The Angel Watch
This page is dedicated to the study of
the enigmatic creatures of Neon Genesis Evangelion - the
Angels, enemies of NERV and mankind. Also featured on
this page are the part-mechanical bio-engineered
entities, the 'children' of an Angel, the Evangelions.
- AT field:
- All the Angels are able to generate an AT field -
a directional, octagonal force field that is
capable of stopping all known projectiles and
weapons.
- Only mono-weapons can cut through the field, and
an EVA may nullify it by generating an AT field
of an opposing wavelength. Alternatively, if
enough energy can be concentrated into one shot
(like the positron rifle attack against Ramiel)
the field may be penetrated. But the latter
Angels have more and more powerful fields...
- Power source:
- All the Angels carry a power source with them. It
is a round, red object which supplies them with
all the energy they need for their weapons, AT
fields and other special abilities.
- Regeneration:
- The Angels are capable of continuing their
operations even after being hit by an N2-mine.
This is due to their fast regeneration
capabilities which can even replace lost body
parts (Sachiel grows a new head, Israfel divides
into two).
- Adaptability:
- The Angels can survive in great many
environments, including underwater, lava and even
the vacuum of space, without any support
equipment.
- Uniqueness:
- All the Angels are unique beings, like humans,
and there is only a set amount of them. All the
Angels probably have personality of some kind,
although only the last Angels exhibit this
'quality'. Iriel seems to understand the concept
of human emotion very well, Armisael is capable
of intelligent conversation with Rei, and Tabris
has a very human personality.
[Back to top]
![[Sachiel]](eva/Nge-sach.html) Appr. size :
Equal to an EVA
Propulsion :
Land movement primarily by foot
Has an unknown means of propulsion used for
underwater movement. This same system was also
used to perform great leaps on land. The system
apparently uses concentrated blasts of air (and
water when submerged?).
Weapons :
Hand-to hand combat in close quarters.
Both arms had an energy "lance" inside
them which could be shot forward through its
hands. Range limited to about double the reach of
it's arms.
A long-range, high-power energy beam able to
devastate entire city blocks, apparently shot
from its eyes.
Tactics :
Even with it's ranged weaponry Sachiel seemed to
prefer close combat. However, it's strength was
considerable, allowing it to duke it out with
Unit-01 on equal footing.
Appears in :
NGE 0:1 episodes 1 and 2
Death :
Defeated by the berserk Unit-01, self-destructed.
Notes:
Sachiel was perhaps most human-like of the Angels
(but also see #13), having definite limbs and
head. It seemed more interested in confronting
the EVA-01 than entering the geofront. The single
attack it made on Tokyo-3 was like saying 'come
out or else...' It also knew the right place to
wait for the emerging Unit-01.
For some reason, Sachiel reminds me of the horror
movie Halloween... I wonder why? ;)
[Back to top]
![[Shamshel]](eva/Nge-sham.html) Appr. size :
Somewhat larger than an EVA
Propulsion :
Flies (method of flight unknown - an antigravity
field?)
Hovers(?) when it moves into vertical position
and retracts its short legs.
Weapons :
Two high-power "whips" as its hands.
They have short range but are very powerful; they
penetrated Unit-01's body effortlessly! The whips
can also be used for grabbing objects.
No other weapons apparent - perhaps it didn't
have a change to use them...
Tactics :
The limited weaponry severy restricts this
Angel's combat tactics. It had to get close to
its target before it could strike. This is just
what Shamshel did with Unit-01; close quarters
fighting without allowing the opponent to have a
moment's respite.
Appears in :
NGE 0:2 episode 3
Death :
Defeated by Shinji in EVA-01. The corpse was
recovered intact.
Notes:
Like Sachiel, Shamshel seemed more interested in
confronting the Unit-01 than attacking the NERV
central. Perhaps part of their mission was to
gauge the stength of the opposition...
[Back to top]
![[Ramiel]](eva/Nge-rami.html) Appr. size :
Hard to approximate. I'd say at least ten times
the height of an EVA, from the very top to the
bottom.
Propulsion :
Flies (method of flight unknown) - obviously has
no other modes.
