Evangelion

Evangelion (エヴァンゲリオン) is a giant humanoid being of near-godlike power, created by NERV from samples of the First Angel, Adam (although Unit-01 might be an exception). Evangelions were supposedly created to combat the Angel threat, although their most important function (and one of their greatest secrets) is to initiate Third Impact to evolve humanity further.

Despite being giant humans (in the series' broader definition of the term "human"), Evangelions are often mistaken for giant robots. As early as Episode 02, Evangelion Unit-01 is seen without its helmet on, revealing that Evangelions are clearly not robots, but cyborgs, living organic creatures with cybernetic machine and computer components grafted onto them. They are also covered from head to toe in restraining metal plates that hide their true organic form and serve to keep them under NERV's control, and in part because they have pilots who sit in the cockpit-like Entry Plug.

Design concept
The Evangelions were designed after a specific type of Japanese monster called "Oni", commonly translated into "demon" or "ogre". In the words of Anno himself -


 * "There's a monster in Japan called the Oni; it has two horns sticking out of its head and the overall image of the Eva is based on that. I also wanted to give the impression that beneath this ‘robot monster’ image is not so much a robot, but a giant human."

Corresponding with Anno, Ikuto Yamashita worked to develop the design of the Evangelions (With the exception of the Mass Production Evangelions and the altered Unit-02 design used in End of Evangelion). In his words-


 * "So why did Evangelion wind up with that shape?" … The director instructed me to make, “the image of [an oni].” A giant just barely under the control of mankind. I get the feeling I've seen that correlation before … The image I had for the design concept was the fairy tale, Gulliver's Travels. Enormous Power Restrained. … What I came up with was a giant that looks like a relief on a wall. … I happily discarded the efficiency and feeling of giant size that you can guess at by sight alone. … after the designs were handed in, it caused a stir — even among the staff, positive and negative opinions were flying. And from here on out, I imagine it will cause a stir among comic readers and animation viewers."

Evangelion design is characterized by smooth curves and flowing lines, giving the impression not of a robot, but of a giant human being.

The final Evangelion design is the result of a series of changes throughout early production. Most notably, the more "demonic" aspects of the Evangelions have largely been removed, such as the large horns (although the Unit-02 design in Rebuild has two small horns on top of its head, suggesting a restoration of some of the older aspects of the design). The head design, in particular, has been subject to a lot of changes.

Biology and appearance
Evangelions do not have a fixed size in the show, and vary in size as the situation demands, going from 40 meters to a towering 200 meters in height (they all have a height of approximately 80 meters in the Rebuild continuity, with Eva-13 being slightly larger). Created from the Seed of Life Adam (with the seeming exception of Unit-01), their massive bodies are formed of Particle-Wave Matter, but their shape appears to be determined genetically rather than through their A.T. Fields since they were born without souls, having their soul inserted in a Contact Experiment with a human being. Evangelions are also incapable of generating an S² Engine, although Unit-01 later acquires one and Mass Production Evangelions are all equipped with them.

Like the original Adam, an Eva has essentially the same physical form as a normal human, albeit with exaggerated torso/waist proportions and varying head forms. The limbs are identical to human limbs in structure, down to the point of the fingers having fingernails (Episode 03) and the feet having toes (seen in End of Evangelion).

Skull shape and features vary from Evangelion to Evangelion. Some of the failed Prototype Evangelions have a skull shape almost identical to that of a human, while the Mass Production Evangelions have no eyes and a vaguely cetacean head form. Production model Evangelions vary in head shape, as well as in the number of eyes and nostril position.

Evangelions have internal organs including a complete digestive tract, as evidenced by display monitors and Unit-01's attack on Zeruel, and visually seen during the dismemberment of Unit-02. With the exception of Unit-02, which has blue-purple blood (In Rebuild, Unit-02's blood has been switched to red), all Evangelions have red blood, which sprays out of wounds in spectacular fashion.

