Neon Genesis Evangelion glossary

This is a glossary of terms from the anime and manga series "Neon Genesis Evangelion".

Equipment

A10 nerve clip

The A10 nerve clips [http://www.nervarchives.com/glossary.lcl.php LCL] Information and image; also shows Shinji wearing A10 nerve clips] are small objects worn by Eva pilots on their heads which aid in synchronization with the Evas [ [http://www.nervarchives.com/glossary.a10nerve.php A10 Nerve] Information about the A10 nerve's role in synchronization; also shows an image of a computer display showing nerve linkages in the Evas] . The "Evangelion Death & Rebirth Theatrical Program" booklet states:

The Evangelion are controlled mainly by linking with the cranial nerves of the pilot. Of these, the most important is this A^10 nerve. ... It is associated with higher order brain functions such as memory, cognizance and the execution of movement, and with emotions such as anxiety, fear, happiness and pleasure. In addition, it is also said to play an important role in affection between parent and child, and between lovers.

In Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's introduction to the bonus materials at the end of vol. 1 of the manga, he writes:

On the floor of the midbrain is the ventral tegmental system, that neurobiologists call region A10. Cells soaked in dopamine, certain emotions are processed here: such as the thoughts of two lovers - or a parent and a child. And it is the synchronization of the threads and bundles of A10 that splice pilot and Eva together; to become one entity, to fight. In other words, the power of love drives this weapon of mass destruction.

Asuka near-constantly wears hers, during her daily life and at school.

AT Field

AT Field [ [http://www.nervarchives.com/glossary.atfield.php AT Field] Description of the term, showing AT Fields being generated] is short for "Absolute Terror Field." While in the series the characters always refer to it as "AT Field," the opening credits show the complete expression. It has also been shown once in "Death and Rebirth" during the flashbacks, and in various documents like the Red Cross Book.

At the beginning of the series, the AT Field is shown as a barrier that the Angels can erect, which is impervious to almost all conventional weapons. The N² bomb can penetrate the AT Fields of some Angels, causing moderate damage that can be regenerated in a matter of hours or days, depending on the Angel in question. Certain Angels are completely unaffected by N² bombs. The Evas can also generate their own AT Fields, and can use them to neutralize the Angels' AT Fields through destructive interference.

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 one's identity from other egos and external reality, and which supports one's having a separate existence from others. Thus, it is also the cause of loneliness and pain, and can be related to the so-called "Hedgehog's dilemma" exhibited by main character Shinji Ikari — whereby a person feels (psychological) pain from loneliness, yet paradoxically, the closer he/she gets to someone else (emotionally), the more he/she is 'hurt'.

At the climax of "The 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", a primordial soup of sorts, containing the unseparated consciousness of the entire human race.

The concept of the AT Field could have been informed by the philosophical movement of existentialism as well as by the concept of angst.) is an organization led by Gendo Ikari and tasked with defending Earth against the Angels through use of the Evangelion units. It was formerly known as Gehirn, a UN Research Agency. It was reorganized into Nerv once Nerv HQ and Tokyo-3 became fully operational. There are several global branches of Nerv besides the main headquarters under Tokyo-3 itself.

The Nerv Logo is half a fig leaf covering its name, 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."

In : "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken." (King James Bible).]

However, Shinji Ikari makes the fateful decision to reject Instrumentality, thus ending Third Impact, and returning humankind to Earth in the form of the Sea of LCL. It is implied that all individuals with a strong sense of themselves and who choose to do so will, in time, be able to resurrect themselves.

Locales

Antarctica

Antarctica was Ground Zero for the Second Impact, during which it was destroyed; the continent is now completely submerged in a sea devoid of life, but with pillars of ice protruding through its red surface. Humans cannot survive here, and must be shielded behind thick barriers. It has become the true "Dead Sea"; not even microbial life survived the blast from Second Impact.

Black Moon

The Egg of Lilith — the empty "egg" from which all human (a.k.a. Lilim) souls originated. Buried beneath the surface of the Earth, it was used by Nerv as their base of operations (see GeoFront).