Weapons :
A powerful energy ray which may be sustained over
long periods of time (see its first attack
against Unit-01). Before Ramiel could shoot the
ray it had to charge it, which was detectable by
NERV sensors. However, this didn't give the EVAs
much of an advantage.
A drill in its bottom. Was used to dig through
ground and the steel layers into the geofront.
Tactics :
Shoot everything hostile which gets inside
certain radius, plus defend agaist all hostile
actions. The range of the energy ray was very
long (perhaps up to the horizon?) which made this
Angel very, very dangerous.
Appears in :
NGE 0:3 episodes 5 and 6
Death :
Defeated by Rei (Unit-00) and Shinji (Unit-01) in
a joint operation, using an experimental particle
cannon.
Notes:
Ramiel had a definite goal: to penetrate into the
geofront and the NERV headquarters. It is unclear
what it was going to do after drilling through
the plates.
Ramiel was certainly one of the toughest Angels
in the early episodes. It was able to hurt Shinji
pretty badly and put up a decent fight before
going down - something the next few Angels didn't
do.
Ramiel had very fast reactions as it was able to
employ its AT field against every single attack
directed against it. Note that the particle
cannon was too powerful for the field to stop
(but it was powered by the entire output of
Japan's electric plants...).
The first battle with Unit-01 proves again that
Angels are able to track EVAs beyond their visual
range. But this should not be surprising, they
are after all from the same origins...
[Back to top]
![[Gaghiel]](eva/Nge-gagh.html) Appr. size :
Big enough to swallow an EVA whole! :)
Propulsion :
Swims, no other known methods.
Weapons :
Gaghiel didn't seem to wield any offensive
weaponry. It relied on it's huge bulk and maw to
destroy any ships that got into its way. Its
superior maneuverability made the battleships
sitting ducks.
Gaghiel's bite was strong enough to pin down
Unit-02.
Tactics :
Charge, ram and sink. Massive size DOES have its
advantages... And if those pesky humans employ
their EVAs, drag 'em down and drown them too!
Appears in :
NGE 0:4 episode 8
Death :
Defeated by Asuka and Shinji using the Unit-02
together.
Notes:
What most of the people in the UN fleet didn't
know (none except Kaji, actually) was that
Gaghiel wasn't after the Unit-02. It was hunting
the Adam specimen, carried by Kaji. Unit-02 was
with the fleet to defend it when the Angels would
eventually attack.
[Back to top]
![[Israfel]](eva/Nge-isra.html) Appr. size :
About equal to an EVA, divided and together
Propulsion :
Walks, no other methods apparent.
Weapons :
Well, the weapons didn't get much screen time.
The first confrontation was completely
off-screen. Some kind of energy beam is evident,
but its actual power is unknown.
Tactics :
Huh? The Angel didn't do much else but get
attacked (twice) and defeated. No much time for
using any tactical maneuvers. Just too bad, this
was about the only time where it would have been
possible to see two Angels acting
together.
Appears in :
NGE 0:5 episode 9
Death :
Defeated by Asuka (Unit-02) and Shinji (Unit-01)
in a joint operation.
Notes:
Definitely one of the most un-innovative Angels
of the series, even despite its ability to divide
itself (into how many parts?). Israfel was a
complete pushover once Shinji and Asuka got their
act together. The Angels made a bad blunder on
this one, it should have gone into fray before
Shamshel.
[Back to top]
![[Sandalphon]](eva/Nge-sand.html) Appr. size :
About two-three times the size of an EVA
Propulsion :
Swims. Obviously, this works only when moving
through liquid substances.
So, what Sandalphon was going to do after getting
out of the volcano? Crawl? Fly?
Weapons :
A bit like Gaghiel, Sandalphon relied on physical
strength. It had two huge 'arms' that were used
for grappling and punching, plus a strange mouth
which seemed to have a wicked bite.
Tactics :
Since it probably had no ranged attacks,
Sandalphon had to get close to its opponents. In
its sole fight against Unit-02, this was
exceedingly easy as it was restrained by the
cables that lowered it into the volcano.
Appears in :
NGE 0:5 episode 10
Death :
Defeated by Asuka in Unit-02, using
high-temperature gear, with some back-up from
Shinji inUnit-01.
