Theory and Analysis:Evangelion "2.5"

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Evangelion "2.5" is the title given by the fanbase for the events that take place between Evangelion 2.0 and Evangelion 3.0, in the Rebuild of Evangelion continuity.

When Evangelion 3.0 came out in 2012, there was a lot of discussion about the absence of preview scenes in the film itself, this being much more focused on events 14 years after the final film ended. Statements by Khara staff over time have made it clear that these are discarded ideas for a movie, one which might not even have had Shinji present. This article aims to theorize and discuss the events of the time-skip, which may also explain the origin of Wille, Village-3, Kredit and the other organizations featured in 3.0 and 3.0 + 1.0.

The Preview

"Eva-01 is frozen with Shinji and Rei still trapped inside. The fortress city is abandoned. Nerv personnel are held in confinement. Eva-06 is dropped into Dogma. The quickening Eva-08 and its pilot. And finally, the children fated to meet are gathered at last. Where will this story of people wishing to live lead?" 

Preview from 2.0

• The preview begins showing an immobile Eva-01 with the Spear of Cassius pierced through it. Surrounding it appear to be Angel sealing pillars. The narration states that Shinji and Rei are still trapped inside the frozen unit. The intertitle states that Eva-01 is a restricted area.
• Next, we see the resulting cross-shaped peeling mound in the ruins of Tokyo-3. The narration states that the fortress city is abandoned. The intertitle refers to Tokyo-3 as "Near Third Impact Ground Zero."
• We then see multiple aircraft landing on an aircraft carrier, which is conspicuously on blue water. Narrator explains that Nerv personnel are held in confinement, and the following title adds that Near Third Impact eyewitnesses are being debriefed.
• Evangelion Mark.06, with its halo deployed, descends into Dogma, aka the "Lilith Preservation Site."
• Next, we see the "Eva-08 Construction Area," where Evangelion Unit-08 (with dual entry plugs as confirmed by Ikuto Yamashita's original design) is "quickening" along with its pilot(s). It also has a halo deployed.
• We then see a wet haired Kaworu wearing a commander's uniform, and meeting four mystery figures, stated in the storyboards to be four Rei's. The narration states that the children of fate have finally assembled, and the following intertitle states that "Seele Children's Assembly" is in session.
• As the narrator wonders where this tale of survival will go, we see a montage of shots:
  • Misato distressed while pulling something in a concrete walled environment.
  • Kaji angrily pulling a gun in an unclear location.
  • Gendo and Fuyutsuki in cold weather hiking gear in a ragged state, along with a donkey carrying supplies.
  • A Rei, wearing an outfit reminiscent of her alternate reality appearnce in Episode 26, appears along with three other significantly younger Rei's hiding behind her; one may be wearing a school swimsuit. They are in a room tiled with purple Angel-Sealing Hex Glyphs.
    

    Rei from Episode 26's Alternative Reality. Note her clothes.
  • Mari, apparently naked, removes her glasses in the same room, seemingly confirmed by the following intertitle: "Private Conference between Mari Makinami Illustrious & REDACTED" - subsequent production materials refer to the Rei of Q-onwards as "Rei Ayanami (Tentative)", and fan attempts to accurately fit a name over the censor reveal that the redacted word is likely "Tentative."
  • The isolation chamber Asuka was kept in following the 9th Angel's attack is empty.
  • Asuka is revealed to be alive and well in her plugsuit and with an eyepatch.

Thrice upon a Time

In a scene of Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 that is indicative of what happened during the 14-year timeskip, Kaworu and the elder Kaji speak to each other. Kaworu is dressed in the same Nerv commander uniform as Gendo and the Bethany base commander, with Kaji in the same vice-commander uniform as Fuyutsuki and the Bethany base vice-commander. Kaworu, whom the elder Kaji calls "Commander Nagisa", agrees to go to the settlement where the younger Kaji farms. Indicating that they supposedly became friends during this period.

Mark 06 holding Lilith's decapitated head. It seems to merge with the angel.

(under construction)

The Time-Skip period

The information below is indexed by Szmitten, and is an exercise of logical imagination about a chain of events consistent with the universe presented in the films. It is subject to change.

