I know this may sound like one of those character rants where someone flames a fictional character for whatever reason, but it's not. There's just something about the character like Asuka Langley Sohryu that I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around, considering just how complicated she is despite how much I've read about her on the internet and from watching the original series. On one hand, she just comes off as some sort of rude, obnoxious, loudmouth, raging, unapologetic, and egotistical girl that no one likes for obvious reasons. Though on the other hand, people say that there is more to her than that, claiming that (through hopeful/wishful thinking) underneath that whole brash exterior, there is this lonely, scared girl that just wants love and affection, and that there's this good (maybe nicer) girl that may have a chance for redeeming herself for that bad attitude of hers. We all know that she had this traumatic childhood which is believed to be the root of all her problems; her mother going mad due to the contact experiment with the EVA, mistaking the doll for her own daughter while Asuka herself was neglected, watching her mom hanging from the ceiling and the doll along with her, and her father leaving her behind as he remarried another woman, not really giving much of a damn about his own daughter. All these moments is what drives Asuka to become the best EVA pilot, basically the only thing she lives for, but may be also what leads to her downfall, as well as her emotional breakdown, all at a cost of her own happiness. Despite knowing of her troubled background, some people (myself included) are still having trouble sympathizing with her.

And all of these is what makes up her attitude, the kind that tends to push people away, leaving herself to be isolated even further. This is the kind of attitude I don't usually approve of, and neither do some other people, because of how she treats other characters, especially Shinji Ikari. 

Which brings me to this question; Just what kind of person is Asuka Langley Sohryu that we're not really seeing? Is she really this mean-spirited person that just lash out at people for almost no reason, despite it being a defense mechanism as some people claim? Or is there some compassionate young girl trapped and buried beneath all that layer of hate she built around herself for some sense of protection, and forgotten about her true self?

And a side question, is she really bad person for Shinji to be paired with? Or do you (like some others) believed that there might be hope for them yet?

Now there might be some people who claims that they know the character like Asuka so well, although that might be more or less biased. Nonetheless, I'm open for some answers.

Forgive me if this thread seems so long, so please take your time.