Movie
Description
Mari Makinami Illustrious is a fictional character introduced in the anime film Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, the second installment of the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy. She is a completely new character with no counterpart in the original Neon Genesis Evangelion television series. Mari serves as an Evangelion pilot for the European branch of the special agency Nerv, which was founded to defend humanity against mysterious beings known as Angels. She debuts piloting the provisional Evangelion Unit 05, later fights using Evangelion Unit 02 in place of Asuka Langley Shikinami, and works for an unknown third party whose motives remain ambiguous throughout much of the story. She is of British and Japanese heritage and requires eyeglasses due to poor eyesight.
Personality-wise, Mari is often cheerful, energetic, and lighthearted. She exhibits a casual, sometimes playful demeanor that contrasts with the more intense and troubled personalities of the other pilots. She is notably the only pilot who openly admits to enjoying piloting an Evangelion, and she demonstrates an unusual fondness for the smell of LCL, the liquid used inside Evangelion cockpits. This enthusiasm extends to her combat style, where she is aggressive, fearless, and tenacious. Despite her seemingly carefree exterior, she is also clever, thoughtful, and enigmatic, hiding a deeper intelligence and awareness of the complex politics and mechanics surrounding Nerv and the Evangelions. On the battlefield, she is brave and ruthless, taunting her opponents and pressing attacks relentlessly even when her Evangelion is heavily damaged. She also shows compassion toward the Evangelion units themselves, addressing them in a gentle tone and bidding them farewell, suggesting an awareness of their sentient nature.
Mari's motivations are not fully explained in the second film. She appears to be acting on behalf of an external organization, and her goals seem to align with a larger scheme that remains hidden from the main characters. She does not appear to be driven by personal trauma or a desire for validation, unlike other pilots; instead, her primary motivation appears to be a genuine enjoyment of piloting and a sense of curiosity. In her first battle, she destroys a rogue Angel by forcing Evangelion Unit 05 into a semi-berserk state before self-destructing the unit to ensure its destruction, all while maintaining a confident and almost playful attitude.
In the story of Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Mari's role is that of a catalyst and a wild card. She first appears at Bethany Base in the Arctic, sortieing against the Third Angel as it attempts to escape confinement. She successfully destroys the Angel by sacrificing Unit 05, then ejects safely. Later, she infiltrates Japan by parachuting onto the roof of Shinji Ikari's school, landing on top of him. During this encounter, she identifies him as a pilot by smelling the LCL on him, calls him "Nerv's puppy," and asks him to keep their meeting a secret. She then disappears until the film's climax, when she commandeers Evangelion Unit 02 with the assistance of the IPEA (a European oversight agency) to intercept the powerful Tenth Angel, Zeruel. In this battle, she demonstrates deep knowledge of the Evangelion's systems by activating Unit 02's Beast Mode, a controlled berserk state that greatly increases the unit's aggression and power. Despite inflicting heavy damage, she is ultimately overwhelmed and incapacitated, leaving the final confrontation to Shinji.
Her key relationships are hinted rather than fully developed in this film. She shares a brief acquaintance with Ryoji Kaji, who appears to have some connection to her mission. Her interactions with Shinji Ikari are limited to their brief rooftop meeting, where she treats him with friendly curiosity but also a degree of condescension. She has no direct interaction with Asuka Langley Shikinami in this film, though a rivalry or belligerent friendship is established in later installments. She also has a brief interaction with the higher-ups of Nerv, implying she operates with a degree of autonomy and knowledge that places her apart from the other child pilots.
Development-wise, Mari's character in Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance remains largely enigmatic. She is not given a detailed backstory, and her motivations are left intentionally vague, creating an air of mystery that distinguishes her from the more psychologically explored trio of Shinji, Rei, and Asuka. Her presence in the film serves to introduce new narrative possibilities and to break away from the established dynamics of the original series.
Notable abilities include expert piloting skills that match or surpass those of Asuka, despite her relatively brief on-screen combat experience. She possesses a technical understanding of Evangelion systems that allows her to access advanced functions like Beast Mode. She is resourceful and adaptable, able to switch between different Evangelion units and modify her tactics rapidly. She also shows a capacity for independent decision-making and covert operations, suggesting training beyond standard piloting. Her first plugsuit is a custom green and white design with mechanical tubes linked to Unit 05's cybernetic limbs, while her second plugsuit in the film is pink and white, bearing the number 05 despite piloting Unit 02. Overall, Mari Makinami Illustrious is introduced as a bright, mysterious, and highly capable figure who injects a new energy into the Rebuild of Evangelion narrative.
