Angels
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"Making something... Nurturing something is really great. You can see and learn so many things from the process." |
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"The story presented to the public was just a cover-up." |
Usages of the word "Angel" in Neon Genesis Evangelion.
The term "Angel" is rather varied, referring at various times to all human beings in the expanded definition of the term (This includes Seeds of Life, Adam's progeny and mankind). Seele's list of Angels includes the Seeds of Life, Adam and Lilith as the first and second Angels, with the progeny of Adam as Angels three to sixteen and Kaworu Nagisa, the human vessel of Adam's soul, as the seventeenth Angel.
As most commonly used in NGE, the word "Angel" refers to any of Adam's 15 Children. However, Adam and Lilith are also described as Angels, the 1st and the 2nd. Nerv and Seele may be using the designation arbitrarily, because in End of Evangelion, Misato Katsuragi describes Mankind as the 18th Angel.
Adam's children
Unleashed from the white moon during Second Impact, the Angels were scattered about the Earth, (at least one ended up in orbit), and began a 15 year incubation period. The series opens with the first of Adam's children (The third Angel, Sachiel, attacking Tokyo-3). Should any of the Angels succeed in reaching Adam (or Lilith), mankind would be destroyed in a destructive Third Impact. It is the task of the Evangelions and their pilots to defeat the Angels. Both Gendo Ikari's and Seele's plans call for the destruction of the Angels. Angels are composed of Particle-wave matter.
Note on Translation
The characters in NGE are actually calling the Angels "Shito", which means "Apostle"; while the Japanese word normally used for the western concept of Angel is "Tenshi". However, this isn't a translation mistake on the part of NGE's U.S. distributors. The "Angel" designation is clearly seen in the show's opening and at various times within the show itself, and the word "Angel" was retained in the English version of the show at the request of the show's Japanese creators.
| No. | Thumbnail | Name | Description | First fought |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03. | 
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Sachiel | First Angel to be encountered in the series. An amphibious humanoid Angel. | Episode 01 |
| 04. | 
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Shamshel | Insectlike Angel with deadly "whips of light". | Episode 03 |
| 05. | 
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Ramiel | Extremely powerful octahedral Angel. | Episode 05 |
| 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 |