Central Dogma

Nerv's pyramid-like control center located inside the GeoFront. Terminal Dogma is directly below it. Central Dogma takes its name from the central dogma of molecular biology, which explains the concepts of translation and transcription of genetic information.

GeoFront (Nerv HQ)

A spherical cavern, protected by 22 layers of armored bulkheads, located under Tokyo-3 and containing Nerv headquarters. This is later revealed to be the Egg of Lilith, from which humanity was born. Gendo Ikari reveals towards the end of the series that humanity didn't build the GeoFront, but instead found it pre-existing at its current location, and "chose" to build Tokyo-3 and Nerv HQ there, along with expanding some internal space through tunneling, to construct their base.

Nerv-01

Nerv-01 is the first North American branch of Nerv located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is where Eva Unit 03 was created before being flown to Nerv headquarters, possibly in coordination with MIT where one of the Magi supercomputers was also held.

Nerv-02

Nerv-02 is the second North American branch of Nerv. It is located somewhere in the Nevada Desert, possibly at Area 51. It vanished, along with 12,000 individuals and everything else in an 89km radius, when S² Engine was activated.

Nerv-03

Nerv-03 (also known simply as "Nerv-Germany") is the branch of Nerv located in Germany. Eva Unit 02 was constructed here, and Asuka apparently trained here for some time, before both were transferred to the main Nerv branch at Tokyo-3. Its location is never specified; however, there are two Magi computers in Hamburg and Berlin.

Pribnow Box

This is a section of Nerv HQ where the three simulation bodies are kept. It is surrounded by thick "protein walls" which are later penetrated by the Angel Iruel. It is named after a section of the DNA strand of a prokaryotic organism.

ea of LCL

The Sea of LCL is 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. It's the theoretical pinnacle of existence (according to Seele) and ultimate goal of the Human Instrumentality Project.

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 (Gendo, Fuyutsuki, and Ritsuko); however Kaji gains entrance and shows Misato its contents shortly before the completion of his final mission. In the manga, Shinji accidentally comes across it at the same time Kaji and Misato do.

Lilith is stored in Terminal Dogma, crucified upon a massive red cross (similar to the one Unit 03 is transported on). It is also pierced through the torso with the Lance of Longinus, 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 functions as the reservoir for Nerv's LCL needs.

Tokyo (Tokyo-1)

Tokyo-1 (the original Tokyo) is now a partially submerged ruin seen in the series. It was destroyed on September 20th, 2000, seven days after Second Impact, when a nuclear bomb was dropped on it during the wars which broke out as a result of post-Second Impact tension. The destruction of Tokyo-1 resulted in the death of half a million people. An official document on the Second Impact is shown in the series for a brief moment. The Japanese Prime Minister also states in "The End of Evangelion" that he wants Tokyo-3 to be so utterly destroyed and made completely uninhabitable that "no one can touch it for the next 20 years... like old Tokyo."

The ruins of Old Tokyo were used as a testing site for the robot Jet Alone in episode 7.

Tokyo-2

Tokyo-2 is the capital of Japan, and was where the Japanese government relocated after Tokyo (Tokyo-1) was nuked in the chaos following Second Impact. Tokyo-2 was created in the location of today's Matsumoto City in Nagano prefecture. Construction began in 2001 and by early 2003 it had become the functional new capital city.

Tokyo-3

Tokyo-3 is located above the GeoFront, with buildings that can retract into the ground for safety, and other buildings that contain the launch ports and weapons caches for the Evas. It is projected to replace Tokyo-2 as capital of Japan, but was designed to intercept all incoming Angels to Japan. The city is defended by numerous missile stations around it. It was built in the location of pre-Impact Hakone.

