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Misato Katsuragi (葛城 ミサト, Katsuragi Misato?) is a character from the Rebuild of Evangelion film series. She is the operations director at NERV; her duties at NERV include acting as a field commander for the Evangelion pilots. She issues orders and relays battle strategies as well as processes the input from Ritsuko Akagi and the technicians who monitor the Evangelions. She also handles many of the bureaucratic aspects of NERV's operations.
Quick Answers
What is Misato Katsuragi's role within the organization NERV in the Rebuild of Evangelion series?
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How does Misato Katsuragi's character evolve throughout the Rebuild of Evangelion series?
What is the significance of Misato Katsuragi's purple hair in the Evangelion series?
Appearance[]
Misato is a young woman with long black hair that is wavy with bangs parted to the sides and dark brown eyes. She wears a multitude of different clothes, sometimes it is a sleeveless vest with a black skirt with a cross necklace, a fancy red jacket with stylized accents and black boots. When at home, she wears very laid back clothes.
In the events of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, she is older and wears a red commander's uniform. She wears a pair of special glasses and her hair is tied into a bun. Her overall appearance does not seem to have changed.
Profile[]
After the events of Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, her personality is different from before being colder, mature and mostly seen as emotionless to both her crew members and especially Shinji (similar to Gendo's attitude to his son, Shinji Ikari).
In Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time, it is revealed that she distances herself from Shinji and her own son, in order to do what she sees as the best for themselves, but still holding care for them.
History[]
In the first two films, Misato has a similar role to the one in the original series. However, Misato carries the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and has a greater knowledge of NERV's operations and secrets.
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone[]
In Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, Misato's role is much the same as it is in the original series: she picks Shinji Ikari up in her Renault Alpine A310SP (アルビーヌルノーA310SP?) and takes him to NERV in order for him to pilot Unit-01, and later on takes him in as a roommate. In this film, prior to "Operation Yashima", she takes Shinji to Lilith's chamber, correctly identifying Lilith as the second Angel and explaining to Shinji that NERV's goal is to prevent Third Impact happening by preventing the Angels from coming into contact with Lilith.
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance[]
In Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Misato is promoted off-screen to the rank of Colonel. She takes in Asuka Shikinami Langley and shows the same level of animosity towards Ryoji Kaji that she displayed in the original series, for instance getting angry when Kaji flirts with Ritsuko Akagi and Misato later softens up to Kaji. She spurs Shinji on to pilot Unit-01 for himself, not others, and is a witness to Near Third Impact.
Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo[]
In Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, Misato, aged 43, has become the leader of WILLE, an organization that is devoted to destroy NERV, its Evangelion Units and prevent Fourth Impact. Here, she exhibits a personality similar to Gendo's as she is more unsympathetic and bitter unlike previous chapters in the series. She acts coldly towards Shinji after she has him reawakened, ordering the placement of the DSS Choker on him as a sign that she no longer trusts him. Misato's displayed behavior at this point implies that she may either perceive him as her enemy or has a terrible grudge against him for the Third Impact that he unintentionally caused. However, she seems to fail to acknowledge that she herself bears a good amount of the blame due to her egging Shinji on as he tried to save Rei Ayanami, and appears to be using him as a scapegoat to avoid her own responsibility. Despite her misguided disdain towards Shinji, Misato seemingly still has some of her old feelings and care for him as she hesitates to activate the DSS Choker when Evangelion Mark.09 takes Shinji to NERV Headquarters.
Reasons for Misato's change into such a bitter character was because she, along with most of NERV’s other staff have learned that Gendo Ikari's ambitions were never to prevent Third Impact, but rather to provoke it. This of course, drove Misato and the others to rebel against him. Gathering the rest of the survivors of humanity, they formed the WILLE organization with her and Dr. Akagi as its leaders that dedicated exclusively to destroy NERV and SEELE to prevent future Impacts and ensure the future of the dying human race. Although Misato's motives and goals are just, the 14 years of constant war and struggle have hardened and deteriorated Misato's better qualities as a person and has resulted in her becoming ironically similar to Gendo. Even with shades of her former self, it's likely the Misato that Shinji knew is gone forever.
