Rei in 3.0 and Beyond

[Mr. Tines]

When watching Madoka episode 6, QB's statement about "You humans are always picky about the placement of your souls." it brought this to mind

No, a Lilin imitation cannot be used.
Their souls' placement is not right for it. [lit. differs (from the usual condition)]

I don't know if the original Japanese was as close as the translations -- if it was, I'm sure Pixiv will eventually spawn Puella Magi Rei Magica.

[TheFriskyIan]

Reading some of the stuff over in the translation thread, I fear for Poka Rei. Seems like Gendo has deliberatly set up her bieng trapped in Unit-01 to get Shinji to do what he needs for his own plans.

That doesn't make sense a little. If he still has the whole Yui plan, why would he go through the trouble of making Rei Q when he could have found a way to save Rei II? I mean, Rei Q is more submissive (only seeming to care about orders), but I doubt the process of making a new Rei is as easy as baking a cake.

[Mr. Tines]

I doubt the process of making a new Rei is as easy as baking a cake.

We seem to have evidence of at least attempted mass production (the room full of heads). It's possible that ReiQ is the one of a thousand or so that were not failures.

[Seele00TextOnly]

...

[Darkwing]

That doesn't make sense a little. If he still has the whole Yui plan, why would he go through the trouble of making Rei Q when he could have found a way to save Rei II? I mean, Rei Q is more submissive (only seeming to care about orders), but I doubt the process of making a new Rei is as easy as baking a cake.

Because if Rei II isn't stuck in Unit-01, then Shinji won't be willing to do whatever it'd take to get her out. Rei Q is because he needs somebody to pilot an Eva for his plan. And as said, she's someone Shinji would go with.

[TheFriskyIan]

Because if Rei II isn't stuck in Unit-01, then Shinji won't be willing to do whatever it'd take to get her out.

But that's where I'm confused, NERV had Unit 01 the whole time, why didn't Gendo try to get Rei II out of their unless he needed her IN THERE for some reason. And more importantly, where is she now if she isn't in Unit 01? If Shinji was still alive all that time, I highly doubt Rei died in there.

[Reichu]

One possibility is that Gendo puppeted Rei 2 into Eva-01 at least in part to cock-block Seele's plans to "resurrect" Lilith. More here.

[Darkwing]

But that's where I'm confused, NERV had Unit 01 the whole time, why didn't Gendo try to get Rei II out of their unless he needed her IN THERE for some reason. And more importantly, where is she now if she isn't in Unit 01? If Shinji was still alive all that time, I highly doubt Rei died in there.

I posted a good summery of my theory over in the Gendo thread, but I don't know how to make a link to specific threads.

Anyways what if boils down to is that part of Gendo's plan involves making Shinji like him. That is to say, for whatever Gendo is up to, he needs the most important person to Shinji stuck in Unit-01, like Yui. That way once Shinji becomes desperate enough to reunite with Rei, Gendo can use it to reunite with Yui. There is probably more to it though.

[Charsi]

That doesn't make sense a little. If he still has the whole Yui plan, why would he go through the trouble of making Rei Q when he could have found a way to save Rei II? I mean, Rei Q is more submissive (only seeming to care about orders), but I doubt the process of making a new Rei is as easy as baking a cake.

You need someone to lure Shinji away from WILLE. Who better than the clone of the person he 3I'd the planet to save?

It plays into the theory... put Yui in Unit 01 (an accident? maybe not). Let Shinji and Rei 2 bond. Stuff Rei into Unit 01. Shinji, obsessed with Rei (in the same way Gendo is about Yui) throws away everything not to get her back, but to join her. Gendo comes along for the ride.

What does that make Unit 01?

An ark. Is it possible Gendo is building an ark and Rei 2 is the bait?

[Eliaskar]

You need someone to lure Shinji away from WILLE. Who better than the clone of the person he 3I'd the planet to save?

It plays into the theory... put Yui in Unit 01 (an accident? maybe not). Let Shinji and Rei 2 bond. Stuff Rei into Unit 01. Shinji, obsessed with Rei (in the same way Gendo is about Yui) throws away everything not to get her back, but to join her. Gendo comes along for the ride.

What does that make Unit 01?

An ark. Is it possible Gendo is building an ark and Rei 2 is the bait?

How would Gendo have planned a scenario of Rei 2 and Shinji being stuck in Unit-01 though? I doubt he planned for Rei to get eaten and then for Shinji to not only run away but come back to save her with God-mode, then merging in Unit-01.

It's too crazy of a plan.

[TheFriskyIan]

You need someone to lure Shinji away from WILLE. Who better than the clone of the person he 3I'd the planet to save?

It plays into the theory... put Yui in Unit 01 (an accident? maybe not). Let Shinji and Rei 2 bond. Stuff Rei into Unit 01. Shinji, obsessed with Rei (in the same way Gendo is about Yui) throws away everything not to get her back, but to join her. Gendo comes along for the ride.

What does that make Unit 01?

An ark. Is it possible Gendo is building an ark and Rei 2 is the bait?

But now Rei is just (It really depresses me to say this) an emotionless doll. That drastic change we had with Rei II just went out the window with Rei Q who only cares about following orders. She's so different that even Shinji should tell after a little bit that "This is not the same Rei".

Not debating with you, just seems like bad writing from my perspective.

