Neon Genesis Evangelion glossary
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This is a glossary of terms from the anime and manga series Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Equipment
Entry Plug
Pilots control their Evangelion from within their "Entry Plugs", which are like pill-shaped capsuled cockpits and are filled with a breathable fluid, LCL.
LCL
It is frequently stated that LCL stands for "Link Connect Liquid", but Gainax has stated this is incorrect. The LCL fluid may also be compared to the amniotic fluid in the mother's womb, (even though this fluid is not breathable) and all the mother references that the main character has in the story. It is mentioned by the characters that the cockpit smells of blood when filled with LCL. LCL is also hypothesised to be a mixture of blood and water. LCL is the blood of Lilith, and this blood comes from the injury caused by the Lance of Longinus, as it does according to the gospel of John (20:34).
Dummy Plug
The Dummy Plugs are artificial pilots. All the regular Eva units are fitted so they can be operated with either the pilot or the Dummy Plug. There are two types of Dummy Plugs, those with the "personality" of Rei Ayanami and those with the "personality" of Kaworu Nagisa (the latter were used in the Mass Production types). It is said that they are programmed with operator data collected from their subjects, but others believe that they contain soulless physical clones of Rei and Kaworu. This second belief is supported by a scene in which a large tank filled with clones of Rei floating in LCL is described as 'parts for the Dummy Plug system' by Ritsuko. In fact, the two theories are not fundamentally incompatible, since the clones are mindless as well as soulless. The mass-produced Evangelions were equipped with Dummy Plugs in order to avoid the unpredictable behaviour of human pilots.
Progressive Knife
A combat knife used by the Evangelions, housed in the shoulder "wing", that vibrates at high frequency in order to cut things apart at sub-atomic level. It is often referred to as the "prog knife". Unit 02 has an advanced version, on which once the blade is broken, a button is pressed and another blade is extended from the handle.
Lance of Longinus
EvaLance.JPG
Also known as the Spear of Destiny, and an artifact of great power, able to pierce AT fields. It resembles a long red spear (Evangelion-sized) that forks near the middle, the two shafts first twisting around themselves to form a helix and then becoming straight. However, the split ends of the lance reunite when embedded into a target.
The Lance was used in a "contact experiment" with Adam, which caused the Angel's awakening and the Second Impact. In episode 12, the Lance was recovered from the new "dead sea" to be used to control Lilith. The Lance was used as a last resort weapon to attack the 15th Angel, Arael, which was in orbit and outside the direct reach of the Evas or any suitable terrestrial weapons. After being launched by the Eva-00, it destroyed the Angel, but got into lunar orbit and was effectively lost to NERV. It eventually planted itself into the moon's surface; it returned in "End of Evangelion", moments before the Third Impact. The Lance is a key piece to the process of Instrumentality.
Artificial versions of the Lance are used as the primary weapon for the mass production type Evangelion units, and also feature prominently in the Instrumentality.
The name "Lance of Longinus" originally refers to a Christian mythological object, also called the Spear of Destiny, which is supposedly the spear that a Roman soldier (Longinus) used to pierce Jesus Christ's side after he was crucified. In the original Japanese, the weapon was referred to as the "Spear of Longinus".
S² Engine
The "Super Solenoid Engine" is a limitless source of power originally found in the bodies of the Angels. The S² engines operation is explained through the Super Solenoid Theory which was developed by Dr. Katsuragi, Misato Katsuragi's father. Not much has been said about the theory, but it should be noted that it is not based on the theory of atomic energy, which is concerned with converting matter into energy. The S² engine is also the source of the angels' strong AT Fields. Being initially deprived of this kind of engine, the Evas must be always connected to an external power source and can only function for 5 minutes on its internal battery, alone. Some fans prefer to use the term "S² Organ" over "S² Engine" because it bears a more "organic" feel to the EVAs.
A faulty human-designed version of the S² engine was installed in the Eva-04. When the S² engine was activated, the containment fields of the engine broke down and "all the installations involved within a radius of 89km from the center were annihilated", resulting in the disappearence of NERV-2. After the incident, SEELE appeared to try to keep the S² engine from being used in the Evas, but their attempts failed when Shinji's Eva-01 acquired one from the consumption of the body of Zeruel, the 14th Angel (in episode 19, "Introjection"). The Mass Production Evas all have S² engines.
