Theory and Analysis:Evangelion "2.5"
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"We've seen it. The proof of its construction was very useful." |
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"Making something... Nurturing something is really great. You can see and learn so many things from the process." |
Evangelion "2.5" is the title given by the fanbase for the events that take place between Evangelion 2.0 and Evangelion 3.0, in the Rebuild of Evangelion continuity.
When Evangelion 3.0 came out in 2012, there was a lot of discussion about the absence of preview scenes in the film itself, this being much more focused on events 14 years after the final film ended. Statements by Khara staff over time have made it clear that these are discarded ideas for a movie, one which might not even have had Shinji present. This article aims to theorize and discuss the events of the time-skip, which may also explain the origin of Wille, Village-3, Kredit and the other organizations featured in 3.0 and 3.0 + 1.0.
The Preview
"Eva-01 is frozen with Shinji and Rei still trapped inside. The fortress city is abandoned. Nerv personnel are held in confinement. Eva-06 is dropped into Dogma. The quickening Eva-08 and its pilot. And finally, the children fated to meet are gathered at last. Where will this story of people wishing to live lead?"
| Preview from 2.0 | ||||
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- The preview begins showing an immobile Eva-01 with the Spear of Cassius pierced through it. Surrounding it appear to be Angel sealing pillars. The narration states that Shinji and Rei are still trapped inside the frozen unit. The intertitle states that Eva-01 is a restricted area.
- Next, we see the resulting cross-shaped peeling mound in the ruins of Tokyo-3. The narration states that the fortress city is abandoned. The intertitle refers to Tokyo-3 as "Near Third Impact Ground Zero."
- We then see multiple aircraft landing on an aircraft carrier, which is conspicuously on blue water. Narrator explains that Nerv personnel are held in confinement, and the following title adds that Near Third Impact eyewitnesses are being debriefed.
- Evangelion Mark.06, with its halo deployed, descends into Dogma, aka the "Lilith Preservation Site."
- Next, we see the "Eva-08 Construction Area," where Evangelion Unit-08 (with dual entry plugs as confirmed by Ikuto Yamashita's original design) is "quickening" along with its pilot(s). It also has a halo deployed.
- We then see a wet haired Kaworu wearing a commander's uniform,[1] and meeting four mystery figures, stated in the storyboards to be four Rei's. The narration states that the children of fate have finally assembled, and the following intertitle states that "Seele Children's Assembly" is in session.
- As the narrator wonders where this tale of survival will go, we see a montage of shots:
- Misato distressed while pulling something in a concrete walled environment.
- Kaji angrily pulling a gun in an unclear location.
- Gendo and Fuyutsuki in cold weather hiking gear in a ragged state, along with a donkey carrying supplies.
- A Rei, wearing an outfit reminiscent of her alternate reality appearnce in Episode 26, appears along with three other significantly younger Rei's hiding behind her; one may be wearing a school swimsuit. They are in a room tiled with purple Angel-Sealing Hex Glyphs.
- Mari, apparently naked, removes her glasses in the same room, seemingly confirmed by the following intertitle: "Private Conference between Mari Makinami Illustrious & REDACTED" - subsequent production materials refer to the Rei of Q-onwards as "Rei Ayanami (Tentative)", and fan attempts to accurately fit a name over the censor reveal that the redacted word is likely "Tentative."
- The isolation chamber Asuka was kept in following the 9th Angel's attack is empty.
- Asuka is revealed to be alive and well in her plugsuit and with an eyepatch.
Thrice upon a Time
In a flashback of Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0, a scene is shown with Eva Mark 06 merging with Lilith's body and holding her decapitated head. This scene looks like a continuation of the scene shown in the preview. A halo is clearly seen over Eva's head.
Also, in the same flashback, and in dialogues between Misato and Ritsuko, we learn about Kaji's plan to preserve the other forms of life, which appears to be behind Wille's creation. Furthermore, connections between Wunder crew and Kaji serve to reinforce this, since he appears to be a prominent person among some of those people.
Later, during Additional Impact, in a scene that seems to be a indicative of what happened during the 14-year timeskip, Kaworu and the elder Kaji speak to each other. Kaworu is dressed in the same Nerv commander uniform as Gendo and the Bethany base commander, with Kaji in the same vice-commander uniform as Fuyutsuki and the Bethany base vice-commander. Kaworu, whom the elder Kaji calls "Commander Nagisa", agrees to go to the settlement where the younger Kaji farms. Indicating that they supposedly became friends during this period.
The Time-Skip period
The information below is indexed by Szmitten, and is an exercise of logical imagination about a chain of events consistent with the universe presented in the films. It is subject to change.
