Plotline of Neon Genesis Evangelion

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This article serves as a detailed explanation of the plotline of the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion and a summary of the plotline of the movie The End of Evangelion, which functions as an alternate ending to the series. See the series and movies' articles for all other details.

[edit] Plot

A history textbook shows what the public was told about the Second Impact.

Although it is not revealed until late in the series' run, Evangelion's story began in 2000, when an expedition of scientists in Antarctica discovered a large being of light, which they called Adam, or the first "Angel". On September 13, they experimented on the Angel; however, this caused Adam to go haywire and self-destruct (but in the process, it was also reduced to an embryonic form), resulting in a cataclysm that would later be called the "Second Impact". Antarctica was almost completely destroyed, and Earth's axis was shifted by the force of the event, altering the climate and causing widespread destruction which killed billions. Warfare over the next year claimed even more lives, eventually leading to the death of half the earth's population before peace was established. The truths behind the Second Impact are kept clandestine from the public in the form of a cover story in which a meteorite traveling at nearly the speed of light impacted in Antarctica and caused the disaster.

The series begins in 2015, 15 years after "Second Impact". During that time, humanity has recovered from the disaster. As the series opens, Tokyo-3, a militarized civilian city located on one of the last dry sections of Japan, is attacked by the first of a series of strange organisms referred to as Angels. Conventional weapons are found to be ineffective, but the paramilitary organization NERV succeeds in developing biomechanical mecha, the Evangelions (Evas), which are capable of intercepting the Angels.

As the story progress, it is revealed that NERV is connected to three other mysterious organizations: GEHIRN, SEELE, and the Marduk Institute. Formerly known as GEHIRN, NERV's primary task is to defend the Earth from the Angels, while under the control of SEELE. However, NERV has its own secret agenda, driven by its Machiavellian commander Gendo Ikari: the Human Instrumentality Project, which, according to Gendo in episode 25, is the path to unite all human minds into one global spiritual entity. The Marduk Institute has the task of selecting the pilots for the Evas, the most capable being children conceived after the Second Impact (14 year olds). The institute consists of Commander Ikari, and NERV's chief scientist Ritsuko Akagi, with the public appearance of 108 companies revealed to be ghost companies.

Each Eva has its own designated pilot, and operates by synchronizing the pilot's soul and the human soul inside the Eva via the enigmatic, liquid-like substance known only as LCL. (In the context of Evangelion, a "soul" refers to an individual's conscious existence, mental structure and identity, rather than a more conventional "supernatural" entity.) Surrounded by LCL, the pilot's nervous system, mind and body are transferred into the Eva's controls, allowing the Eva to be controlled by the pilot's thoughts and actions. The higher a pilot's synchronization ratio, the better the pilot can control the Eva and fight more adeptly. For example, Shinji had a hard time making his Eva walk with 41.83% synchronization, but with higher synchronization he could perform acrobatic feats of hand-to-hand combat. 100% sync ratio brings tremendous amount of capability for the Eva, and higher ratios over 400%, thought as impossible, unleashing the feral nature of the Evas, can be achieved by the pilots. Unfortunately when Shinji accomplishes such a ratio he spends the next month "dissolved" in LCL. The drawback of LCL control is that the pilot experiences physical and mental pain proportionate to that experienced by the Eva; at a high enough synch ratio, injuries to the Eva may even be mimicked within the body of the pilot, potentially leading to severe injury and/or death. Almost all of the known pilots are hospitalized multiple times throughout the series as a result of injuries suffered through synchronization with an Eva.

The main character, Shinji Ikari, is Gendo Ikari's estranged son. Prior to the beginning of the series Gendo summons Shinji to become a pilot when the pilot of Unit 00, Rei Ayanami, is injured. Not knowing why his father summoned him, Shinji arrives to Tokyo-3 just as the Third Angel attacks the city. Shinji reluctantly agrees and begins piloting Unit 01, and living with Major Misato Katsuragi. He and Rei battle the successive advances of the Angels together and are later joined by Asuka Langley Soryu, the pilot of Unit 02.

While Ritsuko does mention at the beginning of the series that the Evas do have some biological components to them, the extent to which the Evas are biological is not immediately apparent. Unit 01 is connected to Yui Ikari, Gendo's wife and Shinji's mother, since it absorbed her body and soul in a failed experiment, as shown in episodes 16 and 20. Rei herself is suspected to be a partial clone of Yui, and is known to harbor the soul of Lilith, the second Angel.^[1]

The Eva Unit 02 (piloted by Asuka Langley Sohryu) landing on the missile destroyer USS Ramage, while fighting the sixth Angel Gaghiel at sea.