Notes:
Since this Angel had incubated inside a magma
flow, it had some interesting qualities, like
being immune to the progressive knife's blade and
was able to open its mouth while inside the magma
flow. Just imagine getting your mouth full of
boiling water!
Asuka comes up with one of the more innovative
ways of killing an Angel when tackling with
Sandalphon. She sprays coolant liquid over it,
making its skin brittle, then strikes with the
progressive knife.
Note how Sandalphon disintegrates after being
killed. Why? Was the heat resistance some kind of
special ability that stopped working when it
died?
[Back to top]
![[Matariel]](eva/Nge-mata.html) Appr. size :
Hard to say, but I'd guess the body had a
fourty-meter diameter
Propulsion :
Walks with four huge, arachnid legs.
Weapons :
Because the Tokyo-3 defense grid was down during
Matariel's attack, we don't see it use any ranged
weapons (if it had any...).
Matariel employed an odd weapon against NERV and
the EVAs: acidic tears. Very useful, considering
that the pilots feel everything that the EVAs
feel.
Tactics :
This Angel was sent to attack the NERV directly.
Apparently its intention was to destroy the NERV
headquarters (and the entire geofront?) by
pouring ultra-strong acid into the ventilation
shafts. Oddly, the NERV's power needed to
be down for this to succeed; if the EVAs had been
fully operational, this would have never worked
due to amount of time needed.
Appears in :
NGE 0:6 episode 11
Death :
Defeated by all three EVAs (00-02) in a joint
operation.
Notes:
The Angel was obviously surprised by the EVA
attack - it never had time even to employ its AT
field... as if it was expecting the EVAs to be
inoperational.
Note the eye symbolism of this Angel... but this
one wasn't so all-seeing or it would have been
able to defend itself.
[Back to top]
![[Sahaquiel]](eva/Nge-saha.html) Appr. size :
Based on the single close encounter with the EVAs
I'd estimate it to be around 300 meters.
Propulsion :
Flies. Has orbital flight capability
Weapons :
The Angel shot down small pieces of itself from
high orbit, causing great destruction. As
Sahaquiel is mentioned using its AT field in the
attack, these pieces are probably somehow wrapped
inside small, separate AT fields which causes
them to detonate with great power.
The Angel itself is a weapon, too. Its whole body
is one huge bomb, capable of devastating entire
Tokyo-3 and the surrounding countryside.
Tactics :
Bombardment. At first, Sahaquiel stayed at high
orbit and dropped its 'bombs' down on Tokyo-3's
surroundings (and was out of the reach of the
EVAs). Then it decided to drop one huge bomb on
Tokyo-3; itself.
Note how this Angel's goal differs from that of
the others'; it wants to wipe NERV central off
the map. How this could help the Angels to
achieve their ultimate goal is anyone's guess...
Appears in :
NGE 0:6 episode 12
Death :
Units 00-02 defeated the Angel in a joint
operation.
Notes:
Why the Angel didn't stay safely in orbit and
bombard NERV out of existence? Did the 'practice
shots' prove it that it didn't have enough
firepower to breach the Geofront's shielding? (It
took Ramiel quite a while to drill through all
those layers...)
Once it had decided to drop down, why it wanted
to wait until it touched the ground? Once it saw
that the EVAs were attempting to stop it, why not
press the switch and go 'boom' in the air? Surely
it didn't want to burrow underground before
exploding? :)
Note again the Angel's huge eyes.
This Angel had potential to become a major threat
to NERV, bombing its opposition off the map from
orbit. For some reason it decided to drop down
and become an easy target for the EVAs (a stupid
move, IMNSHO). The tactic sucked.
[Back to top]
![[Ireul]](eva/Nge-ireu.html) Appr. size :
Microscopic, but there are LOTS of units in its
body.
Propulsion :
Unknown. The only method of 'movement' this Angel
displays is by growing.
Weapons :
Apparently none. But then again, Ireul was not
meant to combat EVAs (even though it showed
capability to take over the controls of the dummy
EVAs).
Tactics :
Infiltration. Unlike its precedessors, Ireul
relied on stealth to get inside NERV central,
which probably means it was there even before
Sahaquiel (above) attacked.
