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Misato Katsuragi


Misato Katsuragi (葛城 ミサト, Katsuragi Misato?) is one of the main characters from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. She is the operations director at NERV, initially with the rank of captain; she is later promoted to major. Her duties at NERV include acting as a field commander for the EVA pilots, issuing orders and relaying battle strategies as well as processing input from Ritsuko Akagi and the technicians monitoring the EVAS. She also handles many bureaucratic aspects of NERV's operations.

At the beginning of the series, Misato first brings Shinji Ikari to NERV and is able to convince him to pilot Evangelion Unit-01. She then chooses to have Shinji move in with her rather than live alone, and later takes in Asuka Langley Soryu. As the series progresses, through her former lover Ryoji Kaji, Misato learns the truth behind the Human Instrumentality Project and the depths of deception that NERV and SEELE have gone to keep the Project secret, even from her.

Appearance[]

Misato is a young woman with long dark violet hair that is wavy with bangs parted to the sides and dark brown eyes. She wears a sleeveless black flapper dress with a cross necklace, a fancy red jacket with stylized accents, green socks, and black boots, but she wears more outfits throughout the series. Misato is known to be a very attractive woman, as she has been cited multiple times throughout the entire series to be a "babe", by Ikari's male classmates.

Profile[]

As revealed in a flashback,[1] when Misato was 14, she accompanied Dr. Katsuragi (the leader of the Katsuragi Expedition and Misato's father) to Antarctica and she was badly injured as the Second Impact was beginning, but her father placed her in a protective capsule (resembling an Entry Plug) just before he was killed.[2] The capsule saved her life, but her injuries left a large scar on her chest.[3] Another flashback reveals that she was aboard the ship which brought Kōzō Fuyutsuki and Gendo Ikari to the ruins of Antarctica two years after Second Impact.[4] After seeing her in her room, Fuyutsuki was told that she had not spoken since the incident.[4] Her mutism went away when she began to attend college, and she became more social and talkative, so much so that Ritsuko, while reminiscing about her friendship with Misato and Ryoji Kaji at that time, thought that Misato seemed to be attempting to "make up for lost time."[4]

Misato's job(s) before being employed at NERV are not specified, but in the manga, her last job involved genetic experimentation on animals, as Pen Pen was a result of one such experiment. She chose to keep Pen Pen as a pet rather than let him be euthanized and converted a refrigerator into a heated sleeping area for him.

The cross pendant that she always wears was put around her neck by her father just before sealing the protective capsule.[2] It is not revealed in the anime or manga if the pendant has significance to Misato beyond a link to her father, or was of any significance to her father.

According to Misato's ID card,[5] she is 1.63 meters tall (slightly over 5 feet 4 inches) and her blood type is AO (however the sections of the card listing her age and weight have been scribbled out). A copy of her ID card before vandalization appears in Episode 25, which lists her weight as 47 kg (approx. 103 pounds); the card also lists her bust-waist-hip measurements at 83-59-82 in the metric system (approx. 33-23-32 in inches).

Misato drives a blue Renault Alpine A310WP, a car which is at least fifteen years old. She is seen driving it in both Neon Genesis Evangelion and the Rebuild of Evangelion. Its design is remarkably accurate to the original A310, even going to far as to have the same number of bolts in the gearshift (though a few inlets aside the front storage compartment are misplaced).

Relationships[]

Shinji Ikari[]

