View source for Asuka Langley Soryu

{{Short description|Fictional character from Neon Genesis Evangelion}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Asuka Langley Soryu
| series = [[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]
| image = Asukka13.jpg
| alt = Three forms of a red-haired female fictional character showing her child self (left), her with a red suit (middle), and her with a yellow dress (right)
| image_size = 197px
| caption = Asuka with her Eva-02 (in the background) as a child (left), as a pilot (center) and in civilian clothes (right)
| first = ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' episode 8: "[[Asuka Strikes!]]" (1995)
| creator = [[Gainax]] (collectively)
| voice = '''Japanese:'''<br />[[Yūko Miyamura]]<br />'''English:'''<br />[[Tiffany Grant]] ([[ADV Films]] dub, ''Rebuild'')<br />[[Stephanie McKeon]] ([[Netflix]] dub)
| full_name = Asuka Langley Soryu (''Original'') <br /> Asuka Shikinami Langley (''Rebuild'') 
| gender = Female 
| species = [[Human]]
| title = Second Child<br />Captain (''Rebuild'')
| relatives = [[Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu]] (mother)<br />[[Ryoji Kaji]] (guardian)<br />[[Misato Katsuragi]] (guardian)
| nationality = American<ref name=Nationality>{{cite book|year=1997|title=The End of Evangelion Theatrical Pamphlet|publisher=[[Gainax]]|language=ja|quote=She is one quarter German and Japanese, but her nationality is American|chapter=惣流・アスカ・ラングレー}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |others=«Japanese: 日本と独国の血が入ったクォーターであり、国籍はアメリカ。 English: She is a Japanese-German blood quarter and her nationality is American.» |title=Characters glossary in Gainax website. |url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/anime/eva/chara.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918030722/http://www.gainax.co.jp/anime/eva/chara.html |archive-date=18 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side B|language=fr|page=14|publisher=[[Glénat Editions]]|date=2010|isbn=978-2-7234-7121-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Evangelion Chronicle |volume=3 |page=6 |publisher=Sony Magazines |language=ja|others=«Japanese: 国籍アメリカ合衆国 - English: Nationality: United States of America»}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelions The Master Guide 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン2ザ・マスターガイド|isbn=4-8402-2585-0|date=2003|publisher=MediaWorks|language=ja|chapter=惣流・アスカ・ラングレー|others=«Japanese: 日本人とドイツ人の血が入ったクォーターで、国籍はアメリカ。English: She is a quarter of Japanese and German blood, and her nationality is American».}}</ref>
}}
{{nihongo|'''Asuka Langley Soryu'''|惣流・アスカ・ラングレー|Sōryū Asuka Rangurē|{{IPA|ja|soːɾʲɯː asɯ̥ka ɾaŋɡɯɾeː|IPA}}}}{{efn|Her surname is romanized as ''Soryu'' in the [[Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga)|English manga]] and ''Sohryu'' in the English version of the television series, the English version of the film, and on Gainax's website.}} is a fictional character from the [[Neon Genesis Evangelion (franchise)|''Neon Genesis Evangelion'']] franchise created by [[Gainax]]. She first appears in the [[Neon Genesis Evangelion|original anime series]], and also appears in the franchise's animated feature films and related media, including [[List of Neon Genesis Evangelion video games|video games]], the ''[[Rebuild of Evangelion]]'' films, and the [[Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga)|manga adaptation]] by [[Yoshiyuki Sadamoto]]. In Japanese, [[Yūko Miyamura]] voices Asuka in all her animated appearances and merchandise. In English, [[Tiffany Grant]] voices her in the [[ADV Films]] dub and [[Stephanie McKeon]] voices her in the [[Netflix]] dub.

Within the franchise, Asuka is designated as the Second Child and the fiery pilot of a giant [[mecha]] named [[Evangelion (mecha)#Evangelion Unit-02|Evangelion Unit-02]] to fight against enemies known as [[List of Angels in Neon Genesis Evangelion|Angels]] for the special agency Nerv. Because of childhood trauma, she has developed a competitive and outgoing character to get noticed by other people and affirm her own self. In the ''Rebuild of Evangelion'' films, her Japanese surname is changed to {{nihongo|'''Shikinami'''|式波}} and she differs significantly in her background and characterization from her television series incarnation.

Series creator and director [[Hideaki Anno]] originally proposed her as the main protagonist of the series. Character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto asked Anno to include a male main character instead, downgrading her to the role of co-protagonist with [[Shinji Ikari]]. Anno based her psychology on his personality, bringing his moods into the character, acting instinctively and without having thought about how the character would evolve. During the first broadcast of the series, he changed his plans, creating an evolutionary parable in which Asuka becomes more dramatic and suffers, intentionally going against the expectations of the fans. The Japanese voice actress Miyamura was also influential, deciding some details and some of Asuka's lines.

Asuka maintained a high ranking in the series' popularity polls and has appeared in surveys to decide the most popular anime characters in Japan. Merchandising based on her has also been released, particularly action figures, which became highly popular. Some critics took issue with her [[hubris]] and her personality, judging these as tiresome and arrogant; others appreciated her realism and complex psychological introspection. Asuka is also one of the most successful and influential examples of the ''[[tsundere]]'' stereotype, characteristic of grumpy and arrogant characters with a fragile hidden side, helping to define its characteristics.

== Conception ==
[[File:AsukaProposalDesgins.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Sketches of designs for Asuka contained in the original proposal to Gainax|Early designs for Asuka by mangaka [[Yoshiyuki Sadamoto]], first published in 1993]]

In the early design stages of the ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' anime, creator and director [[Hideaki Anno]] proposed including a girl similar to Asuka as the protagonist.<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:庵野秀明パラノ・エヴァンゲリオン|editor-last=Takekuma|editor-first=Kentaro|editor-link=Kentaro Takekuma|publisher=[[Ōta Shuppan]]|date=March 1997|isbn=4-87233-316-0|pages=134–135|language=ja}}</ref> Character designer [[Yoshiyuki Sadamoto]] proved reluctant to accept the idea of a female character in the lead role after [[Gainax]]'s previous works like ''[[Gunbuster]]'' and ''[[Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water]]''; he said: "A robot should be piloted by a trained person, whether it is a woman or not makes no difference, but I cannot understand why a girl should pilot a robot".<ref name=Mond/> He thus asked the director to use a boy in the role of main character, downgrading Asuka to the role of female co-protagonist. Sadamoto modeled the relationship between her and the male protagonist [[Shinji Ikari]] taking inspiration from Nadia and Jean from ''The Secret of Blue Water''. Asuka should have represented "[Shinji's] desire for the female sex", as opposed to [[Rei Ayanami]]'s "motherhood",<ref name="Newtype">{{cite magazine|title=Sadamoto Yoshiyuki Intabyū|script-title=ja:貞本義行インタビュー|trans-title=Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Interview|magazine=[[Newtype]]|date=December 1997|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|language=ja|pages=26–29}}</ref> and should have been the idol of ''Neon Genesis Evangelion''.<ref name=Mond>Interview with Yoshiyuki Sadamoto in {{cite book|title=Der Mond: The Art of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto - Deluxe Edition|publisher=[[Kadokawa Shoten]]|year=1999|isbn=4-04-853031-3}}</ref> Anno also thought of her as Nadia La Arwal from ''The Secret of Blue Water'' with a different hairstyle.<ref>{{cite book|title=庵野秀明パラノ・エヴァンゲリオン|editor=Takekuma Kentaro|publisher=Ōta Shuppan|date=1997|isbn=4-87233-316-0|language=ja|page=99}}</ref> In the initial project, Asuka was described as "a determined girl" who adapts to the situation in which she finds herself, passionate about video games and "aspires to become like [[Ryoji Kaji]]".<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=15|page=27|publisher=[[Sony Magazine]]s|language=ja}}</ref> In the nineteenth episode, she would have had to be seriously injured in her attempt to protect Shinji, who would have thus "proved his worth" trying to save her.<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Theatrical VHS Box Booklet|language=ja|publisher=King Amusement Creative|date=1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Gainax|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Newtype 100% Collection|date=February 1998|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|language=ja|isbn=4-04-852700-2|pages=87–88}}</ref>

For the character's name, Anno took inspiration from {{nihongo|Asuka Saki|砂姫 明日香|Saki Asuka}}, the protagonist of the manga {{nihongo|''Super Girl Asuka''|超少女明日香|Chō Shōjo Asuka}}, written by [[Shinji Wada]]; for the surname, he merged the names of two ships used in the [[Second World War]], the Japanese [[World War&nbsp;II]] aircraft carrier [[Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū|''Soryu'']] and the American aircraft carrier [[USS Langley (CV-1)|''Langley'']].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fujie|first1=Kazuhisa|last2=Foster|first2=Martin|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Unofficial Guide|date=2004|publisher=DH Publishing, Inc.|location=United States|isbn=0-9745961-4-0|page=120}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Anno|first=Hideaki|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/hills/anno/essay1.html|title=Essay|publisher=[[Gainax]]|date=November 2, 2000|access-date=June 12, 2017|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070220135947/http://www.gainax.co.jp/hills/anno/essay1.html|archive-date=February 20, 2007}}</ref> Despite her multi-ethnic origins, the staff made Asuka's skin the same color as that of Rei Ayanami.<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=7|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=67}}</ref> For the [[German language]] terms used in the scenes with Asuka, staff asked for help from an American employee of Gainax, Michael House, who exploited his basic knowledge of the language, acquired in high school, and a Japanese-German dictionary from a local library.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=January 20, 2021|url=https://www.gwern.net/docs/eva/2011-house|title=Interviewing translator Michael House|date=November 11, 2011 |archive-date=August 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824175245/https://www.gwern.net/docs/eva/2011-house|url-status=live|last1=House |first1=Michael }}</ref> According to [[Anime News Network]]'s May Callum, Gainax did not pay attention to the dialogue's German grammar, believing the series would never be successful enough to be watched by native German speakers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2018-03-02/the-indestructible-studio-gainax-part-iii/.128475|title=The Indestructible Studio Gainax: Part III|last=May|first=Callum|date=March 2, 2018|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=January 20, 2021|archive-date=June 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628053718/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2018-03-02/the-indestructible-studio-gainax-part-iii/.128475|url-status=live}}</ref>

For Asuka's psychology, Anno relied on his personality, as with the other characters in the series.<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版：破 全記録全集|date=2010|publisher=Ground Works|isbn=978-4-905033-00-4|language=ja|script-chapter=ja:鶴巻 和哉 interview|pages=323–351}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:ＥＶＡ ＳＰＥＣＩＡＬ ＴＡＬＫ ｗｉｔh 庵野秀明＋上野俊哉|magazine=Newtype|date=November 1996|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten}}</ref> Staff originally inserted her after the first six episodes to lighten the tones of the series. She was presented with an exhilarating personality without foreshadowing her eventual depressing moments in the latter half. Anno said that he didn't intend to go "that far" at first and that he didn't completely grasp the character of Asuka until he made her "Are you stupid?" (あんたバカ?, ''Anta baka?'') catchphrase, with which the character was definitively born.<ref name=Animage>{{cite journal|script-title=ja:あんた、バカぁと、言われてみたい。（庵野秀明、宮村優子）|language=ja|date=July 1996|journal=Animage|publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]]}}</ref> During the series's first airing, the director began to criticize ''[[otaku]]'', Japanese obsessed animation fans, accusing them of being excessively closed and introverted; therefore, he changed the atmosphere of the second half of the series, making the plot darker, violent, and introspective. Asuka's story reflected the changes: although she had been introduced in an essentially positive role, her character became increasingly dramatic and introverted, going against the expectations and the [[Pleasure principle (psychology)|pleasure principle]] of anime fans.<ref name=Blimp>{{cite magazine|last=Woznicki|first=Krystian|date=1997|title=Towards a cartography of Japanese anime: Hideaki Anno's "Evangelion"|magazine=Blimp Film Magazine|issue=36|pages=18–26|url=http://amsterdam.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-9802/msg00101.html|access-date=January 20, 2021|archive-date=October 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023060845/http://amsterdam.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-9802/msg00101.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|script-title=ja:新世紀エヴァンゲリオン』をめぐって（庵野秀明×東浩紀）|journal=Studio Voice|publisher=INFAS|language=ja|date=October 1996}}</ref> In the twenty-second episode, Anno focused on Asuka's emotional situation, harassed by her first menstrual cycle, but not considering himself capable of exploring such a feminine theme, he condensed everything into a single scene.<ref>{{cite book|script-chapter=ja:庵野秀明 – Part II|title=Zankoku na tenshi no you ni|publisher=Magazine Magazine|date=1997|isbn=4-906011-25-X}}</ref>

Miyamura's interpretation was also important for Asuka's characterization.<ref name=Animage/> During the production of the last episodes Anno inserted scenes in which staff represented Asuka with simple hand-drawn sketches, remaining satisfied with the result, saying: "After having drawn Asuka with a marker, as soon as Yuko Miyamura gave it her voice, it was more Asuka than ever".<ref>{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:EVA, 再擧 庵野秀明 Special Interview|magazine=Newtype|date=June 1996|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|pages=10–15|language=ja}}</ref> Furthermore, the author's original intent was to insert a long live action segment for the film ''[[The End of Evangelion]]'' (1997) centered on the character.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://style.fm/as/05_column/animesama62.shtml|script-title=ja:第62回 エヴァ雑記「第26話 まごころを、君に」|language=ja|access-date=January 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102233624/http://style.fm/as/05_column/animesama62.shtml|archive-date=January 2, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> The original segment focused on a normal day of Asuka, who would wake up in an apartment after drinking and spend the night with [[Tōji Suzuhara]], with whom she would embark on a sexual and sentimental relationship. Misato Katsuragi would have been the roommate in the apartment next to her; Rei Ayanami would have been her colleague and her ''[[senpai]]''. In the alternate universe of live action, Shinji would never have existed; walking the streets of Tokyo-2, however, Asuka would hear his voice calling her.<ref>{{cite AV media|language=ja|title=Renewal of Evangelion Extras|date=2003|publisher=King Amusement Creative}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|language=ja|editor=Gainax|title=Data of Evangelion|date=2003|pages=84–89}}</ref>

