Mari Illustrious Makinami Unit-08 Pilot (Eva Unit-08)
Mari Illustrious Makanami is a character that first appears in the second Rebuild movie, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance). She does not appear in the original series and many aspects of her character are unknown. She is capable of piloting Evangelion Units with incredible proficiency. While most pilots come to resent the act of piloting at one point or another, Mari seems to find the act of piloting an Eva unit incredibly enjoyable. Although it is not thoroughly explained, it is believed that Mari is a part of a third party that is not affiliated with either NERV or SEELE but has a deep understanding of the inner workings of Evangelion units. In the original Japanese dub, Mari is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto, while the English dub cast Trina Nishimura.
Character and Personality
Mari, like most Eva pilots, is around 14 or 15 years old, although her specific age is not given. She wears glasses with red trim and has long, reddish-brown hair that is pulled back into twin-tails. Even when not piloting an Eva unit, she wears a headband that seems to incorporate the headset required to control a unit, although whether or not this is functional or simply just her preferred aesthetic isn’t explicitly stated. Although she is first seen in an intricately designed plug suit colored green, she often wears a suit that is colored a combination of pink, white, and black. Mari is also capable of piloting two different Eva units: Eva-05 and Eva-08. In the original series, this would be thought to be impossible for most people, however, the methods and underlying mechanics used to create and operate Evangelion units are different between the TV series and the Rebuild movies, as they are two different continuities.
In some ways, Mari’s personality is somewhat similar to Asuka Langley Shikinami’s in that she is a fairly energetic individual and is generally confident in her piloting abilities. However, rather than taking pride in her ability and seeking recognition for it like Asuka, Mari seems to pilot her Evangelion Units simply because she enjoys the act of piloting itself. Calling her an “Eva Enthusiast” may be an accurate description of her character overall. When she crash-lands into the protagonist Shinji, she immediately deduces that he is a pilot because he smells like LCL, the fluid used to flood a pilot’s entry plug before the unit is activated. She also displays a profound understanding of Evangelion Units that matches or even exceeds that of NERV, as she activates Evangelion Unit 02’s “beast” mode, which appears to be the ability to control a unit while it goes berserk. NERV appeared to be unaware of this capability. In Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Mari is not afraid to take to the front lines and attack her target head-on, however, in Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, she seems to play support to Asuka by taking long-distance shots with a rifle most of the time. Even in the catastrophic conditions that the third movie is set in, Mari’s character remains largely unchanged. At times, she is seen singing in the midst of preparing for battle in her unit, Evangelion Unit 08, although this seems to draw the ire of Asuka.
Notable Relationships with Other Characters
Shinji Ikari: the main protagonist through both Neon Genesis Evangelion, the Rebuild movies, and many other entries in the Evangelion franchise. Although their interactions are relatively short, they show off the more unusual side of Mari’s character. For example, when she crashes into Shinji, she begins sniffing him and notes that he smells like LCL. Then, just as quickly as she arrives, she runs off, calling Shinji “NERV’s little puppy” and telling him to keep her sudden appearance a secret to everyone.
Asuka Langley Shikinami: The pilot assigned to Evangelion Unit 02 who often works together with Mari. These two seem to have a playful rivalry together, calling each other names like “four-eyes” and “princess” in the middle of battle. That said, they work incredibly well together and they can easily pick up the other’s actions and give support accordingly.
Other Appearances
In addition to her appearances in the Evangelion Rebuild movie series, Mari also made an appearance in the official Evangelion manga in an extra chapter. She was introduced as Shinji Ikari’s mother Yui’s classmate and school rival with a brief story on their background together. This story would show that her age would not match the Mari in the Rebuild movies, and creator Yoshiyuki Sadamoto says that the chapter was just purely for ‘fun’.
Creation of the Character
The introduction of Mari into the Evangelion franchise story and character lineup was not an easy decision. Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno and Evangelion Rebuild movie director, Kazuya Tsurumaki had many disagreements of how they were to portray the character. Originally, Mari was only going to play a very small role. Talk of bringing her more into the framework and act as Asuka’s rival eventually taking over Evangelion Unit 02 were also brought up.