Evangelions
An Evangelion (エヴァンゲリオン) is a giant cybernetic combat unit built by Nerv with the express purpose of defeating attacks by the Angels. At first glance, Evangelions (often called Evas for short) appear to be giant humanoid "robots". However, most of an Evangelion is actually organic -- with external armor hiding their true appearance.
Evas are (essentially) genetically-modified clones of the First Angel, Adam. After being "grown", they receive cybernetic implants, namely in the spine and upper torso, which allows humans to control them -- both in terms of manipulating ("piloting") them, and keeping their incredible power under control. A set of armor plating is also added which fully covers the Evas, and has the dual effect of hiding their true organic nature. The armor plating and mechanical implements grafted onto their bodies actually act first and foremost as "restraints", although exactly how this works is never elaborated upon.
As Adam-based beings, Evangelions are capable of generating an A.T. Field, a super-force field against which conventional attacks are useless. Due to the fact that an A.T. Field is the only thing that can neutralize another A.T. Field, the Evas are humanity's only means of combating the Angels.
Evangelions are awesomely powerful beings and are, for all intents and purposes, a living God artificially created and wielded by the hands of Man.
Biology
General
Evangelions are gigantic humanoid organic creatures, totally covered by external armor plating. While their "normal" height appears to be around 40 meters, based on the relative size of the entry plugs and people next to Evas, this is not consistent within the series. There are several scenes where Evangelion height is exaggerated for dramatic effect, at times reaching what would appear to be a towering 200 meters in height. The shape of an Evangelion's body is fundamentally that of a human being but with strongly exaggerated proportions, such as excessively broad shoulders and highly pinched waists. Evangelions have heavily muscled necks, in particular the Mass Production Evas, which extend their heads further away from their bodies in comparison to the other Evas. Mass Production Evas also have avian-like wings that retract into their backs, which appear to be natural wings of some form rather than artificial.
Head shape, eye configurations
Eva heads vary wildly in shape, with varying eye configurations. Eva-00 appears to have only a single eye, while Eva-02 has as many as four eyes, and the Mass Production Evangelions appear to have none at all. Some skulls from failed Evangelions, seen in The End of Evangelion, look very human-like, while others appear utterly alien. Mass Production Evangelion heads have an overall cetacean appearance.
Nostril and mouth configurations
Evangelion Unit-01, Unit-02, and Unit-03 all have visible nostril holes on their helmets(very small on Eva-01 and seen in very few cuts), and Eva-01's nostrils are visible in production sketches, their nostrils being placed high on the head and above the eyes. Their actual organic jaw is integrated into their jawline armor, with their real teeth and tongue often covered with external armor that matches their toothy shape. Eva-00 does not have a jawline or nostril holes in its facial armor and does not ever open a visible mouth. It is not even clear if it has a mouth like the other Evas. Mass Production Evangelions have exposed tooth-filled mouths locked in a perpetual grin, surrounded by large red fleshy lips, and have a pronounced underbite.MP Evas also have large gray tongues, and salivate profusely.
Hands and Feet
While Evangelion head configurations vary, Evangelion hands are almost identical to normal human hands, to the point that underneath their armor their organic hands actually have fingernails. It is not entirely clear if Evangelions have toes as their armor forms a single boot around the foot, though there is no reason to presume that they do not.
Core
The central power organ of every Evangelion is the core, a spherical red object which Angels also possess. The S² Engine of Angels, which grants them unlimited power, is located within their cores, but Evas lack S² Engines in their cores as Nerv could not replicate this exotic power source (in the first set of Evas, though research into this continued until the Mass Production Evas were successfully equipped with S² Engines). The core is located in the solar plexus region, just below the chest, and is attached to the Eva with what appears like blood vessels or venous tissue. As Evangelions are covered in armor and bindings, the core is not visible unless the armor above it is destroyed. Indeed, that Evas actually possess cores is a secret, as even Nerv Tactical Operations branch commander Misato Katsuragi had no idea that they possess them (this information was possibly restricted in order to hide this hint about the connection between Evas and Angels from the public).
Armor Design
Experimental/Production Model Evangelions
Torso
Evangelion torsos are covered with several segments of armor plating. With the exception of Unit 01's chest, the armor segments all fit into each other due to their downwards-pointed "V"-shape. They extend forwards to reach a point at the crest of the "V", forming a ridge down the Eva's front.
