Berserk

Berserk (暴走, bousou) is a state in which an Evangelion has gone beyond Nerv's ability to control.

During these incidents, the Eva's resident soul appears to bypass restraint mechanisms and wield her own body, although it's arguable how much "conscious control" she has over the Eva's actions. (The discrepancy between the behavior of Yui Ikari — prior to her "death" — and her Evangelion incarnation is often cited to this effect.) In most cases, a berserk Evangelion can, inexplicably, continue to function even after her internal batteries have been drained, i.e., remain operational beyond the established time limit.

Eva-00 has two incidents (in Episode 05 and Episode 14), both occuring when a pilot attempts to synchronize with her for the first time. During her activation test with Rei Ayanami, the entry plug is auto-ejected (apparently by the Eva herself) and Eva-00 continues to move undeterred until her power runs out. The second incident, involving Shinji Ikari, is extremely similar, except the Eva rejects the auto-eject signal. This prompts a cryptic comment from Ritsuko, "Is it going to try to absorb Shinji?"

Eva-01 is the most notorious "berserker". Her abilities to move both independently and without power are effectively established before her initial activation, when she moves her arm to shield Shinji from falling lights (in spite of being loaded with a signal termination plug). Not long after, she goes out of control during her first sortie, against Sachiel, exhibiting a bestial and uncompromising "battle rage" that doesn't stop until the Angel is down. Similar behavior occurs when Eva-01 brings about Leliel's gruesome destruction, and, later, mauls and devours Zeruel, although, unlike the incident with Sachiel, these both occur when her internal batteries are fully drained.

In Episode 25', Eva-01 moves independently once more, and seems to be effectively in control of herself from that point forward.

Eva-02, after being ravaged by the Mass Production Evas, briefly goes berserk and moves without any power supply. This instance is unusual, in that Asuka is shown piloting, rather than control being clearly deferred to the resident soul (Kyoko), the only one who should be able to access that type of higher Evangelion ability (according to the precedent established with Eva-01).

Notes

• Bousou literally means "out of control". "Berserk(er)", however, is the official English rendition, as indicated by the document Shiro Tokita displays in Episode 07.
• When controlled by the Dummy Plug system in Episode 18, Eva-01's behavior is indistinguishable from her true "berserker mode".

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