Misato Katsuragi

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Misato Katsuragi
葛城 ミサト
Rank / Title	Captain (01~11), Major (12+)
Affiliation(s)	Nerv (formerly Gehirn)
National Heritage	Japanese
Relations	Dr. Katsuragi (father), Ryoji Kaji (lover), Pen Pen (pet)
Age	29
Birthday	12/08/1986
Height	166cm
Seiyū	Kotono Mitsuishi
Voice Actor	(English): Allison Keith, Carrie Keranen (Netflix) (Italian): Stella Musy (series), Francesca Guadagno (movies) (Brazilian): Vanessa Alves (French): Laurence Bréheret (Latin Spanish): Toni Rodríguez (German): Julia Kaufmann , Gundi Eberhard (Rebuild) , Anna Amalie Blomeyer (Netflix)

Misato Katsuragi (葛城ミサト) is a Captain, and later a Major, at Nerv. She is in command of Nerv HQ's Tactical Operations branch, responsible for coordinating the Evangelions in actual combat (as opposed to the Science Division, headed by Misato's longtime friend Dr. Ritsuko Akagi). She is the daughter of Dr. Katsuragi, and the sole survivor of his expedition, otherwise wiped out as a result of Second Impact. As an adult, Misato is transferred to Tokyo-3 shortly before the Angels reappear. She takes Shinji Ikari, and later Asuka Langley Soryu, into her home. She also seems to have worked directly with Asuka in Germany. She has a pet "hot springs penguin" named Pen Pen.

Summary

First week in Tokyo 3

Misato's first appearance comes in Episode 01 , when she comes to pick up Shinji in the car right in the middle of the attack of Sachiel, the first angel. She gets him out of danger in her car driving as fast as she can to safety. After they introduce themselves to each other and arrive in the Nerv facility, Misato tells Shinji she arrived here recently once they get lost. After being found by Ritsuko Akagi, she guides both Misato and Shinji the cage of Unit 01, where Gendo is waiting for Shinji. After Shinji refuses to pilot, Misato tries to support him and give him advice, but that doesn't do much for changing Shinji's decision.

Eventually, Shinji agrees to pilot. After being discharged from the hospital due to injuries sustained, Shinji is told about the set-up to live with his father. With Misato already aware of the complicated relationship the two have, she decides to have Shinji live in her apartment as her surrogate mom.

Profile

Misato as a child during her Instrumentality sequence

Misato in the Proposal. Note the lipstick and the shoulders of the uniform.

Misato is described by Hideaki Anno as someone who "lives life so lightly as to barely allow the possibility of a human touch. She protects herself by having surface level relationships, and running away" Misato has certainly shown fear to commitment, responsibility, and emotional disclosure throughout the series, specifically the psychological arc.

In another interview, Anno also described Misato as an older Tsukino Usagi/Sailor Moon (whose hair is similar).

In the series, our first time seeing Misato, she appears to have two sides to her personality: at work she is a tough, competent Tactical Operations director, and at home she is a goofy, uninhibited person who likes to wear skimpy clothing and knocking back beer after beer in her messy apartment.

However, overtime, the hidden Misato is revealed to be a deeply troubled woman, with multiple unresolved family and social issues. Part of this is due to trauma from being on the site of Second Impact, but it has as much to do with her family life, particularly her conflicting emotions towards her father.

Despite being the head of Nerv's Tactical Operations division, Misato is apparently a relatively new arrival at Nerv HQ, as she gets lost on her way into the base, prompting Ritsuko to comment that she's "lost again". In the next episode, Misato says that she just moved to Tokyo-3 "the other day" and there are still many unopened boxes in her apartment.

Misato's Relationships

With her Father

Young Misato being kept under observation following Second Impact

According to her, Misato’s father was very much like Gendo Ikari in that he buried himself in work and shrank from human contact, but also like Shinji in that he was described as fragile and weak. Misato thought she hated her father, but then he saved her life during the Second Impact by placing her in an escape pod. With Dr. Katsuragi dead and no chance to explore what she saw as a sudden turn in their relationship, Misato was left both extremely ambivalent about her feelings for him and with a burning desire for revenge against the Angels. In Episode 12, Ritsuko even accuses her of putting her vengeance ahead of the fate of the world by concocting a mission that had virtually no chance of success.

