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When Gendo tries to merge Adam's Embryo with Rei to start his version of Third
Impact, Rei rejects Gendo stating that Shinji needs her from inside EVA Unit
01, and that she is not a puppet of Gendo's any longer. What happened after
that is cryptic to me, I'm still trying to piece it together.

Now, Rei knew the reason for her creation, what she was supposed to bring
about when all of the Angels were finally defeated, but she outright rejected
Gendo, and instead tried to aid Shinji during Third Impact, ultimately denying
and overruling her purpose in the grand scheme of things.

What was Rei's reason for abandoning Gendo and aiding Shinji, other than
deciding not be a puppet any more? Did Rei abandon Gendo for Shinji, because
of Yui's maternal instincts kicking in when Shinji called out for her, seeing
that she is a clone of Yui?


CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-22T17:31:59.590
49317
2018-10-23T05:24:28.987
42786
question
neon-genesis-evangelion
Why did Rei abandon Gendo for Shinji?


Well, to explain Rei's actions, we would need to take a deeper look in
multiple aspects of the series, but I can try to give two main reasons.

  * **She warmed up to Shinji during the run of the main series, while realizing the treatment Gendo gave her wasnt real love (she assumed it was, as she had no real contact with human culture).**

After Rei II died in episode 23, it's strongly implied she lost all her
memories, but her soul was still the same, thus she subconsciously had
affections for Shinji and despised Gendo. In episode 24, she is seem casting
an AT field from her own body, a feat of divine level in the series, which
implies she is already finding her true place in the world. And this place
bring us to the next point:

What is the Third Impact and Instrumentality (you said you are puzzled out):
The process discussed by SEELE, Gendo and Fuyu strongly imply that triggering
third is more than destroying the world.

It is revealed that Rei is actually the soul of Lilith, goddess from whom
humanity came from, just like Kaworu was the soul of Adam, god from whom
angels came from, and she is the key to start Third Impact.

When it happens, the one who triggers it, or is in the core of it all, gets to
essentially become the god of Earth. SEELE wanted it to cause Instrumentality
(the merging of all humans into one "sea of souls"), Gendo wanted it only to
see his wife again.

  * **Said position of godhood is strongly implied to be chosen by Lilith-Rei, and given how bad things were with Gendo, and how she had no one else, the only person she could trust giving all that power was Shinji.**

Ultimately, it wasn't a great idea, because Shinji was very suicidal and
completely broken at that moment, having lived the death of all his friends
and metaphysical rejection by Asuka, he wished for death and instrumentality
upon the world.

After a nice chunk of mind-fuck, he seem to regret his actions and tried to
undo it, so people can leave if they want.


CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T05:24:28.987
49322
2018-10-23T05:24:28.987
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answer