=== Voice ===
==== ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' ====
[[File:Yuko Miyamura by Gage Skidmore (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Yuko Miyamura at the 2017 Saboten Con.|"Just to let you know, Asuka wasn't the most open-hearted character I've met. When I act Asuka's part, I try to synchronize myself with her 400%. But every time I tried to draw myself in closer synchronization, Asuka would never allow herself to synch with me. Even in the end, she would never step across the line and draw closer to me. One day, I figured out that there was a wall in Asuka's heart."<br /><div style="text-align:right;"> –[[Yūko Miyamura]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion 3-in-1 Edition|chapter=A Place For Asuka in the Heart|author=Yūko Miyamura|author-link=Yūko Miyamura|volume=2|pages=182–183|language=en|date=2013|publisher=Viz Media LLC |isbn=978-1-4215-5305-4}}</ref></div>]]

[[Yūko Miyamura]] voices Asuka's character in all her appearances in the original series, and the later films, spin-offs, video games,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/soft/koutetsu2/report.html|title=鋼鉄のガールフレンド 2nd – Report|language=ja|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009160400/http://www.gainax.co.jp/soft/koutetsu2/report.html|archive-date=October 9, 2007|publisher=Gainax|website=Gainax.co.jp}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broccoli.co.jp/game/meitantei_eva/sp/|script-title=ja:惣流・アスカ・ラングレー役の声優 宮村優子さんへのアフレコインタビュー！|language=ja|access-date=March 31, 2017|publisher=BROCCOLI|website=Broccoli.co.jp|archive-date=April 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422094947/http://www.broccoli.co.jp/game/meitantei_eva/sp/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the ''[[Rebuild of Evangelion]]'' film series. The only exception is an introspective scene from the twenty-second episode, when other female members of the cast replace the character's voice during a metaphysical sequence.<ref name=Ep22>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum Edition Booklets|volume=6|publisher=A.D. Vision|date=2005}}</ref> Miyamura had originally auditioned for the role of Rei,<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 4, 2021|title=Khara_inc|url=https://twitter.com/khara_inc/status/1312610900302413825|url-status=live|access-date=May 2, 2021|website=Twitter|language=en|archive-date=April 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411154420/https://twitter.com/khara_inc/status/1312610900302413825}}</ref> but staff felt her voice was too energetic, so she was offered Asuka instead.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|date=May 23, 2021|title=今のアスカとして言いたいことを全部言えた――「シン・エヴァンゲリオン劇場版」式波・アスカ・ラングレー役宮村優子インタビュー|url=https://webnewtype.com/report/article/1033825/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-11|website=WebNewtype|language=ja|archive-date=October 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019024937/https://webnewtype.com/report/article/1033825/}}</ref>

According to Miyamura, Asuka's dubbing proved difficult. She said she wished to "erase ''Evangelion''" and forget her experience with it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2011-04-06/with-yuko-miyamura-smash-2010|title=Interview with Yūko Miyamura – SMASH 2010|date=April 5, 2011|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=January 21, 2021|archive-date=April 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412154238/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2011-04-06/with-yuko-miyamura-smash-2010|url-status=live}}</ref> Towards the end of the first broadcast, Miyamura suffered from [[bulimia]] and found herself in a disastrous psychic state, similar to that of Asuka's character.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Two Big Anime Movies this Summer!|journal=Nikkei Entertainment|date=August 1997|language=ja}}</ref> After the release of the movie ''The End of Evangelion'' (1997) she said, "I think I had a [[kamikaze]] feeling during the voice-over".<ref>{{cite book|title=The End of Evangelion Theatrical Pamphlet|date=July 19, 1997|publisher=Gainax|language=ja|script-chapter=ja:声ノ出演}}</ref> The voice actress identified herself so much with the character she took a conversation course in German, decided some of the character's lines, and Asuka's details, such as the cloth puppet in the shape of a monkey featured in her childhood flashbacks.<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=8|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=52}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:EVA友の会|script-chapter=ja:CASTから一声|volume=4|language=ja|date=1997}}</ref> One of her ideas was the German sentences Asuka utters in the twenty-second episode of the series in a telephone conversation with her stepmother.<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=8|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=43}}</ref>

When dubbing the last scene of ''The End of Evangelion'', in which Shinji strangles Asuka, Shinji's voice actress [[Megumi Ogata]] physically imitated his gesture and strangled her colleague. Because of her agitation, Ogata squeezed her neck too hard, risking having her not properly recite the rest of the film's lines.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.akadot.com/story.php?id=31|title=Rocking the Boat|date=April 27, 2001|publisher=Akadot|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080623173408/http://www.akadot.com/story.php?id=31|archive-date=June 23, 2008|access-date=January 22, 2021}}</ref> With Ogata's gesture, Miyamura could finally produce realistic sounds of strangulation and thanked her colleague for her availability.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ravemagazine.com.au/content/view/23801/192|title=Gold Coast Film Festival – Yuko Miyamura Interview|date=November 9, 2012|publisher=Rave Magazine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119070329/http://www.ravemagazine.com.au/content/view/23801/192|archive-date=November 19, 2012|access-date=January 21, 2021}}</ref> Anno based the scene on an incident that happened to one of his female friends. She was strangled by a malicious man, but when she was about to be killed, she stroked him for no reason. When the man stopped squeezing her neck, the woman regained a cold attitude,<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:井手功二のエヴァンゲリオンフォーエヴァー|date=September 1997|publisher=Amuse Books|language=ja|chapter=VOICE OF EVANGELION|isbn=4-906613-24-1}}</ref> speaking the words that Asuka would have said to Shinji in the original script: {{nihongo|"I can't stand the idea of being killed by someone like you"|あんたなんかに殺されるのは真っ平よ|}}.<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:新世紀エヴァンゲリオン 劇場版 絵コンテ集|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|date=1998|language=ja|isbn=4-04-904290-8|page=841}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Feature Film - DTS Collector's Edition Booklet|page=15|date=2009|language=it|publisher=Dynit}}</ref>

Dissatisfied with Miyamura's interpretation of the original last line, Anno asked her to imagine a stranger sneaking into her room, who could rape her at any time, but who prefers to masturbate by watching her sleep. The director asked her what she would say about this if she woke up suddenly, noticing what had happened. Miyamura, disgusted by the scene, replied saying {{nihongo|"''Kimochi warui''"|気持ち 悪い||"How disgusting" or "I feel sick"}}. After the conversation, Anno changed the line by echoing the voice actress's reaction.<ref name=":1">{{cite AV media|script-title=ja:BSアニメ夜話|date=March 28, 2005|publisher=Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai|language=ja}}</ref>

==== ''Rebuild of Evangelion'' saga ====
Further difficulties arose during the dubbing sessions for the film ''[[Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo]]'' (2012), the third installment of the ''Rebuild'' saga, set fourteen years after the previous movies. According to Miyamura, the scenario gave her "very confused feelings" and "a constant feeling of light-headedness". Hideaki Anno did not explain the plot and setting of the film to her, complicating her work.<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:Q 記録集|language=ja|date=November 17, 2012|pages=53–54}}</ref> At the beginning, however, she didn't want to go back to dubbing the ''Rebuild'' and she was scared, given the suffering caused by ''The End of Evangelion''.<ref name=MW/> After finishing the final film of the saga, ''[[Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time]]'' (2021), Miyamura stated: "I felt like a mother to Asuka at times. I cannot watch ''End of Evangelion'' even now because it's too painful."<ref name=":4" /> Recording for ''Thrice Upon a Time'' was less stressful, but also taxing due to the many delays and revisions in production.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Theatrical Pamphlet|publisher=[[Kadokawa Shoten]]|year=2021|location=Japan|chapter=Yuko Miyamura as Asuka Shikinami Langley|pages=25–27|asin=B08Y85RJ9Q}}</ref> At the end of the recording, Anno thanked her for playing the role of Asuka for twenty-five  years; Miyamura furthermore noted Anno and [[Kazuya Tsurumaki]] orientated her far more than before.<ref name=":0" />

During the recording of the feature film, she had to dub a scene in which Asuka screams in pain as she pulls an anti-Angel seal from her eye. When she recorded, the drawings for the sequence had not yet been completed, so she imagined the scenes involved, listening to the director's explanations and trying to do her best to feel the required sensations. Screaming, she tried to use all her imagination and pretended to stab herself, as if flesh were being torn from her. The support of Megumi Ogata, Shinji's voice actress who was already used to screaming in other ''Evangelion'' scenes, also helped her in the process.<ref name=":0"/> The last thing asked of her was to write the character's full name in [[cursive]] herself to be used in the film. She had lived in [[Australia]] for the past two decades, but was still unsure of how to write "Langley".<ref>{{cite web|language=ja|url=https://www.crank-in.net/interview/88385/1|title=『シン・エヴァ』宮村優子が振り返る、アスカとの25年 その"苦労"と"喜び"|date=9 April 2021|access-date=24 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409142454/https://www.crank-in.net/interview/88385/1|archive-date=9 April 2021}}</ref> Miyamura also played Soryu and Shikinami as two different people,<ref>{{cite web|language=ja|url=https://www.crank-in.net/interview/88385/2|title=『シン・エヴァ』宮村優子が振り返る、アスカとの25年 その"苦労"と"喜び"|date=9 April 2021|access-date=26 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409142921/https://www.crank-in.net/interview/88385/2|archive-date=9 April 2021}}</ref> but both with a strong desire to be better.<ref name=MW>{{Cite web|date=April 9, 2021|title=「時代が、『エヴァ』と庵野さんを受け入れてくれた」宮村優子が振り返る、庵野秀明とアスカとの25年|url=https://moviewalker.jp/news/article/1028030/|url-status=live|access-date=April 10, 2021|website=MOVIE WALKER PRESS|language=ja|archive-date=April 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410001346/https://moviewalker.jp/news/article/1028030/}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=Miyamura|first=Yuko|date=March 22, 2021|title=MIYAMURA YUKO Corp.|url=https://fanicon.net/web/fancommunities/57/livearchive/599431|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-10|website=fanicon.net|archive-date=April 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410233328/https://fanicon.net/web/fancommunities/57/livearchive/599431}}</ref> Before the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], her sessions were already finished; later, some points were resumed and re-recorded, so there was no precise prediction as to when the work would be finished.<ref name=Animate/> She still had difficulties in understanding the story, and had taken the habit of reading fan-made analysis to help herself.<ref>{{Cite web|title=「エヴァ」24年ぶりの舞台挨拶に声優集結 緒方恵美「最初で最後」|url=https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/19928341/|access-date=2021-04-10|website=ライブドアニュース|language=ja|archive-date=April 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410232050/https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/19928341/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=「シン・エヴァンゲリオン劇場版」キャスト登壇舞台挨拶、全国の劇場へ生中継も|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/420985|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-10|website=コミックナタリー|language=ja|archive-date=April 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410232050/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/420985}}</ref>

==== English dub ====
Asuka is voiced by [[Tiffany Grant]] in English in the ADV films dub, and Stephanie McKeon in the [[Netflix]] dub.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/21/18693526/neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix-redub-cast|title=Netflix's Neon Genesis Evangelion debuts English re-dub|last=Patches|first=Matt|work=Polygon|date=June 21, 2019|access-date=January 23, 2021|archive-date=July 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720085144/https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/21/18693526/neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix-redub-cast|url-status=live}}</ref> Grant felt playing Asuka was "refreshing", as "she says the most horrible things to people, things that you'd like to say to people and can't get away with".<ref name="GrantOtakon">{{cite web|url=http://www.fansview.com/080798h.htm|title=Otakon Highlights – Evangelion Voice Actors – Aug. 7, 1998|access-date=January 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617215942/http://www.fansview.com/080798h.htm|archive-date=June 17, 2008}}</ref> Grant stated she greatly identified with the character, to the point of Asuka becoming a part of her: "She's kinda like my kid sister, which is why I feel the need to stick up for her".<ref>{{cite web|last=Grant|first=Tiffany|date=February 10, 2001|title=In Defense of Asuka|url=http://www.eva-r.com/tiff/writing.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010210231808/http://www.eva-r.com/tiff/writing.htm|archive-date=February 10, 2001|access-date=March 2, 2021|website=Musings About The VA World}}</ref> She also met Miyamura in conventions in the early 2000s and, discussing their experiences portraying Asuka, Miyamura rekindled their shared love and concern for the character's happiness.<ref>{{cite book|first=Carl Gustav|last=Horn|publisher=Viz Media|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion|volume=12|isbn=978-9-8127-6814-8|chapter=Voice Actors Tiffany Grant and Yuko Miyamura Reflect on Their Most Famous Roles|url=https://www.evamonkey.com/writings/horn-carl-voice-actors-tiffany-grant-and-yuko-miyamura.php|date=2011|access-date=May 26, 2021|archive-date=February 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207065446/http://www.evamonkey.com/writings/horn-carl-voice-actors-tiffany-grant-and-yuko-miyamura.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Appearances ==
=== ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' ===
Asuka Langley Soryu was born on December&nbsp;4, 2001.<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=1|page=16|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref> She is the daughter of Dr. Soryu Kyoko Zeppelin, an employee of a research center named Gehirn. She is of [[Japanese people|Japanese]] and [[Germans|German]] descent and has [[United States of America|U.S.]] citizenship.<ref name=Nationality/> In 2005<ref name=Date/> her mother participates in a contact experiment with the mecha [[Evangelion (mecha)#Evangelion Unit-02|Evangelion Unit&nbsp;02]], but, because of an accident, she suffers a severe mental breakdown, becoming permanently hospitalized. These injuries render her unable to recognize her child. Asuka is deeply hurt by her mother's behavior, who speaks to a doll believing it to be her daughter. After some time, Asuka is chosen as the Second Child and Eva-02's official pilot.<ref>{{cite book|title=Death & Rebirth Program Book|date=1997|page=40|editor=Gainax|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Alessandra|last=Poggio|language=it|date=2008|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Encyclopedia|publisher=Dynit|page=76}}</ref> Hoping that her selection could lead her mother to pay attention to her again, she excitedly runs to her room to announce the news, finding her mother's corpse hanging from the ceiling.<ref name=Date>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=2|page=14|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref> Shocked and traumatized by her mother's suicide, Asuka adopts self-affirmation as the only reason to be, participating in training sessions to become a pilot and meet other people's expectations.<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=9|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=40}}</ref>

