Theory and Analysis:Angels' Origins

This is an extended analysis article which is a special extension from both the Episode 10 article and the main Angels article.

The series only vaguely discusses where Angels actually "come from". The Seeds of Life Adam and Lilith both landed on Earth after being seeded across space by the God-like progenitor aliens known as the "First Ancestral Race" four billion years ago (according to the "Classified Information" files). The Third through Seventeenth Angels are the "children of Adam". Humans ultimately derive from Lilith, hence the name "Lilin" applied to them by Kaworu Nagisa, the last Angel.

All subsequent references to "Angels" in this article exclude Lilith, and also the view that humans could be considered the "18th Angel" given that as Angels derive from Adam, they derive from Lilith, and Adam and Lilith were the same type of being, etc.

The creation of the Angels

Still, just exactly how Angels "come from" Adam is not specifically addressed. In The End of Evangelion, Misato Katsuragi states that Angels are "humans that have rejected human form". This could be again taken in the sense that Angels derive from Adam, humans from Lilith, and thus there is a link between the two but they branched off.

Thus several questions are raised: Were the Angels already created by Adam when Adam was traveling through space to Earth in her "White Moon" transport vessel? Were the Angels created by Adam after the White Moon landed on Earth, but lay dormant (in an embryonic stage of some sort) along with Adam underneath Antarctica? Were they created during Second Impact? Was Adam "impregnated" by something else ("prepared" somehow by the First Ancestral Race) or did she produce the other Angels asexually?

No clear or definitive answer was ever given. What evidence there is seems to point to that Adam and Adam alone produced the other Angels, asexually, at least by the time of Second Impact.

Origin of Angels

Beyond the question of how the other Angels were created, is the question of how they went from being created by Adam to where they first appeared in the year 2015. If the Angels were present in the "White Moon" of Adam in Antarctica when Second Impact occurred on September 13th, 2000...how did they reach the areas where they were first encountered? Were the embryos or seeds of the Angels "scattered" across the globe from Antarctica in the explosion of Second Impact?

With the sole exception of Sandalphon, being found in mount Asama, it is not known where the other Angels came from, and a listing of Angel appearances is of little help even for speculation.

• Most Angels just appear mysteriously from the ocean, then make landfall either near Tokyo-3, or then proceed from the shore to Tokyo-3. This is the case with Sachiel, Gaghiel, Israfel, and Matarael. Shamshel, Ramiel, and Zeruel can fly, but their point of origin is unknown. Shamshel and Ramiel are known to have entered Japanese airspace from over the ocean.
• Sahaquiel and Arael appeared in Earth orbit. How they got there is neither explained nor speculated upon.
• Ireul apparently infiltrated Nerv HQ within a piece of recently installed metal plating, from which it spread to infect base systems. No investigation into the origin of the original infected plate is ever touched upon.
• Leliel appeared directly over Tokyo-3 and Armisael appeared very close to the city (Having passed over Goura), with no prior warning to their arrival.
• Bardiel first appeared as(or hiding inside) a strange cloud which the transport plane carrying Evangelion Unit-03 passed through as it flew the Eva from the United States to Japan. It then infected Eva-03.
• Sandalphon's first appearance is perhaps the most tantalizing, because Nerv actually discovers it before it starts attacking: Sandalphon is first discovered while in an embryo or cocoon-like immature state...deep inside the magma of an active volcano. Why it would first appear there of all places is unrevealed. Further, this raises the question: were all of the other Angels also hidden in other unaccessible parts of the world (volcanoes, deep ocean floor, etc.) "maturing" in a pupal state, before they attacked in 2015?
• Tabris, better known by his human name Kaworu Nagisa, represents a special case, and much has been discussed or speculated about his nature. All that is known for certain is that Seele sent Kaworu to Nerv, and that Kaworu serves as a "vessel" for the soul of Adam. How Seele acquired Kaworu is unknown. It has even been theorized that Kaworu was created by Seele (by inserting Adam's soul) and thus the last "naturally occurring" Angel was Armisael (this is of course unconfirmed).

No clear or definitive answer was ever given. The appearance of Sandalphon in a pupal state inside a volcano is the only major clue given, and this would seem to support the (shaky) theory that the "embryos/seeds" of the Angels were scattered across the globe in the explosion of Second Impact, lay unnoticed in isolated parts of the world while they matured through pupal stages, and upon maturing, proceeded to advance to Tokyo-3 to try to reunite with Adam.

Another possibility is revealed in the Neon Genesis Evangelion Proposal. Angels were originally meant to be creations of the First Ancestral Race, lying dormant in various secluded locations on Earth and the Moon. Rather than being scattered all over the world by Second Impact, they may have been purposefully hidden deep underground or underwater, escaping detection until they matured and began on their way.