Tokyo-3 was heavily damaged by the attack of the Angel Zeruel, though repairs on Nerv HQ and much of the city were worked on later. However, soon after this Rei was forced to self-destruct Unit 00 to destroy the Angel Armisael, destroying a large swath of the city. During the attack by JSSDF forces directed against Nerv by Seele in "The End of Evangelion", the JSSDF dropped an N² bomb on Tokyo-3; what remained of the city was destroyed, and the GeoFront below was left open to the sky, though Nerv HQ (located deep beneath the area of the blast's effect) survived the explosion.

White Moon

The egg from which all Angels originated, located in Antarctica. [ [http://www.nervarchives.com/glossary.whitemoon.php White Moon] Information and image] This is where Adam laid dormant before self-destructing and being shrunk to an embryo because of an experiment of the Katsuragi Team, causing Second Impact. The "White Moon" was (according to deleted scenes from episode 21) actually another GeoFront cavern, exactly the same size as the Black Moon's GeoFront (which contained Lilith) located under Hakone (which Nerv HQ and Tokyo-3 were built around). According to Gendo, both the creation of the Black Moon cavern under Tokyo-3 and the White Moon in Antarctica date back to the exact same geological time period. An image of the White Moon from the day before Second Impact appeared on a computer screen; text on the computer stated that the White Moon was "possibly created at time of Giant Impact" (that is, First Impact), and "surface structure clearly artificial". It also seems to refer to the White Moon as GeoFront 01, which would suggest that Nerv knew about it all the time.

According to the "Neon Genesis Evangelion 2", like the Black Moon containing Lilith, the White Moon was created as a vessel by the aliens known as the First Ancestral Race, one of many such vessels used to seed life on different planets (for what purpose is unknown). White Moons containing Adam-like creatures seeded some planets with Angel-like lifeforms, while Black Moons with Lilith-like creatures created human-like lifeforms on other planets. However, a White Moon and a Black Moon were never supposed to both seed life on the same planet, which ultimately put both humans and Angels in direct competition for control of Earth. (See "Terms from outside of the main series" for more details).

Miscellaneous

Children

"Children," the plural of "Child", is used to refer to each of the Eva pilots in the singular (e.g. Shinji is the "Third Children", not the "Third Child"). The Japanese script uses the English word "Children" explicitly. The English language dub produced by ADV, however, uses the word "Child" instead of "Children." In the audio commentary track of "" the translators stated that they made the change intentionally because "children" sounded unnatural in English when used repeatedly to refer to a single child.

Dead Sea Scrolls

The ancient Hebrew manuscripts found in the caves around Qumran between 1947 and 1956. In the world of "Evangelion", there exists one or more of these scrolls whose existence was never revealed to the public and are currently held by Seele. Seele states that their pursuit of the Human Instrumentality Project, and all events occurring therein, is in accordance with an ambiguously-described "scenario" laid out in the Dead Sea Scrolls, predicting the Second Impact, the coming of the Angels, and the eventual Third Impact.

First Ancestral Race

The First Ancestral Race is never mentioned in the series, but are described in the Classified Information files of the spin off video game "Neon Genesis Evangelion 2". The nihongo|First Ancestral Race|第一始祖民族|Daiichi Shiso Minzoku are the ancient god-like progenitor aliens who created Adam and Lilith, and thus, ultimately the creators of both the humans and the Angels. Billions of years ago, this race seeded life throughout the galaxy by sending Seeds of Life to many planets (their motivation is unknown). Seeds of Life called White Moons contained Adam-like creatures, who gave rise to Angel life forms on the planets they landed on. Seeds of Life called Black Moons contained Lilith-like creatures, who started what we would consider normal terrestrial life, which evolved into human-like life forms. A Black Moon and a White Moon were never meant to land on the same planet, and thus Angels and humans were never meant to co-exist. Originally, the White Moon containing Adam landed on Earth. However, the Black Moon containing Lilith accidentally (and violently) collided into Earth, an event known as First Impact which created Earth's Moon. These aliens also created the Lance of Longinus, which was sent along with Adam and Lilith as a means of controlling them. While none of this is ever mentioned in the series, their presence in the backstory is heavily implied in that the White Moon of Adam in Antarctica, and the Black Moon of Lilith under Tokyo-3, are both described as "clearly artificial", as well as being "nearly identical", and Gendo says that "an intelligence other than Mankind created the GeoFront".

