Asuka Shikinami Langley Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nendoroid
The Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise is a beloved series of anime that originally aired in 1995 that is known for its unique, psychological story and its complex, intriguing characters. Since the original run of Neon Genesis Evangelion and the films that followed, the series has gained a massive following around the world. This popularity grew even more after the release of the Rebuild of Evangelion films, which acted as a brand new retelling of the original Evangelion story. With this resurgence of fans, the demand for new Evangelion merchandise quickly rose, leading to a new wave of apparel, toys, and figures of the series and its characters. Asuka Shikinami Langley (Asuka Langley Soryu in the original television series) is one such character who quickly became known for her proud, fiery personality and iconic orange twin-tails. As a result of her popularity, Good Smile Company would release two different figures of Asuka for their Nendoroid: namely the "Nendoroid Rebuild of Evangelion Asuka Shikinami Langley" and the "Nendoroid Rebuild of Evangelion Asuka Shikinami Langley: Plugsuit Ver."
Nendoroid Rebuild of Evangelion Asuka Shikinami Langley
This recreation of Asuka Shikinami Langley is based on her appearance in the first two Rebuild of Evangelion films. It has her wearing the girls' middle school uniform for Tokyo-3, which consists of a teal skirt with a matching vest, a red ribbon tied around the collar, a white undershirt, and a pair of brown shoes with white socks. This figure also comes with several extra parts, including a school bag, interchangeable hand parts, and face plates to change her expression from happy to angry or playful.
Manufacturer: Good Smile Company
Sculptor: Design COCO
Specifications: Painted, non-scale, articulated ABS and PVC figure with optional parts and stand
Height (Approx.): 100 mm | 3.9"
Nendoroid Rebuild of Evangelion Asuka Shikinami Langley: Plugsuit Ver.
Unlike the previous Nendoroid, this figure is based on Asuka's appearance in the third Rebuild of Evangelion movie, which is set several years after the previous film. In addition to a black eyepatch, Asuka also received a new design for her Unit-02 plugsuit. While it is still mainly red, it also has white, green, orange, and black accents around the chest and upper arms. This figure also comes with a halberd, a military green backpack, a recreation of her Unit-02 entry plug, and face plates to change her expression from calm to shouting or furious.
Manufacturer: Good Smile Company
Sculptor: Design COCO
Specifications: Painted, non-scale, articulated ABS and PVC figure with optional parts and stand
Height (Approx.): 100 mm | 3.9"
About Asuka Shikinami Langley
Asuka Shikinami Langley is the Rebuild of Evangelion counterpart of Neon Genesis Evangelion's Asuka Langley Soryu. While they are largely the same character, there are some notable differences between the two.
About Asuka Shikinami Langley: Background
Like her original counterpart, Asuka Shikinami Langley is a young woman who was trained to become the pilot of Unit-02 from a very young age. Due to her natural skill when it came to piloting Evangelions as a child, Asuka was showered with praise, eventually causing her to become rather proud of her abilities. Aside from being an Evangelion pilot, Asuka also received the rank of Captain of the European Air Force at the age of 14. Asuka is largely known for her fiery, confident, and bossy personality and is not afraid to put herself above others, though she does have a softer side that comes through at times. One of the major differences between Asuka Shikinami Langley and Asuka Langley Soryu is that the former volunteered to become the test pilot of Evangelion Unit-03, which was infected by an Angel. Asuka Shikinami Langley managed to survive the encounter, albeit not without consequences.
About Asuka Shikinami Langley: Abilities
As the designated pilot for Unit-02, Asuka has the ability to control her Evangelion to defeat Angels, the mysterious enemies of humanity. When piloting, Asuka has access to a variety of weapons designed especially for Evangelion Units, such as the versatile Progressive Knife, various firearms, and so on. Later in the film series, Asuka is also able to use Unit-02's "Beast Mode", which was first shown off by Mari Makinami Illustrious. This upgraded version of Unit-02's Beast Mode is much more animalistic in appearance, as it now runs on all four legs, has a tail, and has paws instead of hands.
Other Important Evangelion Characters
Two characters that are notably important to Asuka include Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami.
Shinji Ikari
Shinji Ikari is the protagonist of the Evangelion series and the pilot of the first testing model of Evangelion, Evangelion Unit-01. When Shinji was still young, he lost his mother and was subsequently abandoned by his father, Gendo Ikari. Although this left a massive impact on the protagonist as he grew older, he still follows his father's summons when he suddenly calls for him to come to Tokyo-3. Here, he is told to pilot Unit-01, fight against the Angels, and save humanity from certain extinction, to which he does, albeit begrudgingly. At times, however, the stress of piloting his Evangelion Unit becomes too much for him to bear and he breaks down.
Rei Ayanami
Rei Ayanami is the pilot of the very first prototype of the Evangelion Unit, Unit-00. Her unique bluish silver hair and red eyes make her stand out from the rest of the main cast, as does her enigmatic and mysterious personality. While much of her character is kept hidden from the audience for most of the series, she is depicted as being emotionless and closed off to others, with the exception of Gendo Ikari. Despite her lack of emotion at the beginning of the series, she does seem to learn how to express herself more as time goes on.
Links
Nendoroid Rebuild of Evangelion Asuka Shikinami Langley
Nendoroid Rebuild of Evangelion Asuka Shikinami Langley: Plugsuit Ver.
Mari Makinami Illustrious Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nendoroid
Shinji Ikari Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nendoroid
Kaworu Nagisa Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nendoroid
Rei Ayanami Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nendoroid
Neon Genesis Evangelion - Figures
Asuka Langley Shikinami Neon Genesis Evangelion - Figures
Rei Ayanami Neon Genesis Evangelion - Figures
Misato Katsuragi Neon Genesis Evangelion - Figures
Kaworu Nagisa Neon Genesis Evangelion - Figures
Evangelion - Merchandise
Evangelion Toys - Merchandise
Evangelion T-Shirts - Merchandise
Evangelion Hoodies - Merchandise
Evangelion Cosplay - Merchandise
Evangelion (Neon Genesis Evangelion) Series
Asuka Langley Soryu/Shikinami Series Character
Neon Genesis Evangelion Label
Nendoroid Label
Asuka Shikinami Langley Label
Shinji Ikari Label
Good Smile Company Label