Asuka Langley Soryu

**Asuka Langley Soryu** is the Second Child and pilot of EVA Unit-02. She's a child-prodigy who was raised from a young age to be an Eva pilot.

## Origin

Asuka Langley Soryu the daughter of the GEHIRN German Branch scientist, Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu. Asuka was born in America, but raised in Germany. She was four years-old when her mother took part in the original contact experiments of the Eva Unit-02. An accident occurred and Kyoko suffered serious psychological contamination. Though her body was recovered, part of her soul had bonded with the Unit-02. Asuka could only look on as her mother had lost her mind, holding a doll and talking to it as if it was her daughter. All the time either ignoring her real child or talking about her to the doll as "that girl over there".

On the day that Asuka got the news that she had been selected as Second Child to pilot an Eva, she ran to tell her mother the good news. What she found is that her mother hand committed suicide by hanging herself and the doll she though was Asuka. At the funeral, her grandmother tried to get Asuka know that she could be a strong child and still cry, but she refused and said she'd never let herself cry again. After the funeral, Asuka's American father married one of his wife's German doctors, and she refused to acknowledge her step-mother from trying to replace her real mother. She would bury herself in her studies and training to become the pilot of Eva Unit-02. It was during this time she would meet both Misato Katsuragi and Ryouji Kaji. Kaji would take on the role of Asuka's guardianship, and during her teens she earned her college degree.

With the steady return of the Angels in 2015, Asuka, with Unit-02, were commissioned to join the NERV Japan Branch as part of their Evangelion program to prevent the Third Impact that could wipe out what remains of humanity.

## Creation

   Early Asuka design sketches by Yoshiyuki SadamotoAsuka Langely Soryu is lead character from the anime series *Neon Genesis Evangelion* that was created by Hideaki Anno. and prodiced by **GAINAX**. Her appearance was designed by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. Sadamoto is also the writer and artist of the manga based on the original anime series.

Asuka's first appearance was in *Neon Genesis Evangelion* - Episode 8 *"Asuka Strikes!",* and her first manga appearance was in *Neon Genesis Evangelion* Vol. 4 CH. 20 *"Asuka Comes to Japan"*. In Japan, she was voiced by Yuko Miyamura, and the English dub that was originally produced by **ADV** she was voiced by Tiffany Grant. After the collapse of **ADV**, **FUNimation Entertainment** bought the license of *Evangelion* for the U.S. and redubbed it with Tiffany Grant reprising her role. Her personality is aggressive and just as fiery as her red hair. She is the only pilot of the series who chooses to pilot an Eva and connects her entire purpose behind it.

As with most characters in the *Evangelion* series, Asuka was named after WWII warships. Her family name of Soryu (惣流, soryu) comes from the Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu (蒼龍, blue / green dragon), which was completed on December 23, 1935 and took part in the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. It was sunk at the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. Her German surename of Langely (ラングレー, languree) comes from the USS Langley (CV-1/AV-3), originally named USS Jupiter. It was first launched in August 1912, and renamed Langley in April 1920. It was scuttled on February 27 1942after a Japanese aerial-bomb attack. Her given name is from Asuka Saki (砂姫 明日香, Saki Asuka), the main characater of *"SuperGirl Asuka"* (超少女明日香, Cho-Shojo Asuka)" written by Shinji Wada.

In the 2006, Hideaki Anno began the *Rebuild of Evangleion* project that was designed to be the "true version" of *Evangelion* that he had wanted to make from the beginning but was unable to create due to the limitations of the technology and budget. Asuka went under several character changes and was renamed to Asuka Langely Shikinami (式波・アスカ・ラングレー, shikinami asuka ranguree). Asuka appears briefly at the end of the first Rebuild film, *Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone* (2007), during the preview for the second film. Asuka's official first Rebuild film appearance was in *Evangelion: 2.0 You Can Not Advance* (2009). Both her original Japanese and English voice actresses returned to continue their role as Asuka. Her new family name comes from the Japanese Fubuki-class destroyer Shikinami (敷波, "spreading waves"*)*, which was completed on August 18, 1942 and sunk in action on September 12, 1944

## Evolution

Asuka is ¼ Japanese, ¼ German and her nationality is American, and her birthday is December 4, 2001.

