Rei Ayanami
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| Neon Genesis Evangelion character | |
| Rei Ayanami | |
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| Age | 14 |
|---|---|
| Birthday | Unknown |
| Gender | Female |
| Relation(s) | A modified clone of Yui Ikari, and thus genetic "mother"/"sister" of Shinji Ikari Clone "Sisters": other Reis (NERV Dummy Plug System) Possibly contains Angel genetic material from Lilith Hosts the soul of the second angel, Lilith Former Guardian: Gendo Ikari (now lives alone) |
| Seiyū | Megumi Hayashibara |
| Voice actor | Amanda Winn Lee |
| List of all Neon Genesis Evangelion characters... | |
Rei Ayanami (綾波 レイ Ayanami Rei?) is a fictional character from the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion and the films Evangelion: Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion.
Rei Ayanami is the First Child (First Children in the Japanese version) and pilot of Unit 00. She is socially withdrawn and rarely interacts with anyone, except for NERV Commander Gendo Ikari, to whom she initially displays some loyalty but with whom she has a generally distant relationship (she says in Episode 15 that she "doesn't know what kind of person he is"). She lives by herself in a drab, dingy, underfurnished apartment in Tokyo-3, a clutter of books being her only apparent luxury items (assuming they are not, in fact, schoolbooks). Toward the end of the series, Shinji Ikari comments that her apartment is very similar to the place where Ritsuko Akagi says she was born.
Throughout the series, Rei's stoic personality compounds intrigue about her, which later results in arousing the scorn of Asuka Langley Soryu, who at one point refers to her as a "doll" or "puppet." Rei is, in many ways, the exact opposite of Asuka. While Asuka is extroverted, Rei is introverted. Also, Asuka is extremely boastful and overly proud of her accomplishments, while Rei constantly states her life has little value. Their appearances are also, in ways, inverses of each other (Rei has short, blue hair and red eyes, while Asuka has long, reddish-blond hair and blue eyes).
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[edit] Origins
Rei's origin and heritage are left deliberately unspecified, and there is evidence that she might not even be entirely human. Ritsuko says that Rei was born in a certain room deep in the lower levels of NERV headquarters, but this is all that is revealed in the series about her creation. Her mysterious background has led fans to find multiple theories of just what exactly went into creating her.
Kaworu Nagisa cryptically mentions in their only conversation that she is "the same" as him. This statement was expanded in the "director's cut" of the episode, in which Kaworu goes on to say that he and Rei are human vessels for the souls of Adam and Lilith, respectively. This is not the only way in which he can be seen as a counterpart or parallel to Rei.
Gendo introduces Rei to the NERV staff in 2010 as an "acquaintance's child" whom he is temporarily taking care of. However, there is evidence that he probably created her and almost certainly named her; he said when his wife Yui was pregnant with Shinji that he would have named the child "Rei" if it had been a girl. The character model used in the 2010 scenes is based on development materials in which her age is only 4, thus causing confusion among fans as to her real birth year and date, since it would mean that she was only nine years old in 2015. Since Rei has been stated to be 14 in 2015 (and her character model reflects this information), there are most likely several Rei clones, which have been artificially aged. Rei was later stated to have been created from the "salvaged remains" of Yui Ikari after Yui's absorption into Unit 01 in 2004.
Regardless of age, if Rei was created deliberately, the reasons for her creation are also subject to speculation. In a pseudo-hallucinatory scene in episode 25, "Gendo" tells "Rei" that the day of Third Impact is the day for which she was created. She also displays uniquely Angelic abilities in later episodes and the movie, further proving her origins. In The End of Evangelion, she plays an important role in Third Impact, although not in the fashion that was intended by Gendo.
Loose evidence is shown in the anime to support a Rei/Yui connection: Shinji tells Rei that he thinks she'd "make a good mother," and later compares Gendo's manipulation of her to his manipulation of Yui. Naoko Akagi says that Rei physically resembles Yui, suggesting a genetic link between the two. Rei and Yui also have the same seiyū and English voice actresses, and similar pageboy haircuts.
