Evangelions

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An Evangelion (エヴァンゲリオン) is a giant human being of near-godlike power, created by Nerv from samples of the First Angel, Adam (Although Eva-01 might be an exception). Evangelions were supposedly created to combat the Angel threat, although their most important function (and one of their greatest secrets) is to initiate Third Impact to evolve humanity further.

Despite being giant humans (in the series' broader definition of the term "human"), Evangelions are often mistaken for giant robots, but as early as Episode 02 Evangelion Unit-01 is seen without it's helmet on, revealing that Evangelions are clearly not robots, but cyborgs, living organic creatures with cybernetic machine and computer components grafted onto them. They are also covered from head to toe in restraining metal plates that hide their true organic form and serve to keep them under Nerv's control, and in part because they have pilots who sit in the cockpit-like Entry Plug.

Design Concept

Evangelions as Oni

The Evangelions were designed after a specific type of Japanese monster called "Oni", commonly translated into "demon" or "ogre". In the words of Anno himself[1]-

"There's a monster in Japan called the Oni; it has two horns sticking out of its head and the overall image of the Eva is based on that. I also wanted to give the impression that beneath this ‘robot monster’ image is not so much a robot, but a giant human."

Corresponding with Anno, Ikuto Yamashita worked to develop the design of the Evangelions (With the exception of the Mass Production Evangelions and the altered Eva-02 design used in End of Evangelion). In his words-

"So why did Evangelion wind up with that shape?" … The director instructed me to make, “the image of [an oni].” A giant just barely under the control of mankind. I get the feeling I've seen that correlation before … The image I had for the design concept was the fairy tale, Gulliver's Travels. Enormous Power Restrained. … What I came up with was a giant that looks like a relief on a wall. … I happily discarded the efficiency and feeling of giant size that you can guess at by sight alone. … after the designs were handed in, it caused a stir — even among the staff, positive and negative opinions were flying. And from here on out, I imagine it will cause a stir among comic readers and animation viewers."

Head changes during design

Instead of being boxy and angular like previous mecha such as the Gundams, Evangelion design is characterized by smooth curves and flowing lines, giving the impression not of a robot, but of a giant human being.

The final Evangelion design is the result of a series of changes throughout early production. Most notably, the more "demonic" aspects of the Evangelions have largely been removed, such as the large horns (Although the Eva-02 design in Rebuild has two small horns on top of its head, suggesting a restoration of some of the older aspects of the design). Head design, in particular, has been subject to a lot of changes.

Biology and appearance

Evangelions do not have a fixed size in the show, and vary in size as the situation demands, going from 40 meters to a towering 200 meters in height. Created from the Seed of Life Adam (with the seeming exception of Eva-01), their massive bodies are formed of Particle-Wave Matter, but their shape appears to be determined genetically rather than through their A.T. Fields since they were born without souls, having their soul inserted in a Contact Experiment with a human being. Evangelions are also incapable of generating an S² Engine, although Eva-01 later acquires one and Mass Production Evangelions are all equipped with them.

Like the original Adam, an Eva has essentially the same physical form as a normal human, albeit with exaggerated torso/waist proportions and varying head forms. The limbs are identical to human limbs in structure, down to the point of the fingers having fingernails(Episode 03) and the feet having toes (Seen in End of Evangelion).

Skull shape and features vary from Evangelion to Evangelion. Some of the failed Prototype Evangelions have a skull shape almost identical to that of a human, while the Mass Production Evangelions have no eyes and a vaguely cetacean head form. Production model Evangelions vary in head shape, as well as in the number of eyes and nostril position.

Evangelions have internal organs including a complete digestive tract, as evidenced by display monitors and Eva-01's attack on Zeruel, and visually seen during the dismemberment of Eva-02. With the exception of Eva-02, which has blue-purple blood, all Evangelions have red blood, which sprays out of wounds in spectacular fashion.

Like Adam and the Angels, all Evangelions have a core, located on the solar plexus region in a similar manner to the more humanoid Angels. Eva-01 is known to have two smaller cores located below and next to the main core. Nerv's technology allows the core to be prepared for a Contact Experiment or for piloting. Cores appear to have their own supply of LCL, and pipes for the liquid connect to the back of the Eva's head.

