Reichu, in another topic, wrote:BobBQ wrote:all I have to offer is the Mikasa Hinako theory, and it's pretty much a forgone conclusion that it won't get much support even after I get around to officially proposing it.
I think tbozfan beat you to it with "Sarai". (And just from personal experience: Using a fan-concocted name in a "serious" context is a surefire way to not be taken seriously. It's really not worth it; what are you "trying to prove"?)
The name itself comes from my intention of using this stuff in TToR404, but screw that. Owing to a lack of time on my part, most of this is copypasted from a PM interchange I had about a month back. (Ta very much to you for offering feedback, SSD.)
For the record, this is not an attempt to reverse-engineer what the Gainax writers had in mind so much as my way of patching a plot hole. I'd probably be a proponent of the part-of-Lilith-in-Eva-00 theory if I hadn't thought up MH before it was formulated. I don't think the evidence is terribly strong either way; indeed, what I hope this theory of mine shows is just how easily that evidence can be interpreted in multiple ways. And then, of course, there is the strong possibility that Gainax changed their plans halfway through or never even decided who was in Eva-00, in which case a lot of the evidence is probably worthless. I really don't think it's impossible that the donor was an unshown character, just as Kaji was killed by a random suit.
Mikasa Hinako, according to the eponymous theory, was a four year old girl who died sometime between 2003 and 2014 - most of the years in the middle are part of a very large plot hole - and whose soul was subsequently put into Eva-00. The most likely reasons are that Gendo et al were not entirely thrilled with the results of previous contact experiments, or that they wanted to see if a relatively young soul would allow for better pilot control. It could well have been both.
Unfortunately, Hinako had an autism spectrum disorder, which meant that her behavior once inside the Eva was hardly ideal. In addition to being totally isolated for what could have been a number of years - the period in which Eva-00 had no pilot - she had been transferred at an early age and had only a dim understanding of the world.
Since relevant incidents are fairly sparse in the series, I'll cover them one at a time.
Episode 05: Rei was disturbed by something during or just before the test - possibly an attempted contact by Hinako, as Rei was the only person she could reach - and her reaction triggered violent behavior on Hinako's part, whereupon Eva-00 lashed out at the observation area. She may have been trying to hit both Gendo and Ritsuko because she had learned to associate them with discomfort: they were the ones responsible for overseeing modifications, invasive maintenance and other likely sources of pain.
Episode 14: until this point, Hinako had never been in close contact with anyone except Rei. Because of this, she had never developed a proper image of herself and had, over time, adopted Rei's image as her own. When Shinji tried to synchronize, Hinako presented this borrowed image to him, either as a complaint about the absence of the Other she had adjusted to, or as an attempt at contact. Either way, Shinji's reaction - perhaps influenced by Asuka's taunting - was far more emotional than what she was used to experiencing when Rei was inside, and this led to another violent outburst. Hinako may have been trying to hit Ritsuko again, presumably for the reasons given above and possibly also for what Hinako might have perceived as taking Rei away from her. She might also have tried to hit Rei for leaving her alone with the more turbulent-minded Shinji.
Episode 23: when Rei says "The me inside Eva?", she is referring to Hinako's use of Rei's image as a representation of herself, as she would most likely be unaware of the identity of Eva-00's donor. Note that Armisael did exactly the same thing: in the absence of an appropriate image of self, it copied the appearance of the person it interacted with.
Episode 25: the bug-eyed Rei that appears briefly is a stock image recycled from E14. In the given setting, it has no obvious connection to Eva-00; the overlaying dialog accuses Rei of having a false body and soul, of being a construct. In that context, it was appropriate that Rei be shown confronting a distorted - and therefore visibly 'false' - image of herself, and the BER from E14 happened to fit the bill. This scene, then, has nothing to do with Hinako.
That covers pretty much all the basics. It's still rough in places and probably has a hole or two, but I think it's workable, not that I expect anyone to abandon current dogma.