NGE01 30

Misato first meeting Shinji

Misato appears to have some sort of affinity for Shinji despite being over twice his age. She finds Shinji's presence to be a grounding and stabilizing influence. In the manga, when talking with Shinji at the train station after his first attempt to run away from NERV, Misato confesses to Shinji that she took him in not because she thought it was her duty to do so, but because she was lonely. It becomes apparent to Misato that many of Shinji's problems in dealing with people closely echo her own, although their coping mechanisms are opposites of each other, and that they seem to be caught in a "Hedgehog's dilemma," as Ritsuko calls it.[6] After Asuka Langley Sohryu moves in, Misato finds herself often acting as a mediator between Shinji and Asuka. There is also sexual tension between Shinji and Misato, but this aspect of their relationship is only hinted at, as Misato herself has difficulty reaching out to people without the use of sexuality.[7] A notable exception is the "adult kiss" scene in The End of Evangelion; however, the context of the scene gives this action multiple possible meanings. More prominently, she tries to be both a friend and a maternal influence for Shinji (which carries over to the other pilots), balancing this with her duties and responsibilities as his commanding officer at NERV. Near the end of the series, Misato and Shinji's shared and separate traumas put distance between them, and Shinji can neither let himself comfort her (see next paragraph) nor be comforted by her (in the wake of Rei Ayanami's death).[8] During her Instrumentality,[9] she expresses regret that she was not able to "be a mother for Shinji" in the end.[10] Still, Shinji is devastated upon losing her, and he carries her pendant from then on.

Ryoji Kaji[]

Kaji kisses Misato

Kaji kissing Misato

Misato and Ryoji were lovers during college (it is implied in both the series and The End of Evangelion that not only did he take her virginity, but also that they once spent a whole week in bed doing nothing but having sex), but they had long since broken up. They do not see each other again until she flies out to the UN fleet ferrying Unit-02 and Asuka to Japan.[5] After he returns to NERV headquarters, Kaji flirts with Misato, who constantly insults him ("You're stupid", "I hate you", and "Dating you was the biggest blemish of my life.") She falsely stated that she broke up with Kaji because she felt that he was interested in her solely for sexual reasons, since he himself doubted whether he was capable of true love. Later, she confesses to Kaji that he reminded her too much of her father, and was afraid to lose him. After Kaji reveals that Misato has been kept in the dark by her superiors and Ritsuko about NERV's secrets, she begins to use Kaji to find out what Gendo Ikari's "true purpose" is. This culminates after Shinji is "reborn" from Unit-01's core after the battle with the Angel Zeruel, when Kaji gives Misato a data capsule containing information on what she requested on their last meeting. Before he begins his last assignment (which leads to his murder),[11][12][13] Kaji leaves Misato a final phone message to seek the truth using the information he has given her, in which Misato is devastated and breaks down after hearing the message. After this point, however, she becomes more proactive in learning the truth of the Instrumentality Project for herself. In the manga, she reunites with Kaji after her death.

Ritsuko Akagi[]

Ritsuko Misato ep 15

Ritsuko and Misato at a wedding.

Misato and Ritsuko are close friends at the start of the series, and flashbacks reveal that Ritsuko was one of Misato's first friends in college. However, their friendship dissolves as Misato learns more about the Instrumentality Project and Ritsuko's role in its development, as well as her complicity in its secrecy. They also clash frequently (and sometimes violently) over the lives of the Eva pilots during combat, as Ritsuko is willing to sacrifice the pilots if the situation appears to warrant it while Misato is dedicated to their survival. Later, she snidely comments on the fractured relations between Misato, Shinji, and Asuka, which Misato angrily retorts by accusing Ritsuko of substituting her cats for human affection.[14]

It is perhaps Misato's understanding of human sacrifice that sets her apart from Ritsuko in the end: both lost parents (Dr. Katsuragi and Naoko Akagi, respectively), though for different reasons. Misato's father died to save her, and this sacrifice and loss informs much of her lifestyle and actions for the remainder of her life. Ritsuko, on the other hand, sees her mother's suicide as a selfish act, a petty attempt at self-redemption after what she did to Rei I and realizing that she had been cast aside. Misato's love for Kaji and ultimately Shinji leads her to want to protect the pilots' lives, whereas to Ritsuko, they are initially just a means to an end. The women end up emulating the parents they hated throughout their final year, with vastly differing results. The circle is completed in The End of Evangelion when, just before dying, Misato gives Shinji her cross pendant—just like her father did to her before he died during Second Impact—and pushes him to safety. In contrast to Misato's sacrifice, Ritsuko's final act is not selfless but an act of petty revenge against Gendo. It fails, thanks to her mother's perceived betrayal, rendering her death essentially in vain—just like Naoko's.