Human Instrumentality Project

The "Human Instrumentality Project" is also known as "The Human Enhancement Project" or "The Human Complementation Project".

Though the specifics of the project are largely mysterious and speculative, the Instrumentality Project is an operation initiated by Seele to instigate an artificial Third Impact in which all human physical life will end and the minds of all humans become united in a single soul. Nerv, the Evas, Adam, Lilith, and the Angels, along with Second Impact, all form part of Seele's skillful maneuvering to achieve this purpose. It could be said to be the project to turn humans into God, which is largely played out in "The End of Evangelion", before Shinji decides to accept humans apart, and with different AT Fields. Metaphorically, this decision could be the "New Beginning" indicated by the series name, "Neon Genesis Evangelion".

Lilim

Lilim are the Children of Lilith, i.e. humanity. Kaworu Nagisa (Tabris, the seventeenth Angel) often refers to humans/humankind as "Lilim." In "The End of Evangelion", Misato refers to mankind as the eighteenth angel.

Project E

Project E is the project to create the Evangelion combat machine series that led to the formation of Nerv. It is also called the Adam Revival Project.

Tree of Life

The Kabbalah refers to the organization of the ten Sephiroth as the "Tree of Life". Two versions of the Tree of Life are depicted in the opening credits, and a large diagram appears on the ceiling of Gendo's office. As part of Instrumentality's progress in "The End of Evangelion", the mass-produced Evas gather around Unit 01 in a pattern which forms a Tree of Life.

GAINAX terms

Evangelion Complementation Project

The project behind Renewal of Evangelion, the 10th anniversary new editions of NGE, and tie-in products.Fact|date=September 2007

Evangelion Proposal

Evangelion Proposal is a 30 page basic outline of the plot of "Neon Genesis Evangelion", including concept art, that was developed as a sort of pitch-package for the series while Gainax was still developing it. It was made about two years before the series even began airing (the premiere of the series was notorious for its repeated delays due to production and budget problems), after which it was shown around to TV stations that they wanted to pick up the series. "Proposal" confirms that Gainax did indeed have a basic outline of how the series would play out as they proceeded; however, it is also clear from this (and later statements by the creators) that the plot changed as work progressed; specifically the ending of the series outlined in "Proposal", beyond the Eva-03 incident in episode 19, is widely divergent from what ultimately happened. However, "Proposal" does confirm that several aspects of the backstory, such as that the "First Ancestral Race" of aliens created the Angels, etc. were already established right when work on the series began, two years before it even premiered. "Evangelion Proposal" was released to the public as a subsection of the larger "Evangelion Chronicle" guide to the series.

Project EVA

The project to create the TV show. Nearly every anime has an organization called "project," such as that of "Project AKIRA" or "Project D".Fact|date=September 2007

Rebuild of Evangelion

On September 9, 2006, GAINAX's official website confirmed that "Rebuild of Evangelion" will consist of four movies. The first three movies will be an alternate retelling of the TV series, featuring new scenes, settings, backgrounds, characters, and newly available 3D CG technology, and the fourth film will present a completely new conclusion to the story.

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" (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 was omitted from the Platinum Edition, to say nothing of the Renewal box itself. Also, the "Platinum Edition" does not include "Director's Cut" episodes 25'/26' (AKA The End of Evangelion) and has significantly degraded video and sound quality when compared directly with the "Renewal" set.Fact|date=September 2007

Revival of Evangelion

"Revival of Evangelion" is a re-edited concatenation of the movies "Evangelion: Death and Rebirth" and "The End of Evangelion", which together involve the whole story of the series. It was released in 1998 and is considered to be the final form of the "Evangelion" movies.

Terms from outside the canon of the main series

Country Crawler / Trident

The Country Crawlers / Tridents are the flight-capable giant robots the Japanese government builds as a backup plan against the EVAs, and are also piloted by 14-year-olds. They are equipped with 100mm chin-mounted cannons. They can be seen in "Girlfriend of Steel" / "Iron Maiden".

