Evangelion

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In the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, Evangelions, or simply Evas, are the (fictional) mechas piloted by the Children chosen by The Marduk Institute (a front company of Seele). The Evas were created by Nerv for the apparent purpose of defending Tokyo-3 from the threat of the Angels. The Evas were designed by Ikuto Yamashita and series director Hideaki Anno.

Details

Unit 01 runs through Tokyo-3; the buildings in the background give a frame of reference for the size of the Eva.

Although they appear to be giant humanoid robots, the Evas are actually cyborgs, integrating a mostly biological being with a substantial mechanical infrastructure and flexible polymer sheathing and armor plating. But like the Angels, their real defense is the Absolute Terror Field (AT Field for short). AT Fields are almost invulnerable to conventional weaponry, but can be neutralized by deploying an opposing AT Field, allowing the Evas to fight the Angels with greater effectiveness than the conventional army. Near the end of the series, it is revealed that all the Evas but one are actually derived from the first Angel, Adam (in the Book of Genesis, Eve is created from one of Adam's ribs). Unit 01 is unique in having been born from the second Angel, Lilith. With these revelations, the true purpose of their armor is also revealed - it is actually to constrain and control their movements.

The height of the Evas is never officially established, but they are clearly several stories in height, and can be inferred to be about 40 meters tall from several clues: size of hands compared to people, footprint size of Sachiel, relative sizes for entry plugs, and comparisons to buildings, weapons, and vehicles, including destroyers and helicopters. Their monstrous appearance is no accident:

"There's a monster in Japan called the Oni; it has two horns sticking out of its head and the overall image of the Eva is based on that. I also wanted to give the impression that beneath this 'robot monster' image is not so much a robot, but a giant human."^[1]

Despite their enormous size, they are capable of superhuman movement, able to easily leap their own height and jump hundreds of meters from one spot to another. To power their massive frames through these actions, they use internal batteries, an umbilical cable, or (later in the series) an S² engine (for Unit 01 and the Mass Production units). Officially, their internal batteries' charge varies: one minute of power at full output, five minutes at minimum operational capability, and sixteen hours if only used to maintain life support in the entry plug. However, there seems to be no discernible difference between "full use" mode and "minimal operation" mode: during Asuka's first fight with Gaghiel, Unit 02 displays only one minute of power, but during the battle against the mass-produced Evas in The End of Evangelion — arguably a more difficult battle — Unit 02 displays five minutes of power. Auxiliary batteries can be attached to extend an Eva's unplugged endurance.

The Evas are controlled by a combination of hand controls in the entry plug (mainly for firing weapons) and direct nerve impulses from the pilot through the plug suit and A10 nerve clips. The pilots also receive feedback through this connection, even experiencing the pain of damage inflicted on the Evangelion. This pain is correlated with their "synchronization" ratio in the Evangelion. Despite the usual fine control provided by direct nerve impulses, there are also many instances in the series of Evas going "berserk" - Unit 01 in particular. In this state, the Eva moves on its own, ignoring power requirements and with capabilities surpassing those of the pilot; its behavior becomes more feral and savage as well. The pilots are shown undergoing multiple synchronization tests, which are implied to be part of their work routine. As the series progresses, it is revealed that the pilots are synchronizing with human souls bonded within the Evas during "contact experiments" conducted by Nerv and its predecessor, Gehirn, though only the souls within Units 01 and 02 are explicitly identified. These souls are needed to bridge the gap between the pilots and the Evas. The Evas can also be controlled by an autopilot system, the Dummy Plugs, which are based on the thought patterns of either Rei Ayanami or Kaworu Nagisa. It is implied that the dummy plugs also contain clones of their bodies, but this is not confirmed in the series.

The Evas are more or less permanently associated with a specific designated pilot. For example, Shinji Ikari is always the pilot of Unit 01 and Asuka Langley Soryu is always the pilot of Unit 02. Once, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi conducted a "mutual compatibility experiment" to switch pilots between Evas, to see if this was practical. While Rei could synch with Unit 01 fairly well, when Shinji attempted to synch with Unit 00 it went violently out of control (in a manner similar to an earlier experiment with Rei) and the experiment had to be aborted. No subsequent attempt to switch designated pilots was ever made.