With Kaji

When she met Ryoji Kaji in college, Misato was at first happy with him, but later dumped him by telling him she loved another person. Later on in the series (episode 15) she admits to him that this was a lie, and that actually she found that Kaji reminded her too much of her father, and fearing the implications of this, Misato fled from him. It is also implied in Episode 25 that Misato was in some way afraid of the pleasure she felt with Kaji, because (among other reasons) she did not feel she deserved it.

In Episode 25, Misato also says that though she first wanted to be a "good child" for the sake of her mother, she grew sick of that, and wanted to stain herself and her reputation. She is asked if that’s why she slept with "that man" (presumably Kaji), but is unable to sort out her feelings. The other characters in Instrumentality call her disgusting, and Misato has also said that of herself, admitting using sex as an escape from reality and loneliness.

Despite the intimate nature of their relationship, Miasto and Kaji address each other rather formally, using their family names, Katsuragi and Kaji, rather than their personal names, Misato and Ryoji.

After Kaji's death, Misato switches from drinking beer to apparently equal amounts of canned coffee.

With Shinji

"Pay Attention!"

See also: Theory and Analysis:Sexuality In Misato and Shinji's Relationship Misato's relationship with Shinji is a very multilayered one, with certain aspects of it being the subject of strong controversy.

Misato's first action regarding Shinji sending him a photograph of herself to let him know what she looked like when she picked him up: A humorously inappropriate (and revealing) photo of her wearing cutoff jeans and leaning forward in a tank top, winking at Shinji and giving him the V-sign (She also left a lipstick kiss on it). The Japanese writing on it translates as "To Shinji: I'll be picking you up, so wait for me, okay?" (apparently written in creator Hideaki Anno's own handwriting). Misato also punctuated the photo with the highly inappropriate message, "Pay attention!!" with an arrow pointing to her breasts. This could be an early indication of Misato's unusual personality even before she appears on screen.

As the series progresses, Misato's role and relationship with Shinji grows up to be more than just a legal guardian and proceeds to be a rather complex one, although mainly of a family type of bond.

With Asuka

Asuka Langley Soryu does not particularly like Misato and this dislike transfers to hostility when Misato rekindles her relationship with Ryoji Kaji (with whom Asuka is infatuated). However, Misato always tries to act in a motherly way with Asuka, being aware of her history and of the high price she has paid for her current status as Unit 02's pilot; this is perhaps a strong reason why she invited Asuka to live with her and Shinji. She usually responds to Asuka's abrasive attitude with calm, patience, and sincere care. A common interpretation is to see Misato as Asuka's positive adult model, with Ritsuko as a more negative model. Similarly, Kaji and Gendo are mirrors for Shinji, as is their respective relationships. Asuka had previously been under Misato's responsibility in Germany at an unknown time, and Asuka did not know of Kaji's past with her, leading her to negatively present her to Kaji. Both Kaji and Misato realize Shinji and Asuka's own tension around the other, with Shinji receiving advice from Kaji, who also attempts to steer the girl away from himself. Misato realizes Asuka has went through a lot and is aware of her own strained relationship with her father Mr. Langley, thus she might see some of herself in Asuka. Nonetheless, as Asuka's mental state worsens later on, Misato is absorbed in her own problems, and fails to provide aid to Asuka even more than with Shinji.

With Ritsuko

In college, Misato was really close to Ritsuko, the daughter of scientist Naoko Akagi of Gehrin. After recovering from her trauma from witnessing the Second Impact, Misato has put on her bubbly persona.

Over time, they become co-workers at Nerv, and a friendship grows. Not long after rekindling her relationship with Kaji, Misato also reflects on her romantic and sexual life with Ritsuko. While she never outwardly comments on Ritsuko's secret relationship with Gendo, Misato does mention how their friends from college have moved on with their own lives while discussing a wedding party for the following day, as well as mentioning a past one alongside a baby shower for two other friends. As Misato is seemingly unaware of her affair and points out that they're approaching 30, Ritsuko retorts that "nobody wants to be the last single".

