Volume 9 (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Volume 9
新世紀エヴァンゲリオン Shin Seiki Evangelion
Author:	Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Publish date:	JP: April 3, 2004 US: November 24, 2005
Volume chronology
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"Volume 8"	"Volume 10"

Volume 9 is the ninth edition of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's manga adaptation of Neon Genesis Evangelion. It is comprised of 7 stages.

Stage Summary

Stage 57: The Fifth Child

Asuka recounts the time she was officially assigned the title of “2nd Children” and how her mother failed to recognize her even with this achievement. Asuka’s confidence sinks to an all-time low as she takes account of her recent losses in the Eva. She has difficulty in synchronizing with Unit-02 now.

Shinji has for months been evading school in order not to face the friends he now feels awkward with (because of the death of Toji). Misato tells him that they all must face their jobs while still trying to retain some normalcy.

Instead of heading to school, Shinji ruminates among the rubble of what was once a churchyard. He finds a hungry, lost kitten that he finds he can’t help. He begins to hear a piano playing, and out of curiosity searches for the source of the sound. As a result he comes into contact with Kaworu Nagisa, who later tells Shinji he is the Fifth Children.

The two start to leave for school after Shinji relinquishes the starved kitten. It follows them, and Shinji pleads with it to stop, feeling guilty that he cannot provide for it. In response to Shinji’s pleas, Kaworu takes the kitten up in his hands and kills it. When Shinji, disturbed and panicked, fails to stop Kaworu, he asks why he did it. Kaworu says, “If it had a mother, it would be fed. If we both left, who else would come? He’d slowly starve to death on his own. And if that’s all there is, then what I do is kinder.” The chapter ends with Shinji drawing a parallel between when he and Rei first met to his encounter with Kaworu. Shinij thinks to himself, “…The feeling from him, I’ve felt it once before. It’s…like when I first met her (Rei).” Then Shinji, a cross between mystified and disturbed, asks Kaworu his name.

Stage 58: Rejection

Shinji takes Kaworu to the school as he requested in the previous chapter, but Shinji on seeing Hikari and Kensuke at the windows to the school flees. Kaworu follows Shinji, to Shinji’s frustration. Shinji thinks, "Why does he have to get so close?" Kaworu wants to see Eva-02, so Shinji takes Kaworu to Nerv.

At Nerv, Asuka is having a sync test with Unit-02. Her sync ratio has fallen even lower, where it's barely above the startup index.

When she finishes with testing, she heads to the bathroom and wonders why she can't sync anymore. She sees Kaworu' reflection in the mirror and looks behind her to see him looking in on her.

Nonplussed by Asuka's verbal abuse, Kaworu tells her that the Eva has a mind of its own, and to close one's heart to it closes off one's capacity to sync with it. Asuka denies this and becomes infuriated that a 'non pilot' is giving her advice. Shinji hears Asuka arguing, and enters the bathroom to stop her advance on Kaworu. Asuka faints afterwards.

After hearing noises, Misato Katsuragi heads to the girl's bathroom and finds Shinji and Kaworu. She helps Asuka up and tells Shinji to escort Kawrou out of Nerv, as he not yet been informed by Nerv to report yet.

Thinking about the data given to her by Ritsuko Akagi earlier, Misato reflects on one thing as the boys leave: Kaworu's birthdate. It coincides with the day of the Second Impact. She was told in the previous chapter by Ritsuko that Kaworu was sent to Nerv directly by the commitee, and she wonders why this is.

Nerv gets visual confirmation of the 15th Angel called Arael, which is in orbit above Earth.

Stage 59: Pride

The 15th Angel is sighted to be in orbit above Earth. Unit-00 is scheduled to head out into battle with Unit-02 as backup, but Asuka, stil feeling sick launches Unit-02 against Misato's orders. Shinji is put on backup (because of his suspension) and heads to Central Dogma with Kaworu.

The 15ht Angel is in orbit outside of the Eva's firing range, which renders conventional weapons useless. Nevertheless, Asuka attempts to fire at the Angel. In response the Angel projects a ray similar to an AT Field in compostion. The ray comes into contact with Unit-02, and has a profound effect on Asuka's pyschograph. It is erratic. Kaworu comments, "This is getting interesting," much to the chagrin of Shinji.

The Angel's ray ends up acting as a link from the Angel to Asuka's mind, and it begins its mental probe.