AT Field
"Absolute Terror Field". At the beginning of the series, the AT field is shown as a barrier that the Angels can use to withstand nearly any conventional assault, a barrier only other AT fields (such as those of the Evas) seem able to neutralize. Toward the climax of the series, it is revealed that every being has an AT Field, and that it is the literal wall that separates your identity from other egos and external reality. It is, then, the cause of loneliness and pain, and can be related to the so-called "Hedgehog's Dilemma" exhibited by main character Shinji Ikari — the fact that some people feel pain from loneliness but also get hurt when approached, and the closer they are to others, the more they are hurt. It also explains why Kaworu's AT Field can be penetrated by Shinji and only Shinji — the reason being that Kaworu trusts him.
At the climax of End of Evangelion, after the Third Impact, the re-awakened Lilith produces a massive anti-AT field that neutralizes the AT fields of all human beings, thus returning them to an undifferentiated state (the Sea of LCL).
The AT field is a very existential angst concept. It also bears resemblance to the "morphogenetic field" of Rupert Sheldrake.
In mainstream psychology, the Absolute Terror Field refers to the perceived physical (or mental) proximity at which an autistic person or someone similarly affected by conditions of a high ego will panic and become irrational or violent if someone or something that they do not recognize penetrates said proximity. In other terms, it is the threshold of violation of personal space. It would theoretically follow that all humans (and likely most animal organisms) have Absolute Terror Fields of lesser magnitudes. This can be illustrated by issues of trust: most people would not appreciate a total stranger touching them inappropriately or whispering in their ear, since such actions violate a sensibility concerning proximity that is tied directly to how much one trusts the other person.
D-type Equipment
A thick, heat resistant armor used for sending Evas into extreme conditions. It resembles an old-fashioned diving suit. Unit 02 was equipped with the D-type equipment when it entered a volcano in Episode 10.
N² Mine
"Non-Nuclear mine", the most powerful "clean" bomb ever made, capable of actually injuring Angels (although not by much). It has roughly the same explosive force as a standard hydrogen bomb, but without any of the radiation or nuclear fallout an H-bomb would produce. However, it does produce a siginifcant electromagnetic pulse. It is shown for the first time during Episode 01 against the third Angel. After a huge detonation, it only succeeds in stopping the Angel while it regenerates itself.
It should be noted that production notes refer to the N² mines and bombs as the P-bomb, leading to speculation that it might be some sort of subatomic particle weapon.
MAGI Super Computer System
The biocomputer system designed by Dr. Naoko Akagi for GEHIRN. It is divided into three personalities, named after the three specifically named Magi who, in some versions of the Bible, visited Jesus at his birth:
- Balthasar - Dr. Naoko Akagi as a mother;
- Melchior - Dr. Naoko Akagi as a scientist;
- Casper - Dr. Naoko Akagi as a woman; (the one that betrays her daughter for her lover in the End of Evangelion movie).
The original MAGI are located at NERV's First Branch in the Geo-Front, but the various other branches also have their own sets of MAGI supercomputers.
Jet Alone
A nuclear-powered Japanese government unmanned super robot, created by an independent corporation with the intention of supplanting the Evangelion units. However, its control systems were tampered with by agents of NERV and the unit's first public demonstration nearly ended in a nuclear disaster.
The name of JA comes from the robot, Jet Jaguar, which appeared in the special effects film Gozilla vs Megalon (1973). Jet Jaguar was a robot whose design was chosen from submissions from the public, and when it was initially announced, its name was Red Alone. Jet Alone is a name made by combining Red Alone and Jet Jaguar. It is truly a geeky GAINAX-like name.
Dead Sea Scrolls
The ancient Hebrew manuscripts found in the caves around Qumran between 1947 and 1956. In the series, they are in possession of SEELE, and contain prophecies of future events, including the arrival of the Angels.
Organizations
NERV
UN Special Agency NERV (German for "nerve"), is an organization tasked with defending Earth against Angels lead by Gendou Ikari. It was formerly GEHIRN, a UN Research Agency.