However, once Misato starts digging around the secrets of Nerv, Ritsuko starts becoming more hostile and cold. When suggesting to destroy Leliel by firing missiles at its body without minding that Shinji is still trapped inside the angel, Misato gives her a hard slap across the face. The two grow more and more apart as Ritsuko refuses to tell classified info to a frustrated Misato. It comes at a climax when Ritsuko shows her and Shinji the tank of Rei clones. As the clones break apart at the control of Ritsuko, she starts to break down and weep about how she was such a fool, wishing for Misato to kill her. Misato doesn't, only replying that she really was a fool her entire life.

In Rebuild of Evangelion

"Making something... Nurturing something is really great. You can see and learn so many things from the process." Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Please discuss this issue, or begin editing the page.

Misato Katsuragi (Rebuild)
Misato Katsuragi in 3.0
葛城 ミサト
Rank / Title	Lieutenant Colonel (1.0), Colonel (2.0) Captain(of the AAA Wunder) (3.0)
Affiliation(s)	Nerv Wille (3.0)
National Heritage	Japanese
Relations	Dr. Katsuragi (father), Pen Pen (pet), Ryoji Kaji (lover), Ryoji Kaji Jr. (son)
Age	29 43 (3.0)
Birthday	12/08/1986
Seiyū	Kotono Mitsuishi
Voice Actor	(English): Allison Keith (Italian): Francesca Guadagno (Brazilian): Vanessa Alves (French): Laurence Bréheret (Spanish): Toni Rodríguez (German): Julia Kaufmann

Unlike her series counterpart, Misato knows that the giant in Terminal Dogma is Lilith, and even identifies it as such to Shinji.

Misato's rank in Evangelion 1.0 is "Lieutenant Colonel" while in Evangelion 2.0, she is promoted off-screen to "Colonel". This places her higher in Nerv's hierarchy (However, any officers outranking her, apart from Gendo and Fuyutsuki, are yet to appear). In Evangelion 3.0, Misato is the naval Captain of Wille's airborne flagship, the AAA Wunder. She wears her hair in a knot and speaks in a far sterner tone of voice, but otherwise appears to have aged little over the 14-year timeskip.

In Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0, Misato is revealed that she had a child with Ryoji Kaji, named Ryoji Kaji as well. The younger Kaji works at repairing the Wille-built machines keeping the Village-3 free from being turned to core. Kensuke explains to Shinji the situation with the elder Kaji's death and Misato's current state, stating that Kaji Sr. sacrificed himself to stop Third Impact, and Misato now stays away from her child so that she can protect him from afar. Kensuke also says that Misato regrets making Shinji shoulder all the burdens, and that is why she doesn't want Shinji to pilot an Eva again.

Later on, Ritsuko and Misato discuss their intentions in a space aboard Wunder dedicated to preserving seeds of life for all species, which is mentioned to be the original purpose of the vessel.

The final confrontation begins, and AAA Wunder descends from orbit towards Antarctica with the objective being the neutralization of Eva-13, in what Misato calls "Operation Yamato". The Wunder breaks through a hexagonal barrier that encloses an area of "high L density". Misato and Ritsuko confront Gendo, with Ritsuko shooting him. It is revealed that Gendo has used the Key of Nebuchadnezzar and has thrown away his humanity by adding "information that surpassed the logic of the world" to his body.

Shinji asks Misato to pilot Eva-01 to stop Gendo. Midori Kitakami and Sakura are appalled at the prospect of Shinji entering the Eva and fire at him, but Misato blocks Sakura's bullet with her own body. Misato thanks Shinji for saving them all from destruction using Eva-01 fourteen years previously, and explains that as his superior, the responsibility for his actions was ultimately hers, and since Shinji is still her subordinate, she will take responsibility for his actions. Misato and Shinji have a conversation in which Misato is glad to hear that Ryoji Kaji (Jr) is well and asks Shinji to take care of her son.

