History YMMV / RebuildofEvangelion

* StrangledByTheRedString: How some fans interpreted the reveal that [[spoiler:Mari is implied to be the one that ends up romantically with Shinji at the end of ''3.0 + 1.0''. For a lot of fans, it comes out of nowhere after the movie shoots down the possibility of Shinji ending up romantically with any of his other options with very little build-up (over the whole film series, Shinji and Mari share about 10 collected minutes of screen-time, and even less of that time actually interacting directly with each other) and even less ShipTease between the characters in the end compared to the others. It got to the point that Studio Khara received '''''death threats''''' over the Shinji/Mari ship being canon and not Shinji/Asuka or Shinji/Rei. That said, [[WordOfSaintPaul according to the voice actors]], they were instructed to read the final interaction between as with a platonic tone, rather than a romantic one.]]

* StrangledByTheRedString: How some fans interpreted the reveal that [[spoiler:Mari is implied to be the one that ends up romantically with Shinji at the end of ''3.0 + 1.0''. For a lot of fans, it comes out of nowhere after the movie shoots down the possibility of Shinji ending up romantically with any of his other options with very little build-up (over the whole film series, Shinji and Mari share about 10 collected minutes of screen-time, and even less of that time actually interacting directly with each other) and even less ShipTease between the characters in the end compared to the others. It got to the point that Studio Khara received '''''death threats''''' over the Shinji/Mari ship being canon and not Shinji/Asuka or Shinji/Rei.]]

** Asuka and Mari, though it's pretty one-sided on Mari's end, as she's fond of calling Asuka [[WellExcuseMePrincess "princess"]] and {{Troll}}ing her while maintaining the CatSmile wearing demeanor that made her such a MemeticMolester to begin with.

** While not to the same extent as what [[spoiler:Mari]] got from the Shinji shippers, [[spoiler:Shinji himself has been on the receiving end of this from [[LesYay Asuka/Mari shippers]] thanks the ending of ''3.0 + 1.0'' implying that Mari gets together with him, with shippers feeling like they've been [[BaitAndSwitchLesbians baited]] after the previous films and tie-in merchandise had seemingly teased the possibility of Asuka and Mari, only to dash it at the last minute.]]

* DieForOurShip: [[spoiler:Mari]] has immediately become a target of this from ''all'' the Shinji shippers thanks to the ending of ''3.0 + 1.01'', which [[spoiler:implies the two became an OfficialCouple]].

** For Mari, most fans greatly prefer the idea of [[LesYay Mari getting together with Asuka]] over [[spoiler:the final film's implication of Mari and Shinji getting together]].

*** [[IncrediblyLamePun Arrrgh!suka]]
*** [[Franchise/MetalGear Big Bossuka]]

* AudienceAlienatingEnding: ''3.0 + 1.0'', which was intended to provide a more definitively happy conclusion, ironically ended up becoming just as controversial as ''Anime/EndOfEvangelion''. Some fans felt that the definitive happy ending was out-of-place for a series as dark as ''Evangelion'' and that it should have been more bittersweet, while even those who wouldn't have minded a happy ending felt that [[spoiler:a ResetButtonEnding]] was a lazy way to go about it and that [[spoiler:having Shinji create a new world where everything is happy and perfect]] actively goes against one of the messages of the original series that it is better to face problems head-on than hide from them, instead seeing this as Shinji choosing to run away from his problems. Another controversial element is [[spoiler:Shinji's MaybeEverAfter with Mari; ''many'' fans were upset that the romantic tension and pairings that Shinji had with other characters like Asuka and Rei, which were built up for literal ''decades'', was all seemingly sunk in favor of pairing Shinji with [[StrangledByTheRedString a character he had minimal interaction with]]]] -- that last one actually got Studio Khara '''death threats''' online.

