Neon Genesis Evangelion is known for being a layered experience. Many fans will come for the action but stay for the introspection and psychology. With the release of Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon A Time, the conclusion of the Rebuild tetralogy, Evangelion has ended for the third, and possibly final, time.
The series is filled with action scenes both exciting and horrifying, and even as the Rebuilds became even more abstract than the original, they tilted more towards spectacle. But not all of the fights were created equally, thus making it easy to rank them.
14 Asuka Vs The 7th Angel In Evangelion 2.0 Is Too Brief
Rebuild's Asuka Langley Shikinami lives up to the original Asuka Langley Soryu's aspiration to be the greatest EVA pilot ever. In the quickest fight of the series, Asuka (piloting Unit-02) makes her smashing debut in Evangelion 2.0 by easily defeating the Seventh Angel.
While an impressive victory, the briefness of the fight sets the trend of Asuka getting the short end of the stick throughout the Rebuilds.
13 Shinji vs Sachiel In Evangelion 1.0 Is Redundant In Context
The weakness of the first Rebuild film is how similar it is to the original - it's simply a compressed remake of the series' first six episodes. This creates the double-edged sword of it being quite good in a vacuum, yet redundant in context.
This is clearly seen in Shinji's debut as an EVA pilot - operating Unit-01 against the Fourth Angel, Sachiel. It's an exciting fight, but one that had been done a decade before.
12 Shinji vs Shamshel In Evangelion 1.0 Is Another Remake Battle
Shinji's second Rebuild battle, against the Angel Shamshel, is likewise mostly just a remake of the fight from Evangelion Episode 3. Two things make it superior to the opening battle. One, the improved animation is more evident here, thanks to Shamshel's overhauled design and more fluid movements.
Second, the stakes are better felt due to Toji & Kensuke's presence, much like in the original show.
11 Mari vs The 3rd Angel In Evangelion 2.0 Is A Highlight Of The Dub
The second Rebuild film introduces two new characters. One is Mari Illustrious Makinami, a new EVA pilot and the only one who wants to fight the Angels because it's fun. The second is the Third Angel - in NGE, Sachiel had been the Third Angel, but the Rebuilds inserted a new Angel earlier in the sequence, one who'd been captured and experimented on by NERV.
Piloting Eva Unit-05, Mari hops into battle with a song in her heart to face the escaping Angel. Trina Nishimura's performance as Mari was a highlight of the Funimation dub; her intensity as she presses her EVA's grip on the Angel's core is unmatched.
10 Shinji, Rei, and Asuka vs Sahaquiel In Evangelion 2.0 Offers A Brief Moment Of Victory
The third fight in Evangelion 2.0 allows the three children to work as one when the enormous Eighth Angel descends from orbit. On a conceptual level, the fight plays out similarly to the one from NGE Episode 12 against Sahaquiel, albeit with massively improved animation - both in the Angel's design and the action itself.
The fight also offers a brief, fleeting moment of unabashed victory for our heroes.
9 WILLE Vs NERV In Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 Embraces Surreality
After a slower, more contemplative first hour, Thrice Upon A Time shifts gears for its latter half. In a fight that embraces surreality like no other in the series, the forces of WILLE (led by Misato) and NERV (led by Gendo) meet at Antarctica, the sight of the Second Impact and where Evangelion's story began.
Just as NERV intends to enact the Final Impact, WILLE intends to prevent it. Asuka (in Unit-02) and Mari (in Unit-08) lead NERV's assault, with Asuka eventually letting loose the Ninth Angel concealed within her to evolve Unit-02 into a divine being.
8 Shinji, Rei, and NERV Vs Ramiel In Evangelion 1.0 Showcases The Improvements In Animation
The third major Angel fight in Evangelion 1.0 is the best of the bunch. The benefits of improved animation are most clearly seen here; in NGE, Ramiel was an octahedron, but here it's a shape-shifter that can remold its crystalline body at will.
Shiro Sagisu's new track for the sequence's climax, "Angel Of Doom," bolsters the scene and is a marvelous addition to Evangelion's discography.
7 The Paris Battle In Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 Is Entertaining
Thrice Upon A Time opens in Paris, with WILLE implementing technology to undo the effects of the Third Impact and restore the city to its glory.
