Impact

Impact (インパクト, Impacto^?) is a term used to refer to several defining events across the Evangelion franchise. These events often involved beings with both the Fruit of Life and the Fruit of Knowledge, such as an Evangelion absorbing an Angel.

History

Neon Genesis Evangelion

First Impact

• First Impact was caused by the impact of the Black Moon containing Lilith on to what would eventually become Tokyo-3. As a result of two Seeds of Life landing on one planet, the Spears of Longinus activated the First Ancestral Races' contingency plan by deactivating one of the Seeds. Lilith's Spear was destroyed during the landing, so Adam was put into stasis by his own Spear, allowing humans to populate the Earth.

Second Impact

• Second Impact was intentionally orchestrated by SEELE, the impact was caused by a Contact Experiment performed on Adam at the South Pole causing him to turn into an embryo. This impact also turned the oceans in the southern hemisphere red, misaligned Earth's orbit leading to the ending of seasons and killed over half of the human race.

Third Impact

• While the effects of Third Impact can be seen throughout episodes 25 and 26 of Neon Genesis, it is most clearly demonstrated during the events of The End of Evangelion. The impact began when Adam and Lilith's bodies and souls merged resulting in a massive Anti-A.T.-Field being formed reverting life on Earth to LCL leading to the completion of the Human Instrumentality Project. This impact and the project were ended by Shinji Ikari who chose to reject instrumentality in favor of individuality.

Rebuild of Evangelion

First Impact

• In the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, the First Impact wasn't explored in any way, It can be assumed it is the same as the original series.

Second Impact

• As for the Second Impact, it is seen in the second film via a flashback, it occurred in the year 2000 at the South Pole, its trigger is unknown and only the four Adams nicknamed the Guardians of the Gate of Hell extending their wings of light are shown, according to Gendo his role was to purify the oceans. In Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time we learn that a human life must be sacrificed to stop the process thus it can be concluded that Doctor Katsuragi is the necessary sacrifice.

Near Third Impact

The Near Third Impact when Unit-01 (Shinji) is attempting to bring back Rei Ayanami.

• Near Third Impact was unintentionally triggered by Shinji through awakening of Evangelion Unit-01 after trying to save Rei Ayanami from the core of Tenth Angel. This impact is stopped by Kaworu Nagisa in the Evangelion Mark.06 through the use of the Spear of Cassius. Although the scope of the damage caused by this impact is unclear, the damage caused by this impact was minimal as life in Tokyo-3 was able to continue without much issue.

Third Impact

• Some time after Near Third Impact stopped, Third Impact was triggered by Mark.06 (under the influence of the Twelfth Angel) when it beheaded Lilith. This impact was stopped by sacrifice of Ryoji Kaji however despite his sacrifice, Third Impact was still a nearly extinction level event which caused the world to turn red and eliminated almost all of humanity by transforming them into the Failures of Infinity. According to Gendo his goal was to purify the Earth.

Fourth Impact

• Fourth Impact is triggered by the awakening of Evangelion 13. This impact was stopped by the piercing of Evangelion 13 by two Spears of Longinus, the death of Kaworu by the DSS Choker and the force ejection of Shinji from the unit by Mari Makinami Illustrious in the Evangelion Unit-08β.

Additional Impact

• Additional Impact is the sixth and final impact in the rebuild series caused by Gendo Ikari through the use of Evangelion 13, Nebuchadnezzar's Key and the Adams to open the Minus Space and cause instrumentality. Shinji controls this impact using the Spear of Gaius and reforms the world into one without Evangelions.

Neon Genesis Evangelion manga

• While the manga shares the same impacts as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Third Impact ending is quite different as instead of being ambiguous on what the future of the world looks like, in the manga, Shinji chooses to recreate the world without Evangelions leading him to live an uneventful life as a regular student.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA

• Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA has the same impacts however unlike the series, however the Third Impact happens differently and is interrupted leading into the events of ANIMA, but later occurs in a different way.

Other Media

• Shave Impact is an impact from the Schick x Evangelion razor collaboration promotion. It is caused by Gendo Ikari after he uses a Schick razor to get a very clean shave.

Trivia

• In the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, each impact was done to cleanse an aspect of the planet to prepare for Instrumentality. Those aspects are the earth, the air, the sea, and humanity.