The Evangelions are named in the format of "Unit n" starting from Unit 00 in ascending order, as translated by ADV Films, and which is used in this and other Evangelion-related articles. However, the English format used in the original Japanese version is "EVA n", which is the format alternatively used by some fans. Other variations also exist, for example, "Unit-n," "EVA-n," "Eva-n," etc. In the Japanese dialogue, they are referred to as "Zerogōki," "Shogōki," and so on, which basically means "Unit 0," "Unit 1," etc.

Prototype/Test Type Evangelion Units

Evangelions pre-Unit 00

Episode 23 reveals that Nerv made numerous failed attempts to create a working Eva. The remains of these failed Evas are hidden in one of the lowest levels of the Nerv headquarters. They all have orange armor. At least the first Evangelion prototype had five eyes. Most of these failed Evas' organic structures have rotted away, leaving little more than an armoured head connected to a backbone, often with an incomplete number of limbs. Many of the skeletons are badly warped, indicating that their original appearance was horrifically malformed. They have the word "reject" painted on their heads in large red letters.^[2]

The New Production Cut of episode 23 expands upon this sequence. In the original version, the failed Eva prototypes were laid out on a massive empty floor, with what remained of their limbs carefully matched up with their spines and other body parts, and then circled by chalk marks. When Shinji says that it must be some type of "graveyard" for Eva units, Ritsuko says that it is actually nothing that complicated, and little more than a "dumping ground" for the wasted prototypes. The New Production Cut shows this "dumping ground" much more clearly: the remaining body parts of dozens of failed Evas are haphazardly thrown into a series of waste pits in the ground.^[3]

Some Eva rejects can also be seen in The End of Evangelion, suspended vertically by the heads. The heads themselves show a great deal of variation in facial layout, with some looking almost like human skulls. Labels identifying the vertebrae (such as CV-3rd) can be seen in other shots.

Simulation bodies

Three incomplete Evangelion units are kept in the Pribnow Box in Nerv headquarters. They are unarmored, have no legs or cores, and have numerous cables exiting the neck instead of actual heads.^[4] These units are eventually infected by the eleventh Angel, Iruel^[5]. They may have been salvaged from earlier rejects, but they only appear in one episode and details of their construction are unknown.

Rebuild of Evangelion 1.0 reveals that the firing range training simulator uses a simulation body, as opposed to the anime or manga which show Unit 01 directly attached to simulation equipment. This simulation body appears to consist of portions of the skeleton and nervous system of an Evangelion, but without any means of actual movement.

Evangelion Unit 00 (Zerogōki: 零号機)

Unit 00^[5] is the Prototype, the first successful Evangelion, and is piloted by the First Child, Rei Ayanami. The head design is similar to that of the previous failed attempts, but with only one eye. There are two domes on the top of the head, one white and one transparent green; their function (if any) is never revealed. Unit 00 is the only one of the original Evas that is never seen without its armor (Unit 02 was revealed in End of Evangelion, and Unit 01 on multiple occasions) or opening its mouth; thus the appearance of its organic body is unknown.

Unit 00 was initially colored orange like the previous prototypes, but its armor was damaged beyond repair by the Angel Ramiel's particle beam. The subsequent repairs and upgrades included blue armor plating in addition to other alterations made in order to make it more suitable for combat conditions (it retains parts of the orange armor in the manga). The upgrades to Unit 00's armor make it look more like the subsequent Evas, but there are still several differences or actual limitations. Shoulder "blades" are added to the Unit's armor; though similar in appearance to the ones on Units 01 and 02, they are used to hold retro-rockets, as seen in the fight with the ninth Angel, Matariel. Because it is only the prototype, Unit 00 cannot be fitted with D-type equipment. The true nature of the soul inside Unit 00 is never specified, but it is implied to be directly connected to Rei in some fashion. Unit 00 was self-destructed by Rei in order to destroy the sixteenth Angel, Armisael.

