Asuka Langley Soryu
Despite his one-episode appearance, the character of Kaworu became popular among series' fans and he rivaled the female protagonists of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu. The character ranked high in popularity polls about the strongest anime pilots, most memorable anime deaths and best Angels in "Evangelion". In 1997 and 1998, Kaworu took second and sixth place among the most popular male characters of the moment in two polls conducted by "Animage" magazine. He also appeared in the monthly surveys of the magazine, remaining in the top 20 in 1997 polls. In 1998 "Animage" ranked him 23rd among the 100 most popular anime characters, and 43rd in 1999. In August and September 2009, after the release of "Evangelion 2.0" movie, he emerged in sixth and third place among the most popular characters of "Newtype" magazine; in October he ranked fourth. In March of the following year, "Newtype" included him among the most popular male characters of the 1990s, giving second place after Shinji. In February 2015, nearly twenty years after the series first aired, he emerged seventh on "Newtype" charts. He also ranked in "Evangelion" popularity polls, usually in the top three. In June 2021, after the "3.0+1.01" re-release of the final "Rebuild" film, Kaworu finished second most popular male character in a "Newtype" poll.