The "Production Model" Evangelions (Eva 02, Eva 03, and Eva 04) have five armor plates on their torso. The lowermost segment is elongated downwards to also cover the crotch, above this are two more segments, and all three wrap around the sides of the Eva's body to meet a vertical line of armor segments that cover the spine. The fourth segment from the bottom is the central chest plate, which is somewhat larger than the other segment, and instead of going around the back, terminates where the arm meets the bottom half of the shoulders.
Towards the end of this chest segment section on each side, near the shoulders, are small recessed cavities, painted an off-color from the majority of the armor. Above the central chest segment, the fifth and last armor segment is smaller than the rest and is essentially in the position of the collarbone. Above this, there is a throat-armor region which is not composed of segments like the rest and is colored purple in the Production Model (while light orange on Eva 01 and pink on the MP Evas). The throat armor section is composed of several sections and seems to be more flexible.
Eva Unit 00, the Prototype, originally had orange armor which was different from the Production Model version. While it still had five V-shaped armor plates, essentially the smallest top segment had been moved to below the largest chest segment. Instead of having two small recessed cavities near its shoulders, it had two large white bulging armor sections. The largest segment of chest armor was more compact and bulky as it was physically higher on Eva 00's chest. These altered top two segments do not extend directly to the shoulder, but instead to the white armor bulge which itself touched the shoulder. After Eva 00 was heavily damaged in its first battle, against the Angel Ramiel, it had to be heavily repaired and partially rebuilt, and it was outfitted with new blue armor which is identical to the armor used by the Production Model Evas in all aspects (save for the head).
The Test-type Eva Unit 01's body armor is notably distinct from the Production Model armor: it only had three V-shaped armor plates below the chest (identical to those used by the other Evas), above which instead of having the V-shaped chest segment and collarbone segment, it has a single larger plate of armor which resembles pectoral muscles. It has a light blue section of armor overlaid into it in which three holes are located on each side.
Limbs
Special armor hardpoints have been added over the knuckles of Evangelions in addition to the standard external armor covering the rest of its body. Even bigger additional armor hardpoints are added over the thumb and index finger knuckles.
Evas have an extension of armor coming off of the top of their shin, which extends in front of and protects the kneecap when the leg is in a locked position. Very short "fins" of armor also extend along the ventral side of the arms, from the base of the wrist to just before the elbow. They do not extend over the elbow, and seem to just be an added measure of armored protection for the side of the arm which is typically raised to block incoming blows. These short armor ridges on the edges of the forearm are actually quite small, to the point that they are not animated into many scenes. Eva 00's original orange Prototype armor had much larger armor ridges on its arms, which besides extending further away from the body, actually did extend over the elbows. All Evangelions also have a section of armor above the front of their ankle, to protect the joint.
Shoulder and Vertebrae
There is a vertical row of four armored vertebrae column segments along the backs of Evas, which are uniformly gray on all models except the MP Evas. The first segment is right above a small segment of armor in the tail-bone region, while the rest of the armor on the lower back extends from the front of the torso.
The top of the four pieces of spinal-column armor has a large electrical plug in it which the external power cable is inserted into. Above this the back armor comes to a point rising away from the body, which has a segment in it which slides backwards to allow insertion of the Entry Plug. Another small segment in front of this one slides forward when the Entry Plug is inserted (and the head is positioned downwards).
One large piece of armor plating extends around the top and back of an Eva's torso (above the differently colored throat-armor), also along the back of the neck. The abdominal plates wrap around to the spine at an upward angle, and the chest armor goes to meet the shoulders, so another armor plate fills the small gap slightly below the shoulders which is on the reverse side of the chest plate; these are somewhat blocky, and colored black in all models. Separate armor plates also cover the top of the base of the shoulders (the actual top of the shoulder is directly covered by the shoulder pylon). The shoulder pylon, top back armor plate, throat armor, and the top segment of chest armor all touch this piece of shoulder armor.
Mass Production Evangelions
The Mass Production model Evangelions have drastically different designs. Their torso body armor is composed of only four armor plates, not 5, with each segment being larger as a result to make up the difference. The plates are also more rounded due to the smaller angle with less plates.
The MP Evas notably possess no shoulder pylons, which all other Evas are characteristically outfitted with, as this would interfere with their wings. While they still have kneecap-protecting armor, they appear to not possess armor ridges on the edges of their forearms at all. Overall, their upper torso is much slighter than the broad-chested earlier models, but they have proportionately more developed hips and legs; it's possible that their reduced upper body mass is to compensate for the mass of their wings.
