a crime-ridden and impoverished district.
Kenny's personality is defined by a chilling paradox of jovial cruelty and cold, calculated precision. He possesses a dark sense of humor and often engages in taunting and witty banter, even during lethal combat, yet he operates with an utter lack of remorse for his violent actions. He was an infamous serial killer known as Kenny the Ripper, rumored to have murdered over one hundred members of the Military Police Brigade by slitting their throats. Despite his sociopathic tendencies, he is not without his own principles; he despises blind loyalty and cowardice, and shows a measured respect for those he deems worthy, such as his second-in-command, Caven, and the Reiss family patriarch, Uri Reiss. He took care of his ailing grandfather and ensured he was not harassed, and he chose to raise his nephew Levi rather than leave him to die.
Driven by a desire for power and a profound sense of curiosity, Kenny’s primary motivation is to understand what it feels like to be kind and compassionate. He witnessed how inheriting the power of the Founding Titan transformed Uri Reiss and later Frieda Reiss into benevolent and hopeful people. Fascinated by this change, Kenny secretly hoped that obtaining the same god-like power for himself would allow him to see the world through the same eyes and experience that same sense of purpose and compassion. He equates this search for meaning with being a slave to something, believing that everyone needs something to be drunk on to continue living. For most of his life, his dream was slipping further away, and his pursuit of this power was his sole focus.
In the story, Kenny serves as a formidable antagonist, particularly during the Uprising arc. He is the captain of the Military Police Brigade's First Interior Squad and leads the Anti-Personnel Control Squad, a unit equipped with specialized gear designed for killing humans rather than Titans. He works for the royal government under Rod Reiss, tasked with capturing Eren Yeager and Historia Reiss and eliminating their allies. His past as Levi’s mentor creates a highly personal and tense conflict, as he hunts Levi and the Survey Corps, demonstrating a deep understanding of his nephew's tactics.
Kenny's key relationships are central to his character. His bond with Uri Reiss is the most transformative. Initially attempting to assassinate Uri, Kenny was instead captured and disarmed. Rather than killing him, Uri bowed before Kenny, tearfully acknowledged the persecution of the Ackerman family, and asked for forgiveness. Stunned by this display of humility and strength, Kenny voluntarily swore his service to Uri, a loyalty that continued past Uri's death as he served Rod Reiss, though with much less devotion. His relationship with Levi is complex; he was a mentor who taught Levi how to survive, but he abandoned him once he felt Levi had grown strong. Years later, he shows no hesitation in trying to kill Levi, viewing it as an obstacle on the path to his dream, though Levi is described as his pride.
Throughout the narrative, Kenny experiences a form of development that culminates in his final moments. After being mortally wounded in a cave-in caused by Rod Reiss's transformation, Kenny is found by Levi. On the verge of death, he possesses a serum that would turn him into a Titan, offering him a chance to obtain the very power he sought. He reflects on his life and his pursuit of power, realizing that everyone, including the benevolent Uri, was a slave to something. In a final, lucid moment, he abandons his dream, refusing to become a monster just to live a little longer. He entrusts the serum to Levi, revealing their familial bond, and dies from his injuries.
Notable abilities include his status as an awakened Ackerman, granting him superhuman physical strength, speed, and combat instincts comparable to a Titan's power. He is an exceptionally skilled hand-to-hand combatant and weapon master, proficient with knives and firearms. He is an expert in stealth and assassination tactics, having evaded capture for years while killing over a hundred military police officers. He also mastered the use of anti-personnel vertical maneuvering equipment, using it to scale buildings at high speeds and engage targets with devastating gunfire. His strategic and analytical intelligence is so advanced that he taught Levi how to outmaneuver targets, and Levi himself considers Kenny to be as formidable an opponent as himself.
Kenny's personality is defined by a chilling paradox of jovial cruelty and cold, calculated precision. He possesses a dark sense of humor and often engages in taunting and witty banter, even during lethal combat, yet he operates with an utter lack of remorse for his violent actions. He was an infamous serial killer known as Kenny the Ripper, rumored to have murdered over one hundred members of the Military Police Brigade by slitting their throats. Despite his sociopathic tendencies, he is not without his own principles; he despises blind loyalty and cowardice, and shows a measured respect for those he deems worthy, such as his second-in-command, Caven, and the Reiss family patriarch, Uri Reiss. He took care of his ailing grandfather and ensured he was not harassed, and he chose to raise his nephew Levi rather than leave him to die.
Driven by a desire for power and a profound sense of curiosity, Kenny’s primary motivation is to understand what it feels like to be kind and compassionate. He witnessed how inheriting the power of the Founding Titan transformed Uri Reiss and later Frieda Reiss into benevolent and hopeful people. Fascinated by this change, Kenny secretly hoped that obtaining the same god-like power for himself would allow him to see the world through the same eyes and experience that same sense of purpose and compassion. He equates this search for meaning with being a slave to something, believing that everyone needs something to be drunk on to continue living. For most of his life, his dream was slipping further away, and his pursuit of this power was his sole focus.
In the story, Kenny serves as a formidable antagonist, particularly during the Uprising arc. He is the captain of the Military Police Brigade's First Interior Squad and leads the Anti-Personnel Control Squad, a unit equipped with specialized gear designed for killing humans rather than Titans. He works for the royal government under Rod Reiss, tasked with capturing Eren Yeager and Historia Reiss and eliminating their allies. His past as Levi’s mentor creates a highly personal and tense conflict, as he hunts Levi and the Survey Corps, demonstrating a deep understanding of his nephew's tactics.
Kenny's key relationships are central to his character. His bond with Uri Reiss is the most transformative. Initially attempting to assassinate Uri, Kenny was instead captured and disarmed. Rather than killing him, Uri bowed before Kenny, tearfully acknowledged the persecution of the Ackerman family, and asked for forgiveness. Stunned by this display of humility and strength, Kenny voluntarily swore his service to Uri, a loyalty that continued past Uri's death as he served Rod Reiss, though with much less devotion. His relationship with Levi is complex; he was a mentor who taught Levi how to survive, but he abandoned him once he felt Levi had grown strong. Years later, he shows no hesitation in trying to kill Levi, viewing it as an obstacle on the path to his dream, though Levi is described as his pride.
Throughout the narrative, Kenny experiences a form of development that culminates in his final moments. After being mortally wounded in a cave-in caused by Rod Reiss's transformation, Kenny is found by Levi. On the verge of death, he possesses a serum that would turn him into a Titan, offering him a chance to obtain the very power he sought. He reflects on his life and his pursuit of power, realizing that everyone, including the benevolent Uri, was a slave to something. In a final, lucid moment, he abandons his dream, refusing to become a monster just to live a little longer. He entrusts the serum to Levi, revealing their familial bond, and dies from his injuries.
Notable abilities include his status as an awakened Ackerman, granting him superhuman physical strength, speed, and combat instincts comparable to a Titan's power. He is an exceptionally skilled hand-to-hand combatant and weapon master, proficient with knives and firearms. He is an expert in stealth and assassination tactics, having evaded capture for years while killing over a hundred military police officers. He also mastered the use of anti-personnel vertical maneuvering equipment, using it to scale buildings at high speeds and engage targets with devastating gunfire. His strategic and analytical intelligence is so advanced that he taught Levi how to outmaneuver targets, and Levi himself considers Kenny to be as formidable an opponent as himself.