When NERV forces arrive, Mari and Unit-08 (boasting a pair of lengthy artificial arms to replace the ones lost in the previous film) hold them off - eventually, she even uses the Eiffel Tower itself as a weapon.
6 Unit-01 Vs Unit-03 In Evangelion 2.0 Is Heartbreaking
The point of no return for NGE's turn into despair was Episode 18. Unit-03, piloted by Toji, is hijacked by the Angel Bardiel. Shinji is unwilling to kill another person even to destroy an Angel, and has to watch a remote-controlled Unit-01 rip apart Unit-03 then destroy its entry plug.
The scene plays out much the same in Evangelion 2.0, but it's Asuka who's piloting Unit-03, not Toji. In execution, Asuka's "demise" is just as heartbreaking as Toji's, especially thanks to "Kyou no Hi wa Sayounara" ("Farewell For Today"), a song which plays over the Rebuild version of the scene.
5 Asuka & Mari's Orbital Battle In Evangelion 3.0 Is A High-Stake Fight
Evangelion 3.0 is a divisive film, but it opens with an impressive sequence. Asuka/Unit-02 and Mari/Unit-08 glide through low orbit to retrieve a "package" - specifically, a container carrying the preserved Shinji and Unit-01.
The fight puts the EVAs in a previously unseen environment - a zero-gravity environment - and this makes for some thrilling spectacle, even if the stakes of the sequence aren't obvious for new viewers.
4 Shinji, Kaworu, And Rei Vs Asuka & Mari In Evangelion 3.0 Uses Dazzling Animation
Determined to undo the Third Impact, Shinji co-pilots EVA-13 alongside Kaworu to claim the Spears of Longinus and Cassius. The spears have the power to remake the world, but WILLE has no intent of letting Shinji and Kaworu get their hands on them. Neither, it turns out, does Gendo, who swapped out the Cassius Spear for a second Longinus.
The most personal conflict is between Shinji and Asuka, but it's Rei who nearly triggers another Impact by releasing the 12th Angel, which bonds to Unit-13. The sequence has some of the most dazzling animation across the series, but the least comprehensible narrative - a consequence of the 14-year time-skip between 2.0 and 3.0.
3 Mari & Rei Vs Zeruel In Evangelion 2.0 Is Intense
The climax of Evangelion 2.0 - the siege of NERV by the Tenth Angel, Zeruel - can be broken into two parts. The first half sees Mari fill in for a comatose Asuka as the pilot of Unit 02. She gets the opening salvo, but even her triggering "The Beast" (essentially inducing Unit-02 into a controlled Berserk mode) doesn't penetrate the Angel's AT Field.
Rei, carrying a missile across Unit-00's shoulder, almost manages to hit the Angel's core once Mari/Unit-02 finally manage to crack its AT Field. Unfortunately, the Angel's shell is too strong. In any case, Zeruel lives up to its name - “The Angel Of Strength”
2 Shinji Vs Zeruel In Evangelion 2.0 Shows A Fascinating Parallel
Zeruel absorbs Unit-00, and its lower body becomes humanoid. Spurred by Mari, Shinji returns to pilot Unit-01. Just as the last EVA's power runs out and hope seems lost, Shinji declares with unusual resolve: "I want Rei - Give her back!"
From there, Unit-01 awakens, more powerful than ever. Over Ritsuko's objections and Misato's encouragement, Shinji finally makes a decision for himself and pledges to save Rei. While he pulls Rei from Zeruel's core, the mixing of EVA and Angel tissue triggers the Third Impact. The resultant cataclysm is nowhere near as disorienting as in “The End Of Evangelion,” but it’s still dazzling. It’s also an inverse - NGE Shinji damned the world because he stopped caring, Rebuild Shinji does it because he cared too much.
1 Shinji vs Gendo In Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 Is Everything The Series Has Been Building Towards
Thrice Upon A Time's climax is a duel: Gendo in Unit 13 and wielding the Spear Of Longinus, Shinji piloting Unit 01 and wielding the Spear Of Cassius. The fight is everything the series has been building towards - Instrumentality vs Individuality, despair vs hope, father vs son.
The clash threads itself across the series and even breaks through the boundaries of the 4th wall. In the end, Shinji thwarts Gendo's designs not with violence, but understanding.