F-Type Equipment

Known as Ｆ型装備 in Japanese, F-Type equipment [See [http://www.evacommentary.org/appendix/geektionary.html Entry at EvaCommentary.org's "Geektionary"] and [http://www.evacommentary.org/images_production/yamashita_nge2_f-type.jpgF-Type Equipment] for information and image] appears in the game "Neon Genesis Evangelion 2", as well as "Super Robot Wars Alpha 3". This heavy-armored equipment is actually in direct conflict with the Evangelion's nature. This is because what was originally assumed to be armor was revealed by Ritsuko to be a restraint which kept the Evangelion units under control. From this came the idea of the 'A.T. Field Control Experiment.' The idea calls for an equipped system that would take the A.T. Field that a unit emits under normal circumstances and introduce a warping effect that would strengthen the unit's defenses. In this way, the requirement of the heavy armor was met without violating the spirit of the Evangelion system.

Boosting Unit 01's power dramatically, it's the UN's primary hand-to-hand combat tool. On the plus side, it reinforces the strength of Unit 01, but on the minus side, the increased weight slightly reduces its mobility. By deflecting the A.T. Field the unit normally emits, the armor can be used for defense or even extra power for jumping and propulsion.

The new shoulder pylons each contains a 'Progressive Dagger,' an improved Progressive Knife which is even bigger and longer. Each shoulder is also equipped with an electrical beam like launcher named 'Volt Launcher' or 'Impact Bolt,' an antiphase weapon with, along with devastating power, the ability to temporarily paralyze an enemy.

In addition to these, the extra weapons included with F-Type equipment includes:
* 'Dual Saw': A handheld dual chainsaw.
* 'Mastema' : An all-range weapon, the Mastema is a lightweight multi-weapon that includes a large-bore machine cannon, edges that can be used for slashing (Progressive Sword) and two cruise missiles with built-in N² warheads, making this a weapon of choice for both close-range and distance combat. Another fact is that this weapon is named after a fallen angel said to have brought much suffering on the human race.

Note that these weapons are not only limited to Unit 01 for use. They can be switched to the other Eva Units for their use.

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. Closer inspection would reveal that Unit 01 has larger than usual shoulder packs. It can be assumed that the F-Type Equipment, apart from other uses, offers the units the ability to operate without the need of being connected via cable for longer periods.

Jet Alone Prime

Jet Alone Prime (also known as JA') is a further development of the Jet Alone project. This is found in the game "Evangelion 2".

The JA that appeared in Episode 7 of TV series was the prototype model, and according to the setting, this unit with an onboard N² reactor was actually in development at the time.

Initially afraid of having an onboard fission reactor, but forced to meet the deadline for the public test, they fitted the prototype with a nuclear reactor taken from the "old system", which ends up running amok.

This model contained an onboard reactor was treated as experimental at the time. By coincidence, it slipped through the grasp of those who conspired to have it sabotaged, thus narrowly escaping disassembly.

The body of this robot, with its reactor, is slightly smaller than the original JA. But, it's still powerful and nimble, and in exchange for only having to equip a single cooling system, it consumes massive amounts of water, requiring the presence of a nearby water supply during periods of extended operation.Its weapons include a giant hammer and a ring attached to the wrist that emits an electrical discharge.

Magoroku-Exterminate Sword

Known as マゴロク・エクスターミネート・ソード in Japanese, the Magoroku-Exterminate Sword, or Magoroku-E Sword for short, is a giant (EVA-sized) Progressive Sword with a curved blade, like a Japanese katana. Normally, it is paired with another shorter 'Counter Sword' that has a pistol attached to it, resembling a gunblade.

These blades are commonly seen as an accessory to Unit 01 models and action figures, but were never shown in the series. However, they do appear in several video games, like "Super Robot Wars MX" and "Super Robot Wars Alpha 3".

Footnotes