Her custody is assigned to [[Ryoji Kaji]], towards whom she is infatuated. In 2015, after graduating from a German university, Asuka leaves there, accompanied by Kaji and Unit&nbsp;02, on board a [[United Nations]] aircraft carrier escorted by numerous warships to protect the Eva. During the trip, she meets [[Shinji Ikari]], Third Child and pilot of Unit&nbsp;01, and her new classmates [[Tōji Suzuhara|Tōji]] and [[Kensuke Aida|Kensuke]]. The United Nations fleet is then attacked by [[Angel (Neon Genesis Evangelion)#Gaghiel|Gaghiel]], the sixth [[Angel (Evangelion)|Angel]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=10|page=14|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref> Recognizing this event as a good chance to demonstrate her skills, Asuka independently activates her Eva, coercing Shinji into joining her in the cockpit.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side A|language=fr|pages=80–81|publisher=Glénat|date=2009|isbn=978-2-7234-7120-6}}</ref> Despite struggling to work together, and the Eva not yet being equipped to operate underwater, the two children destroy the enemy. She is later placed in class 2-A of Tokyo-3 first municipal middle school,<ref>{{cite book|last=Cannarsi|first=Gualtiero|title=Evangelion Encyclopedia|volume=4|pages=33–34|publisher=[[Dynamic Italia]]|language=it}}</ref> living with Shinji under [[Misato Katsuragi]]'s care.<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=11|page=15|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side A|language=fr|page=85|publisher=Glénat|date=2009|isbn=978-2-7234-7120-6}}</ref> She teases Shinji continuously about his passivity and perceived lack of manliness, but gradually comes to respect and like him as they fight Angels together. She is rarely able to express these feelings. However, following a series of Angel battles where Shinji outperforms her, she grows increasingly unable to continue to suppress her traumatized psyche, drastically lowering her pilot skills.<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=25|page=13|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=8|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=41}}</ref> This comes to a head when the Angel [[Angel (Neon Genesis Evangelion)#Arael|Arael]] attacks; Asuka, burdened by her continually worsening performance in tests, tries to attack the Angel alone, but is overwhelmed by the Angel's attack, a beam that penetrates her mental barrier and forces her to relive her darkest memories.<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=25|pages=15–16|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref>

In the battle with the next Angel, [[List of Angels in Neon Genesis Evangelion#Armisael|Armisael]], she cannot activate the Evangelion.<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=1|pages=24–25|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref> As a result of this, Asuka loses all will to live, runs away and goes to the home of her friend [[Hikari Horaki]],<ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side B|language=fr|page=74|publisher=[[Glénat Editions]]|date=2010|isbn=978-2-7234-7121-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=26|page=13|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref> spending time aimlessly roaming the streets of Tokyo-3. She is eventually found by Nerv personnel, naked and starving in the bathtub of a ruined building. The main series ends with her lying in a hospital bed in a [[catatonia|catatonic]] state.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side B|language=fr|page=78|publisher=Glénat|date=2010|isbn=978-2-7234-7121-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=27|page=15|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref>

=== ''The End of Evangelion'' ===
In the movie ''[[The End of Evangelion]]'' (1997), as the Japanese Strategic Self-Defense Force invades Nerv headquarters, Asuka is placed inside Unit&nbsp;02, which is then submerged in a lake for her protection. As she is bombarded by depth charges, Asuka wakes up, declares she does not want to die, and, in a moment of clarity, feels her mother within the Eva.<ref>{{cite book |title=Newtype Complete 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン |publisher=Kadokawa Shoten |year=2005 |language=ja |page=95}}</ref> Her self-identity regained, she emerges and defeats the Self-Defence Force, before encountering nine mechas named [[Evangelion (mecha)#Mass Production Units (05-13)|Mass-Production Evas]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side B|language=fr|page=88|publisher=Glénat|date=2010|isbn=978-2-7234-7121-3}}</ref> Though she successfully disables all nine opponents, Eva-02's power runs out; the power of the mass-produced Evas allows them to eviscerate and dismember Unit 02.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side B|language=fr|page=94|publisher=Glénat|date=2010|isbn=978-2-7234-7121-3}}</ref>

Seeing Asuka's destroyed Evangelion makes Shinji go into a frenzy, which eventually culminates in him starting a catastrophic event named the Third Impact. Shinji and Asuka have an extended dream-like sequence inside Instrumentality, a process in which the soul of humanity merges into one collective consciousness. Shinji claims he wants to understand her, but she refuses. He is furious at her rejection and lashes out by choking her. At the end of the process, Shinji rejects Instrumentality, and she returns after him in a new world. In the film's [[The End of Evangelion#The last scene|final scene]], Shinji begins strangling Asuka, but stops when she caresses his face. Shinji breaks down crying and the film ends with Asuka disdainfully looking down on Shinji saying "How disgusting", before cutting to black.<ref>{{cite AV media|people=[[Hideaki Anno]], [[Kazuya Tsurumaki]], Masayuki (directors)|title=[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion]]|medium=[[Film]]|publisher=[[Studio Gainax]]|date=1997}}</ref>

=== ''Rebuild of Evangelion'' ===
In the ''Rebuild of Evangelion'' saga, Asuka appears first in the second film, ''[[Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance]]'' (2009). Changes have been made to her character, such as her family name being changed from {{nihongo|[[Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū|Sōryū]]|惣流}} to {{nihongo|[[Japanese destroyer Shikinami (1929)|Shikinami]]|式波}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.evangelion.co.jp/chara.html|script-title=ja:「ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版：破」作品情報 -キャラクター紹介-|language=ja|access-date=April 5, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216032411/http://www.evangelion.co.jp/chara.html|archive-date=February 16, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sombillo|first=Mark|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/evangelion-2.22-you-can-not-advance|title=Evangelion: 2.22 – You Can (Not) Advance – DVD|publisher=Anime News Network|access-date=January 23, 2021|date=June 7, 2011|archive-date=March 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315201424/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/evangelion-2.22-you-can-not-advance|url-status=live}}</ref> continuing the [[Ayanami class destroyer|Japanese maritime vessel]] naming convention. The name change resulted from a precise choice by Hideaki Anno, who said he had changed the background of the character.<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版：破 全記録全集|date=2010|publisher=Ground Works|isbn=978-4-905033-00-4|language=ja|script-chapter=ja:庵野 秀明 interview}}</ref> Asuka Shikinami Langley, compared to her original counterpart, seems more open and vulnerable. Near the end of the film, for example, she confides in someone for the first time talking genuinely about her feelings with Misato.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/evangelion-2.22/you-can-not-advance/bluray|title=Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance|first=Martin|last=Theron|date=March 31, 2011|publisher=Anime News Network|access-date=January 23, 2021|archive-date=June 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615175808/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/evangelion-2.22/you-can-not-advance/bluray|url-status=live}}</ref> She does not feel infatuated with [[Ryōji Kaji]] and maintains a more affectionate and peaceful relationship with Shinji.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.excite.co.jp/News/reviewmov/20140829/E1409249614301.html|date=August 29, 2014|script-title=ja:今夜金曜ロードSHOW「ヱヴァンゲリヲン：破」惣流と式波アスカの違いを検証|language=ja|access-date=January 23, 2021|archive-date=April 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414081238/http://www.excite.co.jp/News/reviewmov/20140829/E1409249614301.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Although she publicly rejects others, she becomes possessive of Shinji, feeling jealous for him and taking an interest in his feelings.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=お貞本2009, Osada bon|magazine=[[Young Ace]]|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|issue=3|date=October 2009|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Ekens|first=Gabriella|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2016-02-19/the-evolution-of-evangelion-rebuild-vs-tv/.98581|title=The Evolution of Evangelion: Rebuild vs. TV|publisher=Anime News Network|date=February 19, 2016|access-date=January 23, 2021|archive-date=October 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029083628/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2016-02-19/the-evolution-of-evangelion-rebuild-vs-tv/.98581|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the production phase, screenwriter [[Yōji Enokido]] added a night scene in which Asuka, feeling alone, enters her colleague's room without permission, sleeping next to him.<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版：破 全記録全集|date=2010|publisher=Ground Works|isbn=978-4-905033-00-4|language=ja|script-chapter=ja:榎戸 洋司interview|pages=232–238}}</ref> In the course of events, she also plays video games and tries to cook something for Shinji.<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=34|pages=3–4|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref> She is a captain of the European Air Force, faces the seventh Angel with her Eva-02, and is designated pilot of the [[Evangelion (mecha)#Evangelion Unit-03|Eva-03]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/evangelion/2.0-you-can-not-advance|title=Evangelion: 2.0 You Can [Not] Advance|publisher=Anime News Newtork|access-date=January 23, 2021|first=Justin|last=Sevakis|date=November 24, 2009|archive-date=June 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617132106/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/evangelion/2.0-you-can-not-advance|url-status=live}}</ref> whereas in the original series this Eva was piloted by Tōji Suzuhara. Unit 03 is later contaminated by a parasitic-type Angel, [[List of Angels in Neon Genesis Evangelion#Bardiel|Bardiel]], and collides with Eva-01; Asuka survives, but is last seen in urgent care.<ref name="Studio Khara">{{cite AV media|people=[[Hideaki Anno]], [[Kazuya Tsurumaki]], Masayuki (directors)|title=[[Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance]]|type=Film|publisher=[[Studio Khara]]|date=2009}}</ref>

In ''[[Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo]]'' (2012), Asuka is initially part of the rescue operation for Eva-01, which is stranded in space, working together with [[Mari Makinami|Mari]] for an organization named Wille, which is dedicated to destroying Nerv. Convinced by Mari, she dons her old plugsuit in an attempt to get Shinji to recognize them.{{efn|As depicted in the ''[[List of Neon Genesis Evangelion chapters#Evangelion 3.0 (-120 min.)|Evangelion: 3.0 (-120min.)]]'' prequel manga.}} After fighting off an initial attack by Nerv, Asuka confronts Shinji in his holding cell and tells him fourteen years have passed. Asuka is chronologically twenty-eight years old, but has not physically aged due to what she calls the "curse of Eva"; she also wears an [[eyepatch]] that glows blue. Asuka, again supported by Mari, confronts Shinji and his co-pilot [[Kaworu Nagisa]] and eventually self-destructs her Eva during the fight. After the fight, she grabs Shinji's wrist, and they move along the ruins of Tokyo-3, followed by Rei Ayanami.<ref>{{cite AV media|people=[[Hideaki Anno]], [[Kazuya Tsurumaki]], Masayuki (directors)|title=[[Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo]]|medium=[[Film]]|publisher=[[Studio Khara]]|date=2013}}</ref>

==== ''Evangelion: 3.0+1.0'' ====
In the final film, ''[[Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time]]'', Asuka guides Shinji and Rei before being picked up by [[Kensuke Aida]]. She lives in a place named Village-3 in Kensuke's house. She feels she is no longer human as a result of the changes to her body and lack of aging, growing indifferent to her well-being. In the course of the feature film she goes to check on Shinji's distraught and almost catatonic state in silence; Miyamura described hers as the attitude of a mother "who quietly leaves food in front of her son's room to see how he is doing when he is locked up in his room".<ref name=NewtypeMiyamura>From the interview with Miyamura in {{cite book|language=ja|title=Newtype|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|date=June 2021}}</ref> Shikinami eventually forces Shinji, completely helpless and no longer wanting to continue living, to eat by forcibly stuffing food into his mouth.<ref name=NewtypeMiyamura/>

When Wille's ship AAA Wunder arrives to pick-up Asuka, Shinji insists on going with her. During the final battle in [[Antarctica]] Asuka is forced to take off her eyepatch, releasing the ninth Angel contained within. She converts Eva-02 to a new form, but is absorbed by [[Evangelion (mecha)#Rebuild of Evangelion|Eva-13]]. Inside, Asuka meets the original member of the Shikinami clone series she's a part of. Asuka is shown to have fought the other clones as a child before being selected as a pilot. Lamenting not having anyone to take care of her, Kensuke appears, dressed as her stuffed doll, and reassures her. Asuka is then present in an adult body, and Shinji thanks her for saying she liked him, and tells her he liked her as well, before he and Mari bid her farewell. In the final scene of the film, she is last seen on a train platform in a rebuilt world.<ref name=Animate>{{Cite web|date=April 11, 2021|title=『シン・エヴァンゲリオン劇場版』宮村優子が語る、以前の苦しさを癒やしてくれた『新劇場版』シリーズの存在|url=https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1617977506|url-status=live|access-date=August 16, 2021|website=AnimateTimes|language=ja|archive-date=April 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411173231/https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1617977506}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media|title=[[Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time]]|date=2021|people=[[Hideaki Anno]], [[Kazuya Tsurumaki]], Katsuichi Nakayama, [[Mahiro Maeda]] (directors)|publisher=[[Studio Khara]]|medium=[[Film]]}}</ref>

