Theory and Analysis:Kaworu's Agenda

Kaworu & Seele

Kaworu & Seele "Lake" Scene

Kaworu has Adam’s soul, but is in the form of a Lilim. The Angels are, essentially, his children. It only makes sense that his goal would be to take back the Earth that is rightfully both his and the Angels. However, we find out in the episode that Kaworu is associated with Seele. Exactly what would the relationship be between these two parties? We know of Seele’s ultimate goal - Third Impact and Instrumentality. So how would their plan involve Kaworu? One of the great mysteries of the episode is exactly why Kaworu was sent to Nerv by Seele. There is only one meeting between them, and this is the dialogue in its entirety:

KAWORU: "Humans cannot create anything out of nothingness. Humans cannot accomplish anything without holding onto something. After all, humans are not gods."

KEEL: "But there is one man who is trying to obtain power equal to that of God."

12: "There is a man, who is not one of us, attempting to open Pandora's Box once again."

04: There is a man trying to close the Box before the Hope at the bottom appears."

KAWORU: "Hope? You're saying that is the Lilim's hope?"

??: "Hope exists in as many forms as there are people."

??: "And that is because hope only exists in the hearts of people."

KEEL: "However, our hope is becoming substantiated."

??: "That is Lilith, the progenitor of mankind who are the false successors from the black moon."

??: "And Adam, the progenitor of the Angels who are the true successors from the lost white moon."

??: "His salvaged soul exists only within you."

KEEL: "However, his resurrected body already exists within Ikari."

KAWORU: "Shinji's father... So, he is also the same as me."

KEEL: "That is why we entrust you with our wish."

KAWORU: "I know. That's why I'm here now after all."

One of the most important but utterly vague scenes in the series, the infamous "Lake" scene with Seele and Kaworu. This scene was not one in the original version of Episode 24 but was added in the Director's Cut version, which is now considered canon. This is important because it's obvious Anno added this scene to tell us something (or several things). There are several things to note here:

• This lake is the one left behind by the explosion when Rei destroyed Armisael. It is a perfect, symmetrical circle. Kaworu "stands" in the center on top of the statue of an angel.

• There are 15 Seele monoliths in the scene, despite the fact there are only supposed to be 12. What is the nature behind this? Some have called it an error on the part of the creators/animators, but considering the other weirdness behind this scene, that's not likely.

Note that 15 is also the number of departed Angels. In order from first to last:

• Sachiel
• Shamshel
• Ramiel
• Gaghiel
• Israfel (Was two angels - two halves)
• Sandalphon
• Matarael
• Sahaquiel
• Ireul
• Leliel
• Bardiel
• Zeruel
• Arael
• Armisael

One theory is that the 15 Monoliths are not Seele, but they represent the departed Angels. Here’s the evidence for this theory:

• Monoliths are also used for gravestones
• Seele means "Soul"
• The number of markers match the number of dead angels

So what exactly are we seeing in that scene? One explanation is that the conversation is a type of metaphysical flashback to an earlier conversation between Kaworu and Seele. One explaining their intentions and plans for him. At the same time, it's actually revealing Kaworu's gathering of the the departed angels' - his children - souls at the last known place an Angel was.

This scene also further illustrates Seele's growing frustration with Gendo. In it, they reveal to Kaworu that his (Adam's) resurrected body exists within Gendo. They also express their knowledge of the fact that Lilim are the false successors (to the Earth) from Lilith and the Black Moon, and the Angels/Adam are the true successors from the White Moon. What is this telling us? They're expressing to Kaworu their "hope" here, but what is their "hope"? We know what their ultimate goal is, so what is it they're telling Kaworu?

Note how many times the word "Hope" is used in this exchange. This "hope" thing is very possibly an example of Anno playing word games. "Hope" in Japanese is "Kibou", which can also mean "ruse" or "trick". We also find out in the film that Lilith represents "Hope". So what we have here is a word that is used, representing 3 things:

• Seele's actual “hope”, in that of Lilith - who represents Hope (they wish to unite all souls through her).
• The "hope" that they're relating to Kaworu (what they wish for him to do).
• Kibou as "trick" meaning they're lying to Kaworu about their "hope".

