Rei Ayanami Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nendoroid

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a franchise that is beloved by many in the anime community for its intense, yet abstract storytelling, complex characters, and the titular mechs, the Evangelion Units. Even though the original anime series began airing in 1995, it has remained relevant in discussion to the present day due to the release of the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, as well as the recent Netflix licensing and re-dub of the original television series. As such, it is no surprise that a wide variety of merchandise based on the Evangelion franchise has been produced. Rei Ayanami is a particularly noteworthy character, as her character design and role in the larger story of Evangelion makes her stand out among the rest of the cast. Due to this, manufacturers such as Good Smile Company produced several figures based on Rei for their Nendoroid line. Two examples of these include the "Nendoroid Rebuild of Evangelion Rei Ayanami" and the "Nendoroid Rebuild of Evangelion Rei Ayanami [Tentative Name]: Plugsuit Ver.".

Nendoroid Rebuild of Evangelion Rei Ayanami

This recreation of Rei Ayanami has her wearing the girls' uniform of the middle school that she and the rest of the students wear while attending class. This uniform consists of a teal skirt, a matching vest with a white undershirt, a red ribbon tied around her collar, and a pair of white shoes with black socks. Although her hair color seems to vary from lavender to silverish blue depending on the given scene, the hair for this Nendoroid is distinct, bright blue, which contrasts well with her dark red eyes. This figure also comes with several additional accessories, like a school bag, a bucket with a cleaning cloth, several pairs of arms and legs, and face plates to change her expression.

Manufacturer: Good Smile Company
Sculptor: Design COCO
Specifications: Painted, non-scale, articulated ABS and PVC figure set
Height (Approx.): 100 mm | 3.9"

Nendoroid Rebuild of Evangelion Rei Ayanami [Tentative Name]: Plugsuit Ver.

Much like the previous figure, this figure depicts the fan-favorite character, Rei, but in an Evangelion plugsuit instead. This particular plugsuit is for Evangelion Mark.09, which made its first appearance in Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo. The suit itself is predominantly black but has red and green accents, as well as "09" printed on the chest area of the suit. In addition, Rei's scythe, a recreation of Mark.09's entry plug, and three face plates are also included.

Manufacturer: Good Smile Company
Sculptor: Design COCO
Specifications: Painted, non-scale, articulated ABS and PVC figure set
Height (Approx.): 100 mm | 3.9"

About Rei Ayanami

Rei Ayanami is a very important character in the Evangelion series. She is known for being the pilot of the prototype Evangelion Unit, Unit-00.

About Rei Ayanami: Background

At the beginning of Neon Genesis Evangelion, little is known about Rei Ayanami aside from the fact that she is an Evangelion pilot. Her unusual bluish silver hair and red eyes, silent personality, and undying loyalty to Gendo Ikari make it hard for other characters like Shinji and Asuka to understand her. As the plot progresses, however, the audience learns that Rei's origin is rather unusual, as she is somewhat of a clone between Shinji's late mother, Yui Ikari, and the second Angel, Lilith. Due to her strange origin, she shares several similarities to the incarnation of Adam, Kaworu Nagisa.

About Rei Ayanami: Abilities

As one of the designated "Children" chosen to pilot Evangelion Units, Rei is capable of controlling Unit-00 and destroying Angels, the enemies of humanity. Although Unit-00 is the prototype unit, it is functionally nearly identical to future models, especially after it was upgraded to Unit-00'. When fighting against Angels, Rei can use weapons designed for Evangelion Units, such as the Progressive Knife, guns, shields, and so on to gain the upper hand against her target. Due to her nature as an Angel-human hybrid, Rei herself is also capable of producing an A.T. Field that is far beyond what any human is capable of.

Other Important Evangelion Characters

Two characters that are notably important to Rei include Shinji Ikari and Asuka Shikinami Langley (Asuka Langley Soryu in the original series).

Shinji Ikari

Shinji Ikari is the main protagonist of the Evangelion series, the pilot of Evangelion Unit-01, and the son of the commander of NERV, Gendo Ikari. At a young age, Shinji lost his mother, Yui Ikari, during the production of Unit-01. Devastated by the loss, Gendo abandoned Shinji for over a decade, leaving only his portable music player with Shinji. This combination of loss and abandonment left a deep impression on Shinji, resulting in him having trouble with believing in himself and others.

Asuka Shikinami Langley

Asuka Shikinami Langley is the pilot of Evangelion Unit-02. Ever since she was a young child, Asuka was trained to eventually pilot Unit-02. She was always praised for her seemingly natural talent when it came to piloting, eventually causing her to become quite proud of her skills. As a result, Asuka often tends to look down on the other Evangelion pilots and heavily dislikes being outdone by others. In the Rebuild series, Asuka chose to be the test pilot for Unit-03, which was unknowingly infected by the Ninth Angel. Although Asuka survived the Angel's attack, she did not escape unscathed, as she is shown wearing an eyepatch from the third movie onward.

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