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time[]
In Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time, Shinji discovers that Misato is Ryoji Kaji's mother (son of her lover of the same name), whom she never approached for the sake of her mission and his well being, and that she also uses the Wunder to salvage seeds of various vegetal form in the Earth, as it was the objective of her deceased lover. She commands WILLE to the last attack to NERV in the Antarctica, where the Second Impact happened. There, they engage in battle against the NERV ships commanded by Fuyutski, as Gendo Ikari expected. Once defeated and with Unit-01 stolen by Gendo, she reunites with Shinji and apologizes to him for her cold treatment, recognizing her responsibility concerning his actions in the Near Third Impact as his legal guardian, allowing him to pilot Unit-01 again and defending him from her own crew, even taking a bullet to him shot by Sakura. She orders the crew to evacuate and singlehandedly pilot the Wunder against the Evangelion Imaginary to allow the Wunder's vertebral spine to cross to the Minus Space and become the Spear of Gaius for Shinji, sacrificing herself in the process. It is implied that after that, she comes back to life, and goes to Kaji's farm, alongside him, their son, and Kaworu.
In other media[]
Transformers Mode "EVA"[]
While heading NERV efforts against an Angel, Misato witnessed the arrival of the Autobots and was perplexed by their presence.[1]. When Starscream possessed the Angel, Misato called for Unit-01 to be activated. However, she was in for another surprise when Optimus Prime scanned Unit-01 and became like it in both color and size. Misato watched the ensuing battle between Optimus and Starscream, noting that the Decepticon had access to the Angels' A.T. Field ability and radioing the Autobot Wheeljack to let him know that NERV was relying on them, having no other Evangelions ready for deployment after Unit-01 was disabled by Starscream's Null Rays. When the Autobots worked to catch Starscream off balance, she helped out by having Tokyo-3 transform around the Decepticon while he was chasing Bumblebee, causing him to stumble and allowing Optimus to defeat him. After the battle, the Autobots joined NERV in defending Earth against Angels and Decepticons alike. Misato would arrive in Bumblebee's car mode and when she opened his door to step out, she viewed with mixed anxiety and expectation as she saw Optimus Prime covered in illuminated lights in the darkness.[2]
Goddess of Victory: Nikke[]
You Can (Not) Evade[]
See main story at You Can (Not) Evade in Nikkepedia.
Bond story[]
Episode 1 - Ordinary Classroom[]
While visiting Class P in the M.M.R. Vocational School, Misato was looking around aimlessly until she was found by Marciana. The commander was getting adjusted to her new surroundings. On a casual glance, this room looks like an ordinary classroom. It's filled with desks, chairs, a blackboard, and a lectern. Misato was surprised to not find any weapons secretly stashed around nor was there a button that can summon armed soldiers? Marciana is confused as to what she's going on about and still doesn't understand why Misato is here. She reiterates that she's just looking around to get a sense of her surroundings and as a means to compare this world's education environment compared to where she comes from.
It was at this moment that Marciana realizes that she never gave her temporary coworker a tour of the school, making her behavior more understandable. The teacher apologizes for not noticing, but the commander understands how busy she is given what's at stake. Since they are both free, Marciana is willing to give Misato a proper tour and she would gladly take one if she was available.
Episode 2 - Ordinary School[]
Their first stop is the reading room, the place where students can absorb the knowledge from the school's collection of novels. Misato was surprised that so many are easily accessible, given that she had heard that books are a precious commodity. Marciana explains that the school is allowed to have so many for the sake of its students.
The next stop is the teacher's office, the place where educators prepare for upcoming classes and handle administrative tasks. This is where Marciana can be found when not teaching. Misato can see that the teacher's desk is full of tasks and Marciana shares that everything on it is a part of her responsibilities. Misato was surprised to learn how much work teachers have to do.
The two educators continue their travels around the school. They visit the nurse's office, the cafeteria, the auditorium, and several classrooms dedicated to teaching specific disciplines.
It doesn't take too long for them to reach their final destination: the Simulation Room. This is where the students It doesn't take too long for them to reach their final destination: the Simulation Room. This is where the students come to hone their skills and to prepare them for battling on the surface. Misato is familiar with this place and was glad to find something rather unusual for a change. Up until this point, the rooms they have visited are virtually identical to the ones from her home world, except they are meant for Nikkes, not humans. The Simulation Room is the first notable thing that her schools lack. With little knowledge beforehand, Misato was under the impression that this place would be vastly different from other schools given they teach Nikkes here. Marciana explains that this school, on the surface, seems ordinary on purpose. The students have to believe that this place looks and feels like a regular institution.
Episode 3 - Unusual Place[]
Misato was curious if all Nikkes get enrolled in schools like the one from M.M.R., or if only a select bunch get this kind of treatment. Marciana shares that after a Nikke is created, they have access to all of the necessary combat-related data pre-programmed into their NIMPH, a notion that impresses the commander. For the most part, Nikkes don't really need to receive additional education. The students enrolled in this school are designated as students to essentially serve as guinea pigs to determine if teaching specialized lessons can improve their development. Marciana herself was assigned to be a teacher, signifying to Misato that she too is a Nikke. The commander wants to see her hand so the teacher obliges.