Others[]

Makoto Hyuga[]

Hyuga, one of the three technicians working in Central Dogma with Misato and Ritsuko and under Gendo Ikari and Kozo Fuyutsuki, is Misato's close ally in investigating NERV, particularly after Kaji's death and Kaworu Nagisa's arrival. It is implied that he harbours more than just admiration, but is actually in love with her. Despite his complaints, Hyuga seems okay with doing Misato's laundry for her, as in episode 11. In episode 24, when Misato asks him to prepare the self-destruct code for NERV HQ, he tells her he would be honoured to die with her. In The End of Evangelion, Rei/Lilith turns into an image of Misato and kisses him before he is reverted to LCL.

Gendo Ikari[]

Though relatively new to NERV at the start of the series, Misato is already well aware of Gendo's cold demeanor and of his disdain for his son. Though she appears to take orders directly from the Commander and Deputy Commander, she is not afraid to stand up for herself or for Shinji before them when she feels the situation merits another path. In The End of Evangelion, she tries to steer Shinji clear of Gendo's persuasions. She appears unabashed when Gendo sends her to be interrogated by SEELE after the incident between Unit 01 and Leliel.

The other pilots[]

Asuka Langley Sohryu does not particularly like Misato and this dislike transfers to hostility when Misato rekindles her relationship with Ryoji Kaji (with whom Asuka is infatuated). However, Misato always tries to act in a motherly way with Asuka, being aware of her history and of the high price she has paid for her current status as Unit 02's pilot; this is perhaps a strong reason why she invited Asuka to live with her and Shinji. She usually responds to Asuka's abrasive attitude with calm, patience, and sincere care. A common interpretation is to see Misato as Asuka's positive adult model, with Ritsuko as a more negative model.[15] Similarly, Kaji and Gendo are mirrors for Shinji, as is their respective relationships.[16]

Misato is particularly disturbed when Toji Suzuhara is chosen as the Fourth Child, much to her surprise. Not only does she care for the boy, but she is aware of Shinji's close friendship with him and how much that friendship means to Shinji. She seems genuinely saddened by the news and equally intrigued; it is then that she discovers that everyone in Class 2-A (Shinji's class) is an Eva pilot candidate. Misato tries to protect Toji as best she can, perhaps more for Shinji's sake than anything else, and she is heartbroken after Toji is severely injured (or killed, as in the case of the manga version of the series) in the battle with Bardiel. She enjoyed the attention Toji and Kensuke Aida bestowed upon her with their crushes, and even invited them and Shinji to the Pacific Fleet to meet Asuka and check in on the transport of Unit 02. She seemed amused though unperturbed by Toji's attempts to flirt with her.

Her relationships with Rei Ayanami and Kaworu Nagisa are not explored in depth. She knows of Rei's value as a pilot and as a good complement to Shinji (particularly when they have to work together). Rei in turn respects and obeys Misato as her commanding officer and trusts her judgment. Misato is aware of the animosity Asuka bears for Rei, first noticing from the reaction when she suggested that Rei be paired with Shinji against Israfel instead of Asuka due to their higher interpersonal synchronization. However, she dismisses it as a natural colliding of personalities and does not act until later (perhaps too late), letting Asuka go first against Arael. The plan, although of Asuka's doing and not Misato's, backfired and eventually cost Asuka her sanity and role as a pilot. Misato is suspicious when SEELE personally sends Kaworu to NERV, sending Hyuga digging for answers. She discovers his identity from Ritsuko Akagi too late to stop Kaworu from diving down to Terminal Dogma. In the manga, Kaworu arrives earlier on than in the anime, before the battle with Armisael, and Misato exchanges a few lines with him. Her reaction to Kaworu, like Kensuke's, is one of suspicion and disturbance—something does not seem right about him.