Personality-wise, Mari is often cheerful, energetic, and lighthearted. She exhibits a casual, sometimes playful demeanor that contrasts with the more intense and troubled personalities of the other pilots. She is notably the only pilot who openly admits to enjoying piloting an Evangelion, and she demonstrates an unusual fondness for the smell of LCL, the liquid used inside Evangelion cockpits. This enthusiasm extends to her combat style, where she is aggressive, fearless, and tenacious. Despite her seemingly carefree exterior, she is also clever, thoughtful, and enigmatic, hiding a deeper intelligence and awareness of the complex politics and mechanics surrounding Nerv and the Evangelions. On the battlefield, she is brave and ruthless, taunting her opponents and pressing attacks relentlessly even when her Evangelion is heavily damaged. She also shows compassion toward the Evangelion units themselves, addressing them in a gentle tone and bidding them farewell, suggesting an awareness of their sentient nature.
Mari's motivations are not fully explained in the second film. She appears to be acting on behalf of an external organization, and her goals seem to align with a larger scheme that remains hidden from the main characters. She does not appear to be driven by personal trauma or a desire for validation, unlike other pilots; instead, her primary motivation appears to be a genuine enjoyment of piloting and a sense of curiosity. In her first battle, she destroys a rogue Angel by forcing Evangelion Unit 05 into a semi-berserk state before self-destructing the unit to ensure its destruction, all while maintaining a confident and almost playful attitude.
In the story of Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Mari's role is that of a catalyst and a wild card. She first appears at Bethany Base in the Arctic, sortieing against the Third Angel as it attempts to escape confinement. She successfully destroys the Angel by sacrificing Unit 05, then ejects safely. Later, she infiltrates Japan by parachuting onto the roof of Shinji Ikari's school, landing on top of him. During this encounter, she identifies him as a pilot by smelling the LCL on him, calls him "Nerv's puppy," and asks him to keep their meeting a secret. She then disappears until the film's climax, when she commandeers Evangelion Unit 02 with the assistance of the IPEA (a European oversight agency) to intercept the powerful Tenth Angel, Zeruel. In this battle, she demonstrates deep knowledge of the Evangelion's systems by activating Unit 02's Beast Mode, a controlled berserk state that greatly increases the unit's aggression and power. Despite inflicting heavy damage, she is ultimately overwhelmed and incapacitated, leaving the final confrontation to Shinji.
Her key relationships are hinted rather than fully developed in this film. She shares a brief acquaintance with Ryoji Kaji, who appears to have some connection to her mission. Her interactions with Shinji Ikari are limited to their brief rooftop meeting, where she treats him with friendly curiosity but also a degree of condescension. She has no direct interaction with Asuka Langley Shikinami in this film, though a rivalry or belligerent friendship is established in later installments. She also has a brief interaction with the higher-ups of Nerv, implying she operates with a degree of autonomy and knowledge that places her apart from the other child pilots.
Development-wise, Mari's character in Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance remains largely enigmatic. She is not given a detailed backstory, and her motivations are left intentionally vague, creating an air of mystery that distinguishes her from the more psychologically explored trio of Shinji, Rei, and Asuka. Her presence in the film serves to introduce new narrative possibilities and to break away from the established dynamics of the original series.
Notable abilities include expert piloting skills that match or surpass those of Asuka, despite her relatively brief on-screen combat experience. She possesses a technical understanding of Evangelion systems that allows her to access advanced functions like Beast Mode. She is resourceful and adaptable, able to switch between different Evangelion units and modify her tactics rapidly. She also shows a capacity for independent decision-making and covert operations, suggesting training beyond standard piloting. Her first plugsuit is a custom green and white design with mechanical tubes linked to Unit 05's cybernetic limbs, while her second plugsuit in the film is pink and white, bearing the number 05 despite piloting Unit 02. Overall, Mari Makinami Illustrious is introduced as a bright, mysterious, and highly capable figure who injects a new energy into the Rebuild of Evangelion narrative.