Asuka Shikinami Langley

For her 1995 series counterpart, see Asuka Langley Sohryu.

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Asuka Shikinami Langley is a character from Rebuild of Evangelion who makes her debut in the second movie of the quadrilogy, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. She is the designated pilot of the Evangelion Unit-02 (including its repaired variations), as well as the test pilot of the ill-fated Evangelion Unit-03. 

Profile & AppearanceEdit

Much like her original series' incarnation, Asuka Shikinami Langley is a very proud individual, especially in her piloting, and comes across to others as proud and strong, with a very high opinion of both her appearance and her skill as an Eva pilot. She does not like being looked down upon or told what to do as she wants to be viewed as an adult. She is aggressive and can be very opinionated. Unlike the latter however, this Asuka lacks the fear/hatred of dolls, as she would play with a hand puppet when in low spirits. Other differences include her being never had any obsessive crush on Ryoji Kaji, not very close with Hikari Horaki, and more open to others as she feels attraction towards Shinji, helps Rei so she can host a dinner party with Shinji and Gendo, and confides to Misato shortly before piloting Eva-03. In addition, instead of graduating University at the age of 14, she joined the European Air Force, reaching the rank of Captain at age 14.

In 3.0, 14 years after Near Third Impact, as result of the 14 years of constant war and struggle against remnants of NERV that still intended to cause another Impact, she became colder and aggressive than she used to be in spite of retaining most of her former personality. Her voice-actress noted that her current personality was comparable with that of an embittered mercenary. Though she actually worried about Shinji (possibly more than Misato), this worry still didn't abate her anger for the destruction that he inadvertently caused during the fight against 10th Angel. Unfortunately, because of everything she has gone through and her own hatred on Shinji for mistakes, she had no chance to tell him about Near Third Impact that he inadvertently caused due to her being too hateful to him. To make matters worse, the said hatred also what pressured Shinji to further being manipulated by Gendo and SEELE, as had she put aside her hatred and tried to reasoned Shinji in better way, he wouldn't have caused the Fourth Impact in the first place. In spite of her negative interactions, Asuka actually never intended to let him die or run away from his problems again.

Asuka seems to have a thematic association with cats; in Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo her Beast Mode has a distinctly feline appearance. She also wears both a hat and a helmet that have cat ear-shaped adornments. She also wears an eye-patch over her left eye. The latter glows during the course of the movie, showing that her left eye is maybe still intact but somewhat mutated.

HistoryEdit

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) AdvanceEdit

Asuka makes her first appearance shortly after defeating the Seventh Angel in her Eva-02.

Asuka´s pride is put to the test when Misato tells her that Rei invited Shinji to a dinner at her house, while at the time Asuka was cooking for Shinji also since she wanted to get his attention away from Rei, even later meeting Rei on a NERV elevator (the scene is much like Episode 22 from the series). Here she mocks Rei for being the Commander´s toy, and remarks that her and Shinji only become pilots due to their connections while her talent has led her to be a real pilot. Rei states that she is not a toy and just as Asuka intends to slap her, Rei stops her. Asuka feels empathy toward her as she sees her fingers wounded due to the cooking, and as she leaves the lift, Asuka asks Rei whether she likes Shinji. Rei explains that she doesn't know, but states that she just wants to make him happy, to which Asuka, saddened, throws a temper tantrum, though not before telling herself that Rei is indeed in love with Shinji.

After this event she takes on the role of the test pilot for the activation of Unit-03 after the incident in the USA with Unit-04. She chooses to do so on her own will as an act of kindness towards Rei, who intended to reunite Shinji with Commander Ikari at the same day of the activation test. On the way to the testing base, Rei through Ritsuko´s cellphone thanks Asuka, an act that makes Asuka oddly happy, since she admits to enjoying her solitude but comments that she has come to enjoy others' company as well. Misato and Asuka are brought closer by a conversation not long prior to the test, where Asuka tells herself that she can even pilot with a big smile just before the capsule is contaminated by the Ninth Angel.

Asuka is not seen for the rest of the film other than in a quarantine chamber with Angel-sealing Hex Pillars. Ritsuko says that although she is alive, her mind has the possibility of being corrupted due to the Eva unit having been possessed by an Angel.

Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) RedoEdit

In Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo, Asuka is one of the Eva pilots of the WILLE organization, first appearing during the mission to rescue Shinji, where she faces several Evangelion Mark.04 units. She shows aggression toward Shinji during their reunion out of both concern and his involvement in Near Third Impact, ranging up to a punch in the window of the room where he is enclosed. She informs him about the "Curse of Eva" which prevents pilots from physically aging before leaving, obviously too upset to explain to Shinji about what has happened on Earth. Suddenly, Evangelion Mark.09 attacks AAA Wunder, prompting Asuka to have Mari destroy it. However, the said Evangelion escapes, much to Asuka's exasperation, before she calls Shinji a "brat" as she knows that they have no chance to reveal NERV's true nature.

Asuka is later seen again with Eva Unit 02, where she intercepts Shinji and Kaworu piloting Evangelion 13. She is shocked that Shinji has piloted another Eva, and demands him to get out of it immediately. Before she can incapacitate Evangelion 13, Evangelion Mark. 9 attacks her and nearly dismembers her Eva before Mari intervenes with Anti-AT Field bullets. As she attacks Eva. 13, Asuka tries to reason to the misguided Shinji that his actions would cause Fourth Impact and aggressively demands him to stop, even going so far as to threaten him with death. Unfortunately, her Eva’s power supply runs out, which gives Shinji the opportunity to swat her aside much to her frustration.

Horrified that he would go too far by removing two spears from Evangelion Mark. 06 that fuses with Lilith’s remains, Asuka orders Mari to destroy Eva 13 by using AA bullets, only for the efforts to be proved futile when the bullets pass through it, and Shinji successfully pulls both spears. The process causes Lilith to explode, and Eva Mark. 06 is freed from Lilith’s remains. Worse, Evangelion Mark. 06 decapitates the said Eva and releases the Twelfth Angel inside. The freed Angel immediately turns into a giant core and Asuka attempts, futilely, to destroyed it. As she and Mari watch, the transformed Twelfth Angel shrinks in size and is devoured by Eva 13 and awakes, becoming a Radiant Giant and rising at high speed from Central Dogma in the process. This starts the Fourth Impact.

She and Mari, with their respective Evas immediately climb to the surface and watch AAA Wunder being attacked by Eva-Mark. 09, which has become Adam’s Vessel. Asuka goes to intercept Adam’s vessel, and immediately resorts to using Beast Mode to attack it. The bewildered Rei III in Adam’s Vessel is confused on what her deceased incarnation would do, to which Asuka says she should decide by herself, prompting Rei III to eject herself from Adam’s Vessel. When Adam’s Vessel ultimately reveals that its whole body as core with regeneration and counterattacks, Asuka reluctantly has her Eva self-destruct, but not without ejecting herself.

An unspecified amount of time after the end of the battle, Asuka finds Shinji's entry plug in the wasteland created by the Fourth Impact and finds him in an unresponsive state. She drags him through the desert, with Rei following, to "where the Lilin are", probably referring to the place where the AAA Wunder, with Misato and the other members of WILLE onboard, landed.