Episode 25'

Episode Information
Episode #25'
Title 1: Air - - Title 2: Love is destructive.
Written By	Hideaki Anno
Directed By	Kazuya Tsurumaki
First Aired	7-19-1997
Video Release Date	{{{video_release}}}
Angel Appearances	Lilith
Eva Sorties	Eva Series, Eva-02
Episode chronology
← Previous	Next →
"DEATH"	"Episode 26'"

Synopsis

Episode 25' is the first part of The End of Evangelion, which ends the series.

The episode begins immediately after the events of Episode 24. Having been left alone at the lake by Misato, Shinji attempts suicide by drowning. Unsuccessful, the suicidally-depressed boy visits the comatose Asuka in her hospital room, begging for her help because he's "Scared of Misato-san and Ayanami." Desperate, he repeatedly asks her to help him. Beginning to cry because Asuka's not responding, Shinji manages to shake her so hard that Asuka's vital monitors and hospital gown become undone, exposing her breasts. Shinji masturbates at the sight, but feels even worse afterwards, stating: "I'm the lowest".

Meanwhile, it's discovered that Seele is trying to hack into the Magi, all in an effort to bring about Third Impact on their own terms by using the Evangelions. Gendo, however, has his own plans for Third Impact since "Death gives life to nothing".

Ritsuko, who was brought out of solitary confinement, is able to change the program so the Magi won't be taken over. Keel orders the JSSDF to attack Nerv Headquarters since a peaceful invasion proves to be impossible.

Knowing that the Force's main targets will be the Evangelion pilots, Misato orders that they be placed in their Evas for safety, despite Asuka still being comatose, Rei having gone missing, and Shinji dangerously close to being caught in the cross fire. Asuka and Evangelion Unit-02 are sent into the bottom of the nearby lake, while Misato decides to go save Shinji.

Gendo discovers Rei within Terminal Dogma, staring at the destroyed copies of herself. As Rei coldly stares at him (this seems to go unnoticed), he tells her that the promised time has come.

Misato arrives just in time to save Shinji from being killed by some JSSDF soldiers. The woman personally sees it that he gets to Evangelion Unit-01 safely, despite the boy having to literally be dragged in tow and his words of just wanting to die.

Misato was able to discover the truth about what caused Second Impact and passes this information onto Shinji. It turns out that humanity is born from a source of life that's equal to Adam known as Lilith, and that Adam's offspring were simply "humans that gave up human form", meaning humanity and Angels are one and the same. Misato also states that Mankind is the final Angel, the Eighteenth Angel.

Meanwhile, Asuka awakens in the bottom of the lake to the sounds of war, surprised that she's alive. She begins chanting over and over to herself that she doesn't want to die as Kyoko's voice replies. Kyoko says repeatedly that Asuka must live on; but twice pleads Asuka to die with her. Realizing that Kyoko's soul is within Unit-02, Asuka surfaces above the water and together, mother and daughter proceed to fight the JSSDF. The Kaworu Dummy Plug-equipped Mass Production Evangelions are deployed, which worries Nerv since they happen to be equipped with S2 Engines. Through the phone, Misato tells the revived Asuka to hang in there with fighting and that Shinji will be there to help soon.

Misato ends up getting shot by a soldier while protecting Shinji. In an elevator shaft that's scheduled to soon be detonated, she tries to get him out of his suicidally-depressed state. She tells to him that he does have value in his life so he shouldn't give up so easily. Misato gives Shinji her father's Cross, making him promise that he'll find out the meaning of his existence as well as return to her once he does this. Kissing him goodbye, Misato tells Shinji that they'll "do the rest when [he] gets back", which causes the stunned Shinji to fall back into the elevator, taking him to Unit-01. Bleeding heavily, Misato calls out for Pen Pen and asks Kaji if she did the right thing. The floor she's on explodes just as a Messenger of Rei III appears.

While Asuka and Kyoko's battle rages on, Shinji discovers he can't get aboard Eva because the whole area, Unit-01 included, is covered in hardened Bakelite. At the same time, Ritsuko appears to Gendo and Rei, admitting that she changed the Magi program in an effort to die together with her mother. At the shock that Casper "chose her man over her daughter", Gendo sees the opportunity to shoot the scientist, killing her.