In the Rebuild of Evangelion series, Unit 00 sports more white and gray but is otherwise unchanged. Unit 00 does not get repainted blue either in Rebuild, remaining yellow for the entire series. In the second movie, Unit 00 was the Eva SEELE recommended be dismantled upon the arrival of Unit 03, however Gendo Ikari chose to dismantle Unit 02 instead. Against the 10th Angel, Unit 00 was assimilated after the point blank detonation of an N2 Missile and it's identification code was used by the Angel to disable Central Dogma's defences.

Note

"Zerogōki" does not follow the naming system used for the succeeding Evas. Under that system Unit 00 would have been enunciated as "Reigōki" in the series, giving both mecha and pilot (Rei Ayanami) practically the same name.

Evangelion Unit 01 (Shogōki: 初号機)

Created in the Third Annex of Gehirn's Artificial Evolution Laboratory in Hakone from 2003 to 2004 and deemed a functional Eva unit in 2014, Unit 01^[5] is piloted by Shinji Ikari (with Rei or a Rei Dummy Plug as backup pilots), and has the best battle record of all the Evangelions. It frequently acts independently (the "berserker" mode), without the instructions of a pilot and without any apparent power source. The Eva will also take action to protect its pilot while sometimes servicing other interests. The Eva's resident soul, Yui Ikari (Shinji's mother), appears to be responsible for such events. Unit 01 is called the "Test Type," perhaps because of the experimental way in which it was created: although Unit 01 seems to be an Adam-derived cybernetic organism like all other Evangelions, it is the sole Eva to have been born from Lilith.

Upon savagely disfiguring the fourteenth angel, Zeruel, it proceeded to devour the Angel and assimilated its S² Engine, making Unit 01 the first physically complete Evangelion prior to the construction of the Mass Production units. The S² Engine seems to be used only at Unit 01's discretion; after acquiring it, the Eva is still sent into battle with an umbilical cable. Just before Unit 01 absorbed the S² Engine, it used one of Zeruel's arms to regenerate its severed left arm, demonstrating the Angelic ability of regeneration. The Mass Production models were also equipped with Nerv-developed S² Engines but it is a common misconception that they also have the ability to regenerate (see entry below).

Unit 01's armor is primarily purple; some components are colored neon green, light blue, orange, and black. The helmet, with its prominent horn and "frill," is vaguely evocative of a ceratopsid dinosaur. The pectoral plates are different from those seen on any other Eva. The humanoid entity beneath the armor has light brown skin, two emerald-green eyes, four small nostrils positioned preorbitally, and red blood.

As a result of Third Impact, at the conclusion of The End of Evangelion, Unit 01 is left floating adrift in space, fossilized and still containing the soul of Yui Ikari, where it will outlast the sun and moon, as an eternal testament that the human race existed.

In the Rebuild of Evangelion series, Unit 01 sports more neon green highlights on the head, chest, abdomen, and arms. The knife and its storage mechanism are also redesigned, but most of the armor has not changed. During its fight with Sachiel an onscreen graphic notes that Sachiel has blood type Blue 04 (since it is the fourth Angel) and Unit 01 has blood type Blue A*, likely a reference to the Eva units being derived from Angels. Shamshel and Ramiel are identified as having blood types Blue 05 and Blue 06, respectively. During its fight with Shamshel, the skin of the humanoid entity beneath the armor is revealed to a lighter color than in the series.

Production Model Evangelion Units

Production Model Eva Units have varying numbers of eyes. Unit 02 has four, Units 03 and 04 have two, and Units 05 through 13 have no visible eyes at all.