Like the Angels, Evangelions have regenerative capabilities. It is directly stated that they are capable of regenerating damaged or destroyed organs. Eva-01 in particular has demonstrated extremely fast, controlled regeneration, including the ability to convert foreign biomass to its own. Likewise, Evangelions can lose their limbs or even their head and have them reattached later. Eva-02's left leg is ripped off at the knee(which the script attributes to a blasting bolt), after which the torn off leg sinks deeper into the magma of the volcano, presumably beyond all hope of recovery; however, by next episode Eva-02 is seen to be fully repaired with a full left leg. Nerv is either capable of creating replacement limbs for the Evas (as opposed to simply being able to reattach limbs that have been severed), or of making Evas regrow lost limbs from their torso. Its not known how long or difficult of a process this might be, as its not clear how much time passes between episodes during the fairly standalone "Action Arc" of the series, although in Episode 19, Eva-00 did not have time to grow a new left arm after the battle with Bardiel, implying that the regenerative process is fairly slow(at least for Eva-00).

Evangelions are covered in bindings that serve to restrain them and bind them to Nerv's control, and are restrained heavily at all times when not in combat. Whether the bindings serve to restrain them physically or use some other mechanism to restrict their power is not known as the functioning of the bindings is not elaborated upon within the series. The bindings appear to serve as armor of sorts, but they are presumably unnecessary in that role. The shoulder pylons serve as part of the restraint system, attaching to external restraints as well as serving as storage for weapons like the Progressive Knife and Eva-02's spike launcher.

Piloting Modifications

All Evas have an artificial section of spine, which is left incomplete by a circular gap that the Entry Plug fits in. Inserting the entry plug completes the nerve connections from the head to the the rest of the body. As an added precaution, a Signal Termination Plug is often kept in place of the Entry Plug to prevent neural impulses from flowing. While in operation, the entry plug is kept covered by a flush-fitting armor plate, although it can be lifted to eject the entry plug in an emergency.

Eva 01's back armor retracted to insert the Entry Plug

The end of the Entry Plug is inserted into the core, which has a cylindrical cavity drilled out to accommodate it. The depth of the Plug inside the core can vary according to the synchronization rate and other factors, such as the Eva going berserk. The Entry Plug is flooded with LCL, which is either generated by the core itself or is pumped in from external storage before being processed and purified by the life-support systems. It serves to both provide oxygen and establish the link between the Entry Plug's occupants and the Eva, although the Interface Headset would appear to be necessary to actually pilot the Eva.

In addition, there appears to be an extensive computer interface between the pilot and the Eva, as the system must be set to the pilot's native language (the language in which the pilot thinks, see note below) to allow the Eva to activate and be piloted. It might also link to the viewscreens in the Eva cockpit (Which can flicker on and off depending on the activation state of the Eva).

Synchronization depends upon the pilot's psychological condition. Synchronization rate and performance can be pulled down when the pilot is emotionally distressed and increase under duress or anger, reaching a high when in battle rage.

Operational Capabilities and Equipment

Evas run off power from an umbilical cable, attached to a socket in the back of the artificial spine segment. How electrical energy is converted for the Eva's usage, or if the Eva indeed is capable of motion off raw electrical energy alone, is not elaborated in the show. If the cable is broken or disconnected (For increased speed and mobility), Evas have up to five minutes of Internal Battery power in reserve (Alternatively quoted as one minute at maximum and five minutes with gain- varying depending upon plot).

They are capable of creating protective A.T. Fields as well as eroding the A.T. Fields of Angels, and have tremendous strength in addition. In complete contrast to their size and mass, Evas are capable of acrobatic feats like drop-kicks and enormous spinning leaps into the air. Performance rises with increased synchronization, and an Eva in battle rage can inflict crippling physical damage on an Angel or even another Evangelion, or cast its A.T. Field as an offensive weapon. The height of Eva capabilities is the Berserk mode, when the resident soul has taken control from the pilot. It is characterized by savage, animal-like behavior. A berserker Evangelion has greatly enhanced physical strength, and, at the height of berserker mode, can run without any electrical power at all.

Evangelions have weapons and other equipment loaded on for combat purposes. Evas have computerized targeting systems, Radar and Sonar, as well as assorted weaponry.

All Evangelions (With the exception of Eva-00 in its original armor) have a prog knife stored inside their left shoulder pylon, and Eva-02 has a spike launcher in its right shoulder pylon. Eva-00's shoulder pylons have a rocket system that allows the Eva to slow down when making large jumps (or presumably increases jump height as well).

Naming system

Evangelion Unit-00 is designated the "Prototype", being the first successful Evangelion in a long line of failures. Evangelion Unit-01 is designated "Test Type", possibly because of its unique method of creation, from Lilith. Eva-02 was the first "Production Model" Evangelion, and Evangelions 03 to 06 were designated "Production Model". The original Eva-05 and 06 were canceled and scrapped for parts, so the next Evangelions belonged to the "Mass Production Model" of identical Evangelions 05 to 13.

