Rei Ayanami is a fictional character from the Japanese media franchise Neon Genesis Evangelion created by Gainax. She is the First Child and pilot of the Evangelion Unit 00. At the beginning of the series, Rei is an enigmatic figure whose unusual behavior confounds her peers. As the series progresses, she becomes more involved with the people around her, particularly her classmate and fellow Eva pilot Shinji Ikari. She is revealed to be a key factor in the events that conclude the storyline. Her role in this conclusion is not made entirely clear in the TV series, but is one of the principal plot points of The End of Evangelion.