[Reichu]

But now Rei is just (It really depresses me to say this) an emotionless doll.

Have you listened to the audio rip, kept up with the script translation, or seen the screenshots that khara have leaked so far? The above statement is pretty off.

With Rei Q, the Rei character has effectively been rebooted, albeit with some phantom awareness of another self (or selves, even?). She's not "emotionless" (what a flagrantly abused word) -- just, typically, detached and clueless. Events at the end of the film seem to shake her up a bit, so we'll see what happens next time...

[svenge]

[Regarding TV/EoE] Now, maybe we're kept in the dark and there were dozens more Rei's between Rei 1 and Rei 2 but that's entirely speculation and has little to nothing supporting it. So if there are more Rei's in Rebuild, why?

One minor point: In the original TV/EoE continuity, Ritsuko's handheld computer (image spoilered below) showed that all the Reis in the Reiquarium were numbered from 004 onwards. Since Rei-3 was already alive, there's no way that there were Reis between Rei-1 (who died at the hands of Naoko Akagi) and Rei-2 (who died in the battle with Armisael).

SPOILER: Show

[Charsi]

How would Gendo have planned a scenario of Rei 2 and Shinji being stuck in Unit-01 though? I doubt he planned for Rei to get eaten and then for Shinji to not only run away but come back to save her with God-mode, then merging in Unit-01.

It's too crazy of a plan.

I don't think he quite planned on Rei 2 to get in there that way. But she's in there and that was (I suspect) the goal. This is outright stated by Fuyutsuki in 3.0, unless I misread the translation...

But now Rei is just (It really depresses me to say this) an emotionless doll. That drastic change we had with Rei II just went out the window with Rei Q who only cares about following orders. She's so different that even Shinji should tell after a little bit that "This is not the same Rei".

Not debating with you, just seems like bad writing from my perspective.

Oh I know she's easily spotted. All she has to do is get him away from WILLE. The initial hook is enough. Once he's away the reality of Rei not being his Rei, and what Fuyutsuki dumps on him... that seems a fairly coldly calculated blow. I wouldn't even put it past them to use Koaru (and 4I) as another deliberate mechanism to wreck Shinji and drive him into some kind of action they want him to take.

Diabolical? Sure. Ruthlessly, even unbelievably manipulative? Sure. Par for the course for Gendo Ikari? IMO, yes. The machinations have always been a hell of a stretch.

[CJD]

One minor point: In the original TV/EoE continuity, Ritsuko's handheld computer (image spoilered below) showed that all the Reis in the Reiquarium were numbered from 004 onwards. Since Rei-3 was already alive, there's no way that there were Reis between Rei-1 (who died at the hands of Naoko Akagi) and Rei-2 (who died in the battle with Armisael).

SPOILER: Show

Ah good catch, I'll edit my post.

[Darkwing]

I don't think he quite planned on Rei 2 to get in there that way. But she's in there and that was (I suspect) the goal. This is outright stated by Fuyutsuki in 3.0, unless I misread the translation...



Oh I know she's easily spotted. All she has to do is get him away from WILLE. The initial hook is enough. Once he's away the reality of Rei not being his Rei, and what Fuyutsuki dumps on him... that seems a fairly coldly calculated blow. I wouldn't even put it past them to use Koaru (and 4I) as another deliberate mechanism to wreck Shinji and drive him into some kind of action they want him to take.

Diabolical? Sure. Ruthlessly, even unbelievably manipulative? Sure. Par for the course for Gendo Ikari? IMO, yes. The machinations have always been a hell of a stretch.

And there may be even another level to it. If Shinji doesn't go along, or tries to avert it, he probably would loose Rei 2 forever, or even worse have to kill her himself as part of a sadistic choice.

[Na7e]

he probably would loose Rei 2 forever

Umm...this is probably going to happen regardless. I mean the last time he tried to get her out, everyone almost died.

[Brutalman]

The vision of Rei that appears to Shinji at the start of 1.11 and - from the latest preview - appears to Rei-Q while she's in a tank is wearing a school uniform, like the visions of Rei 3 that bookend NGE. But as far as I've read Rei-Q never wears that uniform, and given her situation I think it'd be rather odd if she does.

It seems that in Rebuild it's Rei 2 that's appearing. She might already be out, in a sense.

[Darkwing]

Umm...this is probably going to happen regardless. I mean the last time he tried to get her out, everyone almost died.

Yeah, but Gendo exploiting this situation to manipulate Shinji makes him more of a bastard.

Besides if all the die hard Asuka fans could freak out when they thought she had to die, I can grumble a little bit about Rei having to.

[Shinoyami65]

The vision of Rei that appears to Shinji at the start of 1.11 and - from the latest preview - appears to Rei-Q while she's in a tank is wearing a school uniform, like the visions of Rei 3 that bookend NGE. But as far as I've read Rei-Q never wears that uniform, and given her situation I think it'd be rather odd if she does.

It seems that in Rebuild it's Rei 2 that's appearing. She might already be out, in a sense.

Is she appearing from Unit-01's core in some way, or is it a return to the past after an Impact-like event, like in EoE?

Also, whose soul does Rei-Q have? She doesn't have Rei 2's soul, that's for sure. Could it be part of Lilith's soul or just a random soul? In the TV series the Chamber of Guf was empty, preventing just any soul from being used, but it may be different in NME.