In the final episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion, the audience is introduced to a pseudo-hallucinatory alternate reality, with a different Rei. This Rei is presumed to be fully human and not genetically related to Yui. Her personality is also completely different, and she is more of a "normal" person (for example, she shows embarrassment and anger when she thinks Shinji looks up her skirt). The Evangelion spin-off manga Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days is set in this alternate universe, and its version of Rei is a central character.
Also on one episode Rei confirmed herself to be her own person.
[edit] Relationships
Shortly before Shinji's arrival at NERV, Rei was involved in a Unit 00 activation test that ended in disaster. She was severely injured during this test, and Gendo burned his hands on the entry plug while opening it to "rescue" her. Afterward, she kept a pair of his glasses (which had been warped and cracked by heat from the entry plug) as a souvenir and developed something of a loyalty toward him. She even slapped Shinji for his negative remarks about Gendo as a father. However, her loyalty to Gendo erodes over the series as she witnesses his interactions with Shinji. She disobeys Gendo's orders on a few occasions, yet still says near the end of the series that she'd obey an order from him to kill herself. In fact, the only way in which she disobeys combat orders is by endangering her life. By the day on which Third Impact occurs, her loyalty toward Gendo has dissolved completely. She crushes the melted pair of glasses, then betrays Gendo by sabotaging his plan for Instrumentality.
Although Rei at first treats Shinji as neutrally as she does any other stranger, their relationship begins to grow after the battle against Ramiel, when Shinji risks life and limb to rescue her in the same manner that Gendo did. Rei slowly grows closer to Shinji as the series progresses, though their classmates seem to think that their feelings are obvious to everyone except themselves; Rei doesn't realize that she cares about Shinji until Toji Suzuhara tells her. She later notes that Shinji is the only person to whom she has ever said "thank you." These feelings between Rei and Shinji are suspected by some fans to be more familial rather than romantic, due to the suspected genetic link with Yui. Their association lasts until Armisael partially fuses with Rei and attempts to fuse with Shinji. At this point, Rei realizes that she "wants to become one with Shinji". The Rei that Shinji meets after the battle with Armisael is a new Rei clone that replaces the one that dies in the battle; however, the new Rei maintains some form of affection for Shinji, as evidenced by her actions in The End of Evangelion and given the belief that this Rei contains the same soul as the previous one. Rei also appears to Shinji in two brief scenes which essentially bookend the current Evangelion anime franchise, once in the first episode of the TV series and once near the conclusion of The End of Evangelion, after the end of Third Impact. In both scenes, Rei is seen at a distance looking at Shinji for a brief instant, then apparently vanishes.
When Asuka arrives in Tokyo-3 and speaks to Rei for the first time, she demands becoming friends "because it would be convenient," to which Rei remarks that she would if ordered to. Asuka repeatedly jokes about and pries into Rei and Shinji's relationship, and displays jealousy over their growing connection. Also, during Asuka and Shinji's training to stop Israfel, Asuka is angered when Rei and Shinji effortlessly perform the synchronized routine that she and Shinji are having difficulty synchronizing. Toward the end of the series, Asuka views Rei as an obedient, emotionless doll, and hates Rei as such because of extremely traumatic childhood events, one involving a doll. However, Rei still attempts to help Asuka by advising her about her Eva and later rescuing her from Arael. This only damages Asuka's ego and makes her hate Rei even more.