[1]Asuka's appearance.Asuka has blue eyes and red hair, the inverse of Rei Ayanami’s blue hair and red eyes. She’s also the most physically “mature” of the young girls of the show and has a high opinion of her own appearance (particularly of her "busty" body). Asuka has a fiery temper and her personality is proud and strong during the first part of the series. However, after being constantly defeated first by Bardiel, then by Zeruel and finally by Arael (who mind raped her, forcing her to relive her childhood trauma) and being saved by Rei, whom she hates, Asuka loses her confidence and goes into a breakdown that leads to a comatose state which she cares about nothing.

She is self-sufficient and doesn’t like depending on others to do things. She also likes to be recognized, which is why she’s always seen using the A10 nerve clips on her hair, so that everyone knows she is an Eva pilot. But because of this, Asuka is trapped in the same bind that Shinji is, of being unable to have a separate identity from the Evangelion.

Asuka’s love interest before arriving in Japan was her guardian, Ryoji Kaji, whom she makes various advances toward him, which he refuses. However, as the series progresses, she becomes attracted to Ikari, and this causes conflict in her because she sees Shinji as a “loser” and she sees herself as a “winner”. So instead of telling him her real feelings, she acts like the typical tsundere, mixing flirting with verbal abuse.

Asuka hates Rei Ayanami, though in the beginning she only mocked her, later in the series, she starts acting hostile towards her since she only sees her as Gendo’s doll, who would do anything he tells her, perhaps this has something to do with her traumatic childhood experience with dolls.
Asuka is a prodigy child. She graduated from college at age 14 and speaks fluent Japanese and German, though she has trouble writing and reading Kanji which affects her grades in school. Her best friend is Hikari Horaki.

## Major Story Arcs

[2]Asuka's first appearance on the show. This is the point where Asuka is introduced in the series%3B she first appears in episode 8, being transported alongside the Kaji and Unit 02 to Japan by the UN naval fleet. This is when Asuka meets Shinji, Touji and Kensuke. Upon being introduced to Shinji, Asuka refers to him as “dull”. Asuka is surprised so much when Kaji tells her about Shinji’s 40% sync rate without combat training that she feels the need to impress him as well, so she takes him to the cage where Unit 02 is located and tells him that “Eva-02 is the first production model%3B Eva-00 and Eva-01 are just the proto-type and test-type”. Just then, Gaghiel, the sixth angel attacks, Asuka sees this as her chance to impress Shinji and takes him into Unit 02 to fight the angel. They defeat the angel by cooperating%3B later Ritsuko says that both Shinji and Asuka broke their sync records. The next day, Asuka arrives at Shinji’s school and introduces herself as the new student.

Asuka quickly becomes popular at school and becomes good friends with Hikari Horaki. When introducing herself to the first child, Rei Ayanami, Asuka blocks her view while she’s reading, slightly annoying her. When Asuka says they should be friends, Rei replies that she’ll “become friends with her if she’s ordered to”, this is the first sign that they won’t be getting along.

When the seventh angel, Israfel, attacks, both Shinji and Asuka are defeated. Misato creates a plan to defeat the angel: a coordinated simultaneous attack on its core. Shinji and Asuka must be in total accord in order for the mission to succeed, so it is decided that Asuka must move in with Misato and Shinji and that the two will spend all their time together until they day of the battle arrives. This is when Shinji and Asuka’s relationship starts developing, one night while they are alone, Asuka tells Shinji that they’re “all alone”, but Shinji does not respond to the obvious flirting. The day of the battle arrives and they are successful in defeating the angel.

In the next episode, Asuka and the other two children have to stay in Tokyo 3 while the rest of their class goes to a school trip. After seeing their friends leave, they go to the pool%3B here Asuka flirts with Shinji again, she approaches him while he’s studying and asks him what he's studying, and leans over to look, giving him a face full of her breasts%3B she explains Shinji that she is graduated from college but the reason she has such bad grades is that she is not good at reading kanji yet. Shinji tells her that he’s studying about thermal expansion and she explains him using her body as an example, “do you think my breasts would grow larger if heated?” she says while touching her breasts, to which Shinji replies "How would I know?!", frustrated, Asuka turns away and replies that he’s “boring”.

