Asuka’s perception of human contact both physically and mentally is offensive. She’s completely unable to view positive or negative connections as anything other than aggression. Her personality is offensive, her fighting style is offensive, she bullies Shinji into kissing her and immediately goes to wash her mouth out, the defining moment in her life is when she’s so excited to tell her mother she’s been chosen to pilot an Eva and it’s met with the horror of her dead mother’s smile. Asuka cannot communicate her feelings in any way other than offensively and she’s unable to understand people who don’t treat her with hostility…hence her hatred for Rei. Also evident by her inability to understand Kaji’s rejections to every one of her advances.

I believe the final scene of EoE is showing that Shinji is the only person who truly understands her in the entire story. His act of pure hostility toward her is not an act of malice on his part, but a twisted olive branch that only Asuka could appreciate. Shinji is finally giving Asuka the connection she’s been looking for. He gives her the act of pure human aggression, the literal abuse that she’s longed for since her reality was warped as child. In that moment, she’s able to appreciate what Shinji is doing and gives him a gentle touch, the touch he’s longed for since losing his own mother. The touch he couldn’t allow himself to receive from Misato or Kaworu because of his self hatred before. When Asuka then says “disgusting”, I believe this to be her version of the “congratulations” seen in episode 26. It’s an offensive statement given to a young man who can accept it for what it is, because he and only he has formed a bond of understanding with the person that gave it.

I would very much like to hear what others think about this.