After 2.0

Immediately after Near Third Impact, Gendo and Fuyutsuki disappear. Seele promotes Kaworu and Kaji to Commander and Vice-Commander believing them to be their agents, but both are actually working independently against Seele, whether already as individuals or by gradually becoming allies to each protect the people they care about. They are able to simultaneously feign loyalty and protect Nerv personnel by having them rounded up by UN/JSDF/Seele-proxies and confined to aircraft carriers located at the Marine Research Institute, which Kaji has close ties with. Hex pillars and an exclusion zone are put around Eva-01, Tokyo-3 is abandoned, and the Geofront is exposed.

Kaworu and Kaji are able to negotiate the release of Nerv staff by allowing deeper UN/JSDF/Seele-proxy military supervision, strict measures including banning Kaworu from being both pilot and Commander (the DSS choker is invented initially for use on him) and the autonomous or dummy plug conversion of his Mark.06, the completion of a dual entry Eva-08, a low priority on repairing Eva-02, and no attempts to revive or recover the triggers of Near Third Impact: Eva-01 and Shinji.

With the situation relaxed somewhat, Kaji quietly founds Wille and uses his position to find secrets and reroute Nerv and EuroNerv assets and technology to it, including future Anti-L system tech. Kaworu learns of Kaji's watermelon patch. Four Rei (Tentative) clones are presented as Seele's Children, and have one-on-one private meetings with at least Kaworu and Mari. The Seele monoliths themselves will remain silent for 14 years as their scenario unfolds without any input necessary. Kaji and Misato's romance rekindles in earnest and they become intimate. Asuka recovers and is released with a hex pillar in her eye to contain the 9th Angel.

The 11th Angel appears and is dealt with in some capacity. Misato becomes pregnant and tells Kaji at some point in time after this.

Insurrection and Third Impact

The 12th Angel appears, and Eva-08 is made inactive or unavailable in some way so that it can't prevent the Angel's merger with Mark.06 and its subsequent descent into Dogma. During or prior to this, Kaji mobilises Wille's insurrection against Nerv, which is now operating completely under Seele's will. Wille members wear blue armbands to identify themselves as violence erupts with gunfire, aircraft bombings, and the lake outside headquarters is filled with bakelite. The future AAA Wunder is either hijacked here or prior.

After Mark.06 descends, it removes the Spear of Longinus from Lilith, reviving her soulless body. Mark.06 merges with Lilith and removes her head. This causes the Doors of Guf to open and rain giant skulls into the bottom of Dogma. Crucifixes appear and the coreification of the land begins, and humans start growing and combining into headless red Evangelions (seemingly, specifically Eva-01). Lilith's head, having lost its mask and somehow now appearing with Rei's face, ends up above in the command center. Nerv headquarters rises into the sky, and the headless red Evas assemble towards it, plugging Dogma's shaft. The Moon approaches Earth and begins to bleed along newly-formed gridlines.

Concurrent to the above, Kaji, who has been shot in the arm in the crossfire, acquires the Spear of Cassius from Eva-01 (which remains dormant) and a VTOL aircraft. With no Evangelions to stop Mark.06, Kaji decides to sacrifice himself to stop Third Impact before it wipes out all life on Earth. At some point, Kaji "saves" Kaworu, literally or figuratively, but Kaworu never sees Dogma's interior. Kaji bids Misato his goodbyes, and she, Ritsuko, and the other survivors leave Tokyo-3 (probably by air to avoid becoming Failures of Infinity. Future Village-3 survivors arrange a method of survival too).

Kaji enters Dogma and his aircraft crashes, sacrificing himself. Somehow, this results in the Spears of Cassius and Longinus being forced through Lilith's and Mark.06's cores in an unknown configuration or order of entry, but which ultimately stops Third Impact.

(Since Near Third Impact and Third Impact are both referred to as having occured 14 years ago, and that Kaji Jr is nearly 14, and the discovery of pregnancies typically being in the first trimester, all of the above has to happen within 3-9 months (probably 6) after the end of Evangelion 2.0.)

Aftermath

Later, Gendo and Fuyutsuki rebrand Neo-Nerv and construct three warships: NHG's Erlösung, Erbsünde, and Gebet; and many Evangelions: the Mark.04 Nemesis Series, the Mark.07 series, and Evangelions Mark.09-12 and 13. Dogma is sealed for 14 years. Kaworu remains at Nerv with at least one surviving Rei (Tentative) as the now coreified and limbless Eva-01 is launched into orbit. The next 14 years consist of battles between Wille and Nerv and the support of Village-3 via Kredit, until Wille find themselves forced or finally equipped to retrieve Eva-01 to use it as Wunder's master in Operation US.