Why Asuka never told Shinji that she is a clone?

[deepseawaterport]

After the 3.0+1.0 flashback of Asuka where we see her as a kid in Germany, noticing Shinji as a kid with his father and mother, why she never mentioned her background to him in their time together at nerv before the near third impact? Why she never said that she is a clone, thus causing Shinji to have a much different view of things? If she knew that before Willie creation, why she never mentioned to Shinji that the pilots were emotionally stunted and enginnered on purpose by nerv? Her knowing that would explain her indifference and distance to the other pilots.

She can't be a clone different from the Asuka in 2.0, because she remembers all the events from that period and because she saw Shinji, Yui and Gendo in the past.

[Konja7]

Asuka see Shinji in that flashback, but it doesn't seem they really interact.

When Asuka and Shinji meet in 2.0, there wasn't enough trust between them to tell him that. It's pretty clear Asuka's past is a pretty delicate for her.

[Kendrix]

Why would she explain anything to him?

She's very angry at him; Why would she go 'poor me' and reveal all this super vulnerable stuff about her past?

She definitely seems to have an "If you really cared you should just know" attitude. She doesn't explain why she'd mad, she says, "Do you get why I wanted to smack you?"

I'm pretty sure (but not certain) she only found it out herself during the timeskip. (hence why mini Asuka says in the flashback that she doesn't know her parents not that she was created without them)

[The18°angel]

It's possible that since the whole memory alteration is possible in rebuild that Asuka had her memory changed so she could not remember that

[silvermoonlight]

I would imagine for the same reason Rei never told him, as cloning causes anger in people and fear as well as the deep fear in the person who has been cloned of being treated as less became your not viewed as fully human and easy to replace.

In this way in rebuild Asuka and Rei mirror each other, it's just Rei embraces her new life in the village. Whereas Asuka has become even more of a loner preferring her own personal space, which I wondered had come about due to believing the villages would reject her outright in the same way Rei was deeply distant in the NGE series.

[Kendrix]

It's worth noting that Asuka's behavior isn't really too odd for a combat veteran.

She's irritable/aggressive, she self-isolates, she has no hope ("burial clothes") and hates everything etc.

You get many veterans feeling numb & angry, like they can't take joy in the pleasures of everyday life and feel too changed to connect to normal people.

Except that compounding that in Asuka's case is that she literally can't do pleasant everyday things and looks visibly changed etc.
ppl would mistake her for a child

Though one thing I wish had been included is something like Asuka watching from afar, hidden behind a tree or something, how Hikari hangs her laundry and does normal adult woman things. Or something else acknowledging that they used to be friends.
They were not as close in this continuity but still.

[deepseawaterport]

I would imagine for the same reason Rei never told him, as cloning causes anger in people and fear as well as the deep fear in the person who has been cloned of being treated as less became your not viewed as fully human and easy to replace.

In this way in rebuild Asuka and Rei mirror each other, it's just Rei embraces her new life in the village. Whereas Asuka has become even more of a loner preferring her own personal space, which I wondered had come about due to believing the villages would reject her outright in the same way Rei was deeply distant in the NGE series.

But pokarei never knew that she was a clone, right? I mean, all these internal dialogues in NGE is Rei coming to grips that she is an artificial doll, understanding that.
Meanwhile by Asuka backstory it seems that she knows and admits being the survivor of a batch of failed clones. It seems strange that she doesn't show any familiarity to Shinji in spite of seeing him and being jealous of him in her childhood.

[Kendrix]

Maybe Rei didn't know the specifics of who or what she's copied from but she defs knew she was artificial (and that Gendo had spares in the basement)
That's like her whole character that she knows she can be replaced and cannot escape.
She explicitly states both in 2.0, too

It seems strange that she doesn't show any familiarity to Shinji in spite of seeing him and being jealous of him in her childhood.

She only saw him once from afar, that's not much familiarity.

But note that she hates him on sight, even kicking him right away, and that (unlike her series counterpart) she comes in calling him "Daddy's boy", accusing him of nepotism etc. - which is perfectly consistently with knowing him as "the bosses' kid", wether she read this in a file somewhere, or actually saw him leave a limousine as a kid.
The Ikaris look so much like obnoxious rich people in that flashback that one can't fault little Asuka for loathing them. They're Elon Musk and she's an orphan working in their diamond mines.

[Konja7]

But pokarei never knew that she was a clone, right? I mean, all these internal dialogues in NGE is Rei coming to grips that she is an artificial doll, understanding that.

No. Rei II knows she is an aritficial clone. Rei told Shinji she would be replaced at the end of 2.0.

In 2.0, Rei also mentioned she couln't live outside NERV (she compared herself with the fishes in the aquarium).

[C.T.1290]

It's pretty clear Asuka's past is a pretty delicate for her.

What, with her being a clone and all?

I would imagine for the same reason Rei never told him, as cloning causes anger in people and fear as well as the deep fear in the person who has been cloned of being treated as less became your not viewed as fully human and easy to replace.

Yeah, that life must’ve been tough on her. Some people sees clones as a carbon copy of someone instead of real people.

