Rei Ayanami is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series and its eponymous franchise, created by the anime studio Gainax. Rei is an introverted girl who pilots Evangelion Unit-00, one of the giant mecha known as Evangelions, and bears the designation First Child. At the beginning of the series, Rei is a mysterious figure whose unusual behavior puzzles her peers. As the series progresses, she becomes more involved with those around her, particularly her classmate and fellow Evangelion pilot, Shinji Ikari. The series eventually reveals that she is a clone of Shinji's mother, Yui Ikari, and Lilith, an entity known as an Angel. Rei also appears in the franchise's animated feature films and related media, including video games, the original net animation Petit Eva: Evangelion@School, the Rebuild of Evangelion films, and Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's manga adaptation.