This Angel had a very special defence: rapid
evolution. If a weakness was discovered in it,
the Angel was able to evolve into a resistant
form. This was also its weakness, as evolution
can lead into dead ends...
Ireul's ultimate goal was to take over the MAGI
supercomputer and through it to destroy NERV. But
how it became aware of the MAGI in the first
place?
Appears in :
NGE 0:7 episode 13
Death :
Destroyed by MAGI. It is never explained just
how, but my guess is that it used its superior
computing power and forced the Angel to shut down
or evolve into some harmless form.
Notes:
For some reason, Gendo wanted to keep the
existence of this Angel a secret. Why he didn't
want SEELE to know that an Angel had penetrated
into NERV? Did he think they would lose
confidence in him? Was the attack something they
hadn't predicted?
Who says the Angels have to be big to be bad?
Ireul was one of the deadliest threats to NERV,
especially because the EVAs would have had
difficulties fighting such a nanomachine beast.
One of the weirdest Angels of the entire series,
too...
So, three Angels in a row that directly attempt
to destroy NERV... whatever they are trying to
achieve, they are getting real desparate
with the means.
[Back to top]
![[Leliel]](eva/Nge-leli.html) Appr. size :
The real Angel was approximately 600 meters/2000
feet wide (but really thin).
The spherical shadow was much smaller, I'd guess
around 50 meters.
Propulsion :
Gliding? The Angel was ground-bound but seemed to
have no difficulties getting past large objects.
Perhaps its body was elastic?
Weapons :
No 'normal' offensive weaponry... note how Angels
with cannons are getting real scarce (Thus far,
Israfel was the last sporting beam weapons).
Instead, the Angel's whole body acted as a
one-way gate into an alternate 'reality', a dirac
space of sorts wrapped inside a reversed AT
field. NOTE: The dirac space is a real term used
in physics, but I won't go into that
here...
Tactics :
Since the Angel was invulnerable to conventional
weapons (including lasers and particle cannons
and stuff like that) it didn't need to concern
itself with any defensive maneuvers.
Offensively, Leliel did very little. It gobbled
up Unit-01 and then stopped. This brings up the
question what its goal really was? If it was
attempting to attack NERV central it did a lousy
job. But if its real goal was to gather
information on the EVAs and the pilots...
However, it did succeed to cut NERV's offensive
power into two-thirds of the original. Perhaps it
intended to destroy more EVAs once Shinji had
died. Who knows...
Appears in :
NGE 0:8 episode 16
Death :
Destroyed by (berserk?) Unit-01. Actually, this
was a side effect of the EVA climbing out of the
Angel's body, I think (more like an 'accident'
than any real intent to kill).
Notes:
Another oddball Angel, this one (pun intended :).
A flat dirac-space Angel throwing a spherical
shadow into the sky? I mean, these creatures are
getting weirder by the moment!
Despite the sphere being just a shadow, Leliel
didn't want it to be shot at; it vanished every
time someone was attacking it, only to reappear
moments later (in a different location?). Perhaps
it was a way into its body... Unit-01 used it as
an exit, but who's gonna make any sense out of
these ten-dimensional maths?
And finally, was it just Shinji getting insane or
what caused him to have those strange dreams
while inside Leliel? Was it really attempting to
communicate like SEELE later suspected?
[Back to top]
![[Bardiel]](eva/Nge-bard.html) Appr. size :
About the size of Unit-03 ;)
Propulsion :
Walks, no other methods.
Weapons :
Well, since this Angel was really an EVA, it
could have used any EVA-designed weapons.
Instead, it relied on close combat, plus some
strange liquid (its real body?)
The arms (and other parts?) of the Angel were
very elastic, a definitive advantage in a melee.
Tactics :
Bardiel didn't much care for subtlety. It blew up
the test site where it took control (infected?)
Unit-03 and then set towards NERV central with a
leisurely pace.
As mentioned above, Bardiel preferred close
combat. It had two chances to equip itself with
EVA weapons (from Units 00 and 02) but it didn't
do so. It seemed to be aware of the link between
the pilot and the EVA and used this to its
advantage.