The MP Evas have no need for an umbilical cord plug in their back due to their possession of S² Engines, so they only have three armored vertebrae segments in their back (which are colored white not gray), with the top vertebrae armor segment missing to make room for the the stubs where the MP Evas' wings retract into their bodies. The small black blocker armor pieces on the part of the back opposite the chest plate in earlier Evas has also been removed to make room for these wing stubs.
The movable armor segment allowing insertion of the Entry Plug is located above this, however while on other Evas this is flush with the armor located in front of it, on the MP Evas it points upwards (probably so as not to interfere with the wings). Instead of having a large segment that retracts backwards and a smaller one retracting forwards on other Evas, on MP Evas there is only one armor segment that moves backwards to expose the Entry Plug. It is thus almost level with the back of the head and is far more prominent. MP Evas are missing the section of shoulder-armor next to where the shoulder pylons would be, increasing their overall streamlined appearance.
Internal Power Limitations
Unlike Adam and the Angels, experimental and early production Evas do not have S² Engines in their cores, and are thus not capable of continuous operation, or sustaining high power levels indefinitely, relying instead on external power supplied through an umbilical cable running into their back. This can be removed for greater mobility (or can be severed from battle damage), after which an Eva has to rely on internal battery power. Internal battery power is stated in Episode 05 as being able to supply power only for "one minute at maximum usage or a maximum of five minutes with gain", however the one-minute rule is either applied or ignored as a particular dramatic situation deems in the course of the series, and was really only observed in the battles against Gaghiel and Israfel (even being ignored in the battle against Shamshel which occurred in the same episode that the power limitation rule was explained). For all intents and purposes, Evangelions have five minutes of internal power if their external power cable is disconnected.
Extra batteries can be attached to Evas, on their shoulder pylons, which give them a greater operational time period. These are used when fighting Matarael during the blackout in Episode 10, but they are not seen again and neither is the extension of the time period granted by these batteries specified. It is possible that these external batteries limit maneuverability and are thus not often used. Indeed, the only times that umbilical power cables are intentionally disconnected from Evas is when Nerv wants them to have maximum maneuverability for a mission, so it wouldn't make sense to remove the umbilical cables only to then hamper them with a bulky external battery.
Exactly how much electrical power is required by an Evangelion is never mentioned, although Eva-02 can operate normally when linked to the nuclear reactor of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. Eva-01, and for a brief interval, Eva-02, utterly ignore all power supply limitations when they go berserk. Even senior Nerv personnel like Science department chief Dr. Akagi are clueless on how a berserk Eva can operate without any power supply at all, so an Evangelion either has some form of emergency power supply organ or organs whose method of operation is beyond Nerv's knowledge and understanding, or the core itself is capable of generating vast quantities of energy for a short time under extreme conditions, while not capable of sustaining such energy levels without an S2 engine.
Abilities
Despite being 40 meters in height, an Evangelion shows incredible agility, capable of aerial acrobatics or even classical dance movements. In addition, their raw strength is fearsome to behold, an Eva being capable of dismembering some of the Angels or even a fellow Evangelion. Evas can leap over enormous distances, perform aerial drop-kicks, and, with A.T. Field assistance, sprint at extreme speeds.
Evangelions, like Angels, have an A.T. Field, and can use it to erode Angel A.T. Fields as well as using them as physical barriers to damage. Berserk Evangelion Units can use an A.T. Field offensively as well- a berserk Eva-01 savagely mauls Zeruel with an A.T. Field attack, and Asuka/Eva-02 in battle rage use an A.T. Field to destroy attacking JSSDF aircraft.
In addition, Evangelions are armed with all manner of weaponry, ranging from melee weapons such as the progressive knife and the spear-like sonic glaive to enlarged versions of assault rifles and rocket launchers. Conventional ranged weaponry, including artillery and missiles, is rarely effective against Angels due to their A.T. Fields, although the combination of neutralizing an Angel's A.T. Field before directly attacking has proven effective on several Angels.
One of the most destinctive features of the Evangelions are their "shoulder pylons"; large plates of armor which look like fins stick out of their shoulders, which seem to protect their necks and heads from blows from the side. The pylons are not part of the Eva itself but are part of the restraint system, actually extending around the arm. They also serve as attachment points for external batteries, and the left-hand pylon houses an Evangelion's progressive knife as well.
