Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu: Difference between revisions
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| affiliation = [[Gehirn]] | | affiliation = [[Gehirn]] | ||
| rank = Scientist of Project E | | rank = Scientist of Project E | ||
| relations = [[Asuka]] (daughter), [[ | | relations = [[Asuka]] (daughter), [[Mr. Langley]] (husband) | ||
| age = 31 | | age = 31 | ||
| birthday = 1974 (exact date unknown) | | birthday = 1974 (exact date unknown) | ||
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==Kyoko in Other Media== | ==Kyoko in Other Media== | ||
[[Image:Shinji_Ikari_Raising_Project_(Eng._Vol_10).jpg|right|thumb|150px|Kyoko and Asuka in the cover for Volume 10 of the English release]] | [[Image:Shinji_Ikari_Raising_Project_(Eng._Vol_10).jpg|right|thumb|150px|Kyoko and Asuka in the cover for Volume 10 of the English release - note the different hair color.]] | ||
Kyoko appears as a character in the Shinji Ikari Raising Project manga. | Kyoko appears as a character in the [[Shinji Ikari Raising Project]] manga. She has long blonde hair, unlike her anime counterpart, but similar to the manga version. Also unlike her anime self, she has a very lively personality, and is depicted as clumsy. She also constantly teases Asuka about her getting married to Shinji. | ||
===Manga Adaptation=== | ===Manga Adaptation=== | ||
In | [[File:Kyoko in manga.png|thumb|left|200px|Kyoko illustrated by [[Yoshiyuki Sadamoto]].]] | ||
In the ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga)|Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' manga, Asuka visits her mother bringing in news that she was picked up as a pilot of Evangelion only to be ignored by Kyoko.<ref>''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga)|Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' Volume 9 - Stage 57</ref> | |||
Kyoko conceived Asuka with | Kyoko is seen more clearly in Asuka's Arael-induced flashbacks, although her design is different from that in the anime, featuring long blonde hair. In the manga. Unlike in the anime, Asuka and [[Mr. Langley]] were unable to conceive, leading eventually to his affair. He re-married and had a daughter with a tall, glasses-wearing woman referred to Asuka by Kyoko as "that woman", and "that girl". Asuka herself was instead conceived some time later as test tube baby with Kyoko seeking an "elite" sperm bank. Later, Kyoko, still heartbroken by her ex-husband's infidelity, edges a toddler Asuka on to "be better than woman's child", telling her she was made to be special.<ref>Both of these characters bear a strong visual similarity to [[Mari Makinami]] from the manga's bonus chapter, leading many fans to assume one of them was the same character as [[Mari Makinami Illustrious]] from the ''[[Rebuild of Evangelion]]'' films or somehow had links to her, with another theory being that Mari was Asuka's adoptive sister, impossible as the manga's Mari was already 16 years old in 1998, whereas Asuka's adoptive sister is still a child in 2005. Additionally, this chapter was written before the launch of even [[Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone|Evangelion: 1.0,]] many years before Mari was so much as conceptualized, and her later appearance in the bonus chapter almost ten years later was denied as being purely fanservice, as Sadamoto had no involvement with Mari's character besides her design, said he "couldn't use her in the manga", and has repeatedly denied links between the manga and the Rebuild movies. Thus, Asuka's adoptive mother and sister in the manga are entirely different characters, and not Mari.</ref> Her Contact Experiment was proposed by Kyoko herself, and her later suicide is clearly implied to be motivated by Langley's affair. During her hospitalization, when Asuka tries to talk to her, Kyoko reacts violently and attempts to strangle her, an even she later re-enacts with Shinji. After Kyoko's death, the woman shows sympathy towards Asuka. She and Langley decide to adopt her, but because she has no blood relations to Langley in the manga, "the woman" is her adoptive mother, and "the girl" is her adoptive sister.<ref>''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga)|Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' Volume 9 - Stage 60</ref> | ||
[[File:AsukaStepmotherHalfsisterManga.jpg.png|thumb|200px|right|[[Mr. Langley]]'s new wife, and their daughter, Asuka's adoptive mother and sister in the manga.]] | |||
