Evangelion Unit-01

Evangelion Unit-01
エヴァンゲリオン初号機
Model Type	Test Type
Pilot(s)	Shinji Ikari
Soul(s)	Yui Ikari
First Sortie	Episode 01

Evangelion Unit-01 (エヴァンゲリオン初号機, Evangerion Shogouki) is the flagship mecha of the Evangelion saga. She is piloted by the series' protagonist Shinji Ikari and inhabited by the soul of his mother, Yui Ikari.

Profile

Eva-01 was produced by the Hakone branch of Gehirn as the Evangelion Test Type model. Unlike the other Evas, she was generated directly from the body of Lilith, and is consequently referred to as Lilith's "offspring" or "clone" (リリスの分身, Ririsu no bunshin). On a physical level, Eva-01 has the same characteristics as an Adam-based (i.e., any other) Evangelion, so the exact nature of her relationship to Lilith remains a subject of debate. (For more, see: Theory and Analysis: Eva-01 and Lilith) Eva-01 received her soul as a result of the Contact Experiment with Yui Ikari in 2004, but was not "finished" until 2014.

As with the rest of the Eva Series, she was ostensibly created as a weapon to be used against the Angels, and she was the first Evangelion to face actual combat (against the Third Angel Sachiel). Eva-01 is infamous for going berserk and moving without any power supply (prior to the acquisition of the S² Engine from the Angel Zeruel). While Eva-00 has gone out of control before and Eva-02 goes berserk immediately before being destroyed, Eva-01 is the only Eva that has gone berserk in direct combat, to deadly effect.

Eva-01 is treated by the higher-ups at Nerv HQ, namely Gendo Ikari, with a suspicious favoritism. Once all of the Angels all destroyed, Eva-01 becomes the key to both Gendo and Seele's scenarios for Third Impact: the former intent on using her as an "ark to save humanity from the nothingness of Third Impact", the latter as a "medium" to Lilith, who has been rendered unusable by the loss of the original Spear of Longinus. The implication is that, by her unique creation, Eva-01 was intended as a "backup" for Lilith all along.

Physical Features

Eva-01 has a distinctive chest plate that resembles pectoral muscles, as opposed to the V-shaped chest plate seen on other Evangelions, and her pylons have a unique configuration, as well. The reason for the differences in design has never been explained. The Eva's distinctive helmet visually evokes the horn and frill of a ceratopsian dinosaur.

Biologically, Eva-01 possesses two completely green eyes, with four nostrils situated between them. Her skin is dark brown (although much lighter on the arm regenerated from Zeruel's). Her forehead possesses an "Angel face" marking, from which concentric patches of gradually darkening color emanate. Her neck is depicted with rows of curious slits evocative of gills.

At the end of End of Evangelion, Eva-01 is seen to have hair, though Evas don't seem to have any to start with.

Chrome Eva-01 in the Proposal

Operational History

Eva-01's operational history is the longest of any Evangelion. It is the first Eva to see combat against an Angel, sortieing when the Third Angel, Sachiel attacks. She exhibits her infamous tendency to go berserk from the very beginning, first when she moves her arm to shield her to-be pilot, Shinji Ikari, from falling lights, and again in battle with Sachiel, attacking the Angel until it dies. She sustains moderate damage during Sachiel's suicide explosion.

Eva-01 suffers damage again at the hands of the Fourth Angel, Shamshel, which she defeats, and it takes down the Angel Ramiel with a shot from a positron rifle, being shielded by Evangelion Unit-00. The Eva takes part in stopping the out of control robot Jet Alone and in the defeats of Matarael and Sahaquiel.

Once again, Eva-01 brutally puts the Angels Leliel, Bardiel and Zeruel to death. After being sucked into Leliel for over sixteen hours, the resident soul of the Eva makes contact with the pilot and the Eva goes berserk, moving without a power source and ripping open the Angel from the inside. Under the control of the Dummy Plug, Eva-01 rips apart the Angel Bardiel infected Eva-03, and goes berserk again in the battle against Zeruel, killing it and eating the Angel's S² organ. Eva-01 remains grounded during the battle against Arael and sorties against Armisael to rescue Eva-00, but to no success.

In End of Evangelion, Eva-01 sets off a crucifix explosion and is completely under the control of her resident soul from that point forwards. It plays a critical role in Third Impact and Instrumentality, eventually floating off into space as a memorial for all mankind.

Soul

Eva-01's soul is that of Yui Ikari. For this reason her son, Shinji Ikari was chosen as her pilot. Yui's exact motivations for becoming the resident soul of Eva-01 are not completely understood, but it is known that she was against Seele's interests, and in threat of being eliminated. Being inside the Evangelion allowed her to influence events far more than she could possibly could as a normal person. That Yui may have foreseen Eva-01's deployment in combat against the Angels and became the resident soul of the Eva to protect Shinji is another possibility.

In Rebuild of Evangelion

Once again, Eva-01 plays a central role as the Eva piloted by protagonist Shinji Ikari. In the first movie, Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone, which covers up through Episode 06 of Neon Genesis Evangelion, her role is nearly identical. Absent are the scenes where she shields Shinji from the falling lights and where Shinji sees her exposed face. However, a more direct intimation of Yui's presence in the Eva is provided much earlier, and Eva-01's face is still revealed in an easily-missed shot where she is being outfitted with the G-Type Sniping Equipment.

Her return in the upcoming Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance appears to include her participation in the Sahaquiel operation, her attacking Eva-03 under the influence of the dummy plug, and the devouring of Zeruel (hinted by the inclusion of "Predation" on the official movie poster).

As with the other Evas, Eva-01's design has been modified for Rebuild. Her proportions are more humanlike and less exaggerated, and the pylons are greatly reduced in size. The color scheme has been altered, utilizing a previously-unused concept created by Ikuto Yamashita (see below) for the original show, with luminous green added to the helmet, chest, and waist, along with a blue "pelvic boot" and modified shoulder decals. Judging from the scene during the Shamshel battle where Eva-01's hand coverings are burnt off, her skin is now of a significantly lighter tone.

It is also given an official height of 80m (from the ground to the tips of the pylons) for the movies, probably for the sake of staying consistent thourghout all the 3D CG sequences. Evangelion 1.0 Complete Records Collection provides a scale chart, shown below.

Evangelion Unit-01 in Rebuild
Yamashita's old color concept	3D CG Model	Eva-01 emerges from Sachiel's suicide explosion	Eva-01's exposed hand	Eva-01 on a 10m grid

See Also

• Yui Ikari
• Shinji Ikari
• Gendo Ikari
• Lilith
• Third Impact

Evangelions

Evangelions (general)

Failed Evangelion Prototypes | Simulation Bodies

Eva-00 | Eva-01 | Eva-02 | Eva-03 | Eva-04 | Mass Production Evangelions (Evas 05~13)

Rebuild of Evangelion: Mark.04 | Eva-05 | Mark.06 | Eva-08 | Mark.09 | Eva-13

Eva 8+2 | Mass Production Evangelions | Failures of Infinity

Other: Extracanonical Evas