Volume 11 (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Volume 11
新世紀エヴァンゲリオン Shin Seiki Evangelion
Author:	Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Publish date:	Japan: June 19, 2007. U.S.: November 18, 2008.
Volume chronology
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"Volume 10"	"N/A"

Volume 11 is the eleventh edition of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's manga adaptation of Neon Genesis Evangelion. It is comprised of 6 stages.

Summary

Stage 71: Descendent of Adam

Misato Katsuragi ruminates over facts that have been hidden from her since she joined Nerv and became involved with fighting the Angels. She sees the Second Impact as not a complete accident owing to a stray meteorite but the product of human errors. She thinks of Rei, whose secret was just revealed to her. Adam, the Angels, and the enigmatic Seele are touched on as Misato admits to sensing a great confrontation in the future.

Shinji is at the shore formed by the explosion of Unit-00—it is also the shore that engulfed his friends’ homes. His friends have left, never again to seek his contact. He is left without the bonds that proved to be so difficult to craft. Shinji ruminates over his role, which has become to protect a now empty, impersonal city.

However, there is one more person left to him who still seeks him. Kaworu had followed Shinji to the shore, even after Shinji rejected Kaworu’s need for contact earlier. Kaworu says that although Shinji has lost everyone he still won’t consider him a friend. Shinji reaffirms this, and explains that he would rather have been alone in the beginning, and to stay alone now, then to commit himself to Kaworu and end up being hurt again. Kaworu begs Shinji to tell him more of what he thinks of him. Shinji refuses to have a relationship with Kaworu and tells him to release his grip. With a serious but saddened face, Kaworu leaves Shinji at the shore.

Gendo Ikari questions Ritsuko Akagi, who is confined and under security. He asks her why she destroyed the Dummy System, and she says that she did it to destroy Rei, who she thinks Gendo preferred over her. In the end, she is reduced to hysterics as Gendo leaves her. Gendo speaks to Yui (Unit-01) about how their goals will soon be realized, and he ingests the resurrected body of Adam.

Kaworu meets with Seele, who tell him that it is time to implement their plan. They explain their, and mankind’s, final hope, which is to return to a form which would obliterate war, resentment and human insecurities. This hope is in the form of a new physical form, which would be the amalgamation of all human souls. They acknowledge that Gendo is using Nerv for his own ends, against Seele, and that he seeks to open up the path to the creation of a new god before Seele can implement their own plan. Kaworu is entrusted with Seele’s “hope” and told to go and begin to carry out their plan. Kaworu agrees to comply (with the face of one who is facing something difficult), and with an earnest face, says, “I know. This is the reason…I exist in the first place.”

Stage 72: The Last Messenger

Misato questions Ritsuko about the nature of Kaworu. Ritsuko tells Misato that the Second Impact was the result of humans trying to return Adam back into an egg form before the other Angels awoke. She then says that human genes were used in some way so that the final Angel was born in human form on the day the Second Impact occurred. This Angel was then acquired by Seele. Ritsuko then says that the final Angel is probably Kaworu Nagisa.

Kaworu takes control of Unit-02 and heads towards Terminal Dogma, where Lilith is. Shinji is sent out to intercept him, and is angered by the fact that Kaworu tried to be his friend when he was truly an Angel. Shinji asks Kaworu why he tried to be his friend if he knew they were to fight in the end, and he says he doesn’t wish to fight him. Kaworu questions this, since Shinji doesn’t care for him or consider him a friend anyway. Unit-01 fights with Unit-02 as they descend deeper into Nerv. Unit-01’s Prog Knife slips and falls towards Kaworu, who erects his AT Field, to the surprise of Shinji.

Seele holds a meeting where they say that man must change by his own hands (probably without the aid of the Angels). They hope that Unit-01 will kill Kaworu. This is a departure from their earlier plan, which must not have involved Kaworu going down to Terminal Dogma. Kaworu must have gone against their plans when he took Unit-02 and headed to Terminal Dogma. What was their original plan? It was probably to kill Gendo, as is their point when they have Nerv invaded after Kaworu’s death. Why did Kaworu go to Terminal Dogma if he knew that Adam was within Gendo? Why take along Unit-02?

Stage 73: Reaching the Boundary

Unit-01’s Prog Knife is stopped by Kaworu’s AT Field. Kaworu then explains to Shinji that he too has an AT Field, and that the AT Field is “…A wall that everyone possesses in their heart.” Shinji denies this and says that only Angels and Evas have AT Fields, though his mother’s own AT Field is amplified by Unit-01.