Like Adam and the Angels, all Evangelions have a core, located on the solar plexus region in a similar manner to the more humanoid Angels. Unit-01 is known to have two smaller cores located below and next to the main core. NERV's technology allows the core to be prepared for a Contact Experiment or for piloting. Cores appear to have their own supply of LCL, and pipes for the liquid connect to the back of the Eva's head.

Like the Angels, Evangelions have regenerative capabilities. It is directly stated that they are capable of regenerating damaged or destroyed organs. Unit-01, in particular, has demonstrated extremely fast, controlled regeneration, including the ability to convert foreign biomass to its own. Likewise, Evangelions can lose their limbs or even their head and have them reattached later.

Unit-02's left leg is ripped off at the knee (which the script attributes to a blasting bolt), after which the torn off leg sinks deeper into the magma of the volcano, presumably beyond all hope of recovery; however, by the next episode Unit-02 is seen to be fully repaired with a full left leg. NERV is either capable of creating replacement limbs for the Evas (as opposed to simply being able to reattach limbs that have been severed), or of making Evas regrow lost limbs from their torso. It is not known how long or difficult of a process this might be, as it is not clear how much time passes between episodes during the fairly standalone "Action Arc" of the series, although in Episode 19, Unit-00 did not have time to grow a new left arm after the battle with Bardiel, implying that the regenerative process is fairly slow (or at least for Unit-00).

Evangelions are covered in bindings that serve to restrain them and bind them to NERV's control, and are restrained heavily at all times when not in combat. Whether the bindings serve to restrain them physically or use some other mechanism to restrict their power is not known as the functioning of the bindings is not elaborated upon within the series. The bindings appear to serve as armor of sorts, but they are presumably unnecessary in that role. The shoulder pylons serve as part of the restraint system, attaching to external restraints as well as serving as storage for weapons like the Progressive Knife and Unit-02's spike launcher.

Forming the Evangelion Body
Evangelions seem to be created from a sort of asexual amoeba-like fission process with either Adam or Lilith, in which the torso of the Eva is 'pulled' out of the Seed; Bochan_bird's translation of the Japanese liner notes, Genesis 0:12, in the "Eva Tomo no Kai" section:

"'[...] Among these are an image of two giants lying stretched out. These apparently are Lilith and Unit-01 at the stage of the experiment where Yui disappeared. Both are in the condition with most of their lower bodies missing, and the missing lower torsos appear to be joined. Yui probably performed contact in the condition with Lilith and Unit-01 joined, and was taken/absorbed into [the Eva].'"

In the Rebuild continuity, the biological creation of the Evas is mostly the same at first, but a few key differences surface over the progression of the movies. First is that their origins are somewhat different as the First Angel was not involved in the Second Impact, but instead the four Adams take his role. Secondly, as the movies progress, NERV and SEELE begin to expand on Eva development, using different source materials for their creation such as Angels and even the Adams, culminating on the creation of Evangelion 13, which is one of the living Adams, restrained and mechanized.

Modifying for Combat Use
All Evas have an artificial section of the spine, which is left incomplete by a circular gap that the Entry Plug fits in. Inserting the entry plug completes the nerve connections from the head to the rest of the body. As an added precaution, a Signal Termination Plug is often kept in place of the Entry Plug to prevent neural impulses from flowing. While in operation, the Entry Plug is kept covered by a flush-fitting armor plate, although it can be lifted to eject the Entry Plug in an emergency.

The end of the Entry Plug is inserted into the core, which has a cylindrical cavity drilled out to accommodate it. The depth of the Plug inside the core can vary according to the synchronization rate and other factors, such as the Eva going berserk. The Entry Plug is flooded with LCL, which is either generated by the core itself or is pumped in from external storage before being processed and purified by the life-support systems. It serves to both provide oxygen and establish the link between the Entry Plug's occupants and the Eva, although the Interface Headset would appear to be necessary to actually pilot the Eva.