During ''3.0+1.0'', Asuka confesses her feelings to Shinji by saying that she liked him; for Miyamura, the sentence would not imply that her love is over or that she now loves someone else, "but that she genuinely wanted to tell him that".<ref name=NewtypeMiyamura/> The actress also emphasized during the interviews that she did not interpret Kensuke and Asuka's relationship as romantic,<ref name=MW/> as Shikinami is still physically fourteen years old;<ref name=":5"/> according to her, Kensuke would only be a sort of parental reference figure, and even Anno said that the character's last scene in ''Thrice Upon A Time'' is related to the image of Kensuke as a father figure for Shikinami.<ref name=":5"/> According to her, "Kensuke is a warmth for those who are lonely or want to feel safe".<ref name=NewtypeMiyamura/> During production, a scene in which Kensuke shoots Asuka with a camera was thought to be a love scene; however, the voice actress also interpreted this love as paternal.<ref name=NewtypeMiyamura/> [[Tetsuya Iwanaga (voice actor)|Tetsuya Iwanaga]], Japanese interpreter of Kensuke, described his character as "a friend she's never quite been able to get rid of ever since middle school". In an interview, Iwanaga stated that he interpreted the scene in which Kensuke is seen disguised as Asuka's rag doll as a representation of him becoming "the prop that rescued Asuka".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Theatrical Pamphlet|publisher=[[Kadokawa Shoten]]|year=2021|location=Japan|chapter=Tetsuya Iwanaga as Kensuke Aida|pages=42–43|asin=B08Y85RJ9Q}}</ref> Miyamura also voiced a scene in which Asuka says "baka Shinji?" as a "love letter" to everyone who supported the couple.<ref name=":0"/><ref name=NewtypeMiyamura/>

=== In other media ===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:NGEvol4Japanese.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Drawing of Asuka on the cover of the fourth volume of the manga|Asuka on the cover of the fourth volume of [[Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga)|the manga]] by  [[Yoshiyuki Sadamoto]] (Japanese printing)]] -->

In the ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga)|Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' manga, illustrated and written by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Asuka has a more immature character than her animated counterpart and her story is different; despite having a similar, familiar past, in the manga she was conceived through [[artificial fertilization]],<ref name=Newtype/> as the result of an experiment in [[eugenics]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion|volume=4|publisher=Viz Media|isbn=978-1-59116-402-9|chapter=Stage 24: Dissonance|date=June 9, 2004}}</ref> In her first actual battle against Gaghiel, whom she confronts alongside Shinji in the same Evangelion unit in the classic series, she fights alone, while Shinji later watches the recorded fight on a projector.<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion|volume=4|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|isbn=978-1-59116-402-9|chapter=Stage 20: Asuka Comes to Japan|date=June 9, 2004}}</ref> In the next battle, Asuka and Shinji fight, as in the classic series, against Angel [[List of Angels in Neon Genesis Evangelion#Israfel|Israfel]] together; Sadamoto conceived their dance training as akin to a "kiss", underlining their psychological connection.<ref name=Newtype/> ''[[Kotaku]]'' also noticed how much of their relationship is "absent", while she remains fixated on Kaji.<ref>{{cite web|first=Richard|last=Eisenbeis|publisher=Kotaku|website=Kotaku.com|url=https://kotaku.com/the-evangelion-manga-is-finally-over-and-what-a-ride-i-750820152|title=The Evangelion Manga Is Finally Over, and What a Ride It Was|date=July 12, 2013 |access-date=26 May 2021|archive-date=July 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714075313/https://kotaku.com/the-evangelion-manga-is-finally-over-and-what-a-ride-i-750820152|url-status=live}}</ref> In the comic her fellow pilot Kaworu Nagisa is also introduced before and interacts with her, immediately arousing her antipathy.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gramuglia|first=Anthony|date=April 29, 2020|title=The Best Version of Evangelion's Story Isn't Animated|url=https://www.cbr.com/evangelion-manga-better-than-anime/|publisher=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]]|access-date=November 17, 2013|archive-date=May 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506184244/https://www.cbr.com/evangelion-manga-better-than-anime/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Further differences are presented in the last chapters of the manga, corresponding to the events of the movie ''The End of Evangelion''. In the feature film, the Eva-02 is dismembered by the Eva Series before Shinji's arrival, while in the comic the Third Child intervenes in battle in her defense.<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion|volume=13|publisher=Viz Media|isbn=978-1-4215-5291-0|chapter=Stage 84: Calling|date=November 2, 2012}}</ref> In the final chapter of the comic, following the failure of Instrumentality, Shinji lives in a world where it snows again in Japan and where people do not seem to have any memory of recent events. The Third Child, traveling on a train to his new school, meets a girl similar to Asuka.<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion|volume=14|publisher=Viz Media|isbn=978-1-4215-7835-4|chapter=Final Stage: Setting Off|date=November 25, 2014}}</ref> According to Sadamoto, the Asuka-like girl is not concretely Asuka, but the symbol "of an attractive woman that Shinji can meet in the new world".<ref>{{cite magazine|pages=54–59|date=December 2014|script-title=ja:貞本 義行|magazine=CUT|publisher=Rockin'On|language=ja}}</ref>

In a scene from the last episode of the animated series, an alternate reality is presented with a completely different story than in the previous installments, where Asuka is a normal middle school student and a childhood friend of Shinji Ikari, the Evangelion units never existed, and Asuka did not experience any childhood trauma regarding her mother Kyōko.<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|publisher=Sony Magazines|volume=22|page=8|language=ja}}</ref> A similar version of events can be found in ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days]]'',<ref>{{cite book|date=January 1, 2008|title=Neon-Genesis Evangelion The Iron Maiden 2nd T1|url=https://www.planetebd.com/manga/glenat/neon-genesis-evangelion-the-iron-maiden-2nd/-/4974.html|access-date=February 2, 2021|publisher=Planete BD|language=fr|archive-date=February 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206163443/https://www.planetebd.com/manga/glenat/neon-genesis-evangelion-the-iron-maiden-2nd/-/4974.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=Screen Rant|website=Screenrant.com|url=https://screenrant.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-angelic-days-alternate-reality/|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion's Happier Reality is Explored in Angelic Days|date=3 April 2021|first=Carlyle|last=Edmudson|access-date=26 May 2021|archive-date=May 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516210926/https://screenrant.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-angelic-days-alternate-reality/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the parody series ''[[Petit Eva: Evangelion@School]]'',<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:ぷちえヴぁ|url=http://www.evangelion.co.jp/petit_eva/|access-date=January 24, 2021|language=ja|archive-date=July 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130714015826/http://www.evangelion.co.jp/petit_eva/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|date=June 2007|title=Petite Eva?!|magazine=Newtype USA|page=67}}</ref> where she behaves like a sister towards Shinji.<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|publisher=Sony Magazines|volume=33|page=20|language=ja}}</ref> In ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse]]'', Asuka is a foreign exchange student, and uses a whip in battle.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mingming|date=March 30, 2011|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse Volume 3|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/17-003/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-Campus-Apocalypse-Volume-3|url-status=live|access-date=February 27, 2021|website=www.darkhorse.com|publisher=Dark Horse Entertainment|archive-date=February 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227081115/http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/17-003/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-Campus-Apocalypse-Volume-3}}</ref> She is also present in ''Neon Genesis Evangelion: Legend of the Piko Piko Middle School Students''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kawata|first=Yushi|date=May 10, 2017|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: Legend of the Piko Piko Middle School Students Volume 1|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/29-778/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-Legend-of-the-Piko-Piko-Middle-School-Students-Volume-1-TPB|url-status=live|access-date=February 27, 2021|website=www.darkhorse.com|publisher=Dark Horse Comics|archive-date=February 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226042626/http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/29-778/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-Legend-of-the-Piko-Piko-Middle-School-Students-Volume-1-TPB}}</ref> The [[simulation game]] ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Ayanami Raising Project]]'' includes an expansion in its [[PlayStation 2]] version that allows the player to take on the role of Asuka's guardian instead of Rei's. She is also available as a romantic option in ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel 2nd]]'',<ref name=":6">{{cite web|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/soft/koutetsu2/contents.html|script-title=ja:鋼鉄のガールフレンド 2nd|language=ja|publisher=Gainax|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203021257/http://www.gainax.co.jp/soft/koutetsu2/contents.html|archive-date=February 3, 2014|access-date=February 2, 2021 |title=Gainax Net }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:新世紀エヴァンゲリオン鋼鉄のガールフレンド２ｎｄ公式ビジュアルブック|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|pages=53, 82|isbn=4-04-707175-7|language=ja|date=February 2005}}</ref> ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion 2]]'',<ref>{{cite book|title=Shin Seiki Evangerion 2 kōryaku gaido|date=2003|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|isbn=4-04-707137-4|location=Tokyo|language=ja|oclc=675386912}}</ref> ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikari Raising Project]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/soft/shinji/chara.html|script-title=ja:碇シンジ育成計画|language=ja|access-date=February 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121235634/http://www.gainax.co.jp/soft/shinji/chara.html|archive-date=November 21, 2015 |title=Gainax Net }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/soft/shinji/game.html|script-title=ja:碇シンジ育成計画 -Game|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008212431/http://www.gainax.co.jp/soft/shinji/game.html|archive-date=October 8, 2007|access-date=February 2, 2021 |title=Gainax Net }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/soft/shinji/game01.html|title=碇シンジ育成計画 – Story|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008212049/http://www.gainax.co.jp/soft/shinji/game01.html|archive-date=October 8, 2007|access-date=February 2, 2021}}</ref> and its manga adaptation.<ref>{{cite web|last=Takahashi|first=Osamu|date=July 8, 2009|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Ikari Raising Project Volume 1|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/14-732/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-The-Shinji-Ikari-Raising-Project-Volume-1-TPB|url-status=live|access-date=February 27, 2021|website=www.darkhorse.com|archive-date=July 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705032702/http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/14-732/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-The-Shinji-Ikari-Raising-Project-Volume-1-TPB}}</ref> In ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA|Neon Genesis Evangelion: Anima]]'', Asuka is older, more stable and mature, having developed a strong friendship with Shinji and even Rei. Asuka also merges with her Eva unit turning into a hybrid named Crimson A1.<ref>{{cite book|last=Yamashita|first=Ikuto|url=https://sevenseasentertainment.com/books/neon-genesis-evangelion-anima-light-novel-vol-1/|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA. Volume 1|date=2019|publisher=Seven Seas Entertainment|isbn=978-1-64275-708-8|oclc=1136860737|access-date=February 27, 2021|archive-date=November 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130101811/https://sevenseasentertainment.com/books/neon-genesis-evangelion-anima-light-novel-vol-1/|url-status=live}}</ref>

She also appears in the crossover ''[[Transformers x Evangelion]]'', in the video games based on the original animated series and media not related to the ''Evangelion'' franchise, including ''[[Honkai Impact 3rd]]'',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://netral.news/en/welcome-asuka-from-evangelion-in-the-honkai-impact-3rd-collaboration.html|title=Welcome Asuka from Evangelion in the Honkai Impact 3rd Collaboration|last=Triadi|first=Seno|publisher=Netral NewsDesk|date=January 15, 2021|newspaper=Netral.news|access-date=June 22, 2022|archive-date=December 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209135710/https://netral.news/en/welcome-asuka-from-evangelion-in-the-honkai-impact-3rd-collaboration.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Monster Strike]]'',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://g123.jp/gnews/post-12687|script-title=ja:【モンスト】「エヴァンゲリオン」コラボ第3弾が開催！限定ガチャや「葛城ミサト」も新登場|date=October 5, 2017|access-date=April 15, 2018|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141751/https://g123.jp/gnews/post-12687|archive-date=June 12, 2018 |newspaper=G123.Jp-新作ゲームアプリ攻略 }}</ref> ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/import-review-super-robot-wars-v-500066.phtml|title=Import Review: Super Robot Wars V|work=Destructoid |date=April 26, 2018|access-date=June 4, 2018|archive-date=August 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822001402/https://www.destructoid.com/import-review-super-robot-wars-v-500066.phtml|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Tales of Zestiria]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/11/11/evangelion-costume-set-for-tales-of-zestiria-offered-in-america-and-europe|title="Evangelion" Costume Set for "Tales of Zestiria" Offered in America and Europe|date=November 12, 2015|access-date=June 7, 2018|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142205/http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/11/11/evangelion-costume-set-for-tales-of-zestiria-offered-in-america-and-europe|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Puzzle & Dragons]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2015/11/17/neon-genesis-evangelion-revisits-puzzle-dragons/|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Revisits Puzzle & Dragons|access-date=June 7, 2018|date=November 17, 2015|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612155947/http://www.siliconera.com/2015/11/17/neon-genesis-evangelion-revisits-puzzle-dragons/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Keri hime sweets'', ''Summons Board'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gamedeets.com/archives/205937|script-title=ja:『ケリ姫スイーツ』と『エヴァンゲリオン』コラボが復活！「第13号機 疑似シン化」などの新キャラクターが登場|language=ja|date=November 25, 2016|access-date=July 9, 2017|archive-date=December 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209152349/https://gamedeets.com/archives/205937|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://app.famitsu.com/20161019_866892/|script-title=ja:『サモンズボード』に使徒、再び！『エヴァンゲリオン』コラボ情報まとめ|date=October 19, 2016|language=ja|access-date=July 9, 2017|archive-date=December 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209161049/https://app.famitsu.com/20161019_866892/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Puyopuyo!! Quest]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gamebiz.jp/?p=217563|script-title=ja:セガゲームス、『ぷよぷよ!!クエスト』で「エヴァンゲリオン」コラボを開始！ 「葛城ミサト」役・三石琴乃さんナレーションのテレビCMも放映中|language=ja|access-date=September 12, 2018|date=August 10, 2018|archive-date=September 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911222435/https://gamebiz.jp/?p=217563|url-status=live}}</ref> and in an official ''[[Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion]]'' cross-over episode.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2018-08-09/rei-asuka-vas-confirmed-angel-themed-villain-revealed-for-shinkalion-giant-eva-episode/.135295|title=Rei, Asuka VAs Confirmed, Angel-Themed Villain Revealed for Shinkalion's Giant Eva Episode|date=August 9, 2018|access-date=September 24, 2018|archive-date=May 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506225231/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2018-08-09/rei-asuka-vas-confirmed-angel-themed-villain-revealed-for-shinkalion-giant-eva-episode/.135295|url-status=live}}</ref> In the ''Super Robot Wars'' franchise, she butts heads with [[Kouji Kabuto]], the pilot of ''[[Mazinger Z]]'' and ''[[Mazinkaiser]]''. It is also implied that she developed crushes on famous heroes such as [[Char Aznable]] and [[Amuro Ray]], but proves jealous of Shinji, who crushes for [[Lynn Minmay (Macross)|Lynn Minmay]] of the ''[[Macross]]'' franchise.<ref>{{cite video game|title=[[Super Robot Wars Alpha]]|developer=[[B.B. Studio]]|publisher=[[Banpresto]]|date=2000|platform=PlayStation|language=ja}}</ref>

