[11] In terms of gameplay, Aya's clothes provides defensive value but will gradually degrade as she takes damage, ultimately reduced into rags that barely cover her body if not consistently repaired.

[13] Commenting on the notion that the game portrays Aya to be "erotic and sexy", director Hajime Tabata and producer Yoshinori Kitase claimed that it was not intentional but rather incidental.

[14] Tabata explained in an interview that Aya's redesign is meant to make her appealing to both men and women while keeping her "sexiness" at the same time, and that the team had not anticipated that it would attract a lot of attention.

[14] Kitase claimed that Aya Brea's clothes being gradually destroyed as she fights is "plausible and realistic", and was unconcerned if people were sexually aroused by it.

[17] Having grown used to playing strong and confident female characters, Strahovski liked Aya's initial vulnerability and the emotional growth she had during the story.

[19] Kitase said in a 2020 interview with professional wrestler Kenny Omega that the series' characters "are very deep and rich, especially Aya Brea," and that it would be a waste if their story arcs are not continued.

However, if the player goes through the Chrysler Building and defeats the Purebred Eve, Aya will lose her mitochondrial powers (albeit gaining newer, less superior ones, leading up to the sequel), thus saving the audience as well as all of mankind.

A few months after Eve's rampage in New York, Aya leaves the force and joins a newly formed branch of the FBI known as MIST (Mitochondrion Investigation and Suppression Team), based out of Los Angeles with a purpose to hunt down and destroy any remaining NMCs.

However, though she chooses not to use them, she cannot truly hide them; she is never sick and appears younger than her biological age because of her awakened mitochondria[24] that find a young, healthy host advantageous.

In early September 2000, Aya is following a lead to a tiny town of Dryfield in the Mojave Desert, where she meets and forms a partnership with Kyle Madigan, a private investigator from Texas.

With Kyle's co-operation, Aya soon discovers a shadow government facility called Neo-Ark, where scientists are using her DNA to breed Artificial Neo-Mitochondrial Creatures (ANMCs).

After discovering that Eve and the ANMCs were all made from her, Aya feels obligated to once again save humanity from an ominous fate which was ultimately the cause of her own physical existence.

[32] Aya's blonde hair and struggle against the supernatural was suggested by GamesRadar staff as an inspiration behind American director J.J. Abrams's development of the Olivia Dunham character for the TV series Fringe.

[38] Commentators also noted that Aya's police background, personality and comparatively mundane attire in the first Parasite Eve make her feel more realistic in contrast to many other female protagonist characters in video games, and thus a relatable figure for women gamers.

[40] Kevin Schaller from GameRevolution opined that Aya was better executed as a strong and realistic protagonist compared to Lara Croft's original iteration, and paved the way for the likes of Alyx Vance and Jade from Beyond Good & Evil.

[41] Wallace considered the manner in which Parasite Eve portrayed the isolation and uncertainty Aya experienced at times as helping make her more relatable.

[35] In an article published by Vice, Kaitlin Tremblay discussed the character design for Aya as well as a number of her contemporaries; Tremblay noted her effortless transition from the glamorous black dress she wears for the opera scene in the opening of Parasite Eve, to her down-to-earth ripped jeans and tank top which represented a subversion of the notion that physical attractiveness is something women like her should strive to achieve and maintain at all times.

rethinking women + cyberculture, Mary Flanagan analyzed the role of video game characters like Aya as "important sites for exploring concepts of gender, knowledge and subjectivity" through their purpose as avatars and virtual bodies for players.

[45] Flanagan noted that like her contemporary Lara Croft, Aya was a character created primarily for men, and when game content is both produced and consumed by culturally dominant demographics, she believed that this leaves little space for critical questions or meaningful change.

[46] As a result, Aya's agency remains limited and most gameplay is tailored to the player's desire even if she is represented as a powerful female figure in Flanagan's view.

[45] Contemporary video game publications like Brazilian magazine SuperGamePower approved of Aya as a prominent example of a physical attractive female character from the 1990s.

[33] Gudmundson expressed displeasure at the change and claimed that Aya had been reduced into a "machine-gun toting over-sexualized stereotypical caricature of a woman, complete with shower scene" for the sequel.

Multiple sources such as Destructoid, UGO, Gadżetomania, FHM and Tom's Guide have published articles which approved of her redesign and more sexualized portrayal compared to previous appearances.

[8][12][15][14] Gudmundson objected to the implementation of Aya's destructible clothing which may expose of one of her butt cheeks, which she called "cringe-worthy", as well as her apparent change in personality into a "mindless yes-woman taking orders without question".

[43] Gudmundson emphasized that gratuitous fan service has its place if that is the foundation on which the series is built on, whereas Aya is a pre-established character who had undergone drastic change into a portrayal she considered to be "disrespectful and crass".

Club said Aya looks like she bought a "slutty" costume, patterned after Chrissie Hynde, which is repeatedly ripped off her body for no other reason than to show off more skin.

[59] Brian Ashcraft from Kotaku and feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian are also in agreement that Aya's alternate costumes are embarrassing and hypersexualized.