metasnkpotato answered:

Hello anon !

You’re right, it’s undeniable that it would be totally against the meaning of all the development that has been done on Mikasa to see her kill Gabi. After all, I don’t think that the link that has recently been established between Gabi and Mikasa is negative. While this girl had taken the life of a friend who was dear to her, she didn’t hesitate a single second to treat her and save her life.

If Mikasa were to hate Gabi out of revenge’s desire for killing one of her best friends, it would already be done. But, on the contrary, she’s immediately brought to the protective reflex, because she’s a child, and as Mr.Braus said before, children are the future and they must be protected. Yes, Gabi already bears the weight of irreversible crimes, she had taken a life. But Gabi is also a victim of the indoctrination that she swallowed since always.

Then, the fact that Gabi was there at the dark discussion between Eren, Mikasa and Armin isn’t to be forgotten. We must imagine Gabi’s position in relation to what is happening : the woman who saved her life and gave her a form of hope in humanity is crying in despair because the famous Eren Yeager, for whom she was supposed to be one of the most cherished person, is telling her that she’s worthless and that he hates her. How not to hate the man who, in addition to having destroyed her world, everything that mattered to her and killed her friends, makes suffering this woman ?

Besides, I make use of this ask to say that I don’t think that the development of Gabi was ruined by this shot. She cries quite easily, but when she points a rifle at an enemy, she keeps herself quite and executes the murder with a rather impressive cold-blood.

But there, after realizing that people she killed was human…

her human emotions are involved.

Perhaps I’m overinterpreting, her tears are probably also due to the sudden loss of Falco that moved her emotionally. But since she just saw that he was saved by Porco … I’m not sure it’s only this. Still, killing with tears in eyes is a sign of deep contradiction which doesn’t arrive for the first time in Snk (Eren killing Mikasa’s kidnappers, Mikasa trying to kill Levi…).

Moreover, the abrupt change that has occurred in Mikasa recently shows that she isn’t in total irrationality about Eren, and that there are things that she cannot and mustn’t do accept. To kill a child out of pure rage … no, I don’t see her doing that. Mikasa is on the side of the children and the future as well, and her first words in Marley arc being a blame to Eren for killing children cannot be swept away in this way.

Sorry, it was a bit long ! Thank you very much for the ask