Stage 60: Doll

The 15th Angel's mental probe persists. Its rays shine a pure light into the recesses of Asuka's mind, and uncover images and scenes that Asuka had worked to suppress.

Rei unsuccessfully tries to destroy the Angel with a beam from a positron rifle. All efforts come to nothing as the Angel is too far out of an Eva's range.

Asuka's childhod is examined and picked apart by the Angel. Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu, Asuka's mother, had recieved substantial pyschological damage from the contact experiment with Unit-02. Asuka would visit her mother in the hospital after the contact experiment, but her mother would cherish the doll she held as her real daughter while neglecting Asuka as a stranger. After a painful visit where Asuka's mother tried to strangle her, Asuka is reminded of the image forever implanted in her memory of her mother's death. The day Asuka was officially assigned the role of Second Children Asuka had gone to the hospital to tell her mother. When she reached her mother's room she witnessed the dead body of her mother hanging from the ceiling.

The visions progress to the most painful experience of Asuka's childhood, and cause her to fail physically and mentally as the 15 Angel continues to orbit the Earth.

Stage 61: The Spear of Longinus

Shinji appeals to his father to let him go out in Unit-01. Kaworu asks him why he is upset and tells him that the same thing that happened to Asuka would happen to him. Gendo agrees with Kaworu and denies Shinji's request. Gendo orders Rei to retrieve the Spear of Longinus from Lilith's body, which hangs in Terminal Dogma.

Kaworu questions what seems to him to be an audacious maneuver ("Do they truly dare use it"-Kaworu).

Misato believes that they shouldn't go through with the order because she thinks contact between an Evangelion and Adam would cause Third Impact. When Gendo does not react to her opinion, she knows the truth is being held from her.

Rei retrieves the lance and by Unit-00 throws it at the 15th Angel, destroying it.

Later, Shinji sees Asuka in the hospital. She is unresponsive and lies in a comatose-like state.

Kaworu is officially assigned to Unit-02 as the Fifth Children.

Stage 62: Distance

Gendo is reprimanded by Seele for using the Spear of Longinus too early, but he dismisses their anger.

Kaworu is called by Seele next, and they admonish him for not reporting Gendo's choice to use the Spear to them. Kaworu counters this by saying it would have been awkward for him to stop them, and to continue to report to them since he's been accepting into Nerv. Kaworu remarks that he's still keeping tabs on the Third (Shinji) adn he wonders out loud why humans show so much concern for the state of things outside themselves. After, Kaworu says somberly and pensively, "It's fascinating to watch." Seele says that that is what humans will be free from (emotions and interest in things outside oneself) when their plan is completed.

Shinji continues to see Asuka in the hospital and berates himself for being no help to her. Rei stands hidden outside the open door to the hospital room and listens in on the scene.

Rei confronts Kaworu

When Rei starts to leave the hospital she is stopped by Kaworu. He tells her that they are the same. Rei denies this and says that they may be very similar, but they are not the same.

During a sync test Kaworu is discovered to be able to sync with Unit-02 before its core has been reconfigured to accomodate him. This fact arouses Misato's suspicion.

After the sync test, Kaworu disturbs and angers Shinji by invading his shower cell in pursuit of soap. Shinji tells Kaworu to stay away from him, and Kaworu questions this seriously. He says, "...Whenever you get upset, you lay your hand upon me. It's weird." Shinij then says to him that if someone you don't like comes closer than necessary it's uncomfortable. Kaworu replies with "You don't like me?" and Shinji says "I'm sorry, but I don't think that I could ever like you." Kaworu looks solemn.

Shinji finishes up in the shower room quickly, and sees Rei on the escalator. He meets up with her. They both acknowledge that a wall has separated them. However, Shinji still seeks to connect with Rei and wonders if that connection they had will grow no further.

Misato has been trying to find information on Kaworu, but none besides his birthdate exists. The Marduk report on him doesn't exist. As she returns from her snooping she spots the 16th Angel.

Stage 63: Returning Fire

Unit-00 goes into battle with Unit-02 (Kaworu piloting) as back-up. Shinji is still on suspension, and as he sits ready in Unit-01 he wonders what he'll do it something happens to Rei and he isn't able to help her.

Kaworu shows off amazing piloting skills as Ritsuko says "Asuka was amazing, but he's better."

Kaworu says to himself in reference to the Angel that "The plan is against you."

Weapons are useless against the Angel and soon Unit-00 is invaded by it.

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