Kaworu’s AT Field blocks out all of Nerv’s sensors, and he progresses to “Heaven’s Door,” the chamber that contains Lilith and the suspected goal of the Angels. Kaworu seemed to have been looking for Adam, because he remarks on his absence when he sees Lilith in Terminal Dogma instead of Adam.

Shinji catches up with Kaworu, who asks Shinji if he can kill something in human form. Shinji begs him to stop without a fight, and Kaworu says “Thinking only of yourself, as usual.”

Kaworu tells Shinji that if the Third Impact were to occur, Shinji would get the world he wished for. All beings would merge into one. However, Kaworu does not care about whether or not he will cause Third Impact. He knows that he will cease to be an individual either way, and so he asks Shinji to kill him. Choosing his own death is the only freedom left to him, Kaworu says. If Shinji feels anything towards him, Kaworu says he will grant his wish. Kaworu compares it to his killing of the cat.

Stage 74: Memories Within My Palm

Rei arrives and projects her AT Field in order to allow Shinji to attack Kaworu with Unit-01.

Kaworu says that Shinji doesn't want to kill him because he will be tortured by guilt afterwards. Thinking that a selfish reason, Kaworu says, “You think very little about me. You hate me that much…do you?” Shinji denies this, and Kaworu’s face lights up. He then says, “The next thing you do is the proof of what you really… think of me.” Shinji squeezes and kills Kaworu by Unit-01, and an image of Shinji strangling Kaworu (presumably set after Kaworu kills the cat) in the broken down churchyard is shown.

Shinji stays in his bed the next day and thinks how the things that should be protected and the things he wants to protect are not the same thing. He sees how he has failed to protect that which he wants to protect. Now the city he fought for means nothing to him without the people in it. He wonders if it’s really necessary to protect the world he has protected up until now. Shinji also thinks about what Kaworu said about the Third Impact, and how it would eradicate the feelings of loss one would feel after losing people. He begins to think of it as a better alternative.

Stage 75: Broken Heart

Shinji found that he was drawn to Kaworu in the end, even though he thought he didn’t need any more friends. Shinji wonders why people become attracted to other people, and Misato says it is because man was made incomplete. She says there is meaning to the way people seek each other, and in the way people hurt one another. Shinji denies her ability to sympathize with him, since she just gives orders and does not experience the real emotional burden—fighting the Angels personally. Misato raises her hand to slap him, and Shinji challenges her to do so before he rushes from her car into Nerv.

Nerv is on level one alert, as if they expect an enemy after the Angels.

Seele wonders if Tabris (Kaworu) betrayed them. Then they acknowledge that the Dead Sea Scrolls did not designate him to be “…The successor of life.” They think of Gendo’s betrayal, of his trying to create his own instrumentality. They plan to have him killed for going against their plans.

Gendo states that even if Kaworu had come into contact with Lilith, the “…Instrumentality would have remained incomplete. Not only the spear… but the thing we need most was missing. Lilith’s broken…heart.” Rei is present as Gendo states this missing factor.

Shinji visits comatose Asuka after feeling the effects of Kaworu’s death. Shinji pleads with Asuka, asking her to wake up and support him. He then says, “This isn’t the Asuka I want to protect! Not this empty shell.” This wakes Asuka up and she attempts to strangle him. She is stopped by the doctors and Shinji is guided from her room. He questions her reaction and wipes his face, which was scratched by Asuka. He then sees Rei walking with Gendo. She glances at him with apathy, as if she was a complete stranger or disinterested in him. Shinji realizes that this signals the end of his connections with people. Asuka, Rei, Kaworu, and Toji have fallen before him, and he is left in a deep depression as he sobs outside Asuka’s room.

Stage 76: Final Enemy

Misato hacks into a database to find the reason why 13 Evas are being created. She finds that Seele wants to merge all humans into one to create a perfect world, and that they will do this not with Nerv, but by the Evas.

China, the U.S., and Germany begin to hack into Nerv’s Magi computers. Ritsuko is summoned to stop this, and she implements a 666 protection to stop the intrusion. Seele moves on to a direct invasion of Nerv using Special Forces troops. Their goal is to secure Nerv as a base along with the two Evas (and the eradication of Gendo). Nerv assumes Level One battle stations, as in an Angel attack.

Shinji hears the Level One battle stations call, and he knows he should get to Unit-01. But Shinji cannot move.

The Special Forces are ordered to kill the Eva pilots, and Shinji is left completely vulnerable to their attack as he sits unattended and unmonitored in Nerv’s break room, unable to move.