ng-evangelion:

Character Feature: Ayanami Rei

As I began with talking about Asuka, it’s only appropriate that I follow up with Rei.  Calm and reserved, Rei is the First Child and the obedient pilot of Unit 00.  She rarely speaks to others, and her ‘lone wolf’ demeanor often makes it difficult for her make friends.  However, when she does speak, her words are ripe with conviction; she will say exactly what is on her mind and in her heart.  Contradictory to what I have described above, Rei is often portrayed as lacking emotion.  When Gendo orders her back to the battlefield with still-open wounds, she accepts his command without complaint and without fear.  When Shinji opens her entry plug following the battle with Ramiel and breaks down in front of her, crying, she is unsure of what she should say or do.  When she is changing in her room, and Shinji trips onto her naked body, she neither yells nor slaps him; Rei simply asks, “Will you get off?”  It is this type of behavior that prompts Asuka to refer to her as a ‘doll’ (now that we know Asuka’s past we know how powerful that statement really is).  But, aside from being such amazing characters, there is a rhetorical reason as to why Asuka and Rei are designed the way they are in Evangelion.

Rei and Asuka are foils of each other; that is, they are opposites in every respect.  Many people will have noticed the obvious difference in their personalities: Rei is shy and quiet, Asuka is boisterous and aggressive.  This is perhaps the easiest evidence to spot, but consider the following.  In a multitude of scenes, Rei is always drawn in conjunction with the moon.  It may silhouette her or shine moonbeams near her, and as Rei is the vessel for Lilith, it is worthy to note that Earth’s moon was formed when Lilith’s Black Moon crashed into Earth in what was First Impact.  The series is permeated with this motif.  Likewise, Asuka is often paired with the opposite of the moon: the sun.  As we watch NGE, these recurring motifs are silently reinforcing the perceived differences between the two characters.  Again, as if to scream it at us, Rei has blue hair and red eyes, Asuka has red hair and blue eyes.  But wait, there’s more!  As the story progresses, Rei begins to open up and become more outgoing while Asuka loses her self-confidence and becomes introverted. 

After what I have described above, you may ask, what is it about Rei that makes her such an interesting character on her own?  How does she earn our love and intrigue by herself?

Well, I won’t lie: I’m a little biased when I talk about Rei because she’s my favorite character in all of anime, but I believe there’s good reason for it.  She has an exciting air of mystery about her.  Of the three main pilots, her past is perhaps the most shrouded, and for good reason; her secrets tie the wispiest fragments of the story together.  Why is Gendo so attached to her?  Why does she appear ‘motherly’ to Shinji?  How does she survive Unit 00’s self destruction?  If she has no mother, whose soul is inside Unit 00?  It is simultaneously the depth of her character and how closely she affects the plot that draws me to her; Rei is essentially who the story is built upon.  Shinji may be the protagonist, but it is the vision of Rei he sees upon his arrival to Tokyo-3, it is Rei who strengthens his resolve to fight in the first episode, who prompts him to open her entry plug following the Ramiel fight, and who merges with Lilith to facilitate Instrumentality.  Without Rei, the plot goes nowhere.

Speaking of Instrumentality, why is Rei so central to its execution?  Well, as we know, Rei is Lilith’s vessel; that is, she has Lilith’s DNA and soul inside her, and is destined to eventually merge with the Seed of Life.  This is also how she was able to generate her own AT field during episode 24.  While it was always necessary for Seele to initiate Third Impact using Lilith, Gendo intended to circumvent their scenario, and guide Instrumentality himself so he could reunite with Yui, through Rei.  In addition to Rei containing Yui’s DNA and bearing resemblance to his dead wife, this is why she was so important to Gendo.   But, because she met Shinji, fought side by side with him, learned to live and love, Rei…changed; in the very end, her heart echoed with Shinji’s wishes which thusly drove her to betray Gendo. 

Truly, Rei is a unique and wonderful character; she embodies the beauty of Evangelion and brings an unparalleled dynamic to the series.  Without her to fuel my initial foray into anime, I am not so sure that I would be as fond of the genre as I am today.

(via simplykeiko)

  1. yoderkeez reblogged this from ng-evangelion
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  4. taiora reblogged this from shuraiya and added:
    SHURAIYA I COSPLAYED ASUKA FOR THE SAME REASON. SO MANY YEARS. I love Asuka so much!! SO MUCH.
  5. shuraiya reblogged this from edgeofpanic and added:
    I kind of want to re-watch Evangelion, because when I saw it in middle school/high school, I couldn’t stand Rei, haha. I...
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