Evangelion Unit 02 (Nigōki: 弐号機)

Evangelion Unit 02^[5], built by Nerv Germany, is the first Production Model Eva. It is piloted by Asuka Langley Soryu and is the first Evangelion built specifically for combat. Unlike Unit 01, it only goes truly "berserk" once, just before its destruction. It has achieved an unusually high sync ratio with its pilot(s), on two other occasions: once in combat against the 6th angel Gaghiel, and once under the influence of the 17th Angel. The Eva's armor is primarily red with yellow and white on the arms and head. The head armor has two movable sections, one covering both the jaw and lower eyes and the other above the upper pair of eyes. These plates are hinged and can shift, displaying the Eva's eyes underneath. This is first seen underwater during the fight with Gaghiel. As a result of being constructed by Nerv Germany, and also as an accommodation for its three-quarters-German pilot, its default language setting is German. It is known to contain the maternal part of the soul of Asuka's mother. Unit 02 features a different progressive knife from earlier Eva units as well as an internal weapon rack in the right shoulder binder which fires dartlike weapons. Unit 02 has blue blood, which is first seen when the fourteenth Angel, Zeruel, cuts off its arms. It has brown skin and four orange eyes, first seen when the MP Evas tear it apart.

Unit 02 is damaged and incapacitated several times over the course of the series, and is finally destroyed in The End of Evangelion by the mass-produced Evas. Asuka was still highly synchronized with Unit 02 as it was destroyed, thus practically suffering every wound (the frames after the Lance of Longinus is plunged just above the Eva's left eye show her bleeding rapidly from above her eye, as well as her arm being sliced in half as Unit 02's arm is cut in two by another Lance). Later, when Shinji emerges from the GeoFront in Unit 01, he is horrified to see one of the mass produced Evas carrying Unit 02's mangled upper torso in its hands.

Unit 02 is shown briefly in the credits trailer of Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance after the first film is finished. It is being air-dropped from a giant aircraft and appears to have two small horns on its head (which is much more rounded) as well as angled pieces on either side of its mouth. In a later clip in the trailer, Asuka is shown. In the newly released trailer for the second movie it is shown that Unit 02's helmet is redesigned to have what look like oni horns, and that its shoulder pylons are equipped with a pair of bladed weapons. It also sports more white in several places on its body. It is airdropped into battle at the start of the movie. Later in the film Unit 02 is placed into storage in accordance with The Vatican Treaty- a law stating that no nation can have more than 3 Active Evas- and with Unit 03 arriving from America Gendo decided Unit 02 would be the dismantled Unit (reasons for why Unit 02 and not Unit 00 may be revealed in the future films). When the 10th Angel arrives Mari Makinami breaks into Nerv and hijacks the coreless Evangelion and fights the Angel with it. During the battle she removes the Eva's inhibitors and enters "The Beast" stage where the Eva becomes monster like. Despite her best efforts Unit 02 is easily defeated, never laying a hand on the Angel. It's uncertain as of yet if Unit 02 will play a role in the future Rebuild films.

Evangelion Unit 03 (Sangōki: 参号機)

Built in the United States by Nerv Second Branch in Massachusetts, USA, Evangelion Unit 03^[5] is one of two Units built with the Second Production Model design. It is the brother Unit of Unit 04 (Unit 3 and Unit 4 were oddly the only Evangelion who were addressed as males during the series). The United States government insisted on having the rights to build Unit 03 and Unit 04. A few minor changes were made between the first and second Production Models. Unit 03's color was unique, with much darker plates than any other Eva. The head was oddly shaped, too, with a rounded top and exaggerated chin. The pilot assigned to it was Toji Suzuhara, but in transit to Japan, it was possessed by the thirteenth Angel, Bardiel, which appeared as a cloud. As Bardiel, it was savagely torn apart by Unit 01, after the control of Unit 01 was switched from Shinji to the Dummy Plug system, designed to simulate Rei Ayanami as the pilot. Toji, the pilot, is severely injured in the anime, but in the manga he actually dies.

Unit-03 is also shown in the movie Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance, with Asuka Langley Shikinami as the test pilot.

