Rei Ayanami's Backstory & Fate in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Explained

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Despite her widespread fame, even to longtime viewers of the anime series, her background and true identity remain a mystery.

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However, this is probably intentional, as Rei Ayanami is intrinsically linked to the concept of knowledge.

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Remember that the more you know, the more you'll understand that you don't know anything at all.

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[{"selector":"#anim-6f274721-0627-4e46-919a-c57269d4b4e6","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9aff8a9d-ccb2-41dd-8669-296cc722a796","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(115.33547%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f017ce23-a5ee-453d-b895-615a42ff80cb [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(1.1116600895862412%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] LCL, the primal matter of life containing Lilith's soul, and Yui, Shinji's mother and Gendo's ex-wife,'s genetic material generated Rei.