Immediately after Near Third Impact, Gendo and Fuyutsuki disappear, while Nerv personnel are rounded up by UN/JSDF forces (actually Seele-proxies) while Seele promotes Kaworu and Kaji to Commander and Vice-Commander, believing them to be their agents; in actuality both are feigning loyalty to Seele for their own ends and to protect the people they care about. Nerv pesonnel are transferred and confined to Nimitz-class aircraft carriers on the lake in the Geofront. Hex pillars and an exclusion zone are put around Eva-01, and Tokyo-3 is abandoned following its destruction, its citizens either dead, evacuated, or confined with Nerv staff as N3I witnesses. The Geofront itself, Nerv HQ, and Dogma's shaft, are all exposed.
Under Kaworu and Kaji, Nerv is able to continue operations with deeper UN/JSDF/Seele-proxy military supervision, strict measures to control Kaworu with the creation of the DSS choker, the dummy plug conversion of Mark.06, the completion/transfer of Eva-08, a low priority on repairing Eva-02, and no attempts to revive or recover Eva-01 or Shinji.
Kaji secretly founds Wille and uses his position at Nerv to learn the truth of Seele's upcoming plans. He reroutes Nerv and EuroNerv assets to Wille, including data for the Anti-L system. Kaworu learns of Kaji's watermelon patch and the pair bond. Four Rei (Tentative) clones are presented as Seele's Children, and have private meetings with at least Kaworu and Mari before they become public knowledge. Seele remains silent as their scenario unfolds without their input, and are eventually physically relocated to Nerv HQ itself. The Magi are removed from Nerv. Kaji and Misato's romance rekindles in earnest and they become intimate, resulting in Misato's pregnancy, and Kaji is made aware. Asuka recovers and is released with measures to contain the 9th Angel within her left eye. The 11th Angel appears and is dealt with.
The 12th Angel appears, and no one is capable of stopping the Angel's merger with Mark.06 and its subsequent descent into Dogma. Kaji mobilises Wille's insurrection against Nerv, which is now operating completely under Seele's will. Wille members wear blue armbands to identify themselves as violence erupts with gunfire, aircraft, and the lake outside headquarters is filled with bakelite. Wille hijacks the NHG Buβe from Nerv.
After Mark.06 descends, it removes the Spear of Longinus from Lilith, reviving her soulless body. Mark.06 merges with Lilith and removes her head. This causes the Doors of Guf to open and rain giant skulls into the bottom of Dogma. Crucifixes appear and the coreification of the land begins, and humans start growing and combining into headless red Evangelions (seemingly, specifically Eva-01). Lilith's head, having lost its mask and appearing with Rei's face, ends up above in the command center. Nerv headquarters rises into the sky, and the headless red Evas assemble towards it, plugging Dogma's shaft. The Moon approaches Earth and begins to bleed along newly-formed gridlines.
Concurrent to the above, Kaji, who has been shot in the arm in the crossfire, acquires the Spear of Cassius and a VTOL aircraft. Kaji decides to sacrifice himself to stop Third Impact before it wipes out all life on Earth. Kaji offers Kaworu "salvation", and Kaworu never sees what happened inside Dogma's interior. Kaji bids Misato his goodbyes, and she, Ritsuko, and the other survivors leave Tokyo-3 aboard the seabound NHG Buβe (future AAA Wunder) and eventually establish Village-3 with the Anti-L system data Kaji left them. EuroNerv in Paris is unable to get their Anti-L system online in time.
Kaji enters Dogma and crashes his aircraft. Somehow, this results in the Spears of Cassius and Longinus being forced through Lilith's and Mark.06's cores in an unknown configuration or order of entry, but which ultimately stops Third Impact.
(Since Near Third Impact and Third Impact are both referred to as having occured 14 years ago, and that Kaji Jr is nearly 14, and the discovery of pregnancies typically being in the first trimester, all of the above has to happen within 3-9 months (probably 6) after the end of Evangelion 2.0.)
Later, Gendo and Fuyutsuki rebrand Neo-Nerv and construct three warships: NHG's Erlösung, Erbsünde, and Gebet; and many Evangelions: the Mark.04 Nemesis Series, the Mark.07 series, and Evangelions Mark.09-12 and 13. Dogma is sealed for 14 years with the L-barrier. Kaworu remains at Nerv with at least one surviving Rei (Tentative) as the now coreified and limbless Eva-01 is launched into orbit. The next 14 years consist of battles between Wille and Nerv and the support of Village-3 via Kredit, until Wille find themselves forced or finally equipped to retrieve Eva-01 to use it as Wunder's master in Operation US.
