Evangelion
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Carddass Evangelion Special File (Cover)

The original five plugsuits.

Plugsuits (プラグスーツ?) are form-fitting, full body suits worn by Evangelion pilots in order to increase their Synchronization rate and improve their connection to their Evangelion.

Profile[]

Form-fitting body suits resemble wetsuits used by scuba divers, plugsuits offer pilots a wide variety of utility and protection to aid them in their fights against angels. They, along with Interface Headsets, act as a bridge between the Evangelion units and pilots reducing interference and allowing for higher synchronization rates. While a plugsuit isn't needed to initialize an Evangelion, the higher rates they provide allow for better control of the unit giving the pilot a major combat advantage.

In addition to improving sync rates, All plugsuits contain several devices to monitor the pilot's health condition and provide limited medical aid using the built-in defibrillators to resuscitate the pilot if needed. The suits also have a basic display including an internal clock to display how much internal battery power remains in the Eva and in their suit. This display located on the back of the hand by the wrist cuff.

Plugsuitcompress

Plugsuit 02 before and after compression

When not in use, plugsuits are baggy and loose with a cut along the back to allow for the suit to be worn. First, the pilot steps through the suit, then they pull the chest up over their head. Once the suit is on, a compression button located on the wrist tightens the suit around the pilots figure creating the form-fitting look.

Each plugsuit is custom tailored to the owners sex and build. While the basic form of plugsuits appears to be functionally unisex[1], male and female plugsuits vary in design. Male plugsuits feature an armored look with added vent-like reinforcement around the chest where as the female plugsuits offer no added protection. They also differ in color with male plugsuits being made up of two colors split along the torso where as female plugsuits are often just one color with minor highlights. Despite their differences, both models share various features including a rigid backpack to store the life support and battery. Most plugsuits also include their number located around the neck or at the top of the chest indicating which Unit the pilot is assigned to.

Cross-Continuity[]

Plugsuit 00[]

Worn by Rei Ayanami for use with Evangelion Unit-00, plugsuit 00 is the first shown featuring a brilliant white coloring with dark blue, orange, green and red highlights with a metallic orb located in the center of the suits chest and two circular details on either shoulder. While the suit is first seen with the sleeves removed due to injuries Rei sustained, every subsequent appearance showed the suit fully covering her arms.

In the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, this suit is worn by Rei Ayanami for use with Evangelion Unit-00 (Rebuild). First seen in Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, this suit is originally identical to its Neon Genesis counterpart however in Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance it undergoes a few changes including a change in color of the central orb from metallic to red and the addition of two red diamond shaped pieces to the collar.

Plugsuit 01[]

Worn by Shinji Ikari for use with Evangelion Unit-01, plugsuit 01 has a mix of blue and dark blue along the arms and legs with a very light blue on chest and shoulders. This suit is unique as it is the only commonly used male plugsuit to prominently feature a light color. Like plugsuit 00, this suit has a metallic orb and circular details located in the center of its chest and on its shoulders respectively. A pattern similar to that of an Evangelions body armor can be going down the center of the suit.

In the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, this suit is worn by Shinji Ikari for use with Unit-01. First seen in Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, this suit is originally identical to its Neon Genesis counterpart however in Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance it undergoes a few changes including a change in color of the central orb from metallic to red, a change in color of some lower chest plates from white to gray and the addition of two red diamond shaped pieces to the collar.

Plugsuit 02[]

Worn by Asuka Langley Sohryu for use with Evangelion Unit-02, plugsuit 02 is primarily red with a lime green shape on its chest and black along the arms. Unlike plugsuit 00 and 01, plugsuit 02 does not have any additional details in the center of its chest, instead having two circular details on the sides of its abdomen to match the ones on its shoulders. This plugsuit is also worn by Shinji Ikari during the battle against Gaghiel, much to his embarrassment.

Similar in appearance to plugsuit 02, the D-Type version is designed to handle extreme pressures with the added ability for the suit to inflate into balloon-like proportions when under normal atmospheric pressure and is designed to shrink back to normal size under extreme pressure. This suit is featured along with the D-type equipment to combat the extreme pressure of the planets core.

