Dr. Katsuragi

Dr. Katsuragi
葛城博士
Age	Unknown
Birthday	Unknown
Seiyū	N/A

The mysterious Dr. Katsuragi is Misato's father, a dedicated and brilliant scientist up until his death on September 13, 2000 (during Second Impact). He has one scarce, silent appearance in Episode 12's brief flashback sequence.

Professional Life

Dr. Katsuragi's field was apparently energy research. His work eventually led him, in 1999, to the controversial Super Solenoid (or S²) Theory. Using the principles established therein, he hoped to create an engine capable of harnessing limitless amounts of energy, or "helical energy". His breakthrough somehow led to an entanglement, whether direct or indirect, with the shady organization Seele. In 2000, funded by Seele and under the banner of the United Nations, he led the eponymous Katsuragi Expedition to Antarctica for the ostensible purpose of investigating a mysterious underground cavity that had been detected the year before. (Chronicle) It's not clear why he was considered qualified for such a position.

An inert humanoid entity, designated Adam, was subsequently discovered within the subterranean space code-named the "White Moon". She possessed an organ shaped like a double helix, which Dr. Katsuragi proposed was the source of Adam's power, operating in accordance with his S² Theory. While met with some skepticism, Katsuragi was ultimately vindicated, and Adam's own "S² Engine" was researched so that it might be artificially emulated.

Katsuragi's research team eventually undertook a "Contact Experiment" between Adam and a human test subject designated the "donor", although the exact details are shrouded in mystery. From the scant information provided, the experiment seemed to have had little to do with Dr. Katsuragi's own specialty.

Beyond being funded by them, his exact relationship with Seele is entirely unknown, in terms of any level of involvement with their covert plans, knowledge of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and so forth. Since he remained at the base, rather than departing with Gendo and Keel, he was in all probability unaware of the Contact Experiment's "true" function (one which held no regard for the lives of the research team). In addition, Dr. Katsuragi and the scientists beneath him ("karera") were thought of poorly by Keel Lorenz, who made his antipathy vividly clear at the beginning of Episode 21’.

Personal Life

Katsuragi was a man who became totally consumed by his work, eventually coming to completely neglect his responsibilities as a husband and a father. Due to his absence, his wife developed chronic depression, and Misato lived a joyless childhood of being a "good girl" who helped shoulder the burdens her father left behind. Katsuragi's friends described him as being "sensitive and delicate", but Misato rejects this notion, believing him to be no more than a weak and child-like person who ran away from reality. At length, Katsuragi's wife resolved to divorce him, with Misato fully backing the decision. This development shocked Katsuragi, and the young Misato mocked him, feeling he had "brought (the situation) upon himself".

Presumably, Katsuragi did not have primary custody of Misato. However, in 2000, Misato was present at the UN Base in Antarctica, where the expedition team was located. Why she was there is unknown: Did Katsuragi force her to accompany him despite the wishes of Misato and her mother, or did something happen to his ex-wife, after which he accepted custody? The matter is never elaborated upon.

When the Contact Experiment with Adam (for which the expedition's leader would have certainly been present) went awry, Katsuragi escaped with Misato so that he might deliver his daughter to her best chance for survival. He and Misato were evidently caught in some kind of explosion, and, judging from Katsuragi's level of injury relative to Misato, it is possible that he used his own body to shield her from harm. In spite of his extensive wounds, he stayed alive long enough to place his daughter within the only intact escape capsule. Misato regards this as her father's "sacrifice", even though Dr. Katsuragi was already doomed to expire.

Before he died, he passed a pendant in the shape of a Greek cross on to Misato. No elaboration whatsoever is provided as to what this object meant to its original owner (e.g., if Katsuragi was a practicing Christian or if the cross was just a good luck charm), although it functions as a versatile symbol throughout the course of the series.

Notes

• Dr. Katsuragi's full name is never revealed.
• Although he is completely silent in the original Japanese version, ADV chose to have him vocalize in their English language dub.
• Katsuragi's final moment with Misato is directly paralleled in Episode 18 when Misato wakes up and finds Kaji by her side. The situation as a whole is also heavily mirrored with Misato and Shinji in Episode 25’.
• While Dr. Katsuragi is regarding Misato for the last time, a drop of his blood falls and spatters onto her cheek. This is probably intended to represent a "tear of blood".
• In the classified UN footage prefacing Episode 21’ and DEATH, there is a lingering shot of a tattered, blood-stained glove caught on some fencing. This appears to be the missing part of Dr. Katsuragi's left-hand glove, indicating that he had abandoned his team by that point, shortly before Adam surfaced.
• An image of Adam being excavated within the White Moon is included in the pre-Renewal version of Episode 23’ and the Full-Length Opening video compiled by Masayuki. Three figures stand in the foreground with their backs to the camera, and it is possible that these are actually (from left to right) Keel, Gendo, and Dr. Katsuragi.
• According to Misato in Episode 15, her father was a member of Nerv. However, she seems to have been simplifying, as Nerv didn't exist until the year 2010. It did, however, have a direct precursor, the research organization Gehirn, which Misato had joined shortly before it was reformed into Nerv. It is unclear if Gehirn existed in 2000 and Dr. Katsuragi was a member, or if he belonged to a United Nations research body that was itself a predecessor of Gehirn.

Characters

Main characters: Shinji Ikari | Rei Ayanami | Asuka Langley Soryu

Nerv staff: Misato Katsuragi | Gendo Ikari | Ritsuko Akagi | Kozo Fuyutsuki | Ryoji Kaji | Maya Ibuki | Makoto Hyuga | Shigeru Aoba

Classmates: Toji Suzuhara | Kensuke Aida | Hikari Horaki

Other characters: Kaworu Nagisa | Yui Ikari | Naoko Akagi | Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu | Dr. Katsuragi | Keel Lorenz | Pen Pen

Rebuild of Evangelion: Asuka Shikinami Langley | Mari Makinami Illustrious | Sakura Suzuhara | Ryoji Kaji (Jr)

Miscellaneous: Minor Characters | Minor Characters (Rebuild) | Extracanonical Characters

Theory and Analysis: Name Origins (Warships) | Designs | Relationships | Profiles

Resources: 2015: The Last Year of Ryohji Kaji