Guides:Evangelion 3.33 FAQ

Evangelion 3.33 FAQ

This is a Work in Progress.

General Questions

• What does "Q" mean?

• Fourteen years went by since Eva 2.0? Seriously?

Yes.

• Did the events of the preview from 2.0 happen during the timeskip?

Certain events fit into what is seen in 3.0. For example, "Eva-06 descends to Dogma" is something that must have occurred, as Mark.06 is located in Central Dogma as of 3.0. The impoundment of Nerv's staff by the UN is a development that fits what's seen in 3.0, but can be neither confirmed nor denied. Alternatively, "The quickening Eva-08 and its pilot(s)" appears to be a victim of the developmental process, and the ideas contained in that cut seem to be redistributed across Eva-13, Mark.06, and Eva-08.

• What's going on during the beginning of the film? It's really confusing!

See Operation US.

• What does that symbol in the title of Final mean?

Character Questions

• What happened to Rei?

The Rei featured in this film is a different clone, whose full designation is "Tentative Name: Rei Ayanami". The English fandom typically calls her "Rei Q".

As for the Rei from the previous two movies (Rei 2): Misato claims that Rei no longer exists, and Ritsuko likewise says that Eva-01 had been thoroughly checked, with only Shinji and the SDAT turning up from within. However, according to Fuyutsuki's later infodump, the Rei that Shinji knew is "preserved" inside Eva-01 along with Yui, presumably within the core.

Speculation: Due to the conflicting information -- i.e., the audience does not know who to believe -- there is abundant speculation that Rei 2 might we somewhere other than Eva-01's core. One hypothesis is that her essence was transferred into the SDAT player, unbeknownst to both Wille and Fuyutsuki.^{[Source needed]} Another is that Fuyutsuki mislead Shinji for reasons unknown, and Rei's soul was transferred into Lilith's body and now resides in the disembodied head, hence explaining why the head has Rei's appearance.^{[Source needed]}

• There isn't a second Rei clone walking around? I swore I saw...

Elaboration: While bathing in LCL, Rei Q briefly sees another Rei standing outside the tank. A moment later, the other Rei is gone.

The sudden appearance and disappearance heavily implies that the other Rei was not "real" in a traditional sense, and is not meant to indicate the presence of another clone at Nerv HQ. The phenomenon could be related to the Rei that Shinji saw on the street in Eva 1.0.^{[Source needed]}

• Where's Kaji? Is he alive or dead?

There is no information either way. He is only mentioned once, via Koji Takao's line, "The captain's even more interesting than Kaji described."

• What about Shinji's classmates and Pen Pen? Are they alive or dead?

The status of most characters not appearing in the film is simply not provided. Shinji's classmates and Pen Pen, last seen during the 10th Angel attack, are frequently given low prospects by fans: whether they perished in the chaos of that Angel's assault, or possibly (...with probable exception of Pen Pen) were turned into red Evas later.^{[Source needed]} However, there is nothing concrete preventing some or all of these characters from returning in Final, either.

• What is Asuka's nickname for Mari? What does it mean?

Asuka calls Mari kone megane, which means something like "glasses-wearing person with connections", and is a pun on hone megane ("horn-rimmed glasses"). The implication is that Mari got to be an Eva pilot not because of what she knows, but because of who she knows. The nickname does not translate well; different groups have attempted "Favored Four-eyes" and "Networking Four-eyes", or given up altogether and simplified it to "Glasses".^{[Source needed]}

• Why can't Shinji synchronize with Eva-01 anymore?

• Why do Asuka and Mari look the same after 14 years?

When Shinji observes that Asuka hasn't changed (except for the eyepatch), she vaguely attributes the cause to "the Curse of Eva". No further elaboration is provided. However, we might deduce that whatever this "curse" is, Mari is similarly affected by it.

Speculation: Eva pilots might be uniquely exposed to a phenomenon that causes their physical aging to stop. An early speculation held that LCL exposure was somehow responsible.^{[Source needed]} A more detailed hypothesis proposes that the suspension of aging is caused by synchronization with an Eva at a high plug depth.^{[Source needed]} Asuka achieved this when the 9th Angel took over Eva-03, and Mari, as well, when she activated Eva-02's Beast Mode. If this hypothesis is correct, then Shinji will also be affected by the "curse", due to reaching the Great Beyond Depth in the battle against the 10th Angel.