Appears in :
NGE 0:9 episode 18
Death :
Destroyed by Unit-01 (again...) controlled by the
dummy plug system.
Notes:
A second Angel trying to get close and personal
with a pilot...
The 'real' form of this Angel remains a mystery.
There was some kind of an Angel inside the
Unit-03 which then took control of it. The liquid
it used on Unit-00 could have been its real body
or just some substance generated by the Angel. Go
figure...
[Back to top]
![[Zeruel]](eva/Nge-zeru.html) Appr. size :
Just slightly larger than your average EVA unit
Propulsion :
Walks and flies.
Weapons :
Two 'toilet-paper' arms, able to reach over long
distances. These arms seem to use a similar
method as the EVA progressive knives as their
cutting power is simply incredible!
An eye ray, similar to what Sachiel
used (check out those explosions!), but much more
powerful. It took out 18 layers of the Geofront's
protective layers in a single shot! Also, the
rate of fire appears to be higher.
Tactics :
Charge! Those puny EVA weapons cannot harm you,
even if they neutralize your AT field! Only close
combat is chancy, but who can approach a being
with such an awesome firepower and lethal
weapons?
Appears in :
NGE 0:10 episode 19
Death :
Destroyed and eaten by berserk Unit-01
Notes:
The first Angel to breach through Tokyo-3 and the
Geofront all the way to NERV HQ with the use of
brute force. As it also defeated two of the EVAs
with relative ease (well, Unit-00 was not yet in
full repair) it is safe to say that Zeruel was
the most powerful Angel to date.
Return to the old ways? The last several Angels
have been trying to act clever and sneaky, but
Zeruel disposes such subtleties, making a very
impressive entrance indeed into the Geofront.
Event though Zeruel was caught inside the N2-mine
explosion, it didn't damage it at all. While both
Sachiel and Israfel
had stopped to regenerate after being hit by a
mine, Zeruel did not.
[Back to top]
![[Iriel]](eva/Nge-irie.html) Appr. size :
Impossible to say. We are offered no point of
reference.
Propulsion :
Flies. Has orbital capability.
Weapons :
A ray of light that is actually a mental attack.
It digs deep into the mind and subconscious of
its target, bringing out all the bad memories,
shames and mistakes. Asuka described it well:
"It is defiling my mind!"
Tactics :
So, Sahaquiel made a slight
mistake... Iriel has learned from that and stays
high in the orbit, outside the range of NERV
defense grid and most of the EVA weapons. Since
the ray has a superior range, why bother taking a
risk and coming into range of those EVAs. Not
that their weapons would have any effect, anyway.
Appears in :
NGE 0:11 episode 21
Death :
Destroyed by Rei in Unit-00 with the lance of
Longinus
Notes:
Again, the Angels have made a complete change in
tactics. Instead of sending another combat-moster
that Zeruel was, they send in
Iriel, which attacks the psyche of the pilots.
Unit-02 didn't much like the effect of the mind
attack, either.
One weapon did have enough range to reach the
Angel: the positron rifle. Unfortunately, it did
not have enough power to penetrate the AT field.
Gendo had been waiting for something like Iriel.
As he explained to Fuyutski, it offered a perfect
opportunity to get rid of the lance of Longinus.
What he fails to mention is why the lance hinders
his plans.
Anyway, Rei's attack against the Angel with the
spear reveals the hidden quality of the weapon;
it is able to penetrate (all kinds of ?) AT
fields!
This Angel was the final straw for Asuka. With
all her past pains resurfacing, her sync ratio
dropped like a stone.
[Back to top]
![[Armisael]](NGE-ARMI.html) Appr. size :
Uh-uh. The exact length of this Angel keeps
changing, especially after it's other end has
attached to Unit-00. There seemed to be no limit
to the stretching ability of Armisael.
Propulsion :
Flies.
Weapons :
No Ranged weaponry. Instead, Armisael used it's
own body as a weapon, attaching it onto an EVA
and attempting a bio-fusion. This had severe
consequences for the pilot s well...
As the Angel was able to effortlessly penetrate
AT fields, it's bio-fusion attack was a very
dangerous weapon. Add to this the apparent
invulnerability to EVA weapons, and you have a
real killer in your hands!
