Character info

Character name: Asuka Langley Shikinami
Canon: Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition (also called Rebuild of Evangelion)
Canon point & release date: (Shin) Evangelion 3.0+1.01: Thrice Upon a Time, 2021
History: History
CRAU (if applicable): N/A
Powers (no more than 150 words): Asuka is an Evangelion pilot which means that she is not ultimately not human, likely due to piloting an Evangelion. She does not need to eat and she does not age. She can also survive freely in the “L Container” space that covers most of the world and requires ordinary humans to wear hazmat suits. She also may be a little stronger than the average human as she is able to crack a protective window by punching it.

Her left eye contains remnants of the 9th Angel. What this means is unclear other than she can unlock it and pilot her robot More Better but there’s no canon clarity on what this does if not currently piloting an Evangelion. Possibly unleashing a monster into the world? Who knows.

Personality

What is your character most afraid of? How are they defined by this fear? (200-300 words)

Asuka fears irrelevance. The entire Shikinami clone series was decommissioned, leaving her as the sole remaining product of the project. She has lived her life knowing that her worth is dependent on what she can do and what she can produce. One wrong move, one low score, could mean the end for her. Success and failure is literally life and death. So she devotes herself obsessively to her role as an Evangelion pilot, defining her existence by the fate that was handed to her. She graduates college and becomes a Captain in the German army before the age of 18. Despite claiming that she pilots her Evangelion for herself, she wants people to recognize her and acknowledge her accomplishments. Every achievement and every recognition is another barrier against irrelevance,

She knows other people find her driven personality obnoxious and abrasive but it is literally a survival mechanism for her. Asuka uses this as a reason not to connect with or rely on anyone else. She fears that if she lets her guard down, she’ll lose her edge, or that someone will end up subverting her or causing her problems. So she keeps everyone at arm’s length and demands the same impossible standards that she expects from herself. She also has no tolerance for those who claim to do things to please other people and that is a huge source of her conflict with the other Evangelion pilots.

What is your character's greatest desire? How are they defined by this desire? (200-300 words)
Despite the cold and haughty attitude that is born from her fears, Asuka is actually deeply lonely. She has always been set apart from other people and despite trying to embrace it as a path to excellence, loneliness still tugs at the corners of her existence. Piloting Eva is the only way people pay attention to her. She knows it’s the only reason her existence means anything. She is only worth something because of what she can do and not who she is.

Deep down, Asuka desires people to accept and value her for who she is. To tell her that “it’s okay to just be you” and someone she can lean on for comfort. Despite trying to keep these feelings hidden, even from herself, they do leak out from time to time. She seeks comfort in her fellow pilot, Shinji Ikari, and tries to bond with him over why he chooses to pilot.

Even in these moments, she struggles to be vulnerable and state her feelings without a rude front. She knows she is showing weakness and that's deeply dangerous to her need to succeed at all cost, but she can’t stop desiring genuine connections. Her kindest side is visible when she is in pursuit of connection or seeing value in it. She is willing to take part in a piloting test so that another pilot, Rei, can cook a dinner to try and connect Shinji and his father, despite wanting to get praise for cooking a dinner herself. She knows it's important for Shinji to connect with his father and for Rei to understand her feelings towards Shinji.

What is your character's most defining memory or relationship? How are they defined by this relationship? (200-300 words)
Asuka’s most defining relationships are with the other Evangelion pilots, especially Mari Makinami, but her relationship with the Third Boy, Shinji Ikari, is what is given the most actual focus in the narrative. At first, Asuka and Shinji do not get along as Asuka’s bossy and driven personality clashes badly with his meek and unsure nature. However, eventually they begin to bond and appreciate each other for who they are and not just as fellow chosen pilots. Asuka even develops a little crush on Shinji and tries to learn to cook to impress him, cementing him as the first real connection she makes.

Unfortunately, their relationship goes to hell when Asuka is piloting an Evangelion possessed by the 9th Angel and Shinji, knowing she is the pilot, refuses to engage in battle and the possessed Eva is torn apart by Shinji's running an autopilot system. Asuka is furious at Shinji’s inaction, viewing him as too afraid to take responsibility and caring more about keeping his hands clean rather than trying to save her or spare her pain. Asuka carries this resentment over fourteen years. She is constantly cutting towards Shinji and his fear of taking on responsibility and accepting the hardships of the real world, viewing it as childish behavior.

Yet… she still cares for him. She steps up to save him when they locate his Evangelion after it is missing for 14 years. She berates him for his foolish actions, but is the first one to come to his rescue and check that he is okay. She unleashes her anger on him, but constantly checks that he is eating and sleeping. However, they can never again stand on the same ground. She grew up before him and anything that could have been is long buried. But he still remains the first person she opened her heart to.

How will not having memories change your character? What core personality traits, if any, will change? How? (200-300 words)

Asuka will remain somewhat the same on the surface because she has enough basic knowledge about who she is. She knows she’s a member of the army at the end of the world and someone with an important duty and is therefore driven to act and take charge. She’s still unsure of other people and how to let them into her space and her heart but will be much more willing to do so.

In her normal life, she is viewed with suspicion and concern due to being an Eva pilot and she does not regard herself as human any longer. She does not associate with the few people that still survive, viewing herself as a protector and not a member of society. With these memories causing divides, Asuka will integrate herself into the world around her and offer services because she does not have to see herself as the outsider any longer. Asuka is lonely and this is something that she has always secretly desired.

Asuka will also be much less rigid in her approach towards other people. She knows she has something to prove but she doesn’t know what she’s trying to prove. The drive towards quick action will remain but she’ll give others a little more space to shine if she thinks they have skills or ideas to offer.

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Memories

You have 10 memory points. How will you use them?
Type of regain: 2 points.
Memory: Asuka knows her name, military rank and that she is a member of the organization. She knows that she has a specific purpose but does not know what it is.

Type of regain: 2 points.
Memory: Asuka knows she is part of the organization WILLE, which protects the last survivors of humanity after a massive calamity. She knows people give her the side-eye due to some association with the inciting incident.

Type of regain: 2 points.
Memory: Asuka knows she is cursed, and not human, and that is what causes her to look young despite knowing she is older. She also understands that the DSS choker she wears is part of containing this curse.

Type of regain: 2 points.
Memory: Someone failed to act to save her which is the cause for the damage in her left eye. She does not remember what is there but knows it is extremely dangerous and that is ultimately representative of someone else’s failure.

Type of regain: 2 points.
Relationship trappings: She remembers her relationship with fellow pilot Mari Illustrious Makinami (yes that is really her name). Asuka knows they banter with each other and Mari’s easy going nature contrasts greatly with Asuka’s more aggressive nature. She does not remember that they have spent nearly 14 years together at WILLE and that Mari is probably the only person who really understands Asuka and is always looking out for her.