== Characterization and themes ==
{|class="toccolours" style="float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-right:2em; font-size:85%; background:#eee; color:black; width:30em; max-width:40%;" cellspacing="5"
|style="text-align: left;"|At first glance obviously she comes across rather brash and pushy and loud, and I understand that, but the more you get to know her the more you come across her motivations behind this, and you always have to keep in mind that she's still only fourteen, so no matter how terribly educated or clever she might be she's only a fourteen-year-old girl. So I think in the end her heart is in the right place but she has a hard time communicating that with her emotions and everything, how she really feels. I mean, she wants to have friends and she wants to be liked.
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| –Tiffany Grant<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2011-04-01/with-tiffany-grant-smash-2010|title=Interview with Tiffany Grant|access-date=April 28, 2020|publisher=Anime News Network|date=March 31, 2011|archive-date=June 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629141036/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2011-04-01/with-tiffany-grant-smash-2010|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

Asuka is an energetic,<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=3|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=4}}</ref> proud<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sadamoto|first1=Yoshiyuki|author2=[[Studio Khara|Khara]]/[[Gainax]]|chapter=Cast|title=Evangelion|volume=25|date=2012|publisher=Panini Comics|page=3|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/anime/eva/chara.html|title=Evangelion – Characters|access-date=April 28, 2020|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918030722/http://www.gainax.co.jp/anime/eva/chara.html|archive-date=September 18, 2015}}</ref> and enterprising<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=4|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=4}}</ref> girl with a brave and resolute character.<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=5|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Evangelion Chronicle |volume=43 |page=24 |publisher=Sony Magazines |language=ja}}</ref> She tends to look down on other people<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fujie|first1=Kazuhisa|last2=Foster|first2=Martin|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Unofficial Guide|date=2004|publisher=DH Publishing, Inc.|location=United States|isbn=0-9745961-4-0|page=40}}</ref> and wants to be constantly at the center of attention.{{sfn|Poggio|2008|p=23}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Platinum Booklet|volume=2|publisher=ADV|date=2004}}</ref> Although she normally shows a stubborn and exuberant attitude, in some moments she exhibits a kinder, more sensitive and caring side.<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=7|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=4}}</ref> Her abrupt and impulsive ways often arouse other people's antipathy, since they do not fully understand her real intentions.<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=6|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=9|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=4}}</ref> Unlike fellow pilots Shinji and Rei, she is extremely proud to be a pilot and engages in missions with great enthusiasm,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fujie|first1=Kazuhisa|last2=Foster|first2=Martin|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Unofficial Guide|date=2004|publisher=DH Publishing, Inc.|location=United States|isbn=0-9745961-4-0|pages=83–84}}</ref> but despite her apparently strong, aggressive and competitive character, Asuka suffers from the same sense of alienation as her companions.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ishikawa|first=Satomi|title=Seeking the Self: Individualism and Popular Culture in Japan|date=2007|publisher=[[Peter Lang (publisher)|Peter Lang]]|isbn=978-3-03910-874-9|page=75}}</ref>

Asuka suffers from a masculine protest,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side B|language=fr|page=73|publisher=Glénat|date=2010|isbn=978-2-7234-7121-3}}</ref> a [[psychology|psychological]] expression that indicates exaggeratedly masculine tendencies in tired and rebellious women who protest against traditional female gender roles. She sees her male peers merely as rivals and spectators of her abilities,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.style.fm/as/05_column/animesama41.shtml|script-title=ja:第41回 エヴァ雑記「第八話 アスカ、来日」|language=ja|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-date=October 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010182026/http://www.style.fm/as/05_column/animesama41.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> and suffers from a marked emotional complex for the male sex, merging a so-called "radical rivalry" and a latent [[inferiority complex]]. Her masculine protest is reflected in her strong [[misandry|misandric]] tendencies, since she is dominated by the need to beat male peers with an obsessive self-affirmation desire.<ref name=Misandric>{{cite book|last=Cannarsi|first=Gualtiero|title=Evangelion Encyclopedia|volume=6|pages=44–45|publisher=Dynamic Italia|language=it}}</ref> Despite this, she also has a sense of admiration for her guardian and ''senpai'', Ryōji Kaji.<ref>{{cite journal|date=March 1996|journal=Protoculture Addicts|publisher=Protoculture Inc.|issue=39|page=21|title=Spotlight: Evangelion}}</ref> Asuka is emotionally dependent on him, since she has a strong unconscious desire to find a reference figure to rely on.<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=5|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=34}}</ref> Asuka's infatuation also leads her to feel great jealousy for him and to seduce him.<ref name=":3">{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side B|language=fr|page=70|publisher=Glénat|date=2010|isbn=978-2-7234-7121-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=5|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=46}}</ref> ''Newtype'' magazine noted how she sometimes beats boys<ref>{{cite book |title=Newtype Complete 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン |publisher=Kadokawa Shoten |year=2005 |language=ja |page=34}}</ref> while being kind to Kaji.<ref>{{cite book |title=Newtype Complete 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン |publisher=Kadokawa Shoten |year=2005 |language=ja |page=26}}</ref>

Asuka's excessive pride prevents her from admitting—even to herself—that she feels something for male protagonist Shinji.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2002-06-11|title=Understanding Evangelion|last=Crandol|first=Mike|date=June 11, 2002|work=Anime News Network|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213005148/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2002-06-11|archive-date=December 13, 2017|access-date=September 6, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=5|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=52}}</ref> This leads her to attack Shinji's virility continuously,<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Encyclopedia|last=Cannarsi|first=Gualtiero|volume=5|pages=24–25|publisher=Dynamic Italia|language=it}}</ref> directing both interest and open hostility towards him.<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=3|page=8|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side A|language=fr|page=6|publisher=Glénat|date=2009|isbn=978-2-7234-7120-6}}</ref> As events and battles unfold, her feelings of love and hate intensify and dominate her.<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=18|page=14|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side B|language=fr|pages=44, 96|publisher=Glénat|date=2010|isbn=978-2-7234-7121-3}}</ref> She kisses Shinji in the fifteenth episode,{{efn|"Why does Asuka want to kiss Shinji? Even assuming she was spiteful of Kaji, one doesn't understand the real underlying motive. After the kiss, Asuka states: "I did it just to kill time." She yells, as if to make Shinji perceive it and to confirm it to herself, as if she wants to hide some embarrassment" ({{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=5|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|pages=44–45}}).}}<ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side B|language=fr|page=41|publisher=Glénat|date=2010|isbn=978-2-7234-7121-3}}</ref> but when he beats her in pilot tests, she develops an inferiority complex towards him.<ref name="Collection">{{cite book|author=Gainax|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Newtype 100% Collection|date=February 1998|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|language=ja|isbn=4-04-852700-2|page=83}}</ref> Because of their intimate fragility and insecurities, Shinji and Asuka are unable to communicate effectively with one another on an emotional level, despite their mutual latent interest.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2016-03-02/what-the-best-anime-ending-youve-ever-seen/.99299|title=What's The Best (And Worst) Anime Ending You've Ever Seen?|date=March 2, 2016|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-date=October 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019150606/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2016-03-02/what-the-best-anime-ending-youve-ever-seen/.99299|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side B|language=fr|pages=7, 15|publisher=Glénat|date=2010|isbn=978-2-7234-7121-3}}</ref> According to ''Newtype'' magazine, Shinji has feelings for her, while Asuka openly states her feeling of being frustrated with wanting him as her partner, so "her feelings for him as a man are less than they appear to be".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Stray Children|magazine=Newtype|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|language=ja|date=March 1996|page=4|url=http://www.acsys.com/~tallman/stray_e.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010211123346/http://www.acsys.com/~tallman/stray_e.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2001-02-11}}</ref> According to critic [[Susan J. Napier]], they might be expected to develop a romantic attraction for each other, but their sexual tension is subsumed under Asuka's intense competitiveness;<ref>{{cite book |last=Napier |first=Susan J. |title=Anime – From Akira to Howl's Moving Castle |year=2005 |page= 100 |publisher=St. Martin's Publishing |isbn=1-4039-7052-1}}</ref> Napier also noted that Shinji feels fear and attraction towards the maternal figures of the women around him, such as Rei or Misato, but only Asuka "is allowed to seem explicitly sexual".<ref>{{cite book |last=Napier |first=Susan J. |title=Anime – From Akira to Howl's Moving Castle |year=2005 |page= 310 |publisher=St. Martin's Publishing |isbn=1-4039-7052-1}}</ref>

In one scene from ''The End of Evangelion'' movie, Asuka is seen on a bed while she speaks with an angry expression, interpreted by writers Kazuhisa Fujie and Martin Foster as a representation of Shinji's [[libido]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fujie |first1=Kazuhisa |last2=Foster |first2=Martin |title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Unofficial Guide |year=2004 |publisher=DH Publishing, Inc. |location=United States |isbn=0-9745961-4-0 |pages=151–152}}</ref> Asuka is framed while she has sexual intercourse with her partner, in a position described by an official artbook as "of the cowgirl".<ref>{{cite book|language=ja|title=新世紀エヴァンゲリオン 劇場版原画集 Groundwork of EVANGELION: The Movie|date=January 18, 2002 |volume=2|isbn= 4903713059|publisher=Gainax|page=98}}</ref> According to an official card game, moreover, neither Yui, nor Rei and nor Misato could be a woman for Shinji, while Asuka, the only girl equal to him, becomes the center of his desire. Shinji however uses her as an object to console himself and ending up hurting her.<ref>Card H-14, ''Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Card Game'', Bandai (1998).</ref> Despite this, in the last scene Shinji meets Asuka in the new world after the failure of Instrumentality, just as he had wished.<ref>Card H-11, ''Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Card Game'', Bandai (1998).</ref> Asuka's relationship with Rei Ayanami is also conflictual. She despises Rei, calling her {{nihongo|"Miss Perfect"|優等生|yūtōsei|literally "honor student"}} and "mechanical puppet girl".<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=8|page=45|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Encyclopedia|last=Cannarsi|first=Gualtiero|volume=6|page=21|publisher=Dynamic Italia|language=it}}</ref> In a scene from the twenty-second episode, Rei and Asuka are left alone in an elevator; Rei states she is ready to die for Commander Gendō Ikari, provoking Asuka's anger, who slaps her and says she has hated her from the moment they met.<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=8|page=12|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref> Shortly thereafter, Rei helps her during the fight against Arael, an act that destroys her already wounded pride.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.style.fm/as/05_column/animesama55.shtml|script-title=ja:第55回 エヴァ雑記「第弐拾弐話 せめて、人間らしく」|language=ja|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-date=May 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518110042/http://style.fm/as/05_column/animesama55.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{multiple image
| footer   = Asuka has been associated with [[Ama-no-Uzume]], a [[Shinto]] deity linked to dance and sensuality, as well as to the red color, typical of the lining of some [[kimono]]. 
| image1   = The Goddess Uzume with Rooster and Mirror (Harvard Art Museums).jpeg
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| image2   = Edward Atkinson Hornel - Two Geisha Girls 1894.jpg
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Her ostentatious competitiveness originates from her childhood experiences, marked by the mental illness and the suicide of her mother, Kyōko.<ref name="Miller">{{cite book|last=Miller|first=Gerald Alva Jr.|title=Exploring the Limits of the Human Through Science Fiction|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|date=2012|isbn=978-1-137-26285-1|page=85}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=22|page=6|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref> Asuka faced her loss by immersing herself in pride, becoming indisposed to any kind of help or advice and adopting strength and self-affirmation as her only ''raison d'être''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Death & Rebirth Program Book|chapter=溶け合う心が私を壊す|date=1997|editor=Gainax|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|date=1997|editor=Gainax|language=ja|title=The End of Evangelion Theatralical Pamphlet|script-chapter=ja:用語集}}</ref> Tormented "by the fear of not being necessary",<ref>{{cite journal|title=汚された心|journal=Death & Rebirth Program Book (Special Edition)|date=1997|editor=Gainax|language=ja}}</ref> she pilots Unit-02 only to satisfy her intimate desire for acceptance, longing to be considered "an elite pilot who will protect humanity".<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=12|page=6|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref> She also wants to be recognized by others through her role as a pilot<ref>{{cite book |title=Newtype Complete 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン |publisher=Kadokawa Shoten |year=2005 |language=ja |pages=93–94}}</ref> and has been described as a perfectionist.<ref>{{cite book |title=Newtype Complete 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン |publisher=Kadokawa Shoten |year=2005 |language=ja |pages=96–97}}</ref> Her excessive self-confidence leads her to clash with Shinji,{{sfn|Poggio|2008|pp=32–33}}<ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side A|language=fr|pages=16–17|publisher=Glénat|date=2009|isbn=978-2-7234-7120-6}}</ref> gradually losing self-confidence<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Encyclopedia|last=Cannarsi|first=Gualtiero|volume=5|pages=16–17|publisher=Dynamic Italia|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/anime/eva/story.html|script-title=ja:新世紀エヴァンゲリオン – Story|language=ja|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924020455/http://www.gainax.co.jp/anime/eva/story.html|archive-date=September 24, 2015 |title=Gainax Net }}</ref> and becoming psychologically and physically compromised.{{sfn|Poggio|2008|p=31}}<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Death & Rebirth Program Book|script-title=ja:登場人物|date=1997|editor=Gainax|language=ja}}</ref> The Fourth Child's selection, Tōji Suzuhara, also contributes to the destruction of her pride.<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=6|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=33}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side B|language=fr|page=52|publisher=Glénat|date=2010|isbn=978-2-7234-7121-3}}</ref> After she learns of Kaji's death,{{sfn|Poggio|2008|p=91}} she questions the meaning of her life and her identity,<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=8|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=4}}</ref> avoiding any kind of human contact and never meeting the gaze of other people.<ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=9|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|pages=6, 14}}</ref>