Rei is even less connected with Toji Suzuhara than she is with Shinji or Asuka, and early in the series Toji and Kensuke tell Shinji that while they know of Rei they know nothing about her, and that she doesn't interact with anyone. However, it is Toji who first tells Rei that she and Shinji seem to be attracted to each other. Later, in the fight against the Angel-possessed Eva Unit 03 piloted by Toji, Rei's normally detached personality seems to give way somewhat. Unlike Shinji, who directly refused to attack Unit 03 because Toji was trapped inside, Rei does not outright refuse to attack. However, because attacking would mean possibly killing Toji, Rei hesitates to shoot Unit 03 when it is in her gunsights; this moment of hesistation gives Unit 03/Bardiel an opening to overpower Unit 00, nearly killing Rei.
Like Asuka, Ritsuko does not view Rei as a person, and feels that Gendo somehow rejected her in favor of Rei, in a sense; her jealousy over "losing" to a "thing" becomes thinly veiled hatred towards her, and she takes her anger out on the Rei clones by destroying them. Rei herself does not express any animosity toward her, just as with Asuka.
Rei has only one conversation with Kaworu (not counting the images of them both with Shinji in The End of Evangelion), during which he was quite friendly but she regarded him with confusion and suspicion more than anything else.
[edit] Clones and Dummy Plugs
Dozens of soulless clones of Rei are kept in a tank in the lower levels of NERV headquarters, and are said by Ritsuko to be the cores of the dummy plugs. Rei is seen spending unknown lengths of time in an LCL-filled tube underneath a structure resembling a giant brain in the Dummy System room, the reasons for which are another subject of speculation. The ending credits of each episode also depict Rei floating listlessly in liquid, but this may or may not be related to the LCL tube.
Ritsuko also refers to Rei's clones as "spare parts" (probably meaning that Rei's body parts can be replaced if they become too badly damaged in combat), but also "vessels" for Rei. Rei herself, in heavy bandages after the battle against Armisael, but possessing neither memories of nor injuries from the battle, says "I think I must be the third one," thus spawning the theory that she can be replaced entirely, with her soul being transferred to a new clone body every time she dies (and her memories having been transferred ahead of time). The canon Red Cross Book confirms this explanation. Other supporting evidence in the anime include her earlier line that "if I die, I can be replaced." In the manga, it is explicitly stated to be true. This explanation holds that Rei I, the very first, is murdered by Naoko Akagi in 2010 (as shown in Episode 21); Rei II, who may not have appeared until as late as 2014 (when she is transferred to Tokyo-3's Class 2-A), dies when she sacrifices herself and Unit 00 to destroy Armisael; and Rei III is the version seen from the second half of Episode 23 through to The End of Evangelion.
These different incarnations are commonly referred to as "Rei I," "Rei II," and "Rei III," after episodes and musical pieces with the same names. In Episode 23, the controller that Ritsuko uses to destroy the clones lists numbered clones from "Rei 004" and upwards, implying that only three (or possibly four if there was a Rei 000) have been removed, which would mean that Rei 001-003 are Rei I-III. The latter possibility would require that the Rei clones are not contained within the dummy plugs, but are the "core" of the system in some other way.
In The End of Evangelion, a shining figure of Rei is shown for a few frames looking down at Misato and Ritsuko moments before they die. These spectral images also appear over the corpses of the slain NERV personnel.
[edit] Unit 00
As a pilot, Rei's synchronization ratios are unspecified, but are normally not as high as Asuka's or Shinji's. While Yui Ikari's soul and the maternal part of Asuka's mother's soul were absorbed into their respective Evas during contact experiments, Rei has no known mother and Unit 00 is not known to have been part of any contact experiments, thus raising questions about whose soul is in Unit 00. The evidence in this subject is sparse, vague, and heavily subject to interpretation, but it is hinted in the show that the soul is directly related to Rei herself in some way. For example, during the mutual compatibility experiment in episode 14, Shinji encounters a distorted image of Rei (this image also appears in Episode 25, and is identified in the episode's script as Rei I). The case of Soryu Kyoko Zeppelin, Asuka's mother, who survived her contact experiment with Unit 02 while only a portion of her soul was absorbed into the Eva, could be a way to explain the possibility of Unit 00 containing Rei's soul while Rei is still alive. Conversely, other possible clues to the identity of the soul in Unit 00 are that it goes out of control in episode 5 and strikes a window which Gendo Ikari is standing behind; in episode 14, it goes out of control in the same fashion and strikes a window which Rei herself is standing behind. After the incident in episode 14, Misato questions why Unit 00 went berserk. Ritsuko tells Misato she has no idea, but thinks to herself that she is certain that she was targeted by the Eva.