Tactics :
Armisael was content to just wait and fly around
until NERV sent it's EVAs to dispose of it. Again
I must question the true intentions of this
Angel. Was it really attempting to reach the
Terminal Dogma, or was its true purpose to
contact a pilot?
Appears in :
NGE 0:12 episode 23
Death :
Killed in the self-destruction of Unit-00
Notes:
This Angel raises a lot of questions. What was it
trying to accompish with the bio-fusion? A union
of an Angel and an EVA (not that it hadn't been
attempted before; see Bardiel)
to create a new weapon? Increase its
understanding of mankind? Or simply neutralize
the EVA threat?
Armisael was also the first Angel to have a (more
or less) coherent conversation with a pilot. Was
it attempting to understand human feelings? Its
own feelings?
And what about Armisael's fluctuating pattern? It
didn't stay blue... Was it field test of some
ability for the next Angel, who was able to hide
its pattern completely?
[Back to top]
![[Tabris]](eva/Nge-tabr.html) Appr. size :
An average 14-year old boy :)
Propulsion :
Walks (what a surprise...) and flies.
Weapons :
Tabris itself doesn't seem to have any kind of
offensive capabilities. Instead, it took control
of Unit-02 and let her to do the fighting. Tabris
was able to this because the original spirit
controlling the EVA (Asuka) had gone into hiding
(she was in a coma or somesuch).
Tactics :
Tabris had taken a human form and acted the part
of Kaworu Nagisa, the Fifth Child. In the guise
of Kaworu, he was sent by SEELE into NERV as a
replacement pilot for Unit-02.
Appears in :
NGE 0:12 episode 24
Death :
Killed by Shinji in Unit-01
Notes:
It feels like most of the earlier Angels were
just laying groundwork for the eventual arrival
of Tabris, examining humans and their emotions,
slowly building a concept for Tabris to act upon.
Meaning, it was because of the attempts of the
other Angels Tabris was able to act as a human.
But this is just my gut feeling...
So SEELE sent Tabris to NERV. This means they
have had dealings with the Angels before, but up
to what extent? Were they even allies? At least
Tabris was willing to chummy with SEELE to gain
entry into NERV HQ.
The reason why SEELE sent him in was simple: to
intiate the Third Impact. But why to destroy the
sixteen earlier Angels and let the last one get
through? Why didn't they just let Sachiel do the
job and get over with it? (and realise that Gendo
had lied to them; he had Lilith instead of Adam
in the vault.)
Why did Gendo let Kaworu into NERV HQ in the
first place? Why to accept a gift from your
enemies? And they had a classroom full of
qualified pilot canditates to choose from... Oh,
and Gendo did know Kaworu was Tabris. He
has read the Dead Sea Scrolls, rememeber? The
only reasonable explanation I can come up with is
Gendo wanted to kill the Last Angel as soon as
possible and so let him come.
But: it is reasonable to assume that SEELE knows
the extent of Gendo's knowledge. So, they would
know that Gendo will recognise the Last Angel.
Then, why didn't they become suspicious when
their he accepted the Angel? "Yeah, send the
Angel in, I'll take him." Didn't they really
see from the beginning that their plan ran a huge
risk for failure? A plan that could be attempted
only once. My head hurts... Overanalysis is
lethal for creativity. :)
And finally, what did Tabris suddenly realize
when he saw Lilith in the Terminal Dogma instead
of Adam? Why did he suddenly decide he wanted to
die instead of initiating the Third Impact? The
mysteries...
[Back to top]
![[Unit-00]](eva/Nge-u-00.html) Pilot :
The First Child, Rei Ayanami
Unit-00 was the first operational Evangelion to
be built by NERV. It thus became the prototype
unit, and the test results of this model probably
greatly influenced the design plans of the next
models. Unit-00 is the only EVA with a
single-eyed 'helmet'. Note, that NERV had made
many attempts at buildng EVAs before they finally
succeeded with what became to be know as Unit-00.Unit-00
had some problems during its activation. It went
berserk during the final phase, severely injuring
Rei as it discharged the dummy plug. Dr. Akagi
commented that it was caused by sudden mental
instability in the pilot...