• What's going on with Asuka's eye?

• Why did Wille bring Shinji back from Eva-01?

Wille retrieved Eva-01 in order to use it to power the Wunder. Shinji's presence inside the unit is an undesirable x factor that, according to Ritsuko, is capable of bringing the Eva into an Awakened state. Hence, a Shinji-less Eva-01 is safer and more stable for Wille's purposes.

• Why didn't Wille just kill Shinji if he's so dangerous?

• Misato was cheering Shinji on in the last movie. Why's she so cold to him now?

In Evangelion 2.0, Misato was cheering Shinji on and telling him to pursue his own desires before she grasped the terrible consequences that would bring. Once it was clear that Shinji's actions had triggered another Impact, and stirred Misato's own terrible memories of the Second ("Wings?!"), her attitude visibly changed.

Misato has subsequently had to deal with fourteen years of fallout, and psychologically compensate for, perhaps, feeling partly responsible for it all (by way of being initially "complicit"). Furthermore, she now has a crew to captain, and she cannot show signs of sentiment or weakness. Shinji's status is essentially that of a war criminal; Misato cannot simply go back to treating him as her surrogate son.

• How did Shinji hear Rei's voice before Mark.09 broke through the hull?

• How did Shinji learn piano so fast?

Time compression as a result of movie magic.

Half-baked in-universe explanation: Kaworu used his Angel powers.

• Why did Kaworu put on the DSS Choker?

Implicitly, it was to gain Shinji's trust.

Out-of-universe, it was to inject some heavy-handed Jesus parallels. The DSS Choker is a symbol of Shinji's sin, and Kaworu taking it (and eventually dying as a result) is highly evocative of Jesus taking on the sins of all humanity.

• Something's not adding up... Did Kaworu mislead or manipulate Shinji in any way?

• What are the symbols on Shinji and Kaworu's plugsuits?

Shinji is lowercase "alpha" (α), while Kaworu is capital "alpha" (A).

• What did Kaworu mean about Rei Q's soul?

On the most literal level, Kaworu's line means that 'the placement of [Rei's] soul differs from the usual condition'. This has been variously translated. The UTW-THORA subs provide the interpretation, "Her soul is somewhere else", while the github project translation attempts to be more vague and says, "Her soul is in the wrong place"^{[Source needed]}.

• Why was Kaworu sitting in the entry plug doing nothing for so long?

Initially, he seems to be lost in thought, at the expense of all else. Eventually, however, he can be seen leaning forward and clutching his face.

Speculation: Kaworu may have first become paralyzed by the realization that he didn't have it all figured out, suggesting that he perhaps suffered from a surfeit of pride. Later, when he is "cast down" to the Thirteenth Angel, he seems to be physically affected in some way. It is possible that the 1st-to-13th change has the initial side effect of making him physically ill and incapable of easily taking action. The exact details, however, are vague.

• How did Shinji cut off Kaworu's controls?

Unclear. All Shinji did was pull back an induction lever, and the motions of the levers have no 1:1 correspondence to any action.

Speculation: This was a contingency placed into Shinji's entry plug by Gendo, with the expectation that Shinji would lose control of himself and desire to lock Kaworu out. The mechanism might be activated based on Shinji's emotional state, with the pulling of the lever merely being a red herring.^{[Source needed]}

Also perhaps relevant is the fact that Shinji, in 2.0, was capable of locking Nerv out of the Eva's controls. Hence, what happened with Eva-13 might involve a contingency that is programmed into every Eva. The purpose of this would likely be for circumstances in which Nerv HQ is taken over by an enemy. Allowing the pilots to lock out HQ in an emergency would prevent a hypothetical enemy from being able to remotely shut down the Evas.

• Why didn't Kaworu just use his Angel powers to get the controls back?

Since Kaworu eventually had Eva-13 skewer itself twice, it would seem that he was able to do just that. Why not sooner, though? This is possibly addressed a couple of questions up.

• What's the deal with Seele? Who/what are they?

• What are Gendo's goals?

This is and always will be a near unfathomable question in any Evangelion franchise. However, in Q, Gendo appears to have wanted to remove Kaworu and awaken Evangelion 13.

