Tributes to Other Fiction in Neon Genesis Evangelion

As the title says, this page is for listing references or tributes to other shows found in evangelion.

Earlier works by Gainax

Otaku no Video

The date of Second Impact, September 13th, comes from Otaku no Video (おたくのビデオ), a 1991 pseudo-documentary anime about the history of Studio Gainax and Japanese otaku in general: Otaku no Video in turn took the date and the backstory of the nuclear disaster from Gerry Anderson's classic 1975 science fiction series Space: 1999. Evangelion simply changed the year from 1999 to 2000.

Throughout Otaku no Video, placards with dates of (more or less) important world events are used to mark the frequent time skips in the show. The following translations of the placards are from AnimEigo's DVD subtitles:

March 18, 1982: Broadcast Premiere of "Magical Princess Minky Momo."

May 1, 1982: British Troops invade the Falkland Islands.

February 10, 1983: Six 16-year-old boys commit repeated assaults on homeless persons in Yokohama, killing 3 and injuring 13.

September 1, 1983: A Korean Airlines jet is shot down by a Soviet plane.

October 13, 1983: Court reaches verdict in the Lockheed-Marubeni bribery scandal.

October 13, 1983: Ex-Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka is sentenced to 4 years in prison.

July 7, 1984: Theatrical Premiere of "Super Dimension Fortress MACROSS: Love--Do You Remember?"

March 7, 1987: Theatrical Premiere of "The Royal Space Force (Wings of Honneamise)."

July 23, 1988: Self-Defense Forces submarine "Nadashio" and fishing boat "Dai-ichi Fuji Maru" collide and sink in Yokosuka Bay. 30 fatalities.

January 18, 1989: The Showa Emperor dies, ushering in the "Heisei" era.

September 13, 1999: An accidental explosion occurs at the Nuclear Waste Disposal Facility on the far side of the Moon.

May 5, 2035: Launching of "Eltrium," 5th-Generation Space Battleship.

Shameless Gainax self-plugging

Bye bye Moon

The world after 9-13

In the epilogue set in 2035 Tokyo has been flooded by raising sea levels, much like in Evangelion. Battleship Eltrium is a reference to Gunbuster. Other references to earlier works by Gainax staff include snippets of Daicon IV opening animation and Hideaki Anno's key animation sequences from Super Dimension Fortress Macross. A comprehensive list of the references can be found in AnimEigo's liner notes.

The Orphan Conversation (Nadia and Kare Kano)

Hideaki Anno has made multiple uses of what has been dubbed, the "Orphan Conversation". Which always ends with some variation on "we're the same".

From Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (Anno's series before Evangelion):

Jean Questions Nadia about her parents

It's the same with me

Nadia tells Jean she has no parents

(Jean and Nadia have just escaped from the Grandis Gang and are traveling down river by boat.)
Jean: "Where will you go now? Back to the circus?"
Nadia: "I can't go back."
Jean: "What about your folks?"
Nadia: "I don't have any."
Jean: "I see. It's the same with me."

From Neon Genesis Evangelion:

Shinji mentions Kensuke's mother

I'm the same as you, Ikari

Kensuke tells Shinji he has no mother

(Shinji has met Kensuke in the wilderness.)
Kensuke: "I really envy you. Living with such a beautiful woman and getting to pilot Evangelion. Oh, I wish I could get behind the controls just once!"
Shinji: "You'd better not. Your mother would be worried."
Kensuke: "Ah, that's okay. I don't have one."
Shinji: "Ah…"
Kensuke: "I'm the same as you, Ikari."

From Kareshi Kanojo no Jijo, aka Kare Kano, aka His and Hers Circumstances (Anno's series after Evangelion):

The kneeling girl pats the sandpile

Brings back the memories? It sure does!

(Yukino's parents, Hiroyuki and Miyako pass by three children in a sandbox with the ubiquitous pail and shovel.)

Miyako asks about Hiroyuki's parents; he has none.

Guess we're the same

Miyako tells Hiroyuki she has no mother

(In a flashback episode about Yukino's parents' courtship, Hiroyuki and Miyako are hiding on top of a public restroom while playing hide and seek.)
Miyako: "Hey, Hiro."
Hiroyuki: "Yeah?"
Miyako: "Hiro, is it true that you don't have a father or mother?"
Hiroyuki: "Yeah, that's right."
Miyako: "Um, you know? I don't have a mother either. Guess were the same."
Hiroyuki: "The same?"

Other anime and manga

Detonator Orgun

Detonator Orgun is a three-episode OAV from 1991. While it's impossible to tell for certain whether or not it actually influenced the creators of Evangelion, there are a number of similarities that are worth noticing, even if they are entirely coincidental:

The main character Tomoru synchronizes with a sentient alien bio-mecha; however, it is later revealed that the "aliens" are, in fact, not aliens at all, but super-evolved humans. The final episode features shamelessly overblown biblical symbolism, most notably in the form of Orgun's Grand Cruciform final attack. Smaller visual details include a naked girl floating in a tube, and a couple of Gendo Poses.

