Asuka Langley Soryu is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise created by Gainax. She first appears in the original anime series, and also appears in the franchise's animated feature films and related media, including video games, the Rebuild of Evangelion films, and the manga adaptation by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. In Japanese, Yūko Miyamura voices Asuka in all her animated appearances and merchandise. In English, Tiffany Grant voices her in the ADV Films dub and Stephanie McKeon voices her in the Netflix dub.
Asuka with her Eva-02 (in the background) as a child (left), as a pilot (center) and in civilian clothes (right)
Early designs for Asuka by mangaka Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, first published in 1993
"Just to let you know, Asuka wasn't the most open-hearted character I've met. When I act Asuka's part, I try to synchronize myself with her 400%. But every time I tried to draw myself in closer synchronization, Asuka would never allow herself to synch with me. Even in the end, she would never step across the line and draw closer to me. One day, I figured out that there was a wall in Asuka's heart." –Yūko Miyamura
A fan cosplaying as Asuka in 2016
Neon Genesis Evangelion (franchise)
Neon Genesis Evangelion is a Japanese media franchise created by Hideaki Anno and owned by Khara. Most of the franchise features an apocalyptic mecha action story, which revolves around the paramilitary organization NERV and their efforts in fighting hostile beings called Angels, using giant humanoids called Evangelions that are piloted by select teenagers. Subsequent works deviate from this theme to varying degrees, focusing more on romantic interactions between the characters, plotlines not present in the original works, and reimaginings of the conflicts from the original works.
Neon Genesis Evangelion (franchise)
Hideaki Anno, creator of the original series and co-founder of Gainax at the World Premiere of Shin Godzilla
Shirō Sagisu, composer of the majority of the franchise’s soundtrack