* [[HyperCompetentSidekick Professor Kozo Fuyutsuki]] is the BeleagueredAssistant to Gendō Ikari, one of the heads of NERV, and one of the most composed and brilliant characters in the entire cast. Before the Second Impact, Fuyutsuki was the professor to Gendō, his wife Yui, as well as her best friend Mari, and after Yui's soul was absorbed by the Entry Plug System she devised, Fuyutsuki joined Gendō in attempting to enact the [[AssimilationPlot Human Instrumentality Project]] in order to see her again. As cunning as Gendō but more principled and far less obsessive, Fuyutsuki calmly shatters young hero Shinji's mind over a game of ''shogi'' with the AwfulTruth of the Rei Ayanami clones and Shinji's own mother, thus manipulating the boy into kickstarting the Third Impact for the purpose of his and Gendō's plans. By the finale, Fuyutsuki is single handedly manning NERV's mass-produced Eva military, and proves himself a [[TheStrategist master strategist]] and combatant by engaging WILLE's entire army on his own and nearly managing to come out on top. Even when beaten as Instrumentality begins, Fuyutsuki comes to terms with his loss, happily leaving Mari with the means to help stop Instrumentality, and surrenders to degeneration with nothing but dignity.
* [[CuteAndPsycho Mari Makinami Illustrious]] is a flirtatious and [[BloodKnight disturbingly bloodthirsty]] but [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-meaning]] Evangelion pilot. Introduced tricking NERV into allowing her to pilot the experimental Unit-05, Mari manages to [[CombatPragmatist use the flawed prototype's self-destruct mechanism]] to destroy an Angel as it attacks the testing ground. Combating another Angel by activating a stolen Evangelion's secret backdoor code, Mari elates at the combat, even being casually willing to accept the end of the world when she loses to the beast and Near-Third Impact is initiated. Later joining WILLE to rebel against Gendō Ikari and NERV, Mari proves an expert tactician, reclaiming land NERV has "purified" with L Contamination for humanity to begin living on once again. Mentoring Gendō's own son Shinji and having set her scheme in motion years ago, "Mary/Maria (of) Iscariot" sees him remake the world as a more peaceful place and happily takes her place by Shinji's side, beginning a romantic relationship with him in the finale.

** [[TheStoic Professor Kozo Fuyutsuki]] is the BeleagueredAssistant to Gendō Ikari, one of the heads of NERV, and one of the most composed and brilliant characters in the entire cast. Before the Second Impact, Fuyutsuki was the professor to Gendō, his wife Yui, and best friend Mari, and after Yui's soul was absorbed by the Entry Plug System she devised, Fuyutsuki joined Gendō in attempting to enact the [[AssimilationPlot Human Instrumentality Project]] in order to see her again. As cunning as Gendō but more principled and far less obsessive, Fuyutsuki calmly shatters young hero Shinji's mind over a game of ''shogi'' with the AwfulTruth of the Rei Ayanami clones and Shinji's own mother, thus manipulating the boy into kickstarting the Third Impact for the purpose of his and Gendō's plans. By the finale, Fuyutsuki is single handedly manning NERV's mass-produced Eva military, and proves himself a [[TheStrategist master strategist]] and combatant by engaging WILLE's entire army on his own and nearly managing to come out on top. Even when beaten as Instrumentality begins, Fuyutsuki comes to terms with his loss, happily leaving Mari with the means to help stop Instrumentality, and surrenders to degeneration with nothing but dignity.
** [[CuteAndPsycho Mari Makinami Illustrious]] is a flirtatious and [[BloodKnight disturbingly bloodthirsty]] but [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-meaning]] Evangelion pilot. Introduced tricking NERV into allowing her to pilot the experimental Unit-05, Mari manages to [[CombatPragmatist use the flawed prototype's self-destruct mechanism]] to destroy an Angel as it attacks the testing ground. Combating another Angel by activating a stolen Evangelion's secret backdoor code, Mari elates at the combat, even being casually willing to accept the end of the world when she loses to the beast and Near-Third Impact is initiated. Later joining WILLE to rebel against Gendō Ikari and NERV, Mari proves an expert tactician, reclaiming land NERV has "purified" with L Contamination for humanity to begin living on once again. Mentoring Gendō's own son Shinji and having set her scheme in motion years ago, "Mary/Maria (of) Iscariot" sees him remake the world as a more peaceful place and happily takes her place by Shinji's side, with a romantic interaction in the finale.

* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: The Funimation dubs for the movies, particularly the second one, have been heaped with praise, even from people who hated the dub of the original series.