Co-workers[]

Central Dogma

Misato and the Command Center team during the battle against Israfel

Misato is respected at NERV for her tactical skill, drive, and ability to fight the Angels by means of commanding the Evas. Despite her occasional disagreements with various members of the staff, her skill and position is never doubted during combat, enough so to earn her a promotion to Major. The other two technicians (apart from Hyuga) do not appear to interact with her beyond day-to-day operations at NERV: while Maya Ibuki bonds with Ritsuko, Shigeru Aoba is something of a loner, and this is reflected in their visions of Rei/Lilith during Instrumentality.

Though it is not known whether they ever met, Naoko Akagi encouraged Ritsuko's (Naoko's daughter) friendship with Misato. Ritsuko, in a rare unloading of personal detail, reveals Naoko's plan of the Magi system to Misato after a long day at work. In the anime, Ritsuko had left Gehirn HQ to meet Misato when the events leading up to Naoko's death occurred; in the manga, Ritsuko was on her way out to meet Misato, realized that she had forgotten something, and returned to witness these events.

Personality and psychological health[]

NGE02 73

Misato drinking her favorite beer.

While on the job, Misato is very professional and capable, in stark contrast to her life at home. Until Shinji Ikari's arrival, her living space was a complete mess. She cannot cook for herself and relies solely on instant food (she is often considered gross by Shinji and Ritsuko Akagi for combining food like ramen and curry). She also drinks copious quantities of beer, and drinks one first thing in the morning to get her day started (later in the series she apparently switches to canned coffee as a supplement). She also smokes, though only occasionally and only during chaotic events.

For most of the series, Misato has no apparent issues with displaying and emphasizing her femininity, and enjoys the attention this gains her. She enclosed a picture of herself in the NERV materials sent to Shinji when he was summoned to Tokyo-3. In the picture, she is wearing a skimpy outfit with an arrow pointing to her breasts and a caption which is translated in English as "Pay attention" in the Platinum Edition subtitles and "note the cleavage" in the manga. In volume 2 of the manga, Shinji returns home from school to find the apartment unlocked and Misato in the shower; he thinks to himself, "That's not safe...anyone could walk in!" Kensuke Aida and Toji Suzuhara (Shinji's friend) develop crushes on Misato with the attention she appears to enjoy. First Lieutenant Makoto Hyuga (Misato's subordinate) also falls in love with her (though as opposed to Toji and Kensuke, his feelings are sincere, as shown in The End of Evangelion). He often risks his life and job by providing sensitive information to Misato, and agrees to set NERV HQ to self-destruct when Tabris attacks.

Series director Hideaki Anno described Misato as "...a woman, twenty-nine, who lives life so lightly as to barely allow the possibility of human touch. She protects herself by keeping relationships on the surface, and by running away." The disparity between her professionalism on the job and her slovenliness at home, as well as her issues in her relationships with Dr. Katsuragi (Misato's father) and Ryoji Kaji and the ambiguous nature of her relationship with Shinji, ties into her psychological issues. While grateful to her father for saving her life, she also admits to hating him, as he devoted his life to his work and neglected her and her mother. Her reason for joining NERV (and later, her drive to fight the Angels) is related to her issues with her father. Kaji implies in one discussion that Misato suffers from nightmares about her past, as he describes her as "sleeping uncomfortably." Also, Misato admits "seeking her father in Kaji's embrace."[17]

History[]

Neon Genesis Evangelion[]

The End of Evangelion[]

Misato shinji kiss

Misato's last kiss.

In the events of The End of Evangelion, Misato saves Shinji's life by killing three soldiers under the command of the Japanese Strategic Self Defense Force with her gun. She drags him into her car and drives toward Unit-01's launch bay and is eventually shot in the back while rushing Shinji through the launch bay's door. She shrugs off the wound, then has an intense and emotional conversation with Shinji to get him out of the suicidally defeatist emotional state he is in. She gives Shinji her now bloodstained pendant (just like her father had given it to her), as well as a French kiss, with a promise to "do the rest" when he gets back. She then shoves Shinji into the elevator to the launch bay, and collapses once the doors close. She asks (the now dead) Kaji if she did "the right thing", and remembers Asuka and Pen-Pen. Misato then closed her eyes as JSSDF demolition crews blow up the area, tearing her apart.[18] Just moments before the explosion, an image of Rei is shown above her body. Her remains are then transformed into LCL, which presents the possibility that Misato was complemented and could return to physical form if she had the will to.

