In 1995, Neon Genesis Evangelion burst onto the anime scene and changed the medium forever. Taking place 15 years after a worldwide cataclysm, the anime revolves around troubled teenager Shinji as he pilots a mecha called an Evangelion. Designated into different model units, Evas are designed to defend humanity against alien creatures called Angels.
Years after the anime concluded, Evas were depicted again in the Rebuild of Evangelion films. A modern reimagining of the anime, the first film was released in 2007. The fourth and final entry, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0, is set to be released in June 2020. As the wait continues for the anticipated sequel, let's review what we know about Evas so far. Full spoilers for the anime and the Rebuild films are below.
10 Evas Are Based On Japanese Monsters Called Oni
In Japanese folklore, oni is a kind of troll or ogre monster. Typically large and having horns on their heads, the creatures are red, blue, or green and usually carry clubs. Their impact on the culture inspired series director Hideaki Anno to base the Evas on them.
Despite being part of the mecha genre, Evas are more biological than mechanical. Speaking to Aerial Magazine, Anno said, "[I] wanted to give the impression that beneath this 'robot monster' image is not so much a robot, but a giant human."
9 Evas Have Regenerative Abilities
Like any machine, traditional mechas have the inherent weakness of relying on repairs to fix taken damage. While Evas can be repaired, they don't rely solely on others to do so. Firstly, they have an AT field, which is a force-field that is hard to bypass and also minimizes damages when it has been.
Assuming a foe gets past that, Evas, like Angels, have regenerative abilities. After taking significant damage, they are capable of repairing themselves over time. This can range from wounds healing themselves to a whole eye regenerating.
8 There Are Several Methods To Power Evas
In Evangelion, powering the Evas is an important aspect of using it. The first method is through an umbilical cord, which is a power cable that connects an Eva to an external power source. Once an Eva detaches, it has up to five minutes of energy from its internal battery before it shuts down.
A method that allows infinite energy is using an S2 engine, which is an energy-producing organ located within the core of an Angel. In the anime, Unit-01 gains it after eating one from an Angel. In Evangelion 3.0 (2012), some Evas possess battery tanks that charge when they place their hands in their openings.
7 Pilots Enter Evas Through Entry Plugs
Unlike a normal mecha robot, the pilots in Evangelion have to resort to an unusual manner of entering their cockpits. All Evas have gaps in their spines, which are used to insert Entry Plugs. Entry Plugs are long, capsule-shaped objects that contain cockpits and pilots.
When an Eva is damaged or compromised, it is possible for the pilot to save themself by ejecting the Entry Plug, which has a rocket-based ejection system. In several instances in the anime and the Rebuild films, this feature saves the life of a pilot.
6 Not Just Any Human Can Pilot An Eva
Dating back to the Gundam franchise, young characters are often the anchors of mecha stories. The reasoning is typically so their journeys are coming-of-age stories for the audience. In Evangelion, a similar premise is presented but with a narrower, unusual focus.
All the pilots in Evangelion have dead mothers and were born after Second Impact, a cataclysmic event that took place 15 years before the start of the story. The reason isn't explained until later in the anime when it's revealed that the souls of the mothers are integrated with the Evas, which allows for a psychic bond with the pilots.
5 Pilots Require LCL To Sync With Evas
Once in a cockpit, there is something called LCL that is needed before an Eva can operate. LCL is an amber or red (in the Rebuild films) liquid that acts as an electrochemical mediator between a pilot and their Eva's nervous system. Even though LCL floods the cockpit, pilots can still breathe because it is oxygenated.
Despite LCL's prominence in the franchise, its name remains mysterious. While the name was confirmed to be an acronym, it was never clarified what it stands for. Because films and mangas of the franchise claim different possibilities, speculation has continued years after the anime's release.
4 There Is Another Way To Pilot An Eva
Due to the strict requirements to become an Eva pilot, the existing ones are undoubtedly vital to humanity and NERV, the organization responsible for creating the Evas. Yet in the anime and the Rebuild films, the Evas are eventually fitted with something called the Dummy System.
It consists of a dummy Entry Plug that emulates pilots and their thoughts. A notable use is in Evangelion 2.o (2009) when Asuka test pilots Unit-03 before it's possessed by an Angel. Shinji, in Unit-01, refuses to attack Unit-03, causing NERV to activate the Dummy System to force his Eva to do so.
3 Evas Have A Berserk Mode
While Evas operate like machines when controlled by NERV and pilots, they aren't always like that. In some instances, they have been known to enter a Berserk mode. In this state, they typically leave human control and display animalistic tendencies they don't normally do like brutality.
The best example of this is Unit-01's fight with the Third Angel. In the anime and Evangelion 1.0 (2007), Shinji is defeated and Unit-01 is damaged. After a moment, the Eva reactivates and savagely kills the Angel by itself. There have been instances where Evas go berserk even after losing power.
2 Evas Can Reject The Activation Process
In any traditional mecha story, a pilot enters the machine and starts it like any other tool. However, the Evangelion franchise has different ideas for their gigantic mascots. In both the anime and Evangelion 1.0, the failed activation test of Unit-00, the first functioning Eva, is shown.
Set before both main stories, the flashback shows Unit-00 auto-ejecting the Entry Plug containing its pilot and entering Berserk mode. After NERV begins cutting its power, the Eva wreaks havoc on the lab before shutting down. In the anime, the pilot's mental instability is suggested as the reason.
1 Evas Are Clones Of Angels
The Evangelion franchise is generally perceived as a deconstruction of the mecha genre. Mechas, as implied in the name, are machines. Even though Evangelion is classified as part of the mecha genre, Evas are actually living beings with machinery attached to them.
While this revelation was shown early in the anime, their exact origins weren't revealed until later on. Evas are quasi-clones of Angels and are controlled by humans through the armor they wear. Their biological composition explains why they possess a Berserk mode and can heal or bleed after taking damage.