Originally, Unit-00 had an orange/white/black
color scheme. After its successful activation the
scheme was changed into blue/white/black and the
customary EVA 'shoulder pads' were installed.
This Unit relied on an umbilical cable for
continued power feed.
Unit-00's first actual combat mission was the
fight against the Fifth Angel, Ramiel,
where it defended Unit-01 from the Angel's
positron beams and was damaged severely. After
this, it was not seen in action before the Matariel attacked.
When NERV performed pilot compatibility tests
by placing different pilots inside different
Units, the Unit-00 went berserk again when Shinji
was placed inside. The reason for this behaviour
remains somewhat unclear. I personally suspect
the tests were performed just to find out if the
EVAs would accept others that just their
designated pilots, some type of premilinary tests
for the dummy plug systen perhaps.
Unit-00 suffered heavy damage in the fights
against Bardiel (lost an arm) and Zeruel (head
damaged). Rei self-destructed the EVA in the
battle against Armisael in an attempt to save
Shinji. But what happened to Rei... :)
[Back to top]
![[Unit-01]](eva/Nge-u-01.html) Pilot :
The Third Child, Shinji Ikari
This unit was the so-called 'test model'
Evangelion. Exactly what things were tested on
this unit (new armor? improved interfaces? new
genetic method?) is not mentioned. Note that
instead of proceeding in a normal numerical
order, this EVA was given to the third
prospective pilot instead of the second one. I
believe this was due to the very special relation
the Ikari family has with this Unit...Unit-01
has several unique features when compared to the
other Evangelions. It is the only one with a
'horn' in the middle of its forehead (a
communications antenna perhaps?). The chest has
two armor plates (they look like late additions
to the Unit) which protect some kind of air
intake valves. Later, the Unit even acquires a
new type of power source for its use. This is a S2
or Super-Solenoid, acquired by eating Zeruel. It offers an unlimited
amount of energy for the Unit, just as with the
Angels.
Perhaps the single most important difference
is the some kind of 'link' the Unit has to
Shinji's mother, Yui, who disappeared during the
Unit's activation tests while sitting in its
entry plug. This at least on one occassion saves
Shinji from a certain death.
This Unit had the familiar violet/black/green
color scheme from the very beginning (gee, NERV
didn't put much though on camouflage when
painting these beasts ;). It relied on the
umbilical cable for power until acquiring the S2
engine.
This Unit fought against the Angels from the
beginning of their second wave (from Sachiel onwards). It had a part
in the destruction of almost every Angel.
Although it was severely damaged on many
occassions, it survived to the very end due to
some astounding regenerative capabilites
exhibited during its berserk runs.
Unit-01 exhibited some abnormal behavior from
the very beginning. When its future pilot,
Shinji, was in danger of being crushed under some
debris, the Unit self-activated itself and moved
to protect Shinji. Later, in the battle against
the 3rd Angel Sachiel the Unit
went berserk while the pilot was unconscious.
When the Unit was swallowed by the 12th Angel Leliel it somehow activated
itself even when its batteries were empty and
broke out of the Angel's extradimensional body.
Finally, Unit-01 broke completely free when going
against Zeruel and ended up
eating the Angel! Note that the berserk madness
against Bardiel was not
abnormal behaviour, it was a 'normal' reaction to
the incomplete control of the dummy plug system.
[Back to top]
![[Unit-02]](eva/Nge-u-02.html)
Pilots :
The Second Child, Asuka Langley Sohryu
The Fifth Child, Kaworu Nagisa
Apparently after two succesful models NERV was
satisfied with the amount of knowledge they had
of building EVAs and allowed the subsequent units
to be built off NERV Japan labs. Unit-02 was he
result of first such attempt, built in the NERV's
third branch in Germany. Note, that the EVA
creation facilities back at NERV HQ were
apparently abandoned after Unit-01 was finished.
Well, actually this happened when NERV was still
called GEHIRM.Unit-02 had a red-yellow-black
color scheme (plus touches of white and gray).
The head somewhat resembled that of Unit-01 but
lacks the 'antenna' and had four eyes instead.
Like Unit-00, this unit relied on the umbilical
cable for power.