In Other Media[]

Neon Genesis Evangelion manga[]

Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's manga essentially maintains Misato's character and story from the anime series, with very slight alterations along the way. The manga explains the advent of Pen Pen, whom Misato saved from euthanasia after the experiment he was the subject of was over. Also, her talk with Ryoji Kaji, in which she confesses to him that he reminded her of her father years ago, happens following not a wedding reception but her promotion party after she (along with everyone present, including Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke) got quite drunk; Kaji took her for a stroll outside (albeit on his back) to help her sober up. At this point, Asuka, who had been following Kaji, walks in on them and expresses her extreme displeasure of the situation. Additionally, instead of bleeding out as in The End of Evangelion, Misato detonates a grenade she had been carrying just as some JSSDF forces break down the barrier, winking at them before taking them out along with her in a murder-suicide. She is then reunited with Kaji, suggesting she did not make it to Instrumentality after all.

The final stage of the manga depicts Shinji's world after he rejected Instrumentality. In this world, he was never an Evangelion pilot, had a few friends who cheered him on, and meets Asuka and Kensuke for the first time on his way to a boarding school in Tokyo (in mid-winter, a season Japan hadn't had since Second Impact). It is unknown how much of the pre-Instrumentality world carries over into this one, although the déjà-vu Shinji experiences suggest that some trace of it has. The most striking aspect occurs in the very last panel, as Shinji leaves the train station to meet the future head on—with Misato's cross pendant tied to his suitcase, fulfilling the promise he made to her in her final moments.

Super Robot Wars[]

In the Super Robot WarsWP games featuring Evangelion and Mobile Suit Gundam (Universal Century), Misato gets a crush on ace pilot Amuro Ray, alluding to their seiyuu's other famous anime roles as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask respectively. She also makes some Sailor Moon comments when admiring the Nobel Gundam from Mobile Fighter G Gundam on Super Robot Wars MX, and points out similarities in voice with Vega from Gear Fighter Dendoh and Murrue Ramius from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (two other characters voiced by Kotono Mitsuishi).

Petit Eva[]

In the Petit Eva: Evangelion@School series, Misato is the homeroom teacher of Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Sohryu at NERV Academy. Here, Misato is shown throwing chalk at anyone she catches falling asleep, including Shinji.

Rebuild of Evangelion[]

Main article: Misato Katsuragi/Rebuild

Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA[]

Main article: Misato Katsuragi/ANIMA

Voice Actors[]

  • Japanese: Kotono Mitsuishi
  • English: Allison Keith, Carrie KeranenWP (Netflix)
  • French: Laurence Bréheret
  • Italian: Stella Musy, Domitilla D'Amico (Netflix)
  • Portuguese (Brazil): Vanessa Alves (Locomotion), Lene Bastos (Animax), Priscila Franco (Netflix)
  • Portuguese (Portugal): Ângela Marques
  • Russian:
  • Spanish (Spain): María Moscardó, Olga Velasco (Netflix)
  • Spanish (Latin America): Toni Rodríguez (Locomotion), Marisol Romero (Animax/Netflix)
  • Catalan:
  • German: Julia Kaufmann
  • Hindi:
  • Korean:
  • Chinese (Simplified):
  • Chinese (Traditional):

Development[]

Misato Proposal

Misato's early designs

Gendo Misato Ritsuko Proposal

Some early designs of Gendo, Ritsuko and Misato.