Eva-00 is referred to as "Zerogoki", which literally translates into "Zero Number Machine" (Although a loanword from English, Zero in Japanese is not pronounced the same as Zero in English) and Eva-01 as "Shogoki", literally "First Number Machine" as opposed to "One Number Machine". From Eva-02 (Nigoki, "Two Number Machine") onwards, the "#numeral Number Machine"(-goki) convention is followed. Eva-00, 01 and 02 use the Kanji numerals for zero, one and two respectively. Eva-03 onwards are named with roman numerals instead.

The Effect of Damage to the Evas upon their Pilots

• An Eva pilot feels everything their Evangelion feels when synchronized with the Eva, experiencing the pain of injuries the Eva sustains, i.e. Shinji feels like his left arm has been broken when Eva 01's arm is broken. Just exactly what is the real extent of these injuries?
  • Apparently, Eva pilots feel the pain of injuries but do not actually sustain these injuries: Ritsuko points out to Shinji that "That's not your arm" when he feels the pain of Eva 01's arm being broken. Similarly, in Episode 10 Eva 02's left leg below the knee is completely bitten off, but Asuka's leg does not just spontaneously fall off as a result. Also, in Episode 19 both of Eva 02's arms are cut off, but Asuka's arms do not physically fall off. Even in this episode, Eva 01 is shot through the head, destroying its eye (which it later regenerates) but Shinji does not instantly lose an eye. The pilots appear to experience the pain and nervous system shock (which can actually result in severe forms of injury nonetheless) of injuries the Evas sustain, but do not actually suffer these injuries themselves. That said, it appears that if an Evangelion is severely damaged enough (even if the Entry Plug containing the pilot is not directly damaged itself), the pilot can indeed die from physical shock. For example, in Episode 19 Misato shouts for technicians to quickly cut the synchronization connection between Asuka and Eva 02 moments before the Angel Zeruel decapitates Eva 02, the sheer pain and shock of which would probably have killed Asuka. However, at odds with this is that during The End of Evangelion pilots appear to actually suffer the same physical injuries that their Eva Units suffer. This may be explained by the fact that in The End of Evangelion, the pilots were highly synchronized with their Evangelion Units. At an abnormally high synchronization ratio, it appears that pilots will really suffer injuries an Eva suffers.

Notes

• Evas are referred to as "copies" of Adam, and, in the Classified Information files, by the awkward phrase "clonal regenerations" (in reference to the "Adam Revival Project", or Project E). In real life use, "clone" means an exact genetic copy, which, considering the differences the Evas exhibit amongst themselves, they clearly cannot be.
• According to Ritsuko in Episode 01, the formal full name for the Evangelion Units (almost never actually used) is "Ultimate All-Purpose Humanoid Decisive Battle Weapon: Evangelion".
• Apparently, the internal controls of an Evangelion which interact directly with the pilot's mind which the pilot is synchronized with the Eva are set to the native language of the pilot, the "base thought language" which the Eva's systems are set to. For example, Shinji's native language is Japanese, and therefore he "thinks in" Japanese, so Eva-01 is set to Japanese. The language mode of Eva-02, however, is set to German, because Asuka's native language is German and she "thinks in" German. However, Asuka speaks fluent Japanese, so she can apparently set the language mode to Japanese, but still function well enough (meanwhile, Shinji doesn't understand German at all, so he cannot function in an Eva set to anything other than Japanese).
• Ritsuko explicitly states that only 14 year old children can pilot Evangelions, but does not elaborate on why exactly this is so.
  • Possibly it is because hormonal changes in late puberty make it impossible for adults to synchronize with Evangelions, but they want the oldest possible child pilots (i.e. if the pilot has to be before the later stages of puberty, they'd rather use a 14 year old than a four year old).
  • All Evangelion pilots were conspicuously born in the year following Second Impact. There might be a connection with this.

See Also:

• Evangelion weapons
  • Evangelion melee weapons
  • Evangelion ranged weapons
• Evangelion equipment
• S² Engine
• Evangelion Power Sources
• Berserk

References

Evangelions

Evangelions (general)

Failed Evangelion Prototypes | Simulation Bodies

Eva-00 | Eva-01 | Eva-02 | Eva-03 | Eva-04 | Mass Production Evangelions (Evas 05~13)

Rebuild of Evangelion: Mark.04 | Eva-05 | Mark.06 | Eva-08 | Mark.09 | Eva-13

Eva 8+2 | Mass Production Evangelions | Failures of Infinity

Other: Extracanonical Evas