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NEON GENESIS
EVANGELION DATABASE
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WHO OR WHAT IS REI?
Just who and what this young girl is, is a question that everyone asks. She is undoubtably the
strangest and most peculiar character many of us have ever seen. I have even heard it referred
to as the Rei element or phenomena that has been seen in other following anime series. This question
is one of great interest mainly because, like with much of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series, many
stirring questions are never adressed. There many theories and ideas of exactly what Rei is, but
seperatly, they only reflect a part of what the complex entity Rei, truly is. However together we
can begin to fully appreceaite and accept just who this young girl is.
Rei is the first child, the first person ever found to be able syncronise and pilot an Evangelion.
She was "discovered" at a very early age. She even seems as though her entire existence, her entire
world is centered around the piloting of her Evangelion, also the first of its kind, experimental
evangelion Unit 00. Her name "Rei" literally means zero, connected with meanings of emptyness. Her
attitude seems rather cold, she is very solitary, even before her 4th birthday, she has lived on
her own. As long as she has no disagreements, which is VERY rare, she performs all her required
duties with an almost inhumanly precise precision. Her facial expressions are blank and emotionless,
her spoken words, are expressionless, short, direct and to the point. She never makes attempts to
engage socially and when addressed, still keeps to herself, deflecting conversation. She rarly looks
directly at someone, although when she does, it is almost like she is looking through you. It is no
wonder that this individual is subject of much of Shinji's, and our thoughts.
The only real person she has ever responded two, emotionally, is her commander, Gendou Ikari.
Witnessed by Shinji IKari (his son), she seemed to engage warmly, at almost an obsession level
of admiration, Gendou Ikari, reacting the same way in response. There is three other incidents
where her emotions show again, the seccond incidence, was when she unusually, engaged Shinji in
conversation over his attitude to his commander and father, Gendou Ikari. She protested his hate
for his father, that he (Shinji) dispised every part of his father, and what he had done to him,
actually slapping him as she frowned at him. The third incidence, was with Asuka, when Asuka
had stood facing the door of the elavator for well over a mintue in silence. Rei knew that Asuka
was having trouble with her eva, and as the longest standing pilot, offered this advice "If you do
not open your mind to her, your eva will not move", Asuka broke up flying insults in Rei's direction
(she hated Rei), Rei simply responding that, "I am not a doll". The third incident was her only
meeting with Kaoru Nagisa the fifth pilot. Kaoru mentioned that "Were are both the same, you and I",
simling at Rei, to which Rei responded with a great confusion and surprise. She actually sqinted
as if she was reacting hostily to him. She also thought about this alot, in her frequest
staring at the moon, during her rest period at her dormitory.
Some of the more interesting theories, is in her creation, in her very early youth. Progressing
through the series, we learn that Rei's body has multiple clones lying in vaults deep beneath NERV.
We also learn that Rei has had two reincarnations, one when she was a four year old, murdured by
Naoko Akagi (Ritsuko Akagi's mother), soon after which she committed suicide. The seccond Rei
had apparently sacrficed herself combatting the 16th angel, in which she dedonated her eva, to kill
the angel and save Shinji and his eva, knowing that that was the only possible victorious solution.
Rei is apparently the half clones of Yui Ikari (Shinji's mother) and Lilith (angel 2 and the mother
of humanity). This would explain her close resemblence to Yui, and relationship to Gendou Ikari (Yui's
husband). It is a theory that Rei also posseses the memories and feelings of Yui Ikari, although
segregated and factured, Rei suffering alot of holes and missing pieces of Yui's mind. This would
explain her close resemblence of motherly instincts of Shinji (diciplining and proctecting him).
It is also suggested that Rei could actually be the soul of Lilith. Which would explain her confusion as
to who she really was, her strength to sustain great physical trauma and her clear posession of an
AT-field (alike Kaoru). This is also furthur supported by her statement in End of Evangelion, to
Lilith that "I am home", to which Lilith responded "Welcome home", as she finally merged with Lilith.
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