Like most characters in Evangelion, 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.[19] Hideaki Anno described Misato as "a woman, twenty-nine, who lives life so lightly as to barely allow the possibility of human touch. She protects herself by keeping relationships on the surface, and by running away."[20] Anno originally intended for the protagonist to be a girl, and Misato as an "older-sister" figure supporting her. Sadamoto developed this Misato was conceived as a "girl next door" in the military.[21] 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".[22] Misato's surname Katsuragi means "victory" (katsu) and "to flow" (ragi). To outline her personality, Anno was inspired by Usagi Tsukino, the 14-year-old protagonist of Sailor Moon, thinking of Misato as a more adult Usagi.[23] Sadamoto consequently drew her taking inspiration from Usagi's character design, incorporating her hairstyle.[24] The aesthetic similarities of the characters were emphasized by the choice of the voice actress, Kotono Mitsuishi, who played both roles. Some staff members, such as Jun'ichi Satō, had already worked for the animated version of Sailor Moon.[25] For her physiognomy, staff was also inspired by Fujiko Mine from Lupin III and by the Japanese writer Aya Sugimoto.[26] Early on she was described as an older sister figure for Shinji, and initially would have been a 1st Lieutenant.[27]

Sadamoto decided to give her the appearance of a motorcyclist, inspired by the clothes worn by racers.[28] As a motorsport enthusiast himself, Sadamoto depicted her as a fan of sports cars. It was his idea to give her a modified Renault Alpine A310, designed by mecha designer Ikuto Yamashita,[29] as a tribute to the first episode of Lupin III, where there is a Renault Alpine A110.[30] Misato has a bit of an affinity for European cars in the original series, and is a devotee of this particular marque, on her bedroom wall she has a poster of an A110 during a race. She has also been seen driving a red Ferrari 328 GTS when arriving at Tokyo-3's school. In Rebuild of Evangelion, however, she forgoes the Alpine for a white Mazda Cosmo Sport 110, with a red racing stripe.[31] She carries a Heckler & Koch USP as her personal sidearm, compared to the Glock 17 that the other NERV personnel are seen wielding. It is only seen a few times in the series, but she demonstrates great skill with it.[32]

As with other characters, Anno described Misato as a part of himself. Misato would be, alongside Asuka and Shinji, part of his conscious self. However, Anno felt difficulty in representing a female character, and liked to read romance novels written by women to better understand their feelings.[33] Misato's handwritten note to Shinji in Episode:01 was actually written by Anno himself.[34] Similarly, Misato's apartment is actually a reproduction of Anno's own.[35] Misato's implied sex scene with Kaji in Episode:20 was said by Anno to actually be a massage scene to TV Tokyo in order to get permission to air it.[36] Misato had no line in the script, so Anno left it up to her voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi. The script simply gave her a note by Anno: "Mitsuishi-sama, I look forward to working with you. Respectfully yours, Anno."[37]

References[]