Overwhelmed by the fear of being alone,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side B|language=fr|pages=82–83|publisher=Glénat|date=2010|isbn=978-2-7234-7121-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book|volume=9|language=ja|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=18}}</ref> the young woman shows that she has a great and morbid need for the Eva, even more than her colleague Shinji has. In a scene from the twenty-fifth episode, she excoriates the Evangelion unit as a "worthless piece of junk", but immediately admits "I'm the junk".<ref>{{cite journal|last=Napier|first=Susan J.|author-link=Susan J. Napier|date=November 2002|title=When the Machines Stop: Fantasy, Reality, and Terminal Identity in ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' and ''Serial Experiments Lain''|journal=Science Fiction Studies|volume=29|issue=88|url=http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/abstracts/a88.htm#Napier|access-date=May 4, 2007|issn=0091-7729|page=426|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626203404/https://www.depauw.edu/sfs/abstracts/a88.htm#Napier|url-status=live}}</ref> In the director's cut version of the twenty-second episode, two scenes set in the ninth and fifteenth episodes were added, in which Asuka appears frustrated in front of the sliding door of her room and after the kiss with Shinji; from Asuka's dialogue that overlaps these scenes, it becomes clear that she has been looking for help and love from Shinji.<ref name=Ep22/> Her self-love represents an act of psychological [[compensation (psychology)|compensation]] to be recognized in the eyes of other people. After her mother's mental illness, she represses her sadness and eventually decides to not cry anymore and to behave like an adult with a [[reaction formation]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=22|page=23|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref> Her memories related to her past and her mother are [[repression (psychology)|repressed]] and removed from her [[consciousness]] during this phase.<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=29|page=29|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref> In the last episodes, Asuka completely loses her self-confidence. She develops a deep disgust with herself and suffers from [[separation anxiety]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Evangelion Chronicle|volume=25|page=25|publisher=Sony Magazines|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side B|language=fr|page=86|publisher=Glénat|date=2010|isbn=978-2-7234-7121-3}}</ref> The caption  {{nihongo|"attachment behavior"|愛着行動|}} also appears in the same episodes. The word [[attachment theory|attachment]] in psychology can also refer to the emotional bond that is established between the mother and her child;<ref>{{cite book|title=Eva Tomo no Kai|volume=13|date=1997|language=ja}}</ref> Asuka therefore boards the Eva-02 like a child who instinctively clings to its mother figure.<ref>{{cite book|language=ja|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Laserdisc Encyclopedia|volume=12|date=1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |date=2021|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Blue Ray Ultimate Edition Encyclopedia|chapter=Episode:25 Do You Love Me?}}</ref>

Miyamura noted that Asuka was not called ''[[tsundere]]'' at the time, but agreed to the definition of her having to hide her feelings in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tamayo|first=Mago|date=August 8, 2014|title=今夜金曜ロードSHOW「ヱヴァンゲリヲン：破」惣流と式波アスカの違いを検証|url=https://www.excite.co.jp/news/article/E1409249614301/|url-status=live|access-date=May 2, 2021|website=エキサイトニュース|language=ja|archive-date=May 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502011816/https://www.excite.co.jp/news/article/E1409249614301/}}</ref> Furthermore, for Japanese philosopher and cultural critic [[Hiroki Azuma]], she is the "symbol of the outside" in the world of ''Evangelion'', taking Shinji away from his comfort zone in the "Nerv family"; in contrast to Rei, who'd play an "imaginary healing" role, Asuka would be an independent person in reality.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Azuma|first1=Hiroki|title=Yūbinteki fuantachi #|last2=東浩紀|date=2002|publisher=Asahi Shinbunsha|isbn=4-02-261378-5|location=Tōkyō|oclc=52031896|pages=225–226|quote=この点から言うと、「 EoE 』はもう感動的大団円。シンジも庵野も他者へ到達した。おめでとう。い 0 し書所収] )。だからアスカは外部を象徴する。逆にレイはシンジ=庵野の分身にすぎない。彼女を選ぶということ彼女は本当に重要なキャラなの。だってあの子は本来物語的にも形式的にも、「エヴァ」世界にとって唯一の異質な存在なんだぜ。まず彼女は第三東京市の外部から到来する。そんなキャラは彼女一人だし(カジは帰国するだけだからね)、...}}</ref> Critics also noted that Asuka is iconographically and psychologically opposed to Rei. Rei has blue hair and red eyes and is often associated with the Moon, while Asuka has red hair and blue eyes and is presented in the eighth episode, "[[Asuka Strikes!]]", silhouetted by the Sun.<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Neon Genesis Evangelion|title=Anime Impact: The Movies and Shows that Changed the World of Japanese Animation|date=2018|first=Chris|last=Struckmann|publisher=Mango Media|isbn=9781633537330}}</ref> Rei is also related to white; writer Claudio Cordella noted how white is associated in Japanese culture with sanctity, light, eternity, while red is the color of sterile sexuality, traditionally chosen by unmarried girls or [[geisha]] for their [[kimono]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Claudio|last= Cordella|chapter=Cyborg e altri simulacri|title=Il volto di Ayanami. Simulacri e macchine pensanti tra Oriente e Occidente |publisher=Delos Digital|isbn= 9788825412178 |date=2020|language=it}}</ref> Japanese psychiatrist Kōji Mizobe linked Asuka's red to menstruation, compared to Rei's white to altruism, attributing Asuka's unstable behavior to a [[narcissistic personality disorder|narcissistic]] or [[histrionic personality disorder]].<ref>{{cite journal|language=ja|first=Koji|last=Mizobe|title=新世紀エヴァンゲリオンにみる思春期課題と精神障害|url=https://www.otemon.ac.jp/var/rev0/0000/5482/center08_mizobe.pdf|date=2011|issue=8|journal=地域支援心理研究センター紀要|publisher=追手門学院大学|access-date=24 February 2021|archive-date=17 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817124825/http://www.otemon.ac.jp/var/rev0/0000/5482/center08_mizobe.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Writer Dennis Redmond instead noted that Shinji's Eva-01 is purple, halfway between Rei's blue Eva-00 and Asuka's 02,<ref>{{cite book|first=Dennis|last=Redmond|date=2004|title=The World is Watching: Video as Multinational Aesthetics, 1968-1995|publisher=Southern Illinois University Press|isbn=0-8093-2535-7|page=151}}</ref> describing Rei as a symbol of an empty and "lyric neonational interiority", while Asuka as a mirror of a pragmatic and "outrageous multinational exteriority".<ref>{{cite book|first=Dennis|last=Redmond|date=2004|title=The World is Watching: Video as Multinational Aesthetics, 1968-1995|publisher=Southern Illinois University Press|isbn=0-8093-2535-7|page=142}}</ref> ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' has written on how the two are different shades of the same spectrum of "feminine", neither of which is good or bad in themselves, and which Shinji must recognize as autonomous individuals by overcoming the [[Madonna–whore complex]] — the inability of some men to see women in their individual nuances, perceiving them dichotomously either as angelic beings or maleficent entities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/1/7/21043182/neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix-anime-meaning-bible-depression-sexuality|title=2019 was the perfect year for the emotional devastation of Evangelion|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=January 7, 2020|access-date=December 30, 2020|archive-date=December 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231051758/https://www.polygon.com/2020/1/7/21043182/neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix-anime-meaning-bible-depression-sexuality|url-status=live}}</ref>

The three Children have been compared to the three stages of the human [[soul]] postulated by the [[Jewish Kabbalah]]: Asuka to ''[[Nephesh]]'', source of animal vitality, Shinji to ''Ru'ah'', the soul, fruit of the raising of man from his purely biological aspect, and Rei to ''Neshamah'', the spirit, fruit of the connection between man and [[God]].<ref>{{cite book|pages=169–170|author1=Cristiano Brignola|author2=Francesco Tedeschi|title=Evangelion for Dummy (Plugs)|date=2020|publisher=Dynit Manga|isbn=978-8833551111}}</ref> Critic Patrick Drazen linked Asuka to [[Ama-no-Uzume]], a [[Shinto]] female deity associated with dance and sensuality.<ref>{{cite book| first = Patrick | last = Drazen|title=Anime Explosion!: The What? Why? and Wow! of Japanese Animation|year=2014|publisher=[[Stone Bridge Press]]|isbn=978-1-61172-013-6| edition = Revised & Updated|pages=298–299}}</ref> Hiroki Azuma also described Asuka and the other characters in the series as "stereotypical characters", with no particular individual or aesthetic characteristics; Asuka, in particular, has been described as a "typical sci-fi anime character".<ref name=Blimp/> According to Azuma, however, with these stereotypical characters Anno would have been able to describe the 1990s.<ref name=Blimp/> Mizobe described her and Shinji as "communicationally disabled", a feature that allowed contemporary Japanese youth to identify with them even twenty-six years after the original series's airing.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mizobe|first=Koji|date=January 29, 2021|title=『エヴァ』がTV放送から26年経っても、若者に「絶大な人気」を誇る理由|url=https://gendai.ismedia.jp/articles/-/79706?page=6|url-status=live|access-date=May 1, 2021|website=現代ビジネス|language=ja|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501102349/https://gendai.ismedia.jp/articles/-/79706?page=6}}</ref> Moreover, for the critic Manabu Tsuribe in ''The End of Evangelion'' she represents for Shinji the Other, another person separated from himself with whom he can never become one. For Tsuribe, the film concludes when Shinji recognizes Asuka as a separate entity.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tsuribe|first=Manabu|title=Prison of Self-consciousness: an Essay on Evangelion|url=http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/tsuribe/anime/critique/evae.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721105429/http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/tsuribe/anime/critique/evae.html|archive-date=2017-07-21|access-date=2019-03-29|website=www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp}}</ref> The Anime Café's Japanese critic Akio Nagatomi, noting how other characters in ''Evangelion'' bear similarities with others from ''Gunbuster'', a previous work by Gainax and Anno, described Asuka as a counterpart to Jung Freud.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=9 May 2021|publisher=The Animé Café|website=Abcb.com|url=https://www.abcb.com/eva/eva_t008.htm|title=Shinseiki Evangelion Review Pages - Episode 8|archive-date=August 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802083531/http://www.abcb.com/eva/eva_t008.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Engineer Yumiko Yano also compared Asuka's dull gaze in the final episodes, locked up in a hospital room after a psychic and emotional breakdown, to the dolls of artist Katan Amano.<ref>{{cite book| date = 1997 | editor = Kaichiro Morikawa | first=Yumino|last= Yamano|chapter=The Strategic Eroticism behind AYANAMI REI - an Insight from the fin de siècle Femininity|title=The Evangelion Style|publisher=Daisan Shokan|language=ja|pages=122–126|isbn=4-8074-9718-9}}</ref>

== Cultural impact ==
=== Popularity ===
{|class="toccolours" style="float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-right:2em; font-size:85%; background:#eee; color:black; width:30em; max-width:40%;" cellspacing="5"
|style="text-align: left;"|If you're an anime fan, you've definitely heard of Asuka, even if you haven't watched ''Evangelion''. She's ranked high in popularity polls for a reason, and it's easy to see why. As one of the more dynamic characters in the show, she commands every scene that she's in ... I first saw this series as a teenager myself, and seeing Asuka at her highs and her lows felt extremely validating. There's a lot of truth to be told in the problems that she has .... The story never forces her to become a cleaner version of herself, but lets her have struggles in a way that not many series would allow. She isn't perfect, far from it, and there's a lot of strength to be found in that.
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| –Noelle Ogawa (''[[Crunchyroll]]'')<ref name="Ogawa">{{cite web|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/it/anime-feature/2019/12/04/why-asuka-is-one-of-the-best-anime-characters-of-all-time|title=Why Asuka is One of the Best Anime Characters of All Time|date=December 4, 2019|publisher=Crunchyroll|first=Noelle|last=Ogawa|access-date=May 7, 2020|archive-date=June 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200602185620/https://www.crunchyroll.com/it/anime-feature/2019/12/04/why-asuka-is-one-of-the-best-anime-characters-of-all-time|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