Evangelion Unit 04 (Yongōki: 四号機)

While Evangelion Unit 04^[6] never actually appears in the series, it still serves a function in the story. Unit 04 was constructed at the Second Branch of Nerv, a desert site in Nevada, USA, acting primarily as a test subject for S² Engine (provided by the Third Branch of Germany) experimentation. Unit 04 was destroyed along with the entire Second Branch and all facilities within an 89 km radius. The cause of the accident remains unknown. Nerv determined that the incident occurred when the S² Engine was being installed in the unit, and that there were numerous factors that could have led to the accident. The very nature of the destruction itself is unknown as well. One theory behind Unit 04's destruction, suggested by Ritsuko Akagi, is that the S² Engine had opened up a Dirac sea similar to the one that was believed to comprise the twelfth Angel, Leliel. Others suggest that the machine simply converted all matter in the vicinity into pure energy when the containment field was compromised. One unsupported speculation states that the destruction could have been planned and carried out by Seele, in an attempt to prevent Nerv's acquisition of a working S² engine, but there is currently no evidence to support this. Unit 04's design is virtually identical to that of Unit 03. According to Gainax material, this unit is silver in color, with black and red detail. While Unit 04 doesn't appear on-screen in the series, it does make appearances in the continuities of various Evangelion spin-offs and games. The pilot of Eva 04 is never specified in the series; it is possible that it didn't have one during the activation test or that a dummy plug was used. In some spinoffs, Unit 04 is piloted by Kensuke Aida.

Other Production Units

According to Misato in episode 22, Unit 05 and Unit 06 were originally planned to be more or less a continuation of the production model design used for Units 02-04. However, when Seele began construction of the mass production model Eva Units 05-13, these plans were scrapped. The unfinished original Units 05 and 06 were scrapped for spare parts used to repair Units 00 and 02 after their fight with the Angel Zeruel. In Japanese, continuing the naming convention used for previous Evas, Units 05 and 06 would be Gogōki and Rokugōki, respectively.

Mass Production (MP) Evangelions (Units 05 - 13)

These Evas appear in The End of Evangelion and were produced at seven different Nerv branches around the world, probably Germany (Third Branch), the United States (First Branch, Massachusetts), Japan (Matsushiro), the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China. Units 05 and 06 were made in Germany; Unit 08 was produced in China. Seele had them produced as part of their backup plan for initiating Instrumentality, but only nine out of an envisioned twelve were completed. They are controlled directly by Seele via Dummy Plugs based on Kaworu Nagisa.

Their physical build is different from previous Evas, being narrower in the chest and shoulders and wider in the hips, but the greatest difference is in the head: rather than humanoid, it is streamlined and vaguely resembles the head of a baleen whale or a giant tube worm, and apparently covered by the same reinforced plastic that coats the arms. The long jaws have red muscular lips, metal-plated teeth, a large grey tongue, and produce large quantities of saliva. They have no apparent eyes.^[7] They are equipped with large, mechanical, avian-style wings that enable them to fly, and which can be fully retracted into the back. They also lack the shoulder-mounted armor "blades" which were characteristic of previous Evas. Their primary weapons are the double-bladed Heavy Lances, which eventually transform into their true form, dark gray replicas of the Lance of Longinus. Additionally, the MP Evas consistently behave in an animal-like manner; they show formidable savagery, and circle the fallen Unit 02 in the air in a manner similar to vultures before descending to tear the Eva apart.

Each MP Eva contains an internal S² Engine, which grants them complete mobility (being freed from the umbilical cable) and no operational time limit. Although the S² Engine would theoretically allow them to regenerate damage they have taken (like the Angels), they never display this ability, despite a common misconception to the contrary. The misconception stems from a continuity error: after they reactivate, five of the Evas are drawn for several cuts without most of their injuries. However, later, in "Magokoro o, kimi ni", the injuries are clearly visible in numerous cuts; no regeneration has occurred. Although two Evangelions were maimed by Unit 02, one severed in two at the waist and another with a severed leg, were not drawn this way for the rest of the movie, generating similar confusion as to the ability of regeneration in the MP EVAs.