• Why does Mari tell Shinji to help Asuka? / Why is Asuka disappointed that Shinji didn't help her?

• What happens to Mari after she ejects Shinji from Eva-13?

Eva 08 is shown crashing to the ground, arms still glowing. Later the Eva is shown wrapped up in bandages and being recovered by Wille alongside Eva 02-Dash. Since Mari did not eject her own entry plug, she was presumably recovered by Wille and is safely on board the Wunder at the end of film.

• Did Rei pick up the SDAT player or not?

Yes: The SDAT player is a well-estalished symbolic player in the NTE film series, and it's quite unlikely that it would abandoned at this point. Furthermore, Rei Q picking up the device would tie into Shinji's earlier failed attempt to give it to her.

No: The SDAT is overwhelmingly associated with Rei 2's identity. Rei Q begins to establish her own identity the moment she decides to eject her entry plug from Mark.09. Her taking the SDAT would erase this progress, and just make her into another Rei 2.

• Why does Asuka use the word "Lilin" at the end of the movie?

Setting Questions

• Is humanity mostly extinct, or what?

When Shinji asks what happened to everyone in Tokyo-3, Kaworu's answer begins with the statement, "Mass extinctions are not unusual on this planet." This statement, combined with the seemingly desolate and barren setting of 3.0, has led many to think that humanity is mostly extinct as a result of Third Impact. However, we are not made privy to many locations aside from the Hakone area, which is ground zero of Third Impact and one would not expect to be bustling with human activity. Background dialogue during Wille scenes indicates that they are being supplied from the outside, and these provisions must come from somewhere. Human settlements are directly implied.

Ultimately, there is simply not enough information provided to determine humanity's status.

• What is the Wunder? An Eva? An Angel? What?

Wunder's true nature is currently unknown.

• What's that big spinning moon-thing that Kaworu shows Shinji?

The Moon.^{[Source needed]}

• So, then, why is it so close to Earth? Why does it have an atmosphere? What's with the red grid? Etc.

Speculation: An as-yet-undisclosed side effect of Third Impact may have altered the Moon's course, with the results we see. The proximity to Earth may have resulted in the Moon becoming enveloped in atmosphere.^{[Source needed]}

The red grid may be somehow connected to Lilith, whose skin is flayed in a grid-like pattern. The grid on the Moon is, furthermore, extremely reminiscent of the Black Moon's destruction in EoE. The Black Moon was incised in a similar grid pattern, which was red as a result of the LCL contents bleeding out. It is unknown if this parallel is simply a visual callback, or if it implies that Earth's Moon in NTE also has an intrinsically unusual nature.

• Why are the ruins of Tokyo-3 red?

They have been "turned to core". Precisely how, or what this implies, is unclear. It is thought by fans to be another effect of Third Impact.^{[Source needed]}

• What are the red Evas that are everywhere? (They are Evas, right?)

Yes, the script refers to them as "Evas". They are headless copies of Eva-01 in armor^{[Source needed]}, apparently composed of the same "core" material forming the landscape. Kaworu refers to the ones lining the walls of the Main Shaft as "failures of infinity", and this has been accepted as an umbrella term for all of them.

For more, see Failures of Infinity.

• What's the deal with the pyramid on the pole?

The inverted pyramid in the sky is called New Nerv HQ. The very top contains the partially entombed ruins of the old Nerv HQ pyramid along with its pool, now filled with red fluid. The rest of the structure seems to hold many of Nerv HQ's old facilities; they can be matched to locations from the previous two films.

The giant pole is more mysterious, but it is possibly the majority of the Main Shaft, having been pulled -- with the Nerv facilities on top -- out of the earth and toward the sky.^{[Source needed]}

• What's with the tooth canyon? Or the giant eye?

Elaboration: During one of the pans of the landscape that Kaworu shows Shinji, a massive canyon framed by anatomically correct teeth and gums can be seen. Furthermore, the pole that holds New Nerv HQ is emerging from the center of what looks like a massive blue iris. There does not appear to be a second "eye".

These changes to the landscape are a complete and utter mystery.

Speculation: In 1.11, there is a large chamber at Level EEE full of massive, neuron-like structures. Hence, the Black Moon might contain a "brain", making it a "skull" of sorts, and the eye and teeth on the surface furnish it with a "face". Could the face be part of the Black Moon itself? While this idea is evocative, the top portion of the Black Moon appears to have no such features once fully exposed.