Each Evangelions core is imbued with the soul of the pilot's mother, with the exception of Unit-00 and possibly the Mass Production Evas.

In addition, there appears to be an extensive computer interface between the pilot and the Eva, as the system must be set to the pilot's native language (the language in which the pilot thinks, see note below) to allow the Eva to activate and be piloted. It might also link to the viewscreens in the Eva cockpit (which can flicker on and off depending on the activation state of the Eva).

The shoulder-armor pylons on Evangelions do not actually contain any biological part of the Eva, underneath the armor. The entire pylon is just an extension of the Eva's outer armor. As seen in Episode 14, the pylons can actually be removed should the need arise, in this case to fit them into external restraints; besides Unit-00, both Unit-01 and Unit-02, which always had shoulder-armor pylons, are here seen without them.

Operational capabilities and equipment
Evas run off power from an umbilical cable, attached to a socket in the back of the artificial spine segment. How electrical energy is converted for the Eva's usage, or if the Eva indeed is capable of motion off raw electrical energy alone, is not elaborated in the show. If the cable is broken or disconnected (for increased speed and mobility), Evas have up to five minutes of Internal Battery power in reserve (alternatively quoted as one minute at maximum and five minutes with gain- varying depending upon plot).

In the Rebuild continuity, while this remains the same for the first two movies, in 3.0, the technology for feeding energy to an Eva appears to have evolved, as Evas 02 and 08, appear to have small, portable batteries connected to their backs rather than cables, allowing them greater freedom of movement and quicker replacements, should their energy run out. On the other hand, some Evas, such as Mark.04, Mark.06, Mark.09 and Evangelion 13 appear to be completely autonomous, having apparently limitless energy, likely due to the presence of an S² Engine.

Also, in this continuity, more is revealed about the hardware embedded within the Evangelion units. There is 255 terabytes of memory available to the software used to run the Evangelion Provisional Unit-05. It is unknown, however, if this also applies to the other Eva units. More curiously, the colors used by the holographic display to show the various information, alerts, and so on, seems to be changeable via a control panel, as seen when Mari plays with this feature in her Evangelion Unit-08.

Defensively the Evas are fitted with 1200 pieces of special armor that is able to resist a low yield nuclear blast (Episode 7 and EoE) and can protect the Eva from conventional weapons, they are also capable of creating protective A.T. Fields as well as eroding the A.T. Fields of Angels, and have tremendous strength in addition. In complete contrast to their size and mass, Evas are capable of acrobatic feats like drop-kicks and enormous spinning leaps into the air. Performance rises with increased synchronization, and an Eva in battle rage can inflict crippling physical damage on an Angel or even another Evangelion, or cast its A.T. Field as an offensive weapon. The height of Eva capabilities is the Berserk mode, when the resident soul has taken control from the pilot. It is characterized by savage, animal-like behavior. A berserker Evangelion has greatly enhanced physical strength, and, at the height of berserker mode, can run without any electrical power at all.

Evangelions have weapons and other equipment loaded on for combat purposes. Evas have computerized targeting systems, Radar and Sonar, as well as assorted weaponry.

All Evangelions (with the exception of Unit-00 in its original armor) have a Progressive Knife stored inside their left shoulder pylon, and Unit-02 has a spike launcher in its right shoulder pylon. Unit-00's shoulder pylons have a rocket system that allows the Eva to slow down when making large jumps (or presumably increases jump height as well).

Designation
Evangelion Unit-00 is designated the "Prototype", being the first successful Evangelion in a long line of failures. Evangelion Unit-01 is designated "Test Type", possibly because of its unique method of creation, from Lilith. Unit-02 was the first "Production Model" Evangelion, and Evangelions 03 to 06 were designated "Production Model". The original Unit-05 and 06 were canceled and scrapped for parts, so the next Evangelions belonged to the "Mass Production Model" of identical Evangelions 05 to 13.