Meanwhile by Asuka backstory it seems that she knows and admits being the survivor of a batch of failed clones. It seems strange that she doesn't show any familiarity to Shinji in spite of seeing him and being jealous of him in her childhood.

Jealous that he has parents while she was created without any to begin with? That sort of life was really hard on her, not to mention unfair.

[Ray]

The revelation of Asukas backstory about being a clone in the last movie was in my opinion unnecessary and a bit shoehorned in at the last minute. It doesn't detract from the character we got to know in 2.22 and 3.33 but it doesn't really add anything new. Last act reveals that weren't really pre-established are the hardest to pull off well. I would have liked to see more of Asuka's new backstory fleshed out because the glimpses we did see were interesting. But it looks like hinting at a potential spinoff, rather than something they put in because it made sense for a movie meant to stand on it's own. This is a revelation they should have put in movie two or three not the very last part.

[aboose]

In some ways it's been "revealed" already given that Shikinami acts so different than Soryu. The reveal is the viewers catharsis to understand why that was the case, as she probably acts the most different from her original NGE counterpart of any character and that is a bit jarring. But I agree that the actual "reason" wasn't really fleshed out. Being honest, Asuka's character arc isn't done as well as the original, even if the ending does give her some focus. I think that's a genuine criticism. She's a really different character in NTE versus NGE. The movie is 2.5 hours long, but it still felt we didn't get enough Asuka time.

[John]

The whole Shikinami type stuff was to replace Soryu's trauma about her mother from NGE into another kind of trauma that this generation can relate more to. "Always excel, always stomp everyone else to get ahead, you are worthless if you're not the best."

[C.T.1290]

The whole Shikinami type stuff was to replace Soryu's trauma about her mother from NGE into another kind of trauma that this generation can relate more to. "Always excel, always stomp everyone else to get ahead, you are worthless if you're not the best."

Those NERV bastards really screwed her over. I mean, it’s worse in this case: create a series of clones and force them to fight and kill each other for the right to pilot, and then discard the ones who didn’t meet their fucked up expectations. It’s like those just don’t give a shit for ethics.

[nerv bae]

Those NERV bastards really screwed her over. I mean, it’s worse in this case: create a series of clones and force them to fight and kill each other for the right to pilot, and then discard the ones who didn’t meet their fucked up expectations. It’s like those just don’t give a shit for ethics.

Is there evidence in NTE that the Shikinami series of clones were made to kill each other? Either way, I agree that NERV are bastards.

[EvaChero]

err minor point maybe someone can straighten out for me.....we see young Asuka looking at the Ikari family as was stated, so why
was this clone there on her own in the first place I wonder? Or was this the original that was put in the core while the others were cloned from her
and share her memories?? Cloning could have come later and then aged artificially? Surely they weren't already pitting them against one another at that early age? Was just curious what others thought.

[Gendo'sPapa]

Why would she?

She clearly is deeply wounded by this aspect of her personality and I don't know about you all but I don't just casually in conversation throw out "Yo, this personal secret of mine that hurts me and I don't want anyone to know, let me tell you all about"

[Giji Shinka]

The revelation of Asukas backstory about being a clone in the last movie was in my opinion unnecessary and a bit shoehorned in at the last minute. It doesn't detract from the character we got to know in 2.22 and 3.33 but it doesn't really add anything new. Last act reveals that weren't really pre-established are the hardest to pull off well. I would have liked to see more of Asuka's new backstory fleshed out because the glimpses we did see were interesting. But it looks like hinting at a potential spinoff, rather than something they put in because it made sense for a movie meant to stand on it's own. This is a revelation they should have put in movie two or three not the very last part.

People here and on other forums were speculating years ago that Asuka might be clone due to the fact that she is one of the few characters who had their name changed from "Soryu" to "Shikinami" and the name looked very similar to "Ayanami".
Plot wise her being a clone was important for the final impact.
As to what it adds to her character, there are several shots in the flashback where Asuka is alone along with pictures of the clones slowly fading away from the wall which is to reinforce the idea that Asuka was alone and became more lonely and isolated as time went on.

I don't know why you'd want more of her flashback since it conveyed thematically everything it needed to.

[C.T.1290]

As to what it adds to her character, there are several shots in the flashback where Asuka is alone along with pictures of the clones slowly fading away from the wall which is to reinforce the idea that Asuka was alone and became more lonely and isolated as time went on.

I thought the clones were made to compete with each other, and the losers were eliminated, literally speaking. And Asuka’s first priority is to survive the ordeal, not be concerned with her many sisters. And I thought she wanted to be the only one left with the right to pilot.

[Grahsrihajul]

I thought the clones were made to compete with each other, and the losers were eliminated, literally speaking. And Asuka’s first priority is to survive the ordeal, not be concerned with her many sisters. And I thought she wanted to be the only one left with the right to pilot.

For me, it seems like the clones were all put through different tests separately. Given the same tests, but in isolation. The failures were disposed of - that is, either the test itself kills those who fail, or those who failed are killed due to their failure - and the one we saw was the only one who passed those tests. So they had no knowledge of or contact with the others clones.

There's nothing in the movie itself that says this, it was just my take on it.