Ritsuko Akagi

About Akagi, Ritsuko

Ritsuko Akagi runs the show at NERV as the organization's chief scientist. She's the one keeping Tokyo-3's defenses running and handles pretty much all the technical work on the Evangelions—repairs, maintenance, you name it. She's the daughter of Naoko Akagi, who created the MAGI supercomputer that basically runs everything at NERV. Living up to that legacy is complicated; Ritsuko clearly respects her mother's work on the Evangelion project, but there's real tension there too. She's inherited her mother's research and now carries on both the Eva development and MAGI improvements herself. Flashbacks show she's a natural brunette, just like Naoko was. What makes Ritsuko stand out is how composed she stays under pressure. She's genuinely brilliant and laser-focused on her work, maintaining this cool, detached professionalism that makes her the perfect foil to Misato Katsuragi's explosive temperament. Their dynamic during combat operations is one of the show's better sources of tension and dry humor—Ritsuko's sarcastic digs at Misato never fail to land. Beyond the lab, she's a devoted cat person. Misato actually calls her out for it at one point, suggesting Ritsuko treats her cats better than she treats actual people. She's also a heavy smoker; the ashtray on her desk tells you everything you need to know.

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