Meanwhile, the eighth angel, Sandalphon, is found in the crater of Mount Asama. Asuka offers herself to retrieve the angel, but this one suddenly hatches before expected, forcing Asuka to fight him. She wins the fight, but the angel breaks her support cable and she begins to descend down the crater, Asuka thinks she is going to die but she’s rescued by Shinji. Afterward Asuka pays Shinji her debt by defending him while fighting Matarael and then participates in the defeating of Sahaquiel.%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B

[3]Asuka disappointed at Shinji's lack of reaction after the kiss.During episode 15, Asuka is bored at home, alone with Shinji. She asks Shinji if he wants to kiss her to which Shinji hesitates, Asuka teases him by saying that he’s scared, when Shinji says that he’s not afraid Asuka approaches him and tries to kiss him, she stops for a moment because his breath tickles, she holds his nose and plants a kiss on his lips. Shinji, being suffocated, doesn’t react and when the kiss is over, he gasps for breath. Asuka is furious and embarrassed over his lack of reaction and runs into the bathroom screaming “I should never kiss to kill time!” to cover her feelings of disappointment.

In the next episode Shinji beats Asuka in a synch test, much to her annoyance. However Shinji is absorbed by the Angel Leliel. When saying how much of an idiot Shinji was for being absorbed she is confronted by Rei who asks her if she “pilots the Eva to get praise from others” to which she replies she pilots it to “get praise from herself”. Despite her previous words, she is actually worried about Shinji and even goes to the hospital when he gets out of the angel’s body, though her pride%26nbsp%3B doesn’t allow her to enter the room, instead she just stays outside while Rei checks on him and is seen embarrassed when Shinji notices her peeking.

Later on the show, Asuka finds out that Touji has been chosen as the fourth children and also finds out about Hikari’s crush on him and advices Hikari about pursuing Touji.%26nbsp%3B Asuka is defeated later by Touji and Unit 03 which are corrupted by the angel Bardiel. She is once again defeated by the next angel, Zeruel, hurting her pride even more.%26nbsp%3B

Asuka goes into a depression, this combined with menstruation provoke a mental disturbance shown in her poor synch ratio with the Eva. Back in the apartment Asuka receives a call from her stepmother and talk in German for a while and tells Shinji the truth about her stepmother before getting angry and wondering why she is telling all this to him of all people. Next she is seen standing naked in the bathroom where she declares her hate for everyone and everything, but mostly for herself. Afterward she is seen in a train station trying to contact Kaji on the phone, but she doesn’t know that Kaji is dead, and then she gets extremely angry when she sees Shinji talking to Rei in the same station.%26nbsp%3B

Later she is back at Nerv’s HQ doing a sync experiment. Ritsuko and Maya notice how her sync ratio is barely above the needed to move the Eva and Ritsuko says they should be preparing a replacement. She goes to the bathroom and is notably in pain%3B she asks why she has to go through this just because she is a girl and says that she hates menstruating because she doesn’t even want to be a mother. Asuka runs into Rei in an elevator and after a long silence Rei explains her that if she doesn’t open her mind to the Eva’s soul it will not move, Asuka confronts Rei and tells her that she hates her because she’s a doll, to which Rei replies that she isn’t, Asuka asks if she would die if ordered to and is enraged when Rei says yes%3B she slaps Rei and gets out of the elevator.

[4]Arael forces Asuka to relive her childhood traumas. Suddenly, Arael appears on the earth’s orbit, Asuka is ordered to be backup for Unit 00, she disobeys and takes point position instead, knowing that if she fails she will no longer be able to pilot an Eva. Arael generates a beam of light that penetrates Asuka’s mind and makes her remember all her childhood traumas, including her mother’s suicide and her loneliness. It’s at this point that her true feelings for Shinji are revealed, when the angel shows her an image of Shinji she screams:
"Why are you there damn you?! You don't do anything! You won't help me! You won't even hold me! You're no one! No one! NO ONE! WHY WON'T YOU LOOK AT ME?!."
In the end, Rei saves Asuka by using the spear of Longinus against the angel. Asuka feels disgusted by this, saying she rather die than be saved by someone like her.

When Armisael attacks, Asuka is not able to move the Eva and leaves Nerv. She is found a week later naked in the shower of a destroyed building and taken into the hospital. She has to be replaced with Kaworu Nagisa, the fifth child.

