| Mari Illustrious Makinami | |
|---|---|
| Rebuild of Evangelion character | |
 | |
| First appearance | Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (2009) |
| Created by | Studio khara |
| Voiced by |
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| In-universe information | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | Unknown |
| Eye color | Teal |
| Notable relatives | Ryoji Kaji |
Mari Illustrious Makinami (真希波・マリ・イラストリアス, Makinami Mari Irasutoriasu) or Maria Iscariot (イスカリオテのマリア, Isukariote no Maria) is a fictional character in the anime film tetralogy Rebuild of Evangelion, based on the television series Neon Genesis Evangelion and introduced in the film Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (2009). Mari is a pilot for the European branch of the special agency Nerv, founded to counter enemies of humankind known as the Angels. She first appears aboard the mecha Evangelion Unit 05, before fighting on Evangelion Unit 02 in place of Asuka Langley Shikinami. Brave and tenacious on the battlefield, Mari is friendly, lighthearted and humorous with her colleagues. She is originally voiced by Maaya Sakamoto; in the English-language version, she is voiced by Trina Nishimura and Deneen Melody. Besides the Rebuild of Evangelion films, Mari appears in an extra chapter of the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga, written and illustrated by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, and in several video games.
The character was created after a request by Toshimichi Ōtsuki, producer of the original anime, to introduce a new female character to the Rebuild to attract a new audience. Hideaki Anno, director and main screenwriter of the original series and the films, decided not to meddle in the pilot and replicate the other main characters, all of whom were based on his personality. He entrusted its development to other members of Khara studio, particularly Kazuya Tsurumaki. The concept went through a complex chain of changes and second thoughts; neither Anno nor the others knew what kind of heroine to create, and were undecided until the last minute. Her character design was entrusted to Sadamoto, the series' character designer, who played on stereotypical elements associated with England.
The character had a mixed reception from critics. Reviewers were divided between those who found her overly sexualized and her role insignificant and those who found her a viable alternative to the characterization of the other protagonists. Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021) revealed more details about Mari, which generated more mixed reviews; some critics noted a lack of explanation of her nature, and others appreciated her psychology and her role in the finale.