Arael
| Arael | |
| |
| アラエル | |
| Number | 15th |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Birds |
| Appearance(s) | Episode 22 |
| Defeated by | Evangelion Unit-00 |
Arael (Hebrew: אראל) is the Fifteenth Angel.
Biology
Arael is a luminescent Angel with multiple sets of wings, some of them completely dwarfing the central body, in addition to a pointed "head" (Visible in production drawings). The core -- difficult to see due to Arael's brightness -- is held outside of the body between two smaller, "brachial" wings. It seems to be several times larger than an Evangelion, based on its size relative to the Spear of Longinus, though Arael and an Eva never physically meet directly. Arael utilizes what seems to be a specialized projection of its A.T. Field as a means of psychologically probing other beings. Due to the fact that the Angel appears in orbit and is fully stationary upon reaching its "vantage point", little more is known about its features or capabilities.
After Arael is pierced by the Spear of Longinus, its body breaks down and swirls into a vortex, finally vanishing in a pinpoint of light. An outburst of red blood is briefly visible upon the Spear's exit.
Battle
Arael first appeared suddenly in Earth orbit. Unlike the previous Angel Sahaquiel, which had previously appeared in orbit, Arael remained stationary in space, outside of the range of most terrestrial weaponry, and showed no signs of moving closer.
With an order forbidding the use of Eva-01 after it absorbed the S² Engine from Zeruel, Eva-00 and Eva-02 were launched to the surface of Tokyo-3. Eva-02 took point position and tried to fire on Arael using a positron weapon, but the Angel was too far away for the weapon to target it. Arael then targeted Asuka in Eva-02 with a special beam of light, based on a projection of its A.T. Field. which had the effect of replaying traumatic childhood memories in her mind to the point of incapacitating her.
Eva-00 targeted Arael with a positron rifle similar to the kind used against Ramiel, but Arael was so far in orbit that the beam had insufficient strength to penetrate its A.T. Field.
With the Eva's weapons useless against the Angel while it was in orbit, and unwilling to use Eva-01 against the Angel, Gendo Ikari ordered Rei to use Eva-00 to retrieve the Spear of Longinus from Terminal Dogma where it was pinned into Lilith. Eva-00 then returned to the surface, and hurled the Spear of Longinus into the sky. The Spear broke escape velocity, pierced Arael's A.T. Field and destroyed the Angel. However, the Spear also escaped Earth's gravitational pull and entered lunar orbit, ultimately landing on the Moon.
Notes
- Since "Arael" literally means Light of God or Vision of God, it is probably no coincidence that the Angel glows so brightly and that its attack is a specialized beam of light. Arael is named for the patron angel of birds, evident in its avian-like design.
- It has been suggested that the "child-Asuka" that Asuka speaks to during her internal hallucination while on an abandoned playground, might actually be Arael taking on the form of Asuka as a child in order to try to communicate with her. Leliel took the form of a younger Shinji to communicate with him, and Armisael later appears to Rei as an image of Rei herself and is explicitly acknowledged as an Angel. In the circumstances it appears highly likely that the "child-Asuka" is indeed Arael and not just Asuka's hallucination, but it can not be confirmed with the same certainty as the other two instances.
| 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 |