Numbering
Unit-00 is referred to as "Zerogoki", which literally translates into "Zero Number Machine" (although a loanword from English, "Zero" in Japanese is not pronounced the same as "Zero" in English) and Unit-01 as "Shogoki", literally "First Number Machine" as opposed to "One Number Machine". From Unit-02 (Nigoki, "Two Number Machine") onwards, the "#numeral Number Machine"(-goki) convention is followed. Unit-00, 01 and 02 use the Kanji numerals for zero, one and two respectively. Unit-03 onwards are named with arabic numerals instead (although, in some materials, these units are named with the Kanji numeral for their respective numbers instead).

In Rebuild of Evangelion, only Unit-00 and Unit-01 use the kanji numerals. Unit-02 onwards are named with arabic numerals. This new continuity introduces a new series of Evangelion units, the Mark series. These Evas have their names written exclusively using the Latin alphabet, even in Japanese. Their names are also pronounced as English names (although Mark.06 has been referred as "Eva Rokugōki" like a classic unit, in the preview for 2.0).

The Mark series and Evangelion 13
The Mark series is an exclusive Evangelion batch created by NERV (in 3.0 and 3.0+1.0), or presumably, SEELE. This Evangelion series vary from the standard Evangelion types created by former NERV (in 1.0 and 2.0). The naming system from Mark.06 onwards (except Evangelion 13) incorporates 'Mark'.

The most distinct feature is the use of unlimited power supply. While WILLE's Evangelion units still have limited battery life and require umbilical cables for charging, (almost) all Mark series Evangelions, including Evangelion 13, do not have an adapter for an umbilical cable, implying that these units have unlimited power supply, or they may be powered by an S2 engine. However, with the exception Evangelion 13, which was referred as 'one of the surviving Adams'. These units are mostly autonomous or can be taken control by an auto-piloting system.

The second distinct feature is the design. The designs for the Mark series differ from that for the standard Evangelions. First, they are bulkier in size, hence requiring an additional set of chest plates around the torso The sizes of the torsos are also larger. Some of Mark.09's chest plates are indented in order to wield a bizarre jetpack. Second, the back armpieces seen on standard Evangelion units are no longer applicable for the Mark series units. The knee pylons on the Mark series units also appear larger in size compared to the standard Evangelion units, making them look robust. The design for the shoulder pylons for the Mark series also differ from that on the standard Evangelion unit types. The spine armor pieces for the Mark series are thinner than that for standard Evangelion units, further resembling a human spine, and additional set of back plates are introduced. However, some of the Mark units have their own unique design, including Mark.04, Mark.06, Mark.07 and Evangelion 13. For Mark.06, its design remains the same as that of the standard Evangelions except the shoulder pylons.

The Mark series also displayed bizarre battle features. These units no longer wield standard Evangelion weaponry, instead, each unit has its own unique weapon of choices. The Mark.04 series utilize anti-AT Field attacks, while Mark.09 is seen equipped with a bizarre jetpack, and later a scythe as a melee weapon. Mark 09 also enhances its lifespan by altering its core to the whole body. It later displays Angelic features when taken over by a SEELE hijack system, such as transformation and firing iconic Angel-like cross-beam attacks on the AAA Wunder. Evangelion 13 doesn't have an AT Field itself, instead it uses the assistance of four RS Hoppers to generate shields similar to AT Fields. It also features a double entry-plug system and an additional set of arms. Evangelion 13's physical strength is also noteworthy, being able to pull out the two Spears of Longinus from Lilith's corpse. The unit also has the ability to be 'Awakened'.

Synchronization and Pilot Compatibility
An Evangelion is imbued with the soul of its pilot's mother. Whether the soul or the pilot is chosen first is unknown. A pilot can easily sync only with a compatible soul. Synchronization depends upon the pilot's psychological condition. Synchronization rate and performance can be pulled down when the pilot is emotionally distressed and increase under duress or anger, reaching a high sync rate when in battle rage. In 2.0, Shinji is able to achieve a whopping 400% synchronization rate with the awakened Evangelion Unit 01.