Misato scans Marciana's hand for a while, but can feel warmth emanating from it. To her, their hands feel very similar, as if hers belonged to a human. It's hard for Misato to comprehend the differences between humans and Nikkes and the teacher sees her point since if she never disclosed it, her coworker probably wouldn't have been able to figure it out.
Episode 4 - Ordinary Teacher[]
Though the two haven't been with each other long and aren't exactly close, Misato has noticed that Marciana treats the students in her care as if they are regular students, not weapons. She views them as individuals and does everything in her power to care and protect them, an assessment the teacher can't deny. The way Misato sees it, Marciana isn't much different from a normal teacher. In reality, she thinks that she's better than most educators. There aren't many like her out there that genuinely care about their students.
Misato's praise starts to make Marciana flustered and she's confused since she's only executing a directive. Trying to bring the educator down to earth, she assures her that she should be proud of what she has accomplished and tells her to say "I am an excellent teacher!" In Misato's eyes, Marciana is a superb role model and is certain that her actions will help her students reach brighter futures.
It's only now that the commander realizes how flushed the teacher is, but admits this side of her is adorable.
Episode 5 - Ordinary Requital[]
Having fully explored what the M.M.R. Vocational School has to offer, Misato can't help but feel at peace. It's almost as if she wasn't in a world foreign to her own. She thanks Marciana for taking the time to show her around, but since the teacher has calmed down, she also has something to say. She also wishes to give her thanks for helping her put her own mind at ease.
Marciana has always wanted to know if she was doing well as a teacher and has had her doubts. Misato's kind words are enough for her to be certain she's doing the right things and she feels better because of it. The commander didn't feel the praise was warranted, but was glad to be of assistance. The teacher wants to return the favor, so Misato offers to have dinner with her, Marciana's treat. She was fine with that and wanted to show her what a snack bar is like. They normally sell treats that the students enjoy, but she doesn't know what the most popular item is. Misato was hoping to grab a beer while they're here, but Marciana reminds them that they are still at school so they won't have any luck with that. The two head off and Misato plans on making a choice once they arrive.
The two talk as they head to the snack bar. As they grow more comfortable with each other, they start to become more relaxed than before.
Voice Actors[]
- Japanese: Kotono Mitsuishi
- English: Allison Keith
- French: Marie Diot, Laurence Bréheret
- Italian: Stella Musy, Rachele Paolelli
- Portuguese (Brazil): Lene Bastos, Priscila Franco (Amazon)
- Russian: Olga Matskevich (Reanimedia)
- Spanish (Spain): María Moscardó (Amazon), Carmen Calvell (Selecta Visión)
- Spanish (Latin America): Nallely Solís, Vivian Magos, Yanelly Sandoval (ZIMA), Luciana Falcón (Amazon)
- Catalan: María Josep Guasch (3.0+1.01), Carmen Calvell
- German: Gundi Eberhard
- Hindi:
- Korean:
- Chinese (Taiwan):
Trivia[]
- Misato was named for a ship: the KatsuragiWP, an Unryū class World War II Japanese aircraft carrier.
- Her given name is from a heroine in Minako Narita's manga Aitsu.[3]
- The name Misato means "beauty" (mi) and "village" (sato).
- However, various parents may choose to write it as "Optical village" or "Truth village". In addition, instead of the more common kanji for "village", a version meaning "home village" with the same pronunciation can be used, making the name Misato mean "beautiful home village".
- The handwriting in her letter to Shinji and his room door's were written by Moyoco Anno.[4]
- Misato's surname Katsuragi means "victory" (katsu) and "to flow" (ragi).
- Her hair has been darkened so as to appear black rather than purple as seen in Neon Genesis Evangelion.
- Misato drives a white Mazda Cosmo Sport 110WP, with the license plate East 2 33-10.
- A book by Han FeiWP and The PrinceWP by Niccolò MachiavelliWP can be seen in her room in Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone.[5]
- Her phone ringtone is one of King Ghidorah's Showa era cackles.
References[]
- ↑ Transformers Mode “EVA” chapter 1
- ↑ https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Misato_Katsuragi
- ↑ Evangelion character names: translation of the essay by Hideaki Anno about character name origins; includes a link to the original essay in Japanese
- ↑ Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone - Complete Records Visual Story Edition - Setting Material Edition p.328
- ↑ Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone - Complete Records Visual Story Edition - Setting Material Edition p.328