Evangelion Unit-01
| Evangelion Unit-01 | |
| |
| エヴァンゲリオン初号機 | |
| Model Type | Test Type |
|---|---|
| Pilot(s) | Shinji Ikari |
| Soul(s) | Yui Ikari |
| First Sortie | Episode 01 |
Evangelion Unit-01[1] (エヴァンゲリオン初号機, Evangerion Shogouki, or Eva-01 for short) is the flagship mecha of the Evangelion saga. Eva-01 is piloted by the series' protagonist Shinji Ikari and inhabited by the soul of his mother, Yui Ikari.
Profile
Eva-01 was produced by the Hakone branch of Gehirn as the Evangelion Test Type model. Unlike the other Evas, its body was generated directly from the body of Lilith, and is consequently referred to as Lilith's "offspring" or "clone".[2] On a physical level, Eva-01 has the same characteristics as an Adam-based (i.e., any other) Evangelion, so the exact nature of its relationship to Lilith remains a subject of debate.[3] Eva-01 received its soul as a result of the Contact Experiment with Yui Ikari in 2004, but was not "finished" until 2014.[4]
As with the rest of the Eva Series, it was ostensibly created as a weapon to be used against the Angels, and was the first Evangelion to face actual combat (against the Third Angel Sachiel). Eva-01 is infamous for going berserk and moving without any power supply (prior to the acquisition of the S² Engine from the Angel Zeruel). While Eva-00 has gone out of control before and Eva-02 goes berserk immediately before being destroyed, Eva-01 is the only Eva that has gone berserk in direct combat, to deadly effect.
Eva-01 is treated by the higher-ups at Nerv HQ, namely Gendo Ikari, with a suspicious favoritism. Once all of the Angels are destroyed, Eva-01 becomes the key to both Gendo and Seele's scenarios for Third Impact, of which the former intend to use it as an "ark to save humanity from the nothingness of Third Impact", and the latter as a "medium" to Lilith, who has been rendered unusable by the loss of the original Spear of Longinus. The implication is that, by its unique creation, Eva-01 was intended as a "backup" for Lilith all along.
Physical Features
Eva-01 has a distinctive chest plate that resembles pectoral muscles, as opposed to the V-shaped chest plate seen on other Evangelions, and its pylons have a unique configuration, as well. The reason for the differences in design has never been explained. The Eva's distinctive helmet visually evokes the horn and frill of a ceratopsian dinosaur.
Biologically, Eva-01 possesses two completely green eyes, with four nostrils situated between them. Its skin is dark brown (although much lighter on the arm regenerated from Zeruel's). Its forehead possesses an "Angel face" marking, from which concentric patches of gradually darkening color emanate. Its neck is depicted with rows of curious slits evocative of gills.
At the end of End of Evangelion, Eva-01 is seen to have hair, though Evas don't seem to have any to start with.
Operational History
Eva-01's operational history is the longest of any Evangelion. It is the first Eva to see combat, deployed when the Third Angel, Sachiel, attacks. It exhibits the infamous tendency to go berserk from the very beginning, first when it moves its arm to shield its pilot, Shinji Ikari, from falling lights, and again in battle with Sachiel, attacking the Angel until it dies. It sustains moderate damage during Sachiel's suicide explosion.
Eva-01 suffers damage again at the hands of the Fourth Angel, Shamshel, which it defeats, and it takes down the Angel Ramiel with a shot from a positron rifle, being shielded by Evangelion Unit-00. The Eva takes part in stopping the out of control robot Jet Alone and in the defeats of Matarael and Sahaquiel.
Once again, Eva-01 brutally puts the Angels Leliel, Bardiel and Zeruel to death. After being sucked into Leliel for over sixteen hours, the resident soul of the Eva, Yui, makes contact with the pilot and the Eva goes berserk, moving without a power source and ripping open the Angel from the inside. Under the control of the Dummy Plug, Eva-01 rips apart the Angel Bardiel infected Eva-03, and goes berserk again in the battle against Zeruel, killing it and eating the Angel's S² organ. Eva-01 remains grounded during the battle against Arael and sorties against Armisael to rescue Eva-00, but to no success.
In End of Evangelion, Eva-01 sets off a cruciform explosion and is completely under the control of its resident soul from that point forward. It plays a critical role in Third Impact and Instrumentality, eventually floating off into space as a memorial for all mankind.
Soul
Eva-01's soul is that of Yui Ikari. For this reason her son, Shinji Ikari was chosen as Eva-01's pilot. Yui's exact motivations for becoming the resident soul of Eva-01 are not completely understood, but it is known that she was against Seele's interests, and in threat of being eliminated. Being inside the Evangelion allowed her to influence events far more than she could possibly could as a normal person. That Yui may have foreseen Eva-01's deployment in combat against the Angels and became the resident soul of the Eva to protect Shinji is another possibility.
In Evangelion New Theatrical Version
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"Making something... Nurturing something is really great. You can see and learn so many things from the process." |
Once again, Eva-01 plays a central role as the Eva piloted by protagonist Shinji Ikari. In the first movie, Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone, which covers up through Episode 06 of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Eva-01's role is nearly identical. Absent are the scenes where it shields Shinji from the falling lights and where Shinji sees it's exposed face. However, a more direct intimation of Yui's presence in the Eva is provided much earlier, and Eva-01's face is still revealed in an easily-missed shot where it is being outfitted with the G-Type Sniping Equipment.
It's return in Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance advances its role beyond that in the TV series, and raises new questions as to Eva-01's nature in the Rebuild of Evangelion continuity. Eva-01 takes part in the Sahaquiel operation and attacks Eva-03 under the influence of the dummy system, much as in the old series, but demonstrating considerably greater athleticism—and bestiality—under the Dummy System. The battle against Zeruel demonstrates a never-before-seen ability to go into a Godlike state, above and beyond the usual 'berserk' mode, with Eva-01 demonstrating the manifestation of a halo, creation and manipulation of A.T. Field and limbs, and shooting powerful beams from it's eyes. Eva-01 destroys Zeruel with it's eye beams before merging with Zeruel's core and beginning to evolve into a new form of life. This is stopped however by Eva-06. For more information, see Eva Pseudo-Evolution.
As with the other Evas, Eva-01's design has been modified for Rebuild of Evangelion. It's proportions are more humanlike and less exaggerated, and the pylons are greatly reduced in size. The color scheme has been altered, using a concept created by Ikuto Yamashita (see below) conisdered for the original show, with luminous green added to the helmet, chest, and waist, along with a blue "pelvic boot" and modified shoulder decals. Judging from the scene during the Shamshel battle where Eva-01's hand coverings are burnt off, it's skin is now of a significantly lighter tone.
| Evangelion Unit-01 in Rebuild | |||
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References
- ↑ Evangelion is from Greek, roughly tranlating to "Good News". Although this doesn't make sense with regards to the Evangelion Units, it is of thematic importance.
- ↑ Ririsu no bunshin (リリスの分身) is the original Japanese phrase used to describe Eva's relationship with Lilith.
- ↑ For more, see: Theory and Analysis: Eva-01 and Lilith
- ↑ It is unknown whether this is because it had not been successfully activated prior to Shinji, or if it's physical body was incomplete until this time.
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 |
