BCC 2 Match #2 - Sarah Kerrigan vs. Mikasa Ackerman (Starcraft vs. Attack on Titan)

VS. 

Welcome back to another Installment of BCC Month 2 (w/MechG) where we pit the world of Anime & Videogames together. The animation and thought that went into making these characters is just astonishing. Given so much backstory and drive to their characters, the creators are great storytellers. If you, the audience, are pulled into the world of Anime & Videogames ~ you'll see that their attention to detail is almost flawless. You start to care about their wellbeing, their capabilities, and overall their agenda in their respective series. You start to place yourself in their world ~ what would you do in a situation? That's what makes fiction so fascinating ~ it boggles to mind to be enthralled by creative works that we, the audience, wished it was the real deal. That's why this BCC collaboration is something else ~ it dives into their worlds and relishes in the question of their appeal, personality, and story as a character. I've dived into the world of Bleach for far too long so it's nice to once and while dive into various Anime series. Without further ado, let us start off Match #2 with Sarah from Starcraft & Mikasa from AOT. Take note that: Backstory, Personality, & Appeal are huge components in the BCC series. The verdict for today & Friday's post will be by MechG himself. Let's jam! 

Story (Sarah)

Just including stuff from StarCraft, StarCraft: Brood War and a mince of Wings of Liberty, and Heart of the Swarm, but first a little backstory. When Kerrigan was young, she killed her mother on accident, brain damaged her father using her psionic powers and she was quickly taken in by the Confederate agents and put into Ghost Academy. She quickly impressed. Sarah was conflicted and defiant not to kill anyone, but after years of training, she gave in and was able to kill without remorse. A few missions later, she resurfaced at Antiga Prime where she caught up with Jim Raynor. Both Kerrigan and Raynor got a lot closer and Mengsk was able to discover that and pair them up frequently on missions. During the Battle of New Gettysburg after dispatching the Protoss from destroying Tarsonis, a horde of Zerg start attacking her forces and was captured. Mengsk’s failure to rescue Kerrigan on purpose enraged Raynor to break off from the Sons of Korhal. Kerrigan was reawakened in a chrysalis, born anew serving under the Overmind and the Cerebrates and claiming the title “The Queen of Blades.” A few scenarios later after the Overmind was destroyed on the Protoss homeworld of Aiur, Kerrigan lost some control of the Zerg swarm and asked Raynor. Protoss, and even Mengsk’s help. She managed to kill all the cerebrates and a new Overmind guarded by the UED with Razagal and Zeratul’s help. Cunning as usual and knowing she regained full control of the Zerg, she turned her back against all of them and with the UED, Dominion, and Protoss forces in shambles, she rightfully took her throne. Not going to go in too much on the SCII expansions because this was supposed to be Cliffnotes styled, but she managed to be disinfested with Raynor’s help and she was able to kill Arcturus Mengsk for leaving her hanging during the New Gettysburg battle in the First Great War.

Story (Mikasa)

Prior to being adopted into the Yaeger household, Mikasa lived comfortably with her parents up until their demise by human traffickers. She was just about to get taken herself, but Eren saved her and together, they toppled their way out of the human traffickers resistance. From then on, Mikasa's only family was the boy who saved them. Though withdrawn, she displays a overall moral approach on how to perceive things ~ following Eren and seeing him as her means of love, protection, & comfort. Mikasa, alongside Eren & friend Armin, joined the Survey corps to thwart the impending Titan attack on the Walls. She's one of, if not the best in the Survey Corps as she is able to easily cut down Titans without ease and without fear or hesitation. Distraught of the news of Eren's "death," Mikasa's willpower began to decline as her adoptive brother was gone from her life. Upon finding out Eren was alive and was indeed a Titan, Mikasa cried tears over his return and onwards, has become overprotective of what may happen to him. Surrounding the events of the Female Titan, it wouldn't be long before Eren & the rest of the crew figured out who the culprit is and decided to apprehend her. Discovering Annie took Marco's manuever gear, Mikasa took it upon herself to act as she nearly almost killed Eren and defied what they stood for. I'm not going to go into full detail about what happens in the Manga, but that pretty much sums up a good chunk of her childhood-Survey Corps days. 

