<p>Well, to explain Rei's actions, we would need to take a deeper look in multiple aspects of the series, but I can try to give two main reasons.</p>

<ul>
<li><strong>She warmed up to Shinji during the run of the main series, while realizing the treatment Gendo gave her wasnt real love (she assumed it was, as she had no real contact with human culture).</strong></li>
</ul>

<p>After Rei II died in episode 23, it's strongly implied she lost all her memories, but her soul was still the same, thus she subconsciously had affections for Shinji and despised Gendo.
In episode 24, she is seem casting an AT field from her own body, a feat of divine level in the series, which implies she is already finding her true place in the world. And this place bring us to the next point:</p>

<p>What is the Third Impact and Instrumentality (you said you are puzzled out): The process discussed by SEELE, Gendo and Fuyu strongly imply that triggering third is more than destroying the world.</p>

<p>It is revealed that Rei is actually the soul of Lilith, goddess from whom humanity came from, just like Kaworu was the soul of Adam, god from whom angels came from, and she is the key to start Third Impact.</p>

<p>When it happens, the one who triggers it, or is in the core of it all, gets to essentially become the god of Earth. SEELE wanted it to cause Instrumentality (the merging of all humans into one "sea of souls"), Gendo wanted it only to see his wife again.</p>

<ul>
<li><strong>Said position of godhood is strongly implied to be chosen by
Lilith-Rei, and given how bad things were with Gendo, and how she had no one else, the only person she could trust giving all that power was Shinji.</strong></li>
</ul>

<p>Ultimately, it wasn't a great idea, because Shinji was very suicidal and completely broken at that moment, having lived the death of all his friends and metaphysical rejection by Asuka, he wished for death and instrumentality upon the world.</p>

<p>After a nice chunk of mind-fuck, he seem to regret his actions and tried to undo it, so people can leave if they want.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T06:30:15.760Z
Damn. That got deep real quick.
GipsyD
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T05:24:28.987Z
2018-10-23T05:24:28.987Z
XzW
<p>When Gendo tries to merge Adam's Embryo with Rei to start his version of Third Impact, Rei rejects Gendo stating that Shinji needs her from inside EVA Unit 01, and that she is not a puppet of Gendo's any longer. What happened after that is cryptic to me, I'm still trying to piece it together.</p>

<p>Now, Rei knew the reason for her creation, what she was supposed to bring about when all of the Angels were finally defeated, but she outright rejected Gendo, and instead tried to aid Shinji during Third Impact, ultimately denying and overruling her purpose in the grand scheme of things.</p>

<p>What was Rei's reason for abandoning Gendo and aiding Shinji, other than deciding not be a puppet any more? Did Rei abandon Gendo for Shinji, because of Yui's maternal instincts kicking in when Shinji called out for her, seeing that she is a clone of Yui?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-22T22:23:11.817Z
It's hard to answer without making it sound like a high school essay, because it's all in how you interpret the show. I take it to be a sign of her growth as a character, and her realisation that (a) she is an individual being and not just a clone puppet who has to follow orders, and (b) she cares for Shinji and he for her in a way that Gendo never does. The problem is that the whole show is designed to be cryptic, so if you don't understand it then you're probably doing something right.
ConMan
<neon-genesis-evangelion><the-end-of-evangelion>
Why did Rei abandon Gendo for Shinji?
# Why did Rei abandon Gendo for Shinji?
Posted by: username_0 on 2018-10-22
When Gendo tries to merge Adam's Embryo with Rei to start his version of Third Impact, Rei rejects Gendo stating that Shinji needs her from inside EVA Unit 01, and that she is not a puppet of Gendo's any longer. What happened after that is cryptic to me, I'm still trying to piece it together.

Now, Rei knew the reason for her creation, what she was supposed to bring about when all of the Angels were finally defeated, but she outright rejected Gendo, and instead tried to aid Shinji during Third Impact, ultimately denying and overruling her purpose in the grand scheme of things.

What was Rei's reason for abandoning Gendo and aiding Shinji, other than deciding not be a puppet any more? Did Rei abandon Gendo for Shinji, because of Yui's maternal instincts kicking in when Shinji called out for her, seeing that she is a clone of Yui?
**Tags:** neon-genesis-evangelion the-end-of-evangelion
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It's hard to answer without making it sound like a high school essay, because it's all in how you interpret the show. I take it to be a sign of her growth as a character, and her realisation that (a) she is an individual being and not just a clone puppet who has to follow orders, and (b) she cares for Shinji and he for her in a way that Gendo never does. The problem is that the whole show is designed to be cryptic, so if you don't understand it then you're probably doing something right.  
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_2 on 2018-10-23. Score: 5 | Accepted answer
Well, to explain Rei's actions, we would need to take a deeper look in multiple aspects of the series, but I can try to give two main reasons.

* **She warmed up to Shinji during the run of the main series, while realizing the treatment Gendo gave her wasnt real love (she assumed it was, as she had no real contact with human culture).**

After Rei II died in episode 23, it's strongly implied she lost all her memories, but her soul was still the same, thus she subconsciously had affections for Shinji and despised Gendo.
In episode 24, she is seem casting an AT field from her own body, a feat of divine level in the series, which implies she is already finding her true place in the world. And this place bring us to the next point:

What is the Third Impact and Instrumentality (you said you are puzzled out): The process discussed by SEELE, Gendo and Fuyu strongly imply that triggering third is more than destroying the world.

It is revealed that Rei is actually the soul of Lilith, goddess from whom humanity came from, just like Kaworu was the soul of Adam, god from whom angels came from, and she is the key to start Third Impact.

When it happens, the one who triggers it, or is in the core of it all, gets to essentially become the god of Earth. SEELE wanted it to cause Instrumentality (the merging of all humans into one "sea of souls"), Gendo wanted it only to see his wife again.

* **Said position of godhood is strongly implied to be chosen by
  Lilith-Rei, and given how bad things were with Gendo, and how she had no one else, the only person she could trust giving all that power was Shinji.**

Ultimately, it wasn't a great idea, because Shinji was very suicidal and completely broken at that moment, having lived the death of all his friends and metaphysical rejection by Asuka, he wished for death and instrumentality upon the world.

After a nice chunk of mind-fuck, he seem to regret his actions and tried to undo it, so people can leave if they want.
> **Comments:**
> **username_0** (2018-10-23): Damn. That got deep real quick.  
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