Do we like Asuka Langley Soryu?
A character from Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996)
Our score: 6 out of 10. Brash, prickly and often cruel with words, but brave, driven and deeply human. We'd back her, though we'd want to look after her too.
Asuka is a teenage prodigy raised in Germany, trained from childhood to pilot an Evangelion. She arrives in Japan, joins NERV and takes on the giant monsters known as Angels. She is confident, loud and competitive, and she is determined to be the best.
Her bravado is a shield. She needs to be seen as exceptional, and that need drives both her flashes of brilliance and her clashes with the other pilots, especially Shinji. She can be cutting and bossy, but she is also funny, sharp and fiercely committed to the job.
We give her a 6 because the good outweighs the bad. She is courageous and capable, and her cruelty comes from insecurity more than ill will. She is hard to be around, but she is easy to root for.