Episode 19

Episode Information
Episode #19
Title 1: 男の戰い Otoko no Tatakai A Man's Battle Title 2: Introjection
Written By
Directed By
First Aired
Video Release Date	{{{video_release}}}
Angel Appearances	Zeruel
Eva Sorties	Eva-00, Eva-01, Eva-02
Episode chronology
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"Episode 18"	"Episode 20"

Synopsis

In the aftermath of the battle with the Angel-infected Eva-03, Shinji is enraged that his father attempted to kill Toji, who he now knows was trapped in the Entry Plug throughout the incident. Shinji refuses to leave the Eva and even threatens to destroy Nerv Headquarters on his remaining battery power. Gendo and the bridge personnel knock him unconscious by increasing the LCL pressure inside the plug.

Toji wakes up in the hospital, with Shinji sleeping in the bed next to his. He goes back to sleep, and dreams of seeing Shinji and Rei in a train, talking about his father's behavior. When he wakes up again, Shinji is gone, and Hikari is at his side instead. She tells him he has been asleep for three days after the incident. From the shot, it is evident that Toji's left leg has been amputated.

Shinji is brought in to his father's office in handcuffs, where he is charged with various offences against Nerv, including threatening intimidation, insubordination and use of an Eva for personal vendettas. Shinji responds by saying that he will never pilot again. Gendo decides to delete his files and reassign Rei as the pilot of Eva-01, with the Dummy Plug as backup. Misato tells Shinji that his activities will be closely monitored, to which he aggressively replies that he doesn't care. Surprised by his conviction, Misato lets Shinji leave. As soon as he reaches the train station, an emergency is declared: a new angel is approaching.

The Angel Zeruel approaches Tokyo-3 from the air. Missile batteries fire at Zeruel to no avail, and Zeruel responds with a weapon that destroys eighteen of the twenty-two armor layers above the Geofront. This aggressive and extremely destructive new enemy gives Nerv very little time to prepare a counterattack. Rei is sent to pilot Eva-01, but the Eva rejects her immediately. Attempts to activate it with the dummy system also fail. Meanwhile, Shinji watches as Zeruel sets off multiple cross-shaped explosions, and questions his decision not to pilot again.

Zeruel finally breaks through to the Geofront, where Asuka attacks him. Eva-02 sprays Zeruel with Rifle and Rocket fire, but again to no effect. Zeruel extends its foil-like arms, and severs both of Eva-02's arms with ease. Asuka screams in pain and charges Zeruel, and the bridge crew cut her nerve links just before Eva-02 is decapitated. Shinji meets up with Kaji inside the Geofront, and sees the effects of the battle. Rei follows with a suicide attack, attempting to destroy the Angel's core with an N² mine, but the Angel covers its core with an armored membrane, and survives the explosion unhurt.

With both Evas defeated and Eva-01 still refusing the Dummy Plug, the situation appears dire for Nerv, but Shinji barges in to pilot Eva-01 at the last moment. Zeruel damages the top of the command pyramid and breaks into the control room, prepared to obliterate the unfortunate bridge personnel. A second before the Angel releases its charge-up attack, it is punched in the face and slammed through the wall by Eva-01.

In the battle that follows, Eva-01's left arm is shot off but Zeruel is almost killed one-handed before the Eva runs out of power. Zeruel destroys the Eva's chest armor and tries to penetrate the core, but the Eva reactivates and goes berserk. After ripping off the Angel's left arm to regenerate its own, it mutilates the Angel with an A.T. Field attack of its own and proceeds to devour the crippled Angel.

Notes

• Eva-01 is capable of actively rejecting its pilot if necessary, showing that it is indeed a sentient being. Yui's soul inside was capable of understanding the implications of the disastrous battle with Bardiel, in which Toji was almost killed.

Analysis

• The episode's English title, like the previous episode, comes from psychoanalytical theory. Introjection[[1]] is a state in which a person incorporates behaviors, attitudes or characteristics of the surrounding world or other people into himself or herself, normally being a psychological defense mechanism in which the attributes of a missing person of great significance are incorporated.
  • At the end of the episode, Shinji is absorbed into Eva-01, in effect being internalized by his own mother.

• Shinji is more aggressive and decisive than ever seen previously, showing that his concern for others is indeed much stronger than it appears. Ironically, Toji is the one to point it out in Episode 17, while cleaning out Rei's apartment.

• The remains of Eva-03 are being dissolved, it is confirmed that the destruction of the Eva did bring about the death of the Angel that fused with it.

• Zeruel is one of the most destructive Angels seen so far, and its charge-up energy attack is the most powerful beam attack used in the series (Ramiel took several seconds to melt down Eva-01's chest armor, although Ramiel could sustain its attack indefinitely instead of a short pulse), and its cross-shaped beam attack is comparable to Sachiel's. Both attacks eventually penetrate the Geofront.

• Gendo and even Ritsuko are aghast at Rei's suicide attack on Zeruel. Her words, "If I die, I can be replaced." might imply that she is aware of her clone copies. Ritsuko's concern is interesting- she hates Rei for being close to Gendo, and knows the truth about Rei. Gendo's feelings for Rei (As a living Yui) aside, why Ritsuko should be concerned remains puzzling.

• Eva-01 uses an unknown A.T. Field based attack to cripple Zeruel, one that is never seen any other time in the entire series. Watching closely, one can discern the extent of the invisible shockwave that rips through Zeruel's arms and knocks the Angel's A.T. Field out of alignment.

• Ritsuko reveals that the armor on the Eva isn't just armor, but bindings to keep the Eva under Nerv's control. How the bindings function is never elaborated upon.

• The location of Zeruel's S² engine is slightly difficult to ascertain. The core appeared to survive the shockwave undamaged, and the Eva visibly eats the upper body of the Angel including the "face", but the image of Eva-01 crouching over Zeruel seems to show it facing the core.
  • If the S² engine is located high in the Angel's torso, it is possible that the weapon that created the cross-shaped explosions and optic beams is directly connected to the Angel's main power source, explaining its enormous destructive power.

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