>>4327424She acts as the opposing narrative foil to Shinji. Both are just ordinary kids caught up in their parent’s warped expectations of them. Shinji resents his role as pilot but excels at it, while Asuka embraces her role yet often struggles with it. Their differing temperaments and how they deal with their challenges informs the overall theme of finding personal internalized value amidst outrageously unreasonable expectations. Meaning, she’s there to illustrate a central aspect of what the story is about. But nah, she’s not a government spy or space goblin or whatever, so therefore she’s irrelevant.