The members of Nerv realize that there's not much time left before Unit-02's internal battery runs out, since only less than a half a minute remains. Asuka defeats the final Eva Unit, claiming that she "can't lose [because] Mama's watching over her". Unit-02 uses her A.T. Field to stop a Progressive Knife that appears, when it suddenly turns into a copy of the Spear of Longinus. The Spear breaks through Unit-02's A.T. Field, and stabs both the Eva and Asuka in the eye just as Unit-02 runs out of power. The Mass Production Evas reactivate while Asuka starts repeatedly chanting that she'll kill them. Reaching out for the Units overhead, Unit-02 apparently goes Berserk while Maya begs for Asuka to stop.

In the midst of saying "I'll kill you", another copy of the Spear appears, slicing both Unit-02's and Asuka's right arm in half. Suddenly, multiple copies of the Spear shoot down from the sky, killing Asuka. Maya screams through the intercom that Asuka is dead, but Shinji replies there's nothing he can do. All of a sudden, Unit-01 breaks free from the hardened Bakelite, much to Shinji's surprise.

Arising from Nerv HQ inside Unit-01, Shinji says "Asuka...". Seeing the MP Eva Series carry Kyoko's remains, Shinji's eyes contract as he begins screaming.

Analysis

• Misato giving Shinji her cross pendent, which was a gift from her father, could be seen as symbolizing "carrying the burden" of one Impact survivor (Misato survived the Second) to another (Shinji survives the Third). It also appears to be Shinji's link to reality, as its shown throughout Episode 26' during Pre-Instrumentality, and once Shinji returns to the real world in the final two scenes (Shinji is wearing the cross when saying goodbye to his mother and the during the final scene, the cross is nailed onto a piece of wood as a grave-marker).

Notes

• Weather or not The End of Evangelion and the final two episodes of the TV Series are literally concurrent, complimentary, or completely different endings is something that's still a matter of debate.

• When Misato discovers the truth about the Second Impact, the page she sees is actually some information about Gainax and their previous works with the words "Second Impact" written in various places.

• Whether or not Kyoko was partially insane due to her soul possibly being whole again is something that's also a matter of debate.

• • It's also a matter of debate if Asuka was in full control of Unit-02. Not only was Asuka suffering from a severe case of Battle Rage (similar to Shinji in Episode 19), but the Eva growls as well as moves of it's own accord (i.e.: jumping and spinning in the air) several times in battle, as well. The two BGM tracks that play during Asuka's revival are respectively titled Emergency Evacuation into Regression and False Rebirth, which seem to support this theory.

• The Ending Credits song, which has credits for both Episodes 25' and 26' is the Rhythm and Blues song Thanatos~If I can't be yours~ sung by Loren and Mash. The music itself was used throughout the series as a BGM piece entitled Thanatos; though a rhythm-only version, Substitute Invasion, was used in The End of Evangelion during Misato's death scene.

Quotes

• Shinji, After masturbating by Asuka's bedside: "I'm the lowest..."

• Seele Member: "The fate of destruction is the joy of rebirth."

• Commander Ikari: "Rei...You're here, after all. The promised time has come. Let's go."

• Misato, Misato gives Shinji a farewell kiss: "That's an adult kiss. Let's do the rest when you come back."

• Commander Ikari and Ritsuko: "Ritsuko Akagi...I truly...His next line is silent" "You liar."

• (Original Japanese)
  JSSDF officer: Evangelion Shogoki! (Evangelion Unit One)
  JSSDF commander: Masa ni Akuma ka? (Is it the Devil?)
  (English dub)
  Officer: Evangelion Unit One!
  Commander: The Devil himself?!

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Episodes & Films
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Movies	Death | Rebirth The End of Evangelion: Episode 25' | Episode 26'
Rebuild of Evangelion	Evangelion 1.0 | Evangelion 2.0 | Evangelion 3.0 | Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0