In episode 25, during pre-instrumentality, Asuka is seen in a fetal position inside her Eva (a “glimpse of reality” further explained in The End of Evangelion) lamenting that she is no one now, that she’s unneeded because she can’t pilot. When instrumentality begins, Asuka’s case explains further what’s going on in her mind. She wanted to live away from everyone so that she would no longer cry, but she cries anyway, and can’t understand why, Asuka doesn’t want to die, to disappear, but nobody stays with her or protects her: she hates everyone. Instrumentality continues%3B Asuka answers to Rei’s questions by saying everything she does is for herself, and she is happy, but at the same time afraid of being unloved, which is why she pilots the Eva.%26nbsp%3B

### End of Evangelion

In The End of Evangelion, Asuka is still in the comatose state seen in episode 24. She receives a visit from Shinji in her hospital room begging for her help. Beginning to cry because Asuka's not responding, Shinji shakes her so hard that Asuka's vital monitors and hospital gown become undone, exposing her breasts, Shinji masturbates at the sight.

[5]Asuka realizes her mother's soul is in the Eva.When the Japan forces attack Nerv, Asuka is put inside her Eva for protection and sent into the bottom of a nearby lake. Yet, Japan’s forces find out where she is and begin attacking, Asuka awakens at the sounds, surprised that she’s still alive, she starts crying and tells herself over and over that she doesn’t want to die, to which Kyoko replies that Asuka must live on. Asuka realizes that the soul inside the Eva is her mother and Unit 02 comes out of the water and proceeds to fight the fleet.%26nbsp%3B After defeating the fleet, the Mass Production Evas appear. And since Asuka’s power cable has been cut she only has a few minutes to defeat them.

[6]Asuka chants "I'll kill you all" before being killed by the MP Evas.Asuka destroys all the MPEs just in time claiming she "can't lose because Mama's watching over me". But suddenly a copy of the Spear of Longinus appears out of nowhere and stabs Unit 02 and Asuka in the eye. To Asuka’s shock, all the MPEs reactivate while she starts repeatedly chanting that she'll kill them. Unit 02 goes berserk for a few seconds, reaching its hand up, only to be sliced by another copy of the spear of Longinus, suddenly multiple copies of the spear come from the sky and kill Asuka.

Asuka appears several times during pre-Instrumentality and Instrumentality. She tells Shinji that she “feels pissed off whenever she seems him". During a twisted remake of the kiss scene seen in episode 15, Asuka approaches Shinji before they kiss and screams that he doesn’t understand her, Shinji explains it's impossible for him to understand her if Asuka never tells him anything. Calling him an idiot, Asuka tells Shinji that she knows he masturbated in her hospital room and that he “can do it again like always” that she’ll “even watch him”. She appears in the Personal Hell Train car blocking Shinji’s view of Rei with her breasts and tells him that if “she can't have all of him, she wants nothing”.

She appears again in yet another twisted remake, this time of the scene of episode 24 when Shinji tells her that Kaji’s dead. Shinji says she wants to help her and be with her forever but Asuka doesn’t believe him and tells him he’s only there because he’s afraid of Misato and Rei, she continues to yell at him and pushes him into the floor, saying that he doesn’t love anyone. Shinji stands up and pleads not to be left alone, not to be abandoned, and not to be killed, Asuka coldly staring at Shinji simply says “no”, Shinji loses control and strangles Asuka, the Third Impact begins.

[7]Shinji and Asuka in the final scene of The End of Evangelion. Asuka appears for the last time in a post-third impact earth, lying on a beach and wearing bandages where the MPEs attacked her. Shinji realizes that she is there and begins to strangle her%3B Asuka moves her arm slowly and silently caress his cheek, making Shinji stop. Shinji begins to cry uncontrollably right into Asuka's breasts%3B she gives him a cold look and simply says, “How disgusting.”

## Rebuild of Evangelion

Asuka appeared in Evangelion 2.0 you Can (Not) Advance which is part 2 of the rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy. Her name has been changed to Asuka Langley Shikinami but her personality remains the same, though she seems to be more aware of her feelings for Shinji and even tries to cook for him. In the second Rebuild movie she is selected as the test pilot of Unit 03 and is nearly killed when its taken over by the angel Bardiel.

She is expected to appear in the next two Rebuild movies.

## Powers & Abilities

Asuka is the only *Children* whose number designation matches with her Evangelion's.

In the manga canon, she is shown being capable of martial arts, as she defended herself from an older man.