Asuka appeared in polls on best anime pilots<ref>{{cite web|url=http://recochoku.jp/music_info/20090612.html|title=Recochoku|access-date=May 5, 2020|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329080304/http://recochoku.jp/music_info/20090612.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 29, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-04-05/one-piece-luffy-db-goku-top-fuji-tv-anime/tokusatsu-hero-poll|date=April 5, 2012|publisher=Anime News Network|access-date=May 5, 2020|title=One Piece's Luffy, DB's Goku Top Fuji TV's Anime/Tokusatsu Hero Poll|archive-date=September 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929201017/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-04-05/one-piece-luffy-db-goku-top-fuji-tv-anime/tokusatsu-hero-poll|url-status=live}}</ref> and female anime characters,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-list/2016-10-01/.88388|date=October 1, 2016|title=7 Female Anime Directors Worth Checking Out|publisher=Anime News Network|access-date=May 5, 2020|archive-date=May 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506001315/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-list/2016-10-01/.88388|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Animage]]|publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]]|date=September 1997|title=Top 10|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Animage|publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]]|date=November 1997|title=Best 100|language=ja}}</ref> proving popular among both female and male audiences.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2011-06-29/biglobe-poll/moe-characters-that-make-you-go-crazy|title=Biglobe Poll: Moe Characters That Make You Go Crazy|publisher=Anime News Network|date=June 29, 2011|access-date=May 5, 2020|archive-date=April 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414082306/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2011-06-29/biglobe-poll/moe-characters-that-make-you-go-crazy|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=July 24, 2019|language=ja|access-date=May 5, 2020|url=https://news.merumo.ne.jp/article/genre/8853263|script-title=ja:女子が好きな『新世紀エヴァンゲリオン』キャラクターTOP3/ 1位はなんとあの脇役！|archive-date=September 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930154146/https://news.merumo.ne.jp/article/genre/8853263|url-status=live |newspaper=ニュース&エンタメ情報『めるも』 }}</ref> In 1996 she ranked third among the "most popular female characters of the moment" in the [[List of Anime Grand Prix winners|Anime Grand Prix]] survey by ''[[Animage]]'' magazine, behind Rei Ayanami and Hikaru Shido from ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]''.<ref name="eighteen">{{cite web|url=http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1996.html|script-title=ja:第18回アニメグランプリ［1996年5月号］|publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101019175259/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1996.html|archive-date=October 19, 2010}}</ref> In 1997 and 1998 Anime Grand Prixes, she remained among the top ten female characters; in 1997 she ranked in fourth place, while in 1998 she ranked sixth.<ref name="nineteen">{{cite web|url=http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1997.html|script-title=ja:第19回アニメグランプリ［1997年6月号］|publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101019174636/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1997.html|archive-date=October 19, 2010}}</ref><ref name="twenty">{{cite web|url=http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1998.html|script-title=ja:第20回アニメグランプリ［1998年6月号］|publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]]|archive-date=October 19, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101019175145/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1998.html}}</ref> Asuka also appeared in the magazine's monthly surveys, remaining in the top twenty in 1996,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://animage.jp/old/chara/chara_199608.html|title=1996年08月号ベスト10|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025234615/http://animage.jp/old/chara/chara_199608.html|archive-date=October 25, 2010|access-date=April 18, 2020}}</ref> 1997<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Animage|publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]]|date=March 1997|page=232|language=ja|title=BEST 10}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Animage|publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]]|date=April 1997|title=BEST 10|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=BEST 10|magazine=Animage|publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]]|date=August 1997|language=ja}}</ref> and 1998 polls.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Animage|publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]]|date=February 1998|script-title=ja:明けましてパクト100|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://animage.jp/old/chara/chara_199807.html|script-title=ja:1998年07月号ベスト10|magazine=Animage|access-date=January 27, 2021|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025231856/http://animage.jp/old/chara/chara_199807.html|archive-date=October 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Animage|publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]]|date=August 1998|page=229|language=ja|title=Best Cha-ra 10}}</ref> In 1999, ''Animage'' ranked her fortieth among the one hundred most popular anime characters.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Akemashite best 100!|script-title=ja:あけましてベスト100!|magazine=Animage|date=February 1999|language=ja|publisher=Tokuma Shoten}}</ref>

Her popularity increased after the release of the second ''Rebuild of Evangelion'' movie; in August and September 2009 she emerged in first place and remained the most popular female ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' character in ''[[Newtype Magazine|Newtype]]'' magazine popularity charts,<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Newtype|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|date=August 2009|page=172|language=ja|title=人気女性キャラクターTOP10}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Newtype|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|date=September 2009|page=148|language=ja|title=人気女性キャラクターTOP10}}</ref> while in October she ranked tenth.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Newtype|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|date=October 2009|page=136|language=ja|title=人気女性キャラクターTOP10}}</ref> In a ''Newtype'' poll in March 2010, she was voted the third most popular female anime character from the 1990s, immediately after Rei Ayanami and [[Usagi Tsukino]] from ''[[Sailor Moon]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:新世紀エヴァンゲリオン|magazine=Newtype|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|date=March 2010|pages=24–25|language=ja}}</ref>

In February 2015, almost twenty years after the show first aired, she emerged again on the magazine's charts in sixth place.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=February 2015|language=ja|magazine=Newtype|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|page=105|title=Ranking}}</ref> In 2017, she also ranked sixteenth among the characters Anime! Anime! site readers would "rather die than marry".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/de/anime-news/2017/06/24/japanese-fans-pick-the-ladies-of-anime-they-love-to-marry-and-the-ones-theyd-rather-die-than-marry|title=Japanese Fans Pick The Ladies Of Anime They'd Love To Marry... And The Ones They'd Rather Die Than Marry|publisher=[[Crunchyroll]]|date=June 25, 2017|access-date=May 5, 2020|archive-date=June 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601114832/https://www.crunchyroll.com/de/anime-news/2017/06/24/japanese-fans-pick-the-ladies-of-anime-they-love-to-marry-and-the-ones-theyd-rather-die-than-marry|url-status=live}}</ref> Her line "Are you stupid?" (あんたバカ?, ''Anta baka?'') also became widely used among hardcore fans after her first appearance in the eighth episode.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fujie|first1=Kazuhisa|last2=Foster|first2=Martin|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Unofficial Guide|date=2004|publisher=DH Publishing, Inc.|location=United States|isbn=0-9745961-4-0|page=162}}</ref> In 2021, after the release of the final ''Rebuild'' film, Asuka ranked most popular female character in another ''Newtype'' poll.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=July 2021|title=Ranking|magazine=Newtype|language=ja|page=114|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten}}</ref>

=== Critical reception ===
[[File:Cosplayer of school uniform Asuka Langley Soryu at CWT43 20160814a.jpg|upright=0.9|alt=A fan cosplaying as Asuka|left|thumb|A fan cosplaying as Asuka in 2016]]
Asuka divided anime critics, receiving an ambivalent response. Negative reviews criticized her arrogant, surly and authoritarian character.<ref>{{cite web|first=Andrew|last=Tefft|publisher=Comic Book Resources|website=Cbr.com|url=https://www.cbr.com/asuka-ruined-likability-neon-genesis-evangelion/|title=Evangelion: 10 Ways Asuka Ruined Her Likability|date=9 December 2021|access-date=6 June 2022|archive-date=June 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603041229/https://www.cbr.com/asuka-ruined-likability-neon-genesis-evangelion/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=Comic Book Resources|url=https://www.cbr.com/evangelion-character-likability/|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: Every Main Character, Ranked By Likability|date=December 2, 2020|last=Aravind|first=Ajay|access-date=January 19, 2021|archive-date=January 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121000410/https://www.cbr.com/evangelion-character-likability/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Theo|last=Kogod|date=November 8, 2019|publisher=Comic Book Resources|url=https://www.cbr.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-worst-things-asuka-did/|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: The 10 Worst Things Asuka Ever Did, Ranked|access-date=January 27, 2021|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128061146/https://www.cbr.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-worst-things-asuka-did/|url-status=live}}</ref> While appreciating her for providing "a good dose of comic relief" to ''Evangelion'', Anime Critic Pete Harcoff described her as "an annoying snot".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animecritic.com/evangelion/anr-evangelion.html|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion|last=Harcoff|first=Pete|date=May 26, 2003|access-date=June 29, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215400/http://www.animecritic.com/evangelion/anr-evangelion.html|archive-date=October 4, 2013}}</ref> Raphael See from T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews, who found ''Neon Genesis Evangelion''{{'}}s characterization "a little cliché, or just plain irritating at times", despised Asuka for her arrogant attitude.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=142|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion|last=See|first=Raphael|publisher=T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-date=February 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220172156/http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=142|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Anime Reign'' writer Matthew Perez described her as initially "overly stuck up", but he also appreciated her evolution.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Anime Reign|pages=23–24|volume=1|publisher=World Anime Club|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion|first=Matthew|last=Perez}}</ref> By contrast, ''[[IGN]]'' critic Ramsey Isler ranked her as the thirteenth greatest anime character of all time for the realism of her characterization, saying: "She's a tragic character, and a complete train wreck, but that is what makes her so compelling because we just can't help but watch this beautiful disaster unfold."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/02/04/top-25-greatest-anime-characters?page=3|title=Top 25 greatest anime characters|last=Isler|first=Ransey|page=3|date=February 4, 2014|publisher=IGN|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-date=May 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518092832/http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/02/04/top-25-greatest-anime-characters?page=3|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Comic Book Resources]] included her among the best anime female pilots,<ref>{{cite web|access-date=May 5, 2020|url=https://www.cbr.com/mecha-anime-best-female-pilots/|title=10 Greatest Female Pilots in Mecha Anime|date=April 5, 2020|archive-date=April 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406191433/https://www.cbr.com/mecha-anime-best-female-pilots/|url-status=live}}</ref> describing her as "the best classic ''tsundere'' in ''[[shounen]]'' anime" and "one of the most fascinating characters in anime".<ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 27, 2020|url=https://www.cbr.com/tsundere-characters-classic-shounen-anime/|title=10 Classic Tsundere Characters In Shounen Anime|date=February 28, 2020|archive-date=March 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200316042445/https://www.cbr.com/tsundere-characters-classic-shounen-anime/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 27, 2020|url=https://www.cbr.com/evangelion-asuka-fascinating-character-anime/|title=Evangelion's Asuka Is One of the Most Fascinating Characters in Anime|date=June 29, 2019|archive-date=July 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718191724/https://www.cbr.com/evangelion-asuka-fascinating-character-anime/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Screen Rant]] ranked her among the best ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' characters, praising her development.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Screen Rant|first=Chris|last=Shaddock|date=January 19, 2021|url=https://screenrant.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-best-worst-characters/|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: Best & Worst Characters, Ranked|access-date=January 28, 2021|archive-date=February 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201125522/https://screenrant.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-best-worst-characters/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-characters-worst-best-character-arc/|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Main Characters, Ranked From Worst To Best By Character Arc|last=Mitra|first=Ritwik|date=January 16, 2021|publisher=Screen Rant|access-date=January 28, 2021|archive-date=February 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207134125/https://screenrant.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-characters-worst-best-character-arc/|url-status=live}}</ref> According to critic Jay Telotte, Asuka is "the first credible multinational character" in the history of Japanese science fiction television.<ref name="Telotte">{{cite book|last=Telotte|first=J.P.|title=The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader|url=https://archive.org/details/essentialscience00telo_080|url-access=limited|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|date=2008|pages=[https://archive.org/details/essentialscience00telo_080/page/n140 132]–133|isbn=978-0-8131-2492-6}}</ref> Crunchyroll and Charapedia also praised her realism and personality.<ref name=Ogawa/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.charapedia.jp/article/show/6574/|script-title=ja:強気だけど弱い可憐な美少女「惣流・アスカ・ラングレー」『新世紀エヴァンゲリオン』|language=ja|access-date=May 7, 2020|archive-date=March 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321202340/http://www.charapedia.jp/article/show/6574/|url-status=live |work=キャラペディア-CHARAPEDIA- }}</ref> Asuka's fight sequence against the Mass-Production Evangelions in ''The End of Evangelion'' was particularly well-received by website Anime Critic,<ref name="animecritic">{{cite web|url=http://www.animecritic.com/evangelion/anr-endofevangelion.html|title=End of Evangelion|last=Harcoff|first=Pete|date=June 6, 2003|access-date=June 29, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928080610/http://www.animecritic.com/evangelion/anr-endofevangelion.html|archive-date=September 28, 2011}}</ref> while [[Tiffany Grant]] was praised for her role as Asuka's English voice actress by Mike Crandol of [[Anime News Network]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/end-of-evangelion-dvd|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: End of Evangelion|last=Crandol|first=Mike|date=September 24, 2002|access-date=June 29, 2011|archive-date=April 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405154153/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/end-of-evangelion-dvd|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Animation Insider]] reviewer Eric Surrell commented on Asuka's role in ''[[Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance]]'' (2009), the second installment of the ''Rebuild'' saga, stating that "the arrival and sudden dismissal of Asuka was shocking and depressing, especially considering how integral she was to the original ''Evangelion''".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animationinsider.net/article.php?articleID=2771|title=Evangelion 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance|last=Surrell|first=Eric|work=Animation Insider|date=June 1, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723015134/http://animationinsider.net/article.php?articleID=2771|archive-date=July 23, 2011|access-date=June 30, 2011}}</ref> ''[[Slant Magazine]]''{{'}}s Simon Abrams, reviewing ''Evangelion: 2.0'', responded negatively to Shinji and Asuka's new relationship, "which is unfortunate because that bond should have the opportunity to grow in its own time".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/evangelion-2-0-you-can-not-advance/5245|title=Evangelion 2.0|last=Abrams|first=Simon|magazine=[[Slant Magazine]]|date=January 18, 2011|access-date=December 6, 2013|archive-date=December 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218102038/http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/evangelion-2-0-you-can-not-advance/5245|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[LA Weekly]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Brian Miller appreciated her debut, praising Shinji's "downright charming" courtship.<ref>{{cite web|author=Brian Miller|date=27 January 2011|url=http://www.laweekly.com/film/evangelion-20-you-can-not-advance-2168840|title=Evangelion 2.0: You Can Not Advance|work=L.A. Weekly |publisher=LA Weekly|access-date=26 August 2021|archive-date=December 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202182708/http://www.laweekly.com/film/evangelion-20-you-can-not-advance-2168840|url-status=live}}</ref> The Fandom Post found the character neglected by Anno's script, given the lesser space devoted to her and Mari's introduction,<ref>{{cite news|access-date=20 October 2021|url=http://www.fandompost.com/2011/08/12/evangelion-2-22-you-can-not-advance-uk-anime-blu-ray-review/|title=Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance UK Anime Blu-ray Review|date=12 August 2011|author=Bryan Morton|newspaper=The Fandom Post|archive-date=March 23, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323162742/http://www.fandompost.com/2011/08/12/evangelion-2-22-you-can-not-advance-uk-anime-blu-ray-review/|url-status=live}}</ref> while Renan Fontes from Comic Book Resources judged Asuka Shikinami significantly less interesting than Langley.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=29 August 2021|publisher=Comic Book Resources|url=https://www.cbr.com/rebuild-of-evangelion-improves-original-doesnt/|title=Rebuild Of Evangelion: 5 Ways It Improves On The Original Anime (& 5 Ways It Doesn't)|date=25 November 2019|author=Rehan Fontes|archive-date=October 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023233145/https://www.cbr.com/rebuild-of-evangelion-improves-original-doesnt/|url-status=live}}</ref> UK Anime Network on the other hand found ''Rebuild''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Asuka a more human and easier to empathize with character than that of the classic series.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=20 October 2021|url=http://www.uk-anime.net/anime/Evangelion_2.22:_You_Can_(Not)_Advance.html|title=Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance|date=11 June 2011|publisher=UK Anime Network|archive-date=April 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403235020/http://uk-anime.net/anime/Evangelion_2.22:_You_Can_(Not)_Advance.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Legacy ===
[[File:Asuka Langley Soryu taxi in Sapporo 20130224.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Asuka-decorated taxi in [[Sapporo]]]]

