the basic plot for "Asuka Strikes!" in 1993, when it published a presentation document of Neon Genesis Evangelion titled , which describes "a battle held on the deck of an aircraft carrier" for the eighth installment of the series. Staff originally thought as the title for the installment at the time, which was later changed to the double title and "Asuka Strikes!". Hideaki Anno and Yoji Enokido wrote the episode. Kazuya Tsurumaki directed the installment, Shinji Higuchi drew the storyboards; Masahiko Otsuka worked as the assistant director, while Takeshi Honda served as chief animator. The animation crew also included Hidenori Matsubara, Yoh Yoshinari and Shoichi Masuo, while Mahiro Maeda and Mitsumu Wogi served as character designers. The series' first six episodes left the staff drained and feeling weighed down by the show's heavy mood; Hideaki Anno, director of the series, consequently decided to lighten the show's tone from the seventh and eighth episodes. Anno then inserted Asuka to lighten the installments, introducing her in "Asuka Strikes!" as a sunny, extroverted girl, but without thinking to re-evaluate her character much as in the final episodes of the series and without foreshadowing. The director "didn't completely grasp the character" at first, but she came to life with her recurring lines, "Are you stupid?" and "What a chance!", which were used for the first time in "Asuka Strikes!". Anno also said that he had forgotten about Rei Ayanami while writing the installment, since he did not feel particularly close to the character, so he did not include her in any sequence. Particularly important was the contribution of Higuchi, who had already worked on Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water and was known for the humorous character of his works. Higuchi infused the episode with an adolescent and comic tone, similar to his previous works. The similarities led the crew to refer to "Asuka Strikes!" and the ninth episode of Evangelion as the "island arc" after the Nadia episodes of the same name. The staff also used humorous graphic symbols typical of comedy anime and manga in the episode. In the original intentions of the authors, the Angel who should have fought at sea against Unit 02 was Sachiel, an idea that was set aside and reused for Gaghiel, while Sachiel was then made to appear in the first episode. The official filmbooks of the series noted that Gaghiel's battle with the battleships is