A cross-shaped flash when Orgun fires the Grand Cruciform

A pale, naked esper girl in a tube

My Neighbor Totoro

Shinji rests by a statue of Jizo-san

The lost Mei rests by statues of Jizo-san.

In Episode 04, after exiting the bus, Shinji rests by a statue of Jizo-san, the patron deity of travelers and children. This shot is apparently a tribute to a similar shot from Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro.

Oniisama E

In Episode 18, a scene from the Shoujo classic Oniisama E aka Brother Dear Brother is reconstructed almost shot-by-shot:

• First they establish that two close friends are chatting in a park.
• Then there is a lingering shot of their feet...
• ...and then a shot of a nearby sandbox including a pail and shovel.

The cast of Oniisama E also includes characters named "Rei Asaka" aka "Hana no Saint Juste" (Saint Juste of the Flowers), and "Kaworu Orihara" aka "Kaworu no Kimi" (Prince Kaworu).

Oniisama E vs Evangelion
Two friends chat in a park.	A lingering shot of their feet	A shot of a nearby sandbox, with pail and shovel
Asuka and Hikari chat in a park.	A lingering shot of their feet	A shot of a nearby sandbox, with pail and shovel

Space Runaway Ideon

Space Runaway Ideon is a 1980 super robot anime by Yoshiyuki Tomino, and it is perhaps the biggest single influence on Evangelion. Its story involves a group of colonists who find a mysterious combining robot, the Ideon, on the planet Solo. While investigating the relic, another race of humanoid aliens, The Buff Clan, comes into contact with them, and a war breaks out. The protagonists escape the planet on an ancient spaceship and flee across the galaxy, using the immense power of the Ideon to fight off the relentlessly pursuing Buff Clan. As the story progresses, the characters find out that the robot seems to have a mind of its own, and that possessing the most powerful weapon in the universe is not such a great thing as it might at first seem.

The entirety of Ideon has been fansubbed by Shin Getter Fansubs; because of its age and relative obscurity, the series will almost certainly never become commercially available in the west.

• Ideon references in other works by Gainax

While the Ideon references in Evangelion are especially significant, Evangelion is not the first show by Studio Gainax to pay homage to it: many of their acclaimed works made before and after Evangelion contain more or less subtle references to Ideon, as demonstrated by the following list:

• Daicon III opening animation (1981): In this hallucinogenic short film a little girl (later to become the Daicon bunny girl) uses the Ideon's "Missile Spam" attack and blows up a lot of things (including the Ideon). Yeah, it's that messed up.
• Gunbuster (1988): During the climatic space battle scene in episode 5, the titular mecha performs Ideon's famous omni-directional missile spam attack.
• Diebuster, aka Gunbuster 2 (2004): More attack recycling from Ideon. A planetoid gets cleaved in half (after a lot of not particularly subtle foreshadowing), and a Lightning Kick attack produces a tornado-like effect, much like the Ideon Gun.
• Mahoromatic (2001): Some combat androids in Mahoromatic possess a powerful weapon in the form of energy blades extending from their hands, similar to the Ideon Swords. In episode 25, Feldrance, feeling particularly cocky, says he feels he could chop the Earth in half with his blades. Not surprisingly, slicing a planet in half is one of the Ideon's most memorable feats.

Ideon References in Other Works by Gainax
Girl Power, proto-Gainax style	SPAM!
The Ideon Gun effect from Diebuster	Feldrance makes a thinly-veiled Ideon reference

• Ideon references in Evangelion: mecha design

Although the Ideon is superficially a classic combiner super robot, the similarities with Evangelion become apparent in later episodes. The Ideon is powered by a sentient energy, known as the Ide. It is later revealed that its power is limitless and potentially capable of destroying the universe. In Evangelion, S² engines are similarly limitless sources of energy.

The Solo Ship, shielded by the Ide Barrier

The Ide senses the emotions of the people onboard the Ideon and the Solo Ship and, for most of the time, acts to protect them. It responds more strongly to young people, becoming especially active when the baby Piper Lou is in danger - a concept similar to pilot synchronization in Evangelion. When the Ide "awakens", its offensive and defensive power increase drastically and its superweapons become usable. In extreme cases the Ideon can go berserk and act entirely independently, with devastating results. Both the Ideon and the Solo Ship can also project a protective energy barrier, the strength of which depends on the "mood" of the Ide: again, Evangelion recycled this feature in the form of A.T. Fields.