Unit-02's first combar sortie was againts Gaghiel as the Angel attacked the
UN fleet carrying it and the Adam sample towards
Japan. When Asuka and Shinji operated the EVA in
tandem, an interesting side-effect was
discovered; they both easily broke their previous
sync ratio records. However, this synergic effect
wasn't put into any practical use.
Unit-02 had no problems during its operation.
The real troubles revolved around its pilot,
Asuka. She was confident that she was the best
EVA pilot NERV had, and was willing to go to
extremes to prove it. Her inability to defeat
Shinji cracked her resolve. Later, her
continouing defeats (by Bardiel, Zeruel and
Iriel) crumbled her self-confidence. This led to
the inevitable: her sync ratio dropped, finally
making her unable to operate Unit-02. She fell
into a coma-like state and was replaced by the
Fifth child, Kaworu Nagisa, sent to NERV by
SEELE. He, however, never actually piloted the
unit.
[Back to top]
![[Unit-03]](NGE-U-03.html) Pilot :
The Fourth Child, Toji Suzuhara
Unit-03 was the other of the two EVAs constructed
in the United States. After the sudden
destruction of Unit-04, the US government wanted
to get rid of this unit as soon as possible and
sent it to NERV Japan via air delivery.This
Unit's color scheme was almost completely black
except for some highlights in white. It had two
eyes abn a mouth, traits it shared with Unit-01.
This unit didn't have a very long career. It
had been taken over by the 13th Angel Bardiel and was destroyed shortly
after its activation. The pilot survived.
[Back to top]
Pilots :
No designated pilot
We never actually get to see Unit-04. It was
destroyed even before its activation tests when
NERV's second branch in Nevada, USA, experimented
with an S2 engine. The EVA exploded,
wiping the entire installation off the map.[Back to top]
![[SEELE EVA]](NGE-U-SL.html)
EVA Units from 05 to 13 were originally
intended for NERV use but this changed after the
break in relations with SEELE. The fact that new
EVAs were built was not kept secret but their
purpose as weapons against the NERV was.
After the last angel, Tabris,
had died, SEELEs true intentions surfaced. They
had attempted to initiate the Third Impact with
the Angel and having failed in that needed the
NERV EVAs to carry out their plan. Gendo refused
to hand over the surviving units. SEELE, now
convinced that their former member had turned
against them, created a plan to reclaim NERV,
their branch gone rogue, and to initiate the
Third Impact.
One of the cornerstones of this plan were the
new SEELE's EVA units, production models 05 to
13. Although they were intended as anti-EVA
weapons, their true purpose came apparent only in
the later stages of the plan; they were literally
an integral piece of the 'system' needed to
create the Third Impact.
The new EVAs differ in numerous ways from the
NERV EVAs:
- The most striking difference are the
fully-working super-solenoid engines. The
units do not need umbilical cables at
all.
- The units crouch forward like apes and
their heads, set low between their
shoulders, lack eyes. Instead, they have
huge mouths that give them a shark-like
resemblance.
- The units can fly thanks to their
retracable wings.
- They do not need pilots. A system
resembling the NERVs dummy plugs controls
them. The incredible amount of damage
they sustain while still retaining their
operational capability proves that they
don't have pilots inside to feel the
pain.
- They have only one hand-held melee
weapon, but what a weapon! To me it
looked like they were some kind of
replicas of the spear of Longinus.
- When working in unison, they are able to
produce some effects that are parts of
initiating the Third Impact.
- As the time for the Third Impact came,
all the SEELE EVAs were able to re-active
even after being destroyed by Asuka,
heedless of missing limbs or crushed
heads! Talk about unnatural endurance...
or perhaps some other force took control
of them.
Ok, so the SEELE EVAs weren't very good at
fighting... Asuka beats all nine of them in three
and half minutes. They wouldn't had stood a
chance without their special weapons and the
Unit-02 running out of energy. I wonder what
would have happened if Unit-01 had gone against
them. Even these creeps would have had
difficulties operating if they had gotten eaten
up by the EVA! Not that I really believe it would
have eaten them... it just would have been the
most effective way of neutralising them. :)
[Back to top]
|