• What are those weird symbols in the new Nerv logo?

Angel-Sealing Hex Glyphs. It has not been determined what the glyphs in the logo mean.

• Who (besides Yui and Shinji) is pictured in Fuyutsuki's photo?

The two men resemble no characters that we know. (No -- not even Gendo or Fuyutsuki!) However, the second woman bears a close resemblance to Mari, and could be her mother. If Mari's parents were familiar with Shinji's, this could explain why Mari refers to Gendo as "Gendo-kun" (the -kun suffix here implying a familiarity, e.g. they were part of the same social circle).

Many fans have also gotten "Asuka vibes" from the woman.^{[Source needed]} While there is less evidence supporting the notion that this is Kyoko, or her NTE equivalent, it could still turn out that Mari and Asuka have some kind of familial relation that has yet to be revealed.

• Speaking of that photo... can anyone make out the text on the back?

In fact, someone did! The text reads, 第3新東京市　人工進化研究所　EVA本体棟にて, translating to, "Tokyo-3, Artificial Evolution Laboratory, Inside Eva Main Control Building".

• What's the big crucifix thingy that Fuyutsuki shows Shinji?

According to Fuyutsuki, it is a "very early prototype of the Eva control system". "Control system", here, is the same term he uses to describe what Yui becomes.

• What's the deal with the huge Rei (...Yui?) head?

The head belongs to Lilith. This is demonstrated by the fact that Lilith corpse is missing its head, and that the giant Rei head explodes into LCL at the same time as Lilith's headless body. Furthermore, the Rei head is missing the eyes. Close observation of Lilith's mask in previous films shows that giant bolts are bored into the eyes -- hence, the eyes would be missing if the mask ever came off!

We know from the script that the head is shaped after Rei, rather than Yui.

• What are the skulls littering Lilith's chamber?

Speculation: Because the Failures of Infinity are all missing heads, it seems likely that the skulls were attached to them at one point.^{[Source needed]} How they ended up in giant piles in Lilith's chamber is another matter entirely, though...

• What's the big corkscrew/mushroom/whatever that comes out of the ground?

The Black Moon. It is probably meant to resemble the Holy Grail^{[Source needed]} more than a corkscrew or mushroom.

• What's the L Barrier that Asuka refers to?

Elaboration: Near the end of the film, Asuka says, "The L Barrier density is too high here, so they won't be able to come for us. We'll go someplace where the Lilin can pick us up."

Speculation: With "L Barrier", Asuka seems to be referring to something that prevents the Wille crew from retrieving her. The "L" likely stands for "Lilin".

It is unclear what the range and effects of this barrier are, as the Wunder and its crew are able to enter the vicinity of New Nerv HQ without apparent ill effect.

Impact Questions

• Is there a difference between "Near Third Impact" and "Third Impact"? Did a separate thing called "Third Impact" ever happen?

Kaworu's expositional dialogue to Shinji superficially seems to treat the two terms as synonyms: "Ikari Shinji-kun, once Awakened, Eva-01 opened the Door of Guf and became the trigger for Third Impact. Lilin call it Near Third Impact." In other words: "Something called Third Impact happened, and the Lilin decide to put a 'Near' in front for some reason."

However, the film visually establishes innumerable developments that could only have occurred after Eva-01 was frozen by the Spear of Cassius at the end of 2.0, very heavily suggesting that Third Impact eventually did continue. Kaworu's words, therefore, might indicate that Eva-01's Near Third Impact was the initial trigger for the Third Impact that followed.

• Which Impact happens during the final sequence of the movie?

Fourth.

• What triggered Fourth Impact, exactly?

• What would have happened if Kaworu's plan with the Spears had worked?

• Is Instrumentality different here than it was in the show?

Eva/Angel Questions

• Where the heck is Eva-01 in this movie?

Eva-01 starts off sealed inside a tesseract-shaped satellite in low earth orbit. After Wille recovers the unit, they use it as the main engine of the AAA Wunder, where it stays for the rest of the film.

• Why wasn't Eva-02 repaired from the 10th Angel fight?

• What are the things that attack Eva-02 in space? Some kind of Angel?

Nope. They're Evangelion Mark.04.

• What about the things that attack the Wunder (Nemesis Series)? Are they Angels?