The visual cue indicating Ide's awakening is the Ide gauge lighting up and streaks of electricity flowing across the Ideon's "eye visor". In Evangelion, a similar effect indicating the Eva's resident soul taking over is a falling droplet of water, followed by the Eva's eyes lighting up.

The Ideon awakens

• Instrumentality in Ideon

The true nature of the Ide is explained in concrete terms in episode 34, when the sentient energy contacts Bes Jordan in a dream while he's lying ill in the Solo Ship's sickbay. The Ide describes itself as "a collection of thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of millions of consciousnesses" - the whole population of a supposedly extinct civilization turned into a single entity of pure energy, a state very similar to the end result of Instrumentality in Evangelion.

The Ideon's berserker behavior is simply the Ide protecting itself and those it deems pure of heart. Having witnessed the warlike nature of both the humans and the Buff Clan, it now intends to pass judgement on both of the races. At the end of the dream sequence, Bes tells the Ide he's going to oppose its plans, announcing "I am not a part of you! I am me, I am myself!"; this is paralleled in Evangelion when Shinji chooses to reject Instrumentality and reaffirm his individuality.

(Mouar to come)

Examples of imagery in Evangelion that pays tribute to Ideon, would include souls streaking to earth and flying through starfields. The origins of the Evangelion use of the word "children" also lie in Ideon. Singing "happy birthday to the children" is the forerunner of the "congratulations" ending scene.

Ideon References in Evangelion
Souls fall towards Earth's oceans	Streaks of light raining during Second Impact	Flying through space like shooting stars, souls in a starfield
Yui's soul streaking through a starfield as she makes contact with Shinji	Happy birthday to you, dear children...	Congratulations to the children!

The Super Dimension Fortress Macross

Breaking the fourth wall?

The Super Dimension Fortress Macross is a classic mecha anime that aired on October 3rd, 1982, and started a franchise of TV Series, OVAs, and Movies. It was directed by Noboru Ishiguro and featured unique mech designs that were based on the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. Hideaki Anno was a key animator on this project (see Otaku no Video).

In the first episode, the protagonist Hikaru Ichijo inadvertently ends up piloting and crash-landing a variable fighter, destroying in the process the offices of Artland and Studio Nue, the companies that created Macross. In Episode 09 of Evangelion, Asuka's Eva-02 leaps on and demolishes the half-submerged building of Studio Fantasia, one of the animation studios involved in the production of NGE.

• The genetic similarity between Humans and Zentradi

(pending)

Visual Motif: Blue Octahedrons (Nadia, Laputa and 2001)

The Fifth Angel Ramiel is shaped like a gigantic blue crystal octahedron. This shape could be a reference to a number of things:

• The Blue Water Crystal from Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water is a blue octahedron, although more elongated in shape than Ramiel.
• Hayao Miyazaki's 1986 movie Laputa: Castle in the Sky features a flying castle, which is powered by a similarly shaped blue crystal.
• Also, the "Star Gate" sequence in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey features different kinds of psychedelic shapes and forms, including pulsating objects which momentarily look very Ramiel-like.

However, since an octahedron is not a terribly complex geometric shape, it is just as likely that all these similarities are simply unintentional coincidences. For all we know, the inspiration for Ramiel's design might have just as well come from a common salt crystal.

The flying castle's power source

Dave Bowman, tripping balls

Other

2001: A Space Odyssey

Perhaps the most well-known science fiction tribute in the series, Seele's black monoliths are taken from Stanley Kubrick's classic 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Transcendental interior design

The Monolith, investigated by apemen

Beyond this one notable reference things get highly speculative. The following visual details have been postulated to be 2001 homages by some fans, and they are included here for completeness' sake. (See also the blue octahedron motif above.)

• The Sun, Earth and Moon in alignment

A shot that seemingly originates from 2001: A Space Odyssey and is used again in "spiritual predecessor" Ideon and once again in Evangelion, and in many other unrelated shows. However, this might as well be a case of a simple genre trope, since numerous mecha anime feature shots of the Earth from space, usually in their openings.
In Evangelion, Second Impact is prominently seen from the moon. Also, in a reversal of positions, the Sun is shown with the crescent moon under it, and Earth below, during Third Impact.

• Concentric Octagons

Aboard the spacecraft Discovery Dave Bowman walks down an octagonal corridor on his way to the Space Pods during the EVA to replace the malfunctioning AE-35 unit. The concentric octagons of an A.T. Field may have been modeled after the corridors on the Discovery.

• Lone Passenger on a Flight

Both in 2001: A Space Odyssey and in The Andromeda Strain, an important scientist is the sole passenger on a flight. Gendo is essentially the only passenger on the SSTO seen in Episode 07

• Dave's helmet and Shamshel

As a somewhat bizarre ending note, it has been pointed out that the helmet of Dave Bowman's space suit bears some resemblance to Shamshel's head.

