Art by OrionPax09.
Most people assume that Mayumi Yamagishi is just a timid little bookworm. Most people think she's just a quiet young heiress living off her late parents' huge fortune. Most people are wrong. Very wrong.
Superwomen of Eva 2: Dark Lady of Tokyo-3
by Mike313 is a Superwomen of Eva story in which a relatively obscure Neon Genesis Evangelion character named Mayumi Yamagishi, from the 1997 Sega Saturn game Second Impression, takes on the role of Batgirl in order to find the truth behind the death of her parents. The story focuses less on the big monster battles and more on the subterfuge surrounding NERV and building the Bat-mythos in the NGE world.
Tropes:
- Apocalypse Cult: The Light of the Divine, a recurring threat throughout the overall fanfic series, makes an appearance here as well. As usual, they believe that the Angels are God's punishment and are willing to do anything to help them win.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Kyodai Ken spends his entire time in the story either described as frowning, giving people a Death Glare, and/or throwing "you are no match for me!" one-liners. Notably, his Worthy Opponent Face Death with Dignity moment of the "Day of the Samurai" episode doesn't happen here—his death is a pure Too Dumb to Live, "I'm too proud to listen to my opponent yelling to get the hell out of the way of an Eva and pay fot it" moment.
- Artistic License – Geography: The Tokyo-3 described in the fic doesn't just contradict what's shown in the show, but is physically impossible to build in the Hakone region where Tokyo-3 is located. Still makes for a pretty interesting place to read about.
- Ascended Extra: As mentioned before, Mayumi has only appeared in an extra-canonical Evangelion video game so far.
- Batman Gambit: More long term than most, but Mayumi's plan to bring down Tokyo-3's organized crime hinges on them trying to run a protection racket on her. Interestingly, while falling for her Batman Gambit, Penguin tries his own when he blackmails a mostly Innocent Bystander into taking Toji's sister hostage at a product demonstration Mayumi is hosting. It doesn't go as planned.
- Bat Signal: Jun Godo makes one to get in touch with Batgirl.
- Becoming the Mask: The fact that Mayumi feels more comfortable in the cape and cowl is a given. That she would end up falling for Shinji for real, after leading him on for long, is also a given, but happens during the fic proper
- Clothes Make the Superman: In addition to her Utility Belt, Batgirl wears a suit of Powered Armor that is Immune to Bullets, grants Super-Strength, and has built-in Night-Vision Goggles and an Invisibility Cloak.
- Combat Pragmatist: Kyodai Ken will bring a sword to a martial arts fight. To be fair, Batgirl brought an Invisibility Cloak, smoke bombs, and a taser to the same fight. Then again, Kyodai Ken then proceeds to bring bombs to later fights.
- The Commissioner Gordon: Lieutenant Jun Godo is quite obviously an Expy of Jim Gordon, given a Race Lift to fit the setting.
- Composite Character: Batgirl is a composite of Terry McGinnis, several of DC's Batgirls, Batman himself, and of course, Mayumi Yamagishi.
- Cool Bike: The Bat-Cycle. The narration mentions Mayumi having a Bat-Mobile early on, but she was not able to bring it with her to Tokyo-3...
- Create Your Own Villain: Batgirl knocks Gendo into a vat of EVA coolant, and when he emerges, he can't survive outside sub-zero temperatures, effectively turning him into this fic's Mr. Freeze.
- Determinator: Who do you think?
- Dirty Cop: Like Gotham City early in Batman's career, this version of Tokyo-3 is full of them.
- Elaborate Underground Base: As expected, the Batcave. Technically, NERV headquarters counts too.
- Gunship Rescue: Courtesy of The Bat.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: The Light of the Divine seems to recruit graduates from there. Justified, given that they likely lack any professional training and are trying to shoot from one moving vehicle to another.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Shinji, of all people, demonstrates this.
- Improperly Placed Firearms: In Japan, perhaps the only nation in the world where gun control is successfully enforced (except with the case of the Yakuza presence in Tokyo-3, where the Yakuza is run by NERV), the Light of the Divine, who would have no friends among NERV (who, as mentioned, run the Yakuza) somehow manages to get several firearms and the ammunition to use them. For that matter, illegal firearms seem to be a lot more common in general than one would expect in Japan.
- Let No Crisis Go to Waste: A heroic version. For several chapters, Mayumi wishes to enter NERV HQ to find out what information Gendo has on her parents' assassination, but it's easier said than done. The Big Blackout that occurs during Matarael's attack provides her with a golden opportunity to try to sneak in. Too bad she's too busy saving Shinji to take advantage of it. When the MAGI are under attack by Ireul, however, she takes full advantage.
- Let's You and Him Fight: While Section Two are hardly heroes in the Superwomen of Eva stories, miscommunication results in them trying to kill Batgirl under circumstances where they should be working together against the Light of the Divine.
- Man Behind the Man: Gendo Ikari. For the entire Tokyo-3 underworld.
- MegaCorp: Yamagishi Enterprises. Providers of everything from regular cell phones, to Artificial Limbs, to spare parts for Evangelion technology, to everything a Super Hero needs to wage a war against crime.
- A Minor Kidroduction: The story starts with the murder of Mayumi's parents in front of her. It's her wanting to know who did it and who ordered it that drives her on.
- My Kung-Fu Is Stronger Than Yours: Kyodai Ken proves this to Batgirl repeatedly, both in flashback and in the present time. As she is still a fourteen year old girl, this is not due to any lack of skill on her part. That they're both Combat Pragmatists (see above) doesn't help.
- Professional Killer: Gendo hires Kyodai Ken to dispose of Batgirl. When that fails, he hires Bane.
- Revenge Before Reason: Kyodai Ken threatens to destroy Tokyo-3 while he's still in it in order to engineer a final confrontation with Batgirl. Subverted when Batgirl calls his bluff.
- Secret-Keeper: Motomu, Mayumi's butler, is her assistant in all things Batgirl. It is to be expected of an Alfred Expy.
- Serial Killer: Batgirl has a brief encounter with one. As in, Batgirl encounters him during her regular patrols and beats him up in about ten seconds kind of "brief".
- Shame If Something Happened: The Penguin tries this and ends up falling into Mayumi's Batman Gambit (see above).
- Shout-Out:
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Word of God, the whole sequence of Mayumi sneaking in (and fighting her way out) of NERV is an extended homage to the Batman: Arkham Series (specifically the "Predator Challenge" rooms). - Batgirl's costume broadly resembles the outfit of the Cassandra Cain Batgirl (with full face cover, because of Mayumi having a mole on her face which could blow her secret identity wide open), with most of the abilities of the Batman Beyond Batsuit and additional gear straight out of the Batman: Arkham Series (like "Detective Vision").
- The entire Kyodai Ken arc is a shout out to the Batman: The Animated Series episodes "Night Of The Ninja" and "Day Of The Samurai".
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- Shrouded in Myth: Unlike the other Superwomen of Eva stories, this one starts with Mayumi having already been operating as Batgirl for some time...and her reputation precedes her.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: It just wouldn't be a Batman story without it. Mayumi has a tendency to pull it off on Lieutenant Godo.
- Wham Episode: Bane's arrival is the moment things really start to escalate, with his "at any cost" tactics to bait (and then try to break) the Batgirl.
- Wretched Hive: Tokyo-3, with the old city of Hakone standing in as The City Narrows.
- Yakuza: They run Tokyo-3's criminal underworld. And Gendo runs them.
