Entry Plug

An Entry Plug being inserted.

Entry Plug (エントリープラグ, Entōri Puragu^?) are cylindrical tubes that are inserted in the Evangelions during sorties with the pilots. The cockpit is located inside it, everything related to Evangelion's operations is done inside.

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Plug seat

Entry plugs are air tight capsules required for pilots to connect with Evangelion, as they act as the bridge between the body and mind of the unit. Plugs are two sections, the housing which contains the monitors and casing for the plug as well as the pilot seat which houses the Induction Lever (インダクション・レバー^?) and seat for the pilot. While the seat generally sits towards the back of the plug, it can move somewhat freely within the plug in response to the pilots synchronization rate. As the synchronization rate rises, the seat moves forward slightly.

Illustration by Ikuto Yamashita.

When used, pilots are first loaded and sealed into the plug before it is inserted into the Evangelions spinal area via a loading mechanism, after which it spins inward and locks itself firmly into the Eva's torso. After being locked in place, the plug begins to fill with LCL which allows the pilot to breath through liquid breathing.

Asuka's damaged Entry Plug

The standard color for the most used Entry Plugs is white however each type is colored differently. Plugs appear to be extremely resistant to damage, as can be seen with the Evangelion Unit-00's entry plug, which survived the Eva's explosion.

In Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA, it is revealed that behind the plug seat lies a large disc-based storage device, called Logical Definition Drive. According to it: when an Evangelion is in an awakened state, there is always a danger that the soul within its core could go berserk, and unless a pilot had achieved a dangerously high synchronization, an Evangelion left on its own couldn't maintain its humanoid form. The Logical Definition Drive constantly streamed data into the Evangelion - data that told the giant what it was, what form it took, and other aspects of its existence. The system formed the fundamental basis of Evangelion control.

Since Evangelions had the ability to change its form, these chances could include development of new abilities, regeneration, degradation and retrogression. The Logical Definition Drive held massive information so these changes could never degrade or overwrite.

Standard Plug

The standard entry plug is white with its respective Unit's number printed near the end. The plug is entered via a hatch that opens above the pilot's seat - to the pilot's left, there is an additional square emergency hatch. The internal control system is fairly standardized among entry plugs, consisting mostly of two hand held devices with at least three visible triggers, with the exception of Provisional Unit-05 which has many more. These handles can be detached at one end to become similar to joysticks. The visual interface differs slightly between units: Unit-01's entry plug has a single continuous screen while Unit-02's has clearly segmented front and side views.

In the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, the visual interface of the NERV's Evangelion units consists of several screens forming a 180° field of view for the pilots in combat. The Evangelion Mark.06 has a unique visual interface vaguely resembling butterfly wings. After the 14 years timeskip, Unit-02 and Unit-08's visual interface is now a full solid 360° globe allowing full unobstructed view of the surrounding terrain, Evangelion 13 contains a similar 360° visual interface for its double entry system, by the near end of the film series Unit-08's Visual interface is slightly changed vaguely resembling the HUD of a fighter Jet.

Signal Termination Plug

A Signal Termination Plug is used while an inactive Eva is stored instead of a Standard Plug, and is an additional measure to prevent an Eva from starting on its own. The end of the Signal Termination Plug, which sticks out of the back of an Evangelion, is shaped like a crucifix.

The Signal Termination Plug is most prominently seen in Episode 02 and Episode 05, when Evangelion Unit-00 is frozen in bakelite after it lost control during an experiment. However, a Signal Termination Plug is seen again (very briefly and in a dark shot) in Episode 11, when it has to be manually removed from an Evangelion so that an Entry Plug can be loaded in.

This device is often referred to by a number of other names "Stop Signal Plug", "Termination Signal Plug", "Terminator Signal Plug" and "Signal Terminator Plug" being common variations in naming.

Main article: Shutdown Override Signal Plug

Dummy Plug

A Dummy System's red Entry Plug

Dummy plugs are similar in function to standard plugs having a regular pilot seat and controls however they also have the Dummy System loaded into them which acts as a co-pilot with the ability to be given full control if needed. The specifics of how the dummy plugs function is still a mystery, however it's known that they have a connection with the soulless Rei clones which apparently make up their "core".

In Neon Genesis Evangelion, dummy plugs are dark red with their thought pattern engraved into the side. Throughout the series, two characters have systems made from their thought patterns, Rei Ayanami, printed as "Rei", used with Evangelion Unit-01, and Kaworu Nagisa, printed as "Kaworu" and used with the Mass Production Evangelion. When activated, the screens inside the plug power off removing the pilots ability to see outside and the Induction Levers stop working entirely.

In Rebuild of Evangelion, dummy plugs are more stylized as they're black with white crosses and various lime green highlights and panel lines. They also have a large, "DMYSYS" logo. Unlike the original series, it is entirely unclear whose thought patterns, if any, are used for the basis of the system. The plug also differs greatly from the original when it activates as unlike the original, a large, vaguely humanoid structure rises from the back of the pilot's seat, hunching over them and locking the controls with two long black arms, stopping the pilot from moving the controls. The interface screen goes blank as the hunched figure displays its own screen message whilst assuming complete control. Once the plug takes control, it displays the words "DMYSYS Golgotha Base Built" on the screen.