Evangelion Unit-00, the prototype, did not originally have shoulder pylons but was retrofitted with them while being repaired from severe damage incurred in Episode 06, and has retro-rockets fitted within its new pylons. Eva-02's right-hand pylon houses a spike launcher, which is used to gruesome effect in Episode 25'. Pylons can be removed, as seen during the synchronization experiments in Episode 14 when the pylons are removed to fit the Evas with wall-mounted restraints. Eva-01 bursts off her pylons in both Episodes 19 and 26', when attaining her true power levels. Mass Production Evangelion Units have no shoulder pylons, having retractable wings in their place instead.
Origin
The Evangelions are essentially clones of Adam's genetic material, created by Nerv, which then had cybernetic components grafted onto them. They were apparently using the recovered embryo of Adam as a genetic template.
How an Evangelion is created is not specified in detail but Evangelion Unit-01 is unique in being "made" from Lilith in some way. Whether Eva-01 is a clone of Lilith or whether Lilith was merely a "surrogate mother" with genetic material from Adam "gestated" within her is unspecified. The only clue we get to really explaining this statement is a still-shot flashed in Episode 23 of the creation of Eva Unit 01, in which it literally tears itself away from Lilith's lower body, leaving tattered ropes of flesh behind; a mockery of the natural birth process. It is heavily implied that this is how Lilith lost her legs; their biomass was used to form Eva 01.
- For more in-depth analysis, see "Theory & Analysis: Eva-01 and Lilith."
Piloting
Pilots are more or less dedicated exclusively to their particular Evangelion unit. A mutual compatability experiment in Episode 14 between Shinji and Rei was promising, but it came to an end when Eva-00 went berserk with Shinji inside.
However, Shinji did successfully pilot Eva-02 along with Asuka during its first battle, so mutual compatibility probably depends on the nature of the pilots and the soul inside the Evangelion.
Pilots use an Interface Headset and a Plug suit, and sit in an Entry Plug which extends through the back of the Eva and close to (or possibly into) the core. This allows the pilot to "synchronize" with the Eva's mind, controlling its basic movements as if they were the pilots' own just by thinking about them. More complex tasks such as handling weapons, etc. are performed using a set of handle-bar controls. Pilots also have computerized sights usable in a special drop-down scope, used for long-range, precision positron weapons. The Entry plug is flooded with LCL to aid the synchronization. LCL is an oxygenated liquid which the pilot can breath by taking it into the lungs, and is in original actually the blood of the Angel Lilith.
How a pilot is chosen is not specified, but it appears that all prospective candidates must be 14 years old and have no living mother.
Naming system
Evangelions were numbered from Evangelion Unit-00 onwards, the prototype Eva-00 being the first successful Eva in a very long line of (unnumbered) failures. Eva 01 is the "Test Type", possibly because it is the only one derived from Lilith. Eva 02 was the "First Production Model" Eva. Eva 03 and Eva 04 were sister units, identical copies; they are also called "Production Model" though there were some slight changes to the design (Production Model variant-B?). The canceled Eva-05 and Eva-06 would presumably have been the Third Production Model. Finally came the Mass Production Evangelions.
Eva-00, 01 and 02 use the Kanji numerals for zero, one and two respectively. Eva-03 onwards are named with roman numerals instead. All of them follow the -gouki system of numbering.
Notes
- Evas are referred to as "copies" of Adam, and, in the Classified Information files, by the awkward phrase "clonal regenerations" (in reference to the "Adam Revival Project", or Project E). In real life use, "clone" means an exact genetic copy, which, considering the differences the Evas exhibit amongst themselves, they clearly cannot be.
- According to Ritsuko in Episode 01, the formal full name for the Evangelion Units (almost never actually used) is "Ultimate All-Purpose Humanoid Decisive Battle Weapon: Evangelion".
See Also:
| Evangelions |
| Evangelions (general) |
| Failed Evangelion Prototypes | Simulation Bodies |
| Eva-00 | Eva-01 | Eva-02 | Eva-03 | Eva-04 | Mass Production Evangelions (Evas 05~13) |
| Rebuild of Evangelion: Mark.04 | Eva-05 | Mark.06 | Eva-08 | Mark.09 | Eva-13 |
| Eva 8+2 | Mass Production Evangelions | Failures of Infinity |
| Other: Extracanonical Evas |