GEHIRN
NERV's predecessor, located at GeoFront, tasked with the development of Evangelion Units. Branch 3 is located in Germany. Two other Branches are located in USA, and one probably in China. A minor Branch is located in Matsushiro, Japan. (German for "brain")
SEELE
NERV and GEHIRN's secret backers, who wish to implement the Human Instrumentality Project. Consists of twelve prominent people; five of them form The Instrumentality Committee, which directly oversees NERV's progress, officially in the name of UN. (German for "soul")
United Nations
(UN)The world government which funds NERV. The UN of Neon Genesis Evangelion is very powerful and most probably not the same United Nations organization that is known today.
Marduk Institute
The Marduk Institute selects Evangelion pilot candidates ("Children"). Later in the TV series it is revealed that it consisted of fake/stub companies, and is actually controlled by Gendo Ikari and Ritsuko Akagi.
Japanese Strategic Self Defense Forces (JSSDF)
The JSSDF is a special branch of the Japanese Self Defense Forces formed following the outbreak of Valentine's Day war. The JSSDF are capable of extended overseas deployment and utilize special weaponry, such as the N² mines and the long range positron rifle. The JSSDF throughout the series is shown to be buffer between Angels and NERV or providing ordinance and support to NERV, but in End of Evangelion, the JSSDF are tasked by SEELE, through the UN and Japan, with the duty of invading the NERV Geo-Front, seizing Central Dogma, and stopping Ikari before he can start the Third Impact.
Lilim
The Children of Lilith, i. e. humanity. Kaworu Nagisa (the 17th Angel) often refers to humans/humankind as "Lilim".
Events
Genesis
The beginning.
First Impact
The First Impact is the meteor impact that occurred around 4 billion years ago which caused the Moon to split from the Earth, according to the Giant impact theory. It is speculated that the "meteor" in question may be either the White Moon or the Black Moon, burying itself into the Earth by dislodging an equal amount of mass, thereby creating the Moon. Some erroneously say this was the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, but there were no dinosaurs 4 billion years ago.
Second Impact
A cataclysm which followed the "contact experiment" conducted on Adam in the South Pole on August 15, 2000. The awakened and injured Angel created a strong anti-AT Field which caused an explosion that melted the Antarctic ice cap and caused a shift of Earth's axis; climate changes and gigantic floods followed. As a result, wars broke out due to scarce food and resources; these conflicts spread all over the world, and were ended on February 14, 2001 by signing what would be later called "The Valentine Treaty". By the end of these events, the human population of earth was halved.
Officially, there was no Adam and no "contact experiment". According to the cover-up, the Second Impact was caused by the impact of a meteorite that was too small to detect.
Third Impact
An event precipitated when Ikari Gendo places Adam inside of Lilith, causing AT-fields to disappear and the subsequent merging of all souls into one. This takes place in the end of the series in the movie End of Evangelion.
Locales
Black Moon
The empty "egg" from which all (human/lilim) souls originated, the Egg of Lilith. Buried beneath the surface of the Earth, it was unwittingly used by NERV as their base of operations (see Geofront).
White Moon
The egg from which all "shito" (Angels) originated from, located in Antarctica.
GeoFront
The headquarters of NERV Japan and NERV International. It is a spherical cavern, protected by 27 layers of armor (the same as the number of books in the New Testament), located under Tokyo-3. This is later revealed to be the Egg of Lilith, from which Humanity was born.
NERV-02
NERV-02 is the North American branch of NERV. It is located somewhere in the Nevada Desert and was destroyed along with everything in a 89km radius when Eva Unit-04 was installed with it's S² Engine.
Tokyo-3
Located above the GeoFront, with buildings that can retract into the ground for safety, and buildings that contain large Evangelion equipment. Tokyo-3 is projected to replace Tokyo-2 as capital of Japan. It was built in the location of pre-Impact Hakone.
Tokyo-2
Tokyo-2 is the capital of Japan, and was built after the Second Impact destroyed Tokyo (Tokyo-1). Created in the location of today's Nagano.
