| "Asuka Strikes!" | |
|---|---|
| Neon Genesis Evangelion episode | |
 Evangelion Unit-02 (left) and Gaghiel during a battle. "Asuka Strikes!" received positive comments by critics, who praised action elements and the fight against Gaghiel. | |
| Episode no. | Episode 8 |
| Directed by | Kazuya Tsurumaki |
| Written by | Hideaki Anno, Yoji Enokido |
| Original air date | November 22, 1995 |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
"Asuka Strikes!"[a] is the eighth episode of the Japanese anime television series Neon Genesis Evangelion, which was created by Gainax. The episode, written by Hideaki Anno and Yoji Enokido and directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, was first broadcast on TV Tokyo on November 22, 1995. The series is set fifteen years after a worldwide cataclysm and is mostly set in the futuristic, fortified city Tokyo-3. The series' protagonist is Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy who is recruited by his father Gendo to the organization Nerv to pilot a gigantic, bio-mechanical mecha named Evangelion into combat with beings called Angels. During the episode, Asuka Langley Soryu, a girl who is designated as the pilot of Evangelion Unit-02, is introduced; after the attack of Gaghiel, the sixth Angel, Asuka cooperates with Shinji aboard the Eva-02 to defeat the enemy.
Anno conceived "Asuka Strikes!" to lighten the tone of the series after the previous episodes, which were characterized by an introspective, psychological mood. Shinji Higuchi, who worked with Anno on Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water and is known for his work's humor, drew the storyboards, giving the story a comedic tone. For the installment, the show's production staff drew several real-life vehicles while incorporating cultural references to the plays of William Shakespeare and Gainax's earlier works.
The episode's first broadcast scored a 7.6% audience share on Japanese television, and was well-received by audiences and critics. Reviewers appreciated the episode's humor and action, and its introduction of Asuka's character, ranking it as one of the best episodes in the series.
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