In the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, this suit is worn by Asuka Shikinami Langley for use with Unit-02. First seen in Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, the original variant of the suit is very similar in appearance to its Neon Genesis counterpart besides the change in color of the compression buttons from red to orange and the addition of two navy diamond shaped pieces to the collar.

Neon Genesis Evangelion[]

Plugsuit 03[]

Worn by Toji Suzuhara for use with Evangelion Unit-03, plugsuit 03 is identical in design to plugsuit 01 with the exception of its top being gray instead of light blue.

SEELE's Plugsuit[]

Worn by Kaworu Nagisa for use with Evangelion Unit-02, SEELE's plugsuit is nearly identical in design to plugsuit 01 with the exception of its top being dark purple instead of light blue. Additionally, this suit includes an inverted-divided triangle symbol reminiscent of SEELE's logo.

Rebuild of Evangelion[]

Plugsuit 02 (Rebuild)[]

This collection of suits are worn by Asuka Shikinami Langley for use with the various revisions of Evangelion Unit-02 (Rebuild). First seen in Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, the original variant of the suit is nearly identical in appearance to its Neon Genesis counterpart besides the change in color of the compression buttons from red to orange.

In the Evangelion 3.0 (-120 min.) prequel manga, Asuka wears a variant of plugsuit 02 which shares similarities to both the original plugsuit 02 as well as the multipurpose plugsuit design. The arms and legs appear to be unchanged from the original however its body has many similarities to the latter as it shares the large points coming down the chest, the circle in the center of the chest, the line details coming from over the shoulders and across the chest and the enlarged sleeves. While the colors aren't known since it was only ever printed in black and white, it's reasonable to assume the suit is mostly red with black details under the arms and some highlight color used in various places across the chest and arms.

In Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo shows a damaged variant of plugsuit 02 along with a helmet for added protection. In terms of design, it is mostly the same as the original plugsuit 02, however some areas have been changed slightly including the addition of black lines above the legs and a second circular detail on the left side of the body. Areas of the suit have been damaged and repaired using orange and red tape tape. Damage to the left leg of the suit lead to the removal of the black stripe exposing some sort of sensor on which has been mostly covered with tape. The helmet of the suit is red with two fins along the top and a reflective black visor which covers the entire face.

Evangelion 3.0 also introduces a new variant to plugsuit 02 featuring the most complex color pattern yet with red on the body and arms, white on the shoulders and dark purple along the legs and feet among many highlights including green on the shoulders and blue in the chest and along the collar. Evangelion 3.333 later retconned this design replacing it with a suit more reminiscent of the original with red on the body and hands, purple on the shoulders and dark red along the legs. Despite the recoloring, the actual color blocks of the suit are unchanged between the two variants.

Eva Manned Activation Experiment Test Subject Multipurpose Biosensor Equipped Plugsuit[]

Eva Manned Activation Experiment Test Subject Multipurpose Biosensor Equipped Plugsuit (エヴァ有人起動実験被験者各種検査テスト用プラグスーツ 決定?)[2] (TEST plugsuit for short) is a plugsuit worn by Asuka Shikinami Langley for use with Unit-03. Designed by Shigeto Koyama, the suit is entirely unique featuring translucent orange across the body, opaque red along the sides of the arms, collar and legs, several lime green circular details spread across the body and shoulders and black spikes on the wrists. Test is written in black across the chest and backpack. This suit has some sort of sensor coming off the neck and has a notably unique Interface Headset.

The design started off with a rough sketch by Hideaki Anno, but then was developed and refined by Shigeto Koyama, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and idol pop-singer loving staffers of Kazuya Tsurumaki's Diebuster. Koyama came up with the idea of having the torso section transparent and lined with sensors arranged like buttons, and Yoshiyuki Sadamoto took that and arranged the concept to its final form. The sensors attached to Asuka's hair on her head retain the bunny girl-like concept that Anno first proposed. [3]

Customized Entry Plugsuit (Old Type)[]

Worn by Mari Illustrious Makinami for use with Evangelion Provisional Unit-05. the customized entry plugsuit varies widely from other designs in both form and function. In terms of appearance, the plugsuit mainly features a mix of light and dark green on the body and shoulders, yellow on the hips and bust and white on the legs. The white sections of the suit are textured in a grid pattern resembling sewn fabric. Many circular details are spread across the shoulders and body with two large gold sections on the sides of the hips and a red orb is centered on the chest.