Countless other theories have been elaborated, but none of these have been backed up with valid proofs. The show's creator might not even have had any particular soul in mind for Unit 00. No official statement has been made regarding this issue.
[edit] Rei's Poem
Rei's poem is a phrase used by some fans to describe a monologue given by Rei in the 14th episode of the TV series. It is not necessarily an actual poem, and may simply be Rei's comments on random images that Unit 01 is showing her. The contents of the speech in the English dubbed version differ somewhat from those of the original monologue.
One line of the "poem" mentions a "woman who never bleeds." Fans sometimes speculate about who Rei is referring to with this statement. The most commonly believed possibilities are Lilith, because she has LCL instead of blood, and Rei herself, who bleeds normally but may instead be making a reference to menstruation. The idea that Rei does not menstruate may be visually hinted at during part of her conversation with Armisael. When Armisael, appearing as Rei, is shown standing waist-deep in LCL, a dark streak seems to be coming from her groin, and the "flow" increases sharply during one part of the conversation. This is extremely easy to miss due to the similarity in color between the streak itself and the shadow that Armisael is casting over it (in fact it may just be the shadows and the lighting that gives it the impression of being blood when it is not meant to be interpreted as blood). The reasons for Rei's possible infertility are a mystery.
The poem itself goes:
"Mountain. Heavy are the mountains, Something that changes through the ages. Sky. Blue sky. Something visible, something invisible. Sun. Something unique. Water. Something agreeable. Commander Ikari. Flowers. Many of them alike, many of them useless. Sky. Red, red sky. Red colour. Red colour that I hate. Water flow. Blood. The smell of blood. A woman that does not bleed. Made from the red soil are humans. Made by Man and Woman are humans. Town. Something that humans made. Eva. Something that humans made. Humans are what? Something that God made. Humans are things which humans made. The things I possess are my life and mind. The vessel of a mind. Entry plug, the throne of a soul.
Who is this? This is me. Who am I? What am I? What am I? What am I? What am I?
I am myself. This object is me, the figure which forms me. This is the me that is visible, though it feels as if this is not me. A strange feeling. My body seems as if it is melting. I cannot see myself. My figure is fading away. I am aware of someone else. Who is there before me? Ikari-kun. I know this person. Major Katsuragi. Dr. Akagi. People, my classmates. The pilot of Unit Two. Commander Ikari. Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?"
[edit] Manga version
[edit] Adaptation by Sadamoto
In this manga, Rei is somewhat more "human", in the sense that she responds to human contact more readily. Shinji's interactions with her are implied as the main reason of her change, and it is strongly hinted that Shinji and Rei are in love with each other. In book 9, he acknowledges that the gap between him and Rei has been considerably reduced since they first met; still, he hopes that this gap can be reduced further. It is also much more strongly implied that Rei is a clone of Yui Ikari. In book 8 (corresponding to the aftermath of the fight with Zeruel in the anime), Rei prays for Shinji to "come back," and is able to communicate with what appears to be a wicked part of Yui's soul possessing Unit 01, and retaining Shinji inside. She says to this soul, "I'm you and you're me, the former me." Yui agrees as much and demands to know why Rei is interfering with her plans to keep her son in Unit 01 together with her. After Shinji is "reborn" from Unit 01's core, he and Rei visit a pavilion at NERV HQ. There, she recounts the times when Shinji touched her hand and how her feelings changed with each contact. She then asks Shinji if she may touch his hand again, to which he agrees.
