In Defense of Rei Ayanami

Rei Ayanami is my favorite Evangelion character. Now I understand how contentious this opinion is, which is why today I’m going to explain the controversy behind Rei’s misguided popularity and then explain why in my opinion, she is the best character in all of Evangelion. We’ll talk about how Ganiax and Hideaki Anno’s procrastination in fleshing her character out had profound ramifications on Rei’s perception as a character. Then we’ll explain the controversy behind the bandaged Fraulein Rei doll and how her sales highlighted a dark truth regarding Japan’s objectification of moé characters. And of course, this wouldn’t be a defense of Rei unless we talk about what truly makes her character more interesting than the likes of Shinji Ikari, Asuka Langley Soryu, Misato Katsuragi, and everyone else! Music Used: Running Up by Aries Beats | Music promoted by Creative Commons / Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-ND 3.0) The Last Second Of Love by | e s c p | Music promoted by Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) short hair by Deoxys Beats | Music promoted by Creative Commons / Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) The Great Battle by Alexander Nakarada | Music promoted by Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Dark Web by yoitrax | Music promoted by Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) Snowfall by Punch Deck | Music promoted by Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) A Sad State Of Freedom by Savfk | Music promoted by Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)