EvaWiki:Standards and Conventions (Eva-Specific)

This page serves as the central hub for standards used in writing articles on EvaWiki, dealing with matters specific to Evangelion.

Rules governing the formal basics of how to edit a wiki, and the internal policies for editors on EvaWiki can be found at EvaWiki:Rules and Regulations.

General

• The original TV series is treated as the default for the entire site. The manga (and eventually Rebuild and Live-action, when there is substantial information on them) are to be mentioned in the context of being separate canons, by creating separate subsections on existing pages. For example, there will be no separate articles "Shinji Ikari (TV series)" and "Shinji Ikari (Rebuild)". There will be one article for "Shinji Ikari" which be default focuses on Shinji from the TV series, and there will be a subsection on the "Shinji Ikari" article discussing his appearances in other continuities. If the subsection grows too large, it will be expanded into a new page linked off of the original one.
• For citational purposes, the Platinum Edition DVD transcripts are considered the standard on which EvaWiki is based.
• The original Japanese version of every episode or movie is considered to be the "standard" version and supercedes the official English dub on all matters.
• Each episode of the TV series has three names: the original Japanese name (in Japanese), the official translation by ADV Films of the original Japanese name, and the English title which Gainax created on its own. To avoid confusion, always refer to episodes simply as "Episode 01" or "Episode 18", etc. With "Episode" capitalized and a zero in front of single-digit episodes. This is what the articles on these episodes are also titled, though notes on the names devised for each episode by Gainax or ADV Films are included in the template for each article (that has already been done for you).

Japanese language and accessibility

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a Japanese work, and as this wiki is written in English, many readers or editors might be familiar with the official English language dub. Nonetheless as said before, the Japanese script is considered definative.

Still, do not assume that people reading EvaWiki have any knowledge of Japanese whatsoever. It should be accessible to everyone, even those that unfortunately do not know Japanese. That is not to say that Japanese information should be discarded, far from it: the idea is that by reading EvaWiki, someone who has comes with no knowledge about Japanese will be educated about how it was used in the series. As a prime example, do not assume that readers have any idea what the Japanese honorific "-sama" means (more on Japanese honorifics below). That doesn't mean you shouldn't include this information, it just means that for example, in Episode 04 you shouldn't just say "Shinji addresses Misato as "Misato-sama" on the envelope he leaves her". You should say "The envelope Shinji leaves for Misato in his room when he runs away is literally addressed "Katsuragi Misato-sama" in the original Japanese. The honorific suffix "-sama" is the more formal version of "-san" (Mr. or Ms.) and is used to politely address those of higher social rank."

Please refrain from referring to characters using a Japanese honorific if you are not directly quoting from the script (there shouldn't be a page where Shinji is consistently referred to as "Shinji-kun" over twenty times, etc.)

Character names

Use the westernized version of given name first, surname last: thus use "Shinji Ikari", never "Ikari Shinji".

The romanization of each character's name that EvaWiki uses will be:

Gendo Ikari Hikari Horaki Kaworu Nagisa Keel Lorenz Kensuke Aida Kozo Fuyutsuki Makoto Hyuga Maya Ibuki Misato Katsuragi Naoko Akagi Rei Ayanami Ritsuko Akagi Ryoji Kaji Shigeru Aoba Shinji Ikari Shiro Tokita Asuka Langley Soryu Kyoko Soryu Zeppelin Toji Suzuhara Yui Ikari

Write the name of Misato's pet penguin as "Pen Pen" (without a dash), not "Pen²", as "Pen²" is more difficult to use.

Japanese honorifics

The Japanese language includes many honorifics attached to names, which might change the meaning of a scene based on how someone is addressed in the original Japanese script. While you should refer to Shinji as "Shinji Ikari", if you are directly quoting the Japanese script you should quote it by using the original word order, as in "Ikari Shinji-kun". "Shinji Ikari-kun" would sound really forced and artificial.

Angel names

The official spellings of the names of each Angel are: Adam, Lilith, Sachiel, Shamshel, Ramiel, Gaghiel, Israfel, Sandalphon, Matarael, Sahaquiel, Ireul, Leliel, Bardiel, Zeruel, Arael, Armisael and Tabris.

"Lilim" will be used as opposed to "Lilin".

Always spell "Angel" with a capital "A".

Eva Designations

The official full name of an Evangelion will be that which appears in the title of the article on it, i.e. "Evangelion Unit-01".

In the original Japanese, the Evangelions are referred to using the system "(number)-gouki". "-gouki" essentially means "Unit". Thus "Sho" (one) plus "-gouki" (unit) equals "Unit 01", etc. To make EvaWiki accessible to fans who do not speak any Japanese whatsoever, please do not refer to the Evangelions by their Japanese names, unless you are directly quoting the script.

Spear of Longinus

The official English dub translates it as "Lance of Longinus", however the original Japanese word could mean either "Lance" or Spear". A computer display of the object during The End of Evangelion, however, refers to it as the "Spear of Longinus". Therefore, EvaWiki officially refers to this object as the "Spear of Longinus". Also, the initial form of the copies of this weapon that the Mass Production Evas wield will be referred to as "Heavy Spears" not "Heavy Lances".

Organizations and Capital letters

"Nerv" spelled with lowercase letters

Nerv, Gehirn, Seele, and Magi are often spelled with all caps in the series, even though they are not acronyms. This is just a quirk of translation, from the Japanese production team writing words with Latin letters. Nerv is almost always spelled "NERV", however even that is not always so: Misato hands Shinji a "Welcome to Nerv" (sic) pamphlet in Episode 01 which spells it in lowercase letters. In fact, even some words like "Adam" and "Second Impact" are at some points in the series written as "ADAM" and "SECOND IMPACT" by accident. Thus, on EvaWiki they should always be written with only the first letter capitalized, as "Nerv", "Gehirn", "Seele", and "Magi".

Gender

Evangelions should always be referred to as "she", not it.

The Seeds of Life Adam and Lilith should always be referred to as "she", not "it".

Other Angels are "it", not "he" or "she".

"Director's Cut" episodes

"Director's Cut" versions of episodes (aka "New Production Cuts") are to be handled by creating a subsection on an existing article. For example, there will be only one "Episode 21" article, and a subsection of that article will list what new scenes were included in the Director's Cut. If this subsection grows to be very large, it will be expanded into a new page linked off of the original one.

When referring specifically to a "Diretor's Cut" episode or information contained within one, use the naming convention established by the series whereby an original episode would be "Episode 21" but the Director's Cut would be "Episode 21'" (Note: apostrophes screw up wiki code and I actually think this would cause problems with the wiki-code Reichu, though not insurmountable ones; get back to me on this).

A.T. Field

It will always be spelled "A.T. Field": a period after A and T and a capital F, as it is short for "Absolute Terror Field". An "Anti A.T. Field" will be spelled without a dash, because "Anti-A.T. Field" sounds like it is "against "AT"" when it is actually "the opposite of "A.T. Field"", etc.

LCL

Refer to "LCL" as "LCL" not "L.C.L." The use of initials in the word on the series is inconsistent, and the explanation that it is an acronym standing for "Link Connect Liquid" might not be entirely canon.

Humans and Angels

There are some who ardently consider humans to be the "18th Angel". The article on the term "Lilim", used by Kaworu, explains the debate and makes note of that, in a sense humans might be considered another Angel, or at least, that the origin of Angels and humans is somewhat linked. The Lilim article already makes note of this, so please do not casually refer to humanity as "the 18th Angel" in other places.

Seed of Life vs. Source of Life

"Seed of Life" is the term that will be always used for Adam and Lilith, never "Source of Life".