The hands and wrists of this suit are very glove like in appearance with the wrists of this suit having fin like extensions with gold tips. These extensions exist so the customized entry plugsuit can be physically connected to the Evangelion as unlike other suits, initialization can not occur without a physical connection. To facilitate this connection, six cables from inside the Entry Plug connect to these ports. Finally, this suit features a green helmet with pointed red visor covering the eyes and a red gem on the forehead. The front of the visor is made up of two halves and is engraved with Evangelion-05 and Provisional on it. When in use, the tubes connecting to the wrists and the text on the visor glow a vibrant green.

The green coloring of the plugsuit was inspired by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's image of England and the presence of a large number of connectors symbolize the plug suit as being older and less refined. The helmet worn is designed to increase the pilot's synchronization rates, and the red protective cover is not a visor but actually is the projected screen surface of a head mounted display system.[4]

Multipurpose (New Type) Plugsuit (Mari Custom Livery)[]

Worn by Mari Makinami Illustrious, this suit is seemingly designed for either a completed Provisional Unit-05 or Evangelion Unit-08, the suit is primarily pink with large white points coming down the sides of the body, a dark purple collar and various black and gold markings. The sleeves are enlarged at the ends and along with the center of the chest, contain circular mechanisms with a connection to an EVA's Beast mode. When activated, these mechanisms light up and spin.

Multipurpose (New Type) Plugsuit (Asuka Custom)[]

Worn by Asuka Shikinami Langley, this suit is the same as the one used by Mari Makinami Illustrious, but colored with Asuka's colors. It is featured in the EVANGELION 3.0 (-120 min.) motion comic

Plugsuit 06[]

Worn by Kaworu Nagisa for use with Evangelion Mark.06, plugsuit 06 is primarily navy with medium purple on the chest and shoulders, a red collar and various black highlights. This suit shares many design traits with the Multipurpose plugsuit including the large white points coming down the body and the enlarged wrists however unlike that suit, it also includes the striping on the chest from other male plugsuits.

Plugsuit 08[]

Worn by Mari Makinami Illustrious for use with Evangelion Unit-08, plugsuit 08 is identical in form to the latest plugsuit 02 variants and similarly has two designs. In Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, the suit is extremely complex with pink on the torso and lower arms, white below the bust and on the sleeves, dark purple on the legs, a blue collar and various red highlights. Much like plugsuit 02, Evangelion 3.333 changed the original design to simplify the colors with the entire suit three shades of pink with light pink being used on the body, medium pink on the legs and dark pink on the arms with a blue collar and white, black and red as highlights. Despite the recoloring, the actual color blocks of the suit are unchanged between the two variants. The redesigned version is later seen in Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time.

Plugsuit 09[]

Worn by Rei Ayanami (tentative name) for use with Evangelion Mark.09, plugsuit 09 features a dark colorscheme with very dark gray across the body, medium gray on the arms, black across the body and legs and various dark red and medium green highlights.

In Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time the plugsuit undergoes a color shift where all the dark gray becomes brilliant white, likely as an homage to the color scheme of plugsuit 00.

Plugsuit 13[]

Worn by Shinji Ikari and Kaworu Nagisa for use with Evangelion 13, the two variants of plugsuit 13 are identical in form to plugsuit 06 however they somewhat differ in colors.

Shinji's version of the suit features dark purple above the elbows and chest with medium purple on the lower portions of the body and the lowercase letter Alpha (α) engraved into the backpack. Kaworu's version is reversed with dark purple on the bottom and medium purple on the top with the uppercase letter Alpha (A) engraved into the backpack. Both versions of the suits have various dark red and medium green highlights.

WILLE Plugsuit[]

Worn by the WILLE crew during the Paris Assault Mission, these plugsuits are unique as their purpose is to protect the crew from the red earth rather than to boost synchronization rates while piloting an Evangelion. While these plugsuits have a male and female design, they share the same purpose and features. The male design of this suit is a blueish gray with a bright orange vest resembling a life jacket where as the female design appears to be nearly identical to plugsuit 02 barring the color which varies across a wide range of colors including yellow, green and purple. Additionally, these suits include helmets identical to the one seen in use with the damaged plugsuit 02. These suits also include special technology in their soles to allow the user to thumbstick to surfaces.