## Other Media

### Films

[8]Evangelion: Death and Rebirth %26amp%3B End of Evangelion (1997)Two movies were produced as companions to *Neon Genesis Evangelion* and were designed to be the finale of the controversial anime ending. The first was titled Evangelion: Death and Rebirth(March 1997). Budget issues with the film would prevent it from serving as the end it was intended to be. Four month later, the second film, End of Evangelion(July 1997), was released. The story followed events that followed *Neon Genesis Evangelion* - Episode 24. Asuka revives from her coma near the ending but is killed by the Mass Produced Eva. The Third Impact begins, but Shinji revives Asuka after he recreates the world. She's alive on the shores and her injuries from the attack are bandaged. It served as the official finale for the canon *Evangleion* story until Anno's announcement of the *Rebuild of Evangelion* project in 2006.

**Rebuild of Evangelion**
[9]Evangelion 2.0 poster Japan (2009)The *Rebuild of Evangelion* is a series of four films designed by the original creator, Hideaki Anno. He stated that the technology of the era and the budget he was given didn't allow him to fully realized the vision he had for the story. He began the reboot of his story in 2007 with Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone. Asuka appeared in the second film, Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, that was released on June 27, 2009. Bother her original Japanese and English voice actresses reprises their roles for this series. Asuka when under several character development changes. This Asuke was given a new family name of Shikinami and she never uses her trademark German cursing. She is still a college graduate, but no part of her German heritage is even mentioned. She doesn't arrive in Japan with Ryouji Kaji and a major personality change is that she shows utterly no romantic interest in Kaji, a dramatic departure of the original version. She also takes on the role of the Eva Unit-03 test pilot that was originally held by Touji Suzuhara. As the new pilot, she is given a newly designed plug suit that she remarks on just how revealing it is. She is shown to of survived the destruction of Unit-03, but is unconscious throughout the rest of the movie.

In a preview for Evangelion: 3.0 Q Quickening, shown after the credits of *Evangelion: 2.0*, Asuka is briefly shown to be alive and well, but with a large eye patch over her left eye. This is the same eye that was damaged and shown bandaged at the end of *End of Evangelion*.

### Manga

There have been four manga series produced based upon the *Neon Genesis Evangleion* anime series. One is based on the main story, and each of the following mangas created their own original story, Asuka has appeared in all the publications.

 **Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days (2003-2005)**
 **Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikari Raising Project** **(2005)**
 **Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse (2007)**
 **Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikari's Detective Journal (2010)**
The fifth manga series based on *Evangelion* is titled Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikalri's Detective Journal. It's written and illustrated by Takumi Yoshimura and the project is part of collaboration between **GAINAX** and **Studio Khara**. The publication first began in **Kadokawa Shoten's** *Monthly Asuka* magazine on February 24, 2010. Little else is known about the story, other than that isn't based around Shinji Ikari as a detective. Asuka's role in the story has yet to be revealed.

### Anime

[17]Petit Eva: Evangelion@School (2007)An anime comedy series was produced called Petit Eva: Evangelion@School. They were produced as short OVA created in CG, and the episodes ranged in length of up to one minute to nearly five minutes. The characters were all animated in a chibi design and many of the episodes were an adaptation of the 4koma gag manga published in *Shonen Ace* magazine. No dialog is spoken and is all based upon patomime and physical comedy. Asuka first appeared in the second episode. Shinji, Asuka, Rei and Unit-01 are pretending to clean the class room while Gendo watches them, but as soon as he closes the door they are back to playing. They go back to cleaning when he opens the door. Gendo keeps checking so repeatedly that eventually they playing while he watches but clean with the door closed. After Episode 6, they show the other side of many of the events seen from another perspective. Episode 18 and 19 is a two part remake of Shinji and Asuka's fight against the twin Angel,Israfel, from the anime.

### Games

* Asuka appears in every Evangelion game and co-stars with Rei in a sim/dating game for the DS called Neon Genesis Evangelion Ayanami Ikusei Keikaku DS with Asuka Hokan.
* She appears in the Super Robot Wars games, initiating a friendly rivalry with equally hot-headed and intelligent pilot Kouji Kabuto, from Mazinger Z.

* Asuka is named after two warships, the Aircraft Carrier Soryu, which took part in the Pearl Harbor attack and was destroyed during the battle of Midway and the USS Langley, the first American aircraft carrier, sunk by Japanese air attack.
* "Asuka" is taken from Asuka Saki, the heroine of the manga Chou-Shoujo Asuka