* MemeticMutation:
** The FanNickname of calling the Second Child Pirate Asuka given her [[spoiler:eyepatch in the ''3.33'' trailer]] is popular among fans.
** Mari's CatSmile seems to be this, being used as the thumbnail for many ''3.33'' trailer videos.
** [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic ~Everybody finds love... in the end...~]] Used as a desperate plea by the fans for the series to not end in complete tragedy.
** Shinji Can (Not) Win, and variations of the (). Normally done to mock Shinji's ButtMonkey status.
** "Shinji, get in the fucking robot!" or "Get in the fucking robot Shinji!" A phrase used by many fans who are confused by the characters's priorities in whether they want Shinji to pilot the EVA or not. It can also be used to make the characters look like jerks who blame Shinji for the damage he causes despite them being the ones who told him to do it. [[http://roxy-lalondee.tumblr.com/post/61608090266/thatsonofamitch-ok-what-the-heck-i-havent Exhibit A]] and [[http://nadiezda.deviantart.com/art/EVANGELION-360853297 B]].
** Fans and imageboards simply titling the infamous piano scene in ''3.33'' as "the gay piano" due to the unbelievably massive amount of HoYay that is in that scene. In fairness, it's hard to ''not'' interpret the scene that way.
** Any variation of "When is EVA 4.0 coming out". Said in a deprecating manner due to the continuous ScheduleSlip.

** Although, [[spoiler: considering Mari is loosely based on Anno's wife and the sheer vitriol between Shinji x Asuka and Shinji x Rei shippers he may have deliberately decided to TakeAThirdOption as a 'Plague On Both Your Houses' response to spite the assholes in both camps.]]

** Because the original ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' is a divisive affair despite its impact and importance, there's also some debate on whether ''Rebuild'' is better or worse than the original series; its lack of the original series' psychological and highly depressing elements -- until ''3.0'' -- makes it more accessible, more fun and easier to follow but also less profound, less unique [[TrueArtIsAngsty and less angsty]]. Some fans who hated ''NGE'' enjoy the ''Rebuild'' movies, and the reverse is also true; generally, people who were disappointed in ''NGE'' [[HypeBacklash despite its reputation]] were won over by ''Rebuild'' (or at least ''1.0'' and ''2.0''), which [[IntendedAudienceReaction seems to have been one reason why the movies were made]].

** In ''3.0 + 1.0'', we have [[spoiler:the original Asuka, who only briefly appears in a vision to her clone. Is she, rather than the Shikinami we know throughout the movies, the ''Rebuild'' version of Asuka Langley ''Soryu''? Or did she have a different name entirely, let alone a different personality from Asuka? What connections does she have to the main Asuka's backstory besides being her clone template, as well as Unit-02 and the original series' Asuka?]] Adding to the confusion, Asuka's official ''Pop Up Parade'' figure from [[spoiler:the beach scene echoing ''End of Evangelion'']] refers to her as merely "Asuka Langley" instead of "Asuka Shikinami Langley" like the vast majority of ''Rebuild'' merchandise, [[spoiler: hinting that the Asuka from that particular scene is supposed to be some sort of "catch-all" incarnation of her]].

** In ''3.0 + 1.0'', we have [[spoiler:the original Asuka, who only briefly appears in a vision to her clone. Is she, rather than the Shikinami we know throughout the movies, the ''Rebuild'' version of Asuka Langley ''Soryu''? Or did she have a different name entirely, let alone a different personality from Asuka? What connections does she have to the main Asuka's backstory besides being her clone template, as well as Unit-02 and the original series' Asuka?]] Adding to the confusion, Asuka's official ''Pop Up Parade'' figure from [[spoiler:the scene echoing ''End of Evangelion]] refers to her as merely "Asuka Langley" instead of "Asuka Shikinami Langley" like the vast majority of ''Rebuild'' merchandise, [[spoiler: hinting that the Asuka from that particular scene is supposed to be some sort of "catch-all" incarnation of her]].

** In ''3.0 + 1.0'', we have [[spoiler:the original Asuka, who only briefly appears in a vision to her clone. Is she, rather than the Shikinami we know throughout the movies, the ''Rebuild'' version of Asuka Langley ''Soryu''? Or did she have a different name entirely, let alone a different personality from Asuka? What connections does she have to the main Asuka's backstory besides being her clone template, as well as Unit-02 and the original series' Asuka?]]

* FanFicFuel: The ending of ''3.0 + 1.0'', and how it changes everything. [[spoiler: In a world with no Angels and Evangelions, where it shows that it's closer to real-life, and the kids were allowed to grow and be normal and probably better-adjusted, there's an infinite possibilities for a million more new stories]].

