Asuka Langley Soryu
| Asuka Langley Soryu | |
| |
| 惣流・アスカ・ラングレー | |
| Age | 14 |
|---|---|
| Birthday | 12/04/2000 |
| Seiyū | Yuko Miyamura |
Asuka Langley Soryu is the Second Children, designated pilot of Evangelion Unit-02. She is 1/4 Japanese and 1/4 German (from her mother Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu's side), although her nationality is American, as is, apparently, her father's.
Past
Asuka's mother went insane and committed suicide after her Contact Experiment with Evangelion Unit-02. <insert related childhood trauma and aftermath here>
Until some point in 2015, Asuka lived in Germany, where she met Misato Katsuragi and Ryoji Kaji.
Present
After traveling to Japan with Kaji, Asuka moved in with Misato and Shinji Ikari. She is very vain and proud, and thus she treats her fellow pilots Shinji and Rei like rivals instead of teammates. After arriving in Tokyo-3, Asuka becomes close friends with her classmate, Hikari Horaki.
Asuka has a crush on Kaji, as well as feelings for Shinji (as Episode 22 reveals), although the former politely declines her various advances while the latter appears to be oblivious to her true feelings.
As the series progresses, Asuka develops hatred towards Rei because Asuka feels that Rei acts like "a doll", doing only what she's ordered to instead of thinking for herself. A doll relates to a traumatic childhood experience Asuka went through which dealt with Kyoko's insanity and eventual suicide.
It's revealed that the reason Asuka so vain and proud is due to her mother's suicide. After Kyoko went insane, she had a doll who Kyoko thought was Asuka and wanted them to die together because "they weren't needed". Asuka's father was having an affair with Kyoko's doctor (who later become Asuka's stepmother). Asuka's mother hung herself and the doll the same day Asuka found out she would become an Evangelion pilot. Not wanting to die as well as wanting her mother to pay attention to her, Asuka decided at her mother's funeral that she wouldn't cry or act in ways that are childish, all in an effort to become an adult sooner to forget about her problems.
In Episode 25', Asuka discovers her mother has always been with her inside Eva. However, it's matter of debate as to whether or not Kyoko was partly insane; i.e., if her soul in Eva didn't just contain her "maternal component", but the part that remained in her body. For more information, see this page.
Psychology
Asuka seems to suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder, as she shows off piloting and claims she's the best pilot (her superiority complex), but internally she actually feels inferior (not thinking she can do anything without Eva as well as not wanting to be alone despite pushing everybody away) instead.
Despite her suicide attempt in Episode 24 as well as her claims of not wanting to live since there's no longer a need for her, both Episode 25 and Episode 25' reveal she doesn't want to die or disappear, indicating that she may suffer from Thanatophobia as well.
The final scene in Episode 26' shows her alive and bandaged (the bandages of her right arm and left eye coincide with her injuries during her final battle), laying down next to Shinji. Because Yui, Rei, and Kaworu all said anybody who can imagine themselves in their own heart are able to restore their bodies, it appears Asuka is one of these strong-willed people.
The fact it took Asuka an undetermined amount of time to return could also indicate that she came to terms with her contradictory views on live and death, as well as her desire to keep on living
Asuka in the Manga
"It's almost as if she's a different person!"
Asuka's origins and nature in the manga differ significantly from the anime. In the manga, it is revealed that she is a test tube baby, and that she is capable of putting an actual physical fight, indicating that she is trained in the martial arts. Different family situation, etc. Was actually throttled by Kyoko as a child; later "reenacts" this with Shinji while she's hospitalized.
Notes
- "Anta baka?" becomes a trademark line delivered by Asuka frequently, usually directed at Shinji. The best translation is "Are you stupid?". Throughout the series and movies, "Anta baka" is said 15 times, "baka" by itself is said 10 times and "baka Shinji" ("Stupid Shinji") is said 9 times.
- Though Asuka does use some German language in the original script, in the English dub, voice actress Tiffany Grant added much more to Asuka's speech, both in the TV series and Episode 25'. Sometimes the extra German is equivalent to the original Japanese speech, sometimes not.
- Asuka is the character with the most consistent "color scheme" in the series. Her Plug suit, Interface Headset, Evangelion, and hair are all red. This might be meant to symbolize her temperamental personality.
- Asuka is also the only Children whose number designation matches with her Evangelion's
- Asuka’s blue eyes and red hair are the inverse of Rei Ayanami’s blue hair and red eyes, perhaps a reference to their opposite personalities.
This article bears the unpleasant designation of "Stub." This is a Bad Thing. Provide a great service to NGE fan-geeks everywhere by making it awesomer!
| 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 |