2001: A Space Odyssey
A Sun, Planet and Moon at the end of Ideon in the same alignment	2001: Thus spoke Zarathustra	A Sun-Moon-Earth alignment from the second opening of Victory Gundam, a later show by Yoshiyuki Tomino
From the School Days OAV. No kidding.	Second Impact from the Moon	When Lilith spreads her wings, the positions are reversed
Inside the spacecraft Discovery's corridors	Sachiel's A.T. Field. Deja vu?	Heywood Floyd, blissfully alone
Jeremy Stone, feeling like Onassis	Gendo (hair visible) in the SSTO along with the Chinese agent	"Fake eyes" on Dave's helmet
"Fake eyes" on Shamshel

Space: 1999

The date September 13th is a reference to this 1975 science fiction show. For more details, see Otaku no Video.

The Andromeda Strain

(This list details some of the more notable references to Wise's 1971 movie version of The Andromeda Strain. As the movie is a very loyal adaptation of Crichton's original novel, the thematic and plotline similarities between the book and Evangelion Episode 13 are largely present in it as well and are not repeated here. Most of these findings originate from the Evangelion Mailing List FAQ (although they never had screenshots), so once solid referencing guidelines are in place, we must give credit where credit is due.)

• Interrupted call

Dr. Stone has been hauled away from his home by some "army types with guns". His wife Allison is distressed and tries to call her father who is a senator.

"Thank you for your cooperation"

Allison: You tell the senator it's his daughter!

Senator: Allison?

Allison: Dad, something very peculiar has just happened, even for Jeremy. A few minutes ago...

(Phone begins to beep.)

Allison: Dad, are you there? What's going on?

Female voice: This communication is being monitored. The connection has been broken for reasons of national security. You will be briefed at the appropriate time. Thank you for your cooperation, Mrs. Stone.

In Episode 19 (Platinum subtitles):

Kensuke: Are you there, Shinji? Is it true that you're leaving? It's true, isn't it? But why? Why are you running away now? I wanted to be like you. I envied you. You're different from us. Damn! Even Toji became an Eva pilot, while I...

(Phone beeps.)

Female voice: This line is monitored. For security reasons, we have terminated this call. We appreciate your cooperation.

• Flashes in the sky

An Air Force jet on standby.

Hall: Up there! Look.

Stone: An Air Force jet. If we don't make it to Wildfire, he'll see the helicopter does... or shoot it down.

Hall: Well, for Dempsey's sake, we better not slip up.

In Episode 10 (Platinum subtitles):

Shinji: What are those?

Ritsuko: The UN's Air Force is on standby alert.

Ibuki: Until this mission has been completed.

Asuka: Are they going to help us?

Ritsuko: No, they're here to clean up.

Ibuki: In case we fail.

Asuka: What do you mean?

Ritsuko: They will use N2 depth charges to destroy the Angel, and us with it.

Asuka: That's awful!

• Open transmission

"Order up a 7-12."

Stone: The town is finished, contaminated beyond all...

Major Manchek: Careful, sir. This is an open transmission.

Stone: I'm aware of that, Manchek. Order up a 7-12.

Major Manchek: Only the president...

Stone: Precisely. Get on it. The town must be neutralized immediately.

In Episode 10 (Platinum subtitles):

Misato: There's no doubt, it's an Angel. As of now, this laboratory will be completely sealed off! It's under Nerv's jurisdiction now! Any and all access to the outside world is prohibited, and all records of the events of the past six hours are classified. Request an A-17 from Commander Ikari, top priority!

Aoba: Watch what you're saying. This is an open line.

Misato: I know. Hurry up and switch to a scrambled line.

• Code 601

"The computer's overloaded!"

During a simulation of how the Andromeda Cell functions, an error message appears on the main computer monitor.

Dutton: What the devil?

Stone: 601? The computer's overloaded! Too much data coming in too fast.

In Episode 05 (Platinum subtitles):

Misato: What the heck is this?

Ritsuko: That's the code number for "cannot be analyzed".

Misato: You mean, you don't know what the heck it is?

• The Shaft

Both the Wildfire facility and the geofront have a large shaft running deep below and past several levels, and the visual displays for both are very similar.

The layout of Wildfire, complete with shaft and multiple levels

The much larger but remarkably similar Geofront

• Other visuals

As opposed to the usual octagonal, Ireul's A.T. Field projections are hexagonal in shape. Andromeda Cells, although constantly evolving, most often assume a form of a hexagonal crystal.

Andromeda Cells

Ireul's A.T. Field

The placards in Episode 20 use the same method of counting time (black background with Nth DAY).

A time placard from Andromeda Strain

Episode 20