During the opening credits of the anime, a Tree of Sephiroth is shown, but is not explicitly referenced during the series (it also appears on the ceiling of Gendo's office). However, during Instrumentality, the MP Evas seize Unit 01's AT Field and arrange themselves to form a Tree of Sephiroth, with Unit 01 in the center. Also, as part of Instrumentality's progression, they sacrifice themselves by impaling their cores with their replica Lances. After Third Impact, the MP Evas fall dead to Earth in crucifixion poses.

Evangelion Provisional Unit-05

This Eva, piloted by Mari Illustrious Makinami, features in the opening of the second film in the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy and is held at the joint U.S./Russian Nerv Bethany Base. Unit 05 is less humanoid than the previous Eva with a design that includes having shorter arms that end in a pincer and a lance respectively, and instead of legs has four limbs that end in wheel like mechanisms. The Eva's torso is predominantly white with orange and grey areas; its limbs are a shade of green. Because of the inhuman design of the Eva the pilot requires special tubes to help aid in movement. Rocket boosters and drills also feature in the design to help aid this speedy Eva once in action. It appears to lack an umbilical cord and might gather energy from cables imbedded in the base itself (like a streetcar). The odd build is most likely due to its provisional status as moving on various terrains might be difficult. The Eva is solely sent into action against the previously captured Third Angel which attempts to escape. The melee results in the utter destruction of both the Third Angel and Evangelion Unit 05. Its designation as "Provisional" may be a reference to the EVA being launched despite Bethany base still waiting on several components for installation.

Evangelion Mark.06

In the first trailer for Evangelion 2.0, Mark.06 (previously known as Unit 06) briefly appears. It is blue in colour, and has a red visor in place of its eyes. Its head design is similar to Unit 01, with an upward-curving horn and projections from the side as well. In the 1.01 DVD release, Mark.06 has a glowing white halo. The narration states that it and its pilot "come down from the Moon." (The conclusion of Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone shows Kaworu Nagisa and Seele meeting upon the Moon.) It's still uncertain what unique powers Mark. 06 has, though it appears to be have the capabilities for flight and might even lack the need for an external power source, but from Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance it is revealed that this Eva is of SEELE'S design and that Gendo and Fuyutsuki had no hand in its creation. Most likely Eva Mark. 06 and Kaworu might play similar roles as he and Unit 02 did in the original series, i.e. an attempt by SEELE to kickstart the Human Instrumentality Project.

Kaworu Nagisa is the pilot.

Evangelion Unit 08

In the teaser trailer for "Evangelion 3.0" attached at the end of the 2nd Rebuild film, mention is made of Evangelion Unit 08 and its pilot taking part in the film. What might be Unit 08 is seen briefly in the trailer, although only the upper body is shown. The Unit seems similar to previous units, but the pylons are slightly different, and it appears to have thrusters on it. The head design is similar to the helmet of a suit of armor, with a prutruding horn, like Unit 01 and the Mark.06. It could either be used as a replacement for one of the current Pilots or even bring its own new Pilot with it. No mention of Evangelion Unit 07 is made in the teaser.

Evangelion Unit 05 (Girlfriend of Steel 2)

In the alternate universe game Girlfriend of Steel 2, Kaworu Nagisa pilots Eva Unit 05, which is otherwise the same as the Mass Production units, except that the Dummy Plug is replaced by a standard entry plug.

Battle Orchestra

In this game two new EVA units are introduced. EVA Unit-Alpha (Kōgōki: 甲号機) is a green colored EVA with distance-controlled gun barrels mounted on its shoulders (possibly inspired by the Psycommu System from the Gundam franchise). EVA Unit-Beta (Otsugōki: 乙号機), piloted by Kaworu Nagisa, is gold in color with wings and a katana. EVA Unit 04 appears as well, painted a different shade of silver and piloted by Kensuke Aida.

References

See also

Evangelion portal

• Jet Alone, a fully mechanical and automated competitor to the Evangelions built by the Japanese government.
• Country Crawler/Trident, a fully mechanical competitor to the Evangelions built by the Japanese government, and crewed by 14-year olds.