According to Kaworu as he goes to the Central Dogma, Unit-02's soul had shut herself away.<ref>''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga)|Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' Volume 11 - Stage 72</ref> Asuka, after entering a catatonic state, is sent inside Unit-02 inside the Lake for the safety of herself and Unit-02, upon being attacked with depth charges, screams that she doesn't want to die and calls for her mother. She then has a vision hugging Kyoko in a sunflower field. Asuka and Unit-02 finally activates as the [[Japanese Strategic Self Defense Force]] continue the attack.<ref>''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga)|Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' Volume 12 - Stage 80</ref> | |||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
[[File:CampusApocalypseLangleyKyoko.jpg|thumb|Langley and Kyoko visit Asuka in ''[[Campus Apocalypse]]''.]] | |||
*The "z" in "Zeppelin" is pronounced like the English "ts". | *The "z" in "Zeppelin" is pronounced like the English "ts". | ||
*Like Asuka's, Kyoko's name comes from a character in a manga by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinji_Wada Shinji Wada]. | |||
*Kyoko's madness and assuming a doll as her daughter may have been inspired by [https://nausicaa.fandom.com/wiki/Kushana%27s_Mother Kushana's mother] from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausicaa_of_the_Valley_of_the_Wind Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind] manga by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayao_Miyazaki Hayao Miyazaki], which Anno worked on the film adaptation. | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 05:49, 6 August 2024
| Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu | |
| |
| 惣流・キョウコ・ツェッペリン | |
| Rank / Title | Scientist of Project E |
|---|---|
| Affiliation(s) | Gehirn |
| National Heritage | Japanese, German |
| Relations | Asuka (daughter), Mr. Langley (husband) |
| Age | 31 |
| Birthday | 1974 (exact date unknown) |
| Seiyū | Maria Kawamura |
| Voice Actor | (English): Kimberly Yates |
Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu[1] (惣流・キョウコ・ツェッペリン) is the mother of Asuka Langley Soryu. She appears in Episodes 22, 25, and 25'. Despite her limited appearances, Kyoko has a major impact on the major events found later in the series, particularly on Unit 02 and Asuka's personality.
Background
Kyoko was a researcher involved with Project E at Gehirn's German branch. However, she served as the test subject for a Contact Experiment with Eva-02, which trapped the maternal component of her soul inside the Evangelion's core.[2] Kyoko developed a severe psychological illness as a result and needed to be institutionalized.
Kyoko became unable to recognize Asuka as her daughter, while rag dolls (which she alternated between treating tenderly and violently) became surrogate "Asuka-chan"s. One doll was decapitated; Asuka acquired the head and carried it with her as she watched her mother through the hospital glass. Kyoko throttled another, and, ultimately, used it to commit a "double suicide", hanging both herself and the doll-Asuka -- a spectacle the real Asuka had the misfortune of seeing.
While Kyoko was confined at the hospital, her husband (Langley) began to carry out an affair with her doctor. Little discretion was taken from the start, as the two engaged in sexual acts in the room adjacent to Kyoko's; and, by the time of the funeral, they were already married. Individuals attending Kyoko's funeral provided insinuations that Langley's infidelity was the ultimate driving force behind the suicide itself.
Although Kyoko physically died, the maternal component of her soul, at the very least, continues to survive within Eva-02. Evidence suggests that the remainder was salvaged into Eva-02 following the suicide, as well: In flashbacks to Episode 22 and Episode 25, we hear the insane Kyoko begging Asuka, "Please die with me!"
Also, in the Episode 25' scene where Asuka finds her mother within Eva-02, Kyoko repeats, "You mustn't die! You must live! You're alive!", several times. However, the familiar "Please die with me!" is mixed in twice among her inspirational words, thus suggesting that the insane Kyoko and the maternal Kyoko were incorporated together.[3]
Asuka only learns that "[Mama] was always watching over" her and "protecting" her shortly before the two of them do at last die together: Kyoko, as Eva-02, is ravaged and killed by the Mass Production Evangelions, taking Asuka with her.
Kyoko in Other Media
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Kyoko appears as a character in the Shinji Ikari Raising Project manga. She has long blonde hair, unlike her anime counterpart, but similar to the manga version. Also unlike her anime self, she has a very lively personality, and is depicted as clumsy. She also constantly teases Asuka about her getting married to Shinji.