No, they're also Evangelion Mark.04.

• What is Eva-02 doing to the Wunder's main engine?

It bores through the protective metal lid with a heat lance to gain access to the "core-like structure" inside, then inserts the igniter. The reaction causes Eva-02's synthetic arm to "turn to core", which is why Asuka jettisons the limb.

• What does the phrase "Adams' Vessel" mean?

Elaboration: Mari determines that Mark.09 is an "Adams' Vessel" as a result of it being able to function without a head. Wille refer to Mark.09 persistently as "Adams' Vessel" for the remainder of the film.

Speculation: In and of itself, the phrase "Adams' Vessel" suggests that Mark.09 might have the body (physical vessel) of an Adams, but lack the soul that would make the Adams more than a mere vessel. This interpretation becomes problematic in sight of Eva-13, who apparently has no A.T. Field (see below) -- hence, no soul? -- but is called a "surviving Adams" instead of "Adams' Vessel".

• How are we at Eva-13 already? Aren't a bunch of units missing?

Indeed -- 07, 10, 11, and 12, to be precise.

What happened to them is unknown. It is speculated that they came and went during the 14-year timeskip.^{[Source needed]}

• What happened to Lilith?

Elaboration: Lilith as last seen in 2.0 was on its cross, with mask in place, legless, and approximately Eva-sized. In 3.0, Lilith is off the cross, crawling on the ground and reaching for something. It has swollen to dozens of times its original size. The head is missing (in fact, is now Rei-shaped and located in the ruins of the Command Center) and a giant white Mark.06 is fused at the hips with the neck stump. The legs are partially regenerated, but all limbs except the right arm terminate in thin spaghetti-like tendrils. Lilith is heavily damaged, the entire surface of the skin flayed in a grid pattern, with exposed ribs, and it has been eviscerated. Kaworu refers to Lilith as a "corpse".

Speculation: Lilith had presumably been awakened, and, similarly to EoE, it came down off its cross, dropped its mask, and began to increase in size. The exact events that occurred after this, and their order, is vague, however. A fallen VTOL and other ruined aircraft sighted in Lilith's chamber imply that the JSSDF launched an attack against Lilith, resulting in some of the damage seen. How Lilith was eventually "killed" is unclear.

Who decapitated Lilith, and how its head ended up in the Command Center, is unknown. Because Mark.06 is fused with the neck stub, it is frequently suggested as a culprit for the beheading.^{[Source needed]} As for the head's location, it has been suggested that Lilith was "phasing" through the walls a la EoE, and her head was passing through the Command Center when it was removed.^{[Source needed]} However, Lilith would not have been large enough to bridge between Central Dogma and the Command Center, so for this phasing idea to hold water, the beheading would need to have forced Lilith to "snap back" to Central Dogma or something. Alternatively, Lilith was decapitated in Central Dogma, and its head was moved for some reason.^{[Source needed]} We know that Nerv has the capability to move very large objects, whether employing Evas, machinery, or both.

• Why is Mark.06 huge and white?

Speculation: Mark.06 merged with Lilith while Lilith was in the process of swelling. The merger caused Mark.06 to turn white like Lilith and swell along with it.^{[Source needed]}

• What are the flying drones used by Eva-13?

See RS Hoppers.

• Eva-13 doesn't have an A.T. Field? Buh?

Elaboration: Eva-13 appears to rely on the RS Hopper drones for A.T. Field generation. When shot with Anti-ATF rounds, the ammo simply disappears into thin air, leading Mari to apparently conclude that Eva-13 has no A.T. Field.

The exact meaning of this -- or why, indeed, an Eva without an A.T. Field would ever be created at all! -- is unclear.

Speculation: It has been suggested that Eva-13 possesses something "better" than an A.T. Field yet to be revealed.^{[Source needed]} If this is so, however, then the RS Hoppers seem to be an unnecessary flourish.

• Why did Lilith burst into LCL (?) when the Spears were removed?

Speculation: The Spears were somehow holding Lilith's corpse in stasis and preventing it from undergoing image collapse.^{[Source needed]}

(And yes, according to the script, Lilith does turn into LCL.)

• What is the 12th Angel? Is it Mark.06, or that giant red blob, or...?

See Twelfth Angel.