Deep-Dive Pressure-Resistant Prototype Plugsuit[]

Deep-Dive Pressure-Resistant Prototype Plugsuit (深々度ダイブ用耐圧試作プラグスーツ?) is worn by Asuka and Mari during Operation Yamato.

Shikinami Series Trial Plugsuit[]

This plugsuit was worn by Asuka Shikinami Langley and the other Shikinami series clones in the Rebuild of Evangelion movies while testing their Evangelion piloting aptitude. The suit is mainly dark red however it has large areas of orange across the body and arms with dark gray on the inside of the legs and arms. The dark gray has a black striped pattern over it which carries through some areas of the body. Since the suit was designed for testing, it has a very mechanical appearance featuring a large number of straps, padding and plating with a greatly enlarged collar showing a particularly dark black suit beneath it.

Similarly to the Customized Entry (Old Type) plugsuit, this suit features glowing pipes connecting the suit to the Evangelion when in use. Additionally, while not shown being worn, the suit also features a helmet which greatly resembles that of the Customized Entry suit.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA[]

The plugsuits worn in the ANIMA series, these suits are unique as they all feature.

Orichalcum Weave Plugsuit[]

Also known as Plugsuit Oreikhalkos, it is partially composed of a very fine mesh made of the lead based compound Orichalcum which prevents the pilot’s synch ratio from going above 100% thus preventing possible absorption by the EVA. After regaining her human form following her temporary absorption by Unit 02 Asuka wears this plugsuit in order to prevent being reabsorbed and turning back into Crimson A1.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Battle Orchestra[]

Plugsuit 04[]

Worn by Kensuke Aida for use with Evangelion Unit-04, plugsuit 04 is identical in design to plugsuit 01 with the exception of the top being yellow instead of light blue. While it is worn by Kensuke, the suit does not actually have a designated pilot.

Evangelion Battlefields[]

Evangelion Battlefields is a mobile game loosely based on the Rebuild of Evangelion series of films. While most characters in the game use suits from that series, the introduction of new characters also brought with it a handful of new suits as well.

Test Type Plugsuit[]

The Test Type Plugsuit (試験型プラグスーツ?) is worn by Kotone Suzunami in Evangelion Battlefields during Case 01. The suit is mainly dark fuchsia with white under the arms and bust, a large yellow point on the chest and various lime and yellow details scattered throughout the suit. Its shape is entirely unique and relatively simple compared to many of the others as it doesn't feature any striping, numbering or black, a color which nearly every other plugsuit uses as a contrasting color.

After the first case and the 14 year timeskip, the suit is revised into the Test Type Plugsuit (Revised) (試験型プラグスーツ(改)?).[5] While this suit shares many similarities as the original, there are some notable differences including the removal of lime accents in favor of teal, the inclusion of purple around the shoulder and forearms, a slight change to the triangle on the chest and the color of the gloves being changed from white to black. The color of the suit is also noticeably brighter.

Trivia[]

  • The official translation for plugsuits changed between the original series and the Rebuild of Evangelion film series with the former referring to them as "plugsuits" (one word) and the latter referring to them as "plug suits" (two words). The reason for this difference unknown. This page refers to all suits, regardless of continuity as "plugsuit" for the sake of consistency.
  • The colour scheme of Rehydrophonesi's plugsuit is likely left over from the original design of Unit-00 which was white with orange highlights.
  • Yamashita on the plugsuits: it explains that the plugsuits have their collar hollowed to better accommodate the DSS Choker, and also that it's shaped in a way to direct most of the force of the detonation toward the pilot's neck to guarantee their death, he also adds that just below that the plugsuits have hydrophones and that's how the pilot can talk in the LCL. Note this might only apply to the 'Rebuild films.

References[]

  1. Neon Genesis Evangelion, Episode 8
  2. Evangelion 2.0 Complete Records Collection - https://www.gwern.net/docs/eva/2010-crc#asukas-plugsuit
  3. Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance DVD Booklet by Madman Anime Australian release
  4. Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance DVD Booklet by Madman Anime Australian release
  5. There are multiple translations and uses for the ideogram 改 (Kai), in the Evangelion franchise, there are examples of it being used as Kai, Custom, Revised and so on.


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