Manga Adaptation
In the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga, Asuka visits her mother bringing in news that she was picked up as a pilot of Evangelion only to be ignored by Kyoko.[4]
Kyoko is seen more clearly in Asuka's Arael-induced flashbacks, although her design is different from that in the anime, featuring long blonde hair. In the manga. Unlike in the anime, Asuka and Mr. Langley were unable to conceive, leading eventually to his affair. He re-married and had a daughter with a tall, glasses-wearing woman referred to Asuka by Kyoko as "that woman", and "that girl". Asuka herself was instead conceived some time later as test tube baby with Kyoko seeking an "elite" sperm bank. Later, Kyoko, still heartbroken by her ex-husband's infidelity, edges a toddler Asuka on to "be better than woman's child", telling her she was made to be special.[5] Her Contact Experiment was proposed by Kyoko herself, and her later suicide is clearly implied to be motivated by Langley's affair. During her hospitalization, when Asuka tries to talk to her, Kyoko reacts violently and attempts to strangle her, an even she later re-enacts with Shinji. After Kyoko's death, the woman shows sympathy towards Asuka. She and Langley decide to adopt her, but because she has no blood relations to Langley in the manga, "the woman" is her adoptive mother, and "the girl" is her adoptive sister.[6]
According to Kaworu as he goes to the Central Dogma, Unit-02's soul had shut herself away.[7] Asuka, after entering a catatonic state, is sent inside Unit-02 inside the Lake for the safety of herself and Unit-02, upon being attacked with depth charges, screams that she doesn't want to die and calls for her mother. She then has a vision hugging Kyoko in a sunflower field. Asuka and Unit-02 finally activates as the Japanese Strategic Self Defense Force continue the attack.[8]
Notes
- The "z" in "Zeppelin" is pronounced like the English "ts".
- Like Asuka's, Kyoko's name comes from a character in a manga by Shinji Wada.
- Kyoko's madness and assuming a doll as her daughter may have been inspired by Kushana's mother from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind manga by Hayao Miyazaki, which Anno worked on the film adaptation.
References
- ↑ Kyoko, like her daughter Asuka, is named after two Aircraft Carriers. To reflect her part-Japanese, part-German origins, she is named for the Aircraft Carrier Soryu, a participant in the Pearl Harbor attack and sunk during the Battle of Midway, and the Graf Zeppelin, built by Nazi Germany but canceled when ninety-five percent complete, taken as a floating hulk by the Soviet Union, and sunk.
- ↑ See Soul Divisibility for more details of this phenomenon.
- ↑ See Soul Divisibility for more details of this phenomenon.
- ↑ Neon Genesis Evangelion Volume 9 - Stage 57
- ↑ Both of these characters bear a strong visual similarity to Mari Makinami from the manga's bonus chapter, leading many fans to assume one of them was the same character as Mari Makinami Illustrious from the Rebuild of Evangelion films or somehow had links to her, with another theory being that Mari was Asuka's adoptive sister, impossible as the manga's Mari was already 16 years old in 1998, whereas Asuka's adoptive sister is still a child in 2005. Additionally, this chapter was written before the launch of even Evangelion: 1.0, many years before Mari was so much as conceptualized, and her later appearance in the bonus chapter almost ten years later was denied as being purely fanservice, as Sadamoto had no involvement with Mari's character besides her design, said he "couldn't use her in the manga", and has repeatedly denied links between the manga and the Rebuild movies. Thus, Asuka's adoptive mother and sister in the manga are entirely different characters, and not Mari.
- ↑ Neon Genesis Evangelion Volume 9 - Stage 60
- ↑ Neon Genesis Evangelion Volume 11 - Stage 72
- ↑ Neon Genesis Evangelion Volume 12 - Stage 80
| Characters |
| Main characters: Shinji Ikari | Rei Ayanami | Asuka Langley Soryu |
| Nerv staff: Misato Katsuragi | Gendo Ikari | Ritsuko Akagi | Kozo Fuyutsuki | Ryoji Kaji | Maya Ibuki | Makoto Hyuga | Shigeru Aoba |
| Classmates: Toji Suzuhara | Kensuke Aida | Hikari Horaki |
| Other characters: Kaworu Nagisa | Yui Ikari | Naoko Akagi | Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu | Dr. Katsuragi | Mr. Langley | Keel Lorenz | Pen Pen |
| Rebuild of Evangelion: Asuka Shikinami Langley | Mari Makinami Illustrious | Sakura Suzuhara | Ryoji Kaji (Jr) |
| Miscellaneous: Minor Characters | Minor Characters (Rebuild) | Extracanonical Characters |
| Theory and Analysis: Name Origins (Warships) | Designs | Relationships | Profiles |
| Resources: 2015: The Last Year of Ryohji Kaji |