Personality (Sarah)

Sarah Kerrigan’s personality has two faces. As a Terran Ghost, she was an exclusive and distant person who has never embraced her full potential of her dark nature as a killer. When she was infested into the Queen of Blades that she is currently in, Kerrigan starts to develop a cold, ruthless, and manipulative personality while retaining a sense conscience and compassion if necessary. She can also be a little rough around the edges when things don’t go her way or if she feels that her emotions are conflicting with her sense of direction. She has a big affection for Jim Raynor and pure hatred for Arcturus Mengsk (who wouldn’t since he left her hanging when the Zerg were overrunning the Terran base). Alongside Raynor, she is able to rediscover her human identity and realize the horrors she has committed, while still holding a grudge against Mengsk.

Personality (Mikasa)

Mikasa is fiercely loyal to Eren that she'd rather die than to see his adoptive brother/best friend die. Her overprotective nature of Eren stems from their upbringing together since Mikasa's parents both died and Eren saved her from a bunch of traffickers. She is stoic, fearless, and overall displays a sense of morality. She is easily disturbed whenever anyone threatens or hurts Eren (Example: Levi beating Eren to a pulp right in front of her) and prior to becoming withdrawn after the death of her parents, she was a cheerful, optimistic, and outgoing girl who could do no wrong. She has a pretty strong poker face ~ able to be cheerful whenever she's with her friends, but violent when things go ape-shit such as, I don't know, Titans going over the walls. Mikasa's willpower overall is so out there that I doubt anything else can tick her off (besides Eren or Armin getting hurt) and if you piss her off, she'll just use her gear to cut your @SS. 

Appeal (Sarah)

She’s a monster. Beautiful monster. Beautiful monster. But I don’t mind. And I ne-OK I’ll stop singing “Beautiful Monster” by Ne-Yo, but that’s what best describes Kerrigan, well when she was captured by the Zerg and infested as the cunning and manipulative “Queen of Blades.”  Infested Kerrigan is like if Grendel’s Mom from Beowulf and Medusa performed some hot, lesbian action and thus, Kerrigan or “Queen of Blades” Kerrigan was born. Though her “Queen of Blades” form definitely steals the spotlight and is the most memorable incarnation of her for the StarCraft series, we can’t overlook her true beauty as a Terran Ghost. Thank goodness Blizzard pulled their heads out of their @$$es to make SCII to show how attractive she looked as a Ghost in detail and lo and behold, behind that cold-blooded killing personality, there’s a pretty face.

Appeal (Mikasa)

Mikasa is a beautiful, stoic, fearless, compassionate, brave, and overprotective girl that wishes for nothing more than the protection of her friends and the takedown of the Titans. I will honestly say she's the hottie in AOT (next to Annie & Sasha). She's pretty much the mascot for AOT and it goes without saying, she deserved it. She has so much praise as a character and her transformation from childhood-adulthood just stems from how morals can define a person and explicate the importance of what makes them human. The moment where she turned her life around is when she stood up against the human traffickers alongside Eren so as to exact revenge on them. That pretty face of hers isn't to be messed with as she's far more capable to knock your @SS out. Mikasa is definitely no pushover as her stoic nature only makes her an outstanding soldier. 

Verdict (By MechG) 

And the winner is...

 

 The first BCC matchup where I’m torn in between who should win here (I know too early to be conflicted). I love Attack on Titan, I owe a lot to that franchise bringing me back to the Anime scene after some years of hiatus and disinterest and Mikasa’s one of my favorite heroines. I used to be StarCraft player (well, I used to cheat a lot) and I can’t deny Sarah Kerrigan being that landmark sort of anti-heroine for the franchise. At the end of the day, if this was only based on looks, my heart would beat for Mikasa, but overall I gotta give it to Sarah Kerrigan. Don’t get me wrong, I see a lot of similarities between Kerrigan and Mikasa: both grew to be skillfully good in their crafts, they have a f’d up past, and you don’t want to f with them, but I feel that Mikasa has a pretty straightforward personality, showing concern for Eren, Armin, and the other members of the Scout Regiment and showing resentment towards the titans and Annie. Whereas Sarah, it’s a little more complicated because she is in essence, fighting and finding herself. I mean you’re asking “who is she actually” when evaluating her personality. Her identity is yin-yang like and she can be very unpredictable. That’s what makes her memorable in the StarCraft franchise. Storyline-wise, no contest; what is StarCraft without Sarah Kerrigan? She makes playing as the Zerg a lot cooler even though I’m a Protoss guy. In my honest opinion, Sarah Kerrigan takes the cake here. FOR THE SWARM!

So who do you think won? Sarah from Starcraft or Mikasa from AOT? Comment below and let me know. Look forward to BCC 2 Match-ups on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays all throughout December. Until then, you all stay classy now. Anime Cuties are tied 1-1 against the Videogame Babes.