Submitted by: 7thSon- Another reason for Asuka not liking Rei can also shed some light on her personality. In Episode 9, when she first arrived at school, she introduced herself to Rei, saying "I know we're going to be best friends," but the only response she got from that was "I will if I am ordered to."
Asuka expects everyone to like her absolutely, but she doesn't want to deal with the prospect of having to earn friendship, which might mean sharing your inner feelings with another, something which would be extremely difficult for someone like Asuka. This is also why she constantly repels Shinji, while at other times she tries to get closer to him, but she can't quite get it right. Examples are when she hears him playing the cello, and of course the little "Shinji, let's kiss" episode, which was more than just comic relief.
Well, that's all I have to say on the subject.
Submitted by: Moiraine Sedai- Asuka, I think, doesn't totally repel Shinji. A lot of the things she does and tells him are really things that friends of mine do. A lot of it is friendliness, of course her anger is easy to spark too. And she doesn't like Rei because she remembers the "doll" incidents with her and her mother and doesn't like dolls and things like that for that purpose. She is, in a way, afraid of Rei, but only in a way, because obviously she doesn't cower in corners, physically at least, while mentally her mind might be confused because of her past and her experiances with her mother. She likes Shinji but might be afraid to get close to him so that she doesn't go through what she did with her father and mother.
Submitted by: Jaenelle- Asuka became so withdrawn because even as she lost, Shinji and Rei succeeded. She hates Rei because she's like a doll. A doll is exactly what her mother believed to be her after she went insane. I think she likes Shinji because although it seems like 90% of the time she's screaming at him, there are times when she is being kind to him, something she never does with Rei. I also believe that when Asuka said she was "worthless", she was saying she could no longer win, taking a pessimistic view of her life. This probably occurred especially when Shinji was sent out to save Rei but not to help her.
Submitted by: Krystalyn- Asuka is the way she is because of all that happened to her. The way she treats those around her, her ideals, everything stems back to where all her trouble started- when she was very young. She experienced so much trauma at an incredibly young age, and when things go wrong from the beginning, you are basically screwed for life. I think that everytime she looks at Rei, she sees her mother and that doll, and all the pain that she feels but so desperately tries to cover and forget wells up inside her. In her desperation, that sadness and loss becomes anger. Asuka is naturally fiery and determined, and because of her tragic past, this does not make for a good combination. Asuka's self-worth began to fade after all her 'failures' and also because this kind of thing happens to 14 year old girls. She is a teenage girl, all teen kids go through immense changes in every aspect of their life. At 14, I was just like Asuka myself. All who dislike her, I believe, should try to und erstand her. What Asuka goes through is really so common among girls her age.
Submitted by: Seta- I think that Asuka's way of life has changed her dramatically. Having her father leave her at a young age, and her mother speaking with a doll that does not speak back, Asuka feels that she needs to be number one to fill her emptiness inside her. Rei is quiet and shy and everyone has either pity or love for her. Just like a doll. So Asuka goes throught changes in the episodes, mostly everyone mental. I think that she finds Shinji attractive because in a way, she knows that Shinji is just like herself--lonely. She secretly loves him, but she just can surface those feelings as long as doesn't know what true love is.