Her desire to be recognized as a person, rather than as a "doll," puts her in some awkward, even dangerous situations. At one point, Ritsuko tries to strangle her when she talks back to the doctor. This sequence also strongly hints that the medicines seen in her room in both the anime and manga are necessary for her survival, as Ritsuko threatens to withhold them from Rei if she tells anyone about the attack. On her first meeting with Kaworu, when Kaworu comments that they are the same, she ponders this then replies, "No. We're not the same. We might be very similar...but we're not the same."
In the battle against Armisael, the Angel apparently communicates with her. It is here that she realises that she cares deeply for Shinji. (The Angel claims that Rei wants Shinji for herself and is angry at Asuka for drawing Shinji's attention away.) As in the anime, she self-destructs Unit 00 to destroy the Angel. However, it's hinted that the "new" Rei still has some residual memories, unlike her anime counterpart.
[edit] Shinji Ikari Raising Project
In this series, Rei is a distant relative of Shinji's (from Yui's side of the family, in homage to the original). She's the first person the reader sees, as she comes to Tokyo-3.
Here, she's portrayed as an intelligent girl (on par with Asuka in the series). However, due to her unhappy childhood, she's also somewhat cold to others. (In another homage to the original, Shinji again sees her stepping out of the shower naked. This time, however, she gave the boy a cold smile before adding a tight slap which sent him to the floor.)
Later on, her relationship with Shinji gradually warmed, which Asuka felt was a "threat" of sorts. Interestingly, she even invited the boy to shop for a swimsuit with her (for a beach outing), much to his embarrassment. She's also the first person shown (in this series) to wear a plug-suit.
[edit] Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days
In Angelic Days, Rei is a transfer student to Shinji's school. Her personality is notably very different from her incarnations in the anime, Sadamoto's adaption and the Shinji Ikari Raising Project and actually mirrors the one she has in Girlfriend of Steel 2. She is an easily excitable extrovert, but socially inept and unaware of everyday social conventions.
[edit] Trivia
- Like many of Evangelion's characters, Ayanami's surname comes from a Japanese WWII naval vessel, the Fubuki class destroyer Ayanami. [1].
- Rei may be a vegetarian, as she states in episode 12 that she "dislikes eating meat". The reason for this is not explained. Later on in the episode, however, she orders ramen with pork in it, from a ramen stand.
- It is implied in episode 19 that Rei does not dream; when Shinji is unconscious in a hospital Asuka says he must be dreaming, and Rei is completely confused about what she's referring to.
- In KOF: Maximum Impact 2 the character Leona Heidern has Rei as an alternate costume. She also has a costume that resembles Asuka.
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ↑ In the anime, her birthdate is explicitly said to be unknown; the birthday misconceived to be official by some fans (March 30, 2001) is actually the birthday of, and suggested by, her Japanese voice actress Megumi Hayashibara, who released her album "Birthday of Rei Ayanami" on that exact date.
| Neon Genesis Evangelion | |
|---|---|
| Creators: | Hideaki Anno • Yoshiyuki Sadamoto • Gainax |
| TV Series: | Neon Genesis Evangelion |
| Films: | Death and Rebirth • The End of Evangelion • Revival of Evangelion • Rebuild of Evangelion • Untitled Evangelion live action movie |
| Characters: | Asuka • Gendo • Kaworu • Misato • Rei • Ritsuko • Kaji • Shinji • Toji • Yui |
| Glossary: | Eva Units • Angels • Human Instrumentality Project • Timeline |
| Video Games: | Ayanami Raising Project • Girlfriend of Steel • Girlfriend of Steel 2 • Evangelion 64 • Shinji Ikari Raising Project • Shinji and Good Friends • Neon Genesis Evangelion 2 |
| Misc: | List of media and episodes • "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" • "Komm, süsser Tod" • Angelic Days manga • Red Cross Book • ReDeath • Topics |