  1. Evangelion, Episode 12; also in the manga
  2. 2.0 2.1 Evangelion, episode 12
  3. Evangelion, episodes 10, 12, and the manga
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Evangelion, episode 21
  5. 5.0 5.1 Evangelion, Episode 08
  6. Evangelion, Episode 04
  7. Misato stretched out her hand to Shinji. At this time she may have intended to offer her to Shinji´I body to com­fort Shinji. However, this was merely substitutive behaviour in or­der to assuage her own loneliness. -Filmbook Vol. 9
  8. Evangelion, Episode 23
  9. '"Evangelion, Episode 25
  10. See Theory and Analysis:Sexuality In Misato and Shinji's Relationship
  11. The theory that Misato had killed Kaji is one of the oldest misconceptions in Eva fandom. This theory shocked Anno so much at the time that he'd later rectify it in the Director's Cut version of Episode 21 by changing the previous "evidence" for this, a shot of her room's door with her name on it, which was changed to just a shot of her apartment complex. This is one of the few cases of a straight-up retcon in Evangelion. This was controversial enough to be addressed by Newtype at the time: "While a lot of fans think that it was done by Misato, Director Anno raised the possibility that it could have been done by Japan government or Seele agent". The film-book also states that the killer was not a main character.
  12. …Who killed Kaji? What’s your version of it?
    This is a question that many Japanese fans also wonder about. Kaji wanted to investigate a deeper part of NERV (SEELE) and learn of its secrets. He was tricked by one of his informants and then killed. It wasn’t Misato or Ritsuko. Tsurumaki, FUNime March 2002 interview
  13. When it was first aired on TV, it seems no few fans suspected that it was Misato that shot Kaji in this episode. In the "video version," dialogue explaining that SEELE has discovered that Kaji has delivered a sample of Adam to Gendo and has made his position precarious has been added and the way the scene where Kaji is shot conects to the next scene has been changed. It leads the audience to think that the culprit is someone on SEELE's side. - Platinum Episode Commentaries
  14. Evangelion, Episode 22
  15. Ritsuko's name, incidentally, was borrowed from a girlfriend of series creator Hideaki Anno that introduced him to sci-fi and shojo manga.: In junior high school, Anno had a friend - nowadays, he says, you would call her a girlfriend - named Ritsuko, who had a major impact on his life and introduced him to sci-fi and shojo manga - 2nd June Interview
  16. Kaji is named from the Japanese word for "rudder", forming a triad with Gendo and Shinji, whose surnames come from the words of other ship components, "anchor" (Ikari) and "sextant" (Rokubungi). See Character Name Origins
  17. Evangelion, Episode 26
  18. DVD commentary for The End of Evangelion.
  19. Character Name Origins at EvaWiki
  20. Hideaki Anno: What were we trying to make here?
  21. The character design request from Anno was that "the lead character is a girl, and has an older-sister type figure like Coach next to her," so it was structurally similar to "Gunbuster". So I first designed an Asuka-type girl as the lead character, but after "Gunbuster" and "Nadia" I felt some resistance to making the lead character a girl again. [...] The most difficult was Misato. So I thought it would be interesting to have someone like the older girl next door as a military person. I really wanted to make her a character who changed her clothes constantly, but I have no fashion sense so I wasn't able to do it. (laugh) I imagined Misato as a looser girl who, taken to the extreme, would be sleeping with all the men at Nerv and so on. Furthermore, she would not think too seriously about all of that... "Interview with Sadamoto Yoshiyuki", Der Mond
  22. Fujie, Foster, pp 121
  23. 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン完全攻略読本
  24. Genesis 0:0 - In The Beginning, transcript
  25. Oguro Staff Commentary #38
  26. Newtype 100% Collection
  27. Misato Katsuragi 1st Lieutenant Age 29 Female She looks more like Shinji’s older sister or guardian rather than his immediate supervisor. Head of Strategy for the secret agency “Nerv” and later the person in charge. She is a 1st Lieutenant. Fairly optimistic. Even though she doesn’t seem like the military type, she is practical inside. She’s an emotional type and gets along well with Shinji. A childish woman for her age. Her hobbies are either going out for a drink or relaxing at home. Quite stubborn with men. - Evangelion Proposal
  28. Sadamoto, Kodasha 2003 interviews
  29. Sore o Nasumoto
  30. Japan Expo 2015
  31. Misato's Car From the Evangelion Movies Gets A Die-Cast Model
  32. IMFDB page on Eva
  33. Eva Special Talk with Anno Hideaki and Toshiya Ueno (Newtype 11/1996) alt. translation
  34. Film Book Vol. 1
  35. Neon Genesis Evangelion Encyclopedia (Gualtieri Cannarsi)
  36. 3.0+1.0 July 12th stage greeting
  37. "What astonished viewers when it aired was not the main plot of Shinji's cosmic struggle, but rather the final love scene of Misato and Kaji. The scene was showing a bedside stand the whole time, and only the audio of the off-screen dialogue was describing it, but it was a wet (sexual) scene in and of itself. In particular, the line "Ew... don't put anything weird in there." had the same destructive power as the Second Impact. The scene with the opened contraceptive device on the bedside table is really graphic. Misato's panting voice was not specified in the dubbing script, but was left up to Kotono Mitsuishi. The script had the words "Mitsuishi-sama, I look forward to working with you. Respectfully yours, Anno." The text of the dubbing script of each story is recorded on the DVD. If you want to enjoy the details of Eva more, you might want to read it. - Oguro commentary #53, translation


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