Adam

Adam
アダム
Number	1st
Symbol	N/A
Appearance(s)	Episodes 08, 12, 21’, 24’, 26’
Defeated by	N/A

Adam is the designation of the First Angel, the first of Earth's two Seeds of Life and the progenitor of the Third through Seventeenth Angels. She is also the genetic basis of the Evangelions (with the possible exception of Eva-01).

Biology

Adam's distinct physical features are never clearly shown, since, in the available glimpses of Adam's adult form, she is either partially covered by ice or in the form of a glowing silhouette, the "Giant of Light". However, she is visibly a giant humanoid with morphology strikingly similar to an Evangelion, which is the genetic basis of the Evangelions, and is seen to be a giant humanoid with the same morphology.

The Giant of Light is observed with shoulder pylons, although a still-shot of the Katsuragi Expedition excavating Adam (Episode 23) confirms that the pylons were not initially present, implying they were added as restraint mechanisms by the research team.

Adam possesses the ability to manifest translucent "wings" ("Wings of Light"), which she begins to spread before reaching the surface of the research. These greatly enlarge and split into four upon Adam's explosion.

Second Impact reduced Adam's body into an embryonic state resembling a vertabrate embryo in early development.

Origins & Discovery

Adam as she was discovered

Adam was created by the First Ancestral Race billions of years ago and sent to Earth within the White Moon to fill the Earth with her progeny, the Angels. However, before Adam could accomplish her mission, the "Black Moon" transport containing a second Seed of Life, Lilith, accidentally crash landed onto Earth. Two Seeds are not meant to exist on the same planet, and in the event that this accidentally occurs a Spear of Longinus which all Seeds are accompanied with should inactivate one Seed. However, the Spear accompanying Lilith was destroyed in the crash, leaving Adam's Spear as the only functional one on Earth. Thus, Adam was placed into suspended animation by her own Spear of Longinus, and the progeny of Lilith populated the planet instead of Angels.

The inert Adam, and the Spear upon which she was impaled, were later discovered by the Katsuragi Expedition Team. Adam — especially her "S² Engine" — became the subject of intense scientific inquiry. This culminated in the so-called Contact Experiment, of which little is known beyond the involvement of a human "donor", DNA "diving" into Adam and "physically fusing", and Second Impact being ushered in as a result. It is heavily implied that the experiment produced the being that became known as Kaworu Nagisa.

See: Theory and Analysis: Kaworu's Origins.

Second Impact

"Wings of Light" from Adam during Second Impact

In the Contact Experiment's aftermath, Adam manifested an Anti A.T. Field (which produced the "thorough extermination of all life, including microorganisms"), altered the local "atmospheric elements", and opened her Doors of Guf — all actions implying the reawakened Adam was attempting to reclaim the Earth. (See: Theory and Analysis: Second Impact.) The Katsuragi Team's attempt to subdue Adam with the Spear of Longinus produced undesired results and ultimately failed. Adam's S² Engine went beyond the control of both herself and the research team, transforming her into the "Giant of Light" and ultimately triggering her own self-destruction. The worldwide annihilation of Lilith-based life was averted, but not without cost: a global calamity known as Second Impact.

After Adam herself exploded, four massive Wings of Light (likened to those of a "devil", "akuma", in the script) manifested and extended as high as the stratosphere. The actual effect brought on by the earlier utilizion of the Spear caused Adam's reversion into an embryonic or egg state, rather than being destroyed completely (Chronicle). (How she could explode and retrovert at the same time is never explained.) Adam's soul was separated from her body, presumably when her core was destroyed in the explosion.

Post-Second Impact

Embryonic Adam frozen in bakelite

Seele retrieved both Adam's soul and what remained of her body from the "Dead Sea" that has once been Antarctica. While the former was salvaged into Tabris, the embryo became the subject of the Adam Project and the basis for the "Adam Revival Project", better known as Project E, which aimed to create Adam copies, or Evangelions.

In 2015, the embryonic Adam is clandestinely obtained by Ryoji Kaji, smuggled into Japan via the United Nations Pacific Fleet, and delivered to Gendo Ikari at Nerv Headquarters. He notes, "It's already restored itself this far. It's frozen inside dura-bakelite, but it's still alive. Without a doubt, this is the keystone of the Human Instrumentality Project, isn't it?" Exactly what Kaji means by "keystone" is ambiguous. (Episode 08)

Adam's embryo-form fused with Gendo's hand

Adam is a crucial element in Gendo's own scenario for Third Impact, wherein he intends to use the "forbidden fusion of Adam and Lilith" as a means to achieve reunion with Yui. At an undisclosed point, Gendo has Adam fused into his right palm, and, in the moments before Third Impact, he inserts his hand into Rei. However, rather than carry out his wishes, Rei severs and absorbs Gendo's arm — fusing with Adam, but rejecting Gendo. The "forbidden fusion" is complete when Rei returns to Lilith.

The resultant "Gestalt entity" is Lilith-dominant, only momentarily splitting into "Adam" and "Lilith" parts (shortly before Eva-01 transforms into the Tree of Life). Adam manifests in the form of a giant, ghostly white Kaworu Nagisa, which, together with subsequent appearances of the Kaworu avatar, implies that Gendo had salvaged Adam's soul back into her body shortly after Kaworu's death.

The conglomerate being of which Adam became part dies when Shinji rejects Instrumentality. In spite of this, Lilith seems to continue existing in some form afterwards. Adam's own fate, however, is unknown.

Notes

• Upon receiving Adam, Gendo refers to her as "the first human". This is potentially a cryptic reference to Adam's status as the first human being on Earth (utilizing NGE's expanded definition of "human", which actually includes Angels as well as humans).

• Adam is referred to in The Book of Adam and Eve as "The Bright Angel". It may not be a coincidence that Adam appears as a Giant of Light in the series. Similarly, Adam is said to have stretched from "The Earth to the Firmament(Sky)", which may be referenced by the show in that Adam's wings spread to the upper atmosphere during Second Impact.[1]

• The second book of Enoch refers to Adam as the Second Angel. Adam is the First Angel, and Lilith, not Adam, is the Second Angel. However, all humans descend from the Second Angel, whether Adam in Enoch, or Lilith in Evangelion.

• Under the text labeling for the Adam embryo seen in the opening are the words (in cursive writing) "Whoisyou Heis Living Why?", and some Kanji under the label read "Caution".

Angels

Angels (general)

First and Second Angels (Seeds of Life): Adam | Lilith

Third to Seventeenth Angels (Adam's Children):

Sachiel | Shamshel | Ramiel | Gaghiel | Israfel | Sandalphon | Matarael | Sahaquiel

Ireul | Leliel | Bardiel | Zeruel | Arael | Armisael | Tabris

Eighteenth Angel: Lilin

Rebuild of Evangelion: ?Adams? | Lilith | 3rd Angel | 4th Angel | 5th Angel | 6th Angel | 7th Angel | 8th Angel | 9th Angel | 10th Angel | 11th Angel | 12th Angel | 1st/13th Angel

Other: Extracanonical Angels