It later becomes clear that the Evas are not really "robots" but rather living, biomechanical organisms. It is finally revealed, towards the end of the series, that Evas are essentially manmade organisms, as well as cloned Angels (Units 00, 02, 03, and 04 are made from Adam, the first Angel, and 01 is made from Lilith) onto which mechanical components are incorporated as a means of restraint and control. This control is not perfect, as various units are shown over the course of the series driving into "berserker" mode, in which they can act of their own will, independent of any artificial power output.

Over time, the characters begin to learn of the second goal of NERV and SEELE, the Human Instrumentality Project. Its purpose is to force the completion of human evolution, and thereby save it from destroying itself. To do so, they plan to break down the AT-Fields that separate individual humans, and in doing so, reducing all humans to LCL, which is revealed to be the "primordial soup", the fundamental composite of human beings, and the fluid of the womb. All LCL would then be united into a supreme being, the next stage of humanity, ending all conflict, loneliness and pain brought about by individual existence. At the end of the series, SEELE and NERV come into direct conflict over the implementation of Instrumentality.

In the last two episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gendo and Rei initiate the Human Instrumentality Project, forcing several characters to face their doubts and fears, and how the characters feel about their self-worth. The series focuses primarily on Shinji, particularly in episode 26. Initially, Shinji attempts to run away from this internal confrontation, but eventually accepts himself for who he is. This ending could also stand for Hideki Anno's rejection of the otaku subculture, since Shinji rejects a rudimentary, empty and painless world for the real world.^{[citation needed]} This ending, made up of flashbacks, strange, sketchy artwork, and flashing text, left many fans confused and unsatisfied. The main plot of the series—the battle against the Angels—was never resolved, and only Shinji's personal conflicts had any kind of resolution (and this is open to interpretation). A year later, a second ending was released theatrically.

[edit] The End of Evangelion

Main article: The End of Evangelion

The film The End of Evangelion picks up shortly after the end of episode 24. SEELE commandeers the JSSDF's forces and launches an all-out attack on NERV headquarters. Asuka realizes that she has a bond with Unit 02 and is not just its master, and this bond gives her the strength to battle "mass-production" Evas created by SEELE. However, she apparently dies in battle. Misato, meanwhile, battles her way past SEELE's soldiers to get Shinji to his Eva.

Meanwhile, Gendo attempts to implement Instrumentality by merging the embryonic Adam (bonded to his right hand) with Rei. However, Rei takes over the process and reunites with Lilith, who finally regains her soul, and creates an Anti-AT Field. This causes the AT Fields of every human on Earth to break down, causing their bodies to dissolve into pools of LCL. Therein, Intrumentality proceeds largely as planned; the LCL of all human beings is absorbed into Lilith/Rei's body, causing her to grow into a supreme being of size comparable to the Earth itself.

Rei gives control of the process to Shinji. Initially, due to an accumulation of emotional suffering and loneliness, Shinji accepts this new form, believing that there could never be happiness in the real world. However, through a series of mental journeys and revelations, he realizes that without pain there can be no joy, and to live with others is to experience joy as well as pain. Lilith/Rei rots and falls apart, and the Anti-AT Field ceases to be. Amidst the devastation, Asuka and Shinji are shown to have rematerialized from the Sea of LCL, and in the last scene are shown amongst the ruins of Tokyo-3.

The meaning of The End of Evangelion is debated, and it is not agreed upon whether it is intended to expand on the events of episodes 25 and 26 of the series (meaning that those episodes reflected Shinji's point of view while inside the merged being), or completely replace them. Some believe that The End of Evangelion is an alternate ending to the series, perhaps created to please those fans who were displeased with the TV series' ending. Deputy Director Kazuya Tsurumaki said he felt the series was complete as it was.^[2]

However, there are several hints indicating that the movie portrays the physical aspects of the end of the series, while the episodes deal with the interior, or emotional aspects, and the two form a whole. In movie episode 26', when Instrumentality is finally launched, Shinji questions himself about his life and what he really wishes through Instrumentality; Shinji's lines and reflection process in this sequence are almost identical to what they were in TV episode 26, however in a much more condensed form. Similar reflections on the part of Asuka and Misato are also reflected (if briefly) in the film. Watching both thus allows a fuller understanding of the series. There were serious budget and schedule restraints in the later episodes of the series, and the film allowed for a more complete ending to be realized. During the TV series ending, a number of sketches from scenes that were later included in the movie are shown, hinting that the film, or something like the final production, was the intended finale all along. Indeed, the original script for episode 25 (which included, among others, a bloody fight between Asuka and the Eva Series) was abandoned due to censorship, budget and time restraints, yet the actual TV episode still featured some remnants of the first script (Misato and Ritsuko dead, Asuka inside her Eva in the water). Later, the original script was re-used for Episode 25': Air, a part of the End of Evangelion movie. Also, in the opening animation for the series, there are shots of Unit 01 with the angelic wings that it sprouts in Episode 26': A Pure Heart For You. ^[3]

[edit] Notes