Amidst the battle of Shinji and Gendo in the anti-Universe, Misato prepares to turn the AAA Wunder into another Spear to hurl at a giant Red Rei, using Ritsuko's knowledge to transform Wunder's spinal linkage system. Eva-08 boards the spinal system as Misato uses the Wunder to ram the eye of the giant Rei-being. Misato sacrifices herself to hold back Gendo's Additional Impact and manifest the Spear of Gaius, representing humanity's will. The Gaius materializes in miniature form between Shinji's hands as Misato completes her sacrifice. She wishes her son and Shinji goodbye looking at their photo.

Misato in Other Media

"Making something... Nurturing something is really great. You can see and learn so many things from the process." Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Please discuss this issue, or begin editing the page.

Crossovers

Transformers x Evangelion: Transformers Mode “Eva”

In the crossover Misato sees the Angel attacking and the arrival of the Autobot Sky Lynx, where the ghost of the Decepticon Starscream possesses the Angel and becomes the hybrid Angel-scream where she sent out Eva-1 to combat the Angel. She was surprised when the Autobot leader Optimus Prime scans Eva-1 and gains the size and colors of the Eva, where she watched them fight. Once Eva-1 was disabled by Angel-scream Misato radioed the Autobot Wheeljack that she has faith in Optimus was there is no other Eva available to help him out. She managed to help out the Autobot leader by transforming Tokyo-3 to trip Angel-scream allowing Optimus Prime to finish off the Angel-Starscream hybrid. After the battle when Optimus returns to normal size and having NERV upgrade his trailer where the Autobots join with NERV to combat Decepticons and Angels alike to Misato’s anxiety and exception.

Notes

Misato's early designs

Some early designs of Gendo, Ritsuko and Misato.

Like most characters in Evangelion, Misato was named for a ship: the Katsuragi, an Unryū class WWII Japanese aircraft carrier. Her given name is from a heroine in Minako Narita's manga Aitsu. Hideaki Anno described Misato as "a woman, twenty-nine, who lives life so lightly as to barely allow the possibility of human touch. She protects herself by keeping relationships on the surface, and by running away." Anno originally intended for the protagonist to be a girl, and Misato as a "older-sister" figure supporting her. Sadamoto developed this Misato was conceived as a "girl next door" in the military. The name Misato means "beauty" (mi) and "village" (sato). However, various parents may choose to write it as "Optical village" or "Truth village". In addition, instead of the more common kanji for "village", a version meaning "home village" with the same pronunciation can be used, making the name Misato mean "beautiful home village". Misato's surname Katsuragi means "victory" (katsu) and "to flow" (ragi). To outline her personality, Anno was inspired by Usagi Tsukino, the 14-year-old protagonist of the Sailor Moon series, thinking of Misato as a more adult Usagi. Sadamoto consequently drew her taking inspiration from Usagi's character design, incorporating her hairstyle. The aesthetic similarities of the characters were emphasized by the choice of the voice actress, Kotono Mitsuishi, who played both roles. Some staff members, such as Jun'ichi Satō, had already worked for the animated version of Sailor Moon. For her physiognomy, staff was also inspired by Fujiko Mine from Lupin III and by the Japanese writer Aya Sugimoto. Early on she was described as an older sister for Shinji, and initially would have been a 1st Lieutenant.

Sadamoto decided to give her the appearance of a motorcyclist, inspired by the clothes worn by racers. As a motorsport enthusiast himself, Sadamoto depicted her as a fan of sports cars. It was his idea to give her a modified Renault Alpine A310, designed by mecha designer Ikuto Yamashita, as a tribute to the first episode of Lupin III, where there is a Renault Alpine A110. Misato has a bit of an affinity for European cars in the original series, and is a devotee of this particular marque, on her bedroom wall she has a poster of an A110 during a race. She has also been seen driving a red Ferrari 328 GTS when arriving at Tokyo-3's school. In Rebuild of Evangelion, however, she forgoes the Alpine for a white Mazda Cosmo Sport 110, with a red racing stripe. She carries a Heckler & Koch USP as her personal sidearm, compared to the Glock 17 that the other NERV personnel are seen wielding. It is only seen a few times in the series, but she demonstrates great skill with it.