Tokyo (Tokyo-1)
Ruins seen in the series. Destroyed by the Second Impact, which caused sea levels to rise across the world. Some sources claim however that Tokyo was in fact destroyed when the first N2 bomb was dropped on it during the war, which broke out as a result of tensions post-Second Impact. The Japanese Prime Minister states in The End of Evangelion that he wants Tokyo-3 to be secured so that "none can touch it for the next 20 years...like old Tokyo".
Terminal Dogma
The deepest level of the NERV Headquarters, where Lilith and the Lance of Longinus are kept. It is ostensibly locked to all but the highest members of NERV (Gendou, Fuyutsuki, possibly Ritsuko), however Kaji gains entrance and shows Misato its contents shortly before the completion of his final mission.
Lilith is stored here impaled upon a massive red cross (similar to the one Eva Unit-03 is transported on). It is crucified and pierced through the torso with the Lance, much like Jesus. The wound from the Lance has not healed and LCL seems to bleed from it. This has caused a small lake of LCL to form around the cross which likely fuctions as the reservoir for NERV's LCL needs. Due to the fact that Lilith is still alive an entire fleet of UN Navy ships (probably autonomous or controlled by the MAGI) are kept in the LCL lake for security.
Trench of Malebolge
Central Dogma
NERV's pyramid-like control center. Terminal Dogma is directly below it.
Antarctica
Destroyed by the Second Impact, the continent is now completely submerged in a sea devoid of life, but with pillars of ice poking up through the surface. Humans cannot survive here, and must be shielded behind thick barriers.
Sea of LCL
A world in which there are no AT Fields, human consciousness is not divided between different bodies and the souls of all of humanity reside in a giant sea of primordial soup. The theoretical pinnacle of existence (according to SEELE) and ultimate goal of the Human Instrumentality Project.
Miscellaneous
NERV Logo
The NERV Logo is half a fig leaf, with the motto "God's In His Heaven... All's Right With The World" forming the quarter circle on the bottom. The motto comes from Robert Browning's poem "Pippa Passes."
The fig leaf has covered mans' nakedness in art and scuplture for hundreds of years, symbolically representing the guilt of his original sin. In Evangelion, man is now making war on the angels and challenging God himself. Mankind no longer feels shame for his sins - when the fig leaf is pulled back, NERV is revealed.
The logo can also be viewed as a brief summary of NERV's mission - attempting a return to man's original "naked" state by actively fighting back into the Garden of Eden.
Human Instrumentality Project (Human Completion Project)
The artificial precipitation of the Third Impact, in which all human physical life will end and the minds of all humans become united in a single soul.
Project E
The project to create the Evangelion combat machine series that led to the formation of NERV. The Adam Revival Project.
Tree of Life
See Tree of Life. The Kabbalah also refers to the organization of the ten Sephiroth as the Tree of Life.
GAINAX terms
Project EVA
The project to create the TV show. Nearly every anime has an organization called "project," such as that of "Project AKIRA."
Evangelion Complementation Project
The project behind Renewal of Evangelion, the 10th anniversary new editions of NGE, and tie-in products.
Renewal of Evangelion
The reimaging (not reimagining) of Evangelion for perfection on DVD. This edition of NGE is available in the Western World as the Platinum Edition (not the Perfect Collection). It includes the Director's Cut versions of the last sets of episodes, sometimes referred to as the New Production Cut or NPC. Unfortunately for Western audiences, the vast quantity of bonus material to be found in the Renewal boxed set has not been translated into English, and will be omitted from the Platinum Edition.
Terms from outside of the main series
F-type Equipment (Ｆ型装備)
F-type equipment appears in the game Evangelion 2. It is made for Unit-01, and features increased mobility, armor, and several added modes of attack. In the episode featuring Jet Alone in the TV series Unit-01 was referenced as being deployed using the F-type Equipment, although it looks no different from the standard armor in this appearance.
JA'
Jet Alone Prime, a further development of the Jet Alone project. This is found in the Evangelion 2 game.
Magoroku Exterminate Sword (マゴロク・エクスターミネート・ソード)
A giant (EVA-sized) sword used by Unit-01. Also known as "Magoroku E Sword".ja:エヴァンゲリオン (架空の兵器)