Feeling the presence of her mother inside Unit-02, Asuka's despair vanished instantly.
Her fighting spirit soared. Piloting Unit-02, she launched a full-scale counterattack against the human jets, tanks, and forces committing massacres outside the base.
In that moment, it was as if—
Unit-02 itself had become an Angel, waging war against humanity.
"Against Angels she hesitates, but against humans she unleashes hell. Asuka and Shinji Ikari are on completely different levels."
"But damn, she's so badass."
"Screw thinking about the plot. With this kind of action, who needs it? Just sit back and enjoy the ride."
"Exactly. Can't understand it? Lie down and chill. Why overthink it?"
"Asuka's fighting to protect everyone in the base. Meanwhile, the male lead's still hesitating about whether to pilot Unit-01 and fight humans. The difference in mindset is huge."
"That's what being a bleeding heart gets you. This is exactly why I hate these weak, soft types. While others risk their lives to fight, they come back and still get morally condemned."
"If you're that afraid of getting hurt, then stay here and die. You hate yourself, right? Hurting others breaks your heart more than hurting yourself—but all of those choices were yours to make, Shinji Ikari. That means it mattered!"
At this crucial moment, Shinji Ikari and Misato were still arguing.
Misato wanted Shinji to fight, but Shinji insisted on giving up on himself.
"If you stand here and do nothing, I'll never forgive you for the rest of my life..."
After saying everything she had to say, Misato kissed Shinji.
That scene—
The fan group exploded:
"I'm jealous."
"Is this coward Shinji manipulating her for a kiss by playing hard to get?"
"Damn this trash, I wanna punch him. Asuka's out there bleeding and fighting, and he's in here sulking?"
"This male lead disgusts me to no end."
"I actually think it's okay! If you see him from the perspective of fairy tales or heroism, yeah, he's disgusting—but if you view him as an ordinary person, he feels real."
"Let's be honest—those who keep saying the male lead is disgusting, are you still expecting 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' to be a power fantasy? Let me be clear: this show has never been about gratification. The whole appeal lies in the protagonist's growth and struggle. And honestly, his struggle may very well end in failure. This isn't a fairy tale—it's a story grounded in harsh reality. If you can't handle that, then just watch it for the visuals."
"Exactly. We're thirteen episodes in, and you're still mad about the main character being 'gross'? That's who he is. A guy with the fate of the world in his hands. If that makes you uncomfortable, go look at real life. Reality's even more disgusting. Many of the most powerful people are far worse than Shinji."
"Shit. My Misato… she got blown up."
"Damn it, Jing Yu, you bastard, another brutal twist."
"This old bastard's going wild. Everyone, mentally prepare yourselves for this episode."
"I'm stunned. Episode twelve killed off Kaworu and Rei. Now, thirteen's taking out Misato and possibly Asuka?"
"What the hell kind of plot is this?!"
As 'Air on the G String' played in the background, Asuka in Unit-02 fought wave after wave of mass-production Evas.
Meanwhile, Shinji was still on his way to Unit-01.
"That dumbass Shinji is always useless when it matters!"
Asuka was in dire straits, about to be overwhelmed and torn apart by the mass-produced Evas—and Shinji was still hesitating.
Still questioning whether he should pilot Unit-01 and fight against humans.
Asuka, even outnumbered, showed no intention of retreating—while Shinji was underground staring at Unit-01 like a clueless idiot.
Deeper underground, Gendo Ikari stood with the third-generation Rei Ayanami. Meanwhile, Ritsuko Akagi, having mentally broken down, was executed on the spot by Gendo.
By this point in the episode, the fate of all the major characters introduced earlier had basically been sealed.
"What the hell is Shinji doing? Selling out his teammates? Our side's ADC is fighting to the death, and he's just sitting in base with his arms crossed?!"
"If I'm not mistaken, isn't Unit-01 physically restrained and unable to move?"
"Bullshit! If you still don't get it by now, Unit-01 responds to his will. Even if restrained, it'll break free on its own if he truly wants to fight."
"Exactly. Remember when it ripped off its own limiters to save Shinji? These little restraints now? Please. It's not that it can't move—it's that Shinji hasn't really decided to save Asuka."
"AAAHHHH!! How can there be a male lead this stupid?! I can't take it anymore!"
"I'm gonna be honest. I really like this show. But this male lead… might just be the most disgusting protagonist I've ever seen. I'm nauseated."
"Asuka, Ritsuko Akagi, Rei Ayanami, Kaworu Nagisa, Misato Katsuragi, even Touji—I like all of them. Even Gendo Ikari, though I don't like him, I don't hate him either. But this Shinji… these past two episodes have made me want to throw up last year's meals."
"Nooo… not Asuka…"
"He's still just standing there. Your girl is about to get murdered by mass-production Evas, and you're still standing there doing nothing?"
"'Your girl'? Don't insult Asuka like that. The war between Team Asuka and Team Rei over who's the true heroine will never end—but keep that idiot male lead out of it. Shinji is Shinji. Leave Asuka and Rei out of his mess."
At the very end of episode thirteen, nine mass-production Evas swarmed Unit-02 and literally tore it apart.
At least half the audience was in shock.
Even so, Asuka never gave in. Outnumbered and overwhelmed, she never surrendered. Her fighting spirit never faded.
"I'll kill you all! Kill you all! Kill you all!"
She was just one step away from triggering Unit-02's berserk mode.
But sadly…
She was pinned to the ground and couldn't finish it.
And at that very moment, the protagonist, Shinji Ikari, was still sulking in the base.
Unit-01's inability to launch had become his excuse to avoid responsibility.
But finally, after hearing the news that Unit-02 had fallen, conveniently, Unit-01 broke free of its restraints and activated on its own.
The fan group went wild:
"Bro, this male lead is the ultimate backstabber."
"Unit-01's soul—his mom: 'You dumbass son, I'm not giving you an excuse to run this time. You wanna pin the blame on me for not activating? Not happening.'"
"Well, yeah, a mom's gotta save her daughter-in-law, even if her son's an idiot."
"She's already dead. What's the point of launching now?"
"This loser is comedy gold."
"Whatever. I've lost all hope for this guy. Let him rot alone forever. Haha. Rei's dead. Misato's dead. Asuka said her piece. Kaworu's dead. Every single person who cared about him is dead—because he's weak, cowardly, and pathetic."
"Sigh, bro, don't get too emotionally invested. Another fan lost it in the group chat. Yeah, this episode really did emotionally devastate the fanbase."
"Man, I got wrecked so bad, I can't even eat my midnight snack."
At the end of episode thirteen, Shinji Ikari, now piloting Unit-01, walks out of the base and sees the remains of Unit-02 scattered across the ground.
Just bits and pieces.
If that's the state of Eva, imagine what's left of Asuka.
Only then does Shinji's mind collapse.
He lets out a tortured, hopeless scream.
The ending song plays.
The long hour is finally over.
This entire episode—from beginning to end—was pure emotional torment for the audience.
The story was simply too brutal.
And just as Jing Yu and Cheng Lie, and Yunteng TV, predicted—
Across the entire Great Zhou entertainment industry, from film critics to media outlets, forums, and everyday viewers—
Over 80% of people began aggressively criticizing Shinji Ikari as a character.
Actually, criticism isn't even the right word—it was outright verbal abuse.
And for Jing Yu, the actor playing Shinji Ikari, his popularity among male stars in the Great Zhou skyrocketed by 30% overnight.
But don't think that means his popularity was a good thing—
They were all haters.
Not even his good looks could shield him from the audience's rage. His social media accounts saw over 4 million new followers—
And together with old fans, they absolutely tore him apart in the comments.