Nerv
Nerv (German: nerve) is a paramilitary special agency nominally under the control of the United Nations.
Purpose and activities
Officially, Nerv is "a private organization under the direct supervision of the UN", and under the aegis of the United Nations it is granted power to appropriate local civilian and military personnel and resources as it sees fit. In reality, however, Nerv has very little oversight from the United Nations itself beyond matters of funding. The effort to defeat the Angels is left almost totally at the discretion of Nerv's highest ranking personnel, without outside interference. Further, Nerv pursues its own agendas unknown to the UN, from sabotaging a rival defense contractor's prototype combat robot to executing Seele's ultimate clandestine goal of carrying out the Human Instrumentality Project.
Originally, Nerv was known as Gehirn, but after its headquarters at Tokyo-3 and the Magi supercomputers were completed, it was renamed and reorganized into "Nerv" in 2010. Secretly, Nerv is backed by the mysterious organization Seele, a power cabal covertly controlling the United Nations.
Facilities and divisions
There are several global branches of Nerv. Most of them host their own Magi systems and have Evangelion support facilities.
Nerv headquarters
Nerv's primary base is located inside the Geofront below the fortress city of Tokyo-3, on the site of present-day Hakone. The surface and Geofront interior are both heavily defended by fixed weapon emplacements. The base itself is a labyrinthine complex housing multiple facilities for commanded and control, scientific research and the repair, maintenance and deployment of Evangelions. The first Magi computer is located inside the base.
Eva-00 and Eva-01 were constructed at Nerv HQ. Some of Eva-02's fabrication may also have been undertaken here.
Matsushiro branch
A secondary facility exists in Matsushiro, a subdivision of Tokyo-2, on the site of modern-day Nagano. It possesses an independent technical staff, a standalone Magi system and support facilities for at least one Eva, but appears to be relegated largely to research and logistical support roles.
Little is seen of this branch outside of the Eva-03 story arc. It was severely damaged in Episode 18, when Bardiel hijacked Eva-03 and escaped from the facility.
First Branch
The First Branch is located in the American state of Massachusetts. It is the construction site of Eva-03.
Second Branch
The Second Branch was located in Nevada, possibly at the secretive Nellis Air Force Range or inside the Nevada Test Site. Eva-04 was built here.
The Nevada facility vanished during a test of a restored Super Solenoid in Episode 17, along with Eva-04 itself and thousands of personnel. Ritsuko Akagi speculated that it was pulled into a Sea of Dirac, but the exact circumstances remain unknown.
Third Branch
Located in Germany, probably in either Berlin or Hamburg, the Third Branch hosted the assembly of Evas 02, 05 and 06, as well as the restoration of the Super Solenoid recovered from Shamshel. The embryonic Adam was stored at this branch until Ryoji Kaji stole it and smuggled it to Japan in Episode 08. Asuka Langley Soryu spent her childhood here, while Kaji and Misato Katsuragi both formerly held temporary positions at the base.
The Third Branch has a more prominent presence in Evangelion than the other branches.
Chinese branch
A Nerv facility exists in Beijing, China, and is the construction site for Eva-08. It never appears directly in the series and its official designation is unknown.
Staff
Nerv globally employs many thousands of people, including scientists, technicians and paramilitaries.
Command
The command structure follows the pattern established by military tradition, though it does not specifically resemble that used by any single organization.
The observed Nerv rank structure includes:
- Commander (Gendo Ikari)
- Vice-Commander (Kozo Fuyutsuki)
- Major (Misato Katsuragi)
- Captain
- First Lieutenant (Makato Hyuga, Shigeru Aoba, Maya Ibuki)
Certain persons, such as Kaji, appear to have great freedom inside Nerv facilities despite not fitting into the established ranks.
Scientific
Nerv's senior scientific body appears to be relatively small. For example, the headquarters base in Tokyo-3 hosts a scientific staff consisting of Doctor Akagi and a handful of command personnel and assistants. It is probable that the high degree of automation provided by the Magi has rendered a large scientific crew unnecessary.
Technical
Each Nerv facility hosts a large corps of mechanics, electricians and other staff dedicated to maintenance, repair and construction. The standard tech uniform consists of orange coveralls and a cap.
Intelligence
Information collection and analysis are handled by the black-suited agents of the Nerv Department of Security Intelligence, as are the surveillance and protection of key personnel.
Security
Nerv's internal security forces are tasked with defending the organization from terrorist attacks and other small-scale conventional threats. They are chronically understaffed and underfunded; their upkeep seems to be a low priority for the command staff. Security staff wear khaki uniforms like those of the operating staff, as well as red berets. They normally carry either MP5 or Uzi submachine guns.
The official system of small arms obtainment is either excessively byzantine or fraught with shortages, as most of the senior staff use self-procured weapons.
Notes
- "Nerv" is named after the German word "nerve", following the scheme that Nerv's predecessor organization "Gehirn" is named after the German word for "brain", and Seele after the German word for "soul". The proper pronunciation is something along the lines of "nairf", and it is phonetically approximated into Japanese as nerufu. The casts of the English dubs by ADV Films and Manga Entertainment do not provide as accurate a rendition: they say "nerv" exactly like the English word "nerve".
- "Nerv" is often spelled using all-capital letters in the series, however it is apparently not an acronym. Further, it is not spelled with all-capital letters on the "Welcome to Nerv" pamphlet that Shinji is given in Episode 01. "NERV" is just how the word is often romanized by the Japanese production team: other words like "Adam" or "Second Impact" are spelled as "ADAM" or "SECOND IMPACT" at times in the series. This is merely a quirk of translation.
