Rei Ayanami Evangelion Unit-00 Pilot (Eva Unit-00)
Rei Ayanami is the 14-year-old pilot of Unit 00 from Evangelion and is known as the First Child. She lives alone in an apartment and attends Class 2-A with Shinji and Asuka . She has a rather unusual appearance compared to most of the other characters in the rest of the series: light blue hair, red eyes, and fairly pale skin. In the original Japanese dub, she is voiced by Megumi Hayashibara . In the English dub of the ADV film, she is voiced by Amanda Winn Lee, though she is replaced by Ryan Bartley in the Netflix re-dub.
Character and personality
While most characters can display a range of emotions from despair to joy, Rei is seemingly characterized by her lack of emotion. When she speaks, she does so with little inflection or emphasis, creating a deadpan tone. Her expressionless personality is further emphasized when Rei admits she doesn't know how to feel or react to a given situation, such as when Shinji saves her after the battle with the Angel Ramiel None.
Rei also displays an incredible lack of self-esteem and cares little for her own well-being. She believes she is entirely replaceable and that her death would mean very little to the world. This belief stems from her awareness that she is a clone of sorts and can be replaced at any time. There is, however, one person who seems to cause Rei to show emotion. This person is Shinji's father, Gendo Ikari. When speaking with Gendo, Rei is often depicted with a smile on her face.
When Shinji's mother, Yui Ikari, is shown on screen, viewers can see that she looks a lot like Rei, albeit with a different hair color and skin tone. This is because Rei is an artificial clone based on Yui after the experiment with Eva-01 that resulted in her apparent death. There are, in fact, three different incarnations of Rei shown throughout the series. The first Rei (called Rei I), is only shown in a flashback where Naoko Akagi strangles her. Rei II is the incarnation that is present throughout most of the series. In the battle with the Angel Armisael , she activates Eva-00's self-destruct, resulting in the annihilation of the Angel, Eva-00, and Rei. Rei III seems to have lost what little emotion Rei II gained from her interactions with the other Eva pilots, but also seems to have lost the soft spot she had for Gendo.
Ritsuko reveals that there are dozens of other clones of Rei secretly stored at Nerv, but clarifies that they are simply "spare parts" for Rei's current incarnation. Rei is also said to possess the soul of the Second Angel Lilith within her, which plays a significant role in The End of Evangelion .
Notable relationships with other characters
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Shinji Ikari : Another Eva pilot in charge of Eva-01 who works with Rei. During their first legitimate interaction, the two have difficulty communicating, but Rei shows little interest in Shinji in general. Over time, however, she gradually learns that she wants to be with him. When Shinji rescues her from her entry plug after the battle with Ramiel , Rei gives her the first smile she's ever shown to anyone other than Gendo.
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Gendo Ikari : Commander of NERV and husband of Yui Ikari , the person Rei is based on. Until she began working with Shinji, Gendo was the only person who showed kindness towards Rei. This kindness is highlighted when Gendo opens her entry plug after a failed experiment with Eva-00 with his bare hands. Rei kept Gendo's glasses, which ended up shattering in the chaos, and keeps them on display on a desk in her apartment. However, as the series progresses, her obedience to Gendo and NERV begins to shift towards Shinji.
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Asuka Langley Soryu : Another Eva pilot in charge of Eva-02 . Most of the interactions between these two revolve around the duo's conflicting personalities. Due to Rei's experience as an Eva pilot and her cold and calculating demeanor, Asuka interprets Rei's advice as a form of put-down, often resulting in arguments between the two. This is often compounded by Rei's calm nature, which Asuka believes is simply ignoring her.
Voice actress
Rei Ayanami is voiced by Megumi Hayashibara is a Japanese voice actress born in Tokyo, Japan on March 30, 1967. Hayashibara is best known for her roles in the Evangelion series , the Pokémon series, Ranma ½ None Cowboy Bebop , and Killers series.
Character popularity
Upon their release, Rei and Asuka were both very popular with Evangelion fans. As opposites, the shy and cool Rei and the fiery and attractive Asuka quickly became the faces of the series. According to Evangelion character illustrator Yoshiyuki Sadamoto , Rei was particularly popular because the media gave up on her "Premium Girl" persona, and whenever Rei was on the cover of the books, sales skyrocketed. Furthermore, her Rei and her white "plugsuit" became famous worldwide, with a boom in many fans choosing to cosplay as her.
