Core (Rebuild)
For the similarly-named "core unit", please see: Entry Plug (Rebuild).
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"Making something... Nurturing something is really great. You can see and learn so many things from the process." |
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They say a picture is worth a thousand words... |
A core (コア, koa) is a luminescent red spherical structure possessed by both Angels and Evangelions. Core also refers generically to the material that these structures are composed of. The films indicate what is, or is made of, (a) core through the use of a tell-tale, though often incredibly subtle, animated texture that utilizes fluid and particle effects.
Traditional Cores
The core appears to play some role in the generation of an A.T. Field. In the case of Eva-01 (and unconfirmed, though possible, for other Evas), during normal piloting the A.T. Field originates from both the core and the entry plug. If its pilot is replaced with a dummy system, however, A.T. Field generation is still possible, indicating that the core is the primary source. In the case of the Angels, destruction of the core results in the A.T. Field collapsing and the Angel's body explosively dissolving into a red fluid, possibly LCL, a phenomenon known as image collapse.
In Eva piloting, the metric called plug depth refers to the proximity of the entry plug's interior array (or "core unit") to the Eva's core. At sufficiently high levels, plug depth can pose a serious hazard to the pilot, with potential to permanently alter them on both a physical and metaphysical level. The most extreme known result is the loss of the pilot's "humanity", which more specifically seems to refer to them becoming metahuman entities that superficially resemble traditional humans, or "Lilin", but possess greatly enhanced capabilities. See also: Curse of Eva.
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If an Eva is placed into detainment by the IPEA according to the terms of the Vatican Treaty, its core is separated from its body and placed inside a spherical cover. A message on this housing reads, "Warning: Sensitive Hardware Contained Inside".
When Eva-01's core is seen at the time of Yui Ikari's direct entry experiment, it lacks the normal animated texture. However, the reveal of Eva-01's core at the end of the second film (at which point Yui has long since been absorbed) shows an appearance no different from other cores. This suggests that the cores are quite literally animated by the presence of life. However, it's not known if a soul is specifically required to provide this "spark", or if something more general is sufficient.
All-Core Entities
A concept introduced in Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo is that of beings that are "full-body cores". That is, rather than their body containing a discrete sphere called a "core", their entire body is itself the core; or, alternatively, the being possesses a discrete core but the rest of its body is also composed of the same material.
Evangelion Mark.09, also known as the 1st Adams' Vessel, is a shapeshifting entity that defaults to a form superficially resembling an Evangelion. It appears to have a discrete core located in the same place that a normal Eva might, but unlike a traditional core this cannot be destroyed by a focused attack. Asuka, after realizing her direct assault on the core has failed, witnesses Mark.09 briefly reveal its true form as it rapidly regenerates. This takes the appearance of the Eva's main core suspended against some sort of colloid of countless other cores, all packed together into a humanoid form. Mark.09 can only be defeated by destroying it completely in one go.
The Twelfth Angel takes on an initial appearance somewhat like a highly abstracted bundle of metallic cord. It wraps into a spherical shape around Evangelion 13 and, when exposed to firepower, its metallic appearance rapidly vanishes to reveal a single gigantic core. Like Mark.09, it cannot be destroyed by ordinary means. (It is ultimately compressed into bite-size form and devoured by Eva-13.)
The Failures of Infinity are Eva-like beings, some of which are perfectly formed (save for lack of head) replicas of Eva-01, that are formed entirely from core material. Unlike Mark.09 and the Twelfth Angel, they are seen only in a state of suspended animation (according to Eva 3.33's script) and superficially appear completely frozen, though motes of light visibly float around inside them, quietly indicating the presence of life. Imperfectly formed Failures with crystalline features are seen in the outskirts of Tokyo-3, which has itself been completely converted into core material, and are in the process of phasing out of this environment and merging with one another, details that may hint at how the more well-formed individuals within Nerv HQ originated. Although the skulls surrounding Lilith in Central Dogma are implied to have a connection to the headless Failures, the skulls seem to be formed out of normal bone rather than core.
The core blocks of the Evangelion Mark.04C units superficially appear to combine artificial and Angel-like attributes, and house thirty-two separate cores apiece. When they are blasted apart by the AAA Wunder's guns, their interior cross section is revealed to be completely comprised of core-material. In a similar manner as Mark.09, this raises questions about whether the discrete spherical cores present in the units serve a unique function, or have unique properties, distinctive from the rest of the material comprising their bodies, or if they truly are one homogeneous core-based mass as the 12th Angel seems to be.
Core Technology
Cores, or at least the mysterious material comprising them, appear to have some unexpected technological uses beyond their employment in Evangelions. The monoliths which function as vessels for the members of Seele, while darker than core traditionally appears, have the tell-tale appearance of the substance upon close inspection. The head unit of the dummy system within Eva-01's entry plug is also clearly core-based.
Core-Conversion
An important paradigm shift in these films, with regard to the expectations set by the original work, is the idea that cores are far more than the fancy containers they at first appear to be, but, rather, represent a unique form of material substance in their own right with its own previously unexplored set of properties. As the culmination of this, the third and forth Rebuild entries show vast expanses of the Earth that have been completely turned into core. The phenomenon of non-core matter being turned into core is referred to as core-conversion or core-ification (コア化, koa-ka), and it appears to be strongly associated if not directly responsible for the generation of the L Barrier. Any normal objects that make sustained contact with this core-ified environment are themselves corroded within a predictable time frame. (What happens to unprotected organisms is not known, but it's possible they are completely absorbed, on the basis that Yui seemed to have been fully absorbed into Eva-01's core.) The process can be at least temporarily reversed through an "Anti-L" usage of sealing pillars. It is not currently known how much of Earth has been converted, what originally caused the conversion to take place, and what is sustaining the effect and its continued spread.
Evangelions that have undergone Awakening -- namely, Eva-01 and Eva-13 -- appear to subsequently enter a state where they convert other objects or entities into core upon contact. While these Evas can be placed into specialized forms of containment to curb the spread of this effect, it has not been revealed if there is a permanent way to stop it.
