Neon Genesis Evangelion has definitely seen a comeback thanks in part to its inclusion on the streaming service of Netflix, and a recent popularity poll that was held online proved that the most popular character might not be who you think. Among the trio of young pilots who attempted to use the nightmarish mech suits known as the Eva-Units to battle against the extraterrestrial threats known as angels, Shin, Rei, and Asuka really made a lasting impression on fans of the franchise but it seems as though the red haired mech operator has stolen the spot for most popular!
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Asuka Langley Soryu entered as the third and final pilot for the Evangelion mech suits, marking a swift departure from the characters of Shinji and Rei in that she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and had little time to “suffer fools lightly”. Piloting her giant red mech, Asuka met a tragic end during the finale of the series, but was essentially dragged into the new world that was created as the final thing that we saw in the anime series. Not only does Asuka take the top spot, but you might find it surprising which characters appear higher and lower on the list!
NHK revealed the results of their popularity poll, showing that Asuka took the top spot and Shinji Ikari surprisingly came in the fourth spot, proving that just because he is the leading protagonist, that doesn’t necessarily make him the most popular character of Neon Genesis Evangelion! The listing by overall popularity is as follows:
Asuka Langley Shikinami
Kaworu Nagisa
Rei Ayanami
Shinji Ikari
Misato Katsuragi
Mari Makinami Illustrious
Ryoji Kaji
Pen Pen
Maya Ibuki
Gendo Ikari
Neon Genesis Evangelion is a unique series in that it continues to this day with the Rebuild of Evangelion films, that gives us slightly new takes on some of our favorite characters, placing them into altered scenarios that they encountered in the first anime series. Asuka’s personality was able to shine through among fans thanks to her abrasive attitude that was so starkly different from the likes of both Shinji and Rei, though she certainly had her own internal struggles to deal with throughout the franchise.
Who was your favorite character from Neon Genesis Evangelion? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of NERV!