• So... what happened to the 11th Angel?

The 11th Angel is never mentioned. However, because Mari calls the 12th Angel the "last Angel", it is implied that the 11th was previously dealt with.

Speculation: AAA Wunder has been surmised to be the 11th Angel, with Mark.09 being its disembodied core. However, this theory does not take the above-mentioned implication into account.

• Kaworu was "cast down from 1st to 13th"? What does that even mean?

• What does Mari mean when she tells Rei that she'll become the/a Adams' Vessel?

Did Mari mean that Rei would become one with Mark.09 if she didn't leave, or that she would somehow become an "Adams' Vessel" herself? If the former, why not be more clear and say "merge with" instead? Mari's line is the very epitome of vague.

• What's the connection between Mark.09 and the Wunder?

Ritsuko says that Mark.09 is "Wunder's true master" and that "It intends to take the ship's controls back from Eva-01".. Furthermore, the bridge of the Wunder closely resembles Mark.09's regrown head.

Speculation: One idea holds that Mark.09, as a "full body core", is actually the Wunder's original core.^{[Source needed]} Another holds that the Wunder had previously been a transport vessel for Adams, and Mark.09 is its former "pilot".^{[Source needed]} If the idea of Wunder as an "ark for Adams" is true, this could explain why Wille require Eva-01 to serve as the control system (in addition to the power source), instead of controlling the ship in a more direct manner.

• Why doesn't a rainbow appear at Kaworu's death?

Speculation: (A) He is not completely dead. One hypothesis holds that his soul migrated into Eva-13's core.^{[Source needed]} (B) If the rainbows signify that part of the covenant with Lilith has been fulfilled (itself speculation), then the lack of a rainbow for Kaworu could be because his very manifestation as the 13th was an anomaly -- not part of the covenant.^{[Source needed]}

• How the heck can Eva Unit 8+2 be half 08 and half 02?

Elaboration: Wille recovered a nearly intact Eva-08 -- only the arms show signs of damage. Eva-02, alternatively, is reduced to a crushed head and partial torso, with no limbs remaining. The "combined" Eva Unit 8+2 from the end-movie preview has the appearance of being half Eva-02 (on the left) and half Eva-08 (on the right).

Speculation: Judging from the recovered units, 8+2 being literally half and half seems unlikely. In-universe, it seems likely that 8+2 is primarily Eva-08, integrated with some key components recovered from Eva-02's remains. The armor would thus be a homage to the fallen Eva-02, rather than a direct reflection of its contributions.

Out-of-universe, 8+2 is a homage to NGE's episode 09, "Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win!", wherein the "synchronized" Evas 01 and 02 are briefly shown, through split screen, as being one half-and-half Eva.

• What are the gray/green Mark.06s in the preview?

Speculation: One idea is that they are revived Failures of Infinity. However, the preview Evas are clearly Mark.06 copies, whereas the Failures are Eva-01 copies, leaving this notion unlikely. They are mostly likely mass-produced Evas that Gendo has been manufacturing at New Nerv HQ. This is evidenced by a brief shot of countless hanging arms and hands in some kind of processing facility. Furthermore, they wield armaments, which would need to have been supplied by humans.

Weapon Questions

• What's the Spear of Cassius?

See Spear of Cassius.

• Is Eva-02 wielding the Spear of Cassius during the Wunder activation procedure?

No. While it looks similar, it is just a tool called a "heat lance".

• What happened to the Spear of Cassius?

Elaboration: Kaworu expected to find two different kinds of Spears in Central Dogma -- one Longinus-type, and one Cassius-type -- but instead found two Spears of Longinus.

Kaworu comments, "Both Spears have morphed into the same shape." This suggests that, by his thinking, the Spear of Cassius had been there, but something occurred that caused it to change into a Spear of Longinus. What, exactly, is an unknown.

Speculation: Kaworu's line is frequently disregarded, with many fans believing instead that Gendo must have had Rei swap Spears under Kaworu's nose.^{[Source needed]} It is unclear how this would have even been possible, given the massive lid on Central Dogma that Eva-13 was specifically "designed to break through", but we can't exclude the possibility of a "secret entrance" into Lilith's lair...

• What weapon is Eva-8+2 using against the Mark.06 copies?

The Magoroku Exterminate Sword (Anima redesign), or Magorox for short.