In Episode 14, Ritsuko's "mutual compatibility experiment" marked the first time that it was attempted to switch Eva pilots between Evangelions. Rei could synch with Unit-01 fairly well, but when Shinji tried to sync with Unit-00, it went berserk. Evangelions are thus permanently associated with exclusively one pilot, and while Ritsuko considered the experiment enough of a success to begin work on the Dummy Plug system, pilots are never really switched between Evas in the series.

In Rebuild of Evangelion, the logic is the same for the first two movies. However, the souls used for Mark 06 onwards (including WILLE's Unit 08) are unknown. Most of the Mark Series units are also autonomous themselves.

Mental Link Between Evangelion and their Pilots

 * An Eva pilot feels everything their Evangelion feels when synchronized with the Eva, experiencing the pain of injuries the Eva sustains, i.e. Shinji feels like his left arm has been broken when Unit-01's arm is broken.
 * Apparently, Eva pilots feel the pain of injuries but do not actually sustain these injuries: Misato points out to Shinji that "That's not your arm" when he feels the pain of Unit-01's arm being broken. Similarly, in Episode 10 Unit-02's left leg below the knee is completely bitten off, but Asuka's leg does not just spontaneously fall off as a result. Also, in Episode 19 both of Unit-02's arms are cut off, but Asuka's arms do not physically fall off. Even in this episode, Unit-01 is shot through the head, destroying its eye (which it later regenerates) but Shinji does not instantly lose an eye. The pilots appear to experience the pain and nervous system shock (which can actually result in severe forms of injury nonetheless) of injuries the Evas sustain, but do not actually suffer these injuries themselves. That said, it appears that if an Evangelion is severely damaged enough (even if the Entry Plug containing the pilot is not directly damaged itself), the pilot can indeed die from physical shock. For example, in Episode 19 Misato shouts for technicians to quickly cut the synchronization connection between Asuka and Unit-02 moments before the Angel Zeruel decapitates Unit-02, the sheer pain and shock of which would probably have killed Asuka. However, at odds with this is that during The End of Evangelion pilots appear to actually suffer the same physical injuries that their Eva Units suffer. This may be explained by the fact that in The End of Evangelion, the pilots were highly synchronized with their Evangelion Units. At an abnormally high synchronization ratio, it appears that pilots will really suffer injuries an Eva suffers. This may also be because being struck by the Lance of Longinus replica altered Asuka's AT field between mind and body, causing her to actually sustain injuries, but looking closely, it is evident that her guts were not pulled out when her Eva's were. She did however sustain injuries later on when struck by even more spears. In the manga, this is also shown when the Spear of Longinus replicas impale the hands of the Unit-01 moments before the beginning of the Third Impact. Shinji is seen later with a hole in each of his hands, showing that the high synchronization-level (which was of at least 250% at the time) may have effects on the pilot's health when the Evangelion is damaged. It could also be because the wounds were specifically made by Spears of Longinus.


 * The Rebuild continuity seems to have a strange relationship with this concept. While the Pilots do not seem to sustain the same damage as their Evas, several effects can be seen on the pilot when the Eva sustains damage. In particular, when exposed to damage, the Pilot's plug suit seems to heat up and take similar damage to the Unit, despite not being actually under attack. This can be seen quite evidently with Mari in Unit-05, the right arm of her plug suit burning when her Eva was attacked. Similarly, Shinji's plug suit is seen glowing, as is Rei's when Evangelion Unit-01's arms were impaled by Sahaquiel and when Evangelion Unit-00 grabbed its core. Of these injuries, Shinji's are the only ones that actually seem to translate over to actual damage to the pilot, his hands later being seen bandaged after this event.