The Rebuild Of Evangelion tetralogy is a follow-up to mecha anime classic, Studio Gainax's Neon Genesis Evangelion. Blurring the line between remake and sequel, the films follow the same premise as the original series but veer off into a radically different narrative as they progress.
One of the most glaring differences is how Rebuild reimagines Asuka Langley Sohryu. Rebranding her as Asuka Langley Shikinami, Rebuild's Asuka shares the same appearance and histrionic, over-achieving personality of Sohryu, but has many differences from her as well.
10 Different: They Have Totally Different Origins
Both Asukas only have their backstories revealed late in the game. Sohryu's is told via nightmare in Episode 22, "Don't Be." The daughter of Gehirn scientist Kyoko Sohryu, Asuka lost her mother's love after an EVA contact experiment sapped Kyoko's sanity. One day, Asuka walked in on her mother hanging from a noose. The scars from this left Asuka unwilling to rely on anyone until she realized her mother's soul was inside Unit-02, protecting her all along.
Asuka Shikinami, however, isn't the daughter of Kyoko. She has no parents and is instead the last of the Shikinami-series clones. As a child, Asuka was jealous of other children who had a love she never experienced. In Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon A Time, she finds a new surrogate father figure in Kensuke.
9 The Same: They Both Pilot EVA Unit-02
It wouldn't be Evangelion without the EVAs themselves. Both Asukas have the ambition to be the greatest EVA pilot ever and their assigned EVA is Unit-02. The two versions of Unit-02 have some minor aesthetic differences, such as white streaks along Rebuild Unit-02's abdomen and forearms that weren't present in Neon Genesis.
In both versions, Unit-02 takes the most damage of the recurring EVAs. In Neon Genesis, the unit is ultimately destroyed by the Mass Production EVAs. In Rebuild, the Unit takes more and more damage across the films until it's just a head, upper chest, and right arm wired into purely robotic armor by the end of Thrice Upon A Time.
8 Different: Shikinami Was The Pilot Of EVA Unit-03, Sohryu Was Not
The point of no return for Evangelion's descent into darkness is Episode 18, "Ambivalence." The newly completed Unit-03, piloted by Toji Suzuhara, is hijacked by an Angel. Shinji has to watch in horror as a remote-controlled Unit-01 smashes Unit-03 and cripples his friend.
Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance adapts this scene, but it's Shikinami piloting Unit-03 instead. The event casts a shadow over Asuka's character for the rest of the series. In Thrice Upon A Time, during WILLE's final clash with NERV, she releases the soul of the Angel trapped within her, evolving Unit-02 into a god.
7 The Same: They're Both Prodigies
Asuka Langley Sohryu is a child prodigy. Before she'd even arrived in Japan, she'd already graduated college over in her native Germany a year prior, all at the age of 13. The only reason she was placed in school alongside the other EVA pilots was for socialization and because she hadn't learned to read kanji yet.
Considering Asuka's coping mechanism is perfectionism, it makes sense she would look to excel in areas even outside EVA piloting. Shikinami boasts a different but similarly impressive resume: she's a Captain in the European Air Force, despite being just 14 like Sohryu was.
6 Different: Shikinami Doesn't Have A Crush On Kaji
Just as Shinji has a NERV guardian in Misato Katsuragi, Asuka had one in Ryoji Kaji. While Asuka is placed under Misato's care once she settles in Japan, her crush on her former guardian never fades. While Kaji clearly cares for Asuka, he barely humors her attraction and pushes her away whenever she threatens to cross boundaries.
In Rebuild, Kaji is only present in the flesh during You Can (Not) Advance, and Shikinami never expresses any attraction to him. Given her different backstory, this makes sense — she doesn't have the same history with Kaji as Sohryu did.
5 The Same: They Both Have The Same Complicated Relationship With Shinji
Shinji and Asuka's relationship is largely the same in both Neon Genesis and Rebuild. They have similar fears and anxieties, but they deal with them in the opposite ways: Shinji is a reserved, passive, wallflower who doesn't dare get close to anyone, while Asuka is an attention-seeker who pushes those she loves away. Any potential for understanding and connection is eroded by miscommunication.
In Neon Genesis Evangelion, Asuka invites Shinji to kiss her, but he breaks away from her embrace. In Rebuild, their breaking point is the Unit-03 incident. Still, they manage to break down each other's walls this time. In Thrice Upon A Time, they both admit they once had crushes on each other, even if the things that have happened since mean they can't be together.
4 Different: Shikinami Becomes Friends With Mari, Who Doesn't Exist In Sohryu's World
The Rebuilds introduce a handful of characters without counterparts in Neon Genesis, foremost among them Mari Illustrious Makinami. Asuka and Mari don't share any scenes in their debut film, You Can (Not) Advance. Instead, Mari takes over as the pilot of Unit-02 after Asuka is rendered comatose during the 9th Angel incident.
However, in the 14 years between Rebuild 2.0 and 3.0, Asuka and Mari have become friends. Both trapped as teens thanks to the "curse of Evangelion," they're the last two EVA pilots for WILLE. They're always fighting together and even have nicknames for each other: Mari calls Asuka "Princess" while Asuka calls Mari "Four Eyes."
3 The Same: They Both Share The Same Hostility With Rei
Asuka's relationships with Shinji and Misato may be complicated, but her relationship with Rei Ayanami is wholly negative. Asuka hates passivity, and only Rei can make Shinji look assertive in comparison. Asuka grows more and more spiteful of Rei while Rei seems indifferent to Sohryu, as she is to most things.
Rebuild recreates the famously awkward elevator scene. This time, when Asuka goes to slap Rei, she catches Asuka's arm. Their mutual interest in Shinji is also more obvious than in Neon Genesis. Asuka even gets Rei to admit that Shinji makes her feel "warm and fuzzy" inside and mocks her for being unable to realize what this means. Shikinami does volunteer to pilot Unit-03 so Rei can host a dinner party for Shinji and Gendo.
2 Different: Shikinami Doesn't Have Sohryu's Hatred Of Dolls
Part of Kyoko Sohryu's mental illness was talking to a doll as if it were Asuka. Even more disturbing, the doll was hanging from a noose in the same room as Kyoko, indicating Asuka's mother was attempting a murder-suicide.
One of the ways Asuka's trauma manifests is through a hatred of dolls and people who let others bend their will, as both Shinji and Rei do. In one of the earliest hints that Shikinami is a different character than Sohryu, she's sometimes shown talking to a doll while in bed during You Can (Not) Advance.
1 The Same: They Both Suffer Eye Wounds
The End Of Evangelion is filled with iconic scenes, one of which being Asuka's battle with the Mass Production EVAs. The battle ends in her defeat when a Lance Of Longinus spirals through Unit-02's head. Asuka's high sync rate means she experiences the same injury.
Even after Asuka has returned from Instrumentality, her eye is bandaged. In the latter two Rebuild films, Shikinami sports an eye patch as a remnant of her possession by the 9th Angel. In Thrice Upon A Time, it's revealed the patch doesn't hide a mundane scar, but rather the essence of the Angel still within her.