Japanese cultural critic Hiroki Azuma described Rei Ayanami as "an extremely impressive character", praising the performance of Megumi Hayashibara and its psychological realism, since "Rei's solitude is grounded in a completely tactile substantiality which gives us extremely realistic images of the discommunication that children of the present face". The Anime-planet.com site, while appreciating some interesting revelations about her past and still considering her "by far the most interesting character", was critical that her character had not been "explored as much as she should have been". Animecritics.com wrote, " has absolutely no personality to speak of, and she remains an enigma for most of the series. Part of the intrigue in the series is discovering the secrets she holds." Raphael See (T.H.E.N. Anime Reviews) criticized the characterization of the whole "Evangelion" cast for being "cliche", saying he did not understand the reasons for her great popularity. Kenneth Lee (Anime News Network) considered her character arc a wasted opportunity, as he considered that "a 'dummy shell,' gaining a soul could had an entire series devoted to it". Comic Book Resources' Anthony Gramuglia praised her character design but criticized her lack of development, especially in the 1997 cinematic finale.