** Technically, the title itself, ''Rebuild of Evangelion'', is a nickname that just stuck very hard because Anno and other official sources used the term a lot during the promotion for the first film; from all appearances, the term actually refers to how the first film remasters and expands on art and animation from the original series. Considering the movies are simply titled ''Evangelion'' (or ''Evangelion New Theatrical Edition''), it's doubtful that the phrase was meant to refer to the movie series itself. The title has since become AscendedFanon of sorts, as the Blu-ray for the Japanese version of the third movie includes it in the credit box. Some promotion and summary text Prime Video release also refers to them as such.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmHbboM5yMA It Will Mean Victory]]. OminousLatinChanting‎ (which is actually SurprisinglyGoodEnglish) combined with bombastic orchestration and sick guitar licks playing during Shinji and Asuka's fight in Central Dogma? Yes, please!

* ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs:
** Inverted. Whereas the original series could be described as a giant robot show ''off'' of meds, these movies are ''on'' the metaphorical meds, in an attempt to make the series more sane. Being ''Evangelion'', though, things become more insane over time.
** Played straight with ''3.33'', though. That movie basically walks into the bathroom and swallows the entire med cabinet in one go. It makes ''The End of Evangelion'' seem subdued in comparison.

* {{Moe}}: The cuteness quotient of the boys and girls get turned up a lot in this retelling, and it helps that by ''2.22'', they spend more time actually ''being'' happy children rather than psychotic emotional wastelands.

** [[CuteAndPsycho Mari Makinami Illustrious]] is a flirtatious and [[BloodKnight disturbing bloodthirsty]] but [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-meaning]] Evangelion pilot. Introduced tricking NERV into allowing her to pilot the experimental Unit-05, Mari manages to [[CombatPragmatist use the flawed prototype's self-destruct mechanism]] to destroy an Angel as it attacks the testing ground. Combating another Angel by activating a stolen Evangelion's secret backdoor code, Mari elates at the combat, even being casually willing to accept the end of the world when she loses to the beast and Near-Third Impact is initiated. Later joining WILLE to rebel against Gendō Ikari and NERV, Mari proves an expert tactician, reclaiming land NERV has "purified" with L Contamination for humanity to begin living on once again. Mentoring Gendō's own son Shinji and having set her scheme in motion years ago, "Mary/Maria (of) Iscariot" sees him remake the world as a more peaceful place and happily takes her place by Shinji's side, with a romantic interaction in the finale.

** [[AdaptationalBadass Professor Kozo Fuyutsuki]] is the BeleagueredAssistant to Gendō Ikari, one of the heads of NERV, and one of the most composed and brilliant characters in the entire cast. Before the Second Impact, Fuyutsuki was the professor to Gendō, Yui, and Mari, and after Yui's soul was absorbed by the Entry Plug System she devised, Fuyutsuki joined Gendō in attempting to enact the Human Instrumentality Project in order to see her again. As cunning as Gendō but more principled and far less obsessive, Fuyutsuki calmly shatters young hero Shinji's mind over a game of ''shogi'' with the AwfulTruth of Rei and his mother, thus manipulating the boy into kickstarting the Third Impact for the purpose of his and Gendō's plans. By the finale, Fuyutsuki is singlehandedly manning NERV's mass-produced Eva military, and proves himself a master strategist and combatant by engaging WILLE's entire army on his own and nearly managing to come out on top. Even when beaten, Fuyutsuki comes to terms with his loss, happily leaving Mari with the means to help stop Instrumentality, and surrenders to degeneration with nothing but dignity.
** [[CuteAndPsycho Mari Makinami Illustrious]] is a confident, flirtatious Evangelion pilot. Introduced tricking NERV into allowing her to pilot the experimental Unit-05, Mari manages to [[AcePilot use the flawed prototype's self-destruct mechanism]] to destroy an Angel. Casually ready to accept death during Near-Third Impact, when she survives Mari joins WILLE to help stop Gendō and NERV, fighting [[PragmaticHero brutally but effectively]] to reclaim land "purified" with L Contamination for humanity to live on once again. Confronting her old mentor Fuyutsuki and having her true name "Mary/Maria (of) Iscariot" revealed, she creates and sacrifices her combined Evangelion to allow Shinji a chance to reset and right the world.