Volume 4 (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Volume 4
新世紀エヴァンゲリオン Shin Seiki Evangelion
Author:	Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Publish date:	JP: October 17, 1997 US: June 9, 2004
Volume chronology
← Previous	Next →
"Volume 3"	"Volume 5"

The fourth volume of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's manga adaptation of Neon Genesis Evangelion. This fourth volume is subtitled Asuka Comes to Japan (アスカ、来日 / Asuka, Rainichi) and is comprised of Stages 20 to 26.

Overview

Volume 4 retells the arrival of Asuka and the battle with Israfel, and roughly corresponds to Episode 8 and Episode 9 of the anime series.

Summary

Stage 20: Asuka Comes To Japan (アスカ、来日 / Asuka, Rainichi)

Shinji and Rei watch a giant screen where Asuka defeats Gaghiel with Eva-02 at sea with assistance from The Pacific Fleet. Later, Toji, Kensuke, and Shinji start heading home from school when they run into Asuka at the arcade. Not knowing who she is, the three are amazed over how beautiful she is until she freaks out and demands money from them. While arguing, Asuka bumps a big thuggish guy who wants to beat her up for making him lose his game. Asuka proceeds to beat him up and all of his friends. Shinji manages to get punched in the scuffle. The arcade owner calls the cops and everyone runs away. On Shinji's way to Nerv he runs into Asuka at the gates.

Stage 21: The Uninvited (招かれざる者 / Manekarezarumono)

Shinji and Asuka learn that each other are pilots. Asuka is introduced by Misato and Ritsuko where Asuka apologizes for Shinji getting punched. She lies and says that Shinji was protecting her. In Gendo's office, Kaji presents Gendo with the 'first human', Adam. All the children and Misato are having lunch when Kaji walks in and introduces himself. Misato, appalled by seeing him, yells at him to go away. Back at school, Asuka shows up for class and everyone starts to gossip about her. Shinji drops his pencil and Asuka returns it with a piece of chewed gum stuck to it. After school, Asuka reveals the real truth about Second Impact to Shinji while walking to Nerv. Rei walks by and blows off Asuka. Asuka is annoyed by this and grabs Rei's shoulder. Shinji defends Rei, and Asuka gets mad and runs away.

Stage 22: Asuka Attacks (アスカ攻撃 / Asuka Atakku)

Kaji reintroduces himself to Ritsuko. Misato is still disgusted with him. The alarm goes off signaling the arrival of another Angel. Tokyo-3's Angel Intercept System is still down so the Evas must meet the Angel at the ocean's edge. Asuka criticizes Shinji and tells him not to get in her way. Israfel appears and Asuka runs in and cuts in in half. Everyone's impressed until it turns into two separate Angels.

Stage 23: Try, Try Again (トライ・アゲイン / Torai Agein)

Both halves of the Angel continue to attack. Shinji and Asuka discover that the Angel can heal itself almost instantly and they both suffer defeat. Back at Nerv, a briefing is being conducted to review everything. The UN dropped an N² bomb and temporarily stopped the Angel. After the briefing, Asuka yells at Shinji for screwing up the battle when Kaji walks in. Asuka then claims Shinji was picking on her. Kaji invites both of them to dinner. Misato discovers all the paper work she has to deal with because of the lost battle. She says the Evas need 5 days for repair but the Angel will also take 5 days to heal. Ritsuko gives a plan to defeat the Angel from Kaji to Misato. At dinner with Kaji, Asuka and Shinji are called to report to the Second Conference room where Misato directs them to their new living quarters. They are disgusted to have to live together.

Stage 24: Dissonance (不協和音 / Disonansu)

Misato proceeds to tell them that their lives must be synchronized with each other. Once Misato leaves, Shinji asks to use the shower first and Asuka tells him to use some chivalry and let her use it first. Alone, Shinji thinks about Rei. Asuka comes out of the shower in just a towel and tries to seduce Shinji. Asuka goes to take off the towel to show him her breasts and underneath the towel she is wearing clothes. Asuka laughs about how nervous Shinji got. The next day Asuka and Shinji practice a dance to defeat the angel but they both fail on their first day. They run into Gendo and Shinji invites him to lunch but he refuses and says he's busy. Back at the apartment Asuka figures out Shinji has a father complex. Shinji finds out that Asuka is a test tube baby and that she never had a father. During the night, Shinji hears Asuka cry out about her mother and that she died.

Stage 25: Shall We Dance? (Shall we dance?)

With one day left until the battle practice still isn't going well. Rei takes the place of Asuka, just to try it out, and Rei does much better than Asuka. Asuka runs off and Kaji tells him to go after her. Shinji ends up trying to counsel Asuka about putting up a fake front around everyone. She yells at him and Shinji proceeds to say he's leaving now. During the entire time, Kaji is listening from behind a pillar. Misato doubts Asuka's ability but Kaji tells her to give it a little more time. Asuka returns to their apartment and smashes the security camera Misato is watching them from. When Misato wonders what happened, Kaji tries to hit on her but fails. For the rest of the night Asuka and Shinji practice and perfect the dance.

Stage 26: One Moment, One Heart (瞬間、心、重ねて / Shunkan, Kokoro, Kasanete)

The Angels are proceeding but the pilots are nowhere to be found. Misato rushes to their apartment where she finds Asuka and Shinji asleep on the floor. She drags them to their Evas. Misato is extremely worried but Asuka, Shinji, and Kaji are confident. The Evas preform a marvelous battle and defeat the Angel. Misato hugs Kaji but quickly lets go once she realizes what she was doing. The Evas end up on top of each other but Asuka tells Shinji she'll forgive him this time. Both pilots immediately fall asleep.

Notes

• The events of Episode 7 are not covered in the manga.
• The battle scene in the anime series between Gaghiel and Eva-02/Asuka Langley Soryu was not featured in the manga series of Evangelion.
• Israfel has two cores in the manga, but only one in the anime.
• During Asuka and Shinji's training, they are in Nerv, in the anime they are in Misato's apartment.

Analysis

• In this volume of the manga, Asuka tries to hide her real personality, especially around Kaji. She stops doing this after the first chapter of the following volume.
• Shinji finds out about Asuka's mother dying and that she really is a child inside by her sleep talking.

Manga Volumes

Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5 | Volume 6 | Volume 7 | Volume 8 | Volume 9 | Volume 10

Volume 11 | Volume 12 | Volume 13 | Volume 14

Manga

Eva and Eva 2 Anthology | Girlfriend of Steel 2 (manga) | Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga) | Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse | Shinji Ikari Raising Project (Manga) | Shinji Ikari's Detective Journal | Petit Eva: Evangelion@School