Asuka's character has been used for merchandising items such as life-size figures,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/10/21/evangelion-sim-free-smartphones-and-life-sized-figures-on-sale-at-7-eleven/|title=Evangelion SIM-free smartphones and life-sized figures on sale at 7-Eleven|date=October 21, 2015|access-date=May 5, 2020|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107025829/https://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/10/21/evangelion-sim-free-smartphones-and-life-sized-figures-on-sale-at-7-eleven/|url-status=live}}</ref> action figures,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/astro-toy/2009-01-25/with-rob-bricken/evangelion-aerocat-ex|title=Astro Toy With Rob Bricken: Evangelion Aerocat EX|date=January 25, 2009|access-date=May 5, 2020|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107073630/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/astro-toy/2009-01-25/with-rob-bricken/evangelion-aerocat-ex|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side A|language=fr|pages=118–127|publisher=Glénat|date=2009|isbn=978-2-7234-7120-6}}</ref> guitars,<ref>{{cite web|access-date=May 5, 2020|date=July 1, 2018|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2018-07-01/rock-on-with-evangelion-guitar-cabinets-bass-preamp/.133234|title=Rock on with Evangelion Guitar Cabinets, Bass Preamp|archive-date=August 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808140112/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2018-07-01/rock-on-with-evangelion-guitar-cabinets-bass-preamp/.133234|url-status=live}}</ref> clothes,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2011-01-17/evangelion-plug-suit-based-wetsuits-for-sale-in-japan|title=Evangelion Plug Suit-Based Wetsuits for Sale in Japan|date=January 17, 2011|access-date=May 5, 2020|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107064644/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2011-01-17/evangelion-plug-suit-based-wetsuits-for-sale-in-japan|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/06/16/evangelion-characters-get-their-own-clothing-lines/|title=Evangelion characters get their own clothing lines|date=June 16, 2014|access-date=May 5, 2020|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107021248/https://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/06/16/evangelion-characters-get-their-own-clothing-lines/|url-status=live}}</ref> and underwear, some of which sold out immediately.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/09/24/asukas-official-underwear-sells-out-quickly-on-evangelions-online-store/|title=Asuka's official underwear sells out quickly on Evangelion's online store|date=September 24, 2013|access-date=May 5, 2020|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107020738/https://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/09/24/asukas-official-underwear-sells-out-quickly-on-evangelions-online-store/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-09-10/bome-asuka-figure-gets-usd7000-price-tag/.92777|title=BOME Asuka Figure Gets US$7,000 Price Tag|date=September 10, 2015|access-date=May 5, 2020|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107083816/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-09-10/bome-asuka-figure-gets-usd7000-price-tag/.92777|url-status=live}}</ref> Her action figures proved successful.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/08/27/youre-so-messed-up-complaints-come-after-broadcaster-edits-infamous-evangelion-scene/|title="You're so messed up!" Complaints come after broadcaster edits infamous Evangelion scene|date=August 27, 2014|access-date=May 5, 2020|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107015847/https://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/08/27/youre-so-messed-up-complaints-come-after-broadcaster-edits-infamous-evangelion-scene/|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Japanese writer Kazuhisa Fujie, ''Evangelion''-related household items with the image of Asuka or other female characters of the series have become so popular that they have been put back on the market with a second edition.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fujie|first1=Kazuhisa|last2=Foster|first2=Martin|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Unofficial Guide|date=2004|publisher=DH Publishing, Inc.|location=United States|isbn=0-9745961-4-0|page=126}}</ref> [[Movic]] has also released a [[Cassette tape|cassette]] drama featuring her and Shinji as part of its ''Animate'' series featuring other popular works.<ref>{{cite book |title=E-Mono|publisher=Gainax|page=45|language=ja|date=1997|isbn=4-04-852868-8}}</ref> On February&nbsp;27, 1997, [[Kadokawa Shoten]] published a book dedicated to her entitled {{nihongo|''Asuka - Evangelion Photograph''|ＡＳＵＫＡ－アスカ－ 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン文庫写真集}}.<ref>{{cite web|language=ja|access-date=July 26, 2020|url=https://www.kadokawa.co.jp/product/199999341402/|title=ＡＳＵＫＡ－アスカ－ 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン文庫写真集|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|archive-date=March 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324225246/https://www.kadokawa.co.jp/product/199999341402/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2008, [[Broccoli (company)|Broccoli]] released a video game entitled ''[[Ayanami Raising Project|Shin Seiki Evangelion: Ayanami Ikusei Keikaku with Asuka Hokan Keikaku]]'', in which the player takes on the task of looking after Asuka or Rei Ayanami.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/soft/ayanami.ds/index.html|script-title=ja:PS2版綾波育成計画withアスカ補完計画|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118011356/http://www.gainax.co.jp/soft/ayanami.ds/index.html|archive-date=November 18, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref>

Japanese celebrities cosplayed her during concerts or tours, such as [[Haruka Shimazaki]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nicovideo.jp/watch/nw682547|script-title=ja:ぱるるの『エヴァ』アスカコスプレが、"ヤバい"と話題に|date=July 8, 2013|language=ja|access-date=November 5, 2017|archive-date=March 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324225247/https://news.nicovideo.jp/watch/nw682547|url-status=live |work=ニコニコニュース }}</ref> singer Hirona Murata<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mantan-web.jp/2012/07/29/20120728dog00m200011000c.html|script-title=ja:川島海荷 ： 綾波レイにコスプレ 村田寛奈はアスカに|date=July 29, 2012|access-date=May 5, 2020|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221232143/http://mantan-web.jp/2012/07/29/20120728dog00m200011000c.html|archive-date=February 21, 2014}}</ref> and Saki Inagaki.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-06-08/evangelion-2.22-1.11-rank-no.1-no.2-on-weekly-bd-chart|title=Evangelion 2.22, 1.11 Rank #1, #2 on Weekly BD Chart|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|date=June 8, 2010|access-date=April 11, 2017|archive-date=April 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414162045/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-06-08/evangelion-2.22-1.11-rank-no.1-no.2-on-weekly-bd-chart|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://beauty.oricon.co.jp/trend-culture/trend/news/82120/full/|script-title=ja:エヴァ芸人・稲垣早希が蜷川実花撮り下ろしで初写真集～衣装を脱いだ"素顔"も公開|language=ja|date=November 19, 2010|access-date=April 11, 2017|archive-date=April 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414162336/http://beauty.oricon.co.jp/trend-culture/trend/news/82120/full/|url-status=live}}</ref> Lai Pin-yu, a [[Taiwan]]ese [[Democratic Progressive Party]] and [[Legislative Yuan]] member, held election rallies cosplaying Asuka, gaining popularity.<ref>{{cite news|first= Kim |last= Morrissy |date=13 January 2020|url= https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2020-01-13/cosplayer-activist-lai-pin-yu-wins-seat-at-taiwan-election/.155294 |title= Cosplayer, Activist Lai Pin-yu Wins Seat at Taiwan Election |website= [[Anime News Network]] |accessdate=30 March 2024}}</ref> Asuka's character was parodied by Excel from ''[[Excel Saga]]''<ref name=Telotte/> and some of her aesthetic and character traits inspired other female characters. ''[[Kotaku]]'' writer Richard Eisenbeins listed her as an example of the ''tsundere'' stereotype,<ref>{{cite web|last=Eiisenbeis|first=Richard|date=March 8, 2013|title=How to Identify Popular Japanese Character Types|url=https://kotaku.com/how-to-identify-popular-japanese-character-types-1169085239|url-status=live|access-date=February 27, 2021|website=Kotaku|language=en-us|archive-date=January 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120170950/https://kotaku.com/how-to-identify-popular-japanese-character-types-1169085239}}</ref> a term used to indicate grumpy, assertive and authoritarian characters that nonetheless possess a more gentle, empathetic and insecure side, hidden due to a stormy past or traumatic experiences. Anthony Gramuglia from Comic Book Resources identified her as one of the most popular and influential ''tsundere'' characters, comparing Asuna Yūki from ''[[Sword Art Online]]'', [[Rin Tōsaka]] from ''[[Fate/stay night]]'', Kyō Sōma from ''[[Fruits Basket]]'' and Taiga Aisaka from ''[[Toradora!]]'' to her.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/evangelion-asuka-best-tsundere-character/|title=How Evangelion's Asuka Defined Tsundere Characters for a Generation|last=Gramuglia|first=Anthony|date=October 23, 2020|publisher=Comic Book Resources|access-date=January 19, 2021|archive-date=March 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324225239/https://www.cbr.com/evangelion-asuka-best-tsundere-character/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Gramuglia|first=Anthony|url=https://www.cbr.com/evangelion-rei-or-asuka-best-girl/|date=November 2, 2020|title=Rei Vs. Asuka – Who Is Evangelion's Best Girl?|access-date=January 19, 2021|archive-date=November 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119153246/https://www.cbr.com/evangelion-rei-or-asuka-best-girl/|url-status=live}}</ref> Critics also compared Mai Shibamura from ''[[Gunparade March]]'',<ref>{{cite book|last1=Clements|first1=Jonathan|author-link1=Jonathan Clements|last2=McCarthy|first2=Helen|author-link2=Helen McCarthy|title=The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 – Revised & Expanded Edition|title-link=The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917|date=2006|publisher=Stone Bridge Press|location=Berkeley|isbn=1-933330-10-4|pages=259–260}}</ref> Michiru Kinushima from ''[[Plastic Memories]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/plastic-memories/sub.blu-ray-1/.104833|title=Plastic Memories|first=Martin|last=Theron|date=July 31, 2016|access-date=May 5, 2020|archive-date=December 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207142745/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/plastic-memories/sub.blu-ray-1/.104833|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[D.Va]] from ''[[Overwatch (video game)|Overwatch]]'' game series to Asuka.<ref>{{cite web|author=Allegra Frank|url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/10/15610360/heroes-of-the-storm-overwatch-dva-skins-evangelion|title=Heroes of the Storm skins reveal a love for classic anime|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=May 10, 2017|access-date=May 5, 2020|archive-date=May 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515084042/https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/10/15610360/heroes-of-the-storm-overwatch-dva-skins-evangelion|url-status=live}}</ref>

Japanese band [[L'Arc-en-Ciel]] took inspiration from the character for their song "Anata".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://anibu.jp/eva-character-song-17986.html|script-title=ja:実はけっこうある!?「エヴァ」キャラへ向けた歌！|date=June 17, 2015|language=ja|access-date=May 5, 2020|archive-date=August 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802171543/http://anibu.jp/eva-character-song-17986.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Further references have been identified in other Japanese animated series, including ''[[Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei]]'', ''[[Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku]]'', ''[[Gurren Lagann]]'', and ''[[Sword Art Online]]'', in which a scene of her and Rei in an elevator from the twenty-second episode is parodied.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=20 October 2021|url=https://www.cbr.com/anime-neon-genesis-evangelion-references-homage-tribute/|title=10 Anime That Referenced Neon Genesis Evangelion|date=16 September 2021|first=Angelo|last= Delos Trinos|publisher=Comic Book Resources|archive-date=25 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925040139/https://www.cbr.com/anime-neon-genesis-evangelion-references-homage-tribute/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of Neon Genesis Evangelion characters|List of ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' characters]]

== Notes ==
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== References ==
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