Rei Ayanami
Rei Ayanami (綾波 レイ, Ayanami Rei?) is a fictional character created by Gainax and designed by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, belonging to the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. Rei Ayanami is the "First Child" designated to pilot the Evangelion-00 prototype unit.
At the beginning of the story, Rei Ayanami is an enigmatic figure whose unusual behavior confuses her companions. As the plot of the series progresses, she begins to see herself more related to the people around her, particularly her classmate and Eva pilot, Shinji Ikari. Rei ayanami will be revealed as the key factor in the events that conclude the historical plot. Her role in the end of this is not entirely clear in the television series, but she does constitute one of the main characters in the movie The End of Evangelion .
Conception
Like many characters in Evangelion, the last name Ayanami derives from a Japanese World War II warship, the Fubuki-class destroyer Ayanami. The exact meaning of the name is unclear, although it has been suggested that it refers to the Sailor Moon character, Rei Hino.
Regarding Rei's character design, Hideaki Anno advised Yoshiyuki Sadamoto that "above all else, she needs to be depicted as a bitterly unhappy girl with little sense of presence." Sadamoto was inspired to draw Rei by to the song by the band Kinniku Shōjo Tai, "Hotai de Masshiro na Shojo" ("The White Girl with Bandages"). Ukina, a character from Sadamoto's earlier work Koto, served as the model for Rei. Anno required a character " "cool and with short hair", and Rei was originally designed with brown skin and dark eyes; however, it was necessary to distinguish her from the other female lead, Asuka Langley Sōryū, so Sadamoto then designed her with the opposite eyes and hair of Asuka. Anno was also the one who suggested drawing her with red eyes, a feature that allowed him to give her more personality. Her blue hair is inspired by the main character of Aoki Uru.
"An emotional change makes certain muscles of the face tense, producing an "expression." Rei has no expression, but does he not feel any emotion, or simply cannot express it?" - Yoshiyuki Sadamoto about Rei's character.
No specific information is given about Rei's background or background. Ritsuko Akagi states that Rei was born in a certain room in the deepest levels of NERV. In The End of Evangelion, it is stated that Rei was created from the 'recovered remains'; of Yui Ikari after she was absorbed into Eva-01 in 2004. The connection between Rei and Yui is implied a few times during the series. Gendō first introduces Rei to the Nerv staff in 2010 as the "daughter of an acquaintance", whom she is temporarily taking care of. At the time, Rei was only 4 years old. In episode 21, Naoko Akagi says that Rei physically resembles Yui.
Appearances
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Rei's role in Neon Genesis Evangelion is that of a co-lead, being the pilot of unit Evangelion-00. Rei first appears in the first episode of the anime, in a rather sorry state due to a failed activation test with her Eva. When her injuries heal, she helps Shinji Ikari defeat the Angels, being her first major victory against Ramiel. The next significant encounter with an angel occurs during Matarael's attack on Tokyo-3, where Rei works together with Shinji and Asuka to defeat the angel. Later, the three children fight Sahaquiel and Leliel. Without Shinji, Rei and Asuka try to defeat the angel Zeruel, but they end up being heavily defeated. Later on, Rei apparently dies rescuing Shinji from Armisael, but returns under mysterious circumstances, and it is eventually revealed that the 'resurrected Rei' is the resurrected Rei. it is in fact the third incarnation of Rei, the first of which she had been killed years before the series and the second had died in the aforementioned incident.
The End of Evangelion
In The End of Evangelion, the third Rei acts as the main catalyst behind Third Impact, which begins after her fusion with Lilith. During the third impact, a glowing figure of Rei is shown in some scenes, which she watches over Misato and Ritsuko moments before they die. These spectral images also appear over the corpses of slain Nerv personnel.
Rebuild of Evangelion
In Rebuild of Evangelion, Rei returns once more as a main character, first appearing in Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone. His character remains the same as in the anime, acting as the pilot of Eva-00 and helping Shinji defeat Ramiel. In Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, his character is further developed. and her relationship with Shinji is shown to be much more open than in the original series. Rei tries to organize a dinner for her classmates and it is shown that she works very hard during the preparation of the food. During the climax, she is devoured along with her unit by the angel Zeruel. When Eva-01 awakens, Shinji forces his way into the angel to rescue Rei. At the end of the film, they both become trapped inside unit 01, and the act triggers Third Impact.
In Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, Sub-Commander Kōzō Fuyutsuki reveals to Shinji that Rei is a clone of Yui Ikari, his mother (assumed in the original anime, but which was never confirmed in this one), who was "absorbed" in the core of Eva-01. The Rei that Shinji tried to save was also sucked into Eva-01, and the Rei that appears is a new clone.
Personality
At the beginning of the series, Rei is socially withdrawn, seemingly emotionless, and rarely interacts with other people (except Gendō Ikari, to whom she initially shows loyalty but with whom she generally has a distant relationship). In fact, she lives alone in a sparsely furnished and dreary apartment in Tokyo-3. However, as the story progresses, Rei begins to see herself more connected to the people around her, expressing emotions and even feeling sadness and crying. Critics linked her quiet personality and limited ability to express emotions with a schizoid personality disorder.