As with other characters, Anno described Misato as a part of himself. Misato would be, alongside Asuka and Shinji, part of his conscious self. However, Anno felt difficulty in representing a female character, and liked to read romance novels written by women to better understand their feelings. Misato's handwritten note to Shinji in Episode 1 was actually written by Anno himself. Similarly, Misato's apartment is actually a reproduction of Anno's own. Misato's implied sex scene with Kaji in Episode 20 was said by Anno to actually be a massage scene to TV Tokyo in order to get permission to air it. Misato had no line in the script, so Anno left it up to her voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi. The script simply gave her a note by Anno: "Mitsuishi-sama, I look forward to working with you. Respectfully yours, Anno."

Trivia

• Misato's ID card is fully visible in episode 25. Her age is listed as 29. Her blood type is AO (both the genotype "AA" and "AO" are indistinguishable as the "type A" phenotype). Her height is listed as 1.63m (5'4"). Her bust is 83cm (32.7 inches). Her waist, 59cm (23.2 inches). Her hip measurement is listed as 82cm (32.2 inches). Her weight is 47kg ( 103.4 pounds).
• According to Sadamoto, Misato is a car buff^{[Source needed]}, and her apartment is littered with several car magazines; Gainax character designer and animator Yoshiyuki Sadamoto is himself a car enthusiast. Misato's Car is Renault Alpine A310, and in the new Evangelion movies, she eventually drives a Mazda Cosmo.
• She has a faint scar running diagonally under her right breast. This scar was a result of an injury inflicted (presumably by flying shrapnel) while Misato was taken by her father to safety minutes before Second Impact.
• The theory that Misato had killed Kaji was caused by a shot in the originally aired version of Episode 21 of her room's door with her name on it after Kaji's death. This was changed in the Director's Cut version of Episode 21 to just a shot of her apartment complex. The change and some of the reasoning behind it are detailed here. While the original source for the quote is missing (and hence unverifiable), Director Anno apparently raised the possibility that it could have been done by Japan government or Seele agent. The film-book also states that the killer was not a main character. This is also referenced in the Tsurumaki, FUNime March 2002 interview where Tsurumaki says that Kaji was tricked and killed by one of his informants, not Ritsuko or Misato.

Theories

• Theory and Analysis:Sexuality In Misato and Shinji's Relationship

Misato's role in Second Impact

It is unknown why Misato was in Antarctica during Second Impact since once would not normally take a teenage girl along on a highly classified expedition, especially one as rife with danger as the Katsuragi expedition. It has been speculated that Misato may have been intended to have a part in the Contact Experiment with Adam, in part because Misato was at the time approximately the same age as the Evangelion pilots would be fifteen years later, however, there is no evidence presented in the show to support her direct involvement in the Contact Experiment.

Since Yui seemingly had no trouble bringing Shinji along for her Contact Experiment in Episode 21, it has been suggested that, like her, Dr. Katsuragi wanted to show his child the "bright future", which would make sense if nobody present with the Katsuragi expedition (Except perhaps Gendo Ikari) was aware of the apocalyptic consequences of a Contact Experiment with Adam.

More prosaically, Dr. Katsuragi may have brought his daughter along to care for her and keep her close to him after his wife left him, out of love and a fear of losing her or perhaps due to realizing that he had neglected her due to his work.

References

Characters

Main characters: Shinji Ikari | Rei Ayanami | Asuka Langley Soryu

Nerv staff: Misato Katsuragi | Gendo Ikari | Ritsuko Akagi | Kozo Fuyutsuki | Ryoji Kaji | Maya Ibuki | Makoto Hyuga | Shigeru Aoba

Classmates: Toji Suzuhara | Kensuke Aida | Hikari Horaki

Other characters: Kaworu Nagisa | Yui Ikari | Naoko Akagi | Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu | Dr. Katsuragi | Mr. Langley | Keel Lorenz | Pen Pen

Rebuild of Evangelion: Asuka Shikinami Langley | Mari Makinami Illustrious | Sakura Suzuhara | Ryoji Kaji (Jr)

Miscellaneous: Minor Characters | Minor Characters (Rebuild) | Extracanonical Characters

Theory and Analysis: Name Origins (Warships) | Designs | Relationships | Profiles

Resources: 2015: The Last Year of Ryohji Kaji