Asuka / Mari Sisters Theory

[BX_293A]

The photograph Fuyutsuki shows Shinji in 3.0 has generated some (as far as I've seen) some really bizarre theories about the woman in the foreground who bears a striking resemblance to Mari, but wears her hair similarly to how Asuka does. I think this woman is Kyoko, the mother of both Asuka and, as I'll try to prove, Mari.

Ignore the obvious difference in surnames and bear with me for a moment.

During her contact experiment with Unit 02, only the maternal part of Kyoko's soul was ripped out and put into the core of Unit 02. What if her life paralleled that of Naoko Akagi? Instead of creating the Magi, which represented three separate parts of Naoko's identity, her soul was ripped into those same three parts; mother (Unit 02), scientist (Unit 05), and woman (Unit 08). Both of their lives also ended in suicide after killing a child, or child surrogate.

Both Asuka and Mari share similar heritage, both are at least 1/4 Japanese and 1/4 European. Though Mari's is assumed to be British and Asuka's obviously German, these could easily just be national identities picked up from where there were raised.

The Sandbox scene in End of Evangelion could be a foreshadowing of this. If Kyoko and Yui knew each other, Shinji, Asuka, and Mari would've known each other as toddlers, before the deaths of their mothers, before they could remember. The dolls are Mari and Asuka, a representation pulled from their mother's psychosis. This figure is specified in the script as Misato, who has since taken over the guiding and maternal role of these two sisters. In the beginning of the scene we see Shinji, "Mari", and "Asuka" with a destroyed pyramid similar to NERV HQ, which Shinji rebuilds, before destroying again. This is a metaphor for what transpires in 3.0; Asuka and Mari are desperately trying to destroy NERV while Shinji mistakenly helps rebuild it, before destroying it again.

This would explain why Mari so easily pilots Unit 02.

Perhaps Kyoko was planning the creation of Wille long before Kaji or Mari were involved.

Anyone else have any thoughts on this, or other theories on Mari's, or the woman in the picture's, identity?

[Dovah]

We're not actually sure if there was any other contact experiments other than Yui's in this series though. I mean, look at the Unit 03. Asuka was able to pilot it but its resident soul was never revealed, if it has one.

[Chuckman]

They're clones, not sisters. Shinji is the only "human" pilot, the others are all manufactured.

That said, I don't expect this to be explicitly stated, or even clarified or expounded on at all.

[BX_293A]

We're not actually sure if there was any other contact experiments other than Yui's in this series though. I mean, look at the Unit 03. Asuka was able to pilot it but its resident soul was never revealed, if it has one.

I don't think we can assume Asuka was able to pilot Unit 03, the entire experiment could have been a product of infection by Bardiel.

They're clones, not sisters. Shinji is the only "human" pilot, the others are all manufactured.

That said, I don't expect this to be explicitly stated, or even clarified or expounded on at all.

I love this theory but not sure how it would account for Mari being as good as, or better, pilot then Shinji.

[ElMariachi]

Interesting, but I don't think that Asuka and Mari are sisters :

First, Asuka is 1/4 German and 1/4 Japanese from her mother, and 1/2 American from her father, while according to the Rebuild website, Mari is 1/2 Japanese and 1/2 British.

As for Kyoko's soul split in three, first we don't know if another contact experiment was made asides Yui, nor we know if the rule saying that the mother's soul must be in the core for it to work still holds true.
It seems that in NTE the Evangelion are much more treated like interchangeable tools and weapons than in NGE, especially after the Time Skip. EVA-01 being the only exception because of Yui's soul inside it and later its deification, it's very explicit when EVA-02 was being frozen by the IPEA, Ritsuko said that as much as pilots, Evangelions are tools that can be changed at will, and she's the one who's almost worshipping the things! That affirmation was later expanded when Asuka became the test pilot for EVA-03, she was the pilot because she volunteered, until then that could have Rei or Shinji the one ending inside it. And after the incident Gendo and SEELE were noticeably pissed off by that loss.(that could be what pushed SEELE to use their trump card and deploy Mark.06 against Zeruel as a failsafe)

I really don't see how you could see a "scientific side" to EVA-05, we just saw it charging headlong Tunniel with a jousting lance...

And for the sandcastle scene in EoE, I think you're reading too much into it : Anno didn't had any intention to continue Evangelion by that point, the idea to make the Rebuild only came to him a decade later.

I love this theory but not sure how it would account for Mari being as good as, or better, pilot then Shinji.

Mari was better than Shinji because unlike hi she enjoy piloting and don't freak out when things get sour, and while Shinji had more piloting hours in a real EVA than Mari at that point, Mari had far more previous training at piloting(the CRC reveals that she had an extensive VR training and have a kill-count of 10 Angels in the simulator).
In 2.22 she still hadn't found her speciality and just charged headlong anything in her path like a berserker, after the Time Skip and 14 years of real piloting she found her way which was long range support(sniper).

[Shinoyami65]

The Sandbox scene in End of Evangelion could be a foreshadowing of this. If Kyoko and Yui knew each other, Shinji, Asuka, and Mari would've known each other as toddlers, before the deaths of their mothers, before they could remember. The dolls are Mari and Asuka, a representation pulled from their mother's psychosis. This figure is specified in the script as Misato, who has since taken over the guiding and maternal role of these two sisters.

I wouldn't say she's really a mother to Mari; they hardly ever talk in Q and never talk in 2.0.

Perhaps Kyoko was planning the creation of Wille long before Kaji or Mari were involved.

Finally, a scheming genius almost on the level of Yui!

Frankly I think the woman is the mother of Mari, mayyybe Asuka, but not both of them.

[Jurrasic]

Sorry, I don't buy it.

Firstly, nothing from the old series should be construed as applying to NTE unless explicitly stated or at least strongly inferred to or hinted at by the cast or scenes in question. Thus the whole 'split soul' thing and the rule that 'mother's souls are in all Evas and required that their child pilot the eva with their mother's soul in it' are not applicable to NTE.

Yui is the only one we know for sure was ever in a contact experiment at all, and it is the presence of her soul that gave Unit 1 the divine spark to evolve into pseudo-godhood when her son expressed enough desire through it. Shinji in Unit 2 or really any other pilot/Eva combo in the same situation as Shinji/Eva 1 were in presumably would not have been able to force pseudo-Godhood and trigger 3I.

Back on topic, the picture Kozo showed Shinji was to show that Rei Ayanami was a clone of his mother Yui, any one else in the photo who is not referred to can only be guessed at, and using that guess as evidence of a theory is just too shaky imo.

But food for thought nonetheless! :)

[fleeting]

I'd have to say the reason Mari is a better pilot was made clear by Rei. You have to open your heart to the Eva. In Mari's desire to pilot, she is opening her heart.

I don't think Asuka is a clone. Shes a robot duh! just look at her super strength when she punched the observation window on Wunder, and when she ripped off the escape hatch on shinjis entry plug (that was way more noise and force then any other plug door has ever used opening).

[Chuckman]

Her strength is clearly angelic in origin. She'll be the end boss that has to die in Final because Anno hates me, personally.

[ElMariachi]

I don't think Asuka is a clone. Shes a robot duh! just look at her super strength when she punched the observation window on Wunder, and when she ripped off the escape hatch on shinjis entry plug (that was way more noise and force then any other plug door has ever used opening).

Yeah, now that you mentions it, the top hatch of the entry plug is nowhere to be seen.
And that was not the secondary door that we saw Gendo and Shinji open in 1.0, that's actually the main hatch of the thing, something opened and closed by a motor... and it looks like she really ripped off the thing!

Man between Asula ripping open hatches and shattering what looks like security glass, and Shinji ripping off the security ring of the seat of his entry plug in 2.0, if a fistfight broke out between them that would be a huge brawl of Street Fighter level!

[nervshatter]

I think it's plausible, We know nothing about either Shikinami or Mari's parents, and the woman in the photo certainly has a resemblance to both of them. Also it is possible that they could share the same mother but have a different father, although Kyoko is 1/4 Japanese and 1/4 German in the TV series, seeing as how we know nothing about her in the rebuild movies her nationality and overall character could be different. For example Kyoko in Rebuild could just be of Japanese heritage while Mari's father is British and Asuka's father is German, additionally Asuka's nationality might not even be American this time.


Edit: Almost forgot to add that there is also this.

SPOILER: Show

[TMBounty_Hunter]

(that was way more noise and force then any other plug door has ever used opening).

Explosive bolts for emergency rescue.

Small hatch has those handle because it's small and light enough for a person to open.

The emergency top hatch is way too damn big for one person to move. Thus it gets the pyrotechnics.
It's not as big as the main plugseat hatch but it's still waaaaay bigger than the pilots or what they can manage.

SPOILER: Show

Also note the smaller side hatch might actually be buried and inaccessable.

SPOILER: Show

[Shinoyami65]

I think it's plausible, We know nothing about either Shikinami or Mari's parents, and the woman in the photo certainly has a resemblance to both of them. Also it is possible that they could share the same mother but have a different father, although Kyoko is 1/4 Japanese and 1/4 German in the TV series, seeing as how we know nothing about her in the rebuild movies her nationality and overall character could be different. For example Kyoko in Rebuild could just be of Japanese heritage while Mari's father is British and Asuka's father is German, additionally Asuka's nationality might not even be American this time.

The official site says Shikinami's place of origin is Germany.

I don't think Kyoko would be the type to cheat on two men of different nationalities, but anything's possible in Rebuild.

[Jornophelanthas]

I think it's plausible, We know nothing about [snip]

The lack of information does not make something plausible. At best, the information that we are given may rule out impossiblity.

Therefore, a case can be made that it is possible that Asuka and Mari are sisters, but the mere possibility does not imply plausibility.

Personally, I am not convinced by any argument meant to enhance such plausiblity so far. Until Asuka's mother in Rebuild has been explicitly identified, I do not support any theory about failed contact experiments resulting in insanity, or even any suggestion that this woman's name is also Kyoko in this continuity.
And the suggestion that the EoE sandbox scene foreshadows a connection between Asuka and Mari is an invalid argument, because it is a case of backwards causation, i.e. it presupposes that a coherent conception of Mari exists in 1995. This is similar to arguing that Neon Genesis Evangelion influenced the content of the New Testament.

[Lonecow12]

I think Mari is a clone of Kyoko in the same way Rei is a clone of Yui.

That way both Shinji and Asuka have clones of their mothers with them as guides.