This theory helps clear up some of the ambiguity behind the episode. In fact, the following dialogue perhaps even backs this up:

MISATO: "It's no good. I can't read his lips from here. But he certainly is a shady character, going out for a walk so early in the morning to talk to himself. He noticed me? No, it's not possible."

KAWORU: "All will be as the Lilim direct it."

This exchange also happens at the lake, with Misato spying on Kaworu from a distance. Further evidence of that scene not actually happening at that time in place is Misato's line referring to Kaworu talking to himself. She obviously didn't see the monoliths, so is this a clue as to the nature of that scene? Kaworu's final words are another conundrum. Was he serious or sarcastic? Did he intend to betray Seele, or carry out their hope? It's possible he wasn't sure at this time what he intended.

Seele make two more appearances in the episode, one before the Lake, and one after. Here’s the one before:

??: "Nerv, the organization formed to be Seele's executive branch..."

??: "It was created in order to put our script into practice."

??: "But now, it has become an organization in the possession of one individual."

??: "Precisely, we must take it back."

??: "Before the promised day."

KEEL: "Nerv and the Eva series must be in their true forms. Ikari, you will bear the responsibility of your malfeasance towards Seele."

Seele seems very upset at Gendo in this bit of dialogue. Mainly because they feel he’s betrayed them and taken over Nerv. Keel’s first sentence has to do with their plans for 3rd Impact, while the last ones seems to imply they have a plan to get back at Gendo. Seele’s final appearance is in the finale, which I will discuss in that section.

Kaworu & Shinji

Throughout the episode, we see Kaworu approaching and befriending Shinji. Their first meeting is outside of Nerv, where they introduce themselves. However they also have two subsequent conversations. Why is Kaworu contacting Shinji at all? We know that Kaworu was sent to Nerv for a purpose, however, we do not know what that original purpose was. There are two explanations possible for him becoming friends with Shinji:

• This was part of Seele’s plans.

It’s very possible Seele had some plan for Shinji - or more likely Shinji’s Eva. It’s possible they wanted Kaworu to do something for them that involved Shinji and/or Eva-01. It’s even possible Seele wanted to send Kaworu to his death, after befriending Shinji. Why would they want this? This idea is given some meaning in the film, in which Seele were seemingly relying on Shinji’s will to die (known as destrudo) to initiate Third Impact.

• Kaworu contacted Shinji out of his own curiosity.

This idea seems more plausible given the dialogue in the episode where Kaworu seems to be having a moral dilemma about killing the Lilim species, despite the fact that he must for The Angels to have the Earth.

Here are the two key scenes between Kaworu and Shinji:

Kaworu: "You go to such extremes to avoid first contact. Are you afraid of connecting with other people? If you don't get close to others, you'll never be betrayed and you'll never hurt each other. But you'll also never be able to forget your loneliness. Humans can never banish their loneliness for good, because being human means being alone. But humans are able to go on with their lives because they're able to forget it every so often."

SHINJI: "It's time."

KAWORU: "Is it over already?"

SHINJI: "Yeah, we better go to bed."

KAWORU: "Together?"

SHINJI: "Oh, no! I think there's probably a room ready for you. A separate one."

KAWORU: "I see. Humans constantly feel pain in their hearts. Because the heart is so sensitive to pain, humans also feel that to live is to suffer. You're so delicate, like glass, especially your heart."

SHINJI: "Me?"

KAWORU: "Yes, you have my regard for it."

SHINJI: "Regard?"

KAWORU: "It means, I love you."

Because Kaworu is actually Adam, he does not understand Lilim, which likely explains his ruminations here. The Earth was supposed to be for him and the Angels, but Lilim are the dominant species. Kaworu has an obligation to The Angels - his children - to give them a home. Yet he begins to feel pity for Lilim considering how weak they are. His line of "it means, I love you" here likely not directed at Shinji, but at the entire Lilim race. It was important nonetheless to Shinji, who had nobody to turn to at this point. Kaworu was the first person to openly express love for him, and that meant the world to Shinji, who was hopelessly lost.

KAWORU: "Come on, I'll sleep on the floor."

SHINJI: "It's okay. You're the one who's doing me a favor by letting me stay over. I'm fine where I am."

KAWORU: "What do you want to talk about? There are things you want me to hear, right?"

SHINJI: "All sorts of things have happened since I came here. Before coming here, I used to live with my teacher. The days were peaceful. Nothing ever happened. I only had to exist there. But that was okay, because there was nothing I had to do."

KAWORU: "Did you hate people?"

SHINJI: "Not really, I think it didn't matter, one way or another. But I did hate my father."

SHINJI (MONO): "Why am I telling Kaworu all this?"

KAWORU: "Maybe I was born, so that I would meet you.:

Kaworu seems both genuinely interested in Shinji’s plight, as well as that of Lilim. The last line is very likely directly related to his final decision at the end of the episode. It seems that Kaworu sought out Shinji for one reason or another. And his time with Shinji gave him insight into the Lilim species. Perhaps to the point he pitied them. This likely had a profound effect on the episode’s finale.

The Finale

The finale of 24’ occurs from the moment Kaworu hi-jacks Evangelion Unit-02 to his demise at the hands of Shinji and Unit-01. Because of the amount of content I’m going to have to breakdown much of the dialogue.

FUYUTSUKI: "I never imagined Seele would send one directly to us."

IKARI: The old men intend to step up the schedule by forcing our hand."

This is where Kaworu "hi-jacks" Unit-02 and starts heading towards Terminal Dogma. Those at Nerv are frantically trying to figure out what's going on. The scanners pick up an AT Field developing, and the scanner reads Kaworu as an Angel - finally revealing his true identity. Gendo's final line here is also a mystery. He seems to believe Seele sent the angel directly to them to force him into something. Exactly what he thought they wanted him to do though is unknown.

02: "Humans forget their foolishness and repeat their mistakes."

??: "If humans do not redeem themselves willingly, they will not change."

??: "We will not rely on the powers of Adam or the Angels."

KEEL: "Our only choice is to make changes with our own hands for the future. I will be praying that Unit 01 will accomplish its task."

The final appearance of Seele in the episode. The fact that this dialogue comes directly after Kaworu's takeover of Unit-02 seems to imply that somehow he'd betrayed Seele, and they realized their foolishness in relying on Adam. Interesting how they even say "Adam or the Angels". With the Angels gone, who could they be referring to if not the resurrected Angels' souls that Kaworu might have picked up at the lake? But the last lines reveals that from this point on they will plan on initiating Third Impact themselves. They also now hope that Unit-01 stops Kaworu. However, this scene might not be as straight forward as this. The reason being that we don't know exactly what Seele sent Kaworu to Nerv to do. In the Lake scene (and before) their intentions seem to be towards Gendo. But what exactly did they want Kaworu to do at Nerv? And if Kaworu did indeed betray Seele, why did he?

MISATO (OFF): "But why did the Angel take Unit 02?"

FUYUTSUKI: "Could it be planning to merge with Unit 02?"

IKARI: Or possibly to bring about destruction."

The merging with Ni is an interesting idea. If Kaworu was able to merge with Ni, would that create Adam Mk. II?

KAWORU: "Shinji's so late."

MAN (OFF): "Eva Unit 01 heading down Route 2! In pursuit of target!"

SHINJI: "You betrayed me! You betrayed my feelings! You betrayed me, just like Father did!"

KAWORU: "I've been waiting for you, Shinji."

Why was Kaworu waiting for Shinji if he already had a definite plan in mind? It’s very possible at this point Kaworu was not sure what he was going to do. His following pontifications seem to imply that he was waiting for Shinji - relying on him perhaps to help him make his final decision, if even in an indirect manner.

KAWORU: "The Eva series. Born from Adam, they are an abhorrent existence for humans. And the Lilim will even use them in order to survive. I can't understand."

Kaworu revealing the Evas true nature. He doesn't understand why humans would use the very things that tried to destroy them in Second Impact in order to survive.

KAWORU: "The Eva are made of the same body as I am.

Because I am born from Adam as well. I could merge with them, if only they didn't have souls. Unit 02's soul has shut itself away for now."

Revealing why Kaworu can effortlessly synch with the Evas. But apparently he can not merge with them due to them having souls.

SHINJI: "An AT Field!"

KAWORU: "That's right. That's what you Lilim call it. The sacred domain where none may trespass. The light of the soul. Lilim, you know, don't you? That the AT Field is the wall that everyone has in their heart?"

Kaworu revealing to Shinji the true nature of the A.T. Field.

KAWORU (MONO): "The fate of man... The hope of man is written in sorrow."

Another reference to man's "hope". It's possible what he was referring to was Seele's "hope" that they told him. He seems to believe that this "hope" is a sorrowful fate. It's possible this implies that whatever Seele told him that their "hope" had something to do with the destruction of man. Why would Seele lie to Kaworu? Likely to get him to go along with their plan. It's possible they tried to strike up a deal with him. To the extent of "You do this for us, and we'll allow you and the Angels to have the Earth." Whatever they told him, it's very likely it was a lie, but Kaworu didn't realize it.

HYUGA: "It's an AT Field!"

AOBA: "The same kind of AT Field that we saw earlier has developed near the barrier around Terminal Dogma!"

IBUKI: "It's entering the barrier!:

MISATO: "It can't be! Another Angel?!"

AOBA: "It's no good! We can't confirm that! Oh, no, it disappeared!"

MISATO: "Disappeared?! The Angel did?!"

Apparently, there was another AT Field around Terminal Dogma separate from that of Kaworu, but it disappears. We briefly see a glimpse of Rei inside Terminal Dogma, revealing the source of the other AT Field.

KAWORU: "Adam, our mother. Must all who were born of Adam return to Adam? Even at the cost of destroying humanity? No! This is... Lilith? I see, so that's what this is about, Lilim."

Another very complex bit of dialogue. I must analyze it line by line:

Adam, our mother.

OUR mother? Who else is he referring to if not the Angels whom he is now in possession of (their souls from the Lake scene)? Note how he also refers to himself. Kaworu - who has Adam's soul - essentially refers to himself as his own mother. Funny, but true.

Must all who were born of Adam return to Adam?

More must ALL who were born return. Not "Must I who were born return", implying again that he's in possession of more than one soul.

Even at the cost of destroying humanity?

He obviously believes this return will destroy humanity. Is this what Seele told him they wanted him to do and what would happen? Kaworu obviously believes his return will results in humanity's destruction. He's also questioning if this must happen (both lines are questions).

No! This is... Lilith?

The actual line in Japanese here is "Chigau! Kore wa.... Lilith!"

A more accurate translation of "Chigau" is "to differ from". But what is he referring to? The initial reaction is he's referring to the fact that Lilith on the cross is not Adam. If this is so, then there's a major error in the episode because Kaworu knew where Adam's body was (told to him by Seele). However, there's another way to interpret this. The two lines that come before it have Kaworu questioning what he's doing at Nerv. Questioning whether he has to destroy Lilim (by uniting with Adam). The "chigau" (it's different) part could be his realization of everything - that things are different than what Seele told him, and that he doesn't have to destroy humanity. In fact, this last line seems to back this up:

I see, so that's what this is about, Lilim.

Did he finally realize Seele's actual plan and, likely, that he had been lied to?

KAWORU: "Thank you, Shinji. I wanted you to stop Unit 02. Otherwise, I may have gone on living with her."

SHINJI: "Kaworu, why?"

KAWORU: "Because it's my destiny to continue to live even if it may result in the destruction of humanity. But I can also die here. Life and death are of equal value to me. Dying of your own will. That is the one and only absolute freedom there is."

SHINJI: "What? Kaworu, I don't understand what you're saying! Kaworu..."

KAWORU: "My last will and testament. Now, erase me from this world. If you don't, you will be the ones who are erased. Only one life form will be chosen to survive the time of destruction and be given a future. And you are not a being who should die. Your people need the future."

KAWORU: "Thank you. I'm glad I met you."

Kaworu's final decision - to sacrifice himself to save Lilim. This choice likely came from his meeting with Shinji, which made him realize that Lilim needed the Earth more. But his sacrifice is not as concrete as it might seem. This reinforces the idea that only one species could survive, and Kaworu states that if he'd gone on living it would've meant the destruction of the Lilim (because of what he was sent to do). It's also interesting to note that he states "He might have gone on living with Unit-01". It's very likely he had a definite plan to use Ni when he went down to Terminal Dogma.

The last note of interest is the glance Kaworu gives Rei - who has been watching the entire time. It's now obvious that Rei was the other A.T. Field the scanners sensed inside Terminal Dogma. But Kaworu, before his death, glances at Rei with a strange smile. What is he saying here? Is this a smile saying "I've sacrificed myself so your species can live. Will you be willing to do the same?" It's an interesting glance, and interpretations vary. But it was likely intended as some kind of message from Kaworu to Rei, as a Seed of Life to Seed of Life.

SHINJI: "Kaworu said that he loved me. It was... It was the first time someone told me they loved me. He was like me, and like Ayanami. I loved him. Kaworu was the one who should have survived. He was a much better person than I am. Kaworu should have been the one to survive."

MISATO: "You're wrong. Only those who have the will to live get to survive. He wished to die. He abandoned his will to live, clinging instead to a false hope. You did nothing wrong, Shinji."

SHINJI (OFF): "You're cold, Miss Misato."

The ending of the episode, and a further glimpse into Shinji's now completely broken spirit. His final tie had been severed. The tie with the only person who'd ever professed love for him. From this point on he slips into utter depression. In a state so bad he can't even commit suicide.

Further Analysis

Drenched in ambiguity, vagueness, and mysteries, ep. 24 is the most confounding episode in the series. It stands along side The End of Evangelion as as one of most highly analyzed episodes. Here is a recap of the important elements.

• The Lake Scene

Exactly what's going on here is still not exactly known. Whether it's an actual conversation between Kaworu and Seele, or some metaphysical flashback isn't positive. However, it's obvious this conversation between Kaworu and Seele happened. So what exactly they're expressing here is important, but extremely vague.

• Kaworu's Purpose

What Seele sent Kaworu to do at Nerv remains a mystery. Whether they sent him after Gendo and his body, or perhaps sent him to just be killed isn't clear. It seems through most of Kaworu's dialogue he's ruminating on what Seele told him. So it's possible they tried to strike up a deal, having something to do with telling him they'd allow him (and the Angels) to inherit the Earth, but Gendo was in his and their way. Perhaps even telling them that their "hope" was that he'd destroy mankind. This would make sense of alot of Kaworu's ruminations.

• The Betrayal

Why does Kaworu synch with Unit-02 and head to Terminal Dogma? It seems from the following Seele dialogue that this was an act of betrayal on Kaworu's part against Seele. But the reasons why he did this is not known. It's been suggested that Kaworu was heading to Terminal Dogma because it was needed for him to give birth to the Angels. Is what we're seeing Kaworu planning to resurrect the Angels in Terminal Dogma, but he's surprised to see Lilith down there? It's possible that after this shock he realizes the truth about why Seele sent him